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Global football players' Union FIFPro has warned that players could suffer serious consequences if changes are not made to current overloaded schedules
The global body of football players, FIFPro, which caters to players' wellbeing, has raised the alarm at the unprecedented levels of stress that footballers have had to go through thanks to the gruelling schedule of fitting a winter World Cup between a regular football season, warning that a year like 2022 must never repeat itself.
FIFPro is worried about the toll current schedule is taking on players
FIFPro worked with 64 footballers from the just concluded FIFA World Cup in a study on the mental and physical toll of the current match schedules, and their findings led them to warn against similar schedules in the future amid fears that they could severely hamper players’ mental and physical health.
During a conference video call which revealed their findings, FIFPRO General Secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann said, "If you want to pursue a winter World Cup again, you need [the leagues] to completely change their schedule and provide appropriate training and recovery time pre- and post-tournament," although he agreed that it was “unlikely that they will agree to that."
In the study, FIFPro found that 68% of players wanted at least 14 days of preparation time before the World Cup, while 61% felt they needed 14 to 28 days of post-World Cup recovery time.
FIFPro worried more players could retire early like Varane
Despite these findings, the reality for Raphael Varane was that he played both in the World Cup final on the 18th of December, 2022, and in Manchester United’s Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest just nine days later, on the 27th of December, 2022.
This is despite Varane being taken off injured in the World Cup final against Argentina.
Varane who was one of the players who took part in the FIFPro study has since retired from international duty at only 29 years old, saying that it was impossible to cope with both national team and club engagements.
Speaking after he announced his retirement, Varane said, “The very highest level is like a washing machine — you play all the time and you never stop.
“We have overloaded schedules and play non-stop. Right now, I feel like I’m suffocating and that the player is gobbling up the man.”
Baer-Hoffmann regarded Varane’s decision as a worrying sign that could become a trend if the burden on players is not reduced effectively to help them manage stress levels.
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