Chelsea boss lashes out at Club World Cup organisers after yet another weather delay
Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Round of 16 - Benfica v Chelsea - Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. - June 28, 2025 Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca celebrates after the match REUTERS/Mike Segar
Chelsea boss lashes out at Club World Cup organisers after yet another weather delay
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina - Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca lashed out after a two-hour weather delay disrupted his team's last-16 Club World Cup victory over Benfica on Saturday, suggesting the United States was not a suitable country for the competition - a year before it is due to host the men's World Cup.
Chelsea beat Benfica 4-1 in extra-time to qualify for the quarter-finals after a game that ended four hours and 39 minutes after kicking off, following a two-hour interruption due to a storm warning.
It was the sixth time that a game was stopped at the 32-club tournament because of the risk of lightning.
"For me personally, it's not football," Maresca told a press conference. "I think it's a joke. It's not football.
"I can understand that for security reasons, you have to suspend the game. But if you suspend seven or eight games, that means that probably this is not the right place to do this competition.
"It's a fantastic competition. It's the Club World Cup, all the best clubs are here," he added.
"But six, seven games suspended? It's not normal. In a World Cup how many have they suspended? Probably zero. In a European (championship), how many games? Zero. There is some problem."
FIFA, which organised the tournament, was not immediately available for comment.
Chelsea were 1-0 up when the players were asked to leave the pitch and play only resumed almost two hours later.
"The game was very good for 85 minutes, then we stopped for two hours, and when we started it was a completely different game. It's not the same game because you break the tempo," Maresca said. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Verstappen out of Austrian Grand Prix
Formula One F1 - Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria - June 29, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen looks dejected after crashing out during the race REUTERS/Gintare Karpaviciute Formula One F1 - Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria - June 29, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen looks dejected after crashing out during the race REUTERS/Gintare Karpaviciute Formula One F1 - Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria - June 29, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen looks on before his car is taken off the track after he crashes out REUTERS/Gintare Karpaviciute Formula One F1 - Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria - June 29, 2025 Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull's Max Verstappen crash out during the race REUTERS/Gintare Karpaviciute Formula One F1 - Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria - June 29, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen looks dejected after crashing out during the race REUTERS/Gintare Karpaviciute SPIELBERG, Austria - Max Verstappen suffered his first retirement of the Formula One season on Sunday after a collision with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli on the opening lap of Red Bull's home Austrian Grand Prix. The four-times world champion had started seventh on the grid, with Italian rookie Antonelli ninth, at a circuit where he has won a record five times. Antonelli, who clearly caused the Turn Three collision, also retired and the safety car was deployed. "I'm out, I got hit like crazy," Verstappen, third in the championship going into the race, said over the team radio. "Sorry about that, I locked the rear," Antonelli told his team. The retirement ended a run of 31 grands prix in the points for the Dutch driver, whose fans throng in their thousands to the Red Bull Ring. The race had started later than scheduled after Carlos Sainz's Williams was stuck on the grid as cars moved away for the formation lap. Sainz eventually got going and returned to the pitlane, where his car's brakes caught fire before being extinguished by mechanics with smoke still billowing out as he was pushed back and into retirement. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Kleyn ruled out of Springboks squad to face Italy due to injury
CAPE TOWN - South Africa lock Jean Kleyn has left the Springboks squad preparing for Saturday's test with Italy in Pretoria following an unspecified injury picked up in the 54-7 win over the Barbarians, officials have confirmed. The 31-year-old will return to his Irish club Munster to undergo rehabilitation, suggesting the injury is a serious one. "We feel for Jean, but injuries are part of the game, and we are fortunate to have good depth at lock within the squad so there is no need for us to replace him at this stage," Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus said. Kleyn partnered Lood de Jager in the second row in Saturday's win over the Barbarians in Cape Town, with the latter playing his first game for the side in two years following shoulder issues. South Africa have two tests against Italy in July and a further fixture with Georgia before they start their Rugby Championship title defence in August. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Marc Marquez wins Dutch Grand Prix but brother Alex crashes out
MotoGP - Grand Prix of Netherlands -TT Circuit Assen, Assen, Netherlands - June 29, 2025 Ducati Lenovo Team's Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez in action during the race REUTERS/Yves Herman ASSEN, Netherlands - Ducati's Marc Marquez won the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday despite starting on the second row as the MotoGP championship leader claimed his sixth victory of the season while his nearest contender and brother Alex fractured his hand in a crash. As Assen celebrated 100 years of racing at the Cathedral of Speed, it was Marc who took the lead on lap two and never looked back, with Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi finishing second while Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia came third. Bagnaia had won the last three races in Assen but despite taking the lead early on, he was pushed down to fourth place before he recovered to finish on the podium ahead of KTM's Pedro Acosta. The result moves Marc 68 points clear of his brother Alex in the championship while Bagnaia is 126 points behind in third after 10 rounds. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
