Sports
Ancelotti On Why Madrid Won’t Grace FIFA World Club
Orgnisers of the FIFA World Club Cup have some work to do, to attract the elite clubs to grace the competition.
One area that call for urgent attention is the prize money, where the elite clubs seem have gone into a form of alliance, albeit informally.
Biztellers reports that Manager, Real Madrid FC, Carlo Ancelotti has made it clear that the Spanish giants would turn down the invitation to participate in the upcoming FIFA World Club Cup, unless something was done about the prize money.
Ancelotti was cited by Italian newspaper Il Giornale, thus: “Real Madrid will NOT go to the FIFA World Club, we will reject the invitation like other clubs.”
According to the Italian tactician, Real Madrid’s position is based on the stark financial disparity between the tournament’s prize money and the revenue generated by their single match.
“Just one single Real Madrid match is worth €20m, and they want to give us that money for the whole competition… no way. Negative,” Ancelotti told Il Giornale.
The FIFA Club World Cup is an annual international club football competition organized by the global football governing body, FIFA.
Participants are drawn from the champions from each of the six continental confederations (UEFA, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, AFC, CAF, and OFC), along with the host nation’s domestic league champions.
The tournament follows a straight knockout format over two weeks, with the champions from Oceania facing the host nation’s champions in a play-off. The winners join the champions from Asia, Africa, and North America in the quarter-finals.
The European and South American champions enter at the semi-final stage.
Real Madrid holds the record for most titles with five wins in the competition. Spanish clubs have been the most successful with eight titles, while English clubs have won the tournament four times. The current champions are Manchester City, who defeated Fluminense 4-0 in the 2023 final.
The next competition comes up in 2025, giving the organisers time to address the issues raised by the elite clubs.
Ahead of their Euro 2024 quarter-final match against Switzerland, England faces a significant disciplinary dilemma.
Five players—Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Kobbie Mainoo, Kieran Trippier, and Conor Gallagher—are on the verge of suspension, each having received one yellow card during the tournament.
If any of these players should be booked again during the match, they would be suspended from the semi-final, should England advance.
Adding to England’s challenges, manager Gareth Southgate will be without Marc Guehi, who is suspended after receiving his second yellow card in the match against Slovakia.
Despite these setbacks, England secured their place in the quarter-finals with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Slovakia on Sunday, highlighted by Jude Bellingham’s stunning overhead kick and Harry Kane’s late header.
Gareth Southgate’s team, pre-tournament favorites, has had a mixed campaign so far. They began with a nervy victory over Serbia and then drew with Denmark and Slovenia, yet managed to top Group C and move into the easier side of the draw.
Now, they face Switzerland, who eliminated European champions Italy, in what will be their toughest test yet.
The quarter-final match against Switzerland will take place in Düsseldorf on Saturday. If England succeeds, they will face either the Netherlands or Turkey in the semi-finals.
However, the potential suspensions of Bellingham, Foden, Mainoo, Trippier, and Gallagher loom large over the match.
Euro 2024 is set to enter its gripping quarter-final phase, featuring a clash of football titans from across the continent.
Following the conclusion of the round of 16, the stage is now set for an exhilarating lineup of matches.
See fixtures below:
Friday
Spain vs Germany at Stuttgart (1600)
Portugal vs France at Hamburg (1900)
Saturday
England vs Switzerland at Duesseldorf (1600)
Netherlands vs Turkey at Berlin (1900)
Football aficionados can anticipate thrilling encounters as these powerhouse teams vie for supremacy and a chance to advance to the prestigious semi-finals of Euro 2024.
The Netherlands clinched their first Euro quarter-final since 2008 with a commanding 3-0 victory over Romania in the last-16 match on Tuesday.
Donyell Malen starred with a brace, supported by Cody Gakpo’s opener in the first half.
Despite squandering numerous chances, the Dutch sealed their win as Gakpo set up Malen for the second goal before Malen dazzled with a spectacular solo effort in stoppage time.
Their next challenge awaits against either Turkey or Austria in the quarter-finals.
More to follow………….
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