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Frank Ribery

RIO DE JANEIRO. — Elite professional footballers may be pampered like royalty, but near constant training and gruelling club and country commitments are taking their toll on the World Cup before the tournament even kicks off in Brazil.Frank Ribery, Radamel Falcao, Theo Walcott and several other big names will be watching the World Cup in between trips to the doctor or physio.Dutch coach Raymond Verheijen, who has in the past helped condition Netherlands, South Korean and Russian players for European Championships and World Cups, has long been a critic of over-training and blamed it for increasing injuries.

“Their players are still fit, but they are tired,” he said in a telephone interview. “Players have to rest. It’s the opposite of club preparations at the start of a season.”

He called the intensive training regimes of many national coaches “Russian roulette,” saying that over-training is a key cause of muscle injuries.

Former Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio told Gazetta dello Sport that England’s campaign in the strength-sapping heat of Brazil will likely suffer due to the English Premier League’s non-stop season. “They do not have a winter break,” Di Canio said. “It’s nice to play at Christmas, but they pay the price for this in June when the fatigue can be devastating.”

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said he has not considered resting Neymar or any other players because of the recent wave of injuries. Nevertheless, Verheijen says such matches are vital to coaches in forging one team out of players from several different clubs. “They have to build up rhythm,” he said.

Sometimes, players can be one another’s worst enemies. Netherlands winger Arjen Robben was furious at a hard tackle from behind by Ghana defender Rashid Sumaila last month. Friendly games are often far from friendly, as Brazil and Serbia showed in a feisty game on Friday.

“I’d have liked to hit him, but you can’t do that,” Robben, who was not injured, said after the match. The lengthening list of absentees from the World Cup starting in Sao Paulo on Thursday would form a strong world all-star team.

News of the partial ligament tear in Reus’ left ankle came a day after France winger Franck Ribery pulled out of the tournament after failing to overcome a back injury. Monaco striker Falcao was left out of Colombia’s squad after failing to recover from a knee injury.

Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal said he had to jettison his preferred 4-3-3 formation after key midfielder Kevin Strootman wrecked his knee playing for AS Roma. Among other players absent from football’s greatest stage:

Belgium striker Christian Benteke ruptured an Achilles tendon.

Mexican midfielders Juan Carlos Medina, who injured his ankle during practice three weeks ago and Luis Montes, who broke his right fibula in a match against Ecuador last Saturday.

Croatia lost its only left back Danijel Pranjic during a friendly against Australia.

Spanish goalkeeper Victor Valdes tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in March.

Veteran Netherlands midfielder Rafael van der Vaart is out with a calf muscle injury. — AFP.