FIFA’s determination to press on with plans for an expanded Club World Cup shows it only pretends to care about player welfare, Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango has said.
Football’s world governing body set out more detail about the 32-team, summer 2025 tournament following a meeting of its ruling Council in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on Sunday.
The competition will begin on June 15 and run to July 13, but its scheduling and size has caused serious concerns amongst unions and leagues.
Molango said: “The decision to push ahead with yet another expanded summer tournament – adding more and more games to a fixture list that is already at bursting point – just confirms that any expression of concern for player welfare is merely a pretence.
“Ultimately, players have become pawns in a battle for primacy between football’s governing bodies, with no one willing to take a step back or to work collaboratively to create a sustainable calendar.
“These decisions have consequences – not just for players who are being pushed until they break, but for the future quality of these tournaments, with players becoming injured or withdrawing from games as they make their own decisions about how to manage what have become ridiculous demands.”
World players’ union FIFPRO remains concerned that a dedicated player welfare task force – which FIFA announced in March would be established – has not met yet and not even been assembled.
The PA news agency understands World Leagues Forum – a league umbrella organisation chaired by Premier League chief executive Richard Masters – has also written to FIFA following the publication of the latest Club World Cup details.
In the letter, signed by Masters in his WLF capacity, the group is understood to have set out how it believes FIFA is refusing to consider the interests of domestic competitions and continues to overload the calendar. WLF also argues that despite FIFA’s primary role being to regulate the sport, it is instead prioritising and giving preference to the promotion of its own competitions over existing ones run by other national leagues and associations.
The overlapping concern for unions and leagues is the impact it will have on players being able to rest between seasons.
FIFPRO has told FIFA in its latest policy paper that players should have a mandatory minimum off-season break of 28 days, excluding a period of pre-season training before returning to match action.
With FIFA confirming the tournament is due to run until July 13, if the 2025-26 Premier League season started on August 9 it would mean an interval of only 27 days for any players involved in the final. A team reaching the final would need to play seven matches, with FIFA confirming the format would mirror that of the 32-team Qatar World Cup barring the absence of a third-place play-off.
FIFA argues that the Club World Cup is not an addition to the calendar, and that it merely replaces the Confederations Cup.
FIFA confirmed Europe’s eight places in the 2025 tournament – besides those reserved for the 2021 to 2024 Champions League winners – would go to the teams with the best UEFA coefficient ranking based on performance in the Champions League.
Only two teams will be permitted per country, unless that country has more than two Champions League winners. With Manchester City and Chelsea already qualified, the only way the Premier League could have a further representative would be if Arsenal won this season’s Champions League.
FIFA confirmed Bayern Munich, Paris St Germain, Inter Milan, Porto and Benfica had already secured places in the tournament via the coefficient pathway.
FIFA also confirmed a new Intercontinental Cup would start next year. The winners of the Champions League will play the continental champion team which emerges from the earlier rounds in the final at a neutral venue on December 18, 2024.
Girona 0-1 Villarreal: Traore strike lifts Yellow Submarine
Bertrand Traore's goal gave Villarreal a 1-0 win at Girona on Tuesday that prevented the hosts from reclaiming second spot in LaLiga.
Girona, who have enjoyed a superb campaign, are third with 75 points, trailing Barcelona, who moved a point clear with a 2-0 home win over Real Sociedad on Monday.
Alexander Sorloth and Goncalo Guedes went close for Villarreal in the first half, but Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga was in fine form.
Traore broke the deadlock in the 59th minute after latching on to a superb pass from Guedes, however.
Viktor Tsyhankov, Savio and Artem Dovbyk all went close for Girona, but could not find the back of Filip Jorgensen's net.
Villarreal were reduced to 10 men in the 95th minute after Kiko Femenia was sent off for a second yellow card after a push on Aleix Garcia.
Data Debrief: Rare home loss for Girona
Girona have suffered only their second defeat at Montilivi in LaLiga this season, following a 0-3 loss to Real Madrid in September.
The home side attempted 749 passes in this game, their highest total in a single match in LaLiga this season.
Minnesota United v LA Galaxy: Berry hails veteran Caceres
Miguel Berry was the hero last time out for the LA Galaxy, but he hailed veteran defender Martin Caceres.
Berry scored in the dying seconds as the Galaxy salvaged a 2-2 draw with Western Conference leaders Real Salt Lake at the weekend.
It was a point that saw Galaxy maintain the two-point gap between themselves and RSL, with Minnesota United – who sit second in the West – next up for Greg Vanney’s team.
Berry’s last-gasp equaliser sparked wild celebrations, and Caceres – the former Juventus defender – was heavily involved, despite being a substitute.
And Berry was quick to point out the 37-year-old’s importance to the Galaxy’s squad.
“[Caceres] is one of those people who makes your day better every single day. He's incredibly funny and unique and he's had a great career, and he's such a big part of the group,” said Berry, in quotes reported by The Galactic Tribune.
“For him to celebrate like that with us shows how much it means. He's played Champions League finals, won Champions League finals and played four World Cups. It's incredible, guys like that, celebrate with the team, means a lot.
“It's obviously a great feeling as a team to have those moments and when you look back on your career and your life, those are the moments that stick with you.”
The Galaxy have drawn their last two games, while Minnesota head into Wednesday’s meeting on the back of three straight wins.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Minnesota United – Teemu Pukki
Pukki has scored five goals in his first two matches against LA Galaxy, the sixth player in league history to score five or more times in his first two matches against a single opponent and the first to do so against the Galaxy.
LA Galaxy – Riqui Puig
Puig recorded the primary assist on both of the Galaxy’s goals on Saturday, setting up strikes for Gabriel Pec and Miguel Berry. Puig’s 10 primary assists for the Galaxy have set up goals for nine different players with Gaston Brugman the only teammate he’s set up more than once.
MATCH PREDICTION: MINNESOTA WIN
Minnesota have won three consecutive matches for the first time since August 2022. The Loons’ only winning streak of longer than three games in all competitions was a seven-match run in June-July 2019.
Dating back to last September, the Galaxy have lost only four of the last 10 matches in which they trailed by multiple goals (W2 D4), including losing only one of four this year (W1 D2).
Galaxy have won six of their first eight meetings with Minnesota United (D2, including playoffs), but have won just one of the six meetings (D2 L3) since.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Minnesota United – 53%
LA Galaxy – 21.7%
Draw – 25.3%
Vilahamn wants to use FA Cup final defeat as 'beginning' for Tottenham Women
Tottenham Women manager Robert Vilahamn believes his side will use their FA Cup final defeat to start something special, rather than ending their good work.
Spurs were hammered 4-0 by Manchester United Women in Sunday's Wembley Stadium showpiece as Ella Toone and Rachel Williams were on target before Lucia Garcia's second-half double.
Vilahamn's side failed to manage a shot on target but the Spurs boss suggested his team will catch up to the women's elite clubs.
"The main thing I said was this is not the end, it is the beginning," Vilahamn said.
"We still have a gap between us and the top teams but that's normal. We are closing the gap but we haven't closed the gap yet."
Tottenham finished sixth in the Women's Super League as well as reaching this final, their first FA Cup showpiece appearance in their short history.
Vilahamn wants his Spurs players to use this defeat as motivation going forward.
"If you take away the feelings right now, you need to look at these players doing some incredible things this year," he said.
"We are at Wembley playing in front of our fans and they are actually enjoying it and staying, and supporting us after.
"We got a good experience today and we are learning how to play at Wembley more times. We need to look at it that way because the players are amazing."
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