Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji says the Club World Cup strips players’ chance to rest ahead of a busy schedule.
The former Premier League champions, alongside dozens of other clubs from across the globe, will take part in the inagural tournament across June and July, with $1billion on offer in prize money.
But several players and coaches have expressed their concern over the timing of the tournament, saying that it puts more strain on an already busy life as a football player.
The English season runs from August until May, with those getting to the latter stages of any tournaments usually in training until June.
That leaves less than two months to rest and recover before it all stats again, a point that Akanji was quick to mention.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, he said: “I have been a strong critic of this competition for some time now.
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“We players would love to have some holidays, and some time for our bodies to rest. My City teammates are not exactly overjoyed about the tournament either. But it’s now right in our faces, and there is nothing we can do about it.”
City will face Al Ain, Juventus and Wydad AC in their group for the Club World Cup.
They are favoured to progress deep into the tournament, meaning they could be on duty until the middle of July.
By that point, players will have around up to a week before clubs’ pre-season tours start, and then just a few seasons before the 2025-26 campaign starts.
