MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Less is more. That is the message coming from within soccer at a time when demand for the sport has never been higher.
At least, that’s the message from those on the front line, who claim they are putting their bodies and minds at risk over the increased demands being placed upon them.
Congested schedules, along with new and/or reformed competitions have raised concerns about the number of games the world’s top players are being asked to play.
Last season Manchester United and Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes made 70 appearances for club and country, including a run of 20 consecutive games.
Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri played in 10 different competitions.
Such statistics have led to fears over the physical and mental health of players, the potential for burnout and the premature curtailing of careers.
On Thursday, Vincent Kompany, the former Manchester City captain and now manager of Premier League Burnley, offered a potential solution to the issue.
“I think that for the players at the very, very top, who are playing in national teams and all of these other competitions… it should just be capped appearances for a player to play within a season,” he said. “You’re not going to keep a player away from finals, you’re never going to do that, or important games. But I think if you decide that physiologically that 65 or 70 games is beyond healthy then that should be the cap and after that you start juggling around like you do when you have an injured player.”
Disruptions caused by the Covid pandemic and a mid-season World Cup last year have contributed to hectic scheduling to enable clubs to meet fixture commitments.
Poland defender Kamil Glik was back into action for Italian team Benevento just four days after his country was eliminated from last year’s World Cup, which was staged in November and December. The tournament was moved from its traditional time of June-July because temperatures would be too high during those months in the host nation of Qatar.
Raphael Varane, who was injured on the eve of the tournament but recovered to help France advance to the final, waited eight days after that match to play again for his club Manchester United.
To add to the pressure on players, world governing body FIFA and the Premier League have imposed measures that have led to extended amounts of added time at the end of matches.
Designed to give a more accurate reflection of stoppages in play, it has led to games lasting 100 minutes and beyond.
Varane posted his own concerns on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying, “there are too many games, the schedule is overcrowded, and it’s at a dangerous level for players physical and mental well-being.”
“As a player I feel very privileged to do the job I love every day but I feel these changes are damaging our game,” he added. “We want to be at our maximum level, the best we can be and put on amazing performances for fans to celebrate every week.”
Varane retired from international soccer after the World Cup, at the age of 29.
It is not likely to get any easier for overworked players.
European soccer’s governing body UEFA has announced changes to the Champions League from next season that will see two additional games as a result of the group stages of the competition being switched to a league format.
