Former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has criticised the revamped Club World Cup, describing it as the worst idea ever implemented in football.
In an interview with the German newspaper Welt (via SportsMole), Klopp
expressed serious concerns about the impact of fixture congestion on players.
Klopp won the tournament in 2019 with Liverpool under the old format but was delighted the Premier League champions missed out on this year’s edition, positing that the football calendar is becoming unsustainable, especially for elite players.
He warned that players are being deprived of both physical and mental rest, pointing to an unbroken run of major tournaments: the World Cup, the Euros, the new Club World Cup, and another World Cup just around the corner.
“The Club World Cup is the worst idea ever implemented in this sense. People who have never had anything to do with the day-to-day life of clubs are making decisions. I understand that there are insane values involved, but this is not for all teams.”
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Klopp stressed that players need holidays more than ever and more competitions seem to be heading in the opposite direction.
“An NBA player, who also earns a lot of money, has four months of vacation a year. Van Dijk didn’t have that in his entire career. These tournaments cannot exist at the expense of athletes. I don’t wish that on anyone, but I have a serious fear.”
This year’s Club World Cup began just two weeks after the Champions League final and runs until 13 July.
As a result, clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea, who are competing in the tournament, will have only five weeks before kicking off the 2025-26 Premier League season, which begins on 16 August.
However, those five weeks do not represent complete rest, as pre-season preparations are still required.
Klopp, who stepped down as Liverpool manager after nearly nine seasons, fears an unprecedented wave of injuries.
“Perhaps not everyone has yet realized the real problem. But next season we will see players with injuries they have never had before. If not now, it will be in the next World Cup. We’re pushing too hard.”
