Jurgen Klopp slams FIFA’s Club World Cup as he reacts to Florian Wirtz’s Liverpool move

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has described FIFA’s Club World Cup as the ‘worst idea ever implemented in football’, in a withering take down of the tournament currently underway in America.

Several high-profile managers questioned the introduction of the month-long tournament and now Klopp has served up his unfiltered thoughts in an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

"It's all about the game and not the surrounding events - and that's why the Club World Cup is the worst idea ever implemented in football in this regard," he said.

"People who have never had or do not have anything to do with day-to-day business anymore are coming up with something.

"There is insane money for participating, but it's also not for every club.

"Last year it was the Copa [America] and the European Championship, this year it's the Club World Cup, and next year the World Cup. That means no real recovery for the players involved, neither physically nor mentally."

Klopp went on to suggest he has big fears over players sustaining long-term injuries from overplaying, as he insisted they needed longer breaks in the summer.

"I have serious fears that players will suffer injuries they've never had before next season. If not next season, then it will happen at the World Cup or afterwards,” he stated.

"We constantly expect the players to go into every game as if it were their last. We tell them that 70 or 75 times a year. But it can't go on like this.

"We have to make sure they have breaks, because if they don't get them, they won't be able to deliver top performances - and if they can't achieve that anymore, the entire product loses value."

Klopp also gave his verdict on Liverpool’s club record signing of Florian Wirtz, as they paid over £100m to sign a player for the first time in their history.

The German famously suggested he would never sanction a transfer of that size when he was at Liverpool and he argued the fee was extravagant.

"There's no question about it, that's an insane sum," added Klopp. "We all agree that we're talking about a great player here.

"I know I once said that I'm out if we pay €100m for a player, but the world keeps changing. That is how the market is.

"My part of football will always remain the game itself, but if you want to play at the top level, you can't train all your players yourself. Sometimes you need to get hold [of players from] somewhere else.

"He's an outstanding player who can give any club something great. Whether he'll make the reigning English champions even better remains to be seen."

Click here to read article