Leeds United man’s player safety complaint potentially backfires as wish granted
Junior Firpo, a defender for Leeds United, will be one of the last players to return to Thorp Arch after serving abroad this month.
Swansea City awaits United in their upcoming Championship match in South Wales, but Firpo is you
Due to the full-back’s retrospective suspension last week, Firpo’s tardiness in returning from Dominican Republic’s matches against Dominica and Bermuda this month won’t be a problem. After video footage from Leeds’ 1-0 loss to Millwall seemed to show Firpo moving his head in what was termed violent behaviour towards Lions defender Danny McNamara, which the match officials first failed to see, Firpo was sanctioned by the FA.
However, since announcing earlier this year that he would be playing for his native Dominican Republic, Firpo has emerged as the team’s star and most well-known player, playing far higher up the pitch than he does for Leeds. The defender helped the Caribbean nation get closer to making its Concacaf Gold Cup debut last month by scoring three goals, including a “Panenka”-style penalty kick, in two 5-0 victories over Antigua and Barbuda.
Although Firpo’s international participation is a heartwarming tale about Thorp Arch, there are legitimate worries about the Caribbean’s playing conditions and the player’s heightened risk of injury as a result of having more games on his schedule.
Firpo criticised Concacaf for organising the Nations League games he participated in earlier this year, arguing that games shouldn’t be played in the blazing noon heat.
Because of this, Dominican Republic’s games this month will start in the evening, which is also 11 p.m. U.K. time. This will give the previously injured defender less time to heal between games and postpone his return to Leeds by several hours.
The possibility that Leeds will have the 28-year-old back in squad training prior to a return to domestic action may be compromised if Concacaf follows Firpo’s guidance going forward.
Naturally, there will only be one more mid-season international break in March after this month. Additionally, Firpo’s Leeds contract expires at the conclusion of 2024–2025. However, this international fixture scheduling problem might continue if he stays at Elland Road.
Although that isn’t always the case, all of Leeds’ internationals called up this month should return to Thorp Arch in time for United’s trip to Swansea. Following international commitments for the United States Men’s National Team in October, Brenden Aaronson was expedited back to the United Kingdom on a private jet rented by Fulham, along with a number of other Premier League and Championship players.
In a similar vein, when playing for Japan abroad, Ao Tanaka will frequently have return legs longer than fourteen hours.
Firpo is already among the last to return from overseas duty because of the length of time and distance involved in cross-Atlantic passage.
The Leeds full-back Thorp Arch’s comeback would be further delayed if Concacaf keeps scheduling Dominican Republic games, most likely in Nations League A, for nighttime kickoffs. This would also interfere with the Whites’ preparation for their next game.
