Jürgen Klopp describes the Club World Cup as “the worst idea in the history of football”
German coach Jürgen Klopp, the former manager of Liverpool, has joined the chorus of critics of the Club World Cup being held in the United States, labeling it “the worst idea ever executed in the world of football.”
In a statement to the German newspaper “Welt,” Klopp expressed his deep concern over the mounting pressure on players, saying: “Last year, there was the Copa America and the Euros. This year, there is the Club World Cup, and next year there is the World Cup. There is no relief for the players, neither physically nor mentally.” He believes this situation threatens to lead to an unprecedented wave of injuries among international players in the upcoming seasons.
Klopp criticized the congested match schedule that does not allow players enough rest, adversely affecting their performance. He added: “We expect our players to give everything they have in every match, and we repeat this demand 70 to 75 times a year, but that’s not possible. Performance requires recovery, and if a player doesn’t get rest, their level will drop, along with the value of the game as a whole.”
He pointed out that his personal experience with Liverpool reflects this immense pressure, noting that he “only got two and a half weeks, during which all the team players were available to him,” before embarking on a grueling season that saw matches almost every three days for an entire year, which he described as “horrific.”
These statements come as criticism of FIFA intensifies due to the abundance of competitions and overlap of tournaments, with growing calls to reconsider the global football calendar to protect player health and sustain the game.
