Club World Cup: Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca questions US hosting tournament
This was the second longest stoppage of the tournament, with Benfica having had another two-hour stoppage delaying the start of their match against Auckland City.
There have been six similar stoppages in five different cities, including Mamelodi Sundowns against Ulsan HD, which also happened in Orlando, because of heavy rain and storms.
And there were long pauses in the second half of Palmeiras v Al-Ahly in New Jersey (40 minutes), Salzburg v Pachuca in Cincinnati (90 minutes) and Boca Juniors v Auckland City in Nashville (50 minutes).
Chelsea are also one of many teams to fall victim to extreme heat. Maresca said it was “impossible” to conduct a normal training session at their previous base in Philadelphia.
Some of the best stadiums in the US and Canada have roofs, like Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but many do not.
Atlanta is the only ground selected with such a covered roof in the Club World Cup but further stadiums in Vancouver, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Toronto are covered for next summer’s World Cup.
However, that tournament has been expanded to 48 teams, meaning these events will likely happen next summer.
Possible solutions could include moving the World Cup to winter months, as Qatar did in 2022, but severe cold is also an issue in parts of the US and Canada.
Head of Fifa’s technical study group Arsene Wenger addressed stoppages from its base in Miami.
He said: “It’s not ideal, I agree, because you want the flow of the game from the first to the last minute but, as well, when you organise a competition you have [to put] security first.”
Fifa also issued a statement at the time of the incident which read: “Due to adverse weather conditions in Charlotte, including the risk of lightning in the vicinity of Bank of America Stadium, the Fifa Club World Cup match between SL Benfica and Chelsea FC has been suspended. Fifa will follow the established safety protocols, and the match will resume as soon as it’s safe to do so.”
Fifa was asked for a response to Maresca’s comments.