Barcelona defender in agreement with Real Madrid star over fixture pile-up: “Too many games”

The relentless fixture schedule for footballers across Europe is starting to take a toll as players have been falling prey to injuries left, right, and centre of late.

Following the FIFA World Cup, which was held in the middle of the season last year, there has been a spate of injuries, a number of them long-term, raising concerns about the workload on players.

Indeed, as per recent reports, as many as 18 players are currently sidelined with an ACL injury or a serious knee problem in the first two divisions of Spanish football alone, giving an insight into the problem.

Recently, Barcelona lost key midfielder Gavi to an ACL injury as well, with the 19-year-old rupturing his knee ligament while playing for Spain last weekend.

Jules Kounde on fixture pile-up

The sheer number of injuries have opened up a debate on the number of games that players are forced to take part in for club and country.

And, Barcelona defender Jules Kounde has commented on the matter, stating that he agrees with Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni, who had complained about the amount of matches not very long ago.

“Obviously, we’re playing too many matches. It’s leading to injuries. At some point, the players should do or say something,” Tchouameni had said last month.

“We get the impression that it’s not going to get any better with new competitions. Something has to be done. When it’s too much, it becomes a problem,” he added.

And Kounde has spoken on the topic, agreeing with his France teammate, as he said on CliqueTV:

“Tchouameni said it as well – there are too many games. The rhythm has become more and more intense now, and what bothers me is that when we point this out, people say that we used to play so much.

“We are moving into a situation where there are more and more injuries.”

With new formats being planned for the Champions League and the World Cup moving forward, things will only get more difficult for players and the governing bodies must take note and act in benefit of the footballers instead of just looking at revenue.