In the first press conference after Manchester City arrived to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup, coach Pep Guardiola expressed regret at the expansion of the tournament, which from 2025 will have a version with 32 teams called the Club World Cup.
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The Spanish coach commented on FIFA’s decision, highlighting that all clubs support the initiative. He anticipated the trip to the United States, where the inaugural edition will take place, expressing the hope that the players could take their families. However, Guardiola made clear his displeasure with the addition of yet another tournament to the already congested international football calendar.
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Despite trying not to appear overly critical in relation to the creation of the competition, the coach highlighted that he does not welcome the inclusion of yet another tournament on the calendar, highlighting his concern about the players’ insufficient recovery time, year after year.
He stressed that he was not against new competitions, but expressed his opposition to the short period of time available for athletes to recover, especially considering the intense pace of matches throughout the season. “I’m not against new competitions, I’m against the short time for recovery (for players), year after year. That’s what I complain about all the time. It’s nice to have a game every three, five, seven days, but when the season ends, we need time to start again”, he said.
