Player workloads the key issue when deciding on new football calendar – FIFPRO

Protecting players from excessive workloads must be the starting point for any new international match calendar, one of the leading figures at the world players’ union FIFPRO has said.

FIFPRO announced a new agreement with the World Leagues Forum on Monday, which will involve collective discussion on a whole range of matters related to the employment of professional male and female footballers, including the schedule.

A new calendar for the men’s game must be signed off to start in 2024, and although controversial plans with biennial World Cups at the centre appear to have been shelved, a resolution of some kind must be reached.

On behalf of professional footballers and leagues, #FIFPRO and @WorldLeaguesWLF have signed a Global Labour Agreement at the @ILO to strengthen international football governance.

— FIFPRO (@FIFPRO) September 26, 2022

Manchester City duo Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne were among a group of players who expressed their concerns over the football calendar and the risk of burnout last season.

FIFPRO believes the current system of FIFA and UEFA-led committees overseeing the calendar has become a bit of a sham, but is working to keep player welfare at the top of the agenda.

FIFPRO general secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann told the PA news agency: “There is more attention than ever to where the players’ interests lie.

“The problem is that so far the conversation has always been structured around the competitions and not the calendar. The same thing happened this time – the attention was on how to change certain events, mainly the World Cup.

“And since that has lost traction, the conversation which is really important, which is the calendar and the structure for protecting players’ health, has slowed