Nasser Al-Khelaifi has once again defended the expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup amid fierce criticism from national leagues and player unions.
The Club World Cup has come under increasing scrutiny with FIFA facing legal action from player unions and also national leagues over the scheduling of their reformatted competition. There are concerns that the international calendar has become “oversaturated” and could directly damage player welfare and the sustainability of national competitions.
Manchester City’s Rodri (28) has previously raised concerns over the increasingly packed schedule, “We have too many games, and it’s putting our careers and health at risk.” While his teammate, Kevin De Bruyne (33) stated “The issue is that Uefa and Fifa keep adding extra matches, and we can raise concerns but no solutions have been found. It seems that money speaks louder than the players’ voices.”
The Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has also previously criticised the expanded competition referring to it as a “tipping point” and highlighted the lack of consultation with national leagues.
However, Al-Khelaifi speaking to reporters at the draw has provided an alternative point of view. The Paris Saint-Germain president suggests that it will be up to coaches to better manage their squads. “Our coach [Luis Enrique] spoke about it and he is not worried… There are injuries, there are risks, but the coaches must also look at how to rotate the squads.”
The president also responded more directly to the Premier League criticism by highlighting that France (like Germany before it) has reduced its calendar. “In France, we have 18 teams in Ligue 1 and a Coupe de France.” In England, the Premier League remains at 20 teams and the squads must also compete in the League Cup and FA Cup.
GFFN | Nick Hartland
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