Eamon Dunphy column: FIFA are not guardians of the game but killers of it

Irish Daily Mirror

25-04-2025

Before we produce a list of Arsenal's poor results this season, let's examine their injury list.
Because this matters, not solely to Arsenal fans, but to anyone who cares about the game.
Ugly people are ruining it. Greed is ruining it. And if you don't believe that then look at this.
This season alone, Arsenal have had injuries to TWENTY first-team squad players.
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There were muscle injuries to David Raya, who missed one game; Jurrien Timber, who missed five; Kai Havertz who will miss 20 matches by the time the season ends; Gabriel Magalhaes who will miss 12; Riccardo Calafiori who will miss 21.
As well as this, Jorginho (chest), William Saliba, Kieran Tierney, Ethan Nwaneri, Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling, Thomas Partey (all hamstring), Declan Rice (broken toe), Martin Odegaard (ankle), have spent time out of the team.
We haven't finished yet because knee injuries have interrupted or ruined the seasons of Ben White, Gabriel Jesus, Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino.
So my question isn't why did Arsenal record a disappointing 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on Wednesday?
No, the bigger question is, when is the world going to realise the game is being destroyed by FIFA, UEFA and the greedy owners of these football clubs?
The bottom line is that too much is being asked of the players.
The Premier League season lasts 38 games. Then there is the Community Shield, the Carabao Cup, the FA Cup, the Champions League, and now, as of 2025, a 32-team Club World Cup which will run from June 14 until July 13.
Three weeks after the 2024/25 season ends, the 2025/26 campaign begins.
That's insane.
Where is the opportunity for players to rest?
It doesn't exist.
The upshot of all this has already been seen by Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City this season.
Let's start with City because their season pretty much ended in October.
They have been the Premier League's stand-out team in the last seven years, winning six titles in that timeframe.
This season they came unstuck. First Rodri got injured, followed by Kevin DeBruyne and finally Erling Haaland.
More than that, the entire team experienced physical and mental exhaustion at the same time.
No one saw it coming because they had started the year so well, winning seven and drawing two of their opening nine league games to go top.
Then fatigue kicked in and their run of form was dreadful, six defeats in eight league games, a defeat in the Carabao Cup, losses in Europe.
Now bear in mind they were the best team in the world this time last year; managed by the coach in the world.
You don't become a bad team overnight but you do become a tired team when you have FIFA, UEFA bigwigs putting a packed calendar in front of you.
Let's look at City's demands over the last three years. They had to play 59 games last year, 61 the year before, 58 the year before that.
And because they are always in the running for major honours, all those matches are of high intensity. Eventually the schedule caught up on them.
The teams that are suffering the most now and will continue to suffer in the future are Premier League sides.
They don't get easy weeks. Crystal Palace may have never won a trophy in their history but they are a fine side. They play with intensity as every Premier League team does.
La Liga, Le Ligue and Serie A do not have similar depth.
So whereas PSG can cruise to a French title, Arsenal - their Champions League semi-final opponents - don't have that luxury.
They have to try and balance going for the first Champions League crown in their history with a genuine battle to be in that same competition next year.
Nothing comes easily for them.
And results prove that. There was that 2-2 draw with Palace; they also were held home and away by Everton and Brighton; Brentford came to the Emirates and drew; Fulham got a 1-1 draw against them; Bournemouth and Newcastle beat them.
If you weren't looking at their situation closely, you'd say they choked under pressure.
But they haven't.
Their bodies have felt the strain. All those muscular injuries comes from players being overworked.
Even Liverpool, who have - comparatively speaking - been fortunate with injuries this season, felt the mental strain of what they do.
In Europe, they flopped against PSG, not because they were a bad team but because they were a mentally exhausted one.
And their fans have a right to be annoyed by FIFA, by UEFA and by the greedy club owners who are ruining the game.
These people don't care about footballers' health.
They only care about money.
FIFA are not guardians of the game but killers of it.
This Club World Cup is a moneymaking farce.
The players don't want it nor do they need it.
They need a rest not to be catapulted into some Mickey Mouse tournament that exists solely to line the pockets of FIFA - a disgrace of an organisation.
They may suggest that players are receiving extraordinary money to play in it but is it worth it if they bodies give up on them?
There is now a real possibiity players will go on strike because there is only so much they can do, only so many games they can play at that intense level.
So, be worried. This beautiful game of ours could come to an ugly end.