LaLiga president decries Club World Cup as ‘completely absurd'
LaLiga president Javier Tebas will not be cheering FIFA's Club World Cup when play begins this week. Tebas largely has concerns over his own product because two of the 32 teams in the draw — Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid — play in Spain's top flight and might face delays to the start of their season should they advance to the Round of 16 in July. LaLiga is scheduled to begin on Aug. 16.
'There is already controversy over when Real Madrid and Atletico will start LaLiga, which disrupts our usual football schedule and hurts us in the medium term,' Tebas said in a radio interview with Cadena Cope radio. 'The decision on whether Real Madrid and Atletico will start (LaLiga) later (in order to rest) is not mine alone. It will be made in due course when we see where they stand. But it can't be that we keep having to constantly change our schedule for other competitions that we are not in favor of.'
FIFA is the governing body overseeing the CWC and next year's World Cup. Tebas said he had no contact with any officials at FIFA, and they didn't consult LaLiga about any of the details of the tournament being held in the United States.
'It is completely absurd,' Tebas said.
'They haven't consulted us about dates, they haven't consulted us about anything. What they're doing is damaging Spanish competition, if big teams like Real Madrid or Atletico can't play on the first day of LaLiga.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
40 minutes ago
- News18
'Fans Don't Enjoy It': River Plate's Gallardo Laments Mastantuono's Move To Real Madrid
Last Updated: Marcelo Gallardo expressed disappointment over Franco Mastantuono's move to Real Madrid, and slandered the modern-day pratice of early transfers. Franco Mastantuono's transfer to Real Madrid was premature, and an experience that River Plate fans haven't taken too well, stated coach Marcelo Gallardo. Gallardo acknowledged that losing Mastantuono would leave a significant void in his squad and their plans going forward, since he had built them around the 17-year-old. The midfielder progressed through the River academy and made his first-team debut in January 2024. Earlier this month, River Plate finalized a deal with the Spanish giants, reportedly worth around $45 million, for the highly rated midfielder. Mastantuono is Real Madrid's third signing this summer, following Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool and Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth. The Argentine manager expressed concern that Mastantuono needed more time to develop at River Plate, but conceded that early transfers have become a norm in today's football landscape. 'It's natural—we train players for the world. Everything is happening faster now; young players are leaving sooner, and I understand that's just the reality of the game," Gallardo told ESPN on Friday. 'Our sporting plan for the year included him. Now we'll have to adjust, because some players are simply very difficult to replace. 'We always knew Mastantuono would leave eventually, but it's never easy for the fans. The transfer market dictates the timing." Gallardo also shared that he's trying to help Mastantuono stay focused on the tournament despite the media attention surrounding his move. 'All I ask is for him to play freely and try to block out the noise, even though that's a tall order," he said. 'I don't bring up where he's going to live or anything like that. I just want him to do what he does best—play football." Following Saturday's match against the Mexican side in Pasadena, River Plate are set to face Champions League runners-up Inter Milan on Wednesday. (with inputs from Reuters)
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Florian Wirtz joins list of most expensive soccer signings in history
Florian Wirtz became one of the most expensive players in soccer history when the Germany playmaker joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen on Friday for a fee of up to 116 million pounds ($156 million). Neymar: $262 million (222 million euros) Paris Saint-Germain shattered the world-record transfer fee by signing the Brazil superstar from Barcelona in August 2017. It was more than double the outlay of Manchester United to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus for $116 million a year earlier. It remains the record transfer fee. Kylian Mbappé: $216 million (180 million euros) A few weeks after buying Neymar, PSG also secured a loan deal for Mbappé — then the rising star of French soccer playing for Monaco — that included the option to make the move permanent in 2018. PSG did so, making it an outlay of nearly $500 million on two players. Philippe Coutinho: $192 million (160 million euros) Flush with cash after selling Neymar a year earlier, Barcelona spent most of it in a deal to buy Brazil playmaker Coutinho from Liverpool for a Spanish record fee. Moises Caicedo: $146 million (115 million pounds) The Ecuador midfielder's move was previously the most expensive deal by a British club, with Chelsea buying him from Brighton in August 2023. João Félix: $140 million (126 million euros) Atletico Madrid triggered a buyout clause in Félix's contract to sign the Portugal forward from Benfica in August 2019. Jude Bellingham: $139 million (128.5 million euros) The England star got his big move to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in June 2023, for an initial up-front fee of 103 million euros plus add-ons linked to performance. Antoine Griezmann: $134 million (120 million euros) Atletico could afford to sign Félix after selling France forward Griezmann to Barcelona for a similar fee a few weeks earlier. Neymar: $98 million (90 million euros) Outside from Europe, the biggest transfer deal also involved Neymar when he joined Al Hilal, a team in the Saudi Pro League, from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2023. That came at the height of Saudi Arabia's push to sign high-end soccer talent to ignite the oil-rich state's domestic league.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
How many matches have been interrupted due to adverse weather conditions at FIFA Club World Cup?
The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 has run into an unforeseen impediment as several of its matches have been interrupted due to adverse weather conditions. While some matches have started late, the latest game to be affected was that between Benfica and Auckland City, which was being played at the Inter & Co Stadium in Florida. Heavy thunder and lightning saw the match resume after a two-hour delay. How many matches have been interrupted due to bad weather? Four matches have been affected among the 20 played in the Club World Cup so far. A significant delay in 20 per cent of the matches could pose serious challenges for FIFA, which has the international men's world cup planned in the United States, Mexico and Canada next year. Sportstar looks at all the matches in the FIFA Club World Cup that have been affected by weather so far: Sl. No. Match Date Venue Delay 1. Mamelodi Sundowns vs Ulsan HD June 18 Inter & Co. Stadium, Orlando 65 minutes 2. Salzburg vs Pachuca June 19 TQL Stadium, Cincinatti 97 minutes 3. Palmeiras vs Al Ahly June 19 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford 40 minutes 4. Benfica vs Auckland City June 20 Inter & Co. Stadium, Orlando 120 minutes
