UEFA President Ceferin warned players who complained about the schedule by emphasizing financial consequences.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin responded to the reactions of players complaining about the busy match schedule. Ceferin stated, "If we reduce the number of matches, we will also have to reduce salaries," making a firm statement.

"WE WILL HAVE TO REDUCE SALARIES"

In his statement, Ceferin said, "If we reduce the number of matches, we will also have to reduce salaries. There is no other way. It is always easy to attack FIFA and UEFA, but the solution is simple. If you play less, you earn less money. The ones who should complain are factory workers earning 1000 euros a month," he expressed.

"ONLY REAL MADRID IS NOT AFFECTED"

Continuing his statements, the UEFA President said, "It is not only the top-level players who are affected by the match schedule. For example, the players from my country Slovenia play as many matches as Real Madrid players, but they earn 500 times less. Reducing the number of matches will also decrease the income of clubs. We will need to sit down with the professional footballers' union and see what they want. If we reduce the number of matches, we will also have to reduce salaries. There is no other solution," he stated.

ANCELOTTI IS TAKING MEASURES

Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti, in a statement made last April, said, "They say I give players too much time off, but we have only had 8 days off in the last 4 months. You have to accept that we play a match every 3 days. UEFA, FIFA, La Liga, no one cares about the players. There are too many matches, something needs to change," he said.

PLAYERS' REACTIONS: THEY ARE CONSIDERING STRIKING

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City): In a statement made in recent weeks, he said, "Seasons are getting longer. Maybe this season will go normally, but with the World Cup in 2026, the schedule will become even more complicated. Some player unions have tried to find a solution, but nothing has changed. This situation is not even a concern for UEFA and FIFA. They care about money.

Alisson Becker (Liverpool): No one is asking players what they think about the busy schedule. We are really fed up with this situation.

Manuel Akanji (Manchester City): FIFA and UEFA are constantly increasing the match schedule. You need to think about the players too. We may be working hard, but we are human too. We have lives. At this rate, I will also retire from football at 30.

Rodri (Manchester City): We might go on strike. I think we are close to that. The general opinion of the players is in this direction. If it continues like this, we will have no other option. This is a concerning issue for us. We are the ones suffering!

Dayet Upamecano (Bayern Munich): Why shouldn't we go on strike? Yes, that could happen. There are too many matches. I hope the authorities understand us one day." Previously, another Spanish player besides Rodri, Aymeric Laporte, also stated, "The schedule is very busy. We are playing too many matches. The only way to stop this is to go on strike.