Club-versus-country ‘rows’, eh?
Often nothing more than a club manager making a bitchy comment about how his right back had to play too many minutes in a meaningless international friendly, and has come back feeling a bit tired. Underwhelming and hardly enough to describe as a ‘row’.
But on this occasion, things are different, as a disagreement between Barcelona and Brazil could be about to go fully nuclear.
According to Globoesporte, the Catalans have told Brazil they won’t be letting Neymar – Brazilian football’s poster boy – take part in the Copa America this summer.
This summer’s tournament is to mark the centenary of the first Cop America and takes place in the United States in June.
It seems Barça have informed Antonio Nunes, president of the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) that they don’t want Neymar to participate.
Brazil’s manager Dunga had intended to call on Neymar for the Copa America and the Rio Olympics in August, but may now be forced into a rethink over concerns that the 24-year-old could be at risk of burnout from so much football.
The Brazilian FA have yet to respond, although we don’t think they’ll take the news too well.
