Manuel Akanji has broken ranks by openly criticising Manchester City’s upcoming Club World Cup schedule.
Pep Guardiola’s side have been drawn into Group G of the competition – alongside Juventus, Al-Ain and Wydad FC – which is set to kick-off next weekend, just three weeks after the Premier League season concluded.
If City go all the way in the tournament, they could find themselves playing until mid-July, giving players just a month off before the 2025-26 season starts.
And Akanji, who is currently in the US on Switzerland duty for their upcoming pair of friendlies, has candidly spoken out against the fixture congestion.
The centre back said: ‘I have been a strong critic of this competition for some time now. We players would love to have some holidays, and some time for our bodies to rest.’
Manuel Akanji has spoken out against fixture congestion ahead of this year’s Club World Cup
He added that his Man City team-mates are not thrilled about playing in the tournament either
Like many others on international duty, Akanji is with his country ahead of upcoming friendlies
Coming off their first trophy-less season under Guardiola since 2017, it is unsurprising that City’s players are not keen to get right back onto the field after just a few weeks.
Akanji went on to explain that the rest of the squad are ‘not exactly overjoyed’ about the upcoming games, which come off the back of a 57-game campaign.
The 29-year-old added: ‘My City teammates are not exactly overjoyed about the tournament either. But it’s now right in our faces, and there is nothing we can do about it.
‘If we take part, then of course we want to win it. But if we reach the final, then the time period for us to recover ahead of the new season will become even shorter.’
When asked about City’s underwhelming 2024-25 campaign, Akanji offered an optimistic verdict and argued it could have been ‘far worse’ than it turned out to be.
City finished third, earning them a spot in next season’s Champions League competition, while they were dispatched in the FA Cup final by Crystal Palace, and knocked out of the EFL Cup and Champions League in the earlier rounds.
‘Set against the expectations we have, this hasn’t been a good season,’ Akanji continued. ‘We finished third in the Premier League, three points behind Arsenal, and qualified for the Champions League.
‘But it is still our worst campaign for some time. However, Pep Guardiola still said he was proud of us for never giving up. The season could have finished far worse than it did.’
Pep Guardiola’s side are coming off their first trophy-less season since his second term in 2017
But Akanji argued that the 2024-25 campaign could have been much worse, considering City still secured Champions League qualification
The stakes are higher this year, with a mammoth £1billion prize pot shared between 32 teams
Teams are expected to take this year’s Club World Cup more serious than ever before, considering the mammoth prize pool at stake.
The side that takes the trophy home will receive a windfall of $40m (£30m), while a team winning of their games could see them land up to $125m (£92m).
For reference, the winner of the Champions League earns around £120m, while the Premier League champions typically earn between £38m and £40m for finishing first.
From this year onwards, the Club World Cup will take place once every four years, the next rendition coming in 2029.
City have won the trophy once – back in 2023 – when it was an annual competition.
