Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola raised the possibility of players going on strike over their welfare – but said he does not think it will happen.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson told BBC Sport earlier this week he was “concerned” that “nobody really takes player welfare seriously”.
Premier League clubs chose to fulfil festive fixtures at a meeting on Monday despite a rise in Covid-19 cases.
Guardiola said a strike may be the only way to get the authorities to listen.
Speaking on Thursday, he said: “Should the players and the managers be all together and make a strike, or something, because just through words it’s not going to be solved?”
But asked if things could come to a strike, he added: “No, I don’t think so because we want to play. We want to continue – to make the people happy going to the stadium on the 26th, 27th, 29th, 31st and 1st, and play games, because we love to do that.
“I’m not saying there’s a reason to make a strike.”
Maheta Molango, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) chief executive, says the issue is not something that can be “kicked down the road”.
“I’ve spoken with many senior players on this issue,” he added. “I can tell you that it isn’t going away. Players don’t choose to speak out on issues like this without having given it a lot of thought.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
