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Club World Cup players, coaches worried by hot weather

Players and coaches at the Club World Cup have voiced concerns over the hot and humid weather in the United States.

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Club World Cup players worried

Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders admitted that players are cautious about the summer heat.

Manager Pep Guardiola has led lengthy training sessions in the scorching Florida weather at their base in Boca Raton.

Their practice lasted nearly two hours, with temperatures soaring above 90 degrees Fahrenheit

“It’s going to be hard. There are a lot of good teams [in the tournament] and the weather is very hot,” Reijnders said.

“We’re getting used to it and we’ll be ready for Wednesday. We take it very seriously. We want to win every tournament we play. This is nothing different.”

Reijnders is not the only player to express wariness over the humid conditions.

Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain cruised to a 4–0 win over Atlético Madrid on Sunday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, where it was pushing 90 degrees.

“It’s impossible,” Atlético midfielder Marcos Llorente told reporters after the match.

“It’s terribly hot. My toes were sore, my nails were hurting. I couldn’t stop or start. In the end, it’s incredible. Since it’s the same for everyone, there’s no complaint.”

PSG boss Luis Enrique agreed, saying the midday opener made the game tougher.

“The match was clearly influenced by the temperature,” he said. “The timing is great for European fans, but the teams are suffering.”

Not an isolated incident

This is not the first tournament that players had a problem in United States’ humid weather.

During Copa América in the U.S. last year, there were two incidents of heat-related dehydration.

FIFA has had protocols in place for hot weather matches at the Club World Cup since 2014.

The current procedure allows for ‘cooling breaks’ during play.

Players can rehydrate once in each half if the average pitch temperature—factoring in heat and humidity—exceeds 32 Celsius (89.6°F).

One of the most concerning kickoff times is 3:00 p.m.—right when Real Madrid is set to make its debut in Miami against Al Hilal.

Forecasts predict temperatures around 32°C (90°F) at that hour.