Germany football icon Philipp Lahm has strongly criticized the Club World Cup’s demanding schedule, arguing it prioritizes profits over player well-being and sensible planning.
The Grueling Grind of Modern Football
Lahm, in his column for Athletic, emphasized that a truly “attractive and sensible” schedule is crucial for football’s future. He believes the idea of long summer breaks is becoming unrealistic for European football, forcing clubs to adapt.
Clubs will need to fundamentally change their resource management, squad planning, and even transfer market strategies to cope with the relentless calendar. He highlighted the extreme case of PSG players, who barely had a break after winning the Champions League and Nations League before facing the Club World Cup and starting a new season.
The physical toll is immense, with midfielder Vitinha’s staggering 77 games and nearly 6,000 minutes logged last season serving as a stark example of player overload.
Klopp’s Outspoken Warning
Lahm isn’t alone in his concerns about player welfare. Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp famously called the packed football calendar “the worst idea in the history of sport.”
Klopp warned of an unprecedented rise in injuries in the upcoming season due to the severe lack of proper recovery time for players involved in multiple competitions.
Disadvantage and Burnout Fears
Lahm shares Klopp’s fear of widespread burnout. He points out that while most elite clubs are back in pre-season training, players who reached the latter stages of the Club World Cup are still, rightly, on holiday.
This immediately puts those teams at a disadvantage for potentially months, impacting their start to the season. To manage this relentless schedule, Lahm suggests that clubs might need “two players for every position” or even “two teams” to effectively manage the workload.
While financial resources aren’t the issue for top clubs, the very nature of working life for elite players and their coaches will need to change. This shift is essential if player workloads are to be properly considered and the serious threat of burnout is taken seriously.
A Call for Open Dialogue and Sustainability
Lahm advocates for more open conversations about how football tournaments are designed and the kind of experience they offer to both players and fans. He stresses the need for European sport to meet sustainability standards, with competitions finding a balance between various competing interests.
Drawing from his experience as the tournament director for Euro 2024, Lahm understands the complexity of balancing factors like travel freedom, fair ticket prices, and social considerations. He acknowledges that finding this balance is difficult but absolutely necessary for the sport’s future.
- Philipp Lahm criticizes the Club World Cup’s schedule as unsustainable for player welfare.
- He warns of player burnout and injury risks due to insufficient breaks between demanding seasons.
- Clubs may need to fundamentally change squad planning and player management strategies.
- Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp echoes these concerns, calling the calendar “the worst idea in the history of sport.”
- Lahm advocates for more open discussions to create a more sensible and sustainable football calendar for all.
The concerns raised by football luminaries like Lahm and Klopp highlight a growing tension between commercial demands and the physical limits of elite athletes, pushing for a crucial conversation about the future of the sport’s global calendar.
