PFA chief says Phil Foden is a 'victim' of football's relentless schedule

Phil Foden’s exclusion from England’s World Cup squad is a direct consequence of football’s overloaded calendar, according to PFA chief executive Maheta Molango, who fears the tournament itself could become a contest of endurance rather than quality.

Molango, a board member of global players’ union FIFPRO, made the remarks during a meeting examining cumulative fatigue caused by excessive player workloads. He pointed to Foden — named PFA Players’ Player of the Year by his peers in 2024 — as a casualty of a schedule he described as serving commercial interests at the expense of player welfare.

“Phil was voted less than two years ago by his peers as the best player of the Premier League,” Molango said. “The number of games that he’s been available has dropped and when he has been available it has not been the version of Phil Foden that we saw two years ago. Is it just a coincidence? We think it is not.”

“Unfortunately, he is one of the victims of this crazy calendar that only makes sense for those who pursue commercial gain to the detriment of the quality of the show, and to the detriment of the protection of those who should be football heritage.”

The Manchester City midfielder, 25, was overlooked by England manager Thomas Tuchel for the World Cup following an underwhelming club season. Chelsea forward Cole Palmer, also absent from Tuchel’s squad, was cited alongside Foden as another high-profile player affected. Both have had limited summer breaks in recent years, having featured at Euro 2024 and last year’s expanded Club World Cup.

Molango’s concerns extend beyond individual cases. FIFPRO data indicates that players cannot sustain high-intensity competitive seasons year after year without suffering injuries or performance declines. Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice and Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk were identified as players at risk of dips in form or fitness next season given their recent workloads — both are expected to feature in the 48-team World Cup across the United States, Canada and Mexico, where high temperatures add another layer of physical stress.

“We fear that in the end the World Cup will just turn into the survival of the fittest,” Molango said. “Will it be the best or the most talented team that prevails, or will it be the fittest?”

Molango argued that a guaranteed summer break is the most effective remedy for burnout, warning that without structural change, the sport risks losing its most gifted players to fatigue at the moments that matter most.