 |
Man City did not show off too much in the tournament taking place in the US. |
While the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is a showcase for the world's most traditional and financially powerful clubs, Manchester City - a symbol of modern football backed by an oil empire - chose to start its journey to conquer the world from... a humble college stadium in Florida.
From luxury to simplicity - The story of 15,000 euros
Gone is the Etihad Campus with its state-of-the-art recovery rooms, cutting-edge data analytics systems or climate-simulated training pitches – Pep Guardiola’s team are training at Lynn University’s Bobby Campbell Stadium, a quiet facility in Boca Raton, Palm Beach.
The reason for this “landing” is not because of Pep’s tactics or “humble” philosophy. It is simply a financial problem: FIFA only spends 15,000 euros per day for teams to cover their own accommodation, training and security costs. This support is already a struggle for mid-level clubs, and for the big clubs – who are used to living in luxury – it is… not enough to rent half of the Etihad Stadium.
Therefore, many teams have to go to universities - where the facilities are adequate and close to the competition venues. Real Madrid has to pay for tents to serve as a working place for the press. Meanwhile, Man City, although they can "compensate" if they want, choose the shortest way in terms of travel, accepting to give up convenience to optimize physical strength.
 |
Man City determined to conquer the trophy in America. |
Palm Beach - where Man City are based - is an ideal transit point for their group stage schedule: Philadelphia - Atlanta - Orlando. If they go further, Man City will most likely still play in Orlando, thereby saving maximum travel time. Guardiola understands that, in a short tournament, venue stability is more important than a high-end gym.
And so, the multi-billion dollar team stepped onto Bobby Campbell Stadium - a 500-seat stadium, originally intended for students. During the week, the campus was dressed in a new coat of paint with the Man City logo and colours. It was both funny and thought-provoking: a team that represents the pinnacle of modern football, starting their world campaign in a setting that was full of "college football".
Not luxurious, but enough to conquer
Despite the simpler training conditions, Guardiola still had his strongest squad: Erling Haaland, Rodri, Barnardo Silva... all present. They didn't need a sauna imported from Sweden to score. What they needed was strategy, connection and team spirit - the kind of thing that can be cultivated anywhere, even on a private university campus in Florida.
Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer couldn't hide his pride: "We are honored that the European champions have chosen our city as their training ground. Thank you Manchester City!"
 |
Despite the simpler training conditions than usual, Guardiola still had his strongest squad at hand. |
Manchester City - the symbol of global football - kicks off its FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ campaign in an unlikely location. The story highlights the contradictions in the very model FIFA is building: expanding the tournament to increase its popularity, but financial support has not kept pace with the scale of the organization.
However, perhaps this simplicity is a spiritual support. No luxury, no ostentation - just a great team returning to core values: training, fighting and conquering.
At 11pm on June 18, Man City will play Wydad Casablanca. They may not have a top-class training ground, but clearly, this club is ready to touch the only title that Pep Guardiola still lacks in his club coaching career: the World Cup. And who knows, a new chapter of Man City history will begin… from a student football field.
Source: https://znews.vn/man-city-ve-lang-chinh-phuc-the-gioi-post1561363.html
Comment (0)