PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain has written to the French Football Federation, demanding better working relationships between the club and the country after star players Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé were injured internationally.
Both were injured in the World Cup qualifying match against Ukraine on Friday.
A strong contender to win Men’s Ballon D’OR, Dembélé will be on the sidelines for up to six weeks after inspiring PSG to his first Champion League title. Hamstring injury. Doué has been out for about four weeks due to calf tension.
“Paris Saint-Germain has written to the French Football Federation urgently seeking a new, more transparent joint medical coordination protocol between the club and national team,” PSG wrote in a statement. “To make player health and medical support a top priority.”
PSG added that the French national team has been provided with medical information on the workload and the risk of injuries to its players, and that French coach Didier Deschamps and his staff seem to overlook the advice.
“The club lamentes the fact that these medical recommendations are not considered by the medical staff of the French national team and the complete lack of consultations with the medical team,” PSG wrote. “Recent events must be serious and preventable and prompt and prompt corrective action.”
PSG began defending the Champions League against Atalanta on September 17th and went to Barcelona on October 1st, with both key players set to miss those matches.
Deschamps said he sympathized with and understood PSG’s frustration, but insisted that he did not take an undue risk.
“We’ve always come to things seriously and professionally,” Deschamps said Sunday on the TV show “Terefoot.” “If you leave players on the bench, you’re not taking any risks. As long as you have players on the pitch, there’s nothing like zero risk.”
Deschamps claims that both players were fully consulted before being allowed to participate in Friday’s match.
“The protocol stipulates that they have to come and register their injuries on Monday morning. We’re observing and seeing how things progress,” Deschamps said. “We took this seriously by asking players how they felt in the week leading up to this.”
However, the responsibility may lie elsewhere.
Was the player too far?
At the end of June, a coalition of French and professional soccer players was launched. A scathing attack In Club World Cupamid continuing concerns about the workload of extreme players, he says, “it is urgent to stop this massacre.”
A few days before the start of the month-long Club World Cup, the football chief faced a new call to protect players against rising fear Injury and burnout. UNFP also accused FIFA President Gianni Infantino of living “in an ivory tower.” Ignored the impact that crowded calendars have on players.
PSG launched its League One campaign on August 16th last year, effectively completing the season on July 13th. They faced Chelsea in the Club World Cup final, with both Doué and Dembélé starting their matches.
Just a month later, PSG faced Europa League winner Tottenham in the UEFA Super Cup. Some PSG players took just three weeks of rest and began their League One title defense on August 16th.
Both players were involved in these two games. ___
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