February 29 – Football’s increasingly congested calendar not only jeopardises players’ health but diminishes the quality of the sport, according to Maheta Molango (pictured), head of the English Professional Footballers’ Association.
With more and more tournaments taking their toll on elite players, Molango said the time has come to take stock.
“For us, we’ve reached a stage where it is not just about the health of the player, it is about us killing the product,” Molango told the Financial Times Business of Football Summit.
He cited Kevin de Bruyne’s early substitution in Manchester City’s Champions League title win over Inter Milan last season.
“The Champions League final is supposed to be our Super Bowl. It wasn’t, because one of the best players in the world, De Bruyne, was out in the 30th minute, (Erling) Haaland was exhausted, Rodri said after 60 minutes he had cramps. Surely that’s not what we want to see.”
“Right now, unfortunately, decisions are taken without taking into consideration the players, who are the assets of this game.”
Less preparation time, he argued, means fans are getting a lower quality product, saying collective action is urgently required.
“It is beholden upon all of us to address a situation which has reached the point of jeopardising not just the business of football but the game itself.”
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