Modern-day football has become more like an entertainment with less emphasis on the player’s physical and mental health. Pressurising them to play more games for the sake of viewership is a ridiculous idea and has been criticised by top players and managers. Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has slammed the ‘absurd’ schedule, which has increased a player’s workload and hampered their recovery period.
The midfielder also shed light on a lack of family time due to games being played every three days for the next few months.
While talking to Record (quoted the Fabrizio Romano), the 30-year-old opened up on the difficulties faced by top players due to an absolutely jam-packed schedule. He said: “The schedule is completely crazy. We’ve just received the news that we only have one day off for the English League Cup game. We’ll probably play every three days for months. It’s been absolutely absurd.”
“In the Champions League, if you don’t qualify for the round of 16, you still have to play two more games. It’s true that the squads are bigger, but I’m not going to say that it’s easy.”
“It hasn’t been easy. I spend very little time with my family and friends. The amount of games we’re subjected to is absolutely absurd.”
MANCHESTER CITY FACING RACE AGAINST TIME TO COMPLETE ALL THEIR FIXTURES
Silva served Portugal in their 2-1 win over Croatia in the Nations League. The Selecao are slated to face Switzerland on Sunday. The midfielder will then return to Man City to play six games in all competitions this month. The schedule is only going to become more intense with European competitions looming close.
The Cityzens will face Inter Milan in the UCL before welcoming Arsenal on the 22nd of September. They will then compete against Carabao Cup rivals Watford just 49 hours after the Gunners clash.
They tried convincing UEFA to move a Europa League fixture on Thursday that would let them shift their League Cup match next week. But their request was straightaway rejected.
5 man city games in 13 days between 18th September and 1st October including a European away game is absolutely scandalous, this isn’t rhe end of the season when teams are trying to fill a backlog of fixtures, player welfare is a must.
— Wesley Ratcliff (@wezrat) September 4, 2024
Due to a change in the UEFA Champions League’s layout, each team will play eight group stage matches before playing an extra play-off round to enter the last-16 ties.
Going by this trend, every Man City player would be playing 68 games this season. At the international level, Bernardo Silva will be reporting to Portugal in three international breaks before Christmas.
The Blues won’t conclude their campaign until July 13 due to their participation in the Club World Cup.
PLAYERS AND MANAGERS RAISE THEIR VOICE AGAINST FOOTBALL’S TOP GOVERNING BODIES
Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne has also been critical of UEFA and FIFA’s lack of concern towards the footballers.
Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp also called out the authorities for overloading their calendars, and he stated that there will come a point in the future when this will affect the standard of this beautiful sport.
Even Man City manager Pep Guardiola expressed his concerns, stating that those on the field will lose their joy of playing due to excessive fatigue.
Professional Footballers’ Association boss Maheta Molango warned that the players could take action against UEFA in the future.
We are aware of the fact that the squads are getting bigger and more substitutions can be done, but the fans want to see their best players performing every week. However, at this moment, playing every three days only makes them more prone to injuries and personal setbacks.
