European FAs pushing for three-week international break to be abandoned

Workload, injuries and finances underpin concernsMost European FAs want return to previous formatEurope’s football associations have raised serious concerns about the impact of the extended international break and will ask Uefa to push for a reversion to the previous scheduling.The new three-week break left European countries tasked with four Nations League games, which typically took place within 11 days. It has brought deep misgivings about player workload, injuries and financial viability, with one FA president telling the Guardian it was “a disaster” and numerous others saying the schedule is unworkable. Continue reading…

Europe’s football associations have raised serious concerns about the impact of the extended international break and will ask Uefa to push for a reversion to the previous scheduling Europe’s football associations have raised serious concerns about the impact of the extended international break and will ask Uefa to push for a reversion to the previous scheduling. The new three-week break left European countries tasked with four Nations League games, which typically took place within 11 days. It has brought deep misgivings about player workload, injuries and financial viability, with one FA president telling the Guardian it was “a disaster” and numerous others saying the schedule is unworkable.

Opposition to the break was virtually unanimous when it was discussed at a meeting of European FAs in Berlin on Thursday, the subject understood to have prompted a series of passionate interventions. The Football Association chair, Debbie Hewitt, and chief executive, Mark Bullingham, were among those to speak out highlighting the drawbacks of a calendar change approved by the Fifa