"We just play it because for UEFA it's extra money" - Thibaut Courtois slams governing bodies for hosting Nations League third-place playoff
Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was infuriated by UEFA's decision to play a third-place play-off amidst an increasingly packed footballing calendar. Courtois has also accused UEFA and other governing bodies of only caring about generating revenue and neglecting any concerns accrediting the players' welfare.
🗣️ "They don't care about the players they just care about their pockets."
Thibaut Courtois accused UEFA and FIFA of prioritising money over player welfare after Belgium were beaten 2-1 by Italy in the Nations League third-place play-off. https://t.co/0RbBu0Ux6h
The Real Madrid goalkeeper revealed his thoughts after his country lost 2-1 against Euro 2020 champions Italy in UEFA's Nations League third-place play-off on Sunday. Disregard towards the players' fatigue is prominent from Courtois's raised criticism. The 29-year-old keeper also expressed his opinion about FIFA's debated proposal of staging the World Cup every two years instead of four. He said,
"It's just a money game and we have to be honest about it, we only played this game because, for UEFA, it's extra money and an extra game on TV."
Courtois said he doesn't see any contrast in the mindset of those who formulated the idea of a Super League to what UEFA and FIFA are currently implementing.
Courtois slams UEFA and FIFA's disregard for the players
The additional concept of more tournaments with reduced gaps is a path that both the mentioned governing bodies are guilty of. UEFA's Conference League and Nation's League were direct examples of this. The biannual World Cup proposal is preposterous considering what it is capable of to the fundamentally established structure of the game that we adore.
"Okay, it's a good game for us because it's against Italy and for Italy it's a good game because it's against Belgium. Of course everybody says they wanted to play the game, but look at both teams and how much they changed [players]. If both teams had been in the final, there would have been other players playing so this shows that we play too many games." - Courtois said after the game in Turin on Sunday.
For the third-place playoffs, both sides made several changes to their starting line-ups. It emphasized the pointlessness of such a redundant fixture with less appeal. Neither side started most of their star players, which predominantly stressed the importance that this game retains. Furthermore, the players not receiving adequate rest during a season have regularly been in debates.
🇮🇹 Italy back to winning ways to claim third place 👏
#NationsLeague
"In June there are four Nations League games. Why? Next year we've to play a World Cup in November and we'll have to play until the latter stages of June again. We'll get injured. Nobody cares about the players anymore. After a long season you have to play more games in the Nations League again and you'll have two weeks of holidays, and that's not enough for players to go for 12 months at the highest level." - Courtois concludes.
Belgium were without Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard due to ailments that piled on due to fatigue. Still, the message has not been addressed by the governing bodies as they still want more competition. It will lead to more matches that will lead to the trapping of more eyeballs for an astronomical increase in their revenues.