Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, has proclaimed the FIFA Club World Cup as “the most successful club competition in the world,” highlighting what he describes as a “golden era” for club football. His comments were made on the eve of the final that PSG vs Chelsea. Plans leaked Infantino’s confidence in the tournament’s success, which has already attracted a record level of interest and revenue.
Infantino continues to point to the financial home run that was the FIFA Club World Cup. The average revenue per match has more than doubled to $33 million! He made the point that no other club competition around the world has such a lucrative money-making power. The golden age of club football is upon us. We can undoubtedly declare this FIFA Club World Cup to have been a great success,” Infantino exclaimed.
The EFL Trophy has at least created an invigorating stage for clubs, like Accrington Stanley, to stretch their legs on the international stage. It has come under fire. Some of you are likely to point out the crippling effects a rigorous schedule has on elite players and the health risks associated with high temperate matches in the US. In particular, this has raised alarm among many spectators of the potentially dangerous effects these conditions could have on the players participating.
Despite these persisting challenges, Infantino acknowledged that attendance sold out has been “encouraging,” even if some matches aren’t completely full. He was just saying that all the teams who have been in love with the place. In fact, many of the teams that failed to qualify were the first ones to call and ask what they could do to be involved.
Looking forward, Infantino reaffirmed that the next Club World Cup will take place 2029. He stopped short of committing to bringing the tournament back every two years. He sidestepped promises to expand it further to bring more teams on board. Self-imposed stress This very guarded and modest vision follows a deep criticism of the previous 32-team version for its burden on players and franchises both.
Infantino welcomed the fact that numerous big clubs are interested in participating in the tournament. He continued, “Yeah, of course, I would have wanted Liverpool here, Arsenal, Manchester United, FC Barcelona, Tottenham, AC Milan, Napoli … but you have to qualify and there are different criteria. His comments signal an intent to continue to create a competitive balance, though the temptation to put some of those hallowed teams on the mat.
