Premier League will not be cut to 18 clubs amid calendar tensions, says league chief | OneFootball

The Premier League will not bow to pressure to reduce in size from 20 to 18 clubs, says chief executive Richard Masters.

The new season kicks off on 15 August, just three weeks on from Chelsea’s victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final as tensions continue to boil over the congested football calendar.

The Blues played almost a year of continuous football before the end of their 2024/25 season gave them a long-awaited reprieve, but will have to do it all over again with 11 months of competitive action culminating back in the United States for the World Cup - the final of which takes place on 19 July in New Jersey.

Complaints over the over-packed schedule have been rife, with Manchester City midfielder Rodri warning last September that players are “close” to going on strike because of the increase in games. He said this just 10 days before being ruled out for the domestic season with an ACL injury.

France’s Ligue 1 made the decision to reduce from 20 to 18 teams for the 2023/24 campaign, in part so to lighten the fixture load.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters awarding Liverpool the title last season (Getty)

However, Masters has stated that the Premier League should not be “forced” to follow suit.

"I don't think we should be forced into that decision,” he told BBC Sport.

"I am all for the growth of the game and the exciting competitions our clubs can participate in - but not at the expense of domestic football."

This comes in the midst of a long-winded dispute between Fifa and FifPro - the world’s main union for footballers - over the congested calendar and its impact on player welfare.

FifPro general secretary believes it is difficult for players to make their voices heard, remaining fearful of speaking out on the heavy workload because of the impact it could have on their careers.

“I was speaking to some of the top stars that were going to play in the Club World Cup, and they were saying that they hadn’t had a rest for X amount of time,” Phillips said.

“One of them even said, ‘I’ll only get a rest when I get injured’. Others were resigned actually, and cynical about speaking up.

“Then you see some of the same players two weeks later having to record social media videos saying ‘we think the Club World Cup is great’ because their employers are telling them to do it.

“That’s why unions do exist, partly, to be their voice, because they are in an invidious position. They can’t speak. They can’t say exactly what they think – well, they can do, but that may have consequences.”