Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has expressed his displeasure with the US as the host of the Club World Cup, following a last-16 tie with Benfica that was suspended for two hours due to extreme weather. The 4-1 extra-time victory, which took place at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and ended at 01:39 BST on Sunday, was the sixth game of the tournament to be affected by seasonal summer thunderstorms. The players, staff, and supporters were immediately moved indoors due to thunderstorms detected within an eight-mile radius of the venue, as per US safety regulations.
Maresca, who was appointed as Chelsea manager a year ago, described the situation as "a joke" and questioned the appropriateness of the US as a host for the competition. "This is not football," he said. "It's completely something new; I struggle to understand. I can understand if it's security reasons but if you suspend seven or eight games, then it's probably not the right place to do the competition."
Maresca's comments come as the US prepares to co-host the 2026 World Cup, with extreme heat also impacting games in the Club World Cup. Players took turns to cycle on exercise bikes and do kick-ups to stay fresh during the two-hour stoppage, while Chelsea players Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill, and Tosin Adarabioyo were furious at being pulled off the pitch with only five minutes of normal time remaining. Defender Trevor Chalobah saw the funny side, posting on social media, "Game started Saturday and ended Sunday."
The second-longest stoppage of the tournament occurred with Benfica, who had another two-hour delay before their match against Auckland City. There have been six similar stoppages in five different cities, including Mamelodi Sundowns against Ulsan HD, which happened in Orlando due to heavy rain and storms. Long pauses were also seen in the second half of Palmeiras v Al-Ahly in New Jersey (40 minutes), Salzburg v Pachuca in Cincinnati (90 minutes), and Boca Juniors v Auckland City in Nashville (50 minutes).
Chelsea are not the only team to fall victim to extreme heat, with Maresca stating that it was "impossible" to conduct a normal training session at their previous base in Philadelphia. Some of the best stadiums in the US and Canada have roofs, like Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but many do not. Atlanta is the only ground selected with such a covered roof in the Club World Cup, but further stadiums in Vancouver, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Toronto are covered for next summer's World Cup. However, the expanded tournament to 48 teams means that these events will likely happen next summer.
Possible solutions could include moving the World Cup to winter months, as Qatar did in 2022, but severe cold is also an issue in parts of the US and Canada. Fifa's technical study group head Arsene Wenger addressed the stoppages from its base in Miami, stating, "It's not ideal, I agree, because you want the flow of the game from the first to the last minute, but, as well, when you organize a competition, you have [to put] security first."
Fifa issued a statement at the time of the incident, saying, "Due to adverse weather conditions in Charlotte, including the risk of lightning in the vicinity of Bank of America Stadium, the Fifa Club World Cup match between SL Benfica and Chelsea FC has been suspended. Fifa will follow the established safety protocols, and the match will resume as soon as it's safe to do so." Fifa has been asked for a response to Maresca's comments.
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