Buck calls on FIFA to end ‘craziness’

CHELSEA chairman Bruce Buck has called on FIFA to deal with the “craziness” of the international calendar as the club prepare to lose four players to the African Nations Cup this month.

The Blues go into their opening game of 2008 with eight players on the treatment table, including Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba, but with Mikel John Obi, Salomon Kalou and Michael Essien all fit.

These four, assuming Drogba recovers from his knee surgery in time, will head off to Ghana to play in the finals and leave Chelsea’s squad even more depleted.

Captain John Terry, goalkeepers Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini, plus Claude Makelele, Andriy Shevchenko, Florent Malouda, Frank Lampard and Drogba are all sidelined and none are likely to return against Fulham today.

The African Nations Cup will increase the pressure on Grant to make swift moves into the transfer market during the January window, but Buck hopes that FIFA can solve the problem in the future.

Buck said: “We will lose several players to the African Nations Cup. This is unfortunate because it is a very difficult time of the season and we will need all of our players to help.

“We can only hope that FIFA will stop some of this craziness in the years ahead and adjust the calendar so that club football is not continually interrupted and disrupted for international events when a better thought-out calendar could solve these anomalies.”

Meanwhile new Fulham manager Roy Hodgson insists he has nothing to prove to English football fans.

The 60-year-old’s only previous job in the top flight ended with him leaving Blackburn by mutual consent with Rovers bottom of the table in November 1998.

But now, charged with keeping the free-falling Cottagers in the Barclays Premier League following the sacking of Lawrie Sanchez, Hodgson is adamant he is under no extra pressure given that past failure.

Asked if he had to prove his credentials in England, he replied: “No. Why should I need to prove myself more here than if I took a job in Germany or Russia or Greece. You always need to prove yourself.”

Hodgson added: “The most important thing is to know the squad fully and not just see them playing from the stand,” he said.

“Like anybody the transfer window is an important time of the year, and if the right type of players come along I know I have the support of the board to move into that market. But at the moment my focus is on Chelsea’’.

Hodgson will be without defender Aaron Hughes (calf) and the suspended Hameur Bouazza for today’s clash but defender Moritz Volz returns from a one-match ban.

Chelsea will have full-back Ashley Cole available following his suspension. However Ricardo Carvalho must continue to serve a suspension following his red card against Aston Villa.