Klopp slams expanded FIFA Club World Cup as ‘worst idea in football,' warns of injury crisis due to packed calendar
Former Liverpool manager Germany's Jurgen Klopp has criticised the new expanded FIFA Club World Cup format, calling it the worst idea ever implemented in football. Klopp said the FIFA Club World Cup would put more strain on an already packed calendar for the players.
'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. There are people who have never been involved in the day-to-day business of football and are now coming up with ideas,' said Klopp to the German newspaper Die Welt.
The new Club World Cup is a supersized version of what used to be a short tournament with only seven teams. The new edition includes 32 teams from around the world and will be held every four years. As its name suggests, it's envisioned to be a club version of the World Cup for national teams.
The German also 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,' Klopp said. There's no real recovery for those involved, neither physically nor mentally.'
Klopp was also asked if he would like to coach again to which he replied: '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.
Klopp, who ended his highly successful nine-year stint with Liverpool in 2024, is now head of global football for Red Bull, owners of several clubs including RB Leipzig and New York Red Bulls.
The Club World Cup has been expanded from seven teams to 32 and will emulate the men's and women's World Cups. Eight groups of four teams will play in a round robin mini league, with the top two advancing to a knockout stage, which runs from the round of 16 through to the final.
(With inputs from agency)
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