In a press conference this week, Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc mentioned the feelings of the club regarding international breaks during the midst of the ongoing pandemic.
Zorc said that if it were an option, Dortmund would consider not sending players on international breaks given the current situation. He lamented that clubs unfortunately do not have much of a choice as refusal to release players to their national teams could cause the players to face punishments and suspension.
With coronavirus cases on the uptick again, resulting in the implementation of new restrictions in Germany and France, one must call into question the international travel required for players and staff. France has entered a second nation-wide lockdown in the face of dwindling hospital capacity, with President Emmanuel Macron stating that Europe could be “overwhelmed by a second wave that we now know will probably be harder and more deadly than the first.”
Germany's Angela Merkel also sounded the alarm recently, stating at a news conference: "Within weeks we will reach the limits of our health system. ... It is completely clear that we must act, and act now, to prevent a national health crisis.”
Is it truly critical, then, that England plays a friendly against Wales? Is the convoluted UEFA Nations League worth risking infection of players and staff who then return to their clubs, potentially exposing yet more people to the virus?
Even FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, Arsene Wenger, has stated: “We need to get rid of the Nations League and find clearer events that everyone understands. ... If you ask people in the street what the Nations League is, you won’t find many able to explain it." Players such as Dortmund's own Thomas Meunier have hit out at the Nations League, calling it "one tournament too many."
Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp and Sheffield United's Chris Wilder are just two of many managers to mention the issues international breaks throw into the mix amidst a pandemic. Klopp, having lost both Sadio Mané and Thiago Alcantara to Covid-19 for a period, lamented the increased difficulty of logistical issues. "Yes, I am slightly concerned. It’s difficult to get in contact with all FAs all over the world. ... I understand 100 percent the demands on FAs, UEFA and FIFA. I know how difficult the situation is for everybody, but it’s not exactly perfect."
Klopp continued: “As a club you have to make sure you bring the players home in the quickest and most safe way because nobody helps you, ... then they arrive on Friday, we see if we can make a (coronavirus) test, and then we don’t get the result until the Saturday."
Wilder, for his part, said: "It's been really difficult. Every manager that has been affected by international call-ups would have said that it was far from acceptable or comfortable with what's happened since we've come back. ... I have that view (that international games should be stopped). ... I think the situation at the moment is pretty difficult for everybody."
Given that the previous season did not finish until July as a result of the pandemic, the current campaign is already difficult with many teams playing two games or more each week. International breaks, with the added risk they bring, are strenuous on players but more importantly, dangerous not only to the players but all those around them.
