FIFPro warns of 'wake-up call' over extreme heat at Club World Cup
With the 2026 World Cup across North America on the horizon, a FIFPro study warned that six of the 16 venues for next year's tournament present an "extremely high risk" of heat-stress injury for players -- including Miami which is one of the cities hosting games at the Club World Cup.
"This tournament is probably a really good wake-up call for everyone to look at the scheduling of matches in future tournaments," said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPro's director of policy and strategic relations.
Many matches during the Club World Cup have kicked off at midday local time or at 3:00 pm. Atletico Madrid's Marcos Llorente complained of conditions being "impossible, a terrible heat" as his team lost 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in searing temperatures in Pasadena.
"We have a couple of tournaments ahead of us where we will look at that side," Bielefeld added, with the World Cup next year now an obvious concern as well as the 2030 tournament set to be played in challenging summer heat in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
The organisation's general secretary, Alex Phillips, said FIFPro had been in discussions with FIFA, world football's governing body, about avoiding playing matches at the hottest times of the day at certain venues.
However, he admitted they cannot ultimately do anything if, for example, FIFA chooses to play matches early in the afternoon in the United States in order to suit a prime-time audience in Europe.
"That is basically what has happened with this tournament. We make a submission not to kick off at certain times, but then we have no veto," said Phillips.
"Based on this experience they are likely to be more flexible but we have no absolute power to force anything.
"We will do our best to try to influence the outcome but without any formal coercive powers."
The union said it was happy with some measures put in place to deal with high temperatures at the Club World Cup, such as making more water and cold towels available by the pitch for players.
"We are partially happy because FIFA have been quite responsive, once the tournament was underway," Phillips said.
Longer half-time break?
Yet Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPro's medical director, suggested that half-time could be extended from 15 minutes to 20 minutes in the event of high temperatures.
He also said that current protocols surrounding drinks breaks should be modified, insisting that stopping games half an hour into each half to allow players to rest and take on fluids was not enough.
"We are looking at more regular cooling breaks, shorter ones, but maybe every 15 minutes," he said.
As well as issues with heat, six matches at the Club World Cup have been hit by lengthy delays due to widely-used rules in the United States that require outdoor sporting events to be halted if there is a chance of thunderstorms.
FIFPro said it understood the inconvenience of those delays to matches but insisted its focus for now was on the dangers of excess temperatures.
"It is at the moment a legal requirement in some US states so I don't think there is much football can do at this point," Bielefeld said of the interruptions.
"Football would always take a health and safety approach.
© 2025 AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Man City left to reflect on Club World Cup exit as tournament opens up
City had travelled to the United States off the back of a disappointing campaign both in England and in Europe. They had looked ominous at the Club World Cup, scoring 13 goals en route to being the only team to win all three group matches. There was promise shown by pre-tournament signings Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki, but City's run abruptly ended with a 4-3 extra-time loss against the Saudi side in Orlando. But could going out now benefit them in the long run? "No one wanted to lose, we are very used to not having holidays unfortunately because the schedule is crazy," City's Bernardo Silva told UK media after what was their 61st match since last August. "But when we are in a competition we take it very seriously and we had a lot of ambition for this Club World Cup and we wanted to win it." Guardiola said before facing Al-Hilal that he understood criticism of the Club World Cup by former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who called the competition "the worst idea ever implemented in football". "Maybe in November, December or January it will be a disaster, we are exhausted and the World Cup has destroyed us," Guardiola contemplated before facing Al-Hilal. Now City go home almost two weeks before the final, and the time to rest will be precious. "We would have loved to have continued, you can only be here once every four years, we had a feeling that the team is doing well but we go home and now it is time to rest and rest our minds for the new season," Guardiola said. There are more than six weeks until City play their opening Premier League game away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 16. That should be ample time for the City players to rest and then ease themselves back in, including Rodri. The Spanish midfielder was being eased back into action after missing most of the last campaign with injury. He came off the bench against Al-Hilal but was substituted in extra time. "We have to see how Rodri is. He was good but later complained about his situation," Guardiola said. Al-Hilal flex Saudi muscle City still leave with significant prize money, likely to be around $40 million, for their participation at the Club World Cup. Their exit means one of the semi-finalists is guaranteed to come from outside Europe, as Al-Hilal now face Fluminense in the last four. Rio de Janeiro outfit Fluminense joined fellow Brazilians Palmeiras in making the quarters when the 2023 Copa Libertadores winners ousted Inter Milan in the last 16 on Monday. Fluminense have shown they should not be taken lightly, with 40-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea defender Thiago Silva marshalling their back line and Colombian winger Jhon Arias proving one of the players of the tournament. The narrative almost since the beginning at the tournament has been of Brazilian teams appearing most likely to stop what had always seemed an inevitable European triumph. But the last two years have shown that only a select band of mega-rich clubs in the Saudi Pro League can rival the spending of Europe's elite. Al-Hilal, from the capital Riyadh, are one of several Saudi teams who have been controlled by the Gulf country's oil-funded Public Investment Fund. They missed out on this year's domestic title to Al-Ittihad of Jeddah but are historically Saudi Arabia's most successful team and qualified for the Club World Cup thanks to their AFC Champions League win in 2021. Simone Inzaghi left Inter Milan to become their coach just before the tournament, taking over a squad full of players lured from leading European teams by the riches on offer. Al-Hilal must now be favourites against Fluminense, which would clear a path to a semi-final against Chelsea or Palmeiras.
