Managers Back Guardiola’s Call for Player Strikes Amid Fixture Congestion Concerns
Football Coaches Ancelotti and Xavi Support Guardiola’s Plea for Action
In response to Pep Guardiola’s fervent suggestion regarding the surging fixture congestion in elite football, both Carlo Ancelotti and Xavi Hernandez have voiced their strong support for the idea of player strikes as a form of protest.
After the Qatar World Cup’s impact on the European football calendar, the Club World Cup, the World Cup, and the Champions League are all poised to expand the number of matches within their tournaments. This could result in players potentially participating in a staggering 80 or more games per year.
Guardiola’s remarks came shortly after the injury setback of his star player, Kevin de Bruyne. Carlo Ancelotti, the manager of Real Madrid, who is facing the absence of Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois for a substantial portion of the season, stood firmly behind Guardiola’s stance.
Ancelotti expressed, “How can you not be in agreement with what Guardiola says? I completely agree with that. They aim to enhance the spectacle’s quality by increasing the quantity of minutes and games. The solution is quite straightforward. To amplify quality, some quantity needs to be reduced. That’s the necessary step.”
He continued, “However, coaches and players hold little sway in these matters. The decision-makers take actions to address what they perceive as a decline in football’s entertainment value, by adding more games to generate more revenue. That’s the reality.”
“The crux of the issue is this. Players are the ones most impacted; they suffer injuries, are unable to bring their best due to exhaustion.”
Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona’s Manager, echoed these sentiments during his pre-match press conference. While he hasn’t faced long-term player injuries at the outset of the season, he is currently without Ronald Araujo, who is set to be sidelined for a month, marking his 13th injury since joining the club.
Xavi addressed the notion of supporting Guardiola’s suggestion of player-driven industrial action, saying, “If they propose it… it’s up to them. I refer to Guardiola’s words the other day and Ancelotti’s. It’s up to the players.”
“They force us into an incredibly demanding calendar, which is detrimental, causing injuries. Fatigue sets in, numerous matches in high temperatures… It’s not beneficial for the spectacle or the players. The decision lies with them, but they have our full support.”
While various footballers have raised concerns about fixture congestion, not all have discussed strikes, focusing more on grievances. Notably, Thibaut Courtois has been a vocal critic of the fixture crunch and was ironically sidelined himself with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Furthermore, in the previous season, Real Madrid and Barcelona faced off five times. Remarkably, in every match, one or both teams were missing key players, leading to fans not witnessing the full potential of both teams in their most anticipated fixture of the year.
