As you’ll know, the Premier League is supposed to confirm fixture dates and kick-off times at least six weeks in advance – but it regularly misses its own deadline.
The situation is especially frustrating for supporters in the lead-up to Christmas, when uncertainty over TV selections makes it difficult to plan other festive commitments.
It’s not just fans who are affected. For players already juggling matches every three days, fixture congestion, worsened by UEFA’s expanded club competitions, further reduces vital recovery time.
That problem came to light after Arsenal were drawn at home against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, leaving everyone wondering when the tie could actually take place.
The scheduled week, beginning 15 December, already sees Palace facing Finnish side KuPS in the Conference League on the Thursday. With additional fixtures against Shelbourne (11 December), Manchester City (14 December) and Leeds (21 December), they could face four games in just eight days.
The only realistic alternatives, given Arsenal’s own packed schedule, would be to play on Christmas Eve, or push the fixture into late January 2026.
None of it is ideal. So, what does Mikel Arteta make of the situation?
“Every decision that we make in terms of a fixture has to be guided by two main things, I think: players’ welfare and then supporters, that’s it.
“And the rest has to come very, very far away from that, and we should never forget that principle. That’s the only thing I will say.”
Asked whether clubs might eventually have to withdraw from competitions to protect their players, Arteta didn’t rule it out entirely.
“I hope we don’t go [there]. If we have that big piece of paper with those two principles there in front before we make any decision, all of us in our industry, we won’t get there. If we don’t and we just ignore that, then anything is possible.”
In recent years, several high-profile players have suggested that strike action could be the only way to force change. However, since those most affected are also among the highest earners – and therefore least likely to win widespread sympathy – it’s unclear how much support such a move would receive from FIFPRO or the PFA.
Still, if Premier League clubs continue to prioritise commercial interests over player welfare, the threat can’t be dismissed entirely.
On the prospect of players taking strike action, Arteta, rarely one to speak out of turn, was clear:
“Hopefully not. If we look after the players’ welfare and our supporters, I think we’re never going to get to that point and that’s it. We have to close the window there, we cannot open that window, it has to be closed.
“It’s our most precious value; we have the best league in the world and we cannot just open any window for anything just to lose that because we don’t respect that and we forget what we are made of and what makes this game and this league so special. If we respect that, I’m sure we’re going to be totally fine.”
For now, all players and supporters can do is wait. Arteta is optimistic that a resolution will be found, although “doable” and preferable are clearly very different things.
“Probably it’s not easy. But it has to be doable because if we put something that is not feasible, then what are we doing? So, it’s doable for sure. So, let’s do it in the best possible manner, respecting players and supporters.”
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