- The UNFP has launched a major attack on the currently ongoing Club World Cup
- The union is hugely concerned about the tournament’s impact on players
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French players’ union the UNFP has criticised the Club World Cup, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino accused of overseeing a ‘massacre’ of player welfare.
The UNFP claimed that Infantino, watching on from his ‘ivory tower’, isn’t concerned about the impact that the extra games will have on the physical and mental health of players.
As reported by the Associated Press, the UNFP said in a statement: ‘The incongruity of the situation is not lost on anyone, except, of course, Gianni Infantino and his flatterers. From the height of his ivory tower, which he parades around the world, the FIFA president is not bothered by the fate that the international calendar reserves for the game’s leading players.
‘His (Infantino’s) Club World Cup proves, to the point of absurdity, that it is urgent to stop this massacre game. He flouts the physical and mental health of players for a few more dollars.’
Infantino has received much criticism regarding the Club World Cup, with this year’s edition expanded to include 32 teams.
There have been widespread concerns about the impact that involvement in the tournament will have on players.
French players’ union the UNFP criticised the impact of the Club World Cup on player welfare
The UNFP claimed that Gianni Infantino, watching on from his ‘ivory tower’, isn’t concerned about the impact that the extra games will have on the physical and mental health of players
The comments follow on from Jurgen Klopp’s criticisms of the Club World Cup
The comments from UNFP follow on from former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp’s criticisms of the Club World Cup.
Klopp, who now works as the head of global soccer for Red Bull, described the tournament as ‘the worst idea ever in football’.
Speaking to German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, he said: ‘The Club World Cup is the worst idea ever implemented in football.
‘People who have never had anything to do with day-to-day business are coming up with ideas.
‘I fear that next season players will suffer injuries they’ve never had before. If not, then it’ll happen at the World Cup or afterwards.’
Many of the leading clubs in world football, such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, are taking part in the competition, with concerns being raised about how players will be affected in the long term given their lack of rest this summer.
