Manchester City's Manuel Akanji became the latest player to criticize the packed calendar that soccer players are forced to deal with, stating that he might retire at 30 because he will be maxed out after several fixture-heavy seasons at the top levels of the sport.
The 29-year-old Akanji has played 48 games each in his first two seasons at Manchester City and started this season on short rest. He played at the Euros for Switzerland, who were eliminated in the quarterfinals on July 6, and then competed in City's opening game of the 2024-25 season on Aug. 10 after barely a month off.
"It's so tough," he said, per ESPN. "You don't just think about this season -- but also next season. Let's say we win the league or cup, then go to the final of the Club World Cup; the Community Shield is three weeks after. So when do we have holidays? There are no breaks in winter, so if we are lucky we get two weeks and then we need to be back and into next season. Then the next summer it's the World Cup. There's no end to it."
Manchester City played a total of 59 games last season between the Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, the Club World Cup and other obligations in domestic and continental competitions. The team could play 50-plus games again this season if they make deep runs in any of the cup competitions they will compete in, but could play an even longer campaign this time around with FIFA's expanded Club World Cup. City have already qualified for the 32 team competition, up from eight, that will take place in the U.S. next June and July.
Akanji said that fixture congestion takes both a physical and mental toll on players.
"It's just game after game and I don't know how it will work out over the next couple of years," he said. "You can't just keep adding game after game and assume everything will be like it was. You have to think about the players as well. At some point you'll be too tired to play any more games. And then come injuries, definitely. We train as hard as possible and we are fit -- but there has to be a limit. Maybe I'll retire at 30."
The defender's comments echo the longstanding opinion of his manager at City, Pep Guardiola, who has long criticized the jam-packed schedules players have to deal with. Guardiola brought attention to the topic again in July during City's preseason tour of the U.S., criticizing both the games on the schedule as well as the travel that comes with it.
"Institutions like FIFA, UEFA, and Premier League don't think about the players so the managers have to think about it," he said after a loss to AC Milan at New York's Yankee Stadium. "Otherwise, they will die. It's too much … There's no solution. Will not be [a] solution because there is no intention to be [a] solution."
The expanded Club World Cup in particular brings a renewed focus to the loaded calendar, serving as one area of focus in a new lawsuit brought by FIFPRO Europe and the European Leagues in July. The parties took legal action against FIFA, arguing that the schedule is "unsustainable" and jeopardizes player health and safety.
