Chelsea coach blasts FIFA over choice of US as Club World Cup hosts

Chelsea Coach Enzo Maresca has blasted organisers of the Club World Cup after a nearby lightning storm forced the stoppage of their match against Benfica minutes before the end of the game for two hours for the sixth time.

Speaking after his team eliminated Benfica after a 4-1 victory, Enzo said it was a joke for the game to be stopped six times because of the lightning risk.

According to the Chelsea boss, the USA was not the correct place to hold the competition considering the weather season.

“For me personally, I think it’s a joke. It is not football. For security reasons, I understand. But for the competition to have seven or eight games suspended, that probably means this is not the right place to have the  FIFA Club World Cup,” Enzo stated.

Enzo said the competition is fantastic, but the suspension of games due to weather is a bit awkward.

“It is a fantastic competition because all the best clubs in the World are here. But six, seven games to be suspended is normal. In a World Cup, how many have been suspended? Probably zero. In the European Championships, how many? There is a problem,” he added.

Chelsea were leading 1-0 against Benfica at minute 85 before the game was suspended.

The game was resumed after two hours.

Maresca added that after the two hours, it was a completely different game because the tempo had changed.

“The game was very good for 85 minutes, then we stopped for two hours, and when we started, it was completely a different game. It is not the same game because the tempo was broken,” he said.

Unusually high temperatures for the time of year contributed to the inclement conditions. Both the cause and the effect are a concern ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup also being staged by the United States next summer.

Meanwhile, Chelsea, who have qualified for the quarter finals, will face Palmeiras over the coming weekend at the Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia city.