Study recommends mandatory four-week break for players

Manchester City and Chelsea feature in the expanded Club World Cup tournament, which starts on Sunday (01:00 BST)

Professional footballers should be allowed at least a four-week off-season break, plus a minimum four-week retraining period before a return to competition, according to a new report.

The study, released on Thursday by global players' union Fifpro, led to 70 medical and performance experts agreeing on 12 safeguards they want to introduce in a bid to protect players from exhaustion and excessive workload.

Fifpro said it represents the most extensive expert consensus to date on safeguards against excessive workload in professional football.

More than 75% agreement was required among participants to establish each recommendation.

Among the recommendations are:

• a four-week off-season break

• mandatory mid-season breaks

• a minimum four-week retraining period before a return to competitive action

• and mandatory consideration of the travel burden on players.

"This study presents safety standards based on the considered and independent opinions of medical and performance experts working in professional football who understand the mental and physical strain placed on players," Professor Doctor Vincent Gouttebarge, Fifpro medical director, said.

"If we can all agree that health comes first, then we should take steps to implement these safeguards."

The release of the report comes just days before the opening game of the Fifa Club World Cup in the United States.

Premier League sides Manchester City and Chelsea are both involved in the tournament, which concludes on 13 July.

Should either reach the final, players will have a gap of just five weeks before the Premier League season begins on 15 August.

Chelsea's first game of the Club World Cup takes place on 16 June, just 19 days after their Conference League final triumph over Real Betis.

In September, a week prior to suffering an ACL injury, City midfielder Rodri said players were close to going on strike because of the increase in games, while team-mate Manuel Akanji suggested he would have to retire at 30-years-old as a result of the lack of breaks in the calendar.

In October, Fifpro filed a legal complaint with the European Commission over what it said was Fifa's "abuse of dominance," which was specifically related to the Club World Cup.