Fergie Questions International Friendlies

Last updated : 30 October 2009 By Sam
With England due to play Brazil in an international friendly match in Qatar on 14th November the United boss has aired his views on the timing of such games.

"You want the players to play in the important international games, it's important to them and I want them to play. It's the friendly matches that are the problem.

"It's a coach's nightmare, especially if you're in the middle of a European campaign and going for cups and titles.

"You have all these fixtures and you have the intrusion of a friendly game in some unknown country, so that is a definite thorn in everyone's flesh.

"All international managers have their jobs to do and we support that, particularly when it comes to the issues of competitive games, ie the European Championships or the World Cup.

"It's very important that these players play for their countries but friendly games are a different matter.

"I don't think that anyone agrees with them if you're a football coach, a league coach, whereas international managers have a situation that they find themselves in.

"I think that some of them actually could do without the friendly games themselves, but the FAs from every country warn them that sometimes it's a nice day for them, a nice trip for them, a sunny day, and in some cases it creates good revenue for them. So you can understand it."