Manchester City star Bernardo Silva says he has "very little time" with his family due to football's "absolutely absurd" schedule.
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Elite players seemingly playing more gamesSilva slams football schedule as "absurd"Says he has "very little time" with his familyWHAT HAPPENED?
Portugal international Silva says it is ludicrous that City are set to play three games a week for the next few months, with very little time to recover. The 29-year-old added that because of the gruelling schedule, he spends less and less time with his nearest and dearest and has called on something to change.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT BERNARDO SILVA SAID
He told Record: "I think there are two completely different issues here. When the players complain, people say that players can't complain about the life they have. And they're right because we're fulfilling a dream and we do what we do. On the other hand, the schedule is completely crazy. We've just received the news that we only have one day off for the English League Cup game. We play Arsenal, we rest for a day and then we have the game against Watford. And if we don't get knocked out of any other competition, we'll play every three days for months. It's been absolutely absurd. In the Champions League, if you don't qualify for the round of 16 you still have to play two more games. It's true that the squads are bigger, but I'm not going to say that it's easy. It hasn't been easy. I spend very little time with my family and friends. The amount of games we're subjected to is absolutely absurd."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Silva's complaints come at a time when a FIFPRO report found that elite players are under increasing "mental stress" due to the number of games they play and that many have as little as 12 per cent of the calendar year off (less than one day a week). Overworked players can often lead to injured players and a drop off in the quality of football. With rising interest in football and record profits, player welfare may now be more important than ever.
Getty WHAT NEXT?
Silva, who played for Portugal in their 2-1 Nations League win over Croatia on Thursday, may not get much rest anytime soon as he could feature for his country against Scotland on Sunday and City have five matches to play before the end of September in all competitions.