Arsenal's Eidevall Highlights Concerns Over Fixture Congestion Impacting Player Welfare

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Jonas Eidevall has expressed dissatisfaction with UEFA and the Women's Super League (WSL) regarding their fixture scheduling. Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory over Rosenborg on Saturday, advancing to the second round of qualifying for the Women's Champions League.

Arsenal will face either Juventus, BK Hacken, Paris FC, Fiorentina, or Sporting CP in a two-legged tie scheduled for 18-19 September and 25-26 September. This means Arsenal will play five matches within two-and-a-half weeks, considering the start of the WSL campaign.

Eidevall is critical of the current format, which he believes harms player welfare. "Now we're through it, I can say it—it's lucky an English team will not have to play in these mini-tournaments again. For all the excitement, it is a relic from the past," said Eidevall.

The new structure introduced by UEFA next season will eliminate the mini-league qualifying format for English clubs. Eidevall's team also played on Wednesday, adding to his concerns about player recovery time.

Eidevall highlighted that playing on Saturdays is done to save costs by avoiding another hotel night if games were played on Sundays. "This is just done from a budget perspective. That's why they cram it in on Saturdays," he stated.

Scientific Evidence Ignored

Eidevall emphasised that scientific research shows a significant difference between 72 hours and 96 hours of recovery after a game. "All research around the world shows there's a massive difference between 72 hours and 96 hours recovery after a game. That part, I just can't get my head around. That's just science," he explained.

He criticised both UEFA and WSL for ignoring these findings: "WSL has zero concerns about it; UEFA has zero concerns about it." He pointed out that this impacts injury risk and is similar in men's football as well.

Balancing Science and Broadcasting

Eidevall acknowledged that while science supports longer recovery times, broadcasting money often dictates scheduling decisions. "It's the same in the men's game. It's just that science is one thing and broadcasting money is another thing," he noted.

Despite his frustrations, Eidevall stressed that teams must adapt: "You always need to get on with things. It's not an excuse; it's just scientific."

Arsenal's WSL season begins against Manchester City on September 22.