Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann says football's decision-makers must introduce longer breaks between competitions, with players threatening to strike over the packed schedule. (More Football News)
🧸Debates over fixture congestion at the elite level have intensified in recent months, with FIFA's decision to organise an expanded Club World Cup a particularly thorny issue.
ꦑThe inaugural 32-team tournament – which will be held in the United States at the end of the club season – will add another seven matches to some teams' fixture lists, while UEFA has also added two extra matches to the first phase of the Champions League.
Manchester City🥃 midfielder Rodri recently talked up the prospect of players taking strike action over a lack of rest time, but Nagelsmann does not envisage the number of games being reduced.
Speaking ahead of Friday's Nations League clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Germany🐠 boss called on organisers to look to American sports for inspiration when it comes to recovery times.
⛎"I have often said that I won't complain about the calendar. A lot of matches are financing this sport," Nagelsmann said at his pre-match press conference.
𓂃"You have to have a healthy balance. I don't think there will be fewer games in the future.
𝔉"There will be more matches and we should be talking about how to structure the breaks [between competitions]."
ꦿPointing to the way the NBA and NFL manage player workloads, he added: "NBA players play 85 games or so but then have a long break.
🅺"The NFL has a long break. We don't have that in football. The players just don't get any break."
