Worst idea ever implemented in football,’ Klopp basts Club World Cup

Abdullateef Fowewe

The former Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, has delivered a scathing critique of FIFA’s newly expanded Club World Cup, warning of dire consequences for player health and the sport’s future.

Speaking to German outlet Welt, Klopp called the tournament “the worst idea ever implemented in football,” adding, “People who have never had anything to do with day-to-day business are coming up with ideas”.

Klopp, who led Liverpool to Club World Cup victory in 2019, argued that the new 32-team format places an unsustainable burden on elite players.

“There is no real time for the players involved to recover – neither physically nor mentally,” he said.

“Tournaments like the Club World Cup cannot be held at the expense of the players. I fear that next season there will be unprecedented injuries. If not during the season, then during or after the World Cup”.

He also dismissed financial justifications for the tournament noting, “The argument about the money received for participation is crazy, because it does not apply to all clubs”.

Klopp compared the situation to the NBA, noting, “NBA players also earn a lot of money, but they have four months of vacation a year. Virgil van Dijk never had such a break in his entire career”.