Dembélé and Doué injuries prompt calls for state intervention

The president of the French players’ union has demanded state intervention over the unrelenting demands of the football calendar.

David Terrier believes only governments can draw Fifa into a dialogue following the world governing body’s failure to engage with national associations and players’ unions over scheduling concerns.

The call from the Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels comes after Paris Saint-Germain attackers Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué suffered muscle injuries on international duty.

The injuries drew a furious response from PSG, who issued a statement demanding “swift and immediate corrective action” by the French Football Federation after Doué suffered a calf strain in the first half of last week’s World Cup qualifying win over Ukraine, before Dembélé was withdrawn late on with a hamstring injury.

The Ligue 1 champions claim the national team ignored warnings about the condition of the players and failed to communicate with the club’s medical staff.

‘Dialogue with Fifa is non-existent’

Terrier declined to be drawn on the specifics of those allegations, but pointed to the growing physical and mental burden shouldered by players, many of whom are reluctant to voice their concerns because their earning power puts them at risk of a public backlash.  

“We’ve been denouncing the overload of international calendars for three or four years,” said Terrier, whose organisation took its concerns to the European Committee of Social Rights this summer in an effort to mobilise the French government.

“Dialogue with Fifa is non-existent. We had to come up with something else and file complaints, because it was the only way to make ourselves heard. Our goal is to find solutions. 

“The current schedule doesn’t respect vacation time as required by the European Charter. The French government signed this charter and must therefore look into it.”

Terrier believes the proliferation of summer competitions such as the Club World Cup means players are no longer to give of their best, with potential implications not only for their personal welfare but also for the game more broadly. He has called for the introduction of three-week breaks between tournaments and a further week off in mid-season. 

‘We demand protocols that better protect football players’

“We’re attacking Fifa because it controls the international calendar,” Terrier told Ouest France. “Attacking Fifa is attacking everyone, the entire football industry. These competitions exist and have grown because the federations didn’t oppose them. And the clubs that participated in the Club World Cup were very happy to have done so. 

“Now the question is, how can we protect the players? Some say that under these conditions, they are no longer able to play optimally and put on the show expected by the public, who pay for their tickets or their TV subscription. 

“Where we agree with PSG’s request is that we demand protocols that better protect football players. This can be medical, but also with rest periods.”

Terrier’s comments echo those made recently by France international Jules Koundé, who has repeatedly called out football’s governing bodies over the physical and mental toll of a calendar that allows for minimal rest.

‘We assume an increasing maximum risk’

“Every year we have more games and less rest,” said the Barcelona defender. “We have been saying this for three, four years and no one listens to the players. The time will come when we will have to go on strike to make ourselves heard by those who decide.

“We assume an increasing maximum risk and you can see that there are more injuries because there is less and less rest time.”

Dembélé is expected to be out for around six weeks, while Doué will be sidelined for up to a month. Didier Deschamps, the France manager, has defended the decision to play the duo, claiming things were done in “a professional, progressive way”, but PSG have made their displeasure plain.

“Paris Saint-Germain deplores the fact that the medical recommendations were not taken into account by the French national team’s medical staff,” read a club statement. “There was a total lack of consultation with its medical teams.”