The match overload is the most talked-about topic across all European football leagues this season. Players have been complaining about it before the start of the season; now, two months in, it's rare to find a large club who hasn't suffered a loss in the squad due to injury.
Euro winners Dani Carvajal from Real Madrid and Rodri Hernández from Manchester City both talked about the possibility of going on strike, protesting against the excessive number of matches the larger teams are forced to play, between the national and european competitions as well as international competitions. Both of them are losing the season due to serious injuries.
FIFPRO Europe, the biggest player union, as well as European Leagues, have taken the matter to the European Commission, putting the blame on FIFA, saying it neglects its responsibilities as a governing body and instead imposes a calendar with more international matches each year, including an expanded FIFA World Cup 2026, in order to maximise its commercial interests.
The complainants defend that FIFA's imposition of decisions in the international calendar is an abuse of dominance and violates European Union law. They believe FIFA has a conflict of interest between its financial needs and its responsability as a regulatory body, and it hasn't properly consulted players and leagues on calendar-related matters.
Players have been complaining about the "FIFA Virus", now it reaches European Commission
For a while, press and public have been talking about the "FIFA virus": the frequent injuries that elite players suffer in their national teams during the season that later impact negatively in their clubs competitions (such as leagues, national cups, Europa League or Champions League) that are arguably more important.
This month, Kylian Mbappé has been criticised by avoiding some mostly irrelevant Nations League matches so he can focus on his season on Real Madrid and minimising the chances of getting injuries or muscle overload.
The oversaturated football calendar is a health risk for players that jeopardises career longevity of players, but is not the only concern of the leagues and the players' union, as they claim it could also long term harm the quality and financial sustainability of national leagues.