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Jurgen Klopp has denounced suggestions that a 64-team World Cup could be staged in five years’ time, and reiterated his concerns over player welfare.
The former Liverpool boss has been outspoken on the matter in recent years, even since his departure from the Reds. Over the summer, he described the expanded Club World Cup as the “worst idea ever”.
It’s a view he clearly shares on FIFA’s flagship international tournament, with reports last week that it is considering plans to extend the competition in 2030. Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with The Athletic, Klopp said his fears for players’ health are being ignored in favor of financial rewards.
“I heard about it… I didn’t even want to start thinking,” said the 58-year-old, on the possibility of the 64-team World Cup. “Honestly, I just saw it and I thought, ‘oh no’. I don’t get into that.”
Next summer’s World Cup will be the biggest yet, with 48 nations involved in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Yet, if South American officials get their wish, the version four years later could feature a further 16 sides.
The 2030 edition is to be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, but matches will also be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to mark the 100-year anniversary of the World.
“Whatever I say, I may as well tell it to my microwave,” said Klopp in response to those reports. “It’s exactly the same effect. People will say, ‘Oh, but you earn a lot of money.’ I know that.
“Or club officials will say, ‘Yeah, it’s players and coaches, they always want more money, so we need to get money.’ Then why not sit all together at the table and you tell the players you could have eight weeks' holiday per year?
“Can we talk [about how we get there]? Give it a try. Would they say yes, take the million over there?
“At one point we have to take care of the few people this game would not exist without: the players,” Klopp added.
“There’s no solution besides stopping organizing new tournaments in the summer break. There’s no break anymore for the best players in the world.
“You wouldn’t do this in any other part of life. Imagine you put the best artist out every night until they fall down and then we say sorry, he lost focus.
“But if you don’t talk about it, they will definitely not stop it. They [FIFA] enjoy so much being involved and having an idea, that they just forget the players. Nobody thinks about them.”
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