On Sunday, clubs from Paris and London play around the trophy of the controversial club World Cup in the USA.
Photo: Imago/EFE Agency
On Sunday evening, Paris Saint-Germain meets Chelsea FC in the final of the club World Cup. The winner can then call himself “the best team in the world”. However, very few football fans expect a very exciting game: the French go into the final in the Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford as a high -rise favorite. It is about 40 million euros for the winner. And all of this in front of the eyes of US President Donald Trump, whose migration policy is criticized by human rights organizations. The FIFA is not put off by it.
“We are a step away from crowning this historic season,” said Fabián Ruiz. The Spanish midfielder of PSG was elected to the game in the semi -finals against Real Madrid after scoring two goals. Overall, he and his teammates dismantled the Spanish opponents on Wednesday evening with a 4-0 victory and underlined their status as the best team in Europe at the moment: Paris won the final of the Champions League in May with a 5-0 win against Inter Milan. They became masters of the French league and cup winner. With 16 goals at just one goal, the team marched through the previous club World Cup, in which, in addition to Real, they also sent top teams such as FC Bayern and Atlético Madrid.
Maresca wants to do it like Enrique
The recipe for so much success? “The goal as a coach is that our players enjoy playing football and the fans are happy to watch us,” says Paris coach Luis Enrique. “We are a dominant team that likes to have the ball and it is difficult for our opponents to do the same,” said the Spaniard.
The coach of the final opponent Chelsea would love that. “Paris has a dominant young team that not only has great technical skills, but also plays at high speed, runs a lot and presses a lot,” said Chelsea trainer Enzo Maresca in an interview with the Italian newspaper “Corriere della Sera”. »Luis Enrique has created a spectacular team. In my own way I try to do the same with Chelsea, «said the Italian. A year ago he took over the Chelsea team as head coach, took fourth place in the English Premier League and won the European Conference League. “It was a dream start for me. It couldn’t have walked better! “
However, as much as Chelsea has increased under Maresca, the success of the team seems small compared to those of the final opponent from Paris. Chelsea therefore goes into play as an outsider, although the club has spent almost one billion euros for new players in the past two years. The recent newcomer, JoãO Pedro, however, give them hope. In the semifinals, the Brazilian striker scored both goals in the 2-0 win against Fluminense Rio de Janeiro. “He is very good at dropping himself in combination with the other offensive players, and he is also technically very good,” said coach Maresca about the double goal shooter. Maresca sees that he came to the tournament late: »It is good that he was on vacation. He is now a little more rested than the others. “
An important player could lack the Londoners in the final. Moisés Caicedo had to leave the field in the semi -finals after turning his ankle. “He has to do everything to play on Sunday, but we will see,” said Maresca. The failure of the defensive midfielder would be a bitter loss for Chelsea, because the Ecuadorian was one of the most important players in the team this season.
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Whether with or without Caicedo: Chelsea will have to show his outsider qualities-and can learn from your own history. In the Champions League final 2021, the Londoners unexpectedly beat Real Madrid. A little longer ago, the surprising royal class triumph about FC Bayern in the “Finale Dahoam” in Munich 2012.
The problem club World Cup
Paris, in turn, wants to take “the last step,” said Luis Enrique. “We want to write history” – and officially become the best team in the world. This is what this tournament is about, isn’t it? Not about creating a competition that enables the World Association FIFA to tear more profit from the industry called football. The television rights of the tournament, which hardly seems to be interested in Europe and will be held in the United States in mostly half-empty stadiums, were sold for a billion US dollars to DAZN-the streaming broadcaster in turn sold company shares in the Saudi Arabian sports investment fund. The awarding of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia does not appear to be random in this context.
With the new Saudi money, FIFA bought relevance and created incentives for the top European clubs to have their played out professionals after the EM 2024 and before the 2026 World Cup for three summer tournaments in a row. For participation alone, European associations received between $ 12.81 and $ 38.19 million. Due to victory premiums, $ 115 million for the winners.
Trump friend Infantino
US President Donald Trump will also watch when the historic first finale of the newly slaughtered club World Cup takes place. “I’ll go to the game,” he announced on Tuesday. He will probably see the discharge together with FIFA President Gianni Infantino. He is considered the great supporter of the US President, visited him several times in the Oval Office, was present at Trump’s takeover and accompanied him to a state visit to Saudi Arabia.
In an open letter to Gianni Infantino, a total of more than 90 organizations appealed to the conscience of the FIFA president, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. They expressed “deep concern about Trump’s immigration policy, referred to” arbitrary entry refuses, detains or deportations without ordinary procedures “and warned:” If FIFA continues to be silent, not only millions of people are put in danger, but the FIFA brand is used as an instrument to gloss over the reputation of an increasingly authoritarian government. “