Manchester United chief David Gill says Europe's leading clubs want a reduction in international friendlies.
Gill, speaking after the European Clubs' Association's (ECA) annual congress in Geneva, said they want to reduce the number of international dates to just 12 over a two-year period, or six a year apart from finals tournaments.
He said: "In an ideal world, we've been talking about six double-dates over the two-year period.
"It's a reduction but still gives the right balance to the requirements of the national teams and what the clubs want."
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, ECA chairman and chief executive of Bayern Munich, said the clubs were tired of releasing their players for "nonsense" matches.
Rummenigge added: "We have to come back in favour of quality not quantity.
"When I played in the European Championships in the 1980s there were eight teams, now it is 16 and in 2016 it will be 24.
"The World Cup is similar, from 16 teams to 32 now.
"Everything in the international calendar is balanced in favour of national teams.
"[Qualifying groups] used to have groups of four, now it is six or seven. It has to be stopped that we release players for nonsense dates."
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