MADRID, May 14: Soccer has reached saturation point, with too many games being played and shown on television, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Wednesday.

“We’re saturated with football - we’re at saturation point right now, especially with regards to television,” Blatter told a press briefing at the Sportaccord conference in Madrid.

“We’re seeing an increase in the number of games, at the same time as clubs are getting into financial difficulties.

“This will sort itself out through supply and demand, however.”

Blatter said that for the good of the public and the players, national leagues should be cutting back on the number of teams in their top divisions.

“We’ve seen that 16 or 18 is the ideal number — certainly not 20,” Blatter said. “We need to respect the international calendar and keep the fans in mind.

“Some players are playing upwards of 65 games a year and that’s not good for their health.

“Football is a magnificent product and we should be protecting it.”—Reuters