FIFPRO wants drastic cuts to match calendar over 89-game season fears

FIFPRO are calling for mandatory season breaks and a limit on back-to-back games to protect the welfare of players.

The call from the trade union comes in the wake of an end-of-season report on the 2022-23 campaign. Titled ‘Extreme Calendar Congestion: The Adverse Effects on Player Health & Wellbeing’, the publication was complied with data and analytics platform Football Benchmark.

It warns competition schedules and increased individual workloads could damage the career longevity, mental health and personal lives of players, and published after one of the busiest seasons ever due to the winter World Cup in Qatar.

Current players are playing double the competitive professional football at their age as their peers in previous generations, increasing the risk of injury and burnout, according to the report.

Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior, who is 22, has already played 18,876 minutes for club and country, more than twice as much as former Brazil playmaker Ronaldinho at the same age. Spain midfielder Pedri had at the age of 20 played more than 12,000 minutes, 25% more minutes than Xavi at the same age.

France’s Kylian Mbappe has at age 24 played 26,952 minutes, 48% more than Thierry Henry at the same age. England star Jude Bellingham will have played more than 30% more minutes of competitive football by his 20th birthday later this month than Wayne Rooney, at the same age.

FIFPRO are concerned about the future, highlighting how the the 2024-25 season, with the expansion of the Champions League and Club World Cup, could see an 89-game season for players in the most successful clubs.

“Evidence shows that the cannibalisation of the match calendar is putting more mental and physical stress on today’s elite players than the previous generation,” FIFPRO General Secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann said.

“Even though some are having to reduce their commitments or leave the game early, there is no sign of a solution to protect them.

“The match calendar from 2024/2025 will put more pressure on their health and careers. Together, all of us have a duty of care towards these players and the industry must fast-track the implementation of actions that look after their health and wellbeing.”