How likely is it that footballers will strike over their workload? | Jonathan Wilson
In a special mailbag edition of our newsletter, Jonathan Wilson answers your questions on Mauricio Pochettino, strikes and stashing away players
With the expanded Champions League and the planned Club World Cup next year causing a big fixture pile-up, how likely is it we will see players take action over the number of games they are being forced to play? – Oliver
It’s definitely an issue, and given how many players have talked about workload in public, you can be sure it’s something they’re discussing privately. The problem really is how action could be organised. It’s only elite players who are playing too many games; those lower down the pyramid probably wouldn’t mind a few more games for extra cash. Similarly while a lot of fans are concerned about the proliferation of games that seem to mean very little, they’d still be furious if a game for which they’ve bought a ticket and paid travel costs was called off because of an industrial dispute by players who earn hundreds of thousands of pounds a week. That’s one of the reasons football has taken the disappointing path it has; organised opposition is very difficult – the protest against the super league was one of the very few occasions on which enough of football’s different stakeholders were sufficiently in alignment to kick back.
That said, the Club World Cup would seem a decent target. The shambolic organisation means few fans are likely to have bought tickets yet and, unlike the Champions League or a World Cup, it’s not a competition players dream of playing in. In terms of the PR war, it would be very easy, at least for players at European clubs, to portray it as a needless addition imposed on the calendar with no consultation – because that’s true. I don’t expect it, but if there were to be serious action, it would make sense for players to target it at the Club World Cup.
This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition
Continue reading...Date: |
-
Sports - ESPN
European football chiefs slam FIFA over schedule
European football chiefs and the global players' union, FIFPro, united on Monday to criticise FIFA over the global football calendar and filed an antitrust lawsuit against the governing body.1 hour ago - Europe -
Sports - CBS Sports
Florida QB Graham Mertz out for season with torn ACL, five-star freshman DJ Lagway set to take over
Mertz suffered a knee injury in the third quarter against Tennessee52 minutes ago - NFL -
Sports - ESPN
Stewie’s rebound and a decisive 12-0 run: How Liberty pulled even in Finals
Just when things were starting to feel like Game 1, the Liberty rattled off 12 points to put away the Lynx.4 hours ago -
Sports - CBS Sports
AP Top 25 poll: LSU vaults over Tennessee into top 10, Oklahoma falls out of college football rankings
Army and Navy are both ranked for the first time since 196019 hours ago - College Football -
Sports - Yahoo Sports
Monday Night Football: How to watch the Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets NFL game tonight
The Saints play the Chiefs on Monday Night Football this week. Here's how to watch all the action on the field.6 hours ago - NFL -
Sports - CBS Sports
Jets vs. Bills props, NFL AI predictions, Monday Night Football picks: Aaron Rodgers over 217.5 passing yards
Monday Night Football prop picks for Buffalo vs. New York on sites like PrizePicks, Underdog Fantasy, DraftKings, Pick6, and more3 hours ago - NFL -
World - The Guardian
Angel Gomes sets to demanding work as England’s goalkeeper of the outfield | Jonathan Liew
Composed midfielder demonstrated the ability to do the right thing again and again that is vital to his position. The English Toni Kroos does not exist. Nor does the English Andrea Pirlo, the ...20 hours ago -
World - The Guardian
‘It’s been an incredible ride’: Wales and Lions centre Jonathan Davies retires
Davies won 96 caps and two grand slams for Wales Centre played six Tests for British and Irish Lions The former Wales, British and Irish Lions and Scarlets centre Jonathan Davies has announced ...18 hours ago
More from The Guardian
-
World - The Guardian
Middle East crisis live: Netanyahu says Israel will ‘mercilessly strike’ Hezbollah after drone attack; Israeli airstrike kills eight in Gaza City
Israeli prime minister vows retaliation including targets in Beirut after drone strike on military base in Israel on Sunday; eight killed in Gaza City. More now on the Hezbollah strike on an IDF ...16 minutes ago - Israel -
World - The Guardian
Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers grows despite western sanctions
Poorly maintained and uninsured vessels transporting up to 70% of country’s seaborne oil, says report. Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers is expanding, according to research, transporting up to ...1 hour ago - Russia -
World - The Guardian
Donald Trump pens 1am screed against controversial biopic The Apprentice
Former president calls film about his rise in real estate in 1970s and 80s a ‘politically disgusting hatchet job’. Donald Trump railed against a just released biopic about his life in a social ...1 hour ago - Donald Trump -
World - The Guardian
Far-right leader who burned copies of Qur’an goes on trial in Sweden
Rasmus Paludan is accused of incitement against an ethnic group and insult in relation to gatherings in 2022. A far-right Danish-Swedish politician who burned copies of the Qur’an in Sweden has ...3 hours ago -
World - The Guardian
British man dies in fall from Spanish bridge ‘while creating online content’
Unnamed 26-year-old fell while climbing 192-metre-high Castilla-La Mancha Bridge, authorities say. A 26-year-old British man has died after falling from a Spanish bridge while attempting to create ...28 minutes ago