FIFA president says every criticism about the competition has helped the governing body “see what we can do better”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has spoken in defence of the Club World Cup as the month-long tournament reached its end on Sunday.
Brushing aside concerns about sparse crowds, intense heat and European scepticism and apathy, Infantino declared the tournament a success, although he admitted a few shortcomings that FIFA is now working to address, saying that “every criticism we receive is a source for us to study, to analyse, to see what we can do better”.
On the half-empty stadiums witnessed regularly during the competition, the FIFA boss said: “I prefer to put 35,000 people in an 80,000-seater stadium than 20,000 in a 20,000-seater stadium.”
Even the Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey drew less interest in tickets than previously expected. FIFA took steps to improve attendance, including a late ticket price drop announced just 48 hours before kick-off.
Infantino also addressed the concerns over playing conditions, particularly heat, which has been a recurring issue throughout the tournament. He said that the lessons learnt from the competition were already being fed into planning for next year’s expanded World Cup across the US, Canada and Mexico.
“The heat is definitely an issue,” said Infantino. “We have stadiums, as well, which are covered. So, we’ll definitely use these stadiums more in the day.”
The FIFA president dismissed suggestions that European clubs and supporters had been particularly critical of the competition.
“We shouldn’t say the opinion of Europe is very bad because it’s not true. I’ve spoken to the teams who came here,” said Infantino. “They’ve all been happy to come here. The fans have all been happy to come here.”
On his controversial relationship with US President Donald Trump, Infantino said: “You cannot even think of organising an event like this without the full engagement and full support of the government.
“Trump immediately embraced the importance of the FIFA Club World Cup. And then, of course, of the World Cup next year.”
