Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta expresses frustration with FIFA regarding Raphinha’s injury.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta expressed his frustration towards FIFA for not considering the interests of the sport’s top clubs after Raphinha was sidelined for five weeks during the international break.
The 29-year-old Raphinha sustained a right hamstring injury during Brazil’s 2-1 friendly defeat to France in Massachusetts last week.
He will be unavailable for the forthcoming Champions League quarterfinal against Atlético Madrid, a potential semifinal against either Arsenal or Sporting Clube, and several LaLiga matches as Barça vie with Real Madrid for the championship.
“It’s exasperating that one of your key players suffers an injury in a friendly match between France and Brazil,” Laporta stated to Món Esport.
“The responsibility of whether to play or not cannot rest solely on the player, as they are professionals who dedicate everything to their national team, but FIFA must create a schedule that takes the major club competitions into account.
“At this stage of the season, we are fighting for our survival. It’s alarming, yet this is a long-standing issue.”
This marks the third occasion this season that Raphinha has injured the same hamstring, with a possible return for the league Clásico against Madrid on May 10.
He was absent for 13 matches for both club and country between September and November, and missed another three in February.
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His absence may open the door for Marcus Rashford to make a case for a permanent transfer to Barça.
The England international’s most extended periods in the lineup this season have occurred when Raphinha has been unavailable.
He is the most probable candidate to fill the Brazilian’s role when Barça faces Atlético in La Liga this weekend, although Fermín López, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres, and João Cancelo could also be considered for that position.
Rashford has netted 10 goals and provided 13 assists in 39 appearances for Barça this season, with the club needing to decide by June 15 whether to activate the €30 million clause to secure a permanent deal this summer.
In other news, Jules Koundé and Alejandro Balde have both returned to training, offering Barça some defensive relief, while Frenkie de Jong is also nearing a return.
This leaves Andreas Christensen, along with Raphinha, as the only long-term absentees as Hansi Flick’s team prepares for the concluding phase of the season.
