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Manchester United Boss Sir Alex Ferguson Slams International Friendly 'Intrusion'
Fergie lets fly over meaningless glamour games...
30-Oct-2009 11:43:30 AM
Sir Alex Ferguson has not allowed his improper conduct charge to silence him, with the Manchester United boss now having issued a thinly-veiled criticism of the Football Association's decision to schedule England's friendly international against Brazil in Qatar in a fortnight.
The Three Lions squad will make the 6,500-mile round trip to play the Selecao in Doha on November 14.
And while the Scot insisted he had no problem with "important international games", he lamented "the intrusion of a friendly game in some unknown country" in the middle of the season.
"You want them [the players] to play in the important international games, it's important to them and I want them to play," Ferguson said, according to The Daily Mirror. "It's the friendly matches that are the problem.
"It's a coach's nightmare, especially if you are in the middle of a European campaign and going for cups and titles.
"You have all these fixtures and you have the intrusion of a friendly game in some unknown country, so that is a definite thorn in everyone's flesh."
Ferguson risked putting himself in further trouble by suggesting that football associations merely organised some friendlies as easy revenue-earners.
"All international managers have their jobs to do and we support that, particularly when it comes to the issues of competitive games, ie the European Championships or the World Cup," he added.
"I think that some of them actually could do without the friendly games themselves, but the FAs from every country warn them that sometimes it's a nice day for them, a nice trip for them, a sunny day, and in some cases it creates good revenue for them. So you can understand it."
Phillip Wen, Goal.com UK
The Three Lions squad will make the 6,500-mile round trip to play the Selecao in Doha on November 14.
And while the Scot insisted he had no problem with "important international games", he lamented "the intrusion of a friendly game in some unknown country" in the middle of the season.
"You want them [the players] to play in the important international games, it's important to them and I want them to play," Ferguson said, according to The Daily Mirror. "It's the friendly matches that are the problem.
"It's a coach's nightmare, especially if you are in the middle of a European campaign and going for cups and titles.
"You have all these fixtures and you have the intrusion of a friendly game in some unknown country, so that is a definite thorn in everyone's flesh."
Ferguson risked putting himself in further trouble by suggesting that football associations merely organised some friendlies as easy revenue-earners.
"All international managers have their jobs to do and we support that, particularly when it comes to the issues of competitive games, ie the European Championships or the World Cup," he added.
"I think that some of them actually could do without the friendly games themselves, but the FAs from every country warn them that sometimes it's a nice day for them, a nice trip for them, a sunny day, and in some cases it creates good revenue for them. So you can understand it."
Phillip Wen, Goal.com UK
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