Infantino on player welfare, more LaLiga teams in UCL

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said player health and welfare remains a key consideration for the game’s governing body amid concerns about expanding tournaments in an already crowded calendar.

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Infantino’s words unite FIFPro, Spain’s LaLiga and the European Leagues group filed a joint complaint to the European Union antitrust regulators earlier in October, accusing FIFA of “calendar abuse”.

Critics argue FIFA’s revamped quadrennial 32-team Club World Cup and other expanded tournaments will increase the number of matches each season and test players’ wellbeing.

Infantino told CNN that the Club World Cups impact on player welfare would be limited.

“It is a competition which takes place every four years. Those who play six or seven games – which is like one game and a half, almost, more a year – so it doesn’t have a big impact,” he added.

“What happens in world soccer is that there are many games for very few teams, for very few players. Those who reach maybe the final stage of all competitions, which again is very rare. So all in all, it balances itself out quite a bit. But we’re very careful about the calendar and about the health of the players. I mean, we want to do everything for the players to be in the best way ... That’s what many players tell me as well, what you want is to play rather than to train, right?”