Among the players, the placement of the European Championship qualifying window in the middle of summer instead of autumn, when many leagues have holidays, is talking.
Kamilla Rajander,
Jussi Vainikka
Finland-Norway EC qualifying match on channels on Friday 12.7. The studio broadcast starts on TV2 and Areena at 18:30
The last qualifying window of the women’s European Championship qualifiers starts on Friday, when, for example, Finland meets Norway.
The timing of the climax of the qualifiers and the constantly increasing number of games cause challenges for some of the top players.
– This is the only time of the year to prepare for the upcoming season and rest a little. We are humans and not machines, so we need rest, Norway’s star player Caroline Graham Hansen says to Urheilu.
At the club team level, Graham Hansen, who plays in the Spanish premier league for FC Barcelona, thinks it doesn’t make sense that the qualifying window has been moved from September to July.
– I think there would be more quality and enjoyment for the spectators if the players were more cheerful and weren’t injured all the time, says the Norwegian striker.
He points out that while the number of games played by top players has increased, the load is also increasing.
Winner of the Spanish women’s league goal exchange last season and among the top 10 female soccer players in the world listed Graham Hansen considers it clear that, despite the large number of games, players want to play them. He says that the problem does not only concern women, but also that there are too many games on the men’s side.
He hopes that the unions could change the matter.
With some of Graham Hansen’s teammates, the competitive streak continues after the European Championship qualifiers at the Paris Olympics at the turn of July-August.
– They try to think positively that the two qualifying matches are good training for the Olympics.
According to Graham Hansen, players who go to the Olympics know that they will be tired after the tournament, but consider it worth participating in the games held every four years.
The schedule is suitable for Öling, who plays in Sweden
Midfielder for Helmareit, who plays for FC Rosengård in the Swedish league Ria Öling says that placing the EC qualifying games in July suits his season well.
– Of course, this is a challenge for those who play in other leagues, which are now on vacation, says Öling.
He says that he understands these players, but could not take a stand on whether there are already too many games.
Also in the Finnish national team, some of the players have had time to go on vacation before the European Championship qualifiers in July.
– Of course, it changes their vacation rhythm and they have to think about how they can best recover but also train well so that they are ready for these games. But I do believe that they and the club have been able to combine it in such a way that they also get vacation time.
Finland-Norway EC qualifying match on channels on Friday 12.7. The studio broadcast starts on TV2 and Areena at 18:30