Club World Cup - Summer 2025

See the proven hypocrite Klopp is now having a pop at the competition but strange how he threw the cup game v Villa in 3019 to take a string squad to enter it at the semi final stage and said this after they won it:
On what winning the Club World Cup means for this team...

A wonderful night for us, the club, for everybody who is with us.
 
hertsblue said:
See the proven hypocrite Klopp is now having a pop at the competition but strange how he threw the cup game v Villa in 3019 to take a string squad to enter it at the semi final stage and said this after they won it:
On what winning the Club World Cup means for this team...

A wonderful night for us, the club, for everybody who is with us.
Click to expand...
Saint Jurgen still a big hit with the cunts at the BBC Ministry of Truth.
 
Marvin. said:
Group stages attracted 1,667,819 fans – at an average of 34,746.
Source: https://inside.fifa.com/organisatio...stats-group-stage-goals-attendances-countries
Click to expand...

I think there were a couple of eye raising attedance figures from Fifa in the group games, where official attendance and on screen evidence didn't quite marry, but I doubt the overall number is much different from ca. 1.5m

57% of total seats available, sold for the groups.

I'd expect that to dramatically rise in the knockouts
 
hertsblue said:
See the proven hypocrite Klopp is now having a pop at the competition but strange how he threw the cup game v Villa in 3019 to take a string squad to enter it at the semi final stage and said this after they won it:
On what winning the Club World Cup means for this team...

A wonderful night for us, the club, for everybody who is with us.
Click to expand...
I think the preferred format of BBC and Sky would be an annual match between Liverpool and United over 17 legs with the winner declared biggest/bestest in the whole world.
 
Marvin. said:
In the BBC Live Feed they have a section describing the CWC as a tournament marred with problems:
  • Unfavourable weather conditions
  • Uneven interest in the tournament
  • Huge gulf in quality of teams
  • Fixture congestion and player burnout
  • Politicisation of the sport
  • Rich clubs getting even richer
They seem to have conceded then that there are some well attended games.

Some of the points are valid but the politicisation that the BBC are referring to is a minority stake that a Saudi investment fund has in DAZN the broadcaster. We are supposed to be horrified by this. I am not. The UK is global decline but it can hardly condemn the Saudi state after Britain's role in the middle-east. The BBC's editorial role reflects their imperial political view of the world.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your post -and the information.

Let’s see, we were already deep into the globalization era before celebrating the new millennium, and this is the most popular sport on the planet. This development is only natural, personally I have been expecting it for years, the only question being what took the bureaucrats so long for the plan to materialize…

Yes, we did have a World Cup on an annual basis, and all clubs participating in it, never mind winning it, will always mention their achievements in their history books. But the format was rather weak, and the prestige nowhere near where it should be. Continental activity basically remained isolated: European football, South American football, Asian football etc, are separate worlds. Fact…

Authorities finally decided to upgrade the existing tournament by introducing the WC of club football. More clubs (according to a criteria algorithm focused on continental success, but I’m not going to get into that), more money for the participants, free TV access for the fans all over the world. A platform where different markets and different football environments meet, a tool to connect different football cultures and different audiences. That’s how I would like to see it…

Surely an organization with the status of the BBC definitely understands all the above mentioned concepts, as well as the necessity of the initiative. They, as well as other media entities, are against it though. They choose to apply pressure on FIFA -I’m sure they have their reasons…

“Unfavourable weather conditions” is hardly a reason though. The BBC do not give a fuck about the weather conditions. I’m not saying it’s perfect (because definitely it’s not), I’m simply saying that’s an “argument” to throw when you have already decided you’re against the tournament. Interest? BS. All fans in the stadiums enjoy the experience, they love it. And all teams, managers and players participating, give their very best. Not to mention, you can find plenty material in football and sports sites regarding the views of marketing executives of clubs such as Dortmund, Juventus, PSG, obviously City included. Who have organized marketing and social media activities: They see the tournament as an opportunity to “expand visibility”…

