MAN UNITED MANAGER Alex Ferguson has said the current number of matches in the football calendar is unacceptable, and he has backed calls for the amount of international games to be reduced.
The European Clubs’ Association recently announced its intentions to call for a decrease in the number of international matches from 11 to six.
However, Ferguson, while backing the idea, has said there are other equally pressing problems affecting the football calendar.
He told reporters:
“In terms of the number of games, we have always said there were too many internationals.”
While he has spoken out against ‘meaningless’ friendlies in the past, the manager indicated that this was just one of a number of issues affecting players and their clubs.
He highlighted the African Nations Cup and the Copa America as two particular problems, complaining about the disruption these two competitions cause to clubs’ seasons.
He added:
“It is a lot more difficult to handle. You have to gauge how many games they have had and the kind of temperatures they were playing in before you know when you can give them a rest.”
Despite Ferguson’s concerns, United managed to have a successful year last season, winning the Premier League for the 19th time and finishing runners-up in the Champions League.
- In his autobiography, Walk on, Ronnie Whelan looks back at the highs and lows of his career with Liverpool, the club he joined in 1979 as a 17-year-old, and left 15 years later as well as his days playing for Ireland. He will sign copies tomorrow morning in Eason’s O’Connell Street, tomorrow at 11am.
