Arsene Wenger Warns FIFA of Breakaway Competition Due to International Schedule

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes FIFA must reorganise the international schedule in order to avoid a conflict with major clubs which could lead to a breakaway.

The Frenchman has called on football's governing body to restructure the calendar so as to protect players against fatigue and injury.

Per Adrian Kajumba in the Mirror, Wenger thinks now is the perfect time to address the issue of fixture congestion as FIFA reviews its practices amid widespread corruption allegations:

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We face a situation where it’s impossible for the players to get through a season and have rest. This kind of friction that it creates between the clubs, national teams and international competitions can create a split. One day the clubs could move away and say: 'Enough is enough. We pay a huge amount of money for our best players so we’ll get them together ourselves and organise our own competitions.' It’s important that all of that gets on the table while we have the opportunity. It is now or never.

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Club managers and their international counterparts are consistently in conflict over the fitness of players.

International friendlies—as have been played across Europe over the past few days—are particularly irksome for many club bosses as they often put unnecessary strain on key players.

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Wenger will likely have been particularly concerned to see his star man Alexis Sanchez start both of Chile's recent World Cup qualifiers during the international break.

There have already been reports that Wenger may bench Sanchez for upcoming matches given that he has barely had a proper break in the last 18 months after his involvement in major international tournaments in the summers of 2014 and 2015, per Bleacher Report's Dean Jones:

Per BBC Sport, Wenger angered Wales manager Chris Coleman earlier this season after suggesting that Gunners midfielder Aaron Ramsey picked up a hamstring problem because he turned out against Andorra in a Euro 2016 qualifier.

Wenger is far from the only manager to have had issues with the international schedule in the past.

Sir Alex Ferguson was famously reluctant to let his players go on international duty. According to former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, writing in his book Sven: My Story (via the Daily Mail's John Bernstein), Ferguson tried to prevent Wayne Rooney from going to the World Cup back in 2006.

The Arsenal boss undoubtedly has a valid argument. Clubs pay players' wages and transfer fees and thus have a valid claim over being able to dictate when they can play.

It is often a particular gripe when key players pick up injuries in matches they had no need to be playing in.

The Manchester United hierarchy and Red Devils fans will undoubtedly have been concerned to see their star forward Anthony Martial leave Wembley on crutches following his involvement in France's friendly with England on Tuesday, per Bleacher Report UK:

FIFA will likely be reluctant to alter their regular schedule but club power could play an integral role if they do indeed threaten to break away.