Arsene Wenger defends expanded Club World Cup format amid concerns over player welfare

PARIS – Fifa’s chief of global football development Arsene Wenger has said that its decision to expand the Club World Cup will benefit the sport outside Europe, amid much criticism of the tournament’s impact on a congested football calendar.

Over the weekend, the world governing body announced that the event will feature 32 teams from across six confederations and will be played every four years from 2025 in June to July.

It also announced a new Intercontinental Cup, which will be played annually and will have the Uefa Champions League winner playing in the final against a team who come through the intercontinental play-offs.

The announcement drew criticism from the global players’ union Fifpro as well as the World Leagues Forum (WLF) over increased player workload and health risks.

Specifically, Fifpro raised its concerns about the impact of the changes on the “mental and physical health”, as well as the “personal and family lives” of players.

Wenger countered the criticism by saying that the revamped format of the Club World Cup would increase resources for clubs around the world.

“In Europe we are lucky, but it’s important that we make football really global and this creates a chance for other clubs to progress, this is the real target,” added the former Arsenal manager, who led them to three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups.

“It will give more opportunities to more players all over the world to compete at the highest level.

“I accept that the football calendar is a busy one, but this is a competition that is going to take place every four years and of course the rest period during the competition and afterwards has to be respected.”

The 74-year-old Frenchman also pointed to improvements in sports medicine in recent years, saying that player welfare and injury prevention had “increased dramatically”.

“It is unrecognisable from what it used to be. Also VAR (video assistant referee) has helped with the protection of players, as players know they cannot escape from making bad tackles that cause injury,” he insisted.

“So overall there has been huge improvements on the welfare side, and we want to continue with that progress.”

The current version of the Club World Cup – an annual competition with seven teams – will be discontinued after the 2023 tournament now being hosted by Saudi Arabia.

Besides Fifpro, the WLF was also unhappy it had been overlooked in Fifa’s decision-making process.

In a letter seen by Reuters, chairman Richard Masters – who is also the English Premier League chief – told Fifa president Gianni Infantino that the expansion of Fifa’s competitions in recent years was detrimental and accused the global body of prioritising their own interests.

He also said the June-July Club World Cup schedule would impact player availability for national leagues at the start of the season in August, while he also raised questions about player workload and health risks. REUTERS, AFP