Post: FIFA considers mandating 72-hour gap between matches to protect player health

Hupu reported on November 11th that the English media "Daily Mail" reported that FIFA has put forward a proposal to abolish those intensive schedules that seriously endanger the health of players and enforce a 72-hour interval between games.

Although this move will have a serious impact on the schedule of clubs participating in the Europa League or UEFA Europa League, it is driven by general concerns about the workload of players throughout the season. Under this plan, a tight schedule such as Crystal Palace playing three games in six days before Christmas will become a thing of the past.

FIFA said that they met with 30 players unions at a summit held in Morocco, but representatives of the World Professional Footballers Association were not among them. The association accused FIFA of promoting "fake unions."

The relevant ideas of protecting players, including a three-day rest period, have been initially included on the agenda for further discussion, but FIFA cannot make unilateral decisions without the consent of other relevant parties. Any changes to the schedule will not be implemented until the new international calendar comes into effect in 2031. Discussions on calendar modification are currently ongoing. The recommendation for a 72-hour rest period has actually been around for decades, but it has never been enforced.

Although there has been some dissatisfaction in the debate and negotiation process surrounding the legal changes, the specific details of the mandatory break will be seen as a positive step by Premier League teams, after all, they have long called for less schedule pressure. Since the 2022-23 season, Manchester United has experienced 46 games without three days of rest. This situation mostly occurs between European competitions and the Premier League.

For a period at the end of last year, Chelsea was plagued by this problem for four out of five weeks. The worst time was from the game against Djurgarden on Thursday to the away game against Newcastle United at noon on Sunday, with only 62 hours in between.

This has become an increasingly common problem in recent years. Manchester City was only given a 46-hour interval during the Christmas period of the 2019-20 season, and complained to league officials about this. At the time, Klopp said that such a festive schedule was simply criminal, and the situation has improved significantly since then.

Former Real Madrid coach Ancelotti slammed players for insufficient rest last season. His remarks may surprise his colleagues in the Premier League. La Liga teams are often mentioned as being given more rest time by La Liga before Champions League games, but statistics show that Real Madrid is one of the more severely affected teams.

At the same time, FIFA is preparing a $20 million fund to provide assistance to players who are struggling to receive full salaries from clubs in financial difficulties.

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