Ex-Chelsea winger criticizes the 'Americanization' of football at the Club World Cup

The Club World Cup has sparked numerous organizational concerns: from vast swathes of empty seats in the stadiums to Donald Trump’s presence at the final. Adding his voice to the critics is former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin.

Details: The Blues player from 1983 to 1988 stated that stoppages due to poor weather conditions are downright dangerous for footballers, and the sport itself is becoming 'Americanized.'

Quote: "It was absurd. I can't even begin to list everything that was wrong. The Americanization of the tournament just drove me crazy. Restrictions on breaks—except for FIFA's own purposes. It’s harmful, it’s dangerous. These stoppages make players' bodies seize up. And then there’s the time of year, the number of games… it’s all just ridiculous.

Infantino acts as if he’s a god. And why did they even drag Trump into this? It was simply shameful. If you ask the younger generation—especially those who aren’t die-hard football fans but more fans of celebrities—they might have actually enjoyed all of this. For them, football is about the show, it’s Instagram, it’s TikTok. All of this will appeal to them. Whether I like it or not doesn’t matter. The game is becoming Americanized," he said in an interview with Compare.bet.