UNFP’s scathing message to FIFA

Rodi let loose in a press conference on Tuesday. The Manchester City midfielder believes that a large strike movement of players against the ever-increasing number of matches played in a season.I think we are close to it. If you ask any player, they will tell you, it is a general opinion among players.» The European champion had already complained of great fatigue last year but with the new format of the Champions League, plus the Club World Cup next summer, the pace will simply become unsustainable. More and more football players are raising their voices to warn of this growing problem. The UNFP, the professional players’ union in France, has also taken FIFA to task on this subject.

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“Attention FIFA. Please add Rodri, Manchester City midfielder and Spanish international to the ever-growing list of players, coaches, doctors and fans who are asking you to stop piling up competitions and matches like others do pearls. Rodri is talking about a strike. The UNFP, FIFPro (the global players’ union), the Professional Footballer’s Association (the English union), the Associazione Italiana Calciatori (the Italian union) and so many others are hoping – but for how much longer? – that reason will finally prevail as soon as FIFA finally agrees to talk about the inevitable overhaul of the calendar. But quickly. Very quickly, because the will of the players is imposing itself on their representatives in this fight that they have been waging for so many years, including now in court…“A real cry of alarm in the face of FIFA’s inaction.