New alliance: Barcelona and Real Madrid unite against Infantino's decision
A lengthy absence throws the calculations into disarray
The 2026/2027 season enters uncharted territory. Clubs are pausing their fixtures to make way for the national teams, who will dominate the football calendar for around three consecutive weeks.
In one of its many innovations, FIFA has merged the September and October breaks into a single window. Barcelona and Real Madrid are not impressed.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Sport", Joan Laporta took aim at the new international break during the club members' general assembly. Recent history gives him ammunition: Raphinha missed last season's Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid after picking up an injury on friendly duty with Brazil.
The Catalan club president said: "This break makes no sense. Hansi told me that the other day. It is a break that involves four matches, it harms us and disrupts our rhythm. The calendar is extremely congested and the players are suffering, and we will speak to UEFA and FIFA to resolve this matter."
Flick sees it the same way, having overseen the best start in Barcelona's history with eight wins from eight official fixtures.
Speaking before the match against Sevilla, the German coach said: "Many players will be with their national teams. And of course, whenever the players are away we are a little worried about that, but in the end, I trust and also believe in the national team coaches."
Real Madrid, who have not shaken off doubts over their level across the past two years, joined the pushback against the new break.
Jose Mourinho said before the Madrid derby: "We can only adapt. In our case, imagine having only four players left for 20 days, and then one of them will arrive a day or three days before the Villarreal match, another four days before it, and another two days before... Vini is coming from India with Brazil, and Valverde is coming from Korea and India where he is going round the world to get here, while as for the Europeans, four difficult matches await them because we are talking about the UEFA Nations League and everyone is at the same level."
The clubs were not alone in savaging Gianni Infantino's brainchild. The national teams weighed in too.
Luis de la Fuente, the Spain coach, hit out at the new system after naming his squad for the first four UEFA Nations League matches. "I do not like it, and I would have preferred the previous format," he said. "Between the two matches we have only two days of rest with the travelling and journeys. I think the other format took greater care of the players' health, and the matter is as clear as the sun."
What is the stance of Europe's big clubs?
Elsewhere in Europe, the mood is calmer. Most would rather wait and judge the experiment once the international break is over.
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta explained: "This is something we will have to try out. And as you have seen, different national teams and coaches followed distinct approaches regarding the numbers they included in the squad, so good communication with them will be extremely crucial."
His Premier League rival Enzo Maresca went for sarcasm. "My children have school, so I need to stay here. During the international breaks I have always reviewed the previous matches and analysed what we can improve. There are three weeks, so I have enough time to rewatch all the matches again," the Manchester City coach said.
Paris Saint-Germain, who have not started the season perfectly, are taking it on the chin. Luis Enrique said: "We must accept the length of these breaks. We will try to work as usual, as we have players who will stay here and will carry out individual training sessions."
Vincent Kompany, meanwhile, just wants everyone back in one piece. "We have the entire squad at our disposal and we want it to stay that way," the Bayern Munich coach said. "We hope the boys maintain their fitness during the three-week international break. If they do that, I am sure we will be in a strong position this season."
