Mathieu Warnier, Media365: published on Thursday November 14, 2024 at 9:30 p.m.
Faced with an increasingly busy schedule, many players have said they are ready to strike. A solution which does not obtain the approval of UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, in favor of stopping the creation of new competitions.
The world football calendar is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. While the best players already have to deal with the World Cup and/or continental competitions in odd years, FIFA has decided to shake up habits with an expanded version of the Club World Cup from 2025. Recently, Dayot Upamecano spoke about the overload of the calendar, discussing the means available to players to make their message heard. “Why not go as far as a strike,” said the Bayern Munich defender, for whom “there are too many matches and I hope they will understand that one day.” The 26-year-old was not only targeting FIFA but also UEFA, which launched an enhanced Champions League format this season. Recently interviewed on the subject by the British tabloid The Sunthe president of the European body Aleksander Ceferin did not go in the direction of the players. “It is true that the players play a lot and the match schedule could not be more full. But I do not agree with the idea that only those at the highest level are the most affected, said the boss of European football. Players from my country, Slovenia, play as often as those from Real Madrid, for example. Except that they are paid 500 times less. »
Ceferin: “It’s a vicious circle”
In his eyes, it is not possible to revise the format of existing competitions downwards, highlighting the economic impact that this could have. “If we reduced the number of matches, we would end up with a drop in footballers’ salaries, because the clubs would have less income,” says Aleksander Ceferin. It’s a vicious circle. » In his eyes, “the compromise is that no new competition will be introduced”, thus directly targeting the Club World Cup desired by FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino. “The pace of matches for football players is already at the upper limit,” says the UEFA boss. The problem is that the new Club World Cup will take place five weeks after the end of the season every four years. » However, wanting to be realistic, Aleksander Ceferin concedes that “European clubs want this competition” in order to maximize their income. Only dialogue will clarify the situation. “We will have to sit down with the professional footballers’ union and see what they want,” he says before warning that any modification will have consequences. If we reduce the number of matches, we will also have to reduce salaries. There is no other solution. » Words that should make all those involved in professional football react.
