‘We will strike if we have to!’ – Manchester City’s Ruben Dias weighs in on growing player demands with fresh protest threat | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Ruben Dias has stressed that strike action may be considered by himself and other professionals within the game if their voices are not heard over fixture demands.

Pep Guardiola and his players will see themselves face an additional bulk of clashes this season as a direct result of an expanded UEFA Champions League, and a revamped FIFA Club World Cup next summer.

Europe’s premier club competition sees all teams entered into a league phase where they now take on four home matches and four away fixtures in an attempt to finish in one of the top-eight automatic qualification positions for the last-16.

Those who finalise a place in positions nine to 24 will be entered into a knock-out round play-off meaning they face an additional two fixtures before entering into the next phase of the tournament.

As for the FIFA Club World Cup, football’s leading global governing body has created a 32-team tournament bringing together competition winners from all continents to face off in an expanded version of the smaller-scale competition hosted by the United States.

But speaking during a summit in Lisbon during the international break, Ruben Dias insisted that players must be handed enough time to ‘recharge batteries’ should fixtures continue to come as frequently as they are, and should there be an interest in expanding competitions.

“To perform better, it is necessary to ensure that athletes are safe, but few care about the athletes, but rather the financial aspect and profit,” Dias said. “This season especially will be the craziest yet, with the Club World Cup at the end of the season.”

The Portugal international continued, “We have to think about the players if we want to put on a good show, giving ourselves enough time to recharge our batteries and put on the best show. In the past, we had a normal number of games. We are now well beyond that normal.

“We have to focus the issue on the athletes, as we are the ones who play. We realise the industry we have around us, but it’s our bodies that are in question. We need to rest and breathe.

“If it has to be, it is important that we are all together and do it together, like another extreme situation. If we have to raise our voice and go on strike, we will do so.”

Pep Guardiola and other Manchester City stars have also been very outspoken about the need for additional down-time in order to recover sufficiently from expanded seasons with their respective clubs, coupled with national team demands.