Roberto Carlos and Geremi, ‘new Fifa calendar not to put players’ health at risk’

The two former Real Madrid players Roberto Carlos and Geremi are convinced that a new international match calendar will protect players, reduce their travel and allow them to optimize performance levels for club and national football in the as part of FIFA’s extensive consultation process on the future of football. As the main players in the sport, experienced players provided their feedback through a technical advisory group. World Cup winner Roberto Carlos and former Cameroonian international Geremi agree that reducing the number of trips and increasing recovery time for players is the key to a healthier sport. “I remember when I played, we played a game on Sunday, then we traveled that Sunday night, we played again on Wednesday, we came back on Friday and we played on Saturday or Sunday,” said Roberto Carlos. “Player performance starts to drop automatically because you don’t have time to rest. As for the journey: leaving Madrid, for example, and going to Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires or Caracas in Venezuela means you don’t have any recovery time. Fifa’s new idea reduces the number of trips as the qualification stages could be played in a month. So, there would be time to train, play well, rest and get back into the club at your best. There are too many consecutive games and then you add travel and fatigue and it is very complex. I think football will improve a lot once this problem is solved. “Geremi said, 118 appearances for the Cameroon national team – who added that constant adaptation to new environments throughout the year prevents players from giving the better than himself. “Most African players play for European clubs,” said Geremi. “So when they participate in international competitions, they have to travel from Europe to Africa. I can say it’s very tiring. When you travel from ‘ Europe in winter, Africa is 40 degrees. There is a contrast there and, of course, an impact in terms of performance, because you are not 100%. It also has an impact in terms of sports career because it reduces the number of years that you can play for the national team, “he continued. “It is not at all easy for an African footballer – or for an Asian, South American or American footballer – to play in Europe at the club level and also to play for their own country. Therefore, it is important to find a solution to avoid putting the players and their health at risk. “Following the invitations to interested parties, including all confederations, at the beginning of September, discussions with FIFA are being organized in the coming weeks. which invited its affiliated associations to a first online summit on 30 September 2021. This is one of several opportunities to establish a constructive and open debate, at global and regional level, in the coming months.