Infantino declares Club World Cup success, despite critics
Infantino said he preferred to have more fans in larger stadiums even if it meant they did not fill them and suggested stadiums with roofs could be prioritised for day games during next year's World Cup which will also be hosted in the United States along with Canada and Mexico.
"Of course, every criticism that we receive is a source for us to study, to analyse to see what we can do better,' Infantino said at a media event at Trump Tower in New York on Saturday.
"I prefer to put, I don't know, 35,000 people in an 80,000-seater stadium rather than 20,000 in a 20,000-seater stadium," he said.
'The heat is definitely an issue. It's an issue all over the world… We have stadiums as well, which are covered. So, we'll definitely use these stadiums more in the day," added Infantino.
The FIFA president also said the idea that European spectators and clubs were particularly critical was not founded.
"We shouldn't say that the opinion of Europe on this is very bad because it's not true. I have been speaking to the teams who came here. They've all been happy to come here. To the fans who came here, they've all been happy to come here," Infantino said.
Brazilian great Ronaldo, who was at the event along with other former players, echoed the FIFA president and said the criticisms had been limited.
"I just saw two guys doing the critiques about FIFA Club World Cup. One of them, he hates everything else but the Liga," Ronaldo said.
"And the other - we respect the opinion, but I think as the president told you about the facts and the numbers and the enthusiasm of the people and the fans and the quality of the games, I think it has been a huge success."
With U.S. President Donald Trump set to attend the final, Infantino defended his close relationship to the current administration, saying it was fundamental to organise the mega events.
"(Trump) embraced, immediately, the importance of the FIFA Club World Cup. And then, of course, of the World Cup next year.
"You cannot even think of organising an event like this, like the Club World Cup… without the full engagement and full support of the government," he said.
Paris Saint-Germain will face Chelsea in the tournament's finale at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
6 minutes ago
- The Independent
Katie Taylor delivers hard truth to Amanda Serrano to end unforgettable boxing chapter
Katie Taylor had tears in her eyes as she walked to the Garden ring for one last time on Saturday night in New York. After ten rounds of perfection in front of 19,721 avid fans, she still had tears in her eyes as her hand was raised to end an unforgettable chapter in her remarkable life. It was her trilogy fight against Amanda Serrano; Taylor led by two wins to zero, but every second of every round had been fierce. Taylor's four world title belts were also a bounty, but nobody talked of such trivial things. On Saturday night, Taylor owned every inch of that hallowed canvas, every moment of an unexpected fight and, at times, Serrano looked lost and lonely. 'She needs me to stand in front of her, she needs me to stand and fight,' Taylor said in her dressing room late, late at night. It was clear that Serrano knew victory was beyond her on a night created for her revenge; Taylor refused to be bullied, refused to surrender her emotions and fight the savage brawl Serrano needed. It was not the fight the promotion expected and wanted, but it was the fight that Taylor needed to finish the trilogy three-zero and move away from any distant cries of robbery. Taylor was flawless and Serrano never had a single answer to the boxing lesson she was receiving. There was nothing wrong with Serrano's performance, she simply had no alternative plan, no way of solving Taylor's gentle skills. When it was done and the two boxers were buried under hugs, the scores were read: Taylor with two scores of 97-93, which means she won seven of the ten rounds, and a drawn verdict by the British judge, Mark Lyson. Serrano never complained, she knew she had been beaten, outclassed by a version of Taylor very few expected at her current age. The broadcast team, not surprisingly, witnessed an alternative fight and there were whispers at ringside that they had Serrano in front by a few rounds. They were not the first and they will not be the last broadcast team to read a fight incorrectly; it happens like a hidden virus, first one person goes down with it and then, after five rounds, everybody has the virus, and everybody is reading the fight wrong. The harsh realities of the midnight fight are that Serrano looked slow on the night, and it also looked like the pressure and expectation had finally got to her; Taylor and Serrano III was far more than a closing trilogy fight, far more than just another night for the Taylor files. Serrano was in place for revenge, that was the narrative, that was the slightly sickening feeling all week. There was a sense of dread, a sense that Serrano would win at all costs. Taylor removed the darkness of any wayward theories with simplicity, poise and accuracy. Katie knew what to do. Taylor took expectation out of the fight and fought like a dream during ten rounds of composed, skilled boxing. It was not the war Serrano wanted and needed, but it was a masterclass in the ancient art of self-defence, which is also known as boxing; Serrano needed it to be raw fighting. There was still drama; the crowd made sure of that and created a carnival atmosphere inside the ancient big room at Madison Square Garden. There was a real sense of history all week, a sense that Taylor and Serrano would leave something behind in the Garden ring for the ages. They had set records back in the same ring in April of 2022 when they first met; first women to top the bill at Madison Square, biggest gate for women, both boxers cleared a million. On Saturday night, they smashed all their previous records and the Garden's slopes – it feels that way when the venue is packed to capacity - were swaying under a canopy of fluttering flags of appreciation and devotion. At the end, well after midnight, I made my way through the back passages to Taylor's dressing room. It was a scene of utter joy. There had been more tears, hugs, kisses and screams. The little girl from Bray had silenced the night with a performance of pure brilliance. She had just a tiny mark or two on her face. And there was the smile. I also noticed on the wall, over her shoulder, a photograph of Frank Sinatra, the king of the city, holding a camera and leaning over a boxing canvas. It was a direct link with the Garden's greatest ever night of boxing; it was Sinatra working for Life magazine at the Fight of the Century on March 8, 1971. That was night Joe Frazier beat Muhammad Ali over 15 rounds to launch the seventies and make the Garden the spiritual home of boxing. Taylor, Sinatra, the canvas at the Garden, Ali and Frazier – that is the very definition of walking in the footsteps of giants. Katie Taylor is a giant – she might be back, she might not.
