{"id":642,"date":"2026-03-30T03:19:51","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T03:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=642"},"modified":"2026-03-30T03:19:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T03:19:51","slug":"mounting-arsenal-withdrawals-should-force-fifa-to-rethink-international-breaks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=642","title":{"rendered":"Mounting Arsenal withdrawals should force FIFA to rethink international breaks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_565dd1\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Eleven Arsenal players have now either pulled out of international duty or left their national teams&#8217; training camps, prompting rival fans to criticise the Gunners and question their players&#8217; morals<\/h2>\n<p><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36940680\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 22: Martin Zubimendi of Arsenal walks out before the Carabao Cup Final match Arsenal and between Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on March 22, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane\/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36940680.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_GettyImages-2267880134.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36940680.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/0_GettyImages-2267880134.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36940680.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/0_GettyImages-2267880134.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36940680.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_GettyImages-2267880134.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Arsenal are desperate to avoid injuries\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Arsenal are desperate to avoid injuries<cite aria-label=\"Image: Stuart MacFarlane\/Arsenal FC via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Stuart MacFarlane\/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Club versus country. It&#8217;s football&#8217;s perennial tug of war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">After Martin Zubimendi&#8217;s withdrawal from the Spain squad, a total of 11 Arsenal players have now either pulled out of international duty or left their national teams&#8217; training camps ahead of the run-in. It&#8217;s sparked a debate over the players&#8217; commitment to their countries and fuelled accusations that Arsenal are pressuring federations to send their stars home early. But is anyone surprised?<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The Gunners are entering the biggest period in their recent history, with a famous Treble still on the cards. Arsenal&#8217;s next five fixtures include three cup quarter-finals and a potential Premier League title decider.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Like it or not, of course players whose nations are only involved in friendlies this month are going to extra careful. On the other hand, Riccardo Calafiori and Viktor Gyokeres will be doing everything in their power to help Italy and Sweden respectively in their World Cup qualifying play-off finals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE!<\/strong> <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mirrorfootballarsenal#\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"\/><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><u>Latest Gunners news and more on our dedicated Facebook page<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_7e1458\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\">African football chief resigns after corruption allegations over Senegal AFCON controversy<\/span><\/span><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_7e1458\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\">Romania boss, 80, in hospital after collapsing in training following World Cup heartbreak<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Of those to return to London Colney, including Noni Madueke, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, their own countries might feel that they&#8217;re better off back at their clubs so as not to jeopardise their long-term fitness ahead of the World Cup. It&#8217;s also worth noting that we&#8217;ll only discover the extent of Arsenal&#8217;s injury woes when their line-up against Southampton is announced on Saturday night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">But one thing is for sure: FIFA can&#8217;t continue to have an international break so late in the standard European season, or football will continue to eat itself alive. The international calendar is chock-a-block at the best of times, but when you&#8217;re shoving vital play-off matches and dead-rubber friendlies between the knockout phases of club competitions, something needs to be done.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Should Arsenal&#8217;s players be criticised for pulling out? Have your say in the comments section.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36940735\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36940735\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.57\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 01: Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice of Arsenal interact during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on March 01, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA\/Getty Images)\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36940735.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2264245009.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36940735.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_GettyImages-2264245009.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36940735.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_GettyImages-2264245009.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36940735.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2264245009.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice only spent a day at the England camp\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice only spent a day at the England camp<cite aria-label=\"Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA\/Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Catherine Ivill &#8211; AMA\/Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">FIFA have already shown their willingness to adapt by merging the September and October breaks into a three-week long window, the first of which we&#8217;ll see later this year. This will prevent the majority of top-level domestic leagues in Europe from pausing three times in as many months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The change will give international managers an extended chunk of time to work with their players, and I&#8217;ve got a feeling we&#8217;ll see fewer players pulling out when they know a club fixture isn&#8217;t just a few days away. So &#8211; without counting any chickens before they&#8217;ve hatched &#8211; how about merging the November and March breaks, too?<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Let&#8217;s go for the middle of February, sufficient time after clubs&#8217; winter breaks and, in this hypothetical scenario, before the Champions League knockouts. It&#8217;d allow the end of a qualifying cycle to flow straight into the play-offs, and instead of fans scrambling to plan for a summer tournament with just over two months&#8217; notice, they&#8217;d have significantly longer.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36940678\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36940678\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 06: Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, looks on during the FIFA World Cup 2026 official match schedule announcement on December 06, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis - FIFA\/FIFA via Getty Images)\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36940678.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2250369492.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36940678.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_GettyImages-2250369492.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36940678.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_GettyImages-2250369492.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36940678.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2250369492.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"FIFA have been accused of pushing players to their limits\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">FIFA have been accused of pushing players to their limits<cite aria-label=\"Image: Tasos Katopodis - FIFA\/FIFA via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Tasos Katopodis &#8211; FIFA\/FIFA via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">There are obvious logistical hurdles in having the play-offs take place straight after qualifying, but there should be enough brains within FIFA and the different confederations that venues can be pre-booked. And speaking of venues, surely it makes more sense for play-off matches to take place at neutral ones rather than giving some teams home advantage based on a draw?<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Granted, there&#8217;ll no doubt be complaints from Premier League obsessives about having a longer break than usual. But at least punters would only moan twice a season instead of four times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Simply put, FIFA can&#8217;t continue to squeeze in an international window at a pressure point of the season when they&#8217;re already squeezing players and staff to their limits with their gluttony of fixtures. Don&#8217;t blame Arsenal, blame the game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><em><a aria-label=\"Join our new WhatsApp communityLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/Feq1SEG6mXDIZGTTnek7oz\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Join our new WhatsApp community<\/a> and receive your daily dose of <strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Mirror Football<\/strong> content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us &#8211; and our partners. If you don&#8217;t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you&#8217;re cu<\/em><em>rious, you can read our <a aria-label=\"Privacy NoticeLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reachplc.com\/site-services\/privacy-policy\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Notice<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure data-testid=\"embed-placeholder\" class=\"EmbedPlaceholder_figure__NLMFl undefined false\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"90\" height=\"90\" viewbox=\"0 0 90 90\" fill=\"none\" data-testid=\"consent-placeholder-icon\"><g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_10846_5865)\"><circle opacity=\"0.16\" cx=\"45\" cy=\"45\" r=\"33.75\" fill=\"var(--color-sem-icon-neutral-default)\"\/><path d=\"M21.1351 21.1351C15.0276 27.2427 11.25 35.6802 11.25 45C11.25 63.6396 26.3604 78.75 45 78.75C54.3198 78.75 62.7573 74.9724 68.8649 68.8649M21.1351 21.1351C27.2427 15.0276 35.6802 11.25 45 11.25C63.6396 11.25 78.75 26.3604 78.75 45C78.75 54.3198 74.9724 62.7573 68.8649 68.8649M21.1351 21.1351L68.8649 68.8649\" stroke=\"var(--color-sem-icon-neutral-default)\" stroke-width=\"7.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><defs><clippath id=\"clip0_10846_5865\"><rect width=\"90\" height=\"90\" fill=\"white\"\/><\/clippath><\/defs><\/svg><figcaption>Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eleven Arsenal players have now either pulled out of international duty or left their national teams&#8217; training camps, prompting rival fans to criticise the Gunners and question their players&#8217; morals Arsenal are desperate to avoid injuries(Image: Stuart MacFarlane\/Arsenal FC via Getty Images) Club versus country. It&#8217;s football&#8217;s perennial tug of war. After Martin Zubimendi&#8217;s withdrawal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}