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Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi has come out in defence of the new format of the FIFA Club World Cup, telling those who don’t want to compete in the tournament to not play.
FIFA’s revamped competition, set to debut in the United States on June 15, 2025, involves 32 teams playing over four weeks at stadiums around the country.
It has provoked criticism from several players over the added stress it will place on the calendar, with teams such as Manchester City and Real Madrid set for an 11-month season should they progress deep into the tournament.
Al Khelaïfi, however, said that clubs are excited for the event and will be recouping money lost to increasing player wages.
“The players or clubs who have complaints, don’t play. If you have a complaint, don’t play. Before, they complained because there were only two clubs or because there were only two per country. Now it’s the players,” he said at a news conference at the European Club Association’s (ECA) general assembly in Athens, Greece.
“Of course we have to respect and protect the players. But clubs aren’t just in it for the money. It’s not like that, that’s a mistake. We try to recover the money from their costs. The salaries go up and up, but the competitions are the same and the income is the same.
“The calendar is a topic of debate, obviously. It always has been. And, to be honest, I believe it’s necessary for all the interested parties to get together and discuss it, in a prosperous way, and see what’s best for everyone. All the clubs want to play in the Club World Cup.”
In September, Al Khelaïfi, who is chairman of the ECA, admitted clubs were finding preparation for the Club World Cup “challenging” but remained confident in the tournaments success.
“ECA recognises there are challenges launching any new format or concept, but we firmly believe in the tournament.
“In time it will bring important revenues to both participating and non-participating clubs, without significantly adding to the overall calendar, and it will excite fans all across the world.”
Last Friday, City manager Pep Guardiola said the Premier League had denied his club’s request to start their season later as a result of the Club World Cup.
“The Premier League has not allowed us to postpone the first two games for our recovery,” he said. “Thank you so much. They don’t postpone these games so that will be the moment of: ‘Oh, what do we have to do?'”