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The head of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), Maheta Molango, has warned that the increasing trend of post-season tours is placing unsustainable physical demands on players, following a grueling domestic schedule. His comments come in the wake of Manchester United’s turbulent off-season trip to Asia, which has sparked fresh concerns over player welfare.
United’s tour, which included matches in Malaysia and Hong Kong shortly after the end of the 2024–25 Premier League campaign, drew criticism after a poor performance led to boos from fans in Kuala Lumpur. Forward Amad Diallo came under fire for making an obscene gesture towards fans outside the team hotel, later stating he was reacting to personal insults aimed at his mother.
“We’re all mindful and understand some of the financial dynamics the club goes through, but the reality is that quite a few players have expressed concern,” Molango said. “We have expressed concern about these post-season tours.”
United are not alone in pushing through long-haul tours after a packed season. Last year, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United played a friendly in Melbourne just three days after the domestic campaign ended. Manchester City have also made similar post-season appearances in North America.
Molango made his comments while speaking at a FIFPRO summit in Munich, where he underlined the growing unease among players over diminishing rest periods. “I’m not just talking about Manchester United, I’m talking in general about the situation,” he said. “This once again confirms the need of taking a holistic approach to the problem because you aren’t going to solve it if you just attack one specific competition.”
The discussion around overloaded schedules has gained momentum, with little resolution in sight. European Leagues, La Liga, and the global players’ union, FIFPRO, lodged a formal complaint against FIFA last October, accusing the governing body of overstepping with its control of the match calendar. FIFA has begun engaging with the parties, but a swift resolution remains unlikely. Critics argue that expanding international events like the upcoming Club World Cup—which kicks off on June 15—risks compromising domestic competitions.
While post-season excursions are still relatively infrequent, pre-season tours are now an established part of the calendar. Premier League clubs will again fan out across the globe this summer, with Liverpool heading to Hong Kong and Japan, Arsenal visiting Singapore and Hong Kong, and Tottenham set to face Newcastle in South Korea. The Premier League Summer Series will also return to the U.S., with United, Everton, Bournemouth, and West Ham participating.
Molango cautioned against staging high-intensity fixtures—such as local derbies—in the early stages of pre-season when players are still regaining fitness. Arsenal and Tottenham are set to contest the first north London derby outside the UK in Hong Kong next month.
“You cannot just turn up at the derby with flip-flops,” he said. “Sometimes there’s this misunderstanding that, yes, [pre-season] is about resting but then having a proper ability to build up to that level of intensity and that level of game.”
With financial motivations driving clubs to explore ever more global markets, the calls from within the game to protect players’ health continue to grow louder.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram / @malaysiaairlines, Pixabay / KelvinStuttard
