There is too much play. This is the alarm that many people in the world of football are raising, starting with the players. And it is the moral of the last Player Workload Monitoring 2023-2024 (PWM Report) report signed by FIFPROthe world professional footballers’ union. There is too much play, so much so that it violates international safety standards.
According to the data emerging from the report, with over 1,500 players monitoredin 54 percent of cases there is talk of an excessive workload. Almost a third of the analyzed footballers would participate in more than 55 games during the season, in many cases with sequences of at least six consecutive weeks of matches. The international calendar plays a role: 30 percent of the matches involving players with an excessive load would derive precisely from international matches.
In the report, some illustrative cases are cited. Among these, that of Julian Alvarezcentre forward for Manchester City and Argentina: between 2023 and 2024 he took part in 83 call-ups, with 75 matches played. Takumi MinaminoMonaco’s Japanese striker, was able to benefit from just one day of rest, after his last commitment in the Asian Cup with his national team and before resuming activities with the Ligue 1 club. Christian Romerodefender for Tottenham and Argentina, has travelled more than 162,000 kilometres for professional reasons, with several trips across various time zones.