Controversy over European football abuse on fire...Son Heungmin said, "We're not robots."

[Anchor]
There is a growing controversy over the overwork of soccer players playing on the big league stage in Europe.

Tottenham captain Son Heung-min also joined the public questioning procession, saying, "We are not robots."

Reporter Lee Dae-gun's report.

[Reporter]
Manchester City and Arsenal are competing to win the English professional football championship.

Midfielder Rodri, a key Manchester City resource, suddenly collapses in the 16th minute of the first half.

You ran into an opponent while competing for a ball.

Medical staff were immediately dispatched and later exited the stadium, which was reported as an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Amid the growing controversy over players' overwork, which had been feared even before the season, there are even public talks about player strikes.

When asked about the possibility of a player strike, Rodri replied, "We are close to a strike situation and at this rate, there will be a moment when we have no choice."

Tottenham striker and captain Son Heung-min also helped, saying, "We're not robots."

[Son Heung-min / Tottenham striker / captain: I think this is what the players are saying. I think this moment where everyone is injured and there is a high risk of injury is unfair.

As expected, the tight schedule is the problem.

The Uefa and the International Football Federation have increased the number of games by introducing new tournament methods.

In addition, if you play the league, cup tournament, European match, and A match schedule, the players will inevitably face a risk of injury.

The controversy over players' overwork is expected to continue as there is a limit to making big adjustments because the schedule is already tightly organized.

I'm Lee Daegun of YTN.

Video editing: Kim Hee-jung