Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has claimed playing matches in intense heat at the Club World Cup has been “dangerous”.
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has claimed playing matches in intense heat at the Club World Cup has been “dangerous”.
The Argentina World Cup winner says he felt dizzy during Tuesday’s semi-final against Fluminense in New York, which kicked off at 3pm local time and during which the temperature hit 34C.
Extreme weather has been a recurring issue throughout the tournament in the United States and Fernandez hopes lessons are learned before next summer’s World Cup is played on the same continent.
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.
“Honestly, playing in that temperature is 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.”
Fernandez was speaking ahead of Sunday’s final in which Chelsea will play Paris St Germain, also at the MetLife Stadium and also at 3pm, when it is forecasted to be 30C.
His comments come after former Germany striker Jurgen Klinsmann, who is now a member of world governing body FIFA’s technical study group, defended the scheduling of some games during the hottest parts of the day.
Klinsmann, a World Cup-winner in 1990 who also played in the 1994 tournament in the US, said: “The heat is difficult. If you play in 90-degree heat then you are going to suffer.
“This has been something completely new and you have to deal with the circumstances. If a World Cup is in Qatar then you have to adapt. Football is about being able to adapt.
“I played in Dallas at 120 degrees and I was dying! But do I go to Qatar like Germany and complain, complain and bring karma – and then go home early?
“The teams here now and the teams here next summer will have to adapt. It’s not always nice, especially for European teams, but they will have to adapt.”