The disparities are huge, yes, and are bound to be exposed. And? What would be the answer? Something like a European Super League? Fuck off! Europe is the heart of football, absolutely, and they do have more participants now in comparison to the previous format. Should they have more? Well, there are already 32 teams participating, I mean it’s inevitable that a lot of good teams will stay out of the tournament. European football keeps increasing its financial ability, keeps developing knowledge, keeps attracting the best human resources from all over the world. Let’s just say this is a fair price to pay for its progress. It doesn’t matter if the NZ team got humiliated in its first 2 matches, I want them there. They have to be there, they deserve to be there, all parts of the world have to be represented, that’s the fucking point. Authorities have the responsibility to design and implement strategies for the further development of the sport on a global basis, again I don’t think the BBC give a fuck about such stuff though…

I cannot imagine genuine football fans staying indifferent to the scenes following the final whistle at the Auckland City FC - Boca Juniors match. You watch the smile on their GK’s face, the celebrations of the players with their fans, I have to be honest, personally I was moved. My warm congratulations to those boys (and the people who followed them to the US), they fought with pride in their final match, earned a point from a historic South American team -and took their opponents to the grave with them. Well done. For what it’s worth, it might be useful, just once in a fucking while, to remember that some 2,500 years ago there used to exist a society -and a democracy- which valued participation in sports more than winning…

Fixture congestion and player burnout: That is very very VERY serious. Extremely serious, but I definitely do not buy the BBC’s hypocrisy on the subject, not for a moment. Awareness on the issue increases by the day, but City have already faced the consequences of an irrational schedule -which gets heavier every fucking season. We have nobody to blame but ourselves though. Our hierarchy criminally neglected the realities the team was facing, criminally ignored all warning signs, did very little or nothing, letting things escalate to the situation we’ve experienced this season: A team fighting to secure CL football until the very last matchday. And why? Simply because we have an alien on our bench. A guy who does not ask, never mind demand. Who will find solutions under whatever circumstances. A man who kept winning without a SC, kept winning without fullbacks, kept winning with a criminally thin squad. Kept winning, that’s what matters. While being … not expensive, so to speak. How fucking convenient, right? Who knows, maybe public opinion would eventually see things differently, change the perception surrounding City. Hey, we are not spending money, we are not ruining the market, we are actually selling players etc. It’s a fucking misunderstanding, it’s all misconceptions, no reason for the establishment and the mainstream media to hate City, right? WRONG. That’s a lost battle, that’s what it is. And the boys who made this possible? You will not find another group of players in the history of the sport having been pushed so hard for so long. 5 years in a row operating in a hostile environment, as always. Beating all kinds of limitations, in terms of personnel, fatigue, officials, nature itself. With very little or zero rest, very little or zero preseason. This season alone? We pretend to ignore that preseason was basically about youth, 2 seniors, plus another 2 in the process, plus GKs. With all that history behind them, we pretend to ignore that the rest of the boys were actually building fitness during official matches. A team of uncommon men, as I wrote 2 years ago. Yeah. Well they can’t do it anymore, it’s literally unfathomable how they lasted so long. 4 in a row, a treble included: UNFATHOMABLE…

Have lessons finally been learnt? If we are referring to the previous regime, my answer is a firm NO, without hesitation. It’s too late. I knew what to expect from them from my first ever post in the forum, 9 years ago. Fact remains, however, that the team is out there, playing competitive matches at the highest possible level, under difficult / problematic weather and pitch conditions -and we are entering July. Pep confirmed City’s intention to take the WC very seriously. Which is the right thing to do: We were, are and will remain ambitious, no surprises there. But the team is fucked, rivals are resting as we speak, and the PL starts at 16th of August. It’s scary. I would highly recommend that people take some time to reflect on this. I know there are morons in here that will never get it, but rivals already have the advantage, they do not fucking need rest as much as we do, for us it’s existential. IT’S SCARY! Which means, considerations required in terms of recruitment and size of the squad are extremely serious. This is the wrong thread to talk about this, for the moment let me just say that pretty much everything depends on the following 2 words: Hugo Viana. And if Bernardo’s words following the match vs Juventus can have the desired influence in terms of decision making, then this wonderful man, our captain, already a legend, deserves a statue for that initiative alone! No, I am not kidding and I am not exaggerating, I am very serious. Couldn’t be more serious…

