Manchester United have been labelled “irresponsible” for putting money ahead of player welfare and the environment with their post-season tour. United announced on Tuesday that they will be whisking their players off to Malaysia and Hong Kong straight after the end of the Premier League season to play two friendlies.
Ruben Amorim and his players will fly straight out to Kuala Lumpur after finishing their domestic campaign against Aston Villa on May 25 ahead of the first of two money-spinning friendlies on May 28. Announcing the clubs first-ever post-season tour, chief executive Omar Berrada said it would drive “significant additional revenue”, understood to be around £10million.
It comes after co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s raft of swingeing cuts which have hit morale hard among remaining staff at the club. Ratcliffe recently claimed that United would have been bankrupt by Christmas without his intervention, which has seen hundreds of staff sacked and employee benefits cut.
Despite seeing the backlash that came the way of Newcastle and Tottenham, who flew to Melbourne for a ludicrous one-off friendly last year, United have jumped at the chance to travel halfway across the world to spread their brand, play in front of their Asian fans and appease sponsors.
These friendlies create an unenviable situation for United stars Alejandro Garnacho and Manuel Ugarte, who are said to be ‘alarmed’ at the prospect of travelling over 37,000 miles each to fulfil commitments with United and their national teams this summer.
There has been an increasing call for action against the ever-expanding football calendar, with PFA chief executive Maheta Molango, Manchester City star Rodri and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker among those to voice concerns and speak about potential strike action, with this summer’s Club World Cup creating even more congestion for many top players.
Then there are the environmental impacts of flying thousands of miles for unnecessary matches. United have previously opted to offset carbon emissions for pre-season tours, but have not put anything in place for this trip. The club declined to comment when contacted by Mirror Football.
The PFA have continually raised their members’ concerns about packed fixture schedules with clubs and a spokesperson said: “We know there are commercial realities involved in what has become an increasingly global game, but there has to be a balance. It’s clear that the demands on players, caused by a 12-month football calendar, are becoming unsustainable. We all know the number of injuries and extended absences isn’t a coincidence.
“It’s not just the number of games that’s the issue. It’s the long-haul travel, the limited recovery time, and the constant cycle of club and international duty. It all adds up physically and mentally and you can see the effect on performance. In the long term, that isn’t good for anybody.”
The PFA’s sustainability champion David Wheeler was dismayed to read about United’s plans. “It’s not only irresponsible from a climate point of view, but from a player care point of view, physically and mentally,” the Shrewsbury midfielder said. “They are human beings. They get paid very well, as we know, but they have a limit to what their bodies can take and how they cope with it from a mental health point of view.
“A lot of these guys will have friends and family that they won’t have spent much time with during the course of the season and the international players, especially, don’t even get a break during the season.
“It’s interesting that they’ve admitted it’s purely for money reasons, because there aren’t any other reasons to do it. To me, it seems quite galling in the aftermath of the Jim Ratcliffe interview, where he talked about how the club doesn’t have any money and they had to cut lunches for the staff, money to the ex-players’ foundation and put up prices for the fans.”
Wheeler accused United of “completely ignoring their responsibility on the climate” and believes the tour could backfire because the players taking part will be exhausted. “Most players at that level are not going to be motivated by friendlies, let alone those that are taking them away from time they could be spending with their families and resting for the following season,” he added.
“There’s not much of a benefit apart from financial – yet there are plenty of other ways they could make money and be more efficient without dragging people who need a rest halfway across the world.
“If United are challenging right at the top of the league and playing in the Champions League then that’s going to be much more lucrative than floundering where they are at the moment anyway. My focus would be much more on the playing side of things than on a post-season tour of Asia. I know it’s not either or but it seems logical to me.”
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