Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been appointed to lead a FIFA task force to oversee growing concerns around fixture congestion which is taking a toll on the physical and mental state of professional footballers, Afrosport reports.
According to a statement on Monday by the world football governing body, the 75-year-old Frenchman will lead the task force created to look into the packed schedules being kicked against by professional players.
The Player’s union, FIFPRO, European leagues’ group and Spain’s La Liga filed a joint complaint to the European Union antitrust regulators earlier this month, accusing FIFA of “calendar abuse.”
Earlier, a FIFPRO report published in September said that some players get as little as 12% of the year to rest.
FIFA’s new expanded 32-team Club World Cup to be hosted by the United States in 2025, the expanded 2026 World Cup format and revamped international competitions are also set to further increase the number of matches professional players are expected to play per season.
Wenger, had been earlier appointed as FIFA’s chief of global football development, in a press release last December said that there had been significant improvement in the welfare of players and it was “unrecognisable” from what it used to be.
In a statement FIFA said: “The objective of the task force is to examine how suitable and effective safeguards for players can be implemented, also taking into account practical considerations from operational, medical, regulatory and legal perspectives.”
According to FIFA, the task force will make recommendations on players’ physical and mental wellbeing based on the latest scientific research. The task force is expected to convene in the coming weeks.
