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Some say international breaks are a buzzkill but, thankfully, we have some matches today. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Coming up:
Internationals Under Threat? Top players face fixture pile-up — and club football ‘pays the way’
It’s often said playing for your country is the greatest honour a player can have but with the glitz, glamour and excitement of the club game, international football has become a hindrance for some elite stars.
The thing is, there is always a clamour for more: more games, more competitions and, let’s face it, more money. Why else do you think the power brokers have turned their attention to an expanded Champions League, an expanded Club World Cup *rolls eyes* and an expanded World Cup in 2026?
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Throw in the pre- and post-season tours, the five windows ring-fenced for international fixtures and it becomes clear the fat has to be trimmed somewhere, and all eyes are on international football.
Players are increasingly outspoken about fixture congestion. The concern is that more matches equals a greater threat of injury. Rodri, among the main dissenting voices, has already suffered a ruptured knee ligament playing for Manchester City this season.
FIFPro — a body representing 65,000 players worldwide — recommends professionals play a maximum of 55 games a season. Phil Foden, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez all appeared in 72 matches last season, and many more played in 70-plus.
As Mick McCarthy, who managed the Republic of Ireland for eight years across two spells, says: “Every player I came across would want to play international football… but it’s a monetary thing now. The Premier League is a monster and club football is what pays the way.”
What is FIFA’s stance?
The club game in Europe has become the revenue driver and world football’s governing body wants a ticket for the ride.
FIFA is trying to protect its ‘men’s international match calendar’ (IMC), which features 10 matches across September, October, November, March and June. It argues each key decision regarding the IMC was made in consultation with all stakeholders, FIFPro included.
Conveniently, the IMC is locked in until 2030 but legal challenges have already been made. There has even been talk of players going on strike.
Ultimately, FIFA must look after all 211 of its national federations, not just the interests of the elite, The money generated is used to further the development of football across the globe.
Is there a solution?
Football’s issue is the lack of joined-up thinking. Players feature in competitions run by various organisations — FIFA, UEFA, the Premier League — in the same season and they all have different interests.
It won’t be popular, but could the biggest countries, whose stars play the most games, be spared having to qualify for major tournaments? Could all international games be squeezed into one mid-season window?
As my colleague Phil Buckingham says, most players do not make anything near as much money from international football as their club exploits but the attraction remains obvious. Legacies can be made.
It will ultimately depend on what has the biggest pull: the heartstrings, the hamstrings or the purse strings.
News round-up: Former Sheffield United defender Baldock dies, aged 31
(Michael Regan/Getty Images)
U.S. Soccer shock: Staff laid off ahead of relocation, despite surging revenue
There have drastic cuts at the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), with up to 30 people — around nine per cent of the workforce — losing their jobs.
As the news was announced, the USSF’s chief executive, JT Batson, also told employees that the federation “will do more revenue this year than we will have ever done in our history” — a projection of $110million, an increase of 243 per cent in two years.
Consider, too, the hiring of Mauricio Pochettino, who will earn a higher salary than any previous USMNT head coach thanks to a donation from billionaire businessman Ken Griffin, and Emma Hayes for the USWNT as the highest-paid coach in women’s football.
The move is part of USSF moving its headquarters from Chicago to Atlanta but the optics are not great.
Show Viz 📈
Bukayo Saka has started the season on fire, with two goals and nine assists for Arsenal. It puts him in some elite company in the list above — a chart he could well top before his birthday next September.
At the same time, I’d give a penny for the thoughts of Marcus Rashford, two rungs down on the table, who was held in a similar regard at that age. Can you imagine them playing at their best on the flanks for England?
Rashford, 26, is not even in Lee Carsley’s squad to take on Greece tonight. It shows how quickly the trajectory of the stars can change.
Euro Shortcut? Wrexham and other Welsh clubs may get shot at big stage
Controversial talks have taken place for four Welsh clubs who ply their trade in the English Football League — Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham and Newport County — to play in the Welsh League Cup. It’s complicated, yes, but stay with me.
It is part of plans to offer these clubs a route into European competition. A revamped Welsh League Cup could boost the incomes of teams who play in it, with money made from those featuring in Europe trickling down the Welsh pyramid.
The logistics of making this happen are tricky to say the least — and there is understandable consternation among some in Wales’ Cymru Premier — but the change could be ratified by the end of the year. This would mean Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and Newport would enter next season’s Welsh League Cup, and its winners would play in the 2026-27 Conference League, UEFA’s third-tier club competition.
Imagine, say, Wrexham, continuing their Hollywood story in European competition via this shortcut… hmm.
Around The Athletic FC
(Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
- Holding in the box annoys me to no end. But some players are cuter than others when doing it and often escape without punishment. Elias Burke has explained the rules and how they have been applied.
- Legendary midfielder Andres Iniesta, 40, announced his retirement this week. We know him for his class and elegance at Barcelona. But what happened after he left? This video from Tifo Football explains it all quite well.
- Manchester City have won four successive Premier League titles and are unbeaten this season — but are also more likely to be relegated than Fulham and West Ham United, according to bookmakers. Why? Their legal dispute with the Premier League — 115 charges, which City deny. It’s making for interesting betting markets.
- Speaking of our friends from Tifo, their effort on why football pitches have centre circles was most clicked (again) yesterday.
Catch a match
Nations League: Group A2: Israel vs France, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Fubo, ViX; Italy vs Belgium, 2.45pm/7.45pm — ViX; Group B2: England vs Greece, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Fox Sports, Fubo/ITV.
(U.S. only)
CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers: Bolivia vs Colombia, 4pm/9pm — Fanatiz PPV; Ecuador vs Paraguay, 5pm/10pm — Fanatiz PPV/Premier Sports; Venezuela vs Argentina, 5pm/10pm — Fanatiz PPV; Chile vs Brazil, 8pm/1am — Fanatiz PPV.
(Top picture: Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5833378/2024/10/10/international-matches-threat-u-s-soccer-staff/
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