FIFA are not the guardians of the game but the killers of it

BEFORE we produce a list of Arsenal's poor results this season, let's examine their injury list.

- camondunphy

Because this matters, not solely to Gunners fans but to anyone who cares about the game.

Ugly people are ruining it. Greed is ruining it. And if you don't believe that then look at this.

This season alone, Arsenal have had injuries to 20 first-team squad players.

There were muscle injuries to David Raya, who missed one game; Jurrien Timber, who missed five; Kai Havertz who will miss 20 matches by the time the season ends; Gabriel Magalhaes who will miss 12; Riccardo Calafiori who will miss 21.

As well as this, Jorginho (chest), William Saliba, Kieran Tierney, Ethan Nwaneri, Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling, Thomas Partey (all hamstring), Declan Rice (broken toe) and Martin Odegaard (ankle) have spent time out of the team.

We haven't finished yet because knee injuries have interrupted or ruined the seasons of Ben White, Gabriel Jesus, Calafiori and Mikel Merino.

So my question isn't why did Arsenal record a disappointing 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

No, the bigger question is, when is the world going to realise the game is being destroyed by FIFA, UEFA and the greedy owners of these football clubs?

The bottom line is that too much is being asked of the players.

The Premier League season lasts 38 games. Then there is the Community Shield, the League Cup, the FA Cup, the Champions League, and now, as of 2025, a 32-team Club World Cup which will run from June 14 until July 13.

Three weeks after the 2024/25 season ends, the 2025/26 campaign begins. That's insane.