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Former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has slammed the newly reformed FIFA Club World Cup tournament in a recent interview. The German tactician raised concerns about the lack of rest for top-level players due to such tournaments.
Jurgen Klopp won the FIFA Club World Cup once with Liverpool during his tenure in 2019, during the previous format of the competition. FIFA introduced a revamped 32-team version of the tournament this year, set to be held between June and July. The group stages of the first edition concluded on June 26, with multiple major European clubs taking part. Manchester City and Chelsea are the only representatives of the Premier League, with the Reds not being a part.
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In an interview with German outlet Welt, Jurgen Klopp criticized the new edition of the Club World Cup. The former Liverpool boss said (via talkSPORT):
"The Club World Cup is the worst idea ever implemented in football in this regard. People who have never had anything to do with day-to-day business are coming up with ideas. I understand those who say: But there are insane sums of money for participation. But that's not for every club. Last year it was the Copa and the Euro, this year the Club World Cup, and next year the World Cup."
He continued:
"That means no real recovery for the players involved, neither physically nor mentally. Of course, they all earn a lot of money. But let's leave that aside for a moment. A player in the NBA who also earns a lot of money has four months off every year. Virgil van Dijk hasn't even had that in his entire career. Tournaments like the Club World Cup can't be played on the backs of the players. I don't wish it on anyone, but I have a serious fear."
FIFA's newly reformed tournament began on June 14, just two weeks after the UEFA Champions League final. The final will take place on July 13, leaving very little time for rest for the players ahead of next season. Most of the European leagues commence the new season in August, leaving only around five weeks of free time for the players.
Jurgen Klopp claims players will be more injury-prone due to Club World Cup participation
In his aforementioned interview with Welt (h/t talkSPORT), Jurgen Klopp also predicted that players will suffer more injuries next season. He blamed their participation in the Club World Cup for the same.
"Perhaps not everyone has recognized the real problem yet, that next season players will suffer injuries they've never had before. If not this season, then it will happen at the World Cup or afterward. We constantly tell them to go into every game as if it were their last," Klopp said.
He further described his issue with FIFA's new tournament and added:
"We tell them that 70 or 75 times a year. But it can't go on like this. We have to make sure they have breaks, because if they don't get them, they won't be able to deliver top performances in the long run – and if they can't do that anymore, the entire product loses value for the sellers."
"I once had a two-and-a-half-week preseason in which all my players were available to me. Two and a half weeks – and then we played practically every three days for a year. That's brutal."
Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool in the summer of 2024, with Arne Slot taking over the helm last season. The German currently serves as Red Bull's global sporting director.
