Soccer Aloisi calls the A-League’s summer schedule “ridiculous” because the heat takes its toll. Mighty 790 KFGO

(Reuters) – Western United head coach John Aloysi has seen his side struggle in the stifling heat in Sydney’s 2-2 draw with MacArthur United on Saturday. , requested a change in the schedule for the A-League season.

Aloysi, who led Western United to their first A-League title last year, has criticized the decision to regularly play matches in the middle of summer, when temperatures can exceed 40 degrees Celsius.

“I think it’s ridiculous to have to play in this heat,” said the former Australian international striker. “Ridiculous.

“But the football people I’ve played with or coached don’t always listen.

“[Organizers]want to make a good spectacle, but they can’t make a good spectacle when the players are struggling. It’s hard work for the players.”

The A-League season begins in the spring and runs through the Australian summer. This is to avoid competition for venues with other football codes in the country, such as Rugby League and his AFL.

However, it has forced the competition to deal with the scorching heat, which Aloysi believes is having a negative effect on the quality of play in the competition.

“I have said for years that I would love to see the games played in the winter, but I also understand that there are all other obstacles to changing the season,” he said.

“But when you have to watch the game, when you have to play in the heat, it’s unfair to the players and the supporters.

“It’s hard to really play your style when it’s like that. You have to work smart about it.”

Despite his concerns, Aloysi admitted that nothing would change in the short term, with his Melbourne-based side set to face Western Sydney Wanderers again next week.

“We have another week next Sunday at three o’clock,” he said.

“I hope it doesn’t get this hot. But if it does, I have to deal with it because it doesn’t change now.”

(Reported by Michael Church, Hong Kong; edited by Muralikumar Anantharaman)