Sorry Harry, England stars are RIGHT to skip POINTLESS international games

Suraj Radia

• 14 Nov 2024 20:00 GMT
• 4 min read

Harry Kane admitted his disappointment over seeing many of his teammates withdraw from international duty this week but the trend is undoubtedly a sign of things to come with the ever-increasing intensity to the football calendar.

Fitness and injury concerns led to no fewer than nine players dropping out of Lee Carsley’s final squad for Nations League games against Greece and Ireland.

Kane admitted he ‘didn’t like’ the situation and believed that the transition period before Thomas Tuchel’s arrival in January was being ‘taken advantage’ of by some players prioritising their fitness over representing England.

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But for many stars such as Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold, the international break marks a rare opportunity for rest to players competing on all fronts in Europe and domestic competitions.

With the expanded FIFA Club World Cup set to commence at the end of the campaign, some players could end up featuring in more than 70 games this season, not counting international games.

Concerns have already been raised by players such as Ballon d’Or winner Rodri who, like many others, has fallen victim to an ACL injury and it will prove no surprise if stars continue to back out of low-priority tournaments to protect their wellness.

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UEFA introduced the Nations League in 2018 as a tournament aimed at making international friendlies more competitive and increasing revenue, however the competition has failed to generate positive sentiment or prestige in the football world.

The same can be said for the Club World Cup, which has seen the number of teams increased from seven to 32 and the amount of games go from two or three to as many as seven.

With the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Chelsea all seeded for the Club World Cup, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti had suggested that his side could end up skipping the competition due to concerns over player welfare.

Real eventually confirmed they would feature in the tournament, while FIFA have cited the financial gains from global nations as a reason for the increase in matches and teams.

Rodri had previously claimed players could eventually go on ‘strike’ to protest the decisions from footballing bodies to add more games and travelling to a jam-packed calendar – a stance echoed by many teammates and managers.

Threats from UEFA and FIFA, as well as the financial implications to clubs and players, may prevent an outright strike, however stars are clearly exercising the power they do have by withdrawing from meaningless international tournaments.

Although the notion of turning down your country may prove frustrating to Kane, the Bayern striker should air his grievances to the authorities who continue to disregard the welfare of footballers instead of teammates who are seeking to avoid burnout and injury.

Instead, England have rightly taken the disruption as an opportunity to call up a number of young, uncapped players who will only benefit from deputising for their teammates while senior stars take some much-needed rest and recovery to ensure they are fit for genuinely important matches for both club and country.