Pep Guardiola is determined to take the FIFA Club World Cup seriously, but even FIFA don't appear to be on the same page
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FIFA president Gianni Infantino
FIFA president Gianni Infantino(Image: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola has shown time after time that he is ready to risk upset in order to show the game the respect he thinks it deserves. Whatever troubles the schedule and Manchester City success bring, there is no chance that the Blues will fail to show up for a game they have been invited to.
It is over six years since he said he would go on holiday instead of play the Community Shield if nobody in England counted it as a proper trophy. And here he still is, listing City as a trophy winner this season on the basis of them beating United at Wembley back in August despite most still not counting it.
The Club World Cup is another example. Next season could already be in jeopardy for City because the Premier League will not allow them extra rest in order to play in FIFA's revamped tournament.
It is not good for the health of any player, it has already caused tension with the departing Kevin De Bruyne - who couldn't care less about playing in it if it means hurting his chances of a fresh start next season - and there is a potential row coming imminently with England over James McAtee and Rico Lewis. Lee Carsley wants them in his squad for the Under-21 European Championship but there is a direct clash with the tournament.
Guardiola said he was making a bad joke on Friday and asked whether England would be paying the salary of those players for the next month or City would. To which a response in similar taste would be that City might not be paying their wages for much longer if Guardiola keeps leaving them out of matchday squads for debutants.
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It is spiky stuff, and shows the lengths that Guardiola is willing to go to to respect the competitions City have won the right to play in - given there hasn't been a Club World Cup since Saudi Arabia in 2023, the Blues are technically defending champions. Except the more that comes out about it, the less serious a tournament it looks.
There were early warning signs from FIFA president Gianni Infantino, such as when he turned up in Miami to randomly invite Lionel Messi's team and disregard the charade that teams would be invited on sporting merit. A fawning chat about the golden trophy with US president Donald Trump hardly improved matters.
Then there was this week, when Infantino took the trophy to a YouTuber's bedroom and told him that Cristiano Ronaldo might feature despite not being contracted to one of the teams in the tournament. All of these actions and changes from what were expected are entirely unserious from an organisation that risks throwing away all pretence of sport in their chase for entertainment and ratings.
What happens if City make the final, and then Guardiola is told that Ronaldo has to be in his starting line-up in order to keep Infantino happy? What if a rule is introduced that nobody is allowed to tackle Lionel Messi?
It all sounds too outlandish to be true, but you would have said that about some of the things that have already happened. With FIFA, no crazy idea is off the table.
Guardiola's respect for all competitions has helped to make him one of the most successful managers of all time, yet he has to be careful.
If his commitment to sporting excellence is ignored by the organisation that should represent the pinnacle of it, it could embarrass the manager and hurt the squad that he leads for a season where everyone wants and expects more.
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