Jurgen Klopp slams FIFA Club World Cup schedule; Guardiola echoes concerns

In a recently held interview, Jürgen Klopp called out the revamped FIFA Club World Cup’s timings and stated that they will be the worst winners ever due to the poor scheduling. He also called out the leaders who have gone on to schedule the games. Speaking to the media, Jürgen Klopp mentioned that people who have never run the business of football are coming up with new ideas that are detrimental to the shelf life of a footballer. He said:

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. There are people who have never been involved in the day-to-day business of football and are now coming up with ideas

After moving away from Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp took the job of Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull. While he is not actively managing in the dugout, he continues to oversee the affairs of football. He mentioned that there are too many games for clubs and also stated that the clubs might endure injuries like never before in the history of football. He mentioned that after a hectic schedule in their respective leagues, they will not be able to make a real recovery due to the new tournament. He said:

It’s too many games,” 

I fear next season we will see injuries like never before,

If not then, they’ll come during or after the Club World Cup. There’s no real recovery for those involved, neither physically nor mentally.

What did Pep Guardiola opine about Jurgen Klopp’s statement? 

Pep Guardiola was in splits when the opinion was asked about his former rival’s statement. While agreeing with the viewpoints of Klopp, he recollected the instances when both were fighting with UEFA to help add additional quality to the game. However, he mentioned that as managers they are bound by the rules of UEFA and cannot divulge. Pep gave his views on what could be an ideal situation for a manager. He said:

Of course, it’s not an ideal situation for the manager,

Would I love to have two months to prepare for next season? Yes. Would I love to be refreshed for next season? Yes. But it is what it is.