FIFA threatened legal action unless the biggest club football tournament worth £600m is rescheduled

FIFA has been threatened with legal action unless it reschedules next year's Club World Cup.

There are fears that the expanded 32-team tournament – to be held in the US – will pose a “significant injury risk” to players if it is held in June and July 2025 as currently planned.

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Man City are the reigning Club World Cup holdersCredit: AFP

Chelsea And Manchester city are England's representatives in the event, which is expected to be worth £600 million between the competing clubs – including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus And Inter Milan.

But now the international players' union FifPro and the World Leagues Association, led by Prem CEO Richard Masters, are demanding FIFA U-turns at its new club flagship tournament – ​​or face-being SUPPLIED.

Ahead of next week's FIFA Congress in Bangkok, a joint letter to Zurich leaders from the two bodies claims FIFA's new fixture list is “beyond saturation”, causing “economic damage” to domestic competitions and poses a “significant risk of injury” to players.

The letter said: “FIFA has consistently made decisions that benefit its own commercial interests while negatively impacting domestic competitions and players.

“For a significant period of time, FIFA has ignored repeated attempts by leagues and unions to address this issue.

“Should FIFA refuse to commit to resolving the issues, we will be forced to advise our members on the options available to proactively protect their interests.

“These options include legal action against FIFA, on which we have now engaged external expert advice.

“The calendar is no longer saturated, to the point where national leagues can no longer organize their competitions properly, resulting in economic damage.

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“Players are being pushed beyond their limits, with significant injury risks and consequences for their fundamental rights.”

Man City is the current holder of the Club World Cup.

FIFA president Infantino welcomes the Scottish football thriller

Pep Guardiola's side defeated Fluminense 4-0 in Jeddah last December.

A double by Julian Alvarez led to an own goal by Nino and a goal by Phil Foden.