By Chris Harris

Arsène Wenger has explained why he wants to see changes to the way injuries are handled in international football.

The Arsenal manager is seeking compensation from the Dutch Football Association after Robin Van Persie suffered ligament damage during Holland's friendly against Italy last month.

The 26-year-old striker has been ruled out for up to five months, dealing a significant blow to Arsenal's prospects of a successful season, and Wenger has since called for the abolition of international friendlies during the domestic campaign.

The Frenchman was angered by Arsenal's lack of access to Van Persie in the wake of his injury and believes there is an inconsistency in how players and clubs are protected by the current rules. Now he wants to secure a better deal for them.

"I look basically to rebalance a little bit the power in favour of the clubs," explained Wenger.

"At the moment we feel inside the clubs - and that feeling is shared between many mangers who are responsible in the clubs - that we have nothing to say. Our players go away to friendlies, they come back injured and nobody cares and we just have to accept the situation.

"We have two situations, one for official games and one for friendly games. For me it is a little bit surprising. Why should a player have no compensation in a friendly game where he is less needed than in an official game? The risk is exactly the same.

"And why do we not have the priority medically? If a player goes away on a Sunday with his national team and on Tuesday he gets injured, why has the club doctor not got the right to see the player before he continues to practice with the national team? This priority has to be right.

"Why is it the national doctor under pressure because most of the federations most of the time are political and they will keep the players. After one week the player comes back, he is injured and nobody knows why and he is out for three or four weeks and your doctor couldn't even see the player."

[Monday, December 14, 2009]

Source : http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/-i-want-to-redress-the-balance-of-power-

It's very annoying for a player to get injury over a silly friendly game. As for VP case, he's very prone to injury

Cut the guy some slack.
He says the truth.
Afterall the club pays their wages, so individual countrys FA need tto share the risk
Ya get me.

i support mr Wenger 100%, a club will pay the wages of these players and after they go to play for their countries, they come back with 5 moth injury, the club will now have to pay the wage as well as the medical bill. That's so pathetic

It's even when annoying when a player sustains a lingering injury in an ordinary friendly match, but at the same time players should still answer National duty. It's a pretty tough situation,

Arsenal just drew against Burnley and they needed the services of a striker badly

like i said Wenger is a confused man. he should start thinking of buying new players.