FIFA planned for clubs to play their games at the same time as the Olympics. They didn’t call for an international break (like during the World Cup, Euro, Copa America), nor did they arrange for UEFA to change the games played by teams who had players involved in the Olympics to after the Olympics.

Unlike most Olympic sports, there is a problem since the employer of the athlete is not the person who decides if he participates in the Olympics. In pole vaulting, most athletes are employed by the NOC, often via or with the assistance of state or private structures. In football there is no such involvement. What the clubs have been asking for for many years now is that when players get injured during national duty, the clubs receive compensation. Honestly, this is not something surprising since the clubs pay for other employers (national federations) to “use” their employees. Werder Bremen was clear from the start, saying that Diego could go to the Olympics, but that they wanted the Brazilian FA to take an insurance in case he was injured. When the Brazilian FA said they wouldn’t, Werder said that they wanted Diego to not participate… Since they don’t have to release him (non-FIFA break).

FIFA is being excessively hypocritical, by not organising properly international breaks (they already have the problem every two years with the ACN), and now by saying that the compensation system that they have been obliged to set up for injuries to international A players doesn’t extend to players in the Olympics, the U-xx competitions or other… FIFA has been actively undermining the Olympics, and it’s completely normal that clubs ask their best players to… Play for them, and not for another employer when they aren’t obliged to by law.

For the players, it’s between a rock and a hard place. But saying the clubs should just release them to be nice when they have important games to play is pretty ridiculous. Messi would probably be one of the first to complain if Barca get knocked out of the CL, just like Rafinha might ask to leave Shalke if they don’t get into the CL proper. Players should be asking FIFA to resolve these questions, to set real “international breaks” when there are international competitions, even if we all can understand that it’s a hard task (since FIFA is limited to a certain number of “international fixtures” per year). It’s extremely unfair on the clubs who pay these players insane amounts (more per month than lots of people earn in a year, or even several years in the case of Messi) to just say that the players can go off and do what they want, and if they get injured or the club gets knocked out of an important competition because they couldn’t rely on their players then they still have to pay the wages. If I don’t show up at work, I can have all the good reasons in heaven and hell, my boss will count it as one day of the few I can take off each year. And if I take off more than that, then my salary goes down, and I might lose my job (and my boss would be entitled to seek compensation against me if I was in an important position).

FIFA needs to stop being hypocrites, and set up what the clubs are asking for. They earn insane amounts of money, and instead of giving each member of the FIFA board enough tickets for the World Cup (and other FIFA Competitions) to set up a multi-million dollar retail business, they should accept to take out an insurance on all players who participate in international games, so that the clubs receive compensation when a player gets injured on international duty. They also need to agree once and for all how many competitions there are going to be and how frequently these competitions will take place. This is related to the maelstrom of dates between the World Cup, Euro, Copa America, ACN (as well as possible junior and CONCACAF/OCF/ACF versions), but also to competitions such as the Olympics where the participation rules are devoid of sense (U-23 + 3 ?? Why not have it as a U-23? Or as a full international A competition?). Clubs are the ones that pay the players’ salaries, and they should be entitled to honest work by these players. FIFA’s idea that the clubs should be happy their players are internationals is partly correct (most clubs take pride in their players winning an important trophy or being important players of their national side), but clubs also need to rely on these players. Messi, Rafinha and Diego would probably not turn down the semi-final of the Champions’ League to go and play in the Olympics, and yet for the clubs these 3rd round games are just as important.

Bite me, Joan Laporta.

If he is sent back to Barsa and Diego and Rafinha are allowed to continue, the fix is definitely in for Brazil to win their first gold medal.