Many were put off by sky-high prices for the month-long tournament but some found themselves unwilling to miss it
T
he Club World Cup, it is fair to say, has not captured the imaginations of domestic Manchester City and Chelsea supporters. Very few are talking about the tournament and, it appears, only true diehards will make the trip to the USA for the month-long end-of-season endurance test.
Fifa slashed the prices of match tickets after poor uptake from fans and the UK broadcaster showing the tournament will be Channel 5, the home of World Seniors Snooker. Meanwhile, many, if indeed not most, players taking part are not overly enamoured by the prospect of losing five weeks of time off to recover from another gruelling campaign.
“Fifa can forget it, footballers and clubs will not participate in that tournament,” Carlo Ancelotti, the former Real Madrid head coach, said last year before backtracking on those comments. Money clearly talks and the prospect of securing a winning prize of £97m makes it an enticing prospect for those invited to take part.