Back on topic: City and Chelsea are representing England and English football in the WC, yet they are being punished by the PL for that. Have the BBC written articles, have they said anything about that? If they have, then I apologize. I don’t think they give a shit though. About this subject in general, City’s condition in particular. On the contrary, I think they’re happy about it, they don’t like us very much. Once again, this issue is extremely important, but undermining this tournament is the wrong battle to fight, in my humble opinion. The club WC makes sense. On the other hand, the Nations League shit makes absolutely zero sense. If the BBC are honest in their intentions, if they truly care about the health and physical welfare of players, I would welcome an initiative on their behalf: All stakeholders united in a campaign for the elimination of the UEFA Nations League…

Final 2 points, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Politicisation of the sport”? Football as a “tool” to control, even manipulate the masses (whether we like it or not, this dimension does exist, by the way)? Nah, they don’t mean this, do they, they mean … that! Yeah. Well, they are not alone in this, it’s part of a broader agenda. And I am sure we can all rely on the BBC’s sensitivity regarding the gap between rich and poor football clubs. Don’t they employ any intellectuals? I mean, this is a capitalistic world after all, no? I can assure you, it is not my preference, I would prefer to live in a world with more justice, starting from financial justice in particular. But it’s not the case, is it? And this is football capitalism at its finest. It’s a natural, deterministic process, rich clubs are bound to keep getting richer. A process that has rapidly accelerated following the Bosman ruling, with national identities fading and the gap getting wider and wider. Half of the national team of Brazil / Argentina, combined with the best player(s) produced in France, Italy, Germany etc, can play for Madrid, where exactly is the Spanish element? And how are Getafe supposed to compete against this? Do we need to control this process? Absolutely! I would love to have measures aiming to enhance competition, I love competition, it’s what the sport, every sport, needs. Authorities seem to be working towards different directions though, they seem to have different motives and views on the subject. They introduced FFP instead. Aiming to further cement the existing status quo…

The CWC has zero or very little influence on this -and the BBC are perfectly aware of it. Once again, they choose hypocrisy and propaganda…

Final comment, a bit more personal, a bit off topic: Since I do not live in England, I have to say that my experience in this forum has been highly educational on a series of issues. Focusing on the English media, for example, the experience has been nothing less than shocking. I don’t want to be misunderstood, it’s not that I expected integrity or anything, no, I’m an adult (lol). Stakes are high, we are talking about big interests here, we are talking about big money. The media will definitely not play games, no, they will fulfill their role very seriously: Public opinion needs to be controlled, if not brainwashed. I am talking about the quality of the propaganda, I mean there are levels. Newspapers, sites, social media, the BBC, SKY, TalkfuckingSport etc. Sad to say, their level is a direct reflection of the level of their audience. Addressing a, let’s say, more mature public opinion, they would need to be more subtle, more sophisticated in their approach. They don’t have to -and it’s depressing. People shaping public opinion, such as Jim fucking White, Simon fucking Jordan, Jason fucking Cundy (excuse me?????), Jamie O’ Hara, Danny Murphy, Martin Keown, Steve McManaman (!!!!!), Shaka Hislop, Rio fucking Ferdinand, Jamie fucking Carragher, Gabriel Agbonlahor (really?????) etc, will do just fine…
 
Nelinho said:
Thank you for your post -and the information.

Let’s see, we were already deep into the globalization era before celebrating the new millennium, and this is the most popular sport on the planet. This development is only natural, personally I have been expecting it for years, the only question being what took the bureaucrats so long for the plan to materialize…

Yes, we did have a World Cup on an annual basis, and all clubs participating in it, never mind winning it, will always mention their achievements in their history books. But the format was rather weak, and the prestige nowhere near where it should be. Continental activity basically remained isolated: European football, South American football, Asian football etc, are separate worlds. Fact…

Authorities finally decided to upgrade the existing tournament by introducing the WC of club football. More clubs (according to a criteria algorithm focused on continental success, but I’m not going to get into that), more money for the participants, free TV access for the fans all over the world. A platform where different markets and different football environments meet, a tool to connect different football cultures and different audiences. That’s how I would like to see it…

Surely an organization with the status of the BBC definitely understands all the above mentioned concepts, as well as the necessity of the initiative. They, as well as other media entities, are against it though. They choose to apply pressure on FIFA -I’m sure they have their reasons…

