The Club World Cup, a gathering of the best club teams in the world. That sounds amazing, doesn’t it? Too bad it was failed by FIFA leadership. Games were scheduled at non-optimal times for the local fans looking to expand their soccer horizon. The egregious example is one of the group D match-ups between Chelsea and LAFC. No one showed up to watch that in Atlanta. The factors contributing to the subpar attendance, and calling it subpar is a compliment, is that it was scheduled on a Monday at 3 pm Eastern time. They say that it was because they want the fans of these teams to watch them at an optimal time being since Chelsea is a big club in England. At its face, that seems like a reasonable request.
Then you look deeper. LAFC fans are on the West Coast of America, meaning it is 12 pm there, so people are not watching because they are working. One of the biggest examples that debunks the blatant pile of BS that FIFA tried to feed is the opening game between Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. and Ulsan HD FC. Mamelodi Sundowns are based out of South Africa, so the opening kick was at 1:00 am their time, while Ulsan HD are based out of South Korea, which made the opening kick at 8:00 am in South Korea. Those do not seem like optimal viewing for the fans abroad.
The idea of it is a no-brainer, but at what point do we get to where there is too much soccer? Since COVID, the soccer schedule has been thrown out of whack, and players have been trying to get a break. The governing bodies do not care because how can you take a break if every year, since COVID, there is a new tournament to play. From the World Cup in the winter to the Club World Cup this summer. Bodies are breaking down. The product will suffer. For example, Jude Bellingham has pushed his shoulder surgery till after the Club World Cup, which means he will miss the beginning of the La Liga season.
So, again, the concept of the FIFA Club World Cup is tremendous, and we saw games that made us see the beautiful future. The execution is where it is lacking. Was this the right year for a revamped Club World Cup? Is this instant gratification with major setbacks looming that could harm the club season, the biggest reason we love the game of soccer? Well, we shall find out soon!
