Joan Laporta calls for FIFA action after Raphinha injury
· Yahoo Sports
In recent days, Barcelona have been rocked by the news of Raphinha being ruled out for much of the remainder of the season after he injured his hamstring whilst on international duty. The Catalans will have to do without their star winger for the next 4-5 weeks, which is a crushing blow for Hansi Flick.
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There has been ignominy within Barcelona regarding the situation, and this feeling has now been communicated by president-elect Joan Laporta. This week, he spoke to Món Esport (via MD), with one of the subjects being Raphinha’s recent setback, which he hopes will lead to FIFA taking action.
“In some way we should demand FIFA to make an international calendar that takes into account the competitions that the most important clubs have. It is true that in a friendly match between France and Brazil in the United States, one of our best players in the squad getting injured is very annoying.
“And it’s clear, you can’t transfer the responsibility of not playing to the player either, because they are professionals and, moreover, they play for their country and give everything.”
Laporta: Flick talks will happen in the summer
Laporta also confirmed that contract renewal talks will take place with Flick at the end of the season, with the focus being that he and the rest of the first team setup are fully focused on making sure that Barcelona end the season on a positive note.
“At the end of the season, we will talk about it calmly. He doesn’t have that need. He is a very honest man with himself and very professional. I think he has earned the renewal, but he prefers to talk about it at the end of the season, analyse the situation and decide what to do. If we do one more year, it already has it. I think he has the feeling that, if he had many years of contract, someone might think that he relaxes.”