In an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt, former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp criticized the new FIFA Club World Cup that is being held by FIFA this summer and called it “the worst idea in the history of football”.
Klopp said: “This (the club's world cup) is the worst idea in the history of football. People who have never been involved in or no longer involved in the daily affairs of football came with such an idea on a whim.
“Last year there was the Copa América and the European Championship, this year there is the Club World Cup, and next year there will be the World Cup again. This means that players cannot really rest, both physically and mentally.”
Klopp also predicted that there could be “a large number of injuries for players” next season. He said: “This situation cannot continue. We must ensure that players have sufficient rest time, because if they do not rest, they cannot guarantee their best performance in the long term, and this will lose the product of football for the sellers.”
Klopp also compared NBA players with football players. He added: “Of course they all earn a lot of money. But let's put that aside. A well – paid NBA player has four months of rest every year. Yet Virgil van Dijk has not even had such a long vacation throughout his career. Tournaments such as the club of the club should not be held at the expense of players.