England stars could snub Three Lions but continue playing for clubs amid threat of strikes over fixture schedule

Fixture congestion is becoming a very real concern in football and talk of strikes has started among the players as they look to put an end to the increasingly hectic schedule. Rodri publicly voiced his concern over the matter in a recent press conference and chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association, Maheta Molango, has now revealed that stars would be more likely to boycott their international duties as opposed to their club commitments.

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  WHAT MOLANGO SAID

  Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live, he said: “We’ve been very clear that we want to give priority to our domestic competitions. This is the bread and butter of our players, so I don’t think that the issue is here domestically. I think the problem is more in terms of international competition, especially the national team competitions, for example, or this new format of World Cup that happens in the summer. So, I don’t think that the focus is forcibly on domestic competitions. The focus is more on international ones and I think we need to define now what this may look like.”

• • THE BIGGER PICTURE

    The PFA are believed to be working on legal action against FIFA due to the overloaded schedule and Rodri’s public outburst was just the latest in a long list of players who have complained about what they have to put their body through across the year. Premier League champions Manchester City could play up to 73 matches this season, with their campaign potentially lasting until July as a result of the new Club World Cup next summer.

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    WHAT NEXT?

    Players have already jetted off to represent their nations once this season and are set to do so again in October. Meanwhile, the European season has kicked off, as has the first domestic cup in England, meaning clubs competing in all three, like City, will have to play six games in the space of 20 days.