Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says any changes regarding football’s increasing fixture demands must be led by the players.
City’s Spain midfielder Rodri, 28, said on Tuesday that footballers are close to going on strike in protest at the number of games in the calendar.
“If something is going to change, it must come from the players. They are the only ones who can change something,” Guardiola said.
“The business can be without managers, sporting directors, media, owners but without players you cannot play. They alone have the power to do it.”
In July, Fifpro said it would take legal action against Fifa over what the global players’ union called an “abuse of dominance” in football.
A report by Fifpro said that a player welfare ‘red line’ was playing a maximum of between 50 and 60 matches per season, depending on a player’s age.
This season could potentially run until 13 July for some clubs, when next summer’s expanded Club World Cup final concludes.
City could play a maximum of 76 matches during the 2024-25 campaign in contesting the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions league, Club World Cup and Community Shield – while many players will also play international fixtures.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca echoed Guardiola’s comments and agreed there is “no doubt” there are too many games in the schedule.
“I don’t think we protect the players. It’s completely wrong how many games [there are],” Maresca said.
“The only people who can do something is the players. We can help them.
“I think the last two weeks some of the players have explained what they think and I think it’s a good starting point. Some said strike could be an idea for them.”
Kompany calls for annual cap for players
Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany has called for an annual cap on the number of games a player can play amid concerns over workload.
Kompany’s side, like Guardiola’s Manchester City, are involved in the newly reformatted Champions League – which now has at least two extra games before the knockout stage – as well as the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup that starts next summer.
“To play 75, 80 games, it gets to a point where it’s not realistic anymore,” said former City captain Kompany.
“The solution I’ve always wanted is to put a cap on the amount of games a player can play as an individual. Put a cap, a compulsory period of holidays [for players].”
Bayern could play up to 64 games this season, and again many of their players will also feature in national team games on top of that figure.
England captain Harry Kane played 45 times for Bayern last season and featured seven times for his country at Euro 2024, while the 31-year-old has already played twice in the Nations League for the Three Lions this season.
“It’s been a constant topic in recent years – I was part of the Fifpro players’ union, we always treated that very seriously,” Kompany added.
“As a player, I already called for a maximum number to be set for the games a player can play; it should be limited. That way you protect your health and the interests of the clubs. And ultimately also the coaches, because it’s not easy for them either. That would make a lot of sense.”
‘Talk of strikes means it’s five to midnight’
Borussia Dortmund manager Nuri Sahin, a former player for Liverpool, Real Madrid and Dortmund, believes the situation has reached five to midnight – in reference to the Doomsday Clock which conveys threats to humanity and the planet.
“When players are already talking about strikes, you know it’s five to 12,” Sahin said.
“Coaches like Jurgen Klopp and Guardiola have also been complaining about it for years. But nothing has changed.
“If the organisations or people don’t worry about it, then we have to worry about it.”
Similarly, in 2022, then-Liverpool boss Klopp compared fixture congestion to the climate crisis, saying: “It is like with the climate. We all know we have to change but people are like ‘what do we have to do?”
Rodri’s City team-mate Manuel Akanji joked he may have to retire at 30 because of the relentless fixture schedule.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has called for “a balance” to be found between more football for supporters and player workload.
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker added players are not being listened to and warned that no-one in football is close to a solution to fixture congestion.