Soccer-FIFPRO survey shows 87% of players want limit on back-to-back games

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Liverpool - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - April 10, 2022 General view of the match ball during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Phil Noble

(Reuters) - Eighty seven percent of professional soccer players favour limiting the number of back-to-back matches to guard against a heavy workload, saying "we are athletes, not machines", according to a survey by global players' union FIFPRO.

The survey of 1,055 players and 92 performance experts, published on Thursday, showed that both groups support new measures that would guarantee a minimum length close season break and limit repeated back-to-back games - those with less than five days rest between each one.