Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger has criticised FIFA for not being concerned with the health of players in setting their international summer schedule.
Arsenal play their last game on Saturday, with a great chance of getting their hands on silverware, as they face Aston Villa in the FA Cup final. Goalkeeper David Ospina and forward Alexis Sánchez will depart afterwards for the Copa America, which begins on 11 June in Chile.
The Arsenal manager gave his opinion on the Copa America, fearing the consequences of the tournament on his players fatigue and mental state. Wenger’s concerns derive from last season’s World Cup which exhausted Arsenal’s German players who could not feature at the start of the season and took much longer to settle back into the swing of things.
“I am really surprised FIFA authorised that,” the Frenchman said.
“I’ll watch [the Copa America], but with a little bit of fear.
“Sanchez has played 50 games for us and goes there again, having already played in the World Cup last summer.”
The 2015/2016 Premier League starts earlier than usual, with the first games taking place on 8 August, and Wenger remains concerned that his players won’t be able to recover on time.
“It is disappointing that FIFA speak a lot about the health of the players,” the Arsenal boss added. “But when you look at the competition that is organised, this Copa America, and look at the date of the start of the Premier League, it is not reasonable.”
