De Bruyne: FIFA's Increase in the Number of Matches Will Lead to Problems

Belgium national team midfielder and Manchester City player Kevin De Bruyne stated that increasing the matches scheduled by the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) will lead to problems.

In the new European competition season, participants in the group stages of the Champions League and Europa League will play eight matches instead of six, as was the case in previous years. Teams ranked 9th to 24th will play in an additional playoff round. FIFA will host the Club World Cup in a new format from June 15 to July 13, 2025, with 32 teams participating.

«I think problems will arise when we finish the Club World Cup. It's known that there will be only three weeks between the final of the Club World Cup and the start of the English Premier League. We have three weeks for rest and preparation to play another 80 matches. Maybe this year will be fine, but there will be problems next year. The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) in England and players' associations in other countries have tried to find solutions. The issue is that UEFA and FIFA are adding extra matches. We can try to say something, but there’s no solution. They don't care. It's all about money,» De Bruyne told L'Equipe.

Published by Patrick Jane
07.09.2024