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Jurgen Klopp has warned that soccer could lose its value and appeal due to the increasing schedule, adding that the newly expanded Club World Cup is the “worst idea ever implemented” in the sport.

The former Liverpool manager, who took up a new role as Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer at the start of the year, has been a vocal critic of the mounting fixture lists, with the Champions League and international schedules growing in recent years.

The Club World Cup is the latest brainchild of FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The tournament has drawn criticism for adding another tournament into a summer where elite players should have enjoyed a rare break.

offers eye-watering sums to those involved.

Klopp clearly isn’t a fan. “The Club World Cup is the worst idea ever implemented in football,” he told German outlet Welt. “People who have never been involved in day-to-day football or no longer have anything to do with it came up with it.

“I understand the people who say: ‘But there are huge sums involved for participation’. But not for every club. Last year the Copa and the Euros, this year the Club World Cup, and next year the World Cup.

“That means no real rest for the players involved, neither physically nor mentally. Of course, they all earn a lot of money. But let’s put that aside for a moment.

“An NBA player, who also earns really well, has four months off every year. Virgil van Dijk hasn’t even had that in his entire career. Tournaments like the Club World Cup can’t be held on the players’ backs. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, but I have a big concern.

Pushed on what his concerns entail, Klopp added: “That in the coming season players will suffer injuries they’ve never had before. If not next season, then at the World Cup or afterward.

“We expect these guys to go into every game like it’s their last — 70, 75 times a year. But that can’t go on. We have to make sure they get breaks, because if they don’t, they won’t be able to deliver top performances over time. If they stop doing that, the whole product loses value for the sellers.

“I once had a preseason of two and a half weeks where all my players were available. Two and a half weeks and then we play almost every three days for a whole year. That’s brutal.”

Despite Klopp’s worries, his old side need not be concerned about burnout or additional injuries. Liverpool is not one of the Premier League clubs involved in the Club World Cup; instead, it’s Manchester City and Chelsea.

The pair could be impacted next term which would invariably hurt their Premier League title chance and could, conversely, improve Liverpool’s.

Source: https://www.liverpool.com/liverpool-fc-news/features/jurgen-klopp-club-world-cup-31953709

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Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho has been backed to make a shock move next season heading into the final year of his contract with Fenerbahce.

Mourinho joined the Turkish giants on a two-year deal last season and is expected to remain with the club for the 2025/26 campaign.

Read: Vinicius ‘Makes Decision’ On Real Future

The 63-year-old has been frustrated in Turkey at times and has been linked with a return to the Premier League in the last few months.

However, former Chelsea star Florent Malouda says he can see the ‘Special One’ coaching in the Major League Soccer.

“Jose Mourinho in MLS? That depends on the franchise,” Malouda said, as per bet365.

“He likes to have a real impact on how his squad is chosen and another factor will be the season, it starts around February or March and it would be hard for him to go in and have an impact now.

“But after the World Cup, football will be more developed and there will be even more franchises, someone like him would be great for the show.”

Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images

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Source: https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/international/international/mourinho-backed-to-make-major-league-switch

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It’s OK, you can admit it. It’s just us, don’t be embarrassed. If you’re a casual fan, you probably knew close to nothing of most of the non-European teams in the Club World Cup unless they were from your region, with the exception of Inter Miami (because, well, Lionel Messi).

LAFC: Isn’t that the team David Beckham played for? (No, that’s the other team from Los Angeles, the Galaxy … the one with the two World Cup winners.)

Urawa Red Diamonds: That’s from Super Mario, right? (No, they’re from Japan and draw almost as many fans per game as Chelsea or Juventus.)

Ulsan HD: Isn’t that a brand of TV? (Maybe, but this Ulsan won the past two South Korean league titles.)

Al Hilal) were from Saudi Arabia, since we in the mainstream media keep talking about how the country is spending billions to attract the world’s top players from Cristiano Ronaldo on down. (Actually, Al Hilal is the only Saudi club of the three, as Al Ain are from the United Arab Emirates and — this may confuse you — the Saudi Pro League also has an Al Ahly. It’s just that this Al Ahly is from Egypt.)

If you’re a soccer nerd — or someone who gets paid to do this, like me — you know that many of these clubs are massive local institutions, and some were historically among the best in the world. But the Club World Cup isn’t designed to attract soccer devotees, who will tune in anyway — it’s meant to reel in the casuals and one day grow into a legitimate little brother of that sporting, cultural and entertainment juggernaut we know as the men’s World Cup. That’s not easy to do when more than half the teams in it have the global name recognition of the guy who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy.

Read the full list here.

That’s why it was so important to FIFA that the Club World Cup group phase not degenerate into a series of WWE-style squash-fests in which the European clubs cruised through to a quarterfinal set that looks like the UEFA Champions League, only played over a single set and on a different continent.

While we could still get seven of eight UEFA quarterfinalists, by and large FIFA got its wish. The group stage was generally competitive. My colleague Ryan O’Hanlon took a deep dive into the relative strengths of the teams and the leagues and concluded that, maybe, the gap between Europe’s elite and everyone else isn’t as big as some thought.

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Burley: Don’t judge teams on Club World Cup performance

Craig Burley explains why you can’t use the Club World Cup to determine which sides are stronger than others.

With the exception of New Zealand semi-pros Auckland City (who nevertheless also grabbed a 1-1 draw against Argentinian giants Boca Juniors), nobody looked woefully out of place — no more than Southampton looked out of place in the Premier League last year anyway. Take Auckland out of the mix, and if you define blowout as a game decided by more than three goals, well, there were just four matches out of 45 that qualify as blowouts, and one of them was the all-European affair between Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid.

