(MENAFN) Former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has fiercely denounced the newly enlarged Club World Cup, branding it as “the worst idea ever implemented in football,” during an interview with a German outlet on Friday.

Klopp voiced deep frustration with the 32-team competition, accusing the governing body of placing excessive strain on athletes amid an already jam-packed schedule.

The 2025 edition of the Club World Cup, currently taking place in the United States, kicked off on June 14—just a fortnight after the conclusion of the Champions League final—and is set to continue until July 13.

Unlike earlier formats that featured only a limited number of participants, this restructured tournament now resembles the traditional FIFA World Cup, with eight groups composed of four squads each.

Klopp deemed the tournament “pointless” and contended that “whoever wins it will be the worst winner of all time because they’ll have played all summer and then gone straight back into the league.”

He emphasized the toll such a continuous cycle places on players and teams.

Further, Klopp did not mince words in criticizing the architects of the competition, saying it was conceived by “people who have never been involved in the day-to-day business of football and are now coming up with ideas.”

His remarks reflect broader concerns within the football community about player welfare and the commercialization of the sport.

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