PLAYERS COULD REFUSE TO PLAY FOR ENGLAND BUT CARRY ON AS NORMAL WITH THEIR CLUBS, INSISTS PFA CHIEF... AFTER MAN CITY STAR RODRI REVEALED THEY ARE 'CLOSE TO STRIKING' OVER HECTIC SCHEDULE

Rodri revealed football's elite players are considering striking over the schedule
Man City could play 73 matches in the current season as concerns increase
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The Premier League’s top stars have been told to target international competitions if they follow through on threats to strike amid a fixture congestion crisis.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri raised the prospect of industrial action earlier this week, adding to a chorus of dissenting voices during the opening week of an expanded Champions League.

The PFA are focusing on legal action against FIFA, chiefly around workers’ rights and a mandatory three-week summer break.

And its chief executive Maheta Molango has pointed towards the new Club World Cup and national tournaments as primary sources of contention.

‘We've been very clear that we want to give priority to our domestic competitions,’ Molango said yesterday. ‘This is the bread and butter of our players, so I don't think that the issue is here domestically.

‘I think the problem is more in terms of international competition, especially the national team competitions, for example, or this new format of World Cup that happens in the summer.

‘I don't think that the focus is forcibly on domestic competitions. The focus is more on international ones and I think we need to define now what this may look like.’

The PFA met with players at every club before the start of this season, with a growing feeling of firm discontent at packed schedules – evidenced by remarks from the likes of Bernardo Silva and Alisson in recent days.

The union remain in dialogue with their members over next steps, with the threat of a strike the most serious for 23 years after a walk-out over finances around TV deals was averted.

David Aganzo, president of the Spanish Players' Union, revealed that they would be in favour of a strike.

‘Rodri is an important player in Spain and England,’ Aganzo told AS. ‘He is thinking about the footballers. His words are very clear. If we have no other choice, we will have to go on strike. We have tried to do everything possible to dialogue with FIFA and UEFA.’

Aston Villa’s John McGinn became the latest to speak out following their 3-0 victory at Young Boys.

‘We are fortunate to be paid well for doing a job we absolutely love,’ said McGinn. ‘No one is getting away from that but at times with the mental side of things you need to switch off.

‘Initially, when we first got into European competition, it was a case of “Keep the games coming”. But it is hard to churn them out when you are playing 70-plus games a season and then you’re playing international games.

‘There’s not a lot of time to rest, so they need to get the balance a bit better and there’s a lot of people pushing for that.’

McGinn added: ‘People’s health is the most important thing and hopefully we can come to some sort of happy balance. Football at this level brings amazing highs and tremendous lows.

‘At the end of the season you just want to go, “Hands up, I’m done.” But now the teams involved in the Club World Cup are not going to have any time to do that.’

2024-09-18T14:08:15Z dg43tfdfdgfd