Player strike in England unlikely: Sports law expert

The chorus of frustrated players and managers speaking out against football's gruelling fixture schedule continues to grow, with Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate the latest to say he would support players' right to strike.

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The chorus of frustrated players and managers speaking out against football's gruelling fixture schedule continues to grow, with Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate the latest to say he would support players' right to strike.

Conversations at recent team press conferences have turned to the schedule's physical toll, with Manchester City's Rodri warning in September that players could be ready to down tools.

Despite the calls for strike action, whether it is likely in the English football structure, where the richest players earn hundreds of times more than those at the other end of the financial spectrum, is another question.

"It is possible, but I would say at the moment it's incredibly difficult," said Sarah Carrick, an expert in sports law and a senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University.

"In the Premier League, the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) would need to ballot their 5,000 members, in the way any union ballots members to go on strike.