ANTONIO CONTE today criticised football’s key governing bodies for putting the “show” ahead of player welfare but urged his Tottenham squad to face their difficult situation with a smile when Liverpool visit on Sunday.

The Italian took aim at Fifa, Uefa, the Premier League and English Football League today after watching the injuries mount up for his team in recent weeks.

Cristian Romero, Richarlison and Son Heung Min will definitely miss the clash with Liverpool and the trio are all in a race against time to be fit for the World Cup, which gets under way on November 20.

There are also doubts over Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Moura but Dejan Kulusevski could return this weekend after missing almost two months with a hamstring issue.

Conte has repeatedly criticised the decision by Fifa to play the World Cup mid-season but also took aim at the Premier League and Uefa for the “impossible situation” they have created with games every three days before he ended his press conference by questioning why the EFL has arranged the League Cup fourth round to be a matter of days after the World Cup final.

“Many times I hear about the welfare of the players but it is only a polite way to show that you are really interested in the welfare of the players, because they are not really worried about the welfare of the players if the schedule is this,” he said.

“In every moment you show that the most important thing is the show must go on and then please I don’t want to hear in the future, to listen about people speaking about the welfare of the players because this is not true.

“We knew it was crazy to put a World Cup during the league and the Champions League. This type of schedule is crazy.

“Honestly, it is really strange in England that we start to play three days after the final of the World Cup. We are the only country to do it.

“Italy, France, Spain and Portugal and other countries, they are taking time to give rest and to breathe a bit. I find it crazy that December 21, after three days from the final, we are going to play a game in the [League] Cup. I find this crazy.

“After three more days you have to play in the Premier League. The show must go on, this is the truth, but honestly I don’t like it.”

Son was the latest player to suffer an injury on Tuesday following a collision with Chancel Mbemba, which left the South Korea international requiring surgery today to “stabilise a fracture around his left eye.”

Conte was unable to provide an update on the attacker but did reveal Kulusevski could play a part on Sunday.