Several high profile ex-players through a Technical Advisory Group want the current international window revised in order to give players enough recovery time.
Brazil legend Roberto Carlos and former Cameroon international Geremi have all agreed that reducing the number of trips and increasing the recovery time for players is the key to a healthier sport.
“I remember when I used to play, we would have a game on a Sunday, then we would travel on that Sunday evening, we would play again on Wednesday, get back on Friday and play on Saturday or Sunday,” Carlos said.
“The players’ performance starts to drop automatically as you don’t have any time to rest. As for the travel: I’d leave Madrid, for example and travel to São Paulo, Buenos Aires or Caracas in Venezuela and wouldn’t have any recovery time.“This idea reduces the number of trips as you would have the qualifying stages done in one month. So, you would have the time to train, play well, rest and get back to your club. There are too many consecutive matches and then you add the travel and the fatigue and it’s very complex. I think that football will improve a lot once this problem gets sorted.”
Geremi who was capped 118 times for Cameroon added that constantly acclimatising to new environments throughout the year is preventing players from being at their best.
“Most African players play for European clubs,” said Geremi. “So, when they participate in international competitions they have to travel from Europe to Africa. I can tell you that it’s very tiring. When you travel from Europe in winter, it’s 40 degrees in Africa. There’s a contrast there and, naturally, that has an impact in terms of performance, because you are not at 100 per cent.
“It also has an impact in terms of your sporting career because it reduces the number of years that you can play in the national team,” he continued. “It’s not easy at all for an African footballer – or an Asian, South American or American footballer – to play in Europe at club level and play for their country too. So, it’s important that we find a solution to avoid putting players and their health at risk.”
Following the latest concerns, FIFA has invited different stakeholders for discussions on the way forward. Fans and FIFA member associations have also been asked to contribute on the matter.