Jurgen Klopp eviscerates ‘pointless' Club World Cup: ‘Worst idea ever implemented'

New York Post

11 hours ago

It's clear that Jurgen Klopp did not have anything nice to say about the expanded FIFA Club World Cup.
During an interview with German publication Die Welt published on Friday, Klopp said the tournament 'the worst idea ever implemented' in the sport.
The new format now features a 32-team event, which occurs every four years during the preseason in the summers between the major international tournaments.
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3 Juergen Klopp, Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull, speaks during a panel discussion in the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany on April 23, 2025.
AP
The 2025 Club World Cup, which is being hosted by the United States, started earlier this month and is set to conclude on July 13.
'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.
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'There are people who have never been involved in the day-to-day business of football and are now coming up with ideas,' he added.
3 FIFA Club World Cup logo is seen in the tunnel prior to the group G match between Wydad AC and Al Ain FC at Audi Field on June 26, 2025 in Washington.
FIFA via Getty Images
Klopp, who was at the helm for Liverpool from 2015-24, also pointed out that players today do not get enough time to rest, saying that adding another tournament could be 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.
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The 58-year-old added: 'There's no real recovery for those involved, neither physically nor mentally.'
3 Jurgen Klopp gestures to fans at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between West Ham United and Liverpool at London stadium in London on April 27, 2024.
AP
Since moving on from coaching, Klopp now serves as the head of global soccer for Red Bull, which owns several clubs such as the New York Red Bulls in the MLS and RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.
When asked if he was interested in a potential return to coaching, Klopp shut down the idea, saying that his new job 'fufills' him.
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'I don't want that anymore,' he said. '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 organize my work much better.'