The Guardian
26 minutes ago
- The Guardian
World Cup will use more indoor venues for day-time kick-offs to combat heat
Fifa's president, Gianni Infantino, has said indoor air-conditioned venues will be used as much as possible for day-time kick-offs at the 2026 World Cup to combat expected high temperatures. Concerns have been raised about player welfare during the Club World Cup in the US, which will co-host next year's tournament with Canada and Mexico. Enzo Fernández described conditions during Chelsea's semi-final against Fluminense, when the temperature was 35C, as 'very dangerous'. Infantino said better use would be made of indoor air-conditioned venues in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Vancouver. There are 16 host venues – 11 in the US, two in Canada and three in Mexico. Vancouver has by far the coolest average June and July temperatures of the indoor venues. 'The heat is definitely an issue,' Infantino said. 'It's an issue around the world. I remember it was the same in the Olympics in Paris and in other football games. But we have stadiums in America that are covered and one in Canada in Vancouver and we will definitely use these stadiums more during the day.' Infantino declared the Club World Cup a huge financial success and said the revamped, 32-team tournament had generated close to £1.5bn in revenue. The competition concludes in New York on Sunday with a final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, which is due to be attended by Donald Trump. Infantino said: 'The golden era of global club football has started. We can say definitely this Fifa Club World Cup has been a huge, huge, huge success. Of course, there are a lot of positives, some negatives. We respect everyone's opinion. It has been successful. 'We heard financially it would not work but I can say we generated over $2bn (£1.48bn) in revenues with this competition. We earned on average $33m per match. There is no other cup competition in the world that comes close to $33m per match. It is already the most successful club competition in the world.' Infantino responded to criticism over poor attendances at some matches by saying 2.5m tickets were sold, equating to an average of 40,000 per match. 'There is no league in the world with that number, except the Premier League which, of course, has home teams.' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Infantino thanked Trump for his endorsement of the tournament. 'He loves the game,' he said. 'You cannot organise a competition like this without the full support of the government. Great thanks to president Trump – he has been fantastic and he is attending the final tomorrow as well.'
Telegraph
39 minutes ago
- Telegraph
How Chelsea can beat PSG to win Club World Cup final
Yet PSG have played the heat impressively. They have overwhelmed teams in periods and stretched them out of shape. Chelsea will have to find a way of conserving possession so they can try to do the same to their opposition. An afternoon of chasing the ball in the July heat of the marshlands of the Hackensack River plain, where the MetLife Stadium is located, will not be easy. 'Some places have been really hot,' Colwill said. 'The boys did really well in the last round because it was so hot. I was stuck watching it and thinking, 'Wow, this is so tough.' I felt bad for them but they managed it really well. When we play our football, we have the ball for the majority of the time and that helps a lot and we have to keep that going.' Match the athleticism and the overloads This Luis Enrique team loves to break quickly and, when they do so, they can suddenly put an opponent in a position where they are outnumbered. PSG do it all at such speed and with such precision that it can happen in the blink of an eye. Chelsea are a young team – albeit less polished than PSG – and they can cope with the physical demands, but the quality from PSG is on a level at which no one has been able to compete since the turn of the year. It goes without saying that Chelsea need their player of the season, Moisés Caicedo, in the team. Even if he is, it is by no means sure that the midfielder will be at his peak performance. A lot will hang on the first 30 minutes. If Chelsea can stay in the game, they will grow in confidence. Go behind early to PSG and, as Inter and Real have experienced, it can be very difficult once the game is stretched. 'I don't care, to be honest, that everyone is bigging up our opposition,' Reece James said. 'PSG have beaten all the English teams. They have an amazing team but we have an amazing team and have surprised a lot of people. We've come a long way on our journey from where we started. We are preparing right and going there to win. I believe we will go toe-to-toe. Stats, data, favourites and not favourites doesn't mean anything to our team.'
