Real Madrid issued a statement on Monday underlining their intention to participate in the Club World Cup next summer after Carlo Ancelotti had suggested the club would refuse to play in the tournament.
Ancelotti told an Italian newspaper that Madrid, and other clubs, would not take part because the financial incentives were not big enough.
The head coach later tweeted that his words had “not been interpreted in the way I expected”, minutes after Madrid said they would be going to a tournament due to be held in the US next June and July.
“Real Madrid announces that at no time has its participation in the new Club World Cup to be organised by Fifa in the upcoming 2024-2025 season been questioned,” a tweet said.
“Therefore, our club will compete, as planned, in this official competition that we face with pride and with the utmost enthusiasm to make our millions of fans around the world dream again with a new title.”
Ancelotti had told Il Giornale: “Players and clubs will not participate in that tournament. A single Real Madrid match is worth 20 million [euros] and Fifa wants to give us that amount for the entire cup. Like us, other clubs will refuse the invitation.”
On Monday afternoon he tweeted: “In my interview with Il Giornale, my words about the Fifa Club World Cup have not been interpreted in the way I expected. More importantly, I am interested in getting the chance to play in a tournament which I consider could be a great opportunity to pursue great titles with Real Madrid.”
Real qualified for the 32-team event by winning the Champions League in 2022, and won the competition for a 15th time this month.
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Last month the World Leagues Association, which includes the Premier League as a member, and the world players’ union Fifpro threatened Fifa with legal action unless the Club World Cup is rescheduled. They said in a letter to the world governing body that the scheduling of the competition would cause “economic harm” to domestic leagues and would push players “beyond their limits”.
Fifa has refused to back down, saying it was “fully within its rights” to set the parameters of the competition.
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