The defender of Manchester City has closed the coming tournament in the US and says that he and his teammates would rather not play in it after a long, debilitating season
Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji has put this World Cup this summer in this summer's club and says that he and his teammates would rather not participate.
The controversial 32 team tournament starts next weekend in the US, with the city that is confronted in the US on June 18, Wydad Casablanca in Morocco in Philadelphia.
The city is tipped by some to go all the way to the final on July 13, but after a debilitating season that saw them their hold on the Premier League title to Liverpool, crashes from the Champions League to Real Madrid and the FA Cup finale loses to Crystal Palace, says the Swiss defender.
Speaking from Salt Lake City, where Switzerland will be confronted in a friendly friendship on Saturday, Akanji said: “I have been a strong critic of this competition for a while. We players would like some vacation, and some time for our bodies to rest.
“My city teammates are not really overjoyed about the tournament either. But it is now in our faces, and there is nothing that we can do about it.
“If we participate, then we naturally want to win it. But if we reach the final, the period for us to recover for the new season will be even shorter.”
Akanji stays in the US after the game on Saturday before joining his teammates from the city, and he admits that his side has abandoned this season compared to their own high standards.
“Suppose the expectations we have, this has not been a good season. We finished third in the Premier League, three points behind Arsenal, and qualified for the Champions League,” Akanji continued.
“But it is still our worst campaign for a while. However, Pep Guardiola still said that he was proud of us because he never gave up. The season could have become much worse than it did.”