Ibrahima Konate has indicated that he’d support any prospective form of protest from elite footballers over the number of matches they’re now being obliged to play.
The expansion of competitions such as the Champions League, along with the creation of new tournaments such as the Club World Cup and UEFA Nations League, has added to an already congested calendar for players at the highest level.
Andy Robertson and Alisson Becker had voiced their concerns about that particular topic recently, and last month Rodri had even said that many of his peers were close to taking strike action – comments he made just days before suffering a season-ending ACL injury.
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Konate says he’d support a strike if it happens
In an interview with RMC Sport, Konate declared that he’d be in favour of going on strike if his fellow professionals felt it necessary to take such a stand against the increasing workload being placed on them.
The Liverpool defender said: “It’s a subject that should not be neglected. There is no discussion at Liverpool, there is no pressure from the club. We hear that some clubs prefer their players to stay but we also have to understand them. There are so many matches.
“The players are employees of the club even if the national selections are just as important. We have to stay fit all season and it’s hard but it’s beyond us.
“If it continues like this, of course if the players decide to bang their fists on the table and we are all together. If tomorrow, there is a movement which can lead to an understanding, of course I will be part of it, and I think all the players will follow.”
Too much football would just be counterproductive
As football fans we obviously hope it won’t come to players going on strike, but it’d be entirely understandable if they were to feel that such an extreme course of action is necessary in order to make their point to the sport’s authorities.
It was sad to witness Rodri succumbing to a horrible injury last month, and he’s a prime example of a player who’s had virtually no time to rest given the successes of Man City and Spain across various competitions over the past couple of years.
With a growing number of high-profile footballers voicing their concerns over the intense workload being placed upon them, the likes of FIFA and UEFA would be most negligent if they were to simply turn a blind eye to the pleas from Konate and his peers.
What those in power must realise is that, by foisting more and more matches on players at the highest level, they’re increasing the probability of serious injuries occurring, which in turn deprives fans of the game of seeing its leading exponents in action.
In turn, that diminishes the quality of the overall product and is ultimately counterproductive, but try telling that to the suits and blazers whose only motivation is how to squeeze more money out of a sport which has already been altered irrevocably by its exponential financial growth over the past 30 years.
If Konate and other elite footballers were to strike, we’d fully understand their point of view.
