July 4 – The Club World Cup was supposed to be FIFA’s grand statement. Instead, it’s turning into a cautionary tale about what happens when world domination ambition meets meteorological reality.
Ten Juventus players begging to be substituted during their defeat to Real Madrid in Miami, wilting under 30-degree heat and 70% humidity. Borussia Dortmund’s substitutes hiding in the dressing room during the first half, unable to cope with conditions. Six matches suspended due to thunderstorms, including a two-hour delay that turned Chelsea’s victory over Benfica into an endurance test more akin to the hit show ‘Survivor’ than a football match
This is FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup – rapidly becoming Exhibit A in the case against football’s overcrowded calendar.
“We’re devaluing the product and it’s a shame because if I’m a US fan and that’s my first exposure to soccer, that’s not good,” says Maheta Molango, PFA chief executive.
“We need to be mindful we’re competing with other sports and they’re very good at entertainment. Then it becomes a very poor comparison,” Molango continues.
“We’ve reached a stage where the quality is dropping, because there’s no way you can have a good game if you play at 4pm in Mexico. It’s impossible, because the players themselves say to you ‘I cannot. I need to manage my efforts’ – which would mean what you see on the pitch is not good, the audiences drop, it’s as simple as that. This is all about money.”
Last week, former Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp called the competition “the worst idea ever implemented in football.” Global players’ union Fifpro insisted players needed at least a four-week off-season break. Their warnings have proven prophetic.
“It’s this feeling of accumulation of competitions that just do not talk to each other and create a calendar that is just nonsensical,” Molango adds. “Let’s see what happens in October, November [to players] – that’s when you’re going to start seeing because you pay the price.”
Pep Guardiola, ever the pragmatist, understood the reality. “Would I love to have two months to prepare for next season? Yes. Would I love to be refreshed for next season? Yes. But it is what it is,” he said before City were knocked out by Al-Hilal.
“My hope is that people now, even from a pure business perspective, will see that it does not make sense,” Molango concludes, though his optimism feels misplaced.
Legal challenges are mounting. The PFA and European unions have filed suit over the “overloaded and unworkable” calendar. “This is much more of a political one. It’s fair to say we are pretty confident the Commission will show an interest in probably taking the case, which is unusual,” Molango explains.
The Club World Cup was meant to be FIFA’s American dream. Instead, it’s becoming their sweltering nightmare.
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