Kevin De Bruyne expects issues to arise next year (Picture: Getty Images)
Kevin De Bruyne says ‘money speaks louder than the players’ voices’ to FIFA and UEFA, predicting a ‘real problem’ next year due to fixture congestion.
The Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League have all been expanded this season, but De Bruyne thinks it is another competition that will really cause issues.
The Club World Cup is being completely revamped for the next edition in 2025, which will be held in America.
The event will now include 32 teams and be played from 15 June-13 July, to great concern from players.
De Bruyne expects the tournament to cause a serious issue for players, saying on Friday: ‘The real problem will emerge after the Club World Cup.
‘We know there will be only three weeks between the Club World Cup final and the first Premier League match. So, we have three weeks to rest and prepare for another 80 matches.
‘Maybe this year things will be OK, but next year could be problematic. The Professional Footballers’ Association in England and other player associations have tried to find solutions.
‘The issue is that UEFA and FIFA keep adding extra matches, and we can raise concerns, but no solutions have been found. It seems that money speaks louder than the players’ voices.’
Kevin De Bruyne has linked up with the Belgium squad this international break (Picture: Getty Images)
Players union International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO) announced that they were suing FIFA over fixture congestion.
A statement read: ‘FIFPRO Europe member unions have today submitted a legal claim against FIFA, challenging the legality of FIFA’s decisions to unilaterally set the International Match Calendar and, in particular, the decision to create and schedule the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
‘Player unions believe that these decisions violate the rights of players and their unions under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights while also potentially violating EU competition law.’
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