Soccer-Expanded Club World Cup is football's worst idea, says Klopp
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Juergen Klopp press conference - Salzburg, Austria - January 14, 2025 Red Bull's Global Head of Soccer Juergen Klopp during a press conference announcing his new role REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth/File Photo
(Reuters) -Former Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has criticised the introduction of the expanded Club World Cup format, calling it the worst idea ever implemented in football.
In an interview with German newspaper Die Welt published late on Friday Klopp said the tournament would put more strain on an already packed calendar for the players.
The expanded format features a 32-team event held every four years during the pre-season, in the summers between major international tournaments.
"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," Klopp said.
"There are people who have never been involved in the day-to-day business of football and are now coming up with ideas."
Klopp pointed out that today's players are getting less and less time to rest, warning that adding another tournament was potentially dangerous for their health.
"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," the German said.
"There's no real recovery for those involved, neither physically nor mentally."
Klopp, who ended his highly successful nine-year stint with Liverpool in 2024, is now head of global soccer for Red Bull, owners of several clubs including RB Leipzig and New York Red Bulls.
Klopp was also asked if he would like to coach again.
"I don't want that anymore. I have a job now that fulfils me and is also intense. I don't sleep in the morning and I don't go to bed later at night, but I can organise my work much better," he said.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Ed Osmond)
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