"It seems money speaks louder than players' voices!" - De Bruyne on Man City calendar

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne voices frustrations over the crammed fixture calender players' are subjected to, slamming FIFA and UEFA for money-driven decision-making at the expense of players' well-being. With all three European club competitions being expanded to 36 teams this season, and the Club World Cup expanded to 32 teams, the Belgium captain raises concerns regarding the impact on players' health and performance.
"We know there will be only three weeks between the Club World Cup final and the first Premier League match. So, we have three weeks to rest and prepare for another 80 matches," said he 33-year-old ahead of Belgium's Nations League match on Friday. "The issue is that UEFA and FIFA keep adding extra matches, and we can raise concerns, but no solutions have been found. It seems that money speaks louder than the players' voices," he added. The midfielder is not alone in the battle, as criticism has also come from Man City teammate Bernardo Silva earlier this week in an interview with 'Record'.
Whilst De Bruyne highlights problems with the schedule post Club World Cup - starting next June in the United States - fixtures will begin to get overcrowded from this month already, as Manchester City see themselves playing 5 matches in the span of 15 days during September due to Champions League games kicking off in less than two weeks.
In July, players' union FIFPRO said to have filed a complaint with EU antitrust regulators regarding FIFA's international fixture calendar. The measurement was deemed necessary as players are spared as little as 12% of the year to rest due to negligence of player welfare by competition organisers, as per a report released by FIFPRO on Thursday.