FIFA boss Gianni Infantino appeared to be responding to the critics of the Club World Cup when addressing the media ahead of Sunday’s final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
The Club World Cup has had its fair share of critics, particularly that it is “extra work” for players when they would have done with a “much-needed break” after a grueling season.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp went as far as labeling it a “pointless competition” that serves no purpose to the world’s most popular sport.
It is Infantino’s contention that FIFA has had the last laugh.
“The golden age of club football has started. We can definitely say this FIFA Club World Cup has been a huge success,” Infantino told reporters at Trump Tower in New York City, United States of America, which is the host.
“We heard that financially it would not work, that nobody is interested, but I can say we generated almost $2.1 billion (approximately R36 billion) in revenues for 63 matches,” he said.
“That makes an average of $33 million (R556 million) per match—no other club competition in the world comes close. It is already the most successful club competition in the world.”
The tournament concludes with Sunday’s final—PSG versus Chelsea—at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
