PFA chief says Palmer is 'victim' of overloaded calendar

Cole Palmer is the "victim" of a "sick" system that asks too much of footballers, players' union chief Maheta Molango has said.

Molango, chief executive of the PFA, the Professional Footballers' Association, was speaking in London on 29 September after Palmer pulled out of England duty. He said the withdrawal exposed a match calendar that has become "survival of the fittest", BBC Sport reported.

Palmer was one of five players to withdraw from Thomas Tuchel's England squad ahead of the Nations League fixtures, Europe's national-team competition played between major tournaments. The others were Marcus Rashford, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento, Reuters reported.

Molango made the remarks at the Fifpro performance summit in London. Fifpro is the global players' union. He said the five withdrawals should sound alarm bells over workload.

Palmer's absence was listed as "load management", a term clubs and countries use when they rest a player to protect fitness rather than because of a specific injury. Molango said Palmer would have played four consecutive summers of football had he gone to the World Cup.

Tuchel answered bluntly. The England manager said Palmer "misses too many opportunities" with the national team.

Molango argued England are not alone. He pointed to other recent withdrawals from European squads, including Germany's Kai Havertz, Dutch striker Brian Brobbey and France captain Kylian Mbappe.

His fix is simple on paper. Molango called for a mandatory three-week summer break for every player, followed by a three-week retraining period before the new season. Premier League chief football officer Rebecca Caplehorn said she backed the idea in principle, but said it does not fit the current calendar and is not feasible at present without regulatory change.

For fans, this means the debate is no longer just about who is fit for the next game. It is about whether they ever see the best version of players like Palmer, who light up a weekend and then disappear for recovery. Molango said supporters are watching shattered players, not fresh ones.

The calendar will not shrink by itself. Someone has to give players their summer back.