The football international break is one of the times football fans undoubtedly hate. This is the period when club football pauses and the players report for international duty with their respective countries. This gives them an opportunity to represent their nations on the global stage in intercontinental and worldwide tournaments.
However for football fans those particular to club football whether the English Premier league or Spanish La Liga or the German Bundesliga, the absence of club football for two weeks feels like an eternity. It might seem like a short period but to football fanatics it’s simply the absence of life metaphorically.
The international break also has a toll on the players as well as their clubs. Time and time again players have withdrawn from international duty after suffering from injuries.
The recent high profile injuries being Arsenal’s star centre back Gabriel alongside teammate Ricardo Calafiori as well as Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga who both play for France and Spanish giants Real Madrid.
This brings in the aspect of player fatigue due to the tightly packed schedule both in the club and international levels. This has even caused some players to decline reporting to international duty citing injury concerns from players and the club.
Case in point being Lamine Yamal and the controversy between Barcelona and the Spain national team. During Yamal’s last international campaign the club says that the player was not fit yet the national team gave him painkillers to continue playing. Fast forward the injury worsened and took the player out when playing for the club. This caused an uproar especially after the club informed the Spanish national team that Yamal would not report for international duty as he is undergoing treatment.
As club football resumes this weekend it gives us time to reflect about the players too and without them there would not be sport we live to adore. The welfare of football players matters and should not be under looked.
