UEFA Nations League: The tournament no one cares about

In principle, the UEFA Nations League is a good idea for international football. However, with club football's ever-growing fixture list, no one cares about it.

UEFA set up the Nations League to replace international friendlies with a relegation and promotion system to enhance competitiveness at every international window during the season.

The first edition occurred between the 2018 World Cup and the summer of 2019. All European nations were divided into four leagues based on their UEFA ranking and then split into groups of three or four.

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The group phase is completed within the first couple of international breaks at the start of the club season, while the playoffs, semi-final, and final are played in June, straight after the season finishes.

The tournament timing is one of the key reasons players and fans alike don't care about the Nations League. The group phase is played during one of the busiest times of the season, and the finals are contested at the end of a gruelling season.

According to The Athletic, Belgium's Kevin de Bruyne said: "The Nations League is unimportant in my eyes. It's just glorified friendlies after a long and tough season. I am not looking forward to it."

"As players, we can talk about vacation or rest, but we have no say. We have more than three weeks of vacation every 12 months."

Does De Bruyne have a point? The UEFA Champions League's new format means teams play eight games instead of six in the group phase, adding to an already tight schedule. Players must be looked after; adding more competitive fixtures is clearly not the answer.

Speaking about the Nations League games played in June after the season, Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk spoke about his concerns about the forgettable tournament.

"It is strange that there are four Nations League games after a long season. But it has been decided now, and we have no possibility of changing that decision. I believe that, during these four games, there is more chance of injury after a long season."

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Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has advocated against more football games and believes the Nations League is one of the most ridiculous ideas.

According to GOAL, Klopp said: "I still think it is one of the most ridiculous ideas in the world of football because now we finish a season where [some] players have played more than 70 games."

European nations' sole focus is on the World Cup and European Championships. These two tournaments have been football centerpieces for years, and the Nations League will never reach that level.

Fans have had their say on the tournament, with some believing it's another money-making scheme by UEFA when they should be friendlies.

According to Threads, one fan wrote: "Nations League overall is a scam. There is nothing wrong with just calling a friendly a friendly. I hope UEFA's silly ploy at squeezing more $$ eventually backfires."

Another wrote: "There's clearly too much international football. A Nations League break this early into the new season? Teams don't want it, players don't want it, fans don't want it. Scrap it."

What do you think? Do you believe the UEFA Nations League should be scrapped, or is it good to keep international football consistently competitive?

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