Enzo Maresca, the manager of Chelsea, criticised the two-hour delay in his team’s Saturday Club World Cup victory over Benfica, suggesting that the event should be played elsewhere in the future.
After a two-hour delay following a storm warning, Chelsea made it to the quarter-finals by defeating Benfica 4-1 in extra-time.
Due to widely accepted regulations in the United States that require the suspension of outdoor sporting events if there is a chance of lightning, the tournament was the sixth time a game has been postponed.
Maresca added that a review of the number of games that had been disrupted should be made afterward.
The Chelsea manager responded, “For me personally, it’s not football.” “They have already suspended six games here,” they say. It’s a joke, in my opinion. It’s not football, really.
It’s truly amazing, and it’s completely unfamiliar to me.
You must suspend the game, I understand that for security reasons. However, if you suspend seven or eight games, it’s likely that this is not the best place to hold this competition.
READ MORE: Palmeiras defeats Botafogo in extra time at the Club World Cup.
With four minutes left, Reece James’ second-half free kick gave Chelsea the lead.
The players were forced to leave the field by the storm warning, which nearly halted play.
According to Maresca, it was one of the best performances of the past few weeks.
“The game was very good for 85 minutes before we stopped for two hours, and when we first started it was a completely different game. Because you “break the tempo,” the game is no longer the same.
Maresca made sure to support the Club World Cup, which was expanded to 32 teams for the first time this year, and is being held in the United States as a formal rehearsal for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
It’s a fantastic competition, they say. All the best clubs are participating in the Club World Cup, he said.
“But six, seven games have been suspended?” It is not typical. How many World Cup players have been suspended? Probably none. How many games are there in a European (Championship)? Zero . There are some issues.
Source: Channels TV
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