Premier League chief warns new Club World Cup will cause ‘great difficulty’ for Manchester City and Chelsea
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The revamped, expanded competition will take place next summer. The Club World Cup this summer could create “great difficulty” for Manchester City and Chelsea’s preparations for the next Premier League season, the league‘s chief executive Richard Masters has warned.
![[Premier League CEO Richard Masters has warned that the Club World Cup will have a major impact]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/08/14/19/2166634289.jpg)
The two clubs will be England’s representatives in Fifa’s new 32-team competition in the United States, which has sparked legal challenges from player unions and domestic leagues. Player welfare has been one of the key drivers behind those challenges, and Masters fears there will be precious little respite for the players of either club should they go deep into the competition.
“We’ve seen the Club World Cup come in, and obviously that is going to have an impact on the Premier League. If either Manchester City or Chelsea get to the final of that competition, the Premier League starts four weeks later, and all players are supposed to have three weeks off as part of the contractual commitment.
“So how does that work? With great difficulty I would say. We believe that if leagues and players’ unions were involved in the decision-making processes about how these competitions are put together, you’d have better outcomes. That’s what we’re calling for.”.
The Club World Cup final is due to be played on 13 July, with the 2025-26 Premier League campaign getting under way on 16 August. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said in October that the Premier League had told his club they would not accept a request from the club to delay matches because of their involvement in the Club World Cup.
