'We can't build the future of women's football on friendlies'

The future of the women's game cannot be "built on friendlies", says Uefa's head of women's football, Nadine Kessler, as she outlines the reasoning for introducing a women's Nations League.

Speaking exclusively to Telegraph Sport, in her first newspaper interview since announcing the competition last month, the European women's game's most powerful figure insists the Nations League will not create an extra burden on player load, as Uefa seeks to reduce the number of friendlies instead.

"If we really truly care about the development of women's football, we cannot build the future of women’s football on friendly matches any more," the 34-year-old former Germany star said. National-team football deserves a proper sportingly-interesting competition that at some point can be marketable.

"We wanted to create a competition that provides meaningful, competitive matches and this [the Nations League] hopefully provides the competition we’ve all been longing for. It was really something that the whole of European football wanted, everyone advocated for it."

Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/12/07/nadine-kessler-exclusive-cant-build-future-womens-football-friendlies/