England star Harry Kane voices concerns over player schedules, saying they are not "listened to" regarding the demanding football calendar that continues to impact their well-being.
Kane, who captains the England national team, highlighted the upcoming international window between June 2-10, which follows immediately after the Premier League season concludes on May 25 and the Champions League final on May 31. For players like Kane, whose club Bayern Munich will participate in the new expanded FIFA Club World Cup from June 15 to July 13, this means potentially going without a substantial break this summer.
"I don't think the players are listened to that much, if I'm totally honest," Kane said. "But also everyone wants their piece, their tournament, their prize, and the players are kind of the people who have to get on with it."
Despite these concerns, the 31-year-old forward maintains his passion for the game: "It is what it is. I love playing football, so I'm never going to complain about playing football."
Kane suggested that better management of player workloads could help address the issue. "I think if you manage it well, with your coaches and your manager and your clubs, there are ways of getting more rest in certain moments," he explained, while acknowledging the complexity of the situation. "But it's not an easy question, it's not an easy situation. I think there could be a balance from both sides, but we'd have to see how that pans out."
These concerns aren't new in the football world. Liverpool's Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker raised similar issues last September, while Manchester City and Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji has previously stated he might need to retire after his next birthday due to the demanding fixture schedule. The Professional Footballers' Association even joined a legal action against FIFA last summer over what they described as an "overloaded and unworkable" football calendar.
New England manager Thomas Tuchel, who has secured two wins in his first two games after a 3-0 victory over Latvia following an opening 2-0 win against Albania, also weighed in on the scheduling debate. While not primarily concerned about the total number of games, Tuchel emphasized the lack of adequate rest periods.
"I am more concerned that they never have a real break of three to four weeks," Tuchel said. "Maybe they have three weeks holiday but maybe after five days they play another competition. That's the problem."
Tuchel specifically questioned the timing of the June international window, suggesting FIFA should reconsider the calendar: "In general, being a club coach or international coach, the FIFA June window is, I think, debatable if this makes sense."
He continued, "I think it would be FIFA to align the calendar and maybe find a gap where we could put this window somewhere else, to open the window for the better of the players."
Kane, who scored his 71st international goal in the win over Latvia, is now just 20 appearances away from Peter Shilton's England record of 125 caps. As the debate around player welfare continues, the balance between commercial interests and player well-being remains a contentious issue in modern football.
