FIFA Expands World Cup: Footballers Complain of Overload
The International Federation of Association Football, FIFA, during its Executive Committee meeting held on December 17 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, approved a new format for the Club World Cup. According to 7sur7, the tournament, scheduled to take place in the USA from June 15 to July 13, 2025, will now feature 32 participating teams.
The updated competition is set to be held every four years and will bring together clubs from six confederations. It will include 12 teams from Europe (UEFA), 6 from South America (CONMEBOL), 4 from Asia (AFC), 4 from Africa (CAF), 4 from the Central America and Caribbean zone (CONCACAF), 1 from the Oceania Confederation (OFC), and the hosting country's club.
The tournament structure will mirror the current format of the national team World Cup, with 32 teams divided into eight groups of four teams each, and two advancing to the knockout stage, played in a knockout format.
However, the initiative has faced criticism from Maheza Molango, the director of the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO). Molango believes that the decision to organize a new expanded tournament, adding more matches to an already packed schedule, indicates FIFA's disregard for the players' health and well-being. He also expressed concerns about the potential impact on the quality of such tournaments, with many players likely to miss matches due to injuries or personal choice.
It's worth recalling that in Turkey, all football league matches were postponed indefinitely after the president of Ankara-based club "Ankaragucu," Faruk Kodja, attacked a referee following a Super Lig match against "Rizespor."
The main referee of the match, Halil Meler, did not award a goal to the home team in the first half and sent off "Ankaragucu" forward Ali Sou on the 50th minute. Additionally, in the 97th minute, the hosts conceded a goal and lost the match. All these events led to the dissatisfaction of the president of the capital club, who rushed onto the field accompanied by security, hitting Meler in the face with a fist after the final whistle. The altercation was only stopped with the help of stadium security. In the referee's room, doctors provided first aid to the head referee, who was then taken to the hospital.