Thursday 09 September 2021, 12:30

Protecting player health and well-being

Of primary importance in football’s present and future is the protection of player health and well-being. The suggestion for an overhaul of the calendar could include mandatory rest and preparation periods with fewer matches, fewer travels and less time away from clubs and families as a result.

Among the options to be explored, are possibilities to condense the international windows which constantly interrupt domestic leagues and force players to travel (often intercontinentally). By having fewer international windows, you are able to broaden horizons across the entire globe. This could be achieved by reducing the size of qualifying groups, ending meaningless friendlies and looking at other methods of qualifying for final tournaments, such as through ‘Nations League’ competitions or other methods preferable to each confederation.