The October international break has taken a heavy toll on players, with injuries, fatigue, and long travel times, including an 18-hour journey to Libya, affecting performances across various teams.
The international break has concluded.
Supporters are starting to dread the two-week break in club football. In addition to unexciting matchups, there’s also the risk of injuries.
Nigerian supporters watched in horror as the Super Eagles were held hostage in Libya.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) canceled the Group D second leg match after Libyan authorities redirected the Eagles’ flight to a remote airport. The team was left without food, water, and internet access for more than 18 hours.
This all takes place amid discussions about the impact of footballers’ increasingly hectic schedules.
Clinton McDubus, a leading football analyst and podcaster, shared with DAILY POST that the reason every international break seems excessive is due to what precedes it and follows.
Since the World Cup in November/December 2022, the fixture schedule has become even more hectic.
With the upcoming expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup next year and the increased number of teams in the 2026 FIFA World Cup—following a series of national team tournaments across various confederations this year—it seems overwhelming for the players.
The introduction of the Nations League has made these breaks, which were once reserved for friendlies, more competitive and increases the toll on players.
Teams must bring their A-game, as these matches demand greater effort from players. The games are highly competitive against similarly strong teams and have implications for tournament qualifications.
Interestingly, this isn’t the final international break of 2024.
The third one for the new season is scheduled to take place between November 11 and 19, which is less than a month from now.
McDubus commented, “I believe it will continue to affect players negatively.”
The travel and the games are more competitive.
Ultimately, this could result in an increase in injuries, a less impressive conclusion to the season, and unremarkable summer tournaments.
“The primary concern, however, is injuries. They’re occurring weekly now and are likely to worsen by the time next month’s international break arrives.”
Some players have announced the possibility of going on strike.
However, McDubus believes that it will not be as simple as it seems.
He mentioned, “Given that they have contracts at the club level, I can’t see how it would be legally feasible.”
However, we’ll investigate whether a loophole exists that permits them to take collective action. I believe it’s unlikely.
“At most, they might exert further pressure through FIFPro, potentially leading to an individual or group taking FIFA to court over the issue.”
However, there has been discussion about the potential reluctance of clubs to release African players, particularly following the Super Eagles’ difficulties in Libya.
McDubus pointed out that, according to FIFA regulations, they are not allowed to prevent a player from responding to national team call-ups.
The sole action they can take is to persuade players not to honor specific call-ups, potentially impacting their relationship with those players.
