Players from Brazil and Portugal have been the most in demand since August among teams taking part in the World Cup in Qatar, according to a report from the World Players Union (Fifpro), published on Tuesday, which points to the infernal pace of the international calendar. According to Fifpro, Brazil and Portugal have thus accumulated approximately 30,000 minutes of play each since last August, which is double that of many nations qualified for the World Cup. At the other end of the spectrum, Saudi Arabia occupy the last place with 10,000 minutes of play. stop mid-October.
“No preparation, no recovery”, insists this study which takes the example of Premier League players. In the four previous editions of the World Cup, at least 30 days separated their last day of the Championship from the start of the world tournament; a duration reduced to seven days for this World Cup in Qatar. Ditto for recovery: from 26 days before the resumption of the English championship following the final of the World Cup in Russia, this period will be reduced to eight days at the end of the 2022 final.
Many factors that can compromise the health of players
Since the start of the 2021-2022 season, every player in the Portuguese national team ” played an average of 5,200 minutes, the equivalent of 58 90-minute matches”points to the report that “highlights the extreme overload faced by some players, especially those who play for clubs in Europe or North and South America”.
“The overlapping of competitions, consecutive matches, extreme weather conditions, a condensed preparation period and insufficient recovery time are all factors that can compromise the health and performance of players”says the report.
