Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has expressed his outrage over the proposed fixture pile-up for his team in December, warning that playing three games in just five days would be "irresponsible" and detrimental to player welfare. The situation arises from the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, where Palace will face Arsenal on December 16.
Glasner believes that the scheduling of multiple games without sufficient rest time is a collective problem that requires a solution from football's governing bodies, including FIFA, UEFA, the Premier League, and the EFL. He pointed to a meeting in July where FIFA suggested a mandatory 72-hour break between two competitive games, which he feels has been ignored.
The Palace manager proposes alternative dates for the Carabao Cup tie with Arsenal, suggesting it could be played on Christmas Eve or December 23. However, the Gunners are reportedly keen on keeping the match as originally planned, despite the potential risks to player health and well-being.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also expressed concern over the fixture schedule, stating that "anything is possible" if governing bodies ignore club concerns. He emphasized the importance of prioritizing players' welfare and supporters, warning that opening up windows for unsuitable fixtures would compromise the integrity of the game.
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has acknowledged that fixture congestion is an unavoidable issue, but also stressed the need for a collective approach to address it. The PFA has called for football's governing bodies to work together to produce a calendar that balances competing interests while ensuring players receive adequate rest and recovery time.
The debate highlights the ongoing tension between club demands for competitive matches and the need to prioritize player welfare in the face of increasingly congested fixtures lists.
Glasner believes that the scheduling of multiple games without sufficient rest time is a collective problem that requires a solution from football's governing bodies, including FIFA, UEFA, the Premier League, and the EFL. He pointed to a meeting in July where FIFA suggested a mandatory 72-hour break between two competitive games, which he feels has been ignored.
The Palace manager proposes alternative dates for the Carabao Cup tie with Arsenal, suggesting it could be played on Christmas Eve or December 23. However, the Gunners are reportedly keen on keeping the match as originally planned, despite the potential risks to player health and well-being.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also expressed concern over the fixture schedule, stating that "anything is possible" if governing bodies ignore club concerns. He emphasized the importance of prioritizing players' welfare and supporters, warning that opening up windows for unsuitable fixtures would compromise the integrity of the game.
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has acknowledged that fixture congestion is an unavoidable issue, but also stressed the need for a collective approach to address it. The PFA has called for football's governing bodies to work together to produce a calendar that balances competing interests while ensuring players receive adequate rest and recovery time.
The debate highlights the ongoing tension between club demands for competitive matches and the need to prioritize player welfare in the face of increasingly congested fixtures lists.
it's not like they're asking for a million things, just some decent rest time for the players so they don't get burned out 
like what if they do end up playing those 3 games in 5 days and someone gets seriously injured? that would be a total disaster 
and yeah i'm with oliver glasner on this one, it's not just palace or arsenal, it's all the clubs that are getting slammed with too many games in a row 
... I mean, can you imagine having to play three games in just 5 days? 
That's just crazy talk! 
The players need time to rest and recover, it's not just about winning or losing. The PFA is right, we need a collective approach to figure this out 
. Maybe if we all work together, we can find a solution that works for everyone 
. It would be amazing if they could play on Christmas Eve instead of December 16 
... who's with me? 
I think it's time for a change in how we schedule these matches, maybe have some shorter seasons or something. Less games means less chance of burnout! 
, it's all about profit and schedule management at the end of the day. but we need to think about what's best for the players, not just the teams or the league tables.
, more needs to be done to address this issue. perhaps a revised calendar that takes into account the winter period and allows for more breaks? something has got to give here 
. FIFA & UEFA need to step up and sort out a better scheduling system ASAP 
. I mean, who benefits from this chaos? surely not the players 
. let's get some sense into our governing bodies and prioritize player welfare for once 
I totally get why Oliver Glasner is upset about the fixture pile-up. Three games in 5 days? That's just crazy talk! 
Players deserve so much better than that. FIFA and the other governing bodies need to listen to clubs like Crystal Palace and Arsenal, who are already feeling the strain.
. I feel for Oliver Glasner, he's right on the money about it being a collective problem that needs to be solved ASAP 
. FIFA and the Premier League need to step up their game and prioritize player welfare over all this greed 
. I'm loving how the PFA is taking a stand on this too 
#PlayerWelfareMatters #FixturesPileUp #GoverningBodiesGetItTogether 
. Mikel Arteta's comments were calm, I like that, but it's clear he's got concerns too 
. Can't we just have a balanced calendar that prioritizes player welfare? It's not rocket science 
!
, they're gonna have to play like 3 games in a row with barely any time off... that's just not right 
. We need some serious changes to the scheduling, maybe they can find a way to spread out the games so we don't have these crazy congested periods