Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has urged players across the globe to stand against the increasingly busy football schedule which is taking its toll on their welfare.

Guardiola has now urged players to take note of the actions of the Spanish women’s side, who fought back against their own federation in search of better working conditions and the removal of former president Luis Rubiales.

“There is only one solution to change something, maybe if all the players decide for themselves to say, ‘Stop’, then you have to change something,” Guardiola said. “And then FIFA, UEFA will maybe react a little bit.

“In this business the show must go on. Without Pep, keep going, but without the players the show will not go on. But it depends on them, if they decide.”

He continued: “Look at Spain with the women’s team, the players decided to change something and they changed it. They changed something because the players decided that they had something inside to protect the players, and the future of the teams for new generations. The biggest legacy is that. The women’s teams in Spain did it, I don’t know if in men’s world football, they will do it.”