Arsene Wenger hits back at Jurgen Klopp by praising 'fantastic' FIFA Club World Cup - 'I don't share the view at all'

Jurgen Klopp was savage in his criticism of the FIFA Club World Cup recently, calling it "the worst idea ever invented". But former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hit back at those claims from the ex-Liverpool boss, saying the tournament has been "fantastic". Paris Saint-Germain face Chelsea in the 2025 Club World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday.

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Arsene Wenger has hit back at Jurgen Klopp's criticism of the FIFA Club World Cup, saying teams are in favour of the "fantastic competition".

Former Liverpool manager Klopp said recently the tournament is "the worst idea ever invented", but former Arsenal boss Wenger - now FIFA's chief of global football development - does not agree.

When asked about Klopp's comments, Wenger said: "I am going to give a very boring answer to a very interesting question. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I don't share the view of Jurgen Klopp at all.

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"I feel a Club World Cup is needed. If you make enquiries to all the clubs who were here then 100% of answers would be that they would want to do it again. That's the best answer of what the clubs think of a Club World Cup.

"And the decisive question is, do the fans like it or not? We believe the attendances were projected as low and in reality were much higher. The answer is there."

Opinion throughout football has been divided over the tournament, which has featured some of the most iconic teams in the world.

Paris Saint-Germain, who recently won the UEFA Champions League for the first time, will take on UEFA Conference League winners Chelsea in the final on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

That stadium will be the venue for the World Cup final next summer, and Wenger insists a number of lessons have been learned ahead of the sport's biggest event, including how best to deal with extreme heat in some cities.

Arsene Wenger has come out in defence of the Club World Cup

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"The heat in some games was a problem, but we tried to combat that with cooling breaks, watering the pitches during the break and overall I feel we learned a lot on that front," Wenger added.

"Certainly next year in stadiums there will also be more with roofs and the TV times will be more sensitive.

"At the same time, the weather conditions can be a problem for everybody."

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Thoughts?