Kieran Maguire: Fans will have ‘no sympathy’ with Guardiola proposal at Man City
Supporters will have “no sympathy” with players if they follow Man City boss Pep Guardiola’s suggestion and go on strike.
So says finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the possibility of collective action over player welfare.
As quoted by The Guardian last Thursday (23 December), Guardiola asked: “Should the players and the managers be all together and make a strike?”
The Spaniard was adding his voice to the call for more consideration to be paid to the physical demands of the top-flight fixture programme.
Injuries and fitness problems are rife across the Premier League at present as the effects of the hectic winter period and Covid crisis take hold.
But Maguire claims that a strike would be met with short shrift by fans.
He asked Football Insider Adam Williams: “What are the alternatives for players?
“There is almost no sympathy from fans because they see the very generous remuneration that footballers and managers receive.
“But they are elite athletes and from a sports science point of view should be in a recovery phase 48 hours after a match, not playing another one.
“That might be why we have seen so many flat matches over the Christmas period.
“It is understandable that people want to see the matches because it is part of our history and heritage. But don’t expect them to be that great.
“People historically see footballers as arriving at work at 9.30am, training for two or three hours and then going off for a game of golf.
“It’s a lifestyle that many people are envious of, so there isn’t much support outside football itself.
“But if you pick up a soft muscle injury because you’re playing when you’re not fit, the fanbase loses out because they don’t get to see those players.“
City, who travel to face Arsenal tomorrow (1 January), have just four players currently absent through illness or injury.
They are eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
In other news, ex-Fifa referee claims Ruben Dias controversy is “simply not allowed” as Man City footage analysed.