Due to the accumulation of matches, the seasons become more and more trying for footballers who are regularly subject to injuries, much to the chagrin of their respective clubs. In England, many players have already stepped up to the plate, like Raphaël Varane. After retiring from international duty last winter, the Manchester United defender launched a rant against the English Football Association (FA) over overloaded schedules which are having a detrimental impact on players’ performances.
To try to remedy this recurring problem, Vincent Kompany came out of the woods by proposing a radical plan to combat injuries by capping the number of matches that a player can play in a season. “For the players at the top, who have to play for their national teams and all these other competitions, appearances over a season should be capped. Put a number on it. It’s not up to me to give one, but 60 or 65 matches. They still have to work hard, don’t get me wrong, but 60 games takes a bit away from it.”expressed the Burnley coach, comments reported by the Daily Mail. Very well placed to talk about it, the Belgian experienced numerous physical problems in the last years of his tenure at Manchester City which forced him to be absent for long weeks. It remains to be seen whether his proposal will find an echo in the corridors of the FA…
