Dire Phil Foden warning issued as Mo Salah and Erling Haaland points made
Phil Foden's 72 games last season were the most played by any Englishman and the players' global union FIFPRO says FIFA and UEFA must act now
Phil Foden will suffer burn-out unless safeguards are introduced to limit the number of games played by the top stars.
This stark warning comes from the players’ global union, FIFPRO, and they are alarmed by the increase in UEFA’s Champions League and FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup. Foden played the most games of any English player last season and his total of 72 was only topped by his former Manchester City team-mate and Argentina striker Julian Alvarez, who made 75.
Liverpool's Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez also made 72 and FIFPRO claim their survey of 1,500 top players revealed 17 per cent made 55 appearances or over. Over half, 54 per cent, were already experiencing excessive workload demands and FIFPRO, who have taken FIFA to court over the Club World Cup, say changes are overdue.
They feel the maximum number of games for players should be between 50 and 60. FIFPRO also argue players should feature in no more than six consecutive games and that everyone should have at least a three-week break in the summer.
Their survey found that leading players spent 88 per cent of their time in the work place, meaning only 12 per cent of their time was free. This was less than a day off per week and FIFPRO say the governing bodies are riding roughshod over health and safety legislation, limiting the working week of employees.
FIFPRO board member and PFA CEO Maheta Molango cited Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah, saying they have started so well because they had proper rests in the summer.
“It’s very nice to go to a dressing room and hear someone say to you ‘I was missing being back. I was missing being able to train again. I’m pumped up, I’m motivated, I’m here’,” he said.
“That was in pre-season and now you’re seeing the results. He’s back to being that machine that we first saw in England. It’s probably something very similar to Mo Salah. He had proper rest and you can see again the best version of Mo.
“It was interesting seeing the feedback from people who’ve not had that rest and they look shattered, they looked tired, even before they started the season.” FIFPRO have taken legal action against FIFA over the Club World Cup, but they say their argument is not just with them.
“This is not an attack on FIFA or the Club World Cup,” said Molango. “It’s an attack on the accumulation of different competitions, where people look at their own calendar in silos, and the Club World Cup is the competition that clearly demonstrates that we’ve now reached the tipping point.”
FIFPRO also cited Jude Bellingham ’s ridiculous workload for England and Real Madrid and the midfielder, who has a muscle injury, is playing much more than previous young stars, such as Wayne Rooney. FIFPRO’s Alexander Bielefeld claims many players are already in the red and the governing bodies must act.
“What we can clearly say is that without specific safeguards for young players, the risk factors they’re exposed to are alarming,” he said. “The coming season is going to be the worst season ever in terms of workload.”
FIFPRO’s Davide Terrier, who is also vice-president of the French players’ union UNFP, claims they would only strike as a last resort. “We try to find a solution to put on the table, but at the end, if nobody will answer, the last possibility we have is we don’t play and the players will agree to it or not,” he said. “Of course, it’s the last solution, and it’s one we don’t want. If we go this way, football loses.”
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