Thierry Henry concerned by amount of matches there are and fans facing financial pressures

Thierry Henry has been left concerned by the amount of matches there are and fans facing financial pressures nowadays.

The former footballer turned pundit has gone viral after he spoke of the exhausting schedule, and took aim at governing bodies for adding new competitions that strain players and fans.

This was brought up while on CBS Sports Golazo, with Kate Scott, Micah Richards and Jamie Carragher, who were covering matchweek two of the Champion League.

“As a fan I’m tired. I didn’t watch the Club World Cup… I had to do something at the final, I left at half-time. It’s too much.”

Thierry Henry expresses his frustration with governing bodies introducing new competitions 👇 pic.twitter.com/4hSs48oOEe

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 1, 2025

Thierry said: “As a fan I’m tired. I didn’t watch the Club World Cup. I had to do something in the final. I left half time.

Kate: The excess makes you lose…

Thierry: “It’s too much. Like I love my family and by one point I need a break also. Like I love football but who watched it? Come on, too much is too much also and I love it.

“But let’s all be honest. Too much is too much and that’s why I think we’re not hypocrites. I didn’t watch the Club World Cup. I one game. I went to the final. I left half time.

Micah: “Like again, it’s so hard, isn’t it? Because the fans really enjoyed the World Cup. The final was absolutely amazing. Wasn’t it?

Thierry: “How deep is your pocket as a fan now? It’s difficult for the fans. How deep is your pocket now to go to the Nations League, to go to the Champions League, to go to the two cups that you have in England, to go to and to buy the shirts and to buy… And I love it. All the shirts look good and everything.

“I’m just saying we’re talking here. We don’t know all the whole story, we know the whole story behind it, but we don’t have the power to change things.

“As ex-players, and we’re not sitting in a position to take decisions. So we can be talking here for the whole day, bringing great solutions, great and have great ideas. The only people that can change their destiny is the player themselves.”

In March 2025, England captain Harry Kane accused the football authorities of ignoring players’ concerns over burnout and scheduling.

He criticised football authorities for ignoring players’ concerns about burnout due to an increasingly demanding schedule, potentially facing 66 games for club and country, including the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in summer 2025.

Kane, supported by players like Son Heung-min, Alisson Becker, and Manuel Akanji, highlighted the lack of sufficient rest, with his next significant break possibly delayed until 2027.

He called for better coordination between clubs, coaches, and governing bodies to manage workloads. The Professional Footballers’ Association has also taken legal action against FIFA over the congested calendar.

Thomas Tuchel echoed these concerns, stressed the need for a proper three-to-four-week break for players and suggesting FIFA adjust the June international window to better prioritise player welfare.

Jurgen Klopp also said that Club World Cup ‘worst idea ever implemented in football’ in relation to football’s calendar and restricted time for player development.

Harry Kane accuses football authorities of ignoring players’ concerns over burnout

Speaking to German outlet Welt when asked about player training in specific positions, he said: “In the end, it’s all about the game and not the surrounding aspects — and that’s why the Club World Cup is the worst idea ever implemented in football in this regard.

“People who have never had anything to do with day-to-day business or who no longer have anything to do with it come up with something.”

On player workload, Klopp said: “Last year we had the Copa America and European Championship, this year the Club World Cup and next year then the World Cup.

“This does not mean any real recovery for the players who are there, neither physically nor mentally. An NBA player, who also earns a big salary, has a four-month break every year. This is what (Liverpool defender) Virgil van Dijk got in his entire career.”

In contrast to Klopp’s opinion, Pep Guardiola said: “I [have] the feeling that it’s a privilege to be here — for the people that say, “But it’s so annoying, why should [you] be here?” — but once you are here, it’s a privilege because in four years’ time — four years time isn’t going to happen again — and to be in four years time to happen again, you have to win big, big prizes.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen. And once we are here, I love when I see Botafogo [de Futebol e Regatas], Fluminense [FC], all the Brazilian teams, Argentinian teams, and how they celebrate the goals, how they are together. I invite them. I love them. I like them.

“It’s cultural, for the fans are more here than the European teams [N.B.:what he meant was “their fans are more numerous here than the European ones”]. But the way they live every single action is because this is (what it’s) all about. We have to live with that competition.”

Here’s how Twitter users reacted with Thierry Henry concerned by amount of matches there are and fans facing financial pressures…

@LeahRayAFC: 👏👏 no one else is saying this

@DavidMcgaughe10: Only people to blame here are the clubs and the players themselves. Players asking for astronomical wages which means clubs need to find the money to pay. That leads bigger TV deals who then want more games etc etc.

@avstu: Absolutely spot on 👏🏻

@CarefreeRex: He doesn’t like finals to be fair to him. I admire him for having the courage to make it to half time despite his self-loathing

@ScottEaglen: Took balls for Henry to say when the majority of match going fans are thinking. For the new breed of fan they probably love the number of games. But it’s absolutely exhausting. There is too much football. Too many rule changes. It used to be the simple game.

@AlexisIsKavkas: The main point is spot on: Forget the contradictions like “I left at HT” or “didn’t watch.” If players want fewer games, they need to refuse to play, it might hurt financially short-term, but quality would improve. The issue is, this only affects a tiny minority of players

@HampsayKevin: Thierry on point! But football is a business now first and foremost, with a sole purpose of making owners, boards and sponsors money. Its not primarily a sport, and its £££ is squeezing the average fan. Same on players too, unreal burden, but they are paid significantly.

@Aldocairnsm: Most Football is boring as fuck now

@sjtonks: Football overkill is real and it is annoying because I love this game, but they are ruining it for fans and especially players. 👇

@Ben_Bailey_: Maybe we could shrink the champions league down so teams could play maybe 6 games before the knockouts instead of 10? Maybe we could not have silly friendly tournaments all around the world in the summer? Maybe we could bring down the number of unnecessary international breaks?

@IanKelly1987: Spot on far too much football it’s killing the sport!! Through pure greed

@ScottyHayter: Did the same in every Cup Final he played in too to be fair

@kivraw: Tbf I also tend to stop watching games of teams I’m hate watching if they are 3-0 up at HT

@JackDoyle202: Henry going missing in a final ?? Nothing new there

@FrancoPanizo: I’m with Thierry on this one. There’s an over-saturation of games — for both players and fans alike. Too much of a good thing does indeed exist.

@BradfordGavin: Man of the people

@Kingkeir: Funny talking about the club world cup being too much football (not another one for 4 years) whilst covering the expanded CL