When Man City ace, Rodri, claimed that the time is getting closer for players to start striking because of the amount of games being played, the world of football sat up and took notice. Now Jules Kounde has thrown his weight behind the argument too.
The Barcelona ace has played his part in his side’s brilliant start to the season under Hansi Flick, with none of the club’s first-team stars showing any ill effects of representing their countries over the summer.
Kounde backs Rodri concerning player strikes
Kounde was part of the France side that were knocked out of the European Championship by eventual victors, Spain.
It’s clear that he too isn’t happy with the way in which UEFA and FIFA are flogging their players week in and week out, with no real breaks in the summer now either given that more and more tournaments are being given the green light.
For example, the expanded Club World Cup finishes just three weeks before the 2024/25 season is due to kick-off – an untenable situation.
“Every year we have more games and less rest,” Kounde was quoted as saying by CaughtOffside columnist and transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, on X.
“We players have been saying this for 3-4 years now but nobody pays attention to us. The time will come when we will have to go on strike to make ourselves heard, as Rodri said.”
Now that what was previously a taboo subject is routinely being discussed by senior players, the powers that be have to sit up and take notice.
For the world’s best players to even be seriously considering the thought of not playing for club or country in order to get their point across has to be a real concern for the authorities.
Whether they will continue to press ahead with their own plans or instead listen to the players will be seen over the coming months, but it’s clear that they don’t want to be playing a game of brinksmanship at this stage.
Top photo by Oli Scarff / AFP