Super numbers for the Super Club World Cup: Infantino celebrates "fantastic Trump" and blasts furious Klopp
Thumbs up: FIFA President Gianni Infantino is enthusiastic about the Club World Cup.
(Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa)
As expected, Gianni Infantino is celebrating the first Club World Cup in the new large format as a success. He calls it the "most successful club competition in the world." The FIFA president presents impressive figures and justifies his closeness to the US president.
Before the Club World Cup final, FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his "great gratitude" to US President Donald Trump for his support during the tournament. He said this support was indispensable for the new, large-scale event with 32 participants. It is also important in view of the World Cup next year in Canada, Mexico, and the USA, which will feature 48 national teams for the first time.
At the same time, the 55-year-old president of the world governing body described the Club World Cup "as the most successful club competition in the world" at a media event with legends at Trump Tower in New York. The day before the Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea FC, Infantino also sought to refute extreme tournament critics like Jürgen Klopp with impressive attendance figures and financial returns.
Infantino justified his desire to be close to Trump, who will also attend the final on Sunday (9 p.m. on Sat.1 and DAZN, as well as in the live ticker on ntv.de) at the gigantic MetLife Stadium in New York, New Jersey. "Events like the Club World Cup or next year's World Cup are huge events with hundreds of thousands of visitors," Infantino said. "You can't even imagine organizing such a competition without the absolute support and full commitment of the respective government. My sincere thanks go to President Trump and his entire team. They were fantastic."
2.5 million viewers, $2.1 billion in revenueAsked about Klopp, who had described the Club World Cup in its new XXL format over a period of four weeks as "the worst idea ever implemented in football," Infantino responded rather generically. "I respect everyone's opinion," said the FIFA chief. He himself feels encouraged in his passion project. "The golden era of club football has begun." Infantino cited various figures: 2.5 million spectators came to the stadiums for the 63 matches, an average of 40,000 per game.
The "revolutionary" TV contract with the streaming service DAZN enabled 20 billion viewers worldwide to watch all matches free of charge. "Name me one club football competition that is completely free to watch." Revenues of $2.1 billion were generated, averaging $33 million per match. The prize money for the participants, including FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, amounted to $1 billion. The final victory on Sunday alone will be rewarded with $40 million. "Together, we have created something new that is changing the landscape of football," Infantino said.
Source: ntv.de, tno/dpa
n-tv.de
