Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel has warned demands for a reduced European Championship and Champions League are always a "call from the elite," adding that teams like Portugal had shown smaller teams can beat the big teams.
Germany players, as well as coach Joachim Low, were highly critical of the new 24-team format -- up from 16 -- at Euro 2016.
Low said that "24 teams are too many" and warned that this and FIFA's plans to expand the World Cup to 40 teams will become "a problem in the long term" and that "the quality is suffering."
Germany defender Mats Hummels added that the level at Euro 2016 "was not what we had hoped for."
Forward Thomas Muller, meanwhile, suggested that the calendar overload is becoming a problem for the top players.
"It's about getting a mental break," he said. "Right now you just come up for air, and you get pushed back under the water immediately."
Speaking at a news conference in Dortmund on Tuesday, Tuchel said that while he agrees with Muller that a "mental breaking point for the players" is nearing, the big associations should not forget that they are not the only ones playing football.
"The call for more quality and fewer teams is easily exclaimed when you are German or English. It's a call from the elite, the big teams," Tuchel said, adding that his heart was split.
He explained: "You neglect the needs of smaller associations. The persistent tightening, also in Champions League where reforms are planned, will always be a call from the elite. But teams like Portugal, Wales and Iceland have shown at the Euro that you can upset the odds against the big teams."
Tuchel praised the three nations as well as Republic of Ireland for showcasing "values of the society" at Euro 2016.
He said: "They have shown that you can make against the big ones."