Cole Palmer ‘victim’ of ‘sick’ football system — PFA chief
By Adegboyega Adeleye
Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) chief executive Maheta Molango has defended Chelsea forward Cole Palmer after his recent injury struggles, calling him a “victim” of a “sick” football system that demands too much of players.
According to the BBC, Molango said Palmer’s recent withdrawal from the England squad highlighted the increasingly congested football calendar, which he described as unsustainable and driven by the “survival of the fittest”.
Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento all withdrew from Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad ahead of the international window.
“When England see five players who need to withdraw when the single most proud moment a player has is to be called up for the national team, you just ask yourself, what’s wrong about the industry?” Molango said at the Fifpro performance summit in London.
“You see people like Cole Palmer, someone who would have played four consecutive summers in a row had he gone to the World Cup, and you wonder why is he missing?
“He’s missing because he’s a victim of the calendar and that’s something that needs to absolutely trigger the alarm bells.”
The PFA and global players’ union Fifpro have repeatedly warned about the impact of an increasingly congested calendar on player welfare.
Palmer withdrew from England’s squad for “load management”, with Tuchel saying the Chelsea forward “misses too many opportunities”.
Molango criticised that stance, insisting players want to represent their countries but cannot ignore the physical demands placed on their bodies.
“They [England players] love to play for England. They love to play for their national team. But unfortunately your body puts a limit to it. You cannot cheat biology,” he said.
Molango said the issue extends beyond England, pointing to recent international withdrawals involving Germany’s Kai Havertz, Netherlands striker Brian Brobbey and France captain Kylian Mbappe.
“Is that really the football that we want?” Molango asked.
“Is it the football where the people who make us dream just cannot perform? For me it’s very worrying.
“What we’ve seen over the last few years is a system that’s sick, that’s ill, because it ultimately revolves around obtaining votes and power consolidation.”
Molango called for a mandatory three-week summer break for players, followed by a three-week “retraining” period every year.
Premier League chief football officer Rebecca Caplehorn said she supported the proposal in principle but acknowledged that implementing it would be difficult under the current calendar.
“It’s something we’re really supportive of, conceptually, but the challenge is that it just doesn’t fit into the current calendar,” Caplehorn said.
“There’s always something that’s preventing us having that six-week gap that we want. Without regulatory change and change to the calendar, it’s not possible for us to deliver that.”
Vanguard News
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