CHELSEA star Cole Palmer is the “victim” of a packed football calendar created by a “sick” system.
That is the verdict of PFA chief Maheta Malongo after Palmer and four other players pulled out of the current squad.
Malongo, chief executive of the players’ union, said: “When we in England see five players who need to withdraw from a call-up – which let’s be honest is the single most proud moment that you have as a player – then you just ask yourself what’s wrong about the industry.
“When you see people like , who ultimately is a victim of the calendar, someone that we warned was someone that would have played four consecutive summers in a row, if he had gone to the World Cup – then you wonder why is he missing?
“It’s now putting the player into that uncomfortable situation where you need to pick between the club that pays you and the national team, which is the source of pride and what you really aspire to be part of, because that’s what in the first place got you to play .
“It’s wrong that you are put in a situation where you need to choose one or the other.
“And what is even worse is that people start questioning whether you actually care about the national team.
“That to me is shocking. It’s crazy.
“And I think the frustration comes from the fact that this is the result of decisions adopted by others, which have nothing to do with the good of the game.”
playmaker Palmer, Arsenal’s , Newcastle defender Tino Livramento, and duo and , all withdrew after being selected by England boss for the current quadruple-header of fixtures.
But Malongo stressed it was not just an issue for English players.
forward and Sunderland striker were both forced off injured in the first half of Germany’s clash with Holland last week, while captain has returned to after hurting himself in the match against .
Malongo, speaking at the FIFPRO and Cleveland Clinic Peak Performance and Health Summit in London [must keep], said: “For those who think that it’s only a matter in England, then look at Havertz, look at Brobbey, look at Mbappé, and you ask yourself is it really the football that we want?
“Is it the football where the people who make us dream just cannot perform? For me it’s very worrying.
“The solution ultimately is for those who are the governing bodies, who are here not to make money but to preserve the game, to refocus on what really matters.
“And I think unfortunately what we’ve seen is a situation over the last few years where the system is a system that is sick, that is ill, because the system ultimately revolves around obtaining votes and therefore not making what is good for football.”
Malongo’s criticism of the system was a clear dig at and its supremo .
The Fifa president and the world governing body have been slammed for already expanding the and World Cup.
Infantino was forced to abandon plans to sell off part of the men’s World Cup to private investors but is pressing ahead with plans for a 64-team tournament in 2030.
The race is on to find a credible candidate to fight Infantino in next March’s Fifa presidential election when the 211 member nations will vote on who should lead the global game.
But Malongo says it is no good replacing the man at the top without reforming the whole governance of the game – which means consulting players, clubs and leagues properly over changes to Fifa competitions which affect them.
Malongo believes most players want Infantino to go, yet added: “What I’m hearing is there’s no point switching personnel if in the end the underlying system remains the same because it’s a system that is just wrong.
“It’s a system that fosters the wrong type of behavior because ultimately it becomes a question of getting the votes.
“And ultimately, when you have 211 votes, it becomes a question as to what decision do I take to A, generate more money, and B, ultimately that money generating me the trust of people who vote for me.
“Unless you change the governance, you’ll never get your solution because ultimately you will always foster the wrong type of decisions. That’s what needs to be addressed now.
“And we have a unique opportunity to do that because football is not heading in the right direction, in my view.”
