Guardiola breaks silence on Klopp’s explosive club World Cup remark

Femi Fabunmi

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has insisted that he was not surprised when former Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, labelled the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup tournament as the “worst idea ever implemented.”

Klopp described the competition as the worst idea ever implemented in the history of football, arguing that there was no plan for players to recover ahead of the upcoming new season.

This year, FIFA introduced a revamped 32-team format for the tournament.

Reacting to Klopp’s comments during his pre-match interview ahead of Manchester City’s Round of 16 tie with Al Hilal on Tuesday, Guardiola said:

“We have fought together many times, especially when it came to deciding the calendar and pushing for more quality.

“When players and managers get proper rest, the quality of football improves.

“I wasn’t surprised by what he said. I understand and respect him. We have had an incredible relationship over many years as rivals, and I get his argument.

“But at the same time, we are in a job where we follow FIFA, UEFA, the Premier League, all the competitions.

“Managers don’t organise the calendar. Everyone has their role, and others are the ones who organise these tournaments.”