PFA Scotland chief executive Fraser Wishart says domestic game under ‘serious threat’
PFA Scotland chief executive Fraser Wishart has warned that domestic competitions and the health of players will be at risk if FIFA does not accept it has gone too far with the international calendar.
Wishart has welcomed the legal action taken by European leagues and FIFPRO Europe against the world governing body.
The representative bodies of the European leagues and players have issued a joint complaint to the European Commission accusing FIFA of making unilateral decisions on an international schedule which is “beyond saturation”.
In a statement, former Motherwell, St Mirren and Rangers full-back Wishart said: “Leagues know that more competitions and games are a serious threat to the sustainability of our domestic game in Scotland.
“To accommodate these new international competitions, pressure will come on domestic leagues across Europe to reduce the number of domestic league games and to cancel domestic cup competitions.
“This will lead to less income for our clubs, less employment opportunities for players and for supporters a poorer domestic competition and fewer games to watch.”
Wishart added: “This doesn’t just affect players at the highest level. We have seen Scotland play Georgia on 20th June 2023, with players unable to take a proper break before their pre-season started.
“This summer we played in the Euros till 21st June, again with little time for many players to have a proper break and in the summer of 2025, there will be more international fixtures. When do our players get a proper break?
“Theo Bair and Alastair Johnston played for Canada on 14th July, the day after our domestic season started and three weeks before the first league games.
“In Scotland the League Cup now starts mid July meaning that most clubs start pre-season in mid June, often just a couple of weeks after the end of the previous season.
“The governing bodies simply cannot expect to add more games without there being an effect on players’ health and the quality of the games.
“In recent years, the Premiership has had a winter break, but the squeeze happened; due to the increase in Champions League fixtures the winter break has been cancelled.”
Wishart added that 92 per cent of players in Scotland’s three lower leagues were in favour of a winter break in a recent survey.
“These players want a break; with the early start to the League Cup these players are playing and working for 11 months solid without respite,” he added.
“Players are not robots; their mental and physical wellbeing must be considered when making decisions around fixtures and competitions.”