FIFA has been warned players will take “matters into their own hands” if nothing is done to address the growing demand on their workload, with players’ union Fifpro suggesting strike action would not be out of the question.

Amid the increasing-congested fixture calendar, Fifpro’s Europe president David Terrier said there was “an emergency” around growing mental and physical fatigue of players.

Terrier called for regulation to cap the number of games as the Fifpro player workload and recovery season review highlighted some worrying numbers.