Pep Guardiola said Manchester City have had their request to postpone the first two games of the 2025/26 season to recover from their participation in the Fifa Club World Cup rejected by the Premier League.
City and Chelsea are the two English clubs who have qualified for the expanded month-long Club World Cup set to start on June 15 in the United States. The Premier League's season will begin in August.
The ever-expanding football calendar has been the hot topic to start this season. A report by global players' union FIFPRO said some players get only 12 per cent of the year to rest.
Players and managers have complained about the fixture congestion. One of those was City's Spanish midfielder Rodri, who last month said players were close to going on strike over the issue. Rodri cited fitness and fatigue as a major concern and, in a cruel twist of irony, then suffered a season-ending knee ligament injury in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal on September 22.
This comes at a time of strained relations between the club and league as City face a hearing into 115 charges of alleged rule-breaking, including a failure to co-operate with an investigation. City deny all charges.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of Saturday’s clash with Fulham, Guardiola said: “The Premier League [has] not allowed us to postpone – and Chelsea, I think, all the teams that will go to the World Cup – the first two games to have more recovery. Thank you so much! They don’t postpone these games.
“I think the club asked the Premier League, [for] the first or second game, to postpone it one or two, three weeks, in the middle [of the] week, to have one more week or two more weeks’ holidays after the World Cup.”
Asked to clarify if a request had not been allowed, Guardiola said: “Absolutely not. The Premier League say yes to us? No. Absolutely not. It’s not going to happen.”
The Premier League are yet to comment on Guardiola's claims.
Delaying the start of the 2025/26 season is problematic because it concludes with the next international World Cup. There are also fewer midweek dates available for rearranged matches following the recent expansion of European club competitions.
He said the Club World Cup will make it even more difficult for clubs to manage player workload.
He said: “It’s going to happen [tiredness]. I don’t know if we’re going to play more games than the treble year [2022/23], maybe we’ll play less games, but in the end, the big difference is when you finish the season and you [normally] go on holidays, you have to go to the States to play the World Cup. That is the moment we’re going to fight.”
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Three ways to get a gratitude glow
By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.
- During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
- As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
- In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16. first leg
Atletico Madrid v Juventus, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
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Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
