Expanded Club World Cup is football’s worst idea, says Jurgen Klopp
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Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says today's football players are getting less and less time to rest.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Juergen Klopp slams the expanded 32-team Club World Cup, calling it a "pointless competition" and "the worst idea ever" due to calendar congestion.
- Klopp warns the new format will lead to increased player injuries, citing a lack of physical and mental recovery time due to the packed schedule.
- Klopp, now with Red Bull, rules out returning to coaching, stating his current role is fulfilling and allows him better work-life balance.
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LONDON – Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has criticised the introduction of the expanded Club World Cup format, calling it the worst idea ever implemented in football.
In an interview with German newspaper Die Welt published late on June 27, Klopp said the tournament would put more strain on an already packed calendar for the players.
The expanded format features a 32-team event held every four years during the pre-season, in the summers between major international tournaments.
“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.
“There are people who have never been involved in the day-to-day business of football and are now coming up with ideas.”
Klopp pointed out that today’s players are getting 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,” the German said.
“There’s no real recovery for those involved, neither physically nor mentally.”
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.
Klopp was also asked if he would like to coach again.
“I don’t want that any more. 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.
Taking a more analytical view of the tournament, Fifa technical experts said the gulf between South American and European teams may not be as wide as expected at the Club World Cup, but a clear gap still exists in their efficiency in front of goal.
Arsene Wenger, Fifa’s chief of global football development, and Jurgen Klinsmann, former Germany and US national team coach, were speaking at a round-table discussion on June 28 as the tournament enters its knockout phase.
“At the start of the competition, many opponents seemed to fear playing against the European teams,” Wenger said. “But as things progressed – especially the Brazilians – they began to realise it might not be so different after all.”
Flamengo and Botafogo beat European teams during the group phase of the 32-team competition, with the latter’s 1-0 victory over European champions Paris Saint-Germain standing out.
Botafogo, however, were eliminated in the last 16 on June 28, but by fellow Brazilian side Palmeiras 1-0 after extra time.
Wenger said growing belief, especially among Brazilian sides, has shifted the dynamic heading into the last 16.
“Maybe it’s also because they’ve gained the confidence to do it. That shift in mindset could mean we’ll see a different Brazil in the knockout stage than we saw in the group phase,” he added.
The Frenchman highlighted the influence of coach Filipe Luis, whose Flamengo side showed what Wenger called the most European tactical profile among South American sides at the tournament.
“Filipe has... played in Europe, and you can see that in the way his team approaches the game,” he said.
Wenger and Klinsmann said South American clubs were quickly closing the gap in infrastructure and preparation.
“When we visited the teams, we saw delegations of up to 100 people – support staff, analysts, advisers,” Wenger said. “That level of preparation allows teams to learn quickly.”
The key difference, however, remains in execution.
“In the final third, European clubs are simply more clinical,” Wenger said.
Klinsmann agreed, saying the real divide lies in mentality and stressed the importance of testing players outside their comfort zones.
He said: “Experience is also a big part of quality. When is a club like Pachuca or Monterrey (of Mexico) playing in a tournament like this?
“If this tournament were held again next year, Pachuca would be a different team – more confident, more refined,” he added.
“But they have to be more clinical. When you’re in the box, it’s your head that makes the decision, not just your feet. And that’s the difference.” REUTERS
