"Think of yourself as a player who plays Copa America or Euro 2024," Shearer said on BBC after the 38th round (final match) of the English Premier League on the 20th (Korea time). "This is crazy," pointing out that Tottenham and Newcastle have set up excessive friendly matches in Australia.

Tottenham couldn't rest even after the 38th round of the PL. Immediately after the match against Sheffield United, they flew to Australia by chartered plane from nearby Nottingham Airport. The distance between England and Australia is too far, so there are no direct flights except for Perth in eastern Australia. As Tottenham headed to Melbourne in western Australia, it was reported that it passed through a stopover to refuel.

Tottenham arrived in Melbourne between Tuesday night and early Sunday morning. After flying for more than 20 hours, the players were welcomed by local fans at the airport and took a team bus to their lodging.

Tottenham players must play a friendly match without time to recover their bodies properly. Newcastle and Melbourne will face off at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday at the Cricket Ground. Arithmetically, they have to play within 40 hours or less than two days after entering the country. Even based on the final PL match, it is a tight interval of less than 72 hours between matches.

Shearer claimed that this is overworked by players. Notably, Newcastle will not only meet Tottenham Hotspur but also play against Australia's A-League All-Star on Monday. As it flies for more than 20 hours without proper rest after the PL is over, it has to play two matches just four days after arriving in Australia.

This match was also played due to the fact that Coach Angie Postecoglou is from Australia. Recently, European clubs seem to be making maximum profits through active post-season and pre-season tours. However, some argue that players who have already been overworked by the league, cup competitions at home and abroad, and national matches have faced physical limitations as they cannot rest even in the off-season. There has been a significant increase in the number of injuries since the 2022 Qatar World Cup, which was held during the season, and there has been a controversy once as the club World Cup, which will be reorganized into a 32-team system and every four years in 2025, was decided to take place in the pre-season.

BY: 토토