Manchester, Sep 17: Manchester City midfielder Rodri says top soccer players are close to going on strike because of the number of games they are having to play.
The Spain international said players are concerned about the way the game is headed as more games are added to the calendar in competitions like the Champions League, which starts on Tuesday.
Rodri was asked on Tuesday if players might start refusing to play because of the calendar.
“I think we are close to that,” he said in a news conference ahead of City’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan on Wednesday.
“It’s easy to understand. You ask any player, he will say the same – it’s not the opinion of (just) Rodri or whoever. I think it’s a general opinion of the players.
“If it keeps this way, it will be a moment when we have no other option, I really think. It’s something that worries us because we are the guys who suffer.”
Rodri is expected to start his first game for City this season when Inter visits Etihad Stadium, having been given an extended break by the club after winning the European Championship with Spain in July.
City has two more games to play in the first stage of the Champions League and up to seven matches more in the Club World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in the United States at the end of the domestic season.
The introduction by FIFA of a 32-team Club World Cup, which will be played every four years, is regarded by global players’ union FIFPRO as a tipping point for the expansion of international competitions.
The union has started a legal challenge against FIFA over its expanded competitions, which include the first 48-team men’s World Cup in 2026, because it believes too much is being asked of players without consultation.
Rodri said players can be expected to “perform at the highest level” if they play 40 to 50 games.
Not 60 to 70 matches, a number Rodri might have to play if City goes far in all of the competitions it enters. (AP)
