FIFPro wants match caps, mid-season breaks and proper rest after survey show some players travel 100,000km a year
- Study shows that Tottenham’s Son Heung-min played 78 matches for club and country and travelled almost three times around the globe last season
- Players union releases a list of recommendations, which include four-week off-season breaks and two-week mid-season breaks
Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min must have been the most physically tired player in the world during the 2018-19 season. Not only did he play 78 matches for club and country, he also travelled 110,000 kilometres to represent South Korea – that’s almost three times around the globe.
Liverpool’s Sadio Mane was less weary but can sympathise. The Senegal star played 70 games and trekked 100,000km. His Brazilian clubmate Alisson Becker travelled 80,000km for his 72 matches last season.
Global players union, FIFPro, in a report entitled At the Limit: Player Workload in Elite Professional Men’s Football, said players’ health is suffering as soccer authorities use top players to give their leagues and tournaments maximum exposure with minimal time off.
Among its recommendations is for compulsory breaks, better management of recovery times and a cap on the number of matches played over a year.
Theo van Seggelen, FIFPro General Secretary, said: “While we have been aware for several years about mounting pressure on top players, this report clearly underlines the extent of this pressure in today’s game.