FIFA says that the representatives of players and the sport administrative body have reached a consensus about the need for a period of 72 hours between matches, and have been agreed that players must enjoy at least 21 days of vacations at the end of each season.
The discussions took place on the eve of the World Cup final between PSG and Chelsea. The tournament was held during the European low season and was confronted with criticism from trade unions, because an increased focus on the well -being of players has led to calls for compulsory rest periods and a greater emphasis on players during competitions.
Days before the start of the Month-Long Club World Cup, football leaders were confronted with renewed calls to protect players because of the growth of fear of injuries and burnout. Last month, the French Union of Professional Football players launched a destructive attack on the competition and said that it is «urgent to stop this massacre» in the midst of constant concerns about extreme players’ workload.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and other officials from the Football administrative body met representatives of the trade unions of players from all over the world in New York. FIFA greeted the discussions as ‘progressive’, adding that the health of players is a ‘top priority’.
«There is a consensus that there must be at least 72 hours of rest between games, and that players must have a rest period / vacation of at least 21 days at the end of every season,» FIFA said. «This period must be managed individually by each club and the respective players, depending on their competition calendars and taking into account applicable collective agreements.»
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Strictly handling a period of 72 hours can mean major adjustments for some game schedules and TV deals. FIFA did not indicate how it would work in practice. On Thursday evening, European teams will play in the Europa League on the following Sunday routine domestic league games. With a strict break of 72 hours, they might have to wait until Monday to play again.
That would be a big headache for the German Bundesliga. It purchased matches in 2021 on Monday evening after years of protests by fans who wanted to visit weekend stairs more easily. When it introduced the unpopular Monday traps four season earlier, the German competition argued that it would mean more peace for Europa League teams.
Bayern’s Harry Kane is on the field after being injured during the German Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in the Signal-Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, November 30, 2024. | Photocredit: Federico Gambarini/AP
Bayern’s Harry Kane is on the field after being injured during the German Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in the Signal-Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, November 30, 2024. | Photocredit: Federico Gambarini/AP
The new Bundesliga TV deal from next season also contains no Monday games.
FIFA added that a rest day a week should also be allowed and that travel requirements and climate conditions will also take future competitive planning into account.
The club’s world cup with 32 of the world’s top teams has been confronted with pushback since FIFA announced that it would be added to an already saturated calendar. The tournament must be played every four years, sandwiched between Messrs World Cup, the European Championship and Copa America. It was against the background of legal challenges in Europe, strike threats and repeated concerns about the mental and physical well -being of players because of too many games.
