Players ready to strike over packed calendar, warns Professional Footballers’ Association chief

LONDON – Players have warned world football’s governing body Fifa that they are ready to go on strike over concerns that the playing calendar is overloaded, the chief executive of England’s Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) said.

Maheta Molango, who has been calling for change since February, believes that players have reached a breaking point when it comes to their physical and even mental limits.

He says football’s packed schedule endangers players’ health and also diminishes the quality of the sport.

“I can tell you a situation not 10 days ago where I went into a dressing room that was directly affected and said: ‘I’m happy to be here and bark a bit, but ultimately it’s up to you. How far do you want to go?’” Molango told the BBC.

“Some of them said: ‘I’m not having it, we might as well go on strike. Some said: ‘What’s the point? Yes, I’m a millionaire, but I don’t even have time to spend the money’.”

Demands on players have increased in recent years, as tournaments expanded and new competitions emerged, with many players and managers criticising that the calendar demanded too many matches.

“It was not even the union that said it, it was (former Liverpool manager) Jurgen Klopp and (Manchester City boss) Pep Guardiola. We have reached a point where we cannot rule out any action,” Molango said.

Global players’ union Fifpro, along with the PFA and the World Leagues Association (WLA), have threatened to take legal action if Fifa continues in this direction.

In a letter addressed to Fifa president Gianni Infantino and secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom, they expressed their concerns in particular over the expansion of the new 32-team Club World Cup which will start in 2025.

The Champions League and Europa League will also be having eight first-phase games for each team next season compared to six this term, and both competitions and the Europa Conference League – which are all under the purview of European football body Uefa – will be increased to 36 teams.

In response to the letter, Fifa denied their claims that it had taken unilateral decisions to favour its competitions in the international calendar and would definitely not consider rescheduling the Club World Cup.

“We will always try to exhaust all diplomatic avenues, we have sent a letter, we have received a reply, but unfortunately time is against us. Sometimes between grown-up people, despite trying very hard to find solutions you need a third party to decide, maybe an arbitrator or a tribunal,” Molango added, unhappy with the response.

Infantino had also addressed the issue with member associations at a Fifa congress earlier in May, emphasising that his organisation’s mission is to grow football globally.

“Fifa is organising around 1 per cent of the games of the top clubs in the world, and 98-99 per cent of the matches are organised by the different leagues, associations, confederations,” he said.

“But Fifa is financing football all over the world. The revenues that we generate are not just going to a few clubs in one country, the revenues that we generate are going to 211 countries all over the world.” REUTERS, AFP