New FIFPRO alert regarding lack of rest and overload among young players

The FIFPRO Union has once again brought the debate about the professional football calendar to the forefront. In its latest 2024/25 workload monitoring report, it denounced "competition cycles without minimum protections" and "excessive exposure to matches" that affect both established players and young players in development.

One of the most critical points was the Club World Cup, which overlapped with players' vacations. Chelsea and PSG were the most affected teams: the English side had only 13 days of preseason and the Parisians just seven, with breaks that did not exceed three weeks.

The report recalls that, according to medical evidence, players "must be guaranteed a minimum of four weeks between seasons, without travel, training, or media commitments, whether with the club or the national team." However, the data show a different reality: before Euro 2024, only 14% of players enjoyed the recommended 28 days, and in Copa América, just 9%.

The situation doesn't improve after the tournaments. Only 15% had adequate preparation after the Euro and just 4% after Copa América. In this regard, Darren Burgess, president of FIFPRO's High Performance Advisory Network (HPAN), urged looking at examples from other leagues: "Football should follow the example of sports like the NBA, where there are 14 weeks of rest, or Major League Baseball, which offers 15."

The warning also extended to youth players. Burgess recalled that "growth cartilage, tendons, and ligaments remain vulnerable during these years, and excessive high-speed running or short recovery windows can cause long-term structural damage."

To illustrate the risk, the cases of Lamine Yamal were cited, who had already played 130 matches before turning 18, and Archie Gray, who at 19 had accumulated 80 drafts between Tottenham and England's U-21 team.