"Greece beat some of the best teams in the tournament," said Ferguson, "and there's no evidence that the wrong teams were in the final. On the other hand, it was obvious that some of the big name players were tired, and as far as those footballers in our Premiership are concerned, it's really about time for their sakes to look again at a mid-winter break.
"We've asked for it before and been turned down, but this head in the sand attitude is a blow to the future of the game. Manchester United played nine games in December, and if all the sides had had January available in which to rest injuries, and just generally recuperate, then both clubs and countries would feel the benefit."
But the man from The Times has a pertinent observation:
'It might, of course, be easier for the authorities to adopt a more sympathetic view if clubs like United and Real Madrid did not go gallivanting around the globe in high-profile pre-season matches designed to attract commercial revenue rather than the gentle warm-ups they once were.'