Those who genuinely love football surely know that the 19th FIFA Club World Cup will be held in Morocco this year. It will be an eleven-day event. The tournament will commence on the 1st of February and end on the 11th of February, 2023, with seven teams participating.
Along with the details of the teams, players, and fixtures, which are all a part of the tournament, there is something else that needs to be discussed that often remains hidden. The controversy and criticism surrounding the FIFA Club World Cup have been a matter of concern recently.
Today’s article will reflect on the unfavorable circumstances that have occurred in the tournament over time.
Criticism and Controversy surrounding the FIFA Club World Cup
Lack of viewers
The Club World Cup includes teams from many continents, including Asia, Europe, Africa, and America, but sadly, the tournament has faced a lot of criticism. The reason is that it has never attracted many viewers across football-loving nations.
The English audience watches the tournament with less interest as they prioritize the English Premier League. At the same time, the Europeans live to view the Champions League, which is all-important to them.
The FIFA Cup World Cup has never been held in Europe, which is another main reason the tournament has not been able to gain popularity. The Europeans have fixated on the mentality that the matches take place far away from them geographically and mentally, which is why they feel less motivated to participate in supporting their teams.
Similar to the FIFA World Club
There were a lot of discussions and criticism surrounding the FIFA Club World Cup because of the format, which is very close to World Cup one.
Initially, the Club World Cup was supposed to be held in China in 2020 with 24 teams, but due to the Corona pandemic, that was postponed.
But the new format for the future tournament in 2025, according to president Gianni Infantino, was to have 32 teams, eight groups, and all the final rounds.
The upcoming tournament of 2023 will be held next month in February with seven teams in Morocco.
Religion issues
Bayern Munich won the last FIFA Club World Club. But during the prize-giving ceremony after the final match in the Qatar Foundation stadium, there was a slight controversy that quickly took over social media.
Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani shook hands and had a word or two with one of the referees who were a part of the match while handing over the prizes. But the Sheikh’s behavior was somewhat different when it came to greeting one of the assistants, as he didn’t shake her hand.
A lot of fans all over the world thought this gesture was rather insulting to the female assistant. But the Sheikh, who follows the rules of Islam, stated that the religion forbids men to look at a woman who is not a close family member, let alone shake hands.
ConclusionÂ
After going through the controversies and criticisms surrounding the FIFA Club World Cup, it can be concluded that the president of the tournament needs to make decisions more wisely in the future.
The association needs to evaluate all the details, which include the religion of those who are the officials of the tournament, along with taking steps to gain more popularity. Lastly, the Club World Cup needs its format and rules rather than facing criticism for copying others.
- Read More: FIFA Club World Cup History and Evolution
