Sarina Wiegman sounds contemporary warning over participant welfare: ‘They aren’t robots’
E
ngland boss Sarina Wiegman fears for the welfare of her gamers because of the congested calendar of the ladies’s sport.
The Lionesses reached the Women’s World Cup ultimate final month, shedding to Spain 1-0, however they’re again in motion subsequent week, solely 33 days later, to tackle Scotland within the Nations League.
Some gamers have already performed for his or her golf equipment too, with striker Alessia Russo showing twice for Arsenal of their Champions League qualifiers earlier this month.
Wiegman is worried by the scenario and has referred to as for governing our bodies to urgently assessment it as a result of her gamers aren’t “robots”.
“I am very worried,” mentioned Wiegman. “I was worried before the World Cup and we knew this was a very short turnaround.
“We are talking about about the calendar and we really have to get connected with FIFA, UEFA and the federations. We have to make that better.
“Of course the game is growing, which is really good, we see the improvement of the game but also with like commercial things coming into the game.
“But it has to grow together and players need some rest too. Next week they come in and some players only had six days off, which after such a high level, high-pressure competition is not good for them.
“That has gone on for a long time, because we have major tournaments in the summer all the time. The urgency to solve it and make it better is really, really high.
“Next week, players will come in and we will first have to see how they are physically and get them fresh. That’s going to be a challenge.
“Of course you have the team and you want to perform at the highest level with the team, also you want players to be fresh.
“For me, together with my staff, with all the expertise we have, it’s [about] balancing: is this player still fit enough and fresh enough to play the game?
“That is balancing and it is so intense. As I have said before, players are not robots and they really want to perform so they will always show up.
“But as players it is very important to give feedback. We talk to the players and when we really think someone is not ready to play then we have the discussion.”