Infantino defends game plans: Health of the stars in danger!

Infantino defends game plans: Health of the stars in danger!

In a current interview with CNN, FIFA President Gianni Infantino commented on the challenges and effects of the game plans on world football. Infantino emphasized that the additional burden of the 2025 Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup was not serious, since only a few teams and players play many games. He believes that only the teams that reach the final phases are affected and that the number of games overall are balanced. The main concern of the FIFA President is to achieve the best for the players so that they can play in optimal constitution.

Infantino also found that many players prefer to play actively instead of spending time with training. This statement falls into a context that is characterized by growing concern about the health and safety of the players. As early as October 2022, the FIFPro's union, the Spanish league and the Association of European Ligen submitted a complaint to the EU Commission against FIFA. They are accused of abusing their dominant position to shape the international calendar for 2025 to 2026, which exerts considerable pressure on the players.

health risks and game stress

The International Player Representation FIFPRO recently warned of the health risks that a crowded game calendar for football professionals brings with it in a report. This report was presented in cooperation with the digital data and analysis platform "Football Benchmark" in Istanbul. It documents the serious effects of the competitive density and the increased stress, especially during the 20222/2023 season, in which the World Cup in Qatar took place in the middle of the regular season. These conditions led the season to become one of the most busy for players.

The risks resulting from this overcrowded game calendar not only affect the career duration, but also the mental health and the personal life of the players. According to FIFPRO, the psychological pressure on today's top player is higher than in previous generations. For example, young stars such as Vinicius Junior (22) and Jude Bellingham (19) have already played twice as many competition games as players in their age group in earlier times. These factors significantly increase the risk of injuries and the risk of burnout.

demands of fifro

FIFPRO urgently demands measures to protect the health of the players. This includes binding break breaks, both during the season and in the low season, as well as a limitation of successive games and the minimization of international trips. The Secretary General of FIFPRO, Jonas Baer-Hoffmann, emphasized the duty of care for the players and called for measures to promote their health. The game calendar of the 2024/2025 season could increase the challenge. With the expansion of the Champions League and the World Club Championship, players may be exposed to one season with up to 89 games, which would mean an increase of up to 11 percent in games compared to previous years.