FIFA Club World Cup at halfway mark amid concerns for players' health

As the FIFA Club World Cup reaches its halfway mark amid searing heat, there is growing concern about the health of players.

Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola said he agrees with German football manager, Jurgen Klopp, that the tournament was not a great idea.

Guardiola said he fears taking part in it could "destroy" the English Premier League club due to the lack of rest for players.

Speaking on Sunday ahead of City's knockout clash against Al Hilal, Guardiola warned that there could be a possibility that his players would complain of fatigue at the end of the year.

If City reach the final, they will play in New York on 13 July. That leaves them with just over a month's rest before the Premier League season starts on 15 August.

"Maybe in November, December, or January, it will be, 'Pep, listen we are a disaster, we are exhausted and the World Cup has destroyed us',” he said.

However, Guardiola remained mindful that other clubs may be jealous that City is at the Club World Cup in the USA.

Despite this, he said the tournament was not an ideal situation for a manager.

"Would I love to have two months to prepare for next season? I tell you right now - Yes. Would I love to be refreshed for next season? Yes,” he said.

“But it is what it is. And we deserve what we have done in the past to be here. Once we are here, let's do our best possible."

On Sunday, France's union of professional soccer players launched a scathing attack on the competition saying it was deeply concerned about its impact on their physical and mental health.

The UNFP also accused FIFA president Gianni Infantino of living “in an ivory tower” by ignoring the impact congested calendars have on players worldwide.

It said the tournament comes at the end of an already exhausting season, and ignores agreements providing for “an incompressible period of three weeks of rest for footballers between two seasons”.

Days before the start of the month-long Club World Cup, which ends on 13 July, soccer chiefs faced renewed calls to safeguard players over growing fears of injuries and burnout.

The newly expanded tournament, involving 32 of the world’s best teams, has faced pushback since FIFA announced it would be added to an already saturated calendar.

The tournament will be played every four years, sandwiched in between the men’s World Cup, European Championship, and Copa America.

It went ahead against the backdrop of legal challenges in Europe, strike threats, and repeated concerns over players’ mental and physical welfare due to too many games.

FIFA hopes the event will be to club soccer what the World Cup is to international soccer and establish itself as one of the biggest and wealthiest tournaments in sport.