Arsene Wenger defends FIFA's revamped Club World Cup plans amid criticism from World Leagues Forum
FIFA's revamped Club World Cup to be held for first time in 2025 with 32 teams and be played every four years; World Leagues Forum - run by Premier League chief Richard Masters - has complained to FIFA; FIFPRO says there's been a lack of consideration for players
Tuesday 19 December 2023 15:12, UK
Arsene Wenger, FIFA's head of global development, has defended new Club World Cup plans amid concerns about player welfare and fixture congestion.
On Sunday, FIFA announced that the Club World Cup will feature 32 teams and will be played every four years from 2025.
The governing body also announced a new Intercontinental Cup which will be played annually and will have the UEFA Champions League winner playing in the final against a team that comes through intercontinental playoffs.
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The announcement drew criticism from the global players' union FIFPRO as well as the World Leagues Forum (WLF) - run by Premier League chief Richard Masters - over increased player workload and health risks.
Wenger countered the criticism by saying that the revamped format of the Club World Cup would increase resources for clubs around the world.
"In Europe we are lucky, but it's important that we make football really global and this creates a chance for other clubs to progress, this is the real target," the former Arsenal manager added.
"It will give more opportunities to more players all over the world to compete at the highest level...
"I accept that the football calendar is a busy one, but this is a competition that is going to take place every four years and of course the rest period during the competition and afterwards has to be respected."
Wenger also pointed to improvements in medicine in recent years, saying player welfare and injury prevention had "increased dramatically".
"It is unrecognisable from what it used to be. Also VAR has helped with the protection of players, as players know they cannot escape from making bad tackles that cause injury," Wenger said.
"So overall there has been huge improvements on the welfare side, and we want to continue with that progress. We see players receiving world awards, the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Benzema, all over the age of 35. And it is not unusual to see international careers lasting over 20 years. Not so long ago, that was not possible."
Masters' World Leagues Forum complains to FIFA
The World Leagues Forum - run by Premier League chief executive Richard Masters - has complained to FIFA about not being consulted over its expanded Club World Cup.
In a forthright letter sent to FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Sunday, the group's 44 members, which includes the Premier League, accused the governing body of consistently prioritising its own interests.
The belief was also conveyed that FIFA refuses to consider the interests of the national competitions, as it continues to overload the footballing calendar, and serious concerns over the impact on player welfare were reiterated.
Masters acts as chair of the Forum, and the group's sentiments echo those of the PFA and FIFPro, who criticised FIFA's announcement this week of a new 32-club tournament in the summer of 2025.
FIFPro has been working closely with the World Leagues Forum on the match-calendar issue, and concerns were discussed at the Forum's AGM earlier this year.
There, the board emphasised that "the constant growth in the volume of international club and national team matches is unsustainable for player welfare and for the scheduling of domestic football".
They also pledged to develop a response that is in the best interests of the future of the game, and they are likely to intensify their resistance to FIFA's plans if their concerns continue to go unheard.
The European Club Association, which represents the interests of a group of elite clubs including 2025 Club World Cup competitors Manchester City and Chelsea, "warmly welcomed" the announcement, stating it was "fantastic news" for club football in general.
City boss Pep Guardiola also confirmed this week "the clubs supported it", but he also warned the "lack of recovery from year-to-year… is tough for the players" and "things should change".
Manchester City and Chelsea will play up to seven extra games within four weeks in the USA, at the height of summer, with the final being staged just three weeks before the start of the 2025-26 Premier League season.
The World Leagues Forum represents the interests of 44 leagues across the entire globe, including LaLiga, the Bundesliga, and Serie A, and also the professional league in Saudi Arabia, where FIFA this week announced its plans for the tournament's expansion ahead of this month's Club World Cup.
PFA CEO Molango: Players have become pawns
Professional Footballers' Association CEO, Maheta Molango:
"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."
FIFPRO: Lack of consideration for players
Statement from world players' union FIFPRO:
"The FIFA Council's decision to schedule the first edition of the 32-team FIFA Club World Cup between June 15 and July 13 without implementing further player workload safeguards demonstrates a lack of consideration for the mental and physical health of participating players, as well as a disregard for their personal and family lives.
"The expanded competition will undercut the rest and recovery time of these players at the end of the 2024-25 season, and further disrupt national employment markets by changing the balance between national and international competitions. Players will have to perform at the end of an 11-month season with little prospect of getting enough rest before the following season starts.
"The extreme mental and physical pressures at the pinnacle of the game is the principal concern of players with multiple club and national team competitions, leading to exhaustion, physical injuries, mental health issues, diminished performance, and risks to career longevity. They have repeatedly voiced concerns about mounting workload to their national player unions.
"However, once again, decisions to scale competitions have been introduced without implementing appropriate safeguards, and without any say from the players who are at the forefront of driving the game's popularity and revenue generation with their skill and endeavour. Unfortunately, FIFA's announcement in March 2023 for a working group on player welfare principles has seen no follow-up and requests by FIFPRO to launch this process have gone unanswered.
"Consequently, FIFA's current process to address the global issue of the match calendar has not only excluded the player unions on the future format of competitions but has ignored the voice of players when it comes to their own health, well-being, and performance. As a matter of urgency, FIFPRO is calling for FIFA to facilitate discussions with all football stakeholders about the introduction of a basic set of player health and safety regulations to support the welfare of professional footballers."
