Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has urged the Premier League to delay the start of 2025/26 football season so as to help clubs participating at the FIFA Club World Cup.
City and Chelsea will both compete in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, but the competition has already created scheduling conflicts for the two Premier League sides.
Guardiola has now raised his concerns about player welfare and how the hefty fixtures will affect players physically and mentally.
The Spanish tactician has now revealed that City requested a delayed start to next season, but that the club had been rebuffed.
“The Premier League has not allowed us to postpone the first two games for our recovery,” Guardiola told the BBC. “Thank you so much.
“I think the club asked the league to postpone one or two or three weeks so we can have a holiday after the [Club] World Cup, but it is absolutely not allowed.
“The Premier League say yes to us? No. Absolutely not.
“They won’t postpone these games, so there will be a moment of ‘what do we do?’.
“I don’t have an answer right now, but we are going to take a decision with common sense.”
City will be joined in the 2025 Club World Cup by fellow Premier League giants and 2020/21 UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea.
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will take place between June 15 and July 13.
Meanwhile, the 2025/26 Premier League campaign is expected to get underway in August, and reports have claimed City’s stars will be given a three-week period of rest before returning to training.
