Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has criticized the ongoing weather disruptions at the Club World Cup, calling the repeated delays “a joke” after his team’s 4-1 win over Benfica was halted for nearly two hours due to storm warnings.
The match, which eventually ended after 4 hours and 39 minutes, saw Chelsea advance to the quarter-finals. A late goal by Reece James had put Chelsea ahead before the game was suspended due to lightning protocols common in the United States.
“It’s not football. You can’t stop six or seven games in one tournament and call that normal,” Maresca said. “It breaks the tempo and changes the entire game.”
This marks the sixth game to be interrupted at the expanded 32-team tournament, hosted in the U.S. as a prelude to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
While praising the Club World Cup’s prestige, Maresca questioned the choice of venue given the strict weather protocols:
“It’s a fantastic competition, but if this keeps happening, maybe it’s not the right place to host it.”
The coach urged organizers to reconsider future locations to maintain the integrity of matches.
