FIFA's Club World Cup revamp isn't good for anyone - no matter what Wenger says

22 December 2023 , 07:30

803     0

FIFA's Club World Cup revamp isn't good for anyone - no matter what Wenger says

Here is a teaser for Manchester City supporters. You can only have one or the other.

Victory over Fluminense in the Club World Cup final in Saudi Arabia on Friday night? Or victory over Everton at Goodison Park in the Premier League next Wednesday? It should, of course, be an absolute given. A fifth trophy of 2023, cementing City’s status as the best club team on the planet.

But you can be sure there will be some fans who would prioritise a winning performance on Merseyside over one in Jeddah. For many supporters in England, the Club World Cup remains an exhibition event. And in the summer of 2025, it will be an even bigger exhibition event, with 32 teams competing over four weeks in the United States.

It will be a World Cup-style format, only for clubs - Well actually, in 2026, the World Cup format is changing so that a whopping 48 teams can take part, but you get the drift.

More games, more time, more commercial revenue for FIFA… and more physical and mental demands on players.

Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush

The 2025 Champions League final will take place on May 31. Let’s say Manchester City feature in that match. They will then be asked to go to a month-long tournament in the States and, soon after that, the Premier League will resume ahead of the World Cup summer - across Mexico, America and Canada - in 2026.

When still manager of Arsenal in late 2015, Arsene Wenger complained about the demands on top players, saying: “We face a situation where it is impossible for them to get through a season and have rest.”

Arsene Wenger's views have certainly changed since becoming FIFA Chief of Global Football Development (ANP via Getty Images)

Now, in a role that carries the gloriously-inflated title of FIFA chief of global football development, Wenger has been given the task of promoting the new Club World Cup. This is the same Wenger who felt compelled to champion the idea of a biennial World Cup, even when wearing the look of a man who did not believe a word he was saying.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Someone needs to give Wenger another club job. He is an extremely sprightly 74 and probably reckons he has another big one left in him. It would spare us the stuff he is promoting for FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino, who have long been intoxicated with power.

One of the significant aspects of Thursday’s European Court of Justice ruling that FIFA and UEFA acted illegally when blocking the Super League is that it brings into focus the unchallenged powers of those two bodies. Infantino and FIFA are so emboldened, they come up with a new competition - after little consultation with clubs, player unions etc - that can surely not be good for player welfare, no matter what Wenger says.

Look at the teams who have already ‘qualified’ for the new cup. What chance have the likes of Auckland City, Wydad Casablanca and Leon FC got when they are in the same competition as the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich? Next to none.

Along with UEFA’s power, FIFA’s power will almost certainly be undiminished by Thursday’s court ruling. But when you look at developments such as this new Club World Cup, you really do wonder if that is a good thing.

Andy Dunn