The demands placed on teams by the FIFA Club World Cup are evident in Inter Milan's hectic schedule.
Only 18 days have passed since Inter Milan's most recent match, in which they were defeated by Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final. But since then, a lot has transpired.
Cristian Chivu took over as manager when Simone Inzaghi, who guided the team to two European finals in three seasons, was fired. Mehdi Taremi, a forward who had gone to his home country of Iran earlier this month and was left behind when Israeli attacks shut down airspace over a large portion of the Middle East, was temporarily removed from the team.
The remaining members of the second-best club in Europe then made the 6,000-mile journey from Milan to Los Angeles, where they played Mexican club Monterrey in a 1-1 tie on Tuesday in front of an announced 40,311 spectators at the Rose Bowl to kick off the FIFA Club World Cup.
"We are attempting to concentrate. Marcus Thuram, a forward who finished second on the club with 18 goals in all competitions this season, admitted that it is not always simple. "However, it is a part of what we do, and we will keep doing what we love."
Due to the expansion of the club and national tournament schedules in recent years, simply performing what they do has become much more difficult and taxing.
Throughout his 18-year career, Thuram's father Lilian was considered by many to be one of the greatest defenders of his time. He won two Serie A titles, a European championship, and played in two World Cup finals, winning one of them. However, he only made four appearances in a season with 46 or more club games before retiring in 2008.
In the last two seasons, his 27-year-old son has done that. He will also play 55 games in 11 months if Inter advances to the Club World Cup final. His ten appearances for the French national team since last June are not included in that.
At the start of the season, we were ready for that. Regarding the Club World Cup, Thuram, who entered the game early in the second half on Tuesday, remarked, "It is not like they announced something at the end of the season." "We were aware that the season would be lengthy."
However, how much time is too much? Soccer clubs, leagues, and regulatory organizations have overloaded the calendar with fictitious competitions in their ferocious pursuit of money, depleting the vitality of players and the wallets of supporters.
An excellent illustration is the Club World Cup. Prior to this summer, the competition, which has been in existence since 2000, only included eight teams and was hosted at a single location during a 10-day break in the European season. This year, the competition has grown to include 32 teams and will take place over the course of a month in 11 cities across a continent.
Inter Milan's players will only have a few weeks off before reporting to training camp for the upcoming Serie A season, which begins on August 23, if they advance to the final next month. Players for the national team, like Thuram, might play more than 70 games in 44 weeks and more than 120 games over two seasons if the World Cup is expanded next summer.
Giuseppe Marotta, chairman and CEO of Inter Milan, stated that "a serious debate is needed between FIFA, UEFA, leagues, clubs, and players to redesign an international schedule that protects the health of players and maintains the quality of games." "The pressure on teams and players has obviously increased dramatically with the introduction of the new Champions League format and the new Club World Cup."
However, clubs like Manchester City (57 games), Inter Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain (58 games this season) are attracted to the extra tournaments for the same reason as the ones that organize them: the money. With a $1 billion prize fund, the Club World Cup is the most lucrative and ambitious international club competition in history. More than PSG received for winning the Champions League, the winner might receive $125 million.
However, it was pushed into a time slot that was not actually there previously.
