FIFPRO is advocating for the introduction of a mandatory four-week break after the regular football season. The players’ union is making the call following a scientific study into the well-being of top footballers.
The union also wants players to be able to spend two of those four weeks without communication with the club or the national team. FIFPRO is calling for the plan to be implemented immediately.
It is no coincidence that the research is being released in the run-up to the Club World Cup. FIFPRO has long seen the full match calendar as a major problem.
The Club World Cup, which starts on Sunday, is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. The players’ union previously unsuccessfully took FIFA to court to thwart the Club World Cup.
No fewer than seventy medical experts and performance experts participated in the research. According to FIFPRO, they unanimously agreed with the proposal. The union states that the research “represents the most extensive consensus among experts to date.”
Union also wants a break halfway through the season
In addition to a four-week rest period, the players’ union is calling for eleven other measures. For example, the union wants to introduce a break of at least one week halfway through the season and reduce the workload for minor players.
The much-discussed Club World Cup starts on June 15. Instead of 7, as many as 32 clubs are participating in this tournament. These are divided into eight groups with four teams each. This is followed by the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.