"Jose Rivero has struggled with Al Ahly, and Man City want to finalise deals for next season!" Expert opinion on the Club World Cup!

Interviews 05 June 2025 at 15:13

Hazem Mlhem

News Editor

Ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, many fans are expecting different champions for this edition, especially with the new system with more teams and more updates for all the other clubs that want to showcase themselves, especially the clubs that are not in the top tier

Joining us today for an exclusive interview for FootAfrica is Murad Al Masri, a Jordanian journalist specialising in La Liga in particular and international football in general, currently working with Aletihad newspaper in the sports section and with a great deal of experience in his career in sports journalism.

• Q1: As an experienced football journalist, what do you believe the new Club World Cup format will bring to participating clubs?

A1: The tournament primarily offers significant financial returns. More importantly, it provides clubs from outside Europe and other continents with multiple opportunities to compete against European clubs. This direct exposure allows them to gain valuable experience while showcasing their best in this completely revamped competition.

• Q2: Manchester City has just secured Algerian star Rayan Aït-Nouri from Wolves. With these signings and their current squad, can City deliver a different performance in England and Europe next season? Or is the situation more complex?

A2: Manchester City understands they must prepare for the upcoming Club World Cup starting June 14th. By signing Aït-Nouri and pursuing other targets aggressively now, they aim to secure deals before competitors - particularly English rivals - can enter bidding wars with financial offers during the tournament period.

• Q3: Al Ahly has appointed Spanish coach José Rivero from South Africa's Orlando Pirates. Given your knowledge of Spanish football, can Rivero establish something promising with Al Ahly starting at the 2025 Club World Cup in the U.S.?

A3: Al Ahly faces a fundamental issue beyond technical matters - their constant search for foreign coaches is complicated by excessive emotional interference. From fans to officials creating new supervisory roles, everyone wants to influence decisions. While Rivero will get his chance to implement his vision, he'll face immense pressure to deliver immediate results in this high-expectation environment.

• Q4: FIFA and UEFA previously rejected the "Super League." Do you believe their new Club World Cup serves the same purposes they opposed in the Super League?

A5 (combining Q4/Q5 on tournament overload): While expanded tournaments generate more commercial revenue, many early-round matches feel unnecessary with poor ticket sales. The real excitement comes later. There's clear hypocrisy - governing bodies criticized the Super League's closed format, yet their solution creates another elite competition primarily benefiting big clubs through increased fixtures.

• Q6: Personally, do you find the new Club World Cup format more entertaining than the previous version?

A6: I don't oppose the new format entirely, but its timing is problematic. A better-structured calendar would have been preferable rather than cramming this expanded tournament into an already congested schedule. The old version had its merits as a more focused competition.