Criticism of club World Cup: Guardiola and Klopp warn of playing player!

Criticism of club World Cup: Guardiola and Klopp warn of playing player!

The upcoming FIFA Club World Championship, which takes place in the new format with 32 participating teams in June 2025, is already causing intensive discussions. The tournament, which will be held in the United States from June 14 to July 13, takes place in a narrow time framework, shortly after the end of the Bundesliga season and the Nation's League final. This temporal density could lead to a "brutal burden" for the players, warns Julian Nagelsmann, the national coach of Germany. These concerns are underpinned by a Swedish long -term study that shows an increase in thigh injuries among professional footballers.

The clubs are faced with the challenge of managing the physical stress of their players. According to the international player union Fifpro, there should be an upper limit of 55 games per season to protect the health of the athletes. Despite these warnings, however, there are progress in the sale of ticket quotas. Measures such as price cuts were introduced by FIFA to promote ticket sales. Nevertheless, the sale runs sluggish, especially for games without internationally popular clubs.

criticism of tournament format

The criticism of the club World Cup is vehemently according to Jürgen Klopp, the trainer of Liverpool. Klopp described the expansion of the format as "the worst idea that was ever implemented in football" and warned of the negative effects on the recovery of the players. In addition, Guardiola, coach of Manchester City, emphasized that exhaustion through the tournament could have negative consequences for his team's squad.

Guardiola shows understanding for Klopp's sharp criticism and demands more rest periods for players and trainers to ensure the quality of the game. At a time when the players have an average of over 65 missions per season, such demands are more than justified. Both trainers share the view that an overload of the athletes must be avoided to prevent injuries and loss of performance.

Manchester City and the club World Cup

Manchester City will compete against Al-Hilal in the round of 16 of the club World Cup after winning 2-0 in the pre-qualification against Wydad. Guardiola, proud that his club is represented at this prestigious tournament, emphasizes that the trainers cannot be responsible for organizing the competitions. Regardless of the concerns about exhaustion and the risk of injury, Guardiola has respect for FIFA's efforts to organize this tournament.

The economic aspects of the tournament also raise questions, especially in view of the uncertainties regarding TV contracts and the slow ticket sales. Inter Miami received the host place, although the club did not become a master of the MLS, which further heated up the discussions about equal opportunities in international football.

In the coming weeks, it will be shown how the situation around the club World Cup develops and the to what extent the concerns of the coaches and players are taken seriously. The voices of Guardiola and Klopp could be crucial to illustrate the need for changes in football.

While the preparations for the tournament continue, it remains to be seen how the challenges mentioned above will affect the implementation and sporting performance of the participating teams. The club world championship could not only be a sporty, but also an organizational test field for FIFA.

For more information on the critical voices around the club World Cup, read the reports from t-online and Merkur .