The two biggest issues with the FIFA Club World Cup

The draw for the ‘inaugural’ FIFA Club World Cup took place yesterday as the top teams from around the world discovered who they’d be playing next summer in the USA. 

FIFA have put a lot of effort into ensuring that this new format is a success. So much so that the clubs which are expected to take part are strongly obliged to or face possible ramifications. 

However, there are two big issues surrounding the Club World Cup. It’s one which will affect the likes of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, United States, Canadian, and more. 

The Two Biggest Issues With the Club World Cup 

1 – Firstly, the tournament is taking place between June 15th and July 13th. During this time, Concacaf will be hosting the Gold Cup which includes the likes of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and more. Simultaneously, the U21 European Championships will be held in Slovakia. 

This will cause a big headache for teams across North/Central America and Europe, with some of their young talent having to choose between club and country. 

In terms of Bayern Munich, Alphonso Davies will have to choose between playing for Canada at the Gold Cup or staying with Bayern that summer. 

For Dortmund, American Gio Reyna will also have the same decision as Davies when it comes to playing for club or country. BVB youngsters Maximilian Beier and Karim Adeyemi will have to choose between playing for Germany in the U21 Euros whilst Englishman Jamie Gittens may also have to do the same. 

FIFA’s total disregard for both tournaments only highlights that the organisation will put money and profit before the celebration of young European talent and an entire federation which represents 41 footballing countries. 

2 – The second biggest issue is the complete change in transfer windows because of this tournament. Most transfer windows around the world will be open halfway through the competition, meaning that in theory a player could start the tournament with Bayern and end it playing for Manchester City! 

Of course, FIFA is completely aware of this and have been playing for some time the introduction of a third transfer window. They haven’t published details on the plans so far, but it’s expected that the new rules will mean a player will not be allowed to play for two different teams at the Club World Cup. However, the participating clubs should be given the opportunity to respond adequately to any expiring contracts and, if necessary, to be able to register new players. If other non-participating clubs want to do business with a team in the competition, that remains to be seen. It feels the rulebook is changing just so FIFA can earn more money regardless of how complicated it may get for clubs all around the world. 

It’s hard to know how successful the tournament will be around the world and if the average fan is actually interested in the format. You can bet that FIFA will spin it to suit them regardless but only time will tell if this will be something that the fans care about and secondly the clubs themselves. 

GGFN | Jamie Allen