Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango has described Cole Palmer as a “victim” of football’s increasingly demanding calendar after the Chelsea forward withdrew from England duty for load management.
Palmer was among five players who pulled out of Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad. Marcus Rashford, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento were also unavailable for the international window.
Speaking at the FIFPRO performance summit in London, Molango questioned the demands being placed on players. Further stating that the number of withdrawals should raise concerns across the sport.
“When England see five players who need to withdraw when the single most proud moment a player has is to be called up for the national team, you just ask yourself, what’s wrong about the industry?” Molango said.
He singled out Palmer, noting that the 23-year-old could have faced four consecutive summers of international football had he remained available for the upcoming World Cup.
“You see people like Cole Palmer, someone who would have played four consecutive summers in a row had he gone to the World Cup, and you wonder why is he missing?” Molango said.
“He’s missing because he’s a victim of the calendar and that’s something that needs to absolutely trigger the alarm bells.”
The PFA and global players’ union FIFPRO have repeatedly raised concerns about the impact of fixture congestion on player welfare. Tuchel previously said Palmer was missing too many opportunities after the forward withdrew from the England squad. Molango disagreed with that assessment, arguing that players cannot simply overcome physical limitations.
“They [England players] love to play for England. They love to play for their national team. But unfortunately your body puts a limit to it. You cannot cheat biology,” he said.
Molango added that the problem extends beyond England, pointing to recent international withdrawals involving Germany’s Kai Havertz, Netherlands striker Brian Brobbey and France captain Kylian Mbappe. He questioned whether football should continue operating with a calendar that leaves leading players struggling to perform consistently.
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Molango proposed a mandatory three-week summer break for players, followed by another three-week retraining period. Premier League chief football officer Rebecca Caplehorn said she supported the idea in principle but acknowledged that the current fixture calendar makes such a break difficult to implement.
“It’s something we’re really supportive of, conceptually, but the challenge is that it just doesn’t fit into the current calendar,” Caplehorn said.
She added that changes to the regulations and football calendar would be required before the six-week period could become possible.
