Euro 2024: Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman says increase in matches ‘killing footballers’
- The Dutch have lost five players to injuries, with the coach saying the large and growing fixture list is ramping up pressure on footballers
The ever-increasing fixture list in men’s football worries Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman.
“It’s not always about sport. They’re killing footballers,” the 61-year-old told Germany’s Sport Bild magazine on Wednesday ahead of the start of Euro 2024.
Koeman referred to the increase in the Champions League next term from 32 to 36 teams with even more group matches, and the number of World Cup participants going up from 32 to 48 teams in 2026.
“Or the clubs are travelling to Asia or America to prepare [for a season]. That’s the problem. Instead of reducing the pressure on the players, it’s getting more and more,” Koeman said.
His comments come in the wake of recent warnings by players’ unions of strike action if Fifa, football’s world governing body, did not address the workload of elite players.
England’s Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) wants action to alter the congested football calendar, especially with the expanded 32-team Club World Cup proposed for next summer.