The U.S.-hosted FIFA Club World Cup — which has seen several weather delays and flagging attendance numbers — is a “joke,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said after Saturday’s 4-1 win over Benfica.
The match at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, was delayed by two hours due to lightning strikes in the area. At the time, Chelsea led 1-0 with four minutes remaining.
Benfica equalized after the delay, though Maresca’s club scored three goals in extra time to seal the victory.
“After the break, the game changed completely. I think for me personally it’s not football. It’s already seven, eight, nine games that they suspended,” the manager told reporters. “I think it’s a joke, to be honest; it’s not football. It’s not for us. You cannot be inside [for so long].”
Six Club World Cup matches have been delayed due to weather. Maresca insisted that there wouldn’t be issues if another nation hosted the event.
“It’s completely something new, but I struggle to understand. I can understand that for security reasons, you have to suspend the game,” he said. “But if you suspend seven or eight games, that means that probably is not the right place to do this competition.”
The United States, through a joint bid with Mexico and Canada, is slated to host the World Cup next summer.