FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said that stadiums with roofs will be used at next year’s World Cup amid mounting concern from players over ‘very dangerous’ temperatures.
Extreme heat has impacted a number of fixtures throughout the Club World Cup, with Chelsea’s semi-final against Fluminense taking place while temperatures soared to 35.5 degrees.
The Blues’ 3-0 group stage victory over ES Tunis came as players were forced to compete in scorching 39C heat, while a code red ‘Heat Health Emergency’ was declared in host city Phildalephia.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca even claimed it was is ‘impossible’ to organise normal training sessions due to the blistering heat.
Players’ union FIFPRO has said that three tournament fixtures should have been postponed due to excessive temperatures, while Enzo Fernandez revealed he felt ‘dizzy’ while playing in ‘very dangerous’ conditions against Fluminense.
Intense thunderstorms have also led to the suspension of a handful of games – notably Chelsea’s round-of-16 clash against Benfica was delayed by more than two hours.
Now Infantino has moved to ease fears over extreme heat, claiming that games will be staged in covered stadiums.
‘Every criticism we receive is a source for us to study and analyse what can do better,’ Infantino said at a press conference in New York.
‘Of course the heat is an issue. Last year, at the Olympic Games in Paris, games during the day, in all sports, took place in very hot conditions.
‘Cooling breaks are very important and we will see what we can do, but we have stadiums with roofs and we will definitely use these stadiums during the day next year.’
A number of venues, including in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Vancouver, have roofs and air-conditioning.
The Club World Cup final, between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, kicks off at 3pm locally at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with temperatures expected to reach 28.8C
Midfielder Fernandez revealed how he was overcome by dizziness in the west Londoner’s semi-final win over Fluminense, which had the same kick-off time at the same venue as the final.
Speaking on Friday, Fernandez said: ‘The truth is the heat is incredible. The other day I got a little dizzy in the game. I had to throw myself to the ground because I was really dizzy.
‘The truth is, playing in that temperature is very dangerous. It’s very dangerous and, obviously, for the spectacle, for the people who come to enjoy the stadium, and for the people who watch at home, the speed of the game isn’t the same. Everything feels very slow.
‘We hope they change the schedule next year so that it’s a spectacle and football continues to be enjoyable and attractive.’
The tournament has been criticised for increasing player workload to unsustainable levels, while a lack of interest has seen empty stadiums and forced FIFA to drastically cut their ticket prices.
Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp even claimed the competition is ‘the worst idea ever implemented in football’ and that it has caused ‘serious fears’ over player welfare.
But Infantino hit back at critics, claiming some European teams who failed to qualify had asked to be invited.
‘I’ve been speaking to teams from Europe who came here and all have been very happy,’ he said. ‘And some teams from Europe who didn’t qualify called us at FIFA and asked if they could participate.
‘Of course [we] would love Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham, AC Milan and Barcelona here, but there is a qualifying criteria.’
