Laporta hits out at FIFA over Raphinha injury and congested calendar
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has launched a strong criticism of FIFA and the increasingly crowded international match calendar after winger Raphinha suffered an injury during the Brazil-France friendly that will sideline him for around five weeks.
The Brazilian attacker picked up a problem in the back of his right leg while on duty with his national team. For Barcelona, fighting on several fronts domestically and in Europe, the absence of one of their most influential forwards comes at a delicate stage of the season. Laporta used the incident to once again highlight what he sees as a structural problem in the global football calendar.
Speaking to the Spanish newspaper Sport, Laporta underlined that the blame does not lie with the players or their national teams, but with the governing bodies that design the schedule.
“Our squad has lost one of its most valuable players for several weeks, and that hurts us a lot. It is not the players’ fault. They are defending their country, which is an honor and a duty,” he said. “But we, as a club, are also competing intensely on all fronts. In this context, FIFA must take responsibility and design a calendar that truly protects the big players.”
The Barça president insisted that the current rhythm of games – between league fixtures, domestic cups, European competitions, international breaks, and increasingly numerous friendlies and tours – is simply unsustainable for elite footballers. According to Laporta, injuries like Raphinha’s are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a deeper systemic issue.
“FIFA should create a match schedule that is thought out with top-level players in mind,” he stressed. “These footballers are the ones who move this sport, they are the main attraction. Yet they are exposed to a level of physical and mental stress that is beyond reasonable. If the football authorities don’t act, we will keep seeing more injuries, more fatigue, and a lower quality of play.”
From Barcelona’s perspective, losing Raphinha is more than a short-term setback. The Brazilian has become a key figure in the team’s attacking scheme, contributing goals, assists and work rate on the right flank. His absence will force head coach Hansi Flick to look for alternative solutions in a part of the pitch where Barça has already had to deal with absences and rotations.
Laporta also used the moment to touch on broader concerns clubs have about the relationship between domestic football, continental competitions and international duty. Clubs are the ones paying the players’ wages, handling their medical care and managing their workload throughout the year, yet they have limited influence over how international calendars are structured.
“Clubs invest heavily in building competitive squads,” he continued. “We take care of the players day in, day out. But then, because of an excessive and poorly distributed schedule, we lose them in key moments. We respect national teams completely, but there must be a balance that protects everyone’s interests – above all, the health of the players.”
The debate over the international calendar has intensified in recent years with the expansion of many competitions and proposals for new tournaments. Laporta’s remarks reflect a growing frustration in top European clubs who feel their concerns are not sufficiently taken into account when new formats and dates are approved.
He called for genuine dialogue between governing bodies and clubs, not just symbolic consultations:
“What we are asking for is not radical or unreasonable. We want coordination, a real dialogue in which clubs, leagues and international organizations sit at the same table and design a rational calendar. If we all want the best for football, we must start by taking care of its main protagonists.”
Beyond the issue of scheduling, Laporta’s intervention also carries an internal dimension: it sends a message of support to Raphinha and to the rest of the squad at a time when the team must adapt quickly. The club wants to make it clear that it stands firmly behind its players when they suffer because of overload and that it will continue to defend their interests in every relevant forum.
Turning to the future of coach Hansi Flick, Laporta confirmed that the German manager, whose contract runs until 2027, will sit down with the club’s leadership at the end of the season to discuss his situation. Despite speculation around an early renewal or possible changes, the president struck a calm and confident tone.
“We will sit down with Flick at the end of the season,” Laporta said. “He does not feel the need to talk about an extension right now, and I understand that. He is a very professional person, fully focused on the day-to-day work and on getting the best out of the team. In our view, he has earned the right to continue with us. As a board, we will analyze everything carefully and make the decision we believe is best for the club.”
By emphasizing Flick’s professionalism and merit, Laporta sought to project stability and avoid fueling rumors during a decisive phase of the campaign. He made it clear that any decision about the coaching position will be based on a thorough evaluation at the end of the season rather than emotional reactions to specific results or incidents.
The president’s comments also highlight the delicate position coaches find themselves in within this overloaded football ecosystem. Like players, they must constantly manage fatigue, rotation and injuries while under pressure to win and to develop young talent. Laporta’s defense of Flick can be read as an acknowledgment that many of the problems teams face are structural and not simply the responsibility of the person on the bench.
Raphinha’s injury revives a wider debate that has been simmering for years: how to reconcile the commercial drive to expand competitions with the physical limits of athletes. On one hand, more matches mean more broadcast rights, more ticket sales and a larger global audience. On the other, clubs and medical staff warn that the human body cannot sustain such a rhythm without consequences.
From a performance standpoint, constant overload does not only lead to injuries, but can also reduce the overall quality of football. Tired players make more mistakes, press less intensely and are less capable of producing the moments of brilliance that fans expect from the game’s biggest stars. Laporta’s argument is that protecting players is not only a moral or medical issue, but also a sporting and entertainment one.
In Barcelona’s case, Raphinha’s absence will likely open the door for other attacking options: young talents from the academy, players who have been on the fringes of the starting eleven, or tactical tweaks to redistribute creative responsibilities. Such forced changes sometimes accelerate the development of emerging footballers, but they also complicate planning in a season where every point and every knockout tie can be decisive.
The situation also underlines how fragile the balance is for top clubs. A few key injuries can alter the entire trajectory of a campaign, especially when they occur in the same area of the pitch. That is why club presidents like Laporta insist that the calendar cannot be designed solely from a commercial perspective. For them, sustainability means being able to compete at the highest level without permanently risking the health of their investments: the players.
Another element hidden in Laporta’s message is the legal and economic dimension. When players get injured on international duty, questions inevitably arise about compensation, insurance and the financial burden falling on clubs. While mechanisms exist, many teams feel these are insufficient compared to the true cost of losing a key footballer at a crucial time.
For the fans, the Raphinha case is a reminder that international breaks are no longer just moments of national pride, but also sources of anxiety. Supporters follow their club stars during national team matches not only to see them shine, but also with the fear that they might return hurt. Laporta’s words resonate with that sentiment, presenting the club as a defender of both player welfare and supporters’ interests.
Ultimately, Laporta’s attack on FIFA over the congested calendar goes beyond a single injury. It is part of a broader struggle over who shapes the future of football: international governing bodies, continental confederations, or the clubs and leagues that employ the players. As the sport continues to grow globally, the conflict between expansion and sustainability is likely to intensify.
For now, Barcelona must adapt to life without Raphinha for several weeks, while hoping that his recovery goes according to plan and that no new long-term problems arise from his time with Brazil. At the same time, Laporta has made it clear that the club will continue to raise its voice whenever it believes that the demands placed on its players cross the line of what is reasonable – and that it expects FIFA to respond not with words, but with concrete changes to the calendar.