“This is not good for football” - Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag hits out at Europa League schedule
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has lamented the demanding schedule of the UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the Red Devils' first match of the tournament, the Dutchman expressed his displeasure at the fixture congestion.
The United manager is feeling the pressure as the injuries pile up, with Rasmus Hojlund, Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof, and Tyrell Malacia all on the sidelines.
Manchester United are playing eight matches in 23 days between the two international breaks in September and October. Speaking to the press ahead of the pre-match press conference, Ten Hag said that there are too many matches for players to play.
Manchester Evening News quoted him expressing his dismay at the fixture pile-up due to commercial reasons taking precedence over player welfare.
"There are too many games, too many competitions, it's clear. The players are overloaded, this is not good for football. Maybe it's good for commercial [imperatives]," he said.
The former Ajax manager called for unity among players, coaches, and clubs to come together and fight for this issue. He admitted that revenues have to be considered but there needs to be a balance to it.
"As a club alone we can’t change this. It's about clubs and players and coaches. We have to work on this to improve the game and find the right balance. We are professional and revenues have to come but we have to balance it out," Ten Hag said.
The European competitions have undergone a format change this season with all teams grouped into a single pool. The organizers backed this change by pointing out the number of high-profile matches during the group stage.
However, for players and clubs, this has led to additional fixtures. As compared to six group stage matches earlier, the new format will have eight matches before teams qualify for the knockout stages.
Manchester United boss joins brigade of players speaking out against fixture congestion
Earlier this week, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker and Manchester City's Rodri and Manuel Akanji had spoken out about player welfare. They mentioned that with the current schedule, clubs are expected to play up to 70 to 80 matches, which would impact the quality of football on show and put players at risk of injuries.
Alisson and Rodri had specifically pointed out that these decisions are being taken without consulting the players. Manchester City indicated that a protest from the players might be on the cards.
The Manchester United manager's comments add further weight to the ongoing debate around revenue generation and injury concerns.