FIFA ready to debate player burnout

LONDON (Reuters) -- FIFA are ready to debate restrictions in the number of matches players appear in during a season following concerns over burnout, soccer's world governing body's spokesman said on Sunday.

Marcus Siegler told Reuters that there had not been any official discussions on the subject yet but that many influential voices within FIFA, from president Sepp Blatter down, felt something needed to be done.

"I can imagine that this is something they are thinking of and preparing as a basis for discussion," he said. "There is reason for concern."

Ten days ago and just five matches into the Premier League season, France's Patrick Vieira, the Arsenal skipper, complained of burnout after helping guide his club side to a domestic league and cup double last season.

"I can hardly stand up," he told the French sports daily, L'Equipe. "I hurt everywhere."

Siegler said that some players' workload reached as many as 80 matches a season and "that was clearly too many."

His comments follow an interview with Professor Jiri Dvorak, who is head of FIFA's doping and medical research team, in Sunday's Observer newspaper in which he says FIFA is on the verge of imposing match limits.

Dvorak said he could not say what FIFA's limit would be. But he added: "We have realised the magnitude of the problem of injuries and the related cost of players' absences; it's almost an occupational hazard.

"In Korea and Japan we saw that some of the players the world wants to see couldn't play."

Proved unfit

A number of top players proved unfit for the World Cup finals with Robert Pires of holders France missing out altogether through injury and his team mate Zinedine Zidane only playing one match.

Additionally, several were clearly below par following exhausting European seasons including Portugal's Figo, the 2001 FIFA player of the year, and England's David Beckham who only just made the finals after recovering from a foot injury.

Siegler pointed out that moves had already been made to cut top players' commitments in Europe.

UEFA, the European governing body, has chopped the number of match days in the Champions League next season from 17 to 13 for the eventual finalists.

Mike Lee, spokesman of UEFA, told Reuters on Sunday: "We are sympathetic to the concern that there are too many high pressure games in the match fixture list.

"But we are skeptical about the ability of any limit imposed in this way to work. It needs a much wider debate in football."

UEFA sources have told Reuters that while FIFA have indicated that they wish to lift the workload on players, their backing of competitions such as the Confederations Cup and the now defunct World Club Championship have not helped.

"Their actions do not always back up their words," the sources said.

 

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