Real Madrid vs Man City

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti says the football calendar ‘makes no sense’ and ‘has to change’

Real Madrid captain and striker Karim Benzema was substituted off by Ancelotti in Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea

Football’s busy fixture schedule must change to help protect players, says Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti.

World governing body Fifa is planning a new expanded Club World Cup but has been told it could harm domestic competitions.

European Leagues, which represents 40 leagues across the continent, says there is no room for the tournament.

“The calendar is a calendar that, we have said many times, objectively makes no sense,” Ancelotti said.

“It’s not a good path for football. Something has to change. There are too many games.”

‘We do not need endless growth’

Fifa first announced plans for an expanded 32-team Club World Cup in December.

It is set to feature 12 European clubs, including the last two Champions League winners Chelsea and Real Madrid, with the first tournament scheduled for June 2025.

European Leagues director Claus Thomsen says Fifa should reconsider and focus its growth plans outside Europe.

“The world does not need more club competitions in the international match calendar,” he said at the European Leagues General Assembly in Prague. “It is detrimental because there is no room. It’s not good for the players.

“What I think Fifa should seriously consider is how to invest in development outside Europe. I think that would be fantastic.

“We need to make everything sustainable. We do not need endless growth. We need sustainability and to protect the culture and the communities around football.”

‘They don’t consider the players’

In November, the players’ union Fifpro warned players are being “pushed past acceptable limits” by a “saturated” schedule to allow for a mid-season World Cup.

Report findings highlighted how reduced preparation and recovery periods before and after the World Cup posed a threat to player health and could hinder performance.

Meanwhile, Ancelotti’s Real host Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on 9 May, three days after their Copa del Rey final against Osasuna.

Criticising the calendar planning by the sport’s authorities, Ancelotti added: “La Liga are thinking about themselves, the [Spanish football] federation are thinking about themselves, Uefa are thinking about themselves, Fifa are thinking about themselves, and they don’t consider the players.”

For the second season in a row, City and Real have been drawn against each other in the Champions League semi-finals.

City will return to the Bernabeu for the first leg to seek revenge for last year’s 6-5 aggregate defeat by Ancelotti’s side, who went on to beat Liverpool in the final.