Why the international break should be made optional for players

Are international breaks as important as we have been forced to believe they are? Maybe not.

It is a thing of pride to represent your country and that is the only way some players can connect to their heritage as they are often born abroad and live there all their lives.

For these players, representing a country they are connected to through their father, mother, or grandparents is something to be proud of.

However, is the price of playing international football worth it at the end of the day?

Arsenal lost Martin Odegaard to a serious injury during the September international break, and he has still not returned to full fitness.

The Gunners have also just lost Bukayo Saka to injury in the October international break, and they are two players who sell Arsenal tickets.

Losing both stars would affect the Gunners and their story is the same for most clubs who have sent out stars during this international break, but injuries to key players are not the only problem associated with international football.

Too many games to play yearly

Over the last few months footballers all over the world have been complaining about playing too many games and this complaint is triggered by FIFA’s decision to expand the Club World Cup.

The governing body and UEFA seem to have added more games to their competitions in a bid to stop the European Super League.

The likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus championed that breakaway competition which could have added more games from a new competition for every top player.

UEFA won that civil war, and in a bid to avoid it happening again, it has expanded the Champions League, and FIFA has expanded the Club World Cup.

With these competitions now including too many more matches, it should make the international break irrelevant.

That statement might sound harsh, but if we are serious about the welfare of the players and we care about how many matches they play in every campaign, then we have to consider resting them for some days during the month instead of forcing them to represent their nation.

Cutting down on the number of club matches could help, but if players like Cole Palmer, arguably the best player in the Premier League now, can rest during the international break instead of playing for England, he will avoid burnout and some injuries.

Better still, the governing bodies that control international football can reduce the number of games to one match per window instead of two, leaving more time for the players to rest.

Injuries are rampant during international breaks.

We already discussed Arsenal losing Martin Odegaard and Saka, Barcelona also seem to have lost Lamine Yamal, while Samuel Chukwueze seems to have also suffered an injury playing for Nigeria.

These players have played more games for their clubs and have not been injured, but they have developed physical problems while spending a week with their national teams.

Injuries are a part of the game, but the international break seems to be more physical, and opponents of poor quality usually resort to kicking at top players to gain an advantage.

These players may also be susceptible to injuries because of the change of environment, with most of them travelling for thousands of miles to represent their nations under harsh conditions.

The new Champions League format is here to stay, and that is more than enough travel for the top players. Flying for hours to represent their countries should not be compulsory.

When these players get injured, their clubs usually have the responsibility of helping them get back to their best levels. There have been several cases where their country’s football authorities have not even reached out to these players to find out how they are progressing on their fitness journey.

Clubs pay the players more money

Football without clubs will have very little viewership, and these players make more money from playing for their clubs than for their countries.

They are signed up for millions of dollars, and the least they can do is stay fit and be available to play for their employers.

The clubs also invest heavily in transporting them back to base from remote locations when they go on international breaks.

On the balance of things, the clubs spend more money to be sure that their players are safe and comfortable, on top of that, they pay them the biggest salaries.

National team duty is often seen as a gift to the nation, and most players know that it is simply a sacrifice for their countries.

With that in mind, clubs should have the right turn down invitations for some of their players, especially for matches during the season.

Football is evolving, and a new landmark ruling in favour of Lassana Diarra will affect how the transfer market works and the movement of players.

This might be a good time to also reconsider the legal framework around international football as players complain about having to play too many matches.

Other risks involved in continents outside of Europe

The Nigerian national team recently boycotted their match against Libya after they were stranded at an airport in a remote location for 20 hours.

This was a situation that the players described as being akin to hostage-taking, and everyone knows Libya is an unstable country.

They have been divided by war for some time, yet CAF allowed them to host a football match in one of their cities.

As if that was not bad enough, the Nigerian players, most of whom play in top European teams, were set to be made to travel by road for three hours in an unstable country, so they boycotted the game.

In some instances, footballers have been made to travel to remote locations with very harsh weather conditions to represent their countries.

Not every nation is developed enough to guarantee the safety of footballers, so going to represent your country could lead to some serious problems for any player.

This makes it questionable that international football remains compulsory and clubs are being forced to release their players even when FIFA or other governing bodies cannot guarantee their safety.

Conclusion

It is no doubt a joy to represent one’s country, but with too many matches to cover in the season and fixtures continuing to pile up on the club side, making international call-ups voluntary will help.