The wish for football every day comes true... with some cost

The Independent’s football newsletter [View in browser]( [The Independent]( December 24, 2021 [The Independent]( Reading the Game Written by Miguel Delaney The wish for football every day comes true... with some cost No stoppage, but some reminders of Restart The Premier League on Monday decided to continue the current schedule without needing to go to a vote, although not without debate. More than a few sources say that discussion reminded them of the talks around Project Restart, with some clubs clearly arguing solely in favour of what suited them. The major divergence was around those who endured enforced breaks and those who did not. The former generally wanted to continue as normal. The latter were more in favour of at least moving one of the three Christmas fixtures. None wanted to actually bring in a full circuit break, pointing to a more pertinent issue. In the end, the arguments over the commercial viability of the league - and how the show must go on - prevailed over everything. They’d set the calendar. The Christmas schedule is a huge global positive for the competition given very little other football is on. They went with it. No vote was required. On hearing that, many managers and players were not that impressed. They were the ones pushing for fixtures to be moved. New questions over an old-fashioned schedule There was clear logic to the initial arguments for delaying a round of fixtures. The primary point was that those clubs who had insufficient Covid absences will inevitably have to lean on the same players, potentially burning them out through overuse over such a short space of time. That alone raises another issue. Of the Premier League’s 20 clubs, 12 will play on both the 26th and 28th this week. They won’t get the 72-hour break that has pretty much become standard guidance in football physical conditioning. That is someway surprising, since you can still have the same packed Christmas schedule but just be a bit more calculated about the schedule. Clubs consider what next for those without jabs Among other issues discussed was potential new protocols for unvaccinated players, in order to try and prevent the extent of the postponements of the last week. Many football people remain hugely frustrated with the extent of the take-up within the Premier League, with 16% of players not yet on their "vaccination journey", as the press release put it. That frustration is particularly sharp around the fact the unvaccinated have to isolate for 10 days when close contacts of confirmed positives, something that is not the case for the vaccinated. One idea is to minimise contacts between the two groups, to prevent unnecessary absences. Fifa have the votes for a World Cup - but not the teams The early part of this week saw a flurry of press releases about the viability or otherwise of a biennial World Cup, as part of the latest skirmish in the PR war over the issue. The reality is that those against the idea - namely Uefa and Conmebol - have a super-weapon they have signalled they are prepared to use. It is almost an unwinnable war for Fifa in that regard. The announcement of a new “Finalissimo” between the winners of the Copa America and European Championships was not just the confirmation of a pretty good idea, but a very public show of further collaboration between the two confederations. In other words, if it really goes that far, Uefa and Conmebol would be willing to just go and create their own tournament. That would scuttle Fifa’s plans, since it is the countries that are the source of most of the World Cup's commercial income. The message was implicit. “You may have the votes, if you insist on that. But we have the teams.” Of course, it remains the case that this isn't really about a biennial World Cup at all. It is about trying to push through a Club World Cup. It is Uefa and Conmebol, however, that have all the leverage. The worst refereeing decision of all is endless discussion In thinking about this week’s newsletter, I was considering some comment on the situation with referees, particularly in light of Jurgen Klopp’s criticism of Paul Tierney and the reports that Newcastle United are set to make a formal complaint about officiating standards. I quickly realised, however, that would be to contribute to exactly the issue I would be writing about. We talk about referees and decisions far too much. It has become like the discourse around Real Madrid and Barcelona a decade ago, where it felt like the primary discussion around any match was the officiating. That was all the more incredible since people had usually just witnessed football of the most remarkable level, that should have been celebrated. The reaction instead degenerated into tribal arguments, with that sucking everyone else in. The Premier League is similar now. Worse, like with Spain, the vast majority of these decisions are borderline. Sure, that might not be the case with some exceptions like Harry Kane’s challenge on Andy Robertson, but most could genuinely go either way. The problem is that very borderline nature will see people take sides, when it should bring an acceptance that this is ultimately down to the official’s subjective interpretation. Most of these really aren’t shockers. But constant discussion of them means refereeing doesn't take place in the vacuum it should. And here I go now having a shocker contributing to the wider discourse around referees… A last message for 2021... For next week’s edition, it will be my very capable colleague Karl Matchett taking over the newsletter, as I will be on my holidays. So this is just a quick note to thank you all for subscribing, and I hope you enjoy the newsletter. If you ever have any questions, suggestions or - better yet for me! - news tips, feel free to email me on miguel.delaney@independent.co.uk. I hope you all have a great Christmas and a happy new year. I’ll be back with the newsletter on the 7th January. Top stories [Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta pleads to keep fans in stands amid rise in Covid cases]( [Jordan Henderson accuses Premier League of ‘not taking player welfare seriously’]( Miguel's Dispatches I am off next because of annual leave, something that may seem surprising, since the Christmas schedule makes it look like the busiest time of the football year. The reality is that a period of just games is a bit of a reprieve, because there’s no time of the football year that isn’t busy. The game is now so popular, and so big, that there is always something. The football cycle is so fast, and so intense. Even the rare periods without games, such as this year’s brief summer break, still involve the mayhem of the transfer window and some of the biggest stories of the year. That had Harry Kane and Leo Messi. What sums it up - and serves as something of a personal summation of the year - is that I don’t think I will ever experience a period of work like the three days of the Super League. It was both intense and relentless, like the last five minutes of a particularly chaotic match but constant for three days, and having to write news stories rather than a live report. There’ll never be anything like it. Quote of the day “… it is the League’s collective intention to continue the current fixture schedule where safely possible…” A comment that has been restated more than a few times in the last week. Reading the game quiz The bottom position on Christmas Day holds something of a distinguished place in Premier League history. Six clubs have been in that position on that date more than once. Name them. As a clue, this is the first time Norwich City have ever been there. (Friday's answers: Blackburn Rovers (5); Chelsea, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Newcastle United (all 4); Nottingham Forest, Bolton Wanderers (both 3) Essential reading [Arsenal fan token adverts banned after investigation]( [Player welfare still a sideshow to results and broadcast deals in the Premier League]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's football newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's football newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Football_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.