Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca hit out at the lengthy weather delay that interrupted his team’s 4–1 win over Benfica at the Club World Cup on Saturday, questioning whether the United States is the right place to host the tournament.
The match, which took 4 hours and 39 minutes to complete due to a two-hour storm delay, saw Chelsea book a spot in the quarter-finals after extra time. It was the sixth weather-related stoppage in the tournament, as U.S. rules mandate halting outdoor events when lightning is detected nearby.
“For me personally, it’s not football,” Maresca said. “They’ve already suspended six games here—I think it’s a joke.”
While he acknowledged the importance of safety, the Italian boss said the repeated disruptions were damaging the competition’s integrity. “If you suspend seven or eight games, then probably this isn’t the right place for this tournament,” he said.
Chelsea looked set to seal victory in regulation time after Reece James scored from a free-kick to make it 1–0 with just minutes to go. But the storm warning halted play, and players didn’t return for nearly two hours.
“It was one of our best performances in recent weeks,” Maresca noted. “The first 85 minutes were very good, but after the break, it was a completely different game. You lose the rhythm.”
Despite his frustration, Maresca praised the prestige of the expanded 32-team Club World Cup and its significance. “It’s a fantastic competition,” he said. “All the best clubs are here. But six or seven suspended games? That’s not normal. In a World Cup or the Euros, how many games have been suspended? Probably none. There’s a problem here.”
