Jürgen Klopp calls FIFA Club World Cup 'pointless', says 'whoever wins will be worst winner'; fans spark debate on federation's greed
When all eyes are on PSG vs Inter Miami, one of the most awaited matches of the FIFA Club World Cup, a statement issued by Jürgen Klopp, the former manager of Liverpool, has sparked an online debate. On Friday, Klopp criticised the expanded FIFA Club World Cup 2025 design, declaring it the worst football concept ever.
According to KhelNow, the new Club World Cup features 32 teams who are competing in a tournament, up from seven, and the future tournaments are planned to take place every four years.
While speaking about the same in an interview with the German publication Die Welt, Klopp stated that the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 would further tax the players' already full schedule.
Jürgen Klopp thinks the FIFA Club World Cup is a pointless competition
Every four years, in the summers between major global tournaments, a 32-team event will be planned as a part of the enlarged format. Regarding the same, Klopp highlighted that winning the tournament is not really worth it, apart from the amount of money the winning team gets.
🚨🗣️ Jürgen Klopp has launched a scathing critique of the FIFA Club World Cup, branding it 'the worst idea about football ever.' 🤯‼️'People who don't know football make decisions about football and players — like they make decisions in their daily lives,' he said. 'It doesn't… pic.twitter.com/iyAqLdXO21
'It's a pointless competition. Whoever wins it will be the worst winner of all time because they'll have played all summer and then gone straight back into the league," he said.
"There are people who have never been involved in the day-to-day business of football and are now coming up with ideas.'
Jürgen Klopp warns that another event could be harmful to players' health
Adding to his statements, Klopp warned people that adding another such event could be harmful to the players' health, as they are having less and less time to recover these days. "It's too many games. I fear that next season we will see injuries like never before. If not then, they'll come during or after the Club World Cup. There's no real recovery for those involved, neither physically nor mentally," he said.
Jürgen Klopp's statement sparks discussion online
As soon as the interview surfaced on social media, it quickly sparked discussions on Reddit among fans and netizens. While some also agreed with Klopp's statement and said, "Here's the thing… People in charge at FIFA don't care about anything other than making money."
While one said, "I get that it is easy to blame the big bad FIFA and UEFA, but these organisations don't act without the clubs support. If the clubs really opposed the CWC it wouldn't have happened. After the Super League debacle, clubs made it clear they wanted an alternative revenue stream instead and here we are."
"I don't think ppl have fully eternalized yet that this CWC would never have happened if not for the biggest clubs in the world independently trying to break off and form a super-league," one added.
While he even questioned if anyone declined it, one replied, saying, "Barcelona did. They even lost to Inter on purpose as a form of protest."
Jürgen Klopp on the possibility of making a coaching comeback
Jürgen Klopp, who stepped down from his role at Liverpool in 2024 after an incredibly successful nine-year stint, is now serving as Red Bull's global head of football. The company owns several clubs, including Bundesliga side RB Leipzig and Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls.
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