Chelsea coach Maresca says US 'is not the right place' for Club World Cup after lightning delay
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca criticized FIFA for holding the Club World Cup in the United States after his club's match against Benfica on Saturday was delayed for two hours due to lightning and took nearly five hours to complete.
Fans were told to vacate the seating bowl of Bank of America Stadium with four minutes left in regulation, although it never rained at the venue. Chelsea went on to beat Benfica 4-1 in extra time.
If 'they are already suspending six, seven eight games, probably there is something that is not working well,' Maresca said, adding that the United States 'is not the right place to do this competition.'
Extreme heat has been an issue throughout the tournament, with temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) at some venues during daytime matches scheduled to accommodate European television audiences. Several matches have been delayed by rain.
After the lengthy delay on Saturday, Benfica made a late push and scored the equalizer on a stoppage-time penalty.
Chelsea captain Reece James said players 'had to sit and wait for a long period, and it's quite disruptive.'
With the expanded Club World Cup serving as a dry run for next year's 48-team World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, FIFA has been criticized over pitch conditions and match scheduling as well as its handling of the weather.
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Not only are they all domestic based, but they are also extremely in demand with lots of other top clubs making bids too. Mbeumo was always going to have his pick of clubs, as were Olise and Huijsen, and all of those have more financial power than Newcastle; namely Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Although the project is an exciting one, there is only so much they can offer in terms of wages in the current climate. Newcastle does struggle with PSR more than most, and some are asking valid questions. about the fairness of the rules. Arguably nobody else is shopping for players above the allowance of its revenue streams; Aston Villa has, but sells key assets to offset the effects. Revenue has grown from £140m ($192m) in 2021 to £320m in 2024 and that trajectory will only continue, but signing 'in demand' players will always be difficult. The club isn't getting the most out of its opportunity within the restrictions either. 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Interest in Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman was rife too, but Newcastle again acted swiftly with a strong desire to secure them after others didn't move. It also explains why those deals can be done away from the headlines, because there isn't as much talk around them. LEIPZIG, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 09: Xavi Simons of RB Leipzig celebrates his goal during the Bundesliga ... More match between RB Leipzig and FC St. Pauli 1910 at Red Bull Arena on February 09, 2025 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by) There have been links with players who fit that description this summer, and Newcastle is expected to look at other targets if no progress can be made after recent bids. Giorgio Scalvini is an extremely highly-rated defender playing for Atalanta in Italy; he is expected to develop into an elite centre back, but a serious knee injury has cooled speculation and reduced his value to a reported £40m ($55m). Now would be the time to act. Similarly, Dutch playmaker Xavi Simons has been on the radar of a number of clubs, having come through the Barcelona academy before moving to Paris Saint-Germain. Last year, when he joined RB Leipzig, the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester United were interested, after his impressive Euro 2024 campaign which included a goal against England in the semi-final. But it has been clear he wants to leave the German club after failure to qualify for Europe for some weeks and nobody has swooped, perhaps because he isn't 'Premier League proven'. His reported valuation is £60m ($82m), the same as Brighton want for Joao Pedro and Forest want for Elanga, but he has played in thw Champions League. That is the kind of chance they took before; his situation is extremely similiat to Isak's. Why not move now? Newcastle has promised a lot this summer, there is a need to strengthen considerably and the ability to make that a reality. But it needs to be clever in the market; trying to sign players bigger rivals are after hasn't worked before. If Chelsea successfully move for Joao Pedro, a change of approach is required.
