FIFA Should Look To African Cup of Nations for International Break Schedule

An International Inconvenience!

A club manager's most feared phrase is "an International break." Every manager loves to have international players in their side, but every manager also hates when those players leave for international duty.

Managers fret over the health of their players during the current international break because one unfortunate injury can easily lead to a lost season for their team.

Nations need to prepare for the upcoming World Cup in South Africa, but is that more important than a club's domestic season? 

Surely, there must be a solution.

Fingers Crossed!

Manchester United have been in blistering form of late, and many would hold Wayne Rooney accountable for their current success. Rooney will suit up for England on Mar. 3 and take on an Egyptian side in a game that holds no value to either England, Rooney, Fabio Capello, or Manchester United.

The only reason Wayne Rooney will miss the World Cup is injury. His performance against Egypt will hold no bearing on whether he makes the team or not. Manager Fabio Capello will gain nothing from Rooney's inclusion in the English side in their upcoming friendly.

But England, Rooney, Fabio Capello, and Manchester United have everything to lose if the worse was to happen during Wednesday's encounter with Egypt.

England and Capello would be without their nation's top goalscorer and most potent attacking threat for the World Cup. England is considered the third favorites to lift the trophy in South Africa this year, and many are classing this the best chance England has had of winning the cup in recent memory.

Manchester United would be without their top goalscorer and most potent attacking threat as well, and United Manager Alex Ferguson would have a selection problem in relation to his strikers.

Dimitar Berbatov would be left as the the only fit striker who has started a Premier League game this year for United.

Ferguson's other two options up front would be 22-year-old Mame Diouf, who has made four appearances from the bench and 18-year-old Federico Macheda, who has not played in a single league game this season.

Not only is injury a concern, but the form and rhythm of the team is also disturbed by the call-up of a team's internationals.

A Working Model!

Earlier this year, the best African international sides traveled to Angola for the African Cup of Nations to battle each other in an attempt to be crowned African champions.

All the teams involved in the tournament met up in Angola 10 days prior to the start of the competition. Each side played warm-up games to get players back in the swing of international football.

Now surely this model is perfect for FIFA to employ so that a domestic teams schedule is not disrupted by a needless international fixture.

Domestic Calendar!

The domestic calendar has already been shortened this season due to 2012 being a World Cup year. Clubs are facing tightly packed weeks filled with important games.

Liverpool, Man City, Tottenham, and others are fighting for the coveted fourth spot. Chelsea and Manchester United are battling for the title. As are Inter and AC Milan in Italy along with Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Why is it that—as FIFA insists on domestic clubs and leagues having to deal with compact calendars—it cannot employ a scheduling model similar to the African Cup of Nations?