The new season has not yet begun, but Premier League teams are already stunned by the "insane" pre-season tour schedules, which involve traveling nearly seven times around the globe.
It's no wonder that Maheta Molango, the CEO of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) in England, recently raised concerns about the potential risks posed by these "insane" tour schedules of Premier League teams this summer. "There needs to be an appropriate approach to the fixture schedule to address the increasing pressure on players. The players themselves have also stated that their well-being must be a priority," emphasized Molango.
Prior to the recent EURO 2024 qualifiers, England national team and Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford also complained about the excessive number of matches in a season. "It's insane that at the club level, we play three matches per week from November until being eliminated from the European cup," said the English forward.
The uproar has escalated even further with the Daily Mail providing staggering statistics about the "insane" pre-season tour schedules of Premier League teams this summer. Premier League clubs such as Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal are set to play at least 64 friendly matches in five countries within 26 days before the start of the new season. Consequently, the Premier League "circus" will cover an astonishing distance of 274,808 km, nearly seven times around the Earth.
Leading the pack in terms of travel distance is Tottenham, flying a total of nearly 32,000 km for friendly matches in Perth, Bangkok, and Singapore. Following closely behind Tottenham is their fellow London club, West Ham, with a travel distance of 29,740 km. Meanwhile, Manchester United is expected to travel almost 25,000 km for seven friendly matches in Oslo, Edinburgh, New York, San Diego, Houston, Las Vegas, and Dublin before their Premier League opener against Wolves on August 14th.
Liverpool ranks fourth among the top 10 Premier League teams with the highest travel distance for their summer tour, covering nearly 25,000 km. Arsenal takes the fifth spot with a travel distance of 20,607 km, followed by Manchester City, the reigning Premier League champions, who will cover 19,381 km.
The extensive travel of tens of thousands of kilometers, coupled with time zone differences and varying climates, will undoubtedly have a significant impact on each player. Not to mention the physical toll, the potential risks of injuries are also heightened. However, it seems that the club owners in the Premier League pay little attention to these concerns. This is because pre-season tours have always been seen as a "golden egg-laying goose" due to the profits generated from sponsorships, advertising, ticket sales, and merchandise.
No wonder Premier League teams eagerly engage in such economically driven activities every summer, despite the toll it takes on the players.
