By David Butler
Previously, I have written about a recurrent issue in Football – players withdrawing from international duty. This is a hot topic in the media again given the recent high-profile withdrawal for the English squad for upcoming Nations League matches. There have been various other withdrawals outside of the England team.
The dynamic of footballers jeopardising their ability to fulfil contracted duties (due to injury risk for their national team) is interesting to think about from a labour market and legal perspective. It highlights the uniqueness again of sports labour markets - is there any other labour market where employers holding contractual rights knowingly release their workers to perform the same duties for a third-party?
As these athletes can decline an international call up, themselves and the clubs are essentially choosing to take on risk. Given that most professional contracts have performance bonuses built in – and that these contracts have significantly increased in value over the years – I wonder are players now evaluating the personal financial cost to a greater degree, especially for repackaged friendlies.
Previously, I have documented the frequency of injury on international duty – it is not trivial. These injuries appear random on the surface and carry a cost both in terms of missed performances and rehabilitation.
For example, to quote my piece in September 2022
“Due to injuries sustained during international performances last week the following players were substituted: Nathan Patterson, Memphis Depay, Teun Koopmeiners, Richard Almeyda, Andreas Weimann, Jules Koundé, Ivan Perisic, Kiefer Moore, Jere Uronen, Miralem Pjanic, Giorgi Aburjania, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Kieran Tierney, Aaron Hickey, Miguel Vítor, Jakub Brabec, Anastasios Bakasetas, Zan Karnicnik, Hrayr Mkoyan, Eden Hazard, Steven Berghuis, Dominykas Barauskas, Marcelo Brozovic, van Bakhar and Eduards Emsis.”
I wonder who will be on the list next week?
For detailed insights on this general topic see Jeffrey Cisyk and Pascal Courty recent paper in the Journal of Sports Economics - An Economic Approach to Sports Injury Policies
Previously, I have written about a recurrent issue in Football – players withdrawing from international duty. This is a hot topic in the media again given the recent high-profile withdrawal for the English squad for upcoming Nations League matches. There have been various other withdrawals outside of the England team.
The dynamic of footballers jeopardising their ability to fulfil contracted duties (due to injury risk for their national team) is interesting to think about from a labour market and legal perspective. It highlights the uniqueness again of sports labour markets - is there any other labour market where employers holding contractual rights knowingly release their workers to perform the same duties for a third-party?
As these athletes can decline an international call up, themselves and the clubs are essentially choosing to take on risk. Given that most professional contracts have performance bonuses built in – and that these contracts have significantly increased in value over the years – I wonder are players now evaluating the personal financial cost to a greater degree, especially for repackaged friendlies.
Previously, I have documented the frequency of injury on international duty – it is not trivial. These injuries appear random on the surface and carry a cost both in terms of missed performances and rehabilitation.
For example, to quote my piece in September 2022
“Due to injuries sustained during international performances last week the following players were substituted: Nathan Patterson, Memphis Depay, Teun Koopmeiners, Richard Almeyda, Andreas Weimann, Jules Koundé, Ivan Perisic, Kiefer Moore, Jere Uronen, Miralem Pjanic, Giorgi Aburjania, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Kieran Tierney, Aaron Hickey, Miguel Vítor, Jakub Brabec, Anastasios Bakasetas, Zan Karnicnik, Hrayr Mkoyan, Eden Hazard, Steven Berghuis, Dominykas Barauskas, Marcelo Brozovic, van Bakhar and Eduards Emsis.”
I wonder who will be on the list next week?
For detailed insights on this general topic see Jeffrey Cisyk and Pascal Courty recent paper in the Journal of Sports Economics - An Economic Approach to Sports Injury Policies
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