“Unfavourable weather conditions” is hardly a reason though. The BBC do not give a fuck about the weather conditions. I’m not saying it’s perfect (because definitely it’s not), I’m simply saying that’s an “argument” to throw when you have already decided you’re against the tournament. Interest? BS. All fans in the stadiums enjoy the experience, they love it. And all teams, managers and players participating, give their very best. Not to mention, you can find plenty material in football and sports sites regarding the views of marketing executives of clubs such as Dortmund, Juventus, PSG, obviously City included. Who have organized marketing and social media activities: They see the tournament as an opportunity to “expand visibility”…

The disparities are huge, yes, and are bound to be exposed. And? What would be the answer? Something like a European Super League? Fuck off! Europe is the heart of football, absolutely, and they do have more participants now in comparison to the previous format. Should they have more? Well, there are already 32 teams participating, I mean it’s inevitable that a lot of good teams will stay out of the tournament. European football keeps increasing its financial ability, keeps developing knowledge, keeps attracting the best human resources from all over the world. Let’s just say this is a fair price to pay for its progress. It doesn’t matter if the NZ team got humiliated in its first 2 matches, I want them there. They have to be there, they deserve to be there, all parts of the world have to be represented, that’s the fucking point. Authorities have the responsibility to design and implement strategies for the further development of the sport on a global basis, again I don’t think the BBC give a fuck about such stuff though…

I cannot imagine genuine football fans staying indifferent to the scenes following the final whistle at the Auckland City FC - Boca Juniors match. You watch the smile on their GK’s face, the celebrations of the players with their fans, I have to be honest, personally I was moved. My warm congratulations to those boys (and the people who followed them to the US), they fought with pride in their final match, earned a point from a historic South American team -and took their opponents to the grave with them. Well done. For what it’s worth, it might be useful, just once in a fucking while, to remember that some 2,500 years ago there used to exist a society -and a democracy- which valued participation in sports more than winning…

Fixture congestion and player burnout: That is very very VERY serious. Extremely serious, but I definitely do not buy the BBC’s hypocrisy on the subject, not for a moment. Awareness on the issue increases by the day, but City have already faced the consequences of an irrational schedule -which gets heavier every fucking season. We have nobody to blame but ourselves though. Our hierarchy criminally neglected the realities the team was facing, criminally ignored all warning signs, did very little or nothing, letting things escalate to the situation we’ve experienced this season: A team fighting to secure CL football until the very last matchday. And why? Simply because we have an alien on our bench. A guy who does not ask, never mind demand. Who will find solutions under whatever circumstances. A man who kept winning without a SC, kept winning without fullbacks, kept winning with a criminally thin squad. Kept winning, that’s what matters. While being … not expensive, so to speak. How fucking convenient, right? Who knows, maybe public opinion would eventually see things differently, change the perception surrounding City. Hey, we are not spending money, we are not ruining the market, we are actually selling players etc. It’s a fucking misunderstanding, it’s all misconceptions, no reason for the establishment and the mainstream media to hate City, right? WRONG. That’s a lost battle, that’s what it is. And the boys who made this possible? You will not find another group of players in the history of the sport having been pushed so hard for so long. 5 years in a row operating in a hostile environment, as always. Beating all kinds of limitations, in terms of personnel, fatigue, officials, nature itself. With very little or zero rest, very little or zero preseason. This season alone? We pretend to ignore that preseason was basically about youth, 2 seniors, plus another 2 in the process, plus GKs. With all that history behind them, we pretend to ignore that the rest of the boys were actually building fitness during official matches. A team of uncommon men, as I wrote 2 years ago. Yeah. Well they can’t do it anymore, it’s literally unfathomable how they lasted so long. 4 in a row, a treble included: UNFATHOMABLE…

Have lessons finally been learnt? If we are referring to the previous regime, my answer is a firm NO, without hesitation. It’s too late. I knew what to expect from them from my first ever post in the forum, 9 years ago. Fact remains, however, that the team is out there, playing competitive matches at the highest possible level, under difficult / problematic weather and pitch conditions -and we are entering July. Pep confirmed City’s intention to take the WC very seriously. Which is the right thing to do: We were, are and will remain ambitious, no surprises there. But the team is fucked, rivals are resting as we speak, and the PL starts at 16th of August. It’s scary. I would highly recommend that people take some time to reflect on this. I know there are morons in here that will never get it, but rivals already have the advantage, they do not fucking need rest as much as we do, for us it’s existential. IT’S SCARY! Which means, considerations required in terms of recruitment and size of the squad are extremely serious. This is the wrong thread to talk about this, for the moment let me just say that pretty much everything depends on the following 2 words: Hugo Viana. And if Bernardo’s words following the match vs Juventus can have the desired influence in terms of decision making, then this wonderful man, our captain, already a legend, deserves a statue for that initiative alone! No, I am not kidding and I am not exaggerating, I am very serious. Couldn’t be more serious…

