‘Golden age of club football’ is here, says Gianni Infantino as Club World Cup concludes
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Fifa president Gianni Infantino speaks as former footballers Alessandro Del Piero, Kaka, Roberto Baggio, Ronaldo, Hristo Stoichkov and Esteban Cambiasso look on during a Legends event on July 12.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW YORK – Fifa president Gianni Infantino triumphantly declared the Club World Cup to be “the most successful club competition in the world” on July 12, ahead of the July 13 final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, which took place after press time.
The first 32-team edition of the tournament faced criticism in its build-up for stretching demands on elite players and has been played out in baking temperatures in the United States, raising concerns for the health of those involved.
There were also doubts about the level of interest the competition would generate among fans, but Infantino said he was satisfied with the attendances at matches – despite many games being far from sold out – and claimed it had been a major success financially.
“The golden age of club football has started. We can definitely say this Fifa Club World Cup has been a huge success,” Infantino told reporters at Trump Tower on New York City’s Fifth Avenue, where Fifa has just opened an office.
“We heard that financially it would not work, that nobody is interested, but I can say we generated almost US$2.1 billion (S$2.69 billion) in revenues, for 63 matches,” he said.
“That makes an average of US$33 million per match – no other club competition in the world comes close.
“It is already the most successful club competition in the world.”
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been one of the leading voices against the tournament, calling it “the worst idea ever implemented in football” in a recent interview.
But the head of world football’s governing body dismissed suggestions that Klopp might be speaking for most observers in Europe.
“We shouldn’t say that the opinion of Europe on this is very bad because it is not true,” said Infantino, who was appearing on a stage alongside numerous footballing greats, including the Brazilian Ronaldo.
“All the teams who have come here have been happy – some teams who didn’t come here because they didn’t qualify were calling us to see how they could qualify.
“Of course I would have liked to have Liverpool here, Arsenal, Manchester United, Barcelona, Tottenham (Hotspur), AC Milan, Napoli... but you have to qualify and there are different criteria.”
The Swiss added that 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 the 2026 World Cup, which will also be hosted in the US along with Canada and Mexico.
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.”
The next Club World Cup is due to take place in 2029, with Infantino refusing to commit when asked whether the tournament could be played every two years or be expanded to feature more teams.
“We created something new, something which is here to stay, something which is changing the landscape of club football,” he added. AFP, REUTERS
