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Chelsea manager was right to be angry in the match against Benfica. |
In the press room in Charlotte, FIFA officials were remarkably polite, though one could tell they were starting to get tired of the constant questioning from the press. For nearly two hours, reporters—the newsmakers—expected them to suddenly become meteorologists, to provide a clear answer as to why Chelsea’s match against Benfica in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup™ had been postponed.
But there was absolutely no answer that could calm the confusion. Even Cole Palmer could not hide his impatience. He left the dressing room and asked a member of the Organizing Committee: "What's going on?"
The chaos was so great that, while the skies were clear outside, players were forced to sit on exercise bikes in the locker room to keep their bodies from cooling down. All anyone knew was that a single bolt of lightning—albeit nearly 10 miles away at Bank of America Stadium—would instantly reset the 30-minute countdown clock. And so it would reset over and over, prolonging the wait to an absurd degree.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was clearly not pleased. This was the sixth game this summer in the US to be interrupted by weather - a number that can no longer be considered random. It was an unfortunate prophecy about next summer's World Cup.
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Chelsea manager puzzled by what happened at the FIFA Club World Cup. |
FIFA can't control the elements, but they do have the right to choose where to host the tournament. And if the United States remains the main destination, fans should be prepared for some games where nature can get in the way at any moment.
What made Maresca even more indignant was the unsporting experience the players and fans had to endure. Chelsea fans in England began watching the match on the evening of June 28.
But by the time the final whistle blew, the clocks in London had already turned to the 29th. In total, the match took four hours and 38 minutes from start to finish - longer than the five-set Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon.
“This is no longer football,” Maresca said bluntly. And it is hard to argue with him.
The game in Charlotte - which was supposed to be a key part of Chelsea's pre-season - was a weather-driven affair. It wasn't the technique, tactics or form that spoke, but the lightning bolts just out of sight.
The story here is more than just a single interrupted match. It’s symptomatic of a larger issue—the malaise of the American summer and FIFA’s choice to stage the tournament. It’s easy to say “weather is an objective factor,” but when summer thunderstorms are a daily occurrence, ignoring the risk is a disregard for the player and fan experience.
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Benfica vs Chelsea match at Club World Cup lasted a long time. |
For European clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City, playing in the US is no longer just a commercial trip. It is a journey of uncertainty – from artificial turf to harsh weather. And this Club World Cup, which was promoted as a “stepping stone to the future”, is exposing organizational flaws.
Perhaps it is time for FIFA to take a more serious look. A world- class tournament cannot be disrupted by predictable factors.
A match cannot last nearly five hours because every flash of light means another half hour of waiting. And football, a sport that depends on rhythm and emotion, cannot endure such “interruptions” forever.
The Chelsea-Benfica game was over. But the anger was not. Charlotte left behind not only the lingering impression of a match interrupted, but also raised a big question for FIFA: Does football really belong anywhere, if the weather there is not welcoming?
Source: https://znews.vn/hlv-chelsea-da-dung-khi-noi-gian-post1564958.html
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