On Oct. 14, The Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionels, in conjunction with the European Leagues, filed a joint anti-trust complaint against Fédération Internationale de Football Association, arguing that the organization is abusing its power to schedule fixtures and is overworking the top-level players. Additionally, the Professional Footballers Association is officially taking legal action against FIFA and the United European Football Association to make it clear that the scheduling needs to be made with greater consideration for player safety.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been vocal about the increase in games for the highest-level football players, suggesting that players are close to going on strike over the demanding workload. The Spaniard played a total of 63 games for club and country during the 2023-2024 campaign and did not hit the offseason until after the Euro 2024 final on July 14.

“Between 40 to 50 is the amount of games in which a player can perform at the highest level. After that you drop because it is impossible to sustain the physical level,” Rodri said in an interview with ESPN.

This excessive toll on players who play at the top clubs in the top tournaments and for their senior national team has led to players and managers requesting a longer offseason or fewer games, with Rodri suggesting that game quality drop and an increase in injuries are consequences of the current schedule. A recent FIFPro study backed this up, assessing that elite footballers have as little as 12% of the calendar year off or less than one day a week.

“You don’t just think about this season, but also next season. Let’s say we win the league or the cup, then go to the final of the Club World Cup; the community shield is three weeks after. So when do we have holidays? There are no breaks in the winter, so if we are lucky, we get two weeks, and then we need to be back and into the next season. Then next summer, it’s the World Cup. There’s no end to it,” Manchester City player Manuel Akanji said in an interview with ESPN.

Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Manchester City’s European rival, Real Madrid, has also been outspoken against the excessive workload that is being placed on players.

“If those who rule football, who make the decisions, don’t come to the conclusion that the players get so many injuries because they play too much, then we do have a problem. What I ask is to start thinking about reducing the number of games in order to have more attractive competitions,” Ancelotti said in an interview with ESPN.

The greatest current proof for this theory may be in Erling Haaland, as the Norwegian international striker for Manchester City got the summer off due to his country failing to qualify for the UEFA European Championship. As a result of this rest, he has started the 2024-2025 Premier League campaign on a historic pace with 10 goals in only seven league matches, while other top players are still trying to recover from the fatigue and injuries from the previous season.

With such a strike potentially imminent, tension increased as the Ballon d'Or finalist Rodri tore his ACL and will likely miss the remainder of the 2024 campaign. With the new expanded Champions League format and the FIFA Club World Cup taking place this summer, top-level international and club players could end up playing 85 games in the 2024-2025 season.

Fans worldwide are nervous about the potential for such a strike, depriving them of beloved traditions and a beautiful game. Additionally, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is fast approaching in a little over a year and a half. If tensions between the players and the football organizations are not resolved, then the world’s biggest sporting event could be massively affected.

Photo courtesy of Fauzan Saari on Unsplash