FC Barcelona boss Hansi Flick joins calls for lighter football schedule | OneFootball

Recently, there has been a significant increase in the voices of footballers calling for a lightening of the schedule. The Manchester City midfielder Rodri recently threatened a striker from the players, while the Barcelona defender, Jules Kounde, as highlighted by CaughtOffside, also supported this stance in the press conference ahead of the match against Monaco.

Other managers and players have also frequently asked the governing footballing bodies to reduce the number of matches as it is the players who have to suffer the most with this increase in the number of matches played in a year.

The latest individual to voice his concerns in this matter was the FC Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick, who also asked FIFA and UEFA to reduce the number of matches.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the German tactician was addressing the press ahead of the match against Villarreal, when he was asked his opinion on this subject. The former Bayern Munich coach responded:

“The number of matches should be reduced… FIFA and UEFA must take care of the players, and this is not the best situation for them… We all love to see athletes performing at their best, so it’s understandable that the number of matches being played should be reduced.”

FC Barcelona have clearly felt the impact of the increase in the number of matches, as most of their first-team players are regular internationals and have to play the highest number of matches in a year.

This high workload has resulted in the injuries suffered by several important Barcelona players, including the likes of Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Andreas Christensen, etc., and it is easy to understand why Flick is pushing for a reduction in the number of matches played in a year.

Hopefully, UEFA and FIFA will lend an ear to these increasing complaints and reduce the number of matches to lighten the top players’ burden.