This summer will see Manchester City take part in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup. The competition is FIFA’s attempt to expand its reach into club football. Their hope is that the competition will become one of the flagship club competitions in the game. Now the prize money for the competition has been revealed. The FIFA Club World Cup will be a lucrative competition but you have to ask from a Manchester City point of view: Is their participation worth it due to the workload it will place on their players?
Philip Buckingham has reported for the Athletic that the winners of the FIFA Club World Cup will pocket £97 million. Buckingham’s report further explains the financial benefits of each club’s participation in the competition. The prize money on offer makes the upcoming tournament in the United States one of the most lucrative club competitions in football.
The financial gains of playing in the FIFA Club World Cup are sizable but is it worth it for Manchester City’s players?
It is a feather in the cap of each club participating in FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup. The financial windfall for each club in the competition is sizable. But the financial gain of playing in the competition could come at a cost. That is at the expense of players.
We have seen this season that Manchester City have dealt with injuries and fatigue all season long. As it stands currently Nathan Ake, Rodri, John Stones and Manuel Akanji are all out due to injury. In the case of Ake, Stones and Akanji, they pushed through the pain barrier until their bodies couldn’t take it anymore. When you look at the toll the FIFA Club World Cup could add to Manchester City’s players you do wonder if playing in the competition is actually worth it.
There is also another factor to consider. Manchester City’s final Premier League comes at the end of May. That doesn’t factor in if Pep Guardiola’s side qualify for this season’s FA Cup final. Following that there is another round of World Cup qualifiers in June. Manchester City’s opening FIFA Club World Cup game against Wydad follows that only a week and a half later. You do have to wonder what toll FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup will have on City’s players. That answer may not be known until next season.
The financial windfall from participating in the Club World Cup is massive for each club. In an era of financial regulations that makes Manchester City’s participation in the competition worthwhile. But the toll that the heavy schedule could take on Manchester City’s players does make you wonder if playing in the competition is worthwhile. At some point, City’s players need a break, and you do wonder when that opportunity will come.
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