Players speak out against the busy schedule

This 2020-21 season is expected to be the toughest in history for footballers. After the months of confinement, most countries decided to resume the league in the summer months and then start the next edition. The break between season and season has been minimal and Frenkie de Jong has been the last to openly complain. “These friendlies are not necessary. There was an agreement to celebrate it before the coronavirus, so you have to accept it. But everyone knows that the calendar is always loaded and this year even more ”.

But he is not the only one who has raised his voice against this abuse that players are suffering. A couple of weeks ago, Mbappé commented that for him it is not a new season. “It is as if we have been playing 60 games since 2020 without stopping. It is a marathon that has no end, “he said. The Frenchman is rightly complaining and did so just before he was injured at Nantes. And he is not the only one who has had to stop due to physical problems. Ansu Fati, Kimmich, Valverde, Alexander-Arnold, Cristiano, Van Dijk … Many injuries are being seen in teams and players that were usually not so many or so serious. Confidence, being late, or unnecessary force in a crash lead to injuries that might not have occurred in optimal physical condition.

FIFPRO complains

The footballers' union issued a statement on November 6 warning that “The current management of the calendar during this emergency period lacks sufficient considerations for health, well-being and performance, and requires urgent review”. They also demanded that all national competitions adopt the measure of implementing five changes per game and again recalled the necessary rest for the players.

In June they already asked the players to have between five and six weeks off before starting this 2020-21. “No one should have to risk their health and safety to meet business objectives”. However, PSG only had 18 days off between the Champions League final and the first league match and Bayern not much more, 26.