England's Palmer a 'victim' of 'sick' schedule, says PFA chief

What the report says

Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango has used Cole Palmer’s withdrawal from the England squad to argue that the football calendar is putting excessive strain on players. Speaking at a Fifpro performance summit in London, Molango said Palmer had become a “victim” of an overloaded system and that the issue should trigger alarm over player welfare.

The BBC report said Palmer was one of five players to pull out of Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad, alongside Marcus Rashford, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento. Tuchel had said Palmer was missing opportunities, but Molango pushed back, saying players want to represent their national teams yet cannot ignore physical limits. He also pointed to recent absences involving other European internationals, including Kai Havertz, Brian Brobbey and Kylian Mbappe.

Molango described the current setup as unsustainable and called it a “survival of the fittest” environment. He said the problem reflects broader calendar and governance pressures rather than a single club or country. The PFA and global players’ union Fifpro have repeatedly warned about congestion in the schedule.

As a possible remedy, Molango wants a mandatory three-week summer break and a three-week retraining period each year. The BBC said Premier League chief football officer Rebecca Caplehorn supported the idea in principle, but said it could not be achieved without major calendar and regulatory changes.