Chelsea hit Club World Cup jackpot but was tournament a success?

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Serious business for competing clubs

It was clear right from the start of the tournament that the clubs involved were taking the competition seriously. Despite European cynicism in the build-up – and during, courtesy of Jurgen Klopp – it turned out to be more than an end-of-season inconvenience.

The big European teams generally fielded their strongest possible line-ups and there was a rush to recruit new signings in time for the tournament, with FIFA eager to point out that 59 new players were registered by participating clubs in the early June transfer window, at a total cost of $480 million (£356m).

Winners Chelsea hit the jackpot

It helped, of course, that the financial rewards on offer were so lucrative. Chelsea are estimated to have earned an eye-watering £111m by winning the competition, according to Sky Sports News, with runners-up Paris Saint-Germain banking £82m.

In total, FIFA’s prize pot shared between 32 competing clubs was £774m ($1bn). Every club received a participation fee of up to £28m depending on their confederation, ensuring that even those knocked out at the group stage left better off. Manchester City made £38m despite being eliminated in the round of 16.

Ultimately, money talks. In an age of financial fair play and PSR, the financial rewards on offer won out over player welfare and fatigue concerns. Four years from now, you can be sure that club owners and executives from across the footballing world will be eager for a slice of the pie when the competition returns.

Low crowds provide talking point

Low attendances became a source of embarrassment to FIFA in the early stages of the tournament, particularly when Chelsea played their opening game against LAFC in front of just 22,137 fans at the 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

There were many more fixtures played out in sparsely-attended stadia, with four matches failing to even draw crowds of 10,000. Others, though, were more popular, with 16 games, including Sunday’s sold-out final, attracting at least 60,000 fans.

FIFA pointed to kick-off times, ticket prices and weather (more on that later) as factors in the low attendances but the numbers did pick up as the tournament progressed, with over two and a half million tickets sold in total and an average attendance of 39,705, the increases partly down to dynamic pricing which allowed fans to gain entry for as little as £8.

While far from spectacular for a 63-game tournament, the overall numbers were enough for FIFA to trumpet the competition’s appeal in its expanded format. There seems little doubt it is here to stay.

Weather delays a cause for concern

Sweltering heat was an issue throughout the tournament. As temperatures soared, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said it was “impossible” to have a normal training session while midfielder Enzo Fernandez said it was “very dangerous” to play in the conditions.

Fernandez also argued, with some justification, that the spectacle was affected. “The speed of the game is not the same, everything becomes very slow,” he added.

The extreme weather caused farcical scenes as a string of matches had to be delayed and suspended, including Chelsea’s round of 16 win over Benfica, which featured a two-hour hiatus, when players and fans were told to seek shelter because of lightning in the area.

The weather issues were of course particularly concerning given the US is hosting next year’s World Cup, along with Mexico and Canada. FIFA president Gianni Infantino sought to downplay those worries by saying games with daytime kick-offs designed European audiences will take place in covered stadia.

Brazilian clubs seize chance to impress

Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain ensured the final was a European affair but some representatives from the rest of the world made a mark too. Saudi outfit Al Hilal held Real Madrid and beat Manchester City. Collectively, the Brazilian clubs were the most impressive.

All four of Flamengo, Botafogo, Palmeiras and Fluminense made it to the knockout stages, with the latter two reaching the quarter-finals and semis respectively. Three of the four enjoyed memorable wins over prestigious European opponents along the way.

Botafogo were the one of only two teams, along with Chelsea, to beat Paris Saint-Germain with their 1-0 group-stage victory, while Flamengo secured a 3-1 win over the eventual champions and Fluminense saw off Inter 2-0 in the round of 16.

Their performances, cheered on by large and colourful contingents of travelling fans, highlighted the quality of their league and provided a source of pride to a Brazilian public whose domestic stars rarely get an opportunity to shine on a global stage.

Trump, a half-time show and player ‘walk-ons’

It is fair to say the ‘Americanisation’ of certain aspects of the tournament was met with mixed reviews. The final had the look and feel of the Superbowl, with lengthy pre-match and half-time shows. There was even a fighter-jet fly-past.

US president Donald Trump was eager to place himself front and centre in Sunday’s final, watching on with Infantino at the MetLife Stadium and later gatecrashing Chelsea’s celebrations, to the bemusement of match-winner Cole Palmer.

Throughout the tournament, there were also WWE-style ‘walk-ons’, which involved all 22 starters in every game being individually announced over the loudspeaker instead of emerging from the tunnel together in the traditional way.

Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia was a fan, saying: “It’s a bit of a showbiz thing, isn’t it?” and adding that he would like to see it in the Premier League. But others felt differently, with the lengthy process frustrating many fans at home and delaying kick-offs.

Will fatigue come back to bite Man City, Chelsea and others?

Their finances look healthy following the tournament. Chelsea fans will relish holding the title of world champions for four years. But will competing clubs’ performances suffer next season as a result of the extra Club World Cup workload?

“I try not to think about it, otherwise I will be so anxious,” said Pep Guardiola last month. Manchester City’s round of 16 exit against Al-Hilal was their 61st game of the season in all competitions.

“Maybe in November, December, January, ask me,” added Guardiola. “I may say ‘So listen, we are a disaster. We are exhausted. The World Cup destroyed us.'”

It is a worry for Chelsea too, given they played even more games than Manchester City at 64.

With the Premier League kick-off only a month away, they will be desperately hoping England boss Thomas Tuchel, who predicted the tournament will give Liverpool and Arsenal a “huge” advantage next term, is not proved right but the true ramifications might only become clear later in the campaign.

This news was originally published on this post .