The fiasco of friendlies

Jack Wilshere, having pulled up early in Sunday’s Emirates Cup fixture against the New York Red Bulls, might be injured just in time for the next England game, next weeks uber-pointless friendly against Holland. Oh, happy days.

I for one am getting fed up with the amount of redundant games that FIFA have the international teams playing – presumably to help line their pockets with even more of the supporter’s hard earned cash.

If anyone can explain to me why breaking the preparations of every team (with an international break) as they gear up for the new season is beneficial for anyone except FIFA, I’m all ears.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike the England team. Come every other summer, I put my shirt on, get drunk and scream like an idiot and dream the impossible dream right up until we capitulate mid-tournament. I just find it hard to get enthused about silly games that don’t matter.

More often than not these games are just a chance for the manager to try out a new formation or to blood up-and-coming talent. Sadly, more and more often, these pointless friendlies are becoming dangerous for players. Not an international break goes by without one of the major clubs losing an influential player through injury. Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott are notable examples of this, both having been seriously injured whilst on international duty.

I’m not complaining about injuries. These things happen. If a player broke his leg in a World Cup quarter final or sprained an ankle during a qualifying game, you couldn’t complain too much. It’s a contact sport after all. It’s just that there is nothing more galling than losing a player in a game that has no competitive merit.

I’ve read recent reports that some of Europe’s larger clubs are putting their collective feet down and demanding that FIFA stop leeching more and more off of the domestic game. It’s the clubs that pay the players, it’s the clubs that train them and it’s the clubs that have to look after the players when they’re injured. So why should the clubs have to risk their prized assets half a dozen times a season just so that FIFA can pocket a few extra Euros?

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the big clubs can actually bring their influence to bear. FIFA has become such a corrupt institution that I can’t see them doing anything for the game that doesn’t benefit them first and foremost. I fear that it is only the major European teams that have the power to bring Sepp Blatter and his merry band of money-grabbing weasels in line. Only time will tell if they are successful.

So, to sum up, let’s crack on with the international tournaments and qualifiers. We’ll all put our hearts on the line, players and supporters alike. But please don’t ask us to get excited about the ever increasing quota of meaningless friendlies. They’re a waste of everyone’s time and effort, pure and simple.

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