Fifa to act on fixture congestion

Football

Football

Fifa to act on fixture congestion

World football's governing body, Fifa, is to take action to cut back on the ever-growing international calendar to protect players from stress and injuries caused by too many matches. Fifa's general secretary, Sepp Blatter, told Reuter: "We must attack this problem. We cannot sell the soul of our game. There are too many competitions and the worst thing is that it tends to be the same players and the same clubs who are always involved. The top players are tired. They and the sport suffer. We have to take care of the players for the good of the game. There are ethical and moral considerations at stake. We must not put television cover first all the time." Blatter said finding a solution would not be easy but he thought a limit of 18 clubs in national leagues, with a preference for 16, might be one step.