Global footballers’ union wants associations to implement evidence-based safeguards for player wellbeing
The global footballers’ union FIFPRO has urged footballing associations to introduce 12 key health safeguards for players, amid concerns over professionals being asked to play too much football.
The 12 recommended safeguards come from the Delphi Study, a health consultation that involved 70 medical and performance experts in football. The study focused on scientifically proven ways to reduce excessive workload in the professional game.
The experts involved in the study have decades of professional experience at club or national team level between them.
Among the main proposals include: a four-week break at the end of the season, a compulsory mid-season rest period, a four-week re-training phase before the start of the new season, and specific workload limits for players under 18.
FIFPRO’s clarion call comes just days before the Club World Cup kicks off in the United States. The competition has been criticised as a cash-grab that worsens fixture congestion and denies players the chance to rest after a gruelling period of football. There have also been concerns about post-season tours.
FIFPRO Medical Director Prof. Dr Vincent Gouttebarge said the findings are a blueprint for protecting player health, designed by experts “who understand the mental and physical strain placed on players”.
“If we can all agree that health comes first, then we should take steps to implement these safeguards,” said Gouttebarge.
Dr Darren Burgess, Chair of FIFPRO’s High-Performance Advisory Network said: “The results of this study show that there are certain minimum standards such as adequate rest between matches, and proper off-season breaks, that are common sense, aligned with scientific evidence and, above all, required by global occupational health and safety standards.”
