Just before the start of the Club World Cup, soccer chiefs are facing renewed calls to safeguard players over growing fears of injuries and burnout. The sport's global players’ union, FIFPRO, said on Thursday that there should be an immediate implementation of guaranteed four-week breaks for players during the offseason as well as time off mid-season.
“If we can all agree that health comes first, we should take steps to implement these safeguards,” said FIFPRO Medical Director Dr Vincent Gouttebarge. FIFPRO has been critical of the extra workload placed on players as a result of tournaments like the Club World Cup, which kicks off in Miami on Saturday. The newly-expanded tournament involving 32 of the world’s best teams has faced pushback since FIFA announced it would be added to an already saturated calendar.
The month-long tournament will be played every four years, sandwiched in between the men's World Cup, European Championship and Copa America. It is going ahead against the backdrop of legal challenges in Europe, strike threats and repeated concerns over players’ mental and physical welfare due to the increased number of games. Many players at the Club World Cup have entered the tournament on the back of a full regular season.
FIFPRO said it carried out scientific study involving 70 medical and performance experts to come up with “12 consensus-based” safeguards to protect players from calendar congestion and excessive workload. It said international soccer lacked “standardised frameworks or regulations”. Among the safeguards it is calling for, FIFPRO wants two weeks in the offseason to be “completely commitment-free” and mid-season breaks to be mandatory.
Fans don’t appear to be snatching up tickets
If slashed ticket prices, closed stadium sections and moved seats are any indication, fans aren’t exactly clamouring to attend the Club World Cup. On Ticketmaster, FIFA’s official ticketing partner for the tournament, the least expensive tickets to the opener were $349 in December. These are now available for under $80. Upper deck seats for certain games are no longer available.
FIFA did not respond to questions about whether sections were closed due to slow ticket sales or whether fans who originally bought tickets in those sections were moved or offered refunds. It did offer a general statement: “We anticipate great attendances and electric atmospheres at the inaugural edition, with excitement growing with every round of matches and the tournament ultimately standing as the undisputed pinnacle of club world football. The appetite speaks for itself: fans from over 130 countries have already purchased tickets.”
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