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Sri Lanka eye top-three spot in ODI rankings
After finishing ninth in the 2023 World Cup and missing out on a Champions Trophy berth, the islanders have staged a commendable turnaround, notching up series wins against heavyweights India and Australia. That purple patch has propelled them to fourth in the ICC ODI rankings, but skipper Charith Asalanka insists they are not resting on their laurels. "We are happy with our progress, but we're not reading too much into rankings just yet," Asalanka told reporters on the eve of the series opener at the R. Premadasa Stadium. "Our goal is to break into the top three. There's still plenty of room for improvement, and this series is another step towards that." The series comes amidst tweaks to playing conditions that captains are still coming to grips with — particularly the rule regarding the use of balls in the final stretch of an innings. Previously, two new balls were used from either end throughout the 50 overs. Under the revised rule, the fielding side will continue to operate with two balls but must pick one to be used exclusively from the 35th over onwards. "It's something new and we're all still figuring out how to navigate it," said Asalanka. "It changes the dynamic of the death overs — how we bowl, how batters finish. It's a learning curve for everyone." Sri Lanka received a timely boost with all-rounder Milan Rathnayake declared fit after missing the second Test against Bangladesh due to a side strain. However, his inclusion will depend on the team's balance, with spin-bowling all-rounder Dunith Wellalage also in contention. Bangladesh turn to younger generation Bangladesh, meanwhile, arrive with a fresh look. All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz has taken over the reins from Najmul Hossain Shanto and the side is clearly in a rebuilding phase with veterans like Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and Soumya Sarkar either retired or out of favour. "We'll definitely miss our seniors," said Mehidy. "They've served Bangladesh cricket for a long time, and their absence leaves a big gap. But this is a chance for the younger boys to put their hands up." With the next World Cup two years away, the visitors see this series as a springboard to blood fresh talent. "This is a good platform to test our bench strength," Mehidy added. "We've brought some exciting young players here and it's an opportunity for them to establish their spots." While Sri Lanka sit comfortably at number four, Bangladesh — languishing in 10th — have plenty to play for. A series win would see them leapfrog West Indies into ninth place, keeping their hopes alive for automatic qualification to the next World Cup to be staged in Africa in 2027. "Every game is important," Mehidy said. "We know what's at stake. A series win here will go a long way in our qualification push." The second ODI will also take place in Colombo on Saturday, before the action shifts to the hill capital of Kandy for the final game at Pallekele on Tuesday. The tour will conclude with a three-match T20I series.
France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
Barcelona's Ansu Fati aims to kick-start career in Monaco
Fati becomes Monaco's third summer signing, following England international defender Eric Dier and 2018 French World Cup winner Paul Pogba, both of whom arrived on free transfers. The three players will be officially presented to the press on Thursday. The 22-year-old Fati completed his medical with Barcelona agreeing a season-long loan with option to buy for 11 million euros ($13 million). According to a source close to the clubs, Barcelona will cover a significant portion of Fati's salary. However, the Spanish club will receive a significant profit on any potential resale. Born in Guinea Bissau, Fati made his professional debut with Barcelona at the age of 16. He played 123 matches for the club, scoring 29 goals, and won Spanish league titles in 2023 and 2025 and two Spanish Cup trophies. A Spanish international with 11 caps and two goals he played in the 2022 World Cup and was on the winning 2023 Nations League team. After a very complicated season hampered by numerous injury-related absences, with only 11 matches played and no goals scored, Fati will now attempt to relaunch his career in the Principality. He failed to excel during a loan spell in 2023-2024 at Brighton in the Premier League, with four goals in 27 matches in all competitions. © 2025 AFP
