Overcrowded calendar killing football says Spain's Baraja
Spain midfielder Ruben Baraja says that unless urgent action is taken by the sport's governing bodies the overcrowded football calendar will end up destroying the game as a spectacle.
Spain midfielder Ruben Baraja says that unless urgent action is taken by the sport's governing bodies the overcrowded football calendar will end up destroying the game as a spectacle.
"What the authorities are doing at the moment is complete madness," Baraja was quoted as saying in Spanish sports daily Marca on Tuesday.
"I think the way they are treating players is totally unfair... in the end they are going to kill football."
The Valencia midfielder, who played a total of 64 matches last season and has taken part in nine games in the last 21 days, said that players were unable to perform at a top level because of the endless succession of domestic, European and international fixtures.
"In the end you will see players performing well below their usual level and that will be bad for everyone: for the players themselves, the fans and the authorities."
Baraja cited the experience of club colleague Roberto Ayala as an example of what would happen to players who were given no time to recover from one season to the next.
Following an exhausting double-winning season with Valencia, the Argentine defender spent three months playing in World Cup qualifiers, the Copa America and then the Olympics, only to end up having to undergo surgery to deal with damaged knee ligaments.
"The abuse of players has gone far enough," said Baraja. "All of us want to play, but when we are abused then things like the Ayala injury are bound to occur."
Baraja's club are at present involved in a club-versus-country row with Argentina over midfielder Pablo Aimar.
The Primera Liga side refused to allow Aimar to join up with the South Americans for their recent World Cup qualifier with Peru saying that the midfielder was still suffering from the after-effects of a groin injury.
The decision prompted a strong response from Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa who accused Valencia of violating the rules on making players available for international matches.
"We went through all the necessary procedures, but they didn't send him, they ignored the regulations and I don't know what will become of this situation," he said.