With the FIFA international break in full swing, a Leeds United ace representing his national team has spoken out against Concacaf’s scheduling, criticizing the time of the match due to the challenging weather conditions.
Junior Firpo is with the Dominican Republic national team during this window. On Saturday, he played in a Concacaf Nations League match against Bermuda at the ABFA Technical Center in Antigua and Barbuda on Matchday 1. The two teams are in League B Group D.
The Dominican side would secure an impressive 3-2 come-from-behind win, as Firpo and his teammates trailed 2-1 at one point in the contest. While the Leeds defender is probably happy with the three points, the player isn’t thrilled with Concacaf.
Junior Firpo goes after Concacaf
So, what’s the reason Firpo is going after the confederation? It has to do with the start time of the match as kick-off was at noon local time in Bermuda. The left-back noted that if Concacaf are serious about improving the game in the Carribean, these start times need to go.
“If @Concacaf truly wants to improve Caribbean football, they shouldn’t allow these kinds of things to happen,” Firpo wrote on X. “Playing at these hours and in these temperatures is unhealthy, we can’t overlook things like this.”
Si @Concacaf realmente quiere mejorar el fútbol caribeño no deberÃa permitir que este tipo de cosas pasaran. Jugar a estas horas y temperaturas no es saludable, no podemos pasar por alto cosas asi.
— Junior Firpo (@JuniorFirpo03) September 7, 2024
Despite the challenging weather conditions, Firpo played the enter contest for the Dominican squad. Moreover, the 28-year-old recorded three key passes while completing 25 of 31 passes for an 81-percent completion percentage on 55 touches.
Firpo and his team will look to continue their winning ways into Matchday 2 when they face Dominica at the ABFA Technical Centre in Antigua and Barbud. After this match, Firpo will return to Leeds as he looks to continue his impressive start to the 2024-25 Championship season.
The Leeds standout has started all four matches so far this campaign for manager Daniel Farke. Firpo recorded an assist in The Whites’ 2-0 win against Hull City on August 31.
As a result, the team headed into the international break riding positive momentum and will look to extend their unbeaten streak when they face Burnley on September 14.
Stats provided by SofaScore
