WeeklySA_AdminMIXED FEELINGS: A host of mouth-watering fixtures featuring teams from all six global confederations but concerns mount about the timing and players’ wellbeing
By Sports Reporter
Mamelodi Sundowns finally know the identity of the teams they have been pitted against in the group stages of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, following the draw which took place on Thursday night.
Thirty-two of the best Clubs across all continents will compete to be named the best Clubs in the world when the Club World Cup takes place from the 15th of June 2025 to the 13th of July 2025 across 12 stadiums in the United States of America.
Coach Manqoba’s charges, who were in pot 4, have been drawn in Group F and have been pitted against Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund and Ulsan HD.
Speaking to goalkeeper Ronwen Wiliams, he touched on what it means for the Club to have qualified for this tournament and compete with the best teams in the world.
“We are just so happy to see the name Mamelodi Sundowns up there with the best of the best, which is an amazing achievement for the Club. Being part of such a prestigious tournament is a big deal,” Williams stated ecstatically.
The revamped format will be played in the same slot where Fifa has previously held the Confederations Cup for international teams, a year before the World Cup.
The tournament is scheduled to be played in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025. It will feature 32 clubs from around the world competing to be crowned world champions.
The competition starts with a group stage, followed by the round of 16 and culminating in the final on July 13, 2025.
Football’s world governing body said the summer dates had been set to ensure the scheduling aligns with the international match calendar, and to allow sufficient rest time before the start of the domestic seasons.
Fifa’s decision to expand the competition has drawn criticism from clubs and players, particularly after Uefa expanded the Champions League and Europa League group stages to include two further matches.
Global players’ union Fifpro and the European Leagues body, which represents 39 leagues and 1,130 clubs in 33 countries, filed a joint complaint to the European Commission in July to protest Fifa’s “abuse of dominance” in the game.
Two months earlier, Fifa rejected a claim that Fifpro and the World Leagues Association were not consulted over plans to expand the Club World Cup. Manchester City midfielder Rodri, who will miss the rest of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament, warned earlier this month that players were close to striking because of the congested fixture list.
The powerful European Clubs’ Association has backed the tournament but Maheta Molango, head of the Professional Footballers’ Association, said Fifa’s persistence to go ahead with the expansion shows a lack of concern for player welfare.
“Players have become pawns in a battle for primacy between football’s governing bodies,” he added. “With no-one willing to take a step back or to work collaboratively to create a sustainable calendar.
“These decisions have consequences – not just for players who are being pushed until they break. But for the future quality of these tournaments, with players becoming injured or withdrawing from games as they make their own decisions about how to manage what have become ridiculous demands.”
In a statement, Fifpro, the world players’ union, said there was also “a disregard” for players’ “personal and family lives”. It added: “The expanded competition will undercut the rest and recovery time of these players at the end of the 2024-25 season, and further disrupt national employment markets by changing the balance between national and international competitions.
“Players will have to perform at the end of an 11-month season with little prospect of getting enough rest before the following season starts.
“The extreme mental and physical pressures at the pinnacle of the game is the principal concern of players with multiple club and national team competitions, leading to exhaustion, physical injuries, mental health issues, diminished performance, and risks to career longevity.”
Masandawna learnt of their fate while preparing for their CAF Champions League match against AS FAR, which takes place on Saturday afternoon. According to Williams, it was special to have the team together for that moment and to see everyone’s reactions to the draw. He said: “We are currently camping in Morocco preparing for our CAF Champions League game. It was nice that the whole team was together to watch the draw.”
