'Uefa care about money not players'

[davieG]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58870597

 

Thibaut Courtois has accused football governing bodies of prioritising money over the welfare of players, who he feels are being treated like "robots".

The Real Madrid goalkeeper played in both of Belgium's Nations League games during the current international break.

This includes Sunday's third-place playoff with Italy, which sparked the 29-year-old's criticism.

"This game is just a money game, we have to be honest about it," he told Sky Sports.

"We just play it because for Uefa it is extra money and it is an extra game on TV.

"OK, for us it's a good game because it's against Italy and for Italy it's a good game because it's against Belgium, but look how much both teams changed their players - if we had both been in the final there would have been others playing."

Forwards Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku were two of the absentees for Sunday's game - which Italy won 2-1 - with players suffering from muscular problems after featuring in the semi-final loss to France three days earlier.

"This just shows that we play too many games," Courtois continued. "Next year we have a World Cup in November, we maybe have to play until the latter stages of June again. We will get injured and nobody cares about the players anymore.

"After a long season we will have to play four games in the Nations League again, we will have two weeks' holiday and that's not enough for players to be able to continue playing 12 months at the highest level.

"If we never say anything it will always be the same. They (Uefa) can be angry about other teams making a Super League but they don't care about the players, they just care about their pockets."

World governing body Fifa is proposing further changes to the football calendar that would see a World Cup played every two years instead of the current four.

"You hear that they want to put a European Championships and a World Cup every year," added Courtois. "When will we get a rest? Never.

"So in the end top players will get injured all the time and that's the end of it. It's something that should be much better and better taken care of. We're not robots."

Uefa were unavailable for comment when contacted by the BBC.

 

 

You cannot draw any other conclusion, I thought this when I heard there was a 3/4 player off,  who actually cares not that many cared who won this added competition.

 

While we're on the subject of too many games they should scrap the notion of extra time in all levels of football and go straight to penalties.

[Innovindil]

Not quite sure who Courtois is directing the comments at tbh. Everyone who watches football know uefa/fifa don't actually give a shit about the football. All about that bank balance. 

[yorkie1999]

But they are robots, falling off the end of the academy production conveyor belt in order to perform for us, occasionaly there's rogue such as vardy, but footballers are generaly manufactured for our entertainment. If that doesn't Courtois, there's always a replacement.

[StanSP]

He's not wrong. 

[MPH]

36 minutes ago, StanSP said:

He's not wrong. 

 

he’s not wrong but the timing is a bit suspect. Would he have said the same if they had made it to the final and won it?

 

 

Makes it seem more like sour grapes saying it just after losing a 3rd place play off..

[The Horse's Mouth]

He spends the majority of the game watching it 

[LCFCCHRIS]

You want the money they get you have to be willing to do what many won't in terms of limited time off etc. Especially in the modern game. He should renounce his international participation if he's that bothered. 

[The People's Hero]

3 / 4 play offs are absolutely pointless but don't only happen in televised sport or to make money.

 

I've had to play in a couple this year and none of the players want to be there!

[AKCJ]

16 hours ago, MPH said:

 

he’s not wrong but the timing is a bit suspect. Would he have said the same if they had made it to the final and won it?

 

 

Makes it seem more like sour grapes saying it just after losing a 3rd place play off..

Isn't he saying it purely because they played that ridiculous 3rd placed play off? It's a game that doesn't need to happen.

[Nalis]

22 hours ago, davieG said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58870597

 

Thibaut Courtois has accused football governing bodies of prioritising money over the welfare of players, who he feels are being treated like "robots".

Sounds like the type of thing a robot would say

[boots60]

"Hold the front page"

Professional footballer has discovered the game is all about money!

[Guest]

On 11/10/2021 at 17:53, MPH said:

 

he’s not wrong but the timing is a bit suspect. Would he have said the same if they had made it to the final and won it?

 

 

Makes it seem more like sour grapes saying it just after losing a 3rd place play off..

Given that he said in advance of the game he thought it was a pointless waste of time, I think he may well have done

[Guest Col city fan]

This has to win an award for ‘stating the bleeding obvious’

And here was I thinking Uefa were an altruistic bunch of ex-players whose primary concern was the welfare of current players, rather than a money-grabbing bunch of capitalists!

👍