A plan to guarantee Scottish players at least four weeks’ holiday during the close season could make a mockery of the national side’s tour of South America this summer.
According to the Celtic captain, Scott Brown, PFA Scotland have approached members with a view to establishing a break of nearly a month between the end of one season and the start of another.
If the proposal were to be approved this year, it would be bad news for the Scottish FA, who announced on Sunday that they had scheduled friendlies against Peru, on May 29, and Mexico four days later.
Brown, the 32-year-old Scotland captain, has made no secret of his dismay at the fixtures, which will come at the end of another long, hard season for him and his Celtic team-mates.
Statistics recently showed that Celtic’s players are subject to more competitive action than any other side in Europe thanks to pre-season Champions League qualifiers and their attempts to compete on multiple fronts.
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Kieran Tierney, the Celtic left back, has played in 42 matches since the campaign started in July. At the turn of the year, he was thought to have played more times than any other top-flight outfield player in Europe. Brown, who has played in 37 matches thus far, admitted that it is taking its toll, but he is glad that the players’ union have sought to address the problem.
“The PFA are trying to help us out with a four-week holiday,” he said. “For us, that would phenomenal. Especially the Celtic lads in Scotland, we’ve probably not had that in a long time because of the early starts in Europe, Champions League qualifications, and the quicker we can get that the better. They spoke to me about that and said that is what they are trying to do. If they do that, it will be fantastic.”
Brown said that Liam O’Donnell, a lawyer who is the driving force behind PFA Scotland’s player-representation service, had recognised the growing demands placed on players’ bodies, the need for rest and recovery, as well as a break that would bring about an improvement in the surfaces on which they play.
Celtic are just back from a winter break in Dubai — one that, according to Brown, was possible only because his manager fought for it — but the midfielder said that a complete holiday is needed to ensure that players can recover, mentally as well as physically, from the kind of efforts that enabled Celtic to secure an unbeaten domestic treble last season.
“Recharge your batteries, go away and try and forget about football for a week or two and then come back,” he said. “When you do, the mood, everything, lightens up. Aches and pains have gone away and you come back fresh. It is about the rest and recovery and being ready to go again the next season because everyone knows how hard that is, especially at Celtic. Our lads have been getting battered more than anyone.
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“Last summer, I got six days off. The season’s long and hard for us. I’ve had a winter break in Dubai, but we got battered every day in training. It was enjoyable, and there was rest time as well, but it’s about keeping our bodies going.
“Two weeks isn’t long enough for the young lads like Kieran. Momentum will get him through pretty much whatever, but he needs time away from football just to go and enjoy his life. He’s not a robot.”
Celtic, who returned to competitive action with a 5-0 victory against Brechin City in the William Hill Scottish Cup on Saturday, have a league match against Partick Thistle at Firhill this evening. Their heavy schedule will continue with a series of midweek games, including their Europa League round of 32 tie against Zenit St Petersburg. The Scotland players in their squad will also have to accommodate international friendlies against Costa Rica and Hungary in March.
Chris Davies, the Celtic assistant manager, said that there is a limit to how much should be expected of players. “They can’t play for 12 months non-stop, that’s for sure. We don’t want our players burned out. It is not fair on them and it is not fair on the product that we provide.”