an unsustainable schedule with only 300 days without football in six years

Football evolves over the years. It’s the law of life. The arrival of VAR, the possibility of making five substitutions, the predominance of a more physical game… The beautiful game has undergone small changes in order to adapt to the new times and to try, in theory, to help the footballer.

We have also seen how investments and economic growth have increased considerably, particularly in the Premier LeagueClubs are earning many more millions than they did ten years ago from television rights, and players themselves are moving sums that would have been unimaginable in the past.

Money is growing in the football industry and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon. In fact, new sporting events like the new Club World Cupthe new format of the Champions…Something that, in theory, benefits the sport itself, but which becomes a burden.

It was this 2024-2025 season that provoked the anger of footballers. The limit was exceeded. Many elite players had practically no rest due to the celebration of the European Cup And America’s Cup and now, after a less than optimal preseason, they face a season that could last up to 70 games.

A historical record and only club matches are counted, there is no record of national team matches. the real Madrid and the Manchester City They are two of the worst-hit clubs, with potentially 72 and 75 games over the next 11 months.

Strike threat

In recent weeks, several footballers have raised their voices on this subject. Since Carvajal until Rodrialso going through coaches like Ancelotti, Guardiola either Luis de la FuenteSome of them have given up the possibility of going on strike if the situation does not change.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but in any case it’s something that worries us because we’re the ones who suffer from it. Between 40 and 50 games, a player can play at a high level. Then he gives up, because it’s impossible to maintain that physical level,” assured Rodri.

A load of matches that threatens both the spectacle and the health of the footballers. “We have to take care of ourselves, we are the main actors of this sport, or this business as you prefer to call it. If people want to see better football, we have to be able to rest. The more matches there are, the more the level and quality decreases,” he added.

“It is impossible, if we have achieved everything, to play 72 games. I think the competent authorities should analyse this because it is practically impossible. The levels are dropping, the games are dropping in level and what is suffering is us and our families,” said Dani Carvajal a few weeks ago.

His coach Carlo Ancelotti was going in the same direction. The Italian, who once said that Madrid’s idea was to offer a personalized week-long vacation, said a few days ago that ““If the governing bodies don’t think players are getting injured because they’re playing too much, we have a problem.”

Equal, Alison, Marquinhos, Kounde and many other footballers have positioned themselves against the new calendars. In addition, we must add to this other variations of the game that cause an increase in fatigue. The remissions are lengthening, the squads are no longer compared to those of 15 years ago… The footballer is not protected.

Without rest

They are playing more and more. The number of competitions continues to increase and this means that football days are minimal. In fact, from September 2020 (the start date of the new post-covid season) until the 2026 World Cup, there will be only 300 days without football out of the 2,136 in total that these dates include.

Football has gone from nine-month seasons to almost twelve months a year. Used to having a quiet summer every two years, they now all have some kind of tournament, whether for clubs or national teams.

Players don’t stop and clubs can no longer do pre-seasons simultaneously. Some join from the beginning, others arrive two weeks later and still others arrive as many days before the first official match. This happened for example with Mbappé. The Frenchman trained for the first time on August 11 and three days later he was playing the European Super Cup. That is to say, there is one month less preparation than a large part of the training teams. First division.