Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne scores their second goal from the penalty spot as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Peter Powell/Pool via REUTERS
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BERN, June 19 (Reuters): The global players union FIFPRO is concerned that footballers are being asked to play too many matches in a short space of time as the sport restarts following the coronavirus stoppage and says there has already been an increase in injuries.
FIFPRO said in a statement on Friday that competition organisers "have so far failed to introduce safeguards to protect player health during what will be a highly-congested schedule."
"Now, since the restart we are seeing a first spike in injuries because of insufficient preparation time and congested match schedules," it said.
The current season was stopped for around three months in most European countries due to COVID-19 and domestic leagues are now rushing to finish it by the end of July.
The Champions League and Europa League will conclude in August while the 2020/21 season will then get under way around mid-September, with national team matches squeezed in between.
