Overpaid and over-played | Sur in English

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My fear is that football will become like the NFL where they play less, get paid more and the game becomes elitist

An argument against the modern-day footballing superstars being flogged to exhaustion is the ridiculous remuneration they receive. Previously, I would subscribe to this reasoning.

Whenever managers complained about there being "too many matches" for their players, I would scream at the TV: "Cancel your summer world tour then!"

Strangely, the coaches at the top clubs have stayed silent this year with the inaugural Fifa Club World Cup on the calendar. Carlo Ancelotti originally said: "Players and clubs won't participate in that tournament. One single Real Madrid game is worth 20m euros."

The club quickly claimed that the Italian's comment was misinterpreted (in an Italian publication) and they were very much signed up. Potentially, the winners could come home with 125m euros stuffed into their suitcases and an opportunity to grow the "brand" in the USA.

Ancelotti isn't going; his successor Xabi Alonso is. He has the remit to win the tournament. The signings of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen were fast-tracked with a premium price paid, so they could play in the competition.

Jude Bellingham needs a shoulder operation as he's been playing all season with an NFL-like pad to protect him. Normally, he'd be under the knife within hours of the season finishing, but his club have decided the surgery will be delayed until the conclusion of the Fifa tournament. Afterwards, he may not be fit to play until December. This is why I have changed my view on over-playing.

Yes, footballers are overpaid; the wages are ridiculous - but you must separate this from being over-played. An extra two Champions League fixtures were added to the diary last season and the internationals are no longer friendlies with the advent of the Uefa Nations League. Now Fifa are challenging Uefa for their pound of flesh.

The argument: "They're getting paid for it" isn't quite as strong these days.

As it stands, the players can't perform for club and country 60 times a year at the breakneck pace of modern football. It's impossible to deliver the absolute best for the match-paying fans.

At some point, the players' union will kick-off; the owners will have to react. I suspect the growing band of American owners will suggest smaller domestic leagues with higher ticket prices.

My fear is that football will become like the NFL where they play less, get paid more, and the game becomes elitist. The American football teams play 17 games over five months and it generates far more revenue than La Liga or the Premier League.

Attending matches will become an experience rather than a habit. Some of the PR guff suggests this is the future, where the fans engage digitally through the streaming of the games. Translated: If you can't afford a ticket, you can watch it on your phone, laptop or old-style TV.

I'm sure there's a lot of back-slapping in the marketing departments with such a "vision". Alas, tickets haven't sold; they are virtually giving them away.

The football overlords need to learn that fans won't pay the big bucks to see knackered superstars flog themselves in the summer heat if the fans themselves are just going to be used as film extras.