NATIONS LEAGUE: De Bruyne attacks workload before firing Belgium to defeat of Israel
—- Kevin de Bruyne scored twice as Belgium beat Israel behind closed doors in Hungary for a winning start to their Uefa Nations League campaign.
Several Belgian cities refused to host the home game over security fears relating to the Israel-Gaza war. In October, a gunman killed two Swedes before Belgium’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Sweden at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, which hosts most of their games.
Earlier De Bruyne had complained about the workload being imposed on players by the international authorities’ continual stuffing of the calendar with new and expanded tournaments.
In Debrecen, De Bruyne sidefooted Belgium into the lead following a cutback from Manchester City team-mate Jeremy Doku. Israel levelled when Anan Khalaili’s header deflected off Timothy Castagne into the net.
Belgium restored their lead three minutes into the second half when Youri Tielemans struck a powerful drive from Lois Openda’s lay-off, and captain De Bruyne claimed his second with a 52nd-minute penalty.
Belgium won another penalty four minutes later which Openda took, but it was saved.
Earlier De Bruyne forecast trouble on the horizon from calendar expansion.
He said: “dedThe 33-year-old was asked if he is concerned about the added fixtures in both club and international competitions. “The real problem will emerge after the Club World Cup next year. 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.”
In July, soccer players’ union FIFPRO said it is filing a complaint with EU antitrust regulators regarding FIFA’s international match calendar.
A report released by FIFPRO on Thursday said some players have as little as 12pc of the year to rest, which is a result of competition organisers not prioritising player welfare.
De Bruyne added: “Maybe this year things will be OK but next year could be problematic. The Professional Footballers’ Association in England and other player associations have tried to find solutions.
“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.”
A report by the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) said there was no clear evidence of a rise in elite player workload since the 2000s.
The independent research centre in Switzerland, which was founded in 1995 in a joint venture including FIFA, reported reigning Club World Cup champions City played nearly 63% of their official matches in league-organised competitions during the 2023-2024 season.
