La Liga president launches scathing criticism at Club World Cup to heap more pressure on FIFA
La Liga president launches scathing criticism at Club World Cup to heap more pressure on FIFA
La Liga president Javier Tebas has unleashed a scathing attack on the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup, branding it a threat to the very fabric of global football.
In a strongly worded statement during a recent La Liga event, Tebas didn't hold back, calling for the competition to be scrapped altogether.
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'My goal is to ensure there are no more Club World Cups – that's very clear,' he said (via the Daily Mail).
The revamped tournament now features 32 teams competing in the United States for a chance to be crowned world champions. However, it has sparked considerable controversy.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino was confident about selling enough tickets to fill out stadiums, but the early signs have been massively underwhelming.
In the build-up to the curtain raiser between Lionel Messi-led Major League Soccer side Inter Miami and Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly, ticket sales were at an all-time low.
FIFA were forced to slash the prices, but it made little difference. The sight of empty seats at Chelsea's opening match against Los Angeles FC was also damning.
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Just over 22,000 fans attended the 71,000-seater Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, leaving a large section of the venue closed due to low demand.
Tebas pointed to the disappointing turnout as evidence that the competition is a flop.
The 62-year-old admitted he had watched 25 minutes of Chelsea's 2-0 win over Los Angeles but slammed the fixture for looking like 'a pre-season friendly', saying 'I didn't see any intensity'.
Asked if improvements could be made for future editions, he said: 'There are no dates.
''There's no need for yet another competition that moves money to a sector of clubs and players and comes from somewhere. We have to maintain the ecosystem and eliminate it.
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'Keep it as it was before, which was a weekend. There's no way, neither in terms of dates, nor economics, nor maintaining the sustainability of football.'
The Club World Cup has been a massive failure on Infantino's part. The tournament has failed to gather the attendance or attention he claimed it would.
Things could pick up in the knockout stage, but the early signs are not promising.
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