2023-24 LaLiga and European champions Real Madrid have denied plans to boycott the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the US.
According to Giornale, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti had said Real Madrid will reject FIFA’s invitation for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup due to their low prize offer.
However, Real Madrid have now issued a statement debunking the report. In the official club statement shared on social media and the club’s website, the club made it clear that had not at any time said they would not play in the competition. They also added they will take part in the competition and will be proud to do so
“Real Madrid CF would like to announce that at no time there has been any question regarding our participation in the new Club World Cup to be organized by FIFA in the coming 2024/2025 season. Our club will therefore take part, as planned, in this official competition and we are proud and excited to be involved in it and we will once again inspire our millions of fans all over the world with another trophy,” the club statement reads.
Carlo Ancelotti reacts
Also reacting to the reports, the Real Madrid manager said his comment was taken out of context by Corniale.
According to him, his word was wrongly interpreted and he had no plan of skipping the competition as it could be further from his interest to do so.
The former Chelsea manager added the tournament will be a great opportunity for him to continue fighting for more trophies for Real Madrid.
“In my interview with Il Giornale, my words about the FIFA Club World Cup have not been interpreted in the way I intended”.
“Nothing could be further from my interest than rejecting the possibility of playing a tournament that I think can be a great opportunity to continue fighting for great titles with Real Madrid”
2025 FIFA Club World Cup controversies
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup has been enshrouded in controversies. Some domestic league associations have lashed out at FIFA for pressuring clubs and footballers with congested schedules due to the introduction of the tournament.
We reported earlier the Premier League and LaLiga have threatened to boycott the tournament due to the pressure it will put on domestic league associations.
Premier League chief administrator Richard Masters and his LaLiga counterpart Javier Tebas blasted FIFA for ‘killing the game’ by introducing the controversial football tournament with a world football calendar that has already been littered with multiple tournaments.
FIFA reacts to complaints of congested fixtures
Sources close to FIFA say the body is planning to have domestic league associations reduce 20-league teams to 18 as part of measures to free up the players from congested match schedules. FIFA reportedly believes domestic league associations are the ones that should be taking the blame for fixture congestion due to multiple domestic competitions.
While the debate continues to rage, it has been ascertained that the tournament which has been postponed on several occasions will be held as planned. It will take place in June 2025 in the United States with 31 clubs around the world set to take part.
