World Cup in Qatar: Jürgen Klopp compares the overcrowded schedule with the climate crisis

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp

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Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

Football coach Jürgen Klopp has renewed his criticism of the ever-increasing burden on professional footballers from additional games.

Before the start of the Premier League, on the first day of which Klopp met Fulham with Liverpool FC, Klopp referred primarily to the World Cup in Qatar: "This World Cup is taking place at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons," said Klopp .

The controversial World Cup in the emirate, which has repeatedly been criticized for human rights violations, will take place from November 21 to December 18 - and thus, unlike usual, not during the summer break, but during the current season.

In England, league operations will therefore be interrupted from November 12th before the Premier League continues on Christmas Day with the traditional Boxing Day games.

Klopp, whose team had to play 63 competitive games after reaching three cup finals last season, sees a risk in this schedule that top players in particular will be physically challenged to an unhealthy extent.

"When you get to the final at a World Cup and win it or lose it, or when you come third, you're pretty busy," said Klopp.

"And then the rest begins a week later."

As a positive counter-example, Klopp cited an extended winter break as in the Bundesliga.

In Germany's top league, league operations will also be suspended after the weekend of November 12th and 13th, but the season will not continue until the new year: The 16th matchday will take place on January 21st, more than four weeks after the end of the World Cup.

In the past, Klopp had repeatedly spoken out in favor of reducing the number of games per season in order to protect the players.

"When I start talking about it, I get really angry," said Klopp - and made a drastic comparison: "It's like the climate.

We all know that things have to change.« However, no concrete steps were taken.

Klopp also called on the international associations Fifa and Uefa as well as the English football association FA to put their own interests in the interests of the athletes on the pitch at the back.

"There has to be a meeting where everyone talks to each other and the only topic should be the most important part of this game - the players," Klopp demanded.

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