Caldwell Criticizes League One’s International Break Fixtures

Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell has expressed his view that League One matches ought not to be played during periods designated for international football. His team, the Grecians, will be without striker Josh Magennis, who is representing Northern Ireland, and winger Ilmari Niskanen, called up for Finland, for their upcoming Saturday fixture against Lincoln City due to their international commitments. Under current regulations, matches are only postponed if a team has three or more players absent on international duty. This weekend, seven of the third tier’s twelve scheduled games have been deferred due to these international call-ups. The division’s top two teams, Wycombe Wanderers and Birmingham City, will not participate in this round of fixtures. Conversely, Wrexham (third), Barnsley (fourth), and Lincoln City (fifth) are all set to play. Furthermore, the three teams at the bottom of the table—Burton Albion, Shrewsbury Town, and Cambridge United—will not have a game, while Crawley and Leyton Orient, positioned just above them, will compete. Caldwell conveyed his strong disapproval to BBC Radio Devon, stating, “I think it is a joke that the league still goes on when there’s international players.” He further questioned the current policy, asking, “If we can call games for three players why can’t we call it off for two players or why don’t we just not have it at all?” Caldwell emphasized the prevalence of international players in the division, noting, “League One is full of international players and most teams get games called off.” He also expressed concern about the league’s integrity, adding, “I think it devalues the league a little bit when we have to play our game without our two best players and I think it’s something we have to look at.” Despite his criticism, Caldwell affirmed confidence in his team’s depth, concluding, “But we’ve no problem next week in terms of what we do about it, it’s a squad game, we believe in everyone in the squad and somebody has to come in and step up to the mark to replace these players next week.”