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France and Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate (25) has become the latest player to speak out against the packed fixture schedule, saying on Tuesday that he supports his fellow players' right to strike over the issue.
Players and managers have criticized the ever-expanding football calendar, with Manchester City midfielder Rodri warning last month that footballers were ready to down tools in protest if the situation did not improve. Rodri suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury soon after making those comments, further fueling the debate around the intense schedule and player wellbeing.
"If this dynamic continues and the players decide to bang their fists on the table then we're all in this together," Konate, 25, told reporters when asked about whether he supported a strike. "If tomorrow there's a movement that will lead to understanding, I'll be part of it. And I think all the players will follow suit." All three European club competitions have been expanded to 36 teams this season and global players' union FIFPRO said in July it would file a complaint with EU antitrust regulators about FIFA's international match calendar.
England recorded the highest number of domestic back-to-back matches, 87, among top European leagues last season, with Premier League clubs averaging the shortest recovery time between games at 67.3 hours. "It's a subject that shouldn't be neglected," Konate added. "You hear some clubs prefer their players to (not report for international duty) but you have to understand that too, there are so many games. The players are on the club's payroll, even if the national teams are just as important."
France, second in Group A1 in the Nations League, travel to Budapest on Thursday to face Israel, who are hosting their home games in Hungary due to the ongoing Israel-Gaza War. "We don't look at who we're playing against but of course we're not insensitive to what's going on in the world, what we see on social networks (about the war) is appalling," Konate said about playing Israel. "What I'm most worried about are young people. Imagine children who see this on their phones and the impact it can have on them. Fighting terrorism is one thing, but civilians being killed en masse, it hurts me."
