Pep Guardiola believes broadcasters are “the bosses” after Manchester City were handed a hectic Christmas schedule by the Premier League fixture computer.
The champions travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers on 27 December in a 7.45pm kick-off then host Sheffield United less than 48 hours later.
Omar Berrada, City’s chief operating officer, said that the tight turn-around brought the “sporting integrity of the league” into question on Thursday.
Guardiola shares the club’s concerns and suggested that meetings with the Premier League and other authorities on the matter have come to nothing.
The City manager even went as far to jokingly suggest that broadcast bosses may be supporters of other clubs.
“It’s what it is,” he said. “Since I came here every season it’s happened the same, the broadcasters are the bosses in this situation.
“I love to play Boxing Day in the winter time, families go to the stadiums and enjoy the games.
“Now Neymar is injured because they have the friendly games in Nigeria or wherever far away and they come back and we don’t protect the players.
“The system does not protect the players. It’s too much, honestly it’s too much. One other day we will have more recovery than the other [teams] so it is what it is.
Guardiola joked: “Maybe the broadcasters are fans for some clubs. If we have to play tomorrow, we have to play tomorrow.
“We have meetings with the Premier League, with the managers, with Uefa, and they are so glad, nice pictures, good coffee. It doesn’t matter. We have to play, we are going to play.”
