The international union for professional footballers has strongly criticized FIFA boss Gianni Infantino. FIFPRO finds it incomprehensible that the Swiss has called ‘his’ Club World Cup a great success. “It’s reminiscent of bread and circuses in Rome.”
FIFPRO has been highly critical of the renewed version of the Club World Cup in recent months. The tournament in the United States, a prestigious project of Infantino, made the football calendar even fuller. Players from several European top clubs played a season of more than a year.
At the end of the Club World Cup, which was won by Chelsea on Sunday, FIFPRO issued a scathing statement to FIFA and Infantino. “This tournament was held under unacceptable conditions,” said FIFPRO President Sergio Marchi. “As a result, the players were endangered and that should never have happened.”
During the Club World Cup, many footballers complained about the heat in the American stadiums. Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni became dizzy during a match against Bayern Munich because the temperature in host city Charlotte was 37 degrees. In addition, several matches were halted for hours due to severe weather. Next summer, the World Cup for national teams will also be (partly) in the USA.
“What happened at this World Cup must not be repeated at next year’s World Cup under any circumstances,” said Marchi. “We have been warning for some time about the full calendar and the lack of physical and mental rest for the players. FIFA does not want to talk to us about this. This way of organizing tournaments, without listening to unions, is authoritarian and only based on making as much profit as possible.”
Infantino was very positive about the Club World Cup on Sunday. The head of the global football association said before the final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain (3-0) that “the Golden Age of club football has now officially begun”.
“Of course, there are both positive and negative aspects. We respect every opinion. But the numbers say it has been a great success. On average, there were around 40,000 spectators per match. Apart from the Premier League, no competition achieves these numbers.”
According to FIFPRO, Infantino’s statements are reminiscent of Nero. That Roman emperor organized grand gladiator fights and chariot races shortly after the beginning of the era. Meanwhile, Nero was also very cruel.
“This grandiose World Cup reminds us of the ‘bread and circuses’ tactic in Nero’s Rome,” said Argentine Marchi. “Entertainment for the people, while behind the scenes inequality and protection for the real protagonists is decreasing. This World Cup was presented as a global celebration of football. But that is fiction, created by FIFA.”