With Saturday night's "Big Blue" set to be "decimated by an unprecedented number" of int'l withdrawals, A-League side Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold said that the A-League has "no choice but to follow" the int'l standard of resting for dedicated FIFA dates, according to Sebastian Hassett of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Nine first team squad members -- six from Melbourne Victory and three from Sydney FC -- will miss the match, meaning both clubs must "drastically reorganise their starting line-ups for the tournament's biggest traditional clash." For years, the club-versus-country debate has been centered on Australians playing in Europe but with the European leagues "breaking for mandated FIFA dates, that problem has largely been resolved." Now the "tables have turned," and with A-League clubs becoming a "conveyer belt of international talent," the confluence of an int'l break has "crippled the domestic competition." Arnold has long championed FIFA date breaks. He said, "I've been saying it for five years but nobody has listened" (SMH, 11/11).
