PFA chief warns fixture congestion threatens player welfare ahead of World Cup
The Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive argues that commercial priorities are undermining player protection and the quality of the sport, with the expanded 48-team tournament raising further concerns.
Maheta Molango, chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, has described Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden as a victim of football’s congested fixture schedule following the player’s exclusion from England’s World Cup squad. Speaking during a meeting of Fifpro, the global body representing professional footballers, Molango argued that the excessive number of games prevents players from maintaining peak performance and prioritises commercial gain over player protection.
Foden, 25, was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the tournament in North America after a season where his availability and form declined compared to his award-winning 2023-24 campaign. Molango, who also serves on the Fifpro board, noted that while Foden was voted PFA Player of the Year two years ago, his recent output has been hampered by the volume of matches he has been available to play.
"The number of games that he's been available for has dropped and, when he has been available, it has not been the version of Phil Foden we saw two years ago," Molango said. He characterised the current calendar as a system that only makes sense for those pursuing commercial interests, to the detriment of both the quality of the spectacle and the protection of players, whom he described as football’s heritage.
The statement extended beyond Foden to highlight concerns for other high-profile players, including Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer, who also endured a difficult campaign and was not selected by the Three Lions. Molango warned that the current structure prevents fans from seeing top talent at their best, stating it is a "sad state of affairs" when players with pure talent are unable to feature on the pitch due to workload pressures.
Fifpro data suggests that Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk are at increased risk of injury or reduced form due to high workloads, having played 36 and 38 Premier League games respectively. Molango cautioned that the expanded 48-team World Cup could become a "survival of the fittest" competition, particularly given the high temperatures expected during the tournament and the fact that many players have already played close to 60 games this season.
