Cyrille de la Morinerie 7:54 a.m., March 15, 2023
FIFA, which met in Rwanda on Tuesday, is considering imposing days off for footballers.
According to our colleagues from the newspaper "L'Équipe", the international body is preparing to create a working group to work on the issue.
Players have been sounding the alarm for several years now.
The internationals, in particular, are exhausted by the multiplication of meetings.
Matches every three days, extended seasons with an increased risk of injury and even sometimes burnout… A working group appointed by Fifa will think about a series of measures to guarantee the health of players, namely holidays compulsory each year over the same period.
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A four-day week?
One day off each week and 72 hours off between each game.
Laudable ideas on paper but according to Alain Roche, former player and consultant Europe 1, Fifa is playing a double game. "It is not up to Fifa to impose rest periods. They are the first to add competitions, the Nations League, the Club World Cup with 32 clubs in the summer. They had even offered to play a World Cup every two years. These people make me laugh because they only think about business but they are asking the clubs now to set up rest periods, which the clubs are already doing."
Up to one month vacation per year
The players are indeed considered as employees and have one month of leave per year.
But some, like Kylian Mbappé who resumed training at PSG just days after the World Cup, are rushing their return to the field.
Risky for their health, Fifa therefore plans to make these annual vacations compulsory.