Full calendar and risk of injuries make athletes avoid FIFA Date
Names like De Bruyne and Mbappé, due to physical concerns, asked to be excused from the current international period, which is already empty with other important athletes injured or retired.
FIFA’s international dates have always been a source of division of opinion. There are fans who enjoy watching national team matches, while others take their minds off football and focus on other forms of entertainment. However, the impression that the current international period gives us is that the top-tier athletes themselves are no longer as eager to serve their countries at certain times.
The appeal of the World Cup or tournaments such as the Euro Cup and Copa América is undeniable. However, during the South American Qualifiers, where 70% of the teams qualify, and the UEFA Nations League, which has yet to gain popularity, the scenario is of little use to the players. And with the bloated calendar and even threats of strikes , early retirements and requests for release from the national teams make this clear.
The new FIFA Club World Cup , which will be played for the first time in June 2025, with a new format, has exposed something that Brazilian football has been noticing for years: a calendar with too many games. As a result, some top-level athletes end up playing 60 or even 70 games in a season, increasing the risk of injuries. Avoiding the FIFA Date seems to be a strategy.
According to a study by FIFPro, the football players’ union, an athlete who plays between 40 and 54 games per season is considered to be under “high workload”. More than 55 games is considered “excessive workload”.
This October, on a FIFA Date that would already be marked by important absences such as the injured Neymar, Vini Jr, Éder Militão and Bremer, in Brazil, Carvajal and Rodri, in Spain, and Ter Stegen and Füllkrug, in Germany, among others, some teams were left without prominent players for other reasons.
Requests for exemption
Some notable names have opted not to play for their national teams, including France captain Mbappé, who was not called up by Didier Deschamps because he was “not in ideal physical shape”. Interestingly, the star has already returned to play for Real Madrid in two matches after a muscle injury and even started against Villarreal last Saturday .
In Belgium, after Thibaut Courtois withdrew from the squad due to relationship problems with the coach , Lukaku and De Bruyne were also left out of Domenico Tedesco’s list.
According to local media, both have requested to be released , and according to the coach, the Manchester City midfielder claimed to have concerns about his fitness . Even Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno declined to be called up to Germany, as he was not guaranteed to play .
Early retirements in national teams
In 2024, a plethora of players will be leaving their national teams. The experienced Ángel Di María in Argentina, Luis Suárez in Uruguay, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller in Germany, and Olivier Giroud in France are some of the most notable.
However, the number of early retirements from international football is striking. Switzerland’s Shaqiri (32), France’s Griezmann (33) and Germany’s Gundogan (33) are good examples of athletes with plenty of energy to burn for their countries who chose to retire due to concerns about their physical condition amid a busy schedule . The Manchester City midfielder made this clear in his farewell speech.
– Even before the Euros I felt a certain tiredness in my body and also in my head, which made me think. And the games at club and national team level are not decreasing – explained Gündogan upon retiring from Germany.
Whether it’s planning a strike or avoiding being called up during FIFA’s international break, top-level football players are already taking steps to reduce physical and mental stress, as well as the risk of injury. The calendar issue is important and delicate, it needs to be discussed, and only the players, who are the protagonists, can make this clear.