FIFA crowed about it in a news release Friday, noting that the 16 sides in the knockouts come from 10 different countries and that four of the six Confederations are represented in the Round of 16. (It could have been five out of six: Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns came darn close, finishing on four points.) As for those European juggernauts, three of the twelve (Atletico Madrid, Porto and — ahem — FC Salzburg) exited in the group stage. All but one of them (Manchester City) dropped points against non-European competition.

In terms of the football itself? Well, this is proof of concept. Contrary to what some insist — and the impression we in the mainstream media might give — the rest of the world can in fact hang with Europe.

Yeah, I’ve heard the argument that some UEFA teams weren’t taking it seriously. I’m not sure that was the norm at all. The only ones to rotate their teams significantly were City, Chelsea and Bayern, and all three advanced. I heard other arguments, too, about how it was unfair to the European teams that they had to play in hot conditions and how, for them, this tournament comes at the end of the season while for others it’s in mid-season, so the players are fitter and less tired.

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Is Inter Miami up to the task vs. PSG in the Round of 16?

The “Futbol Americas” crew discusses how Inter Miami should feel after late goals from Palmeiras result in the MLS side facing off against PSG.

The heat factor is kind of nonsense. Sure, it’s not fun playing in extreme conditions and the spectacle suffers, but is it really some weird, upset-causing leveler? Every single edition of the Euros is played in the summer, as are most World Cups. We still see the best teams advancing. None of these clubs are accustomed to playing in extreme heat: those from hotter nations tend to play their games at night if they do play in the summer (and most don’t).

As for the midseason/end-of-season factor? Sure, maybe it helped the South American sides a bit. But the seasons in Africa and Asia run on a fall-to-spring calendar, just like most of Europe. And most of these teams had a three-week break between the end of their club seasons and the start of the Club World Cup.

I’m a strong believer that the Club World Cup, as a tournament, is a good thing. Europe may have 99% of the world’s soccer resources, but step on to the pitch and the gap is nowhere near that big. The soccer world is a smaller place than we previously thought.

Source: https://africa.espn.com/football/story/_/id/45602449/club-world-cup-proof-expanded-tournament-work-man-city-psg-flamengo-real-madrid

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Following the appointment of Abdeslam Ouaddou as the new Orlando Pirates head coach, his former player at Marumo Gallants Dino Ndlovu has revealed what it would take for him to succeed at the Buccaneers.

Ouaddou officially succeeded Jose Riveiro as the new head coach Pirates this week, an announcement which sent shockwaves in the football fraternity.

Read: Sibiya: What Pirates Can Expect From Ouaddou

The Moroccan made his name at Gallants even though he joined them in March with a mandate to help the team escape relegation.

For a coach who was venturing in the PSL for the first time, the 46-year-old handled the pressure well, incredibly winning five, including a 2-0 victory over Pirates, drawing four and losing only three of his 12 matches at the Bloemfontein-based side.

Ndlovu, who featured under Ouaddou, during their brief and pressured spell at Siwelele Sa Marumo, has revealed that for the former AS Vita coach to succeed, the management at the Soweto giants need to give him space to instil his philosophy.

“Ouaddou is still a young coach in the PSL you know but his hunger, his tactics I think I don’t need to speak more, because his job at Marumo Gallants speaks for itself,” Ndlovu told Soccer Laduma.

Read: Pirates To Make Room For Malian In Time For Spain Trip

“He has done a tremendous job. He took a team that was on the deficit of minus goal difference and points and he did a good job.

“For him (to succeed at Pirates), he just needs the backing of the players, from Pirates management. I think he’ll do a good job,” Ndlovu said.

“The same backing he got from Marumo Gallants, that they put in him and let him do how he wants and instil his own philosophy to his players. I think if Orlando Pirates can do that they will see a different team next season,” the former Qarabag striker added.

Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images

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Source: https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/local/orlando-pirates/pirates-ouaddou-s-hunger-tactics-i-don-t-need-to-speak-more

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AC Milan has reached an agreement with Torino for midfielder Samuele Ricci over a deal worth a total of €25 million including bonuses, sources have told ESPN.

Negotiations over a deal for Ricci have been ongoing since January, but Torino and Milan found an agreement on Saturday.

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Sources have told ESPN that Ricci will sign a five-year contract at the San Siro. A medical and further paperwork will follow before the transfer is announced.

The 23-year-old was a mainstay for Torino last season having joined in 2022.

Ricci has 10 international caps for Italy.

Source: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/45602784/ac-milan-torino-agree-25m-deal-samuele-ricci-sources

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One FC Barcelona star is reportedly planning to wear the iconic number 10 jersey from next season.

Teenager Lamine Yamal has established himself as one of the best players in Europe over the past season.

Click through the gallery above to see Barca’s previous number 10s.

The Spain international has already committed his long-term future to the Catalan outfit after recently signing a six-year contract.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are also set to show their appreciation by giving the 17-year-old the iconic jersey.

Ansu Fati is the current owner of the number 10 jersey, although reports in Spain claim the winger is edging closer to joining Ligue 1 side AS Monaco.

Read: Vinicius ‘Makes Decision’ On Real Future

Yamal is now set to don the number 10, which was previously worn by the likes of club legends Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho.

The Spanish winger finished the 2024/25 campaign with an impressive 18 goals and 25 assists across all competitions for the Catalan giants.

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Source: https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/international/la-liga/lamine-yamal-to-take-jersey-number-10-at-barcelona

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