France defender Jules Kounde has called on football’s governing bodies to reconsider the congested match calendar.
The 26-year-old France international, who has repeatedly called out football’s governing bodies over the physical and mental toll of a calendar that allows for minimal rest, is back in the frame for club and country after recovering from a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the final weeks of last season.
Speaking in a press conference on Wednesday ahead of his country’s forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland, the Barcelona defender suggested that the unforgiving schedule affects not only those on the pitch but everyone associated with the game.
“It’s a whole ecosystem,” he said.
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“Sometimes in life, when we overdo things, we stop appreciating them. When we see too much, we no longer give it the same importance. That’s what’s happening with football, it’s over-consumption.
“These are things we need to put into perspective, and I think they need to change.
“Every year we have more games and less rest,” he said. “We have been saying this for three, four years and no one listens to the players. The time will come when we will have to go on strike to make ourselves heard by those who decide.
“We assume an increasing maximum risk and you can see that there are more injuries because there is less and less rest time.”
