UEFA wants to introduce a new summer tournament, consisting of Champions League clubs.
Under the proposals, teams will participate in the tournament ahead of the start of their domestic and European campaigns. The competition is likely to be held in one city. It The competition may be held outside Europe, with potentially lucrative venues in America and Asia are under consideration.
Such a tournament will likely be an alternative to the money-spinning pre-tournament tours that have become the norm for most top-flight teams, where they usually visit a developing market to play high profile exhibition games. It will need to be financially worthwhile for the teams taking part to agree to replace their pre-season ventures to compete in it.
However, the plans are likely to encounter considerable opposition from some of the clubs who might potentially be involved as well as the players. Some top players may have to play even more meaningful matches in a season, with even more travel.
In the new Champions League format, teams will now play eight as opposed to six group matches. The workload and demand of top stars will increase more. Add to that FIFA's plans of expanding the Club World Cup, and there will soon come a point where the elite may be playing almost 365 days a year.
That is not a sustainable proposition. However fit they may be, bodies break down under continuous physical strain. There is also the mental health aspect as well, with tennis and cricket just two sports where the constant demands of top-level involvement have forced a number of players to take extended breaks from their sport.
Not that football’s governing bodies seem to care. They continue to chase more revenue streams and ways of making a profit. The problem with that approach is that, at the end of the day, the players are the golden goose. Ask too much of them and there is a risk of killing it.