Footballers’ union calls for safeguards that threaten Club World Cup
Global footballers’ union Fifpro has issued a set of 12 recommended minimum protections designed to safeguard players’ physical and mental health from the sport’s increasing workload.
The recommendations – which include a “blackout” period of at least two weeks in which players have no contact with their club or national team – are the result of a major study involving 70 medical and performance experts.
It comes ahead of Fifa’s expanded Club World Cup, the subject of an ongoing legal row between Fifpro and the world governing body over the additional demands it places on players, which starts on Saturday.
The study also calls for mandatory mid-season breaks of at least a week, and for footballers to get four weeks off plus another four weeks of pre-season training in between campaigns.
Currently, the 2025-26 Premier League season is due to begin just five weeks after the final of the Club World Cup, which is to take place every four years.
“This study presents safety standards based on the considered and independent opinions of medical and performance experts working in professional football who understand the mental and physical strain placed on players,” said Fifpro medical director Prof Dr Vincent Gouttebarge.
“If we can all agree that health comes first, then we should take steps to implement these safeguards.”
Fifpro: Footballers need protection like pilots
Other recommendations in the Delphi study include a minimum two-day rest in between appearances to allow for proper recovery, at least one day off a week and mandatory rest periods following long-haul flights.
Former Liverpool and Arsenal medical chief Dr Darren Burgess, who chairs the Fifpro High-Performance Advisory Network, said: “The results of this study show that there are certain minimum standards such as adequate rest between matches, and proper off-season breaks, that are common sense, aligned with scientific evidence and, above all, required by global occupational health and safety standards.”
The recommendations all received backing from at least 75 per cent of the experts, who were drawn from club and national teams.
“Minimum health standards in professional football – a demonstrably high-risk industry for injury – are not matters for debate or negotiation,” Fifpro said.
“Just as construction workers require protective equipment and airline pilots have mandatory rest periods, professional footballers require global standards to establish protections based on the physical demands and injury risks inherent in their profession.”