An insane & crazy circus

RONALDO SHOULD STAY WELL AWAY FROM CLUB WORLD CUP

- by MICHAEL HAM

LOUIS SAHA has branded FIFA's new Club World Cup format as "insane", "crazy" and "a circus" while saying it is obvious clubs and the governing body "simply don't care" about players.

The expanded tournament, which starts on June 14 in the USA, will see 32 teams playing in eight groups of four, with qualifiers going through to a round of 16 and a total of 63 matches.

That is a huge increase on the total of seven matches from the last version of the tournament in 2023.

Saha, who missed out on Manchester United's Club World Cup win in 2008 after moving to Everton following their Champions League win the season before, is not a fan of the revamp and believes it is nothing more than a cash grab.

He said: "I hate it. I see the damage done to players and their creativity. I am worried for their welfare, and this is one of my biggest concerns.