Back on topic: City and Chelsea are representing England and English football in the WC, yet they are being punished by the PL for that. Have the BBC written articles, have they said anything about that? If they have, then I apologize. I don’t think they give a shit though. About this subject in general, City’s condition in particular. On the contrary, I think they’re happy about it, they don’t like us very much. Once again, this issue is extremely important, but undermining this tournament is the wrong battle to fight, in my humble opinion. The club WC makes sense. On the other hand, the Nations League shit makes absolutely zero sense. If the BBC are honest in their intentions, if they truly care about the health and physical welfare of players, I would welcome an initiative on their behalf: All stakeholders united in a campaign for the elimination of the UEFA Nations League…

Final 2 points, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Politicisation of the sport”? Football as a “tool” to control, even manipulate the masses (whether we like it or not, this dimension does exist, by the way)? Nah, they don’t mean this, do they, they mean … that! Yeah. Well, they are not alone in this, it’s part of a broader agenda. And I am sure we can all rely on the BBC’s sensitivity regarding the gap between rich and poor football clubs. Don’t they employ any intellectuals? I mean, this is a capitalistic world after all, no? I can assure you, it is not my preference, I would prefer to live in a world with more justice, starting from financial justice in particular. But it’s not the case, is it? And this is football capitalism at its finest. It’s a natural, deterministic process, rich clubs are bound to keep getting richer. A process that has rapidly accelerated following the Bosman ruling, with national identities fading and the gap getting wider and wider. Half of the national team of Brazil / Argentina, combined with the best player(s) produced in France, Italy, Germany etc, can play for Madrid, where exactly is the Spanish element? And how are Getafe supposed to compete against this? Do we need to control this process? Absolutely! I would love to have measures aiming to enhance competition, I love competition, it’s what the sport, every sport, needs. Authorities seem to be working towards different directions though, they seem to have different motives and views on the subject. They introduced FFP instead. Aiming to further cement the existing status quo…

The CWC has zero or very little influence on this -and the BBC are perfectly aware of it. Once again, they choose hypocrisy and propaganda…

Final comment, a bit more personal, a bit off topic: Since I do not live in England, I have to say that my experience in this forum has been highly educational on a series of issues. Focusing on the English media, for example, the experience has been nothing less than shocking. I don’t want to be misunderstood, it’s not that I expected integrity or anything, no, I’m an adult (lol). Stakes are high, we are talking about big interests here, we are talking about big money. The media will definitely not play games, no, they will fulfill their role very seriously: Public opinion needs to be controlled, if not brainwashed. I am talking about the quality of the propaganda, I mean there are levels. Newspapers, sites, social media, the BBC, SKY, TalkfuckingSport etc. Sad to say, their level is a direct reflection of the level of their audience. Addressing a, let’s say, more mature public opinion, they would need to be more subtle, more sophisticated in their approach. They don’t have to -and it’s depressing. People shaping public opinion, such as Jim fucking White, Simon fucking Jordan, Jason fucking Cundy (excuse me?????), Jamie O’ Hara, Danny Murphy, Martin Keown, Steve McManaman (!!!!!), Shaka Hislop, Rio fucking Ferdinand, Jamie fucking Carragher, Gabriel Agbonlahor (really?????) etc, will do just fine…
Click to expand...
Can’t be arsed reading all that
 
hertsblue said:
See the proven hypocrite Klopp is now having a pop at the competition but strange how he threw the cup game v Villa in 3019 to take a string squad to enter it at the semi final stage and said this after they won it:
On what winning the Club World Cup means for this team...

A wonderful night for us, the club, for everybody who is with us.
Click to expand...
Klopp is Red Bull guy, so with RB Salzburg getting dumped by a team from the ME doesn’t look too good for them. Ergo, Klopp has a pop!!!
 
I predict the money, level of competition, and desire to participate given the other two matters, will be considerably more appreciated in a few weeks!

Four years from now, we will be HOPING City are involved. Save the post.
 
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