Arsene Wenger has backed expansion plans FIFA Club World Cup From 2025 onwards, saying the revamped competition would help “make football truly global” while reducing concerns about player welfare.
Wenger, who managed Arsenal in the English Premier League from 1996 to 2018, is FIFA’s head of global football development.
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“The positive impact of this [the Club World Cup] “The impact on the clubs will be huge, because it will increase the resources for clubs all over the world to develop and compete,” Wenger said on Tuesday.
“In Europe we are lucky, but it is important that we make football truly global and this creates an opportunity for other clubs to progress, that is the real goal.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Sunday confirmed plans for the first edition of the revamped tournament, which is scheduled to last 29 days in the summer of 2025 and be hosted by the United States.
The competition will include 32 teams, an increase from the seven teams competing in the current edition, with 12 teams coming from Europe. It will be played every four years.
News of the new tournament has not been well received by players and managers alike, with Bernardo Silva sharing his thoughts on the potential impact of stars playing a lot of football in a press conference on Monday ahead of his Club World Cup semi-final clash with Manchester City. Urawa Reds.
“I’m not going to lie, sometimes I get tired,” Silva said. “We all feel tired in some matches because we play every three days.
“We don’t rest. We don’t have a Christmas, we don’t have a summer. But that’s the price you pay for being at a big club and fighting for all the competitions. In the end our dream was to play at this level.”
“But I say this because of the comfort that the players get, because the risk of injury is much higher. In the end, we play because we earn a lot of money. But, in my opinion, for the people who love the game and love it.” “We are enjoying the game. If we play this many games for a long time they will lose energy and intensity.”
Silva’s comments echo those of Real Madrid duo Dani Carvajal and Carlo Ancelotti, with the former saying players would be open to reducing their salaries if it meant playing fewer matches.
Wenger said these concerns about increased workload did not take into account improvements in modern sports science, and insisted that FIFA had taken welfare into account when making changes to the Club World Cup.
“I agree that the football calendar is crowded, but this tournament will be held every four years and of course the rest period must be respected during and after the competition. There is a demand for big competitions in football, and there has been good support for this.
“Player wellbeing in the last 20 years has increased dramatically as well, when you look at injury prevention, recovery work, nutrition and advances in medical technology. It’s unrecognizable to what it used to be.
“VAR has helped protect players, as players know they can’t escape making bad tackles that cause injury. So overall there have been big improvements on the social side, and we want to continue that progress. We’re seeing players winning international awards.” Awards, likes [Lionel] messi, [Cristiano] ronaldo, [Karim] “Benzema, he’s over 35… Not so long ago, that wouldn’t have been possible.”
