Players and coaches competing at the Club World Cup have expressed concerns about the hot and humid conditions during the tournament in the United States.
Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders admitted that players are wary of the summer heat. City are preparing for their first game against Moroccan side Wydad AC at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Wednesday. The game will kick off at 12 p.m. ET, when temperatures are set to exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
City manager Pep Guardiola has been holding long training sessions in scorching Florida heat at their base in Boca Raton — last Friday’s practice lasted nearly two hours in temperatures surpassing 90 — and Reijnders insists the players will be ready for the conditions.
“It’s going to be hard. There are a lot of good teams [in the tournament] and the weather is very hot,” Reijnders said.
“We’re getting used to it and we’ll be ready for Wednesday. We take it very seriously. We want to win every tournament we play. This is nothing different.”
Reijnders is not the only player to say they must battle the heat.
Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain ran out 4-0 winners over Atlético Madrid on Sunday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, where temperatures hovered around 90.
“It’s impossible,” Atlético midfielder Marcos Llorente told reporters after the match. “It’s terribly hot. My toes were sore, my nails were hurting. I couldn’t stop or start. In the end, it’s incredible. Since it’s the same for everyone, there’s no complaint.”
PSG manager Luis Enrique agreed, saying the midday kickoff time hindered the match.
“The match was clearly influenced by the temperature,” he said. “The timing is great for European fans, but the teams are suffering.”
Real Madrid trained for the first time at their Florida base camp Sunday as they begin the buildup to their opener against Saudi side Al Hilal on Wednesday. In the high-temperature session, new boss Xabi Alonso was seen running his hands through the sprinklers and using ice cubes to cool down.
FIFA has had protocols in place for hot weather Club World Cup play since 2014, but the procedure allows for only “cooling breaks,” which mean players can take on extra fluids once in each half if the pitch temperature average of heat and humidity exceeds 32 Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit).
During Copa América in the U.S. last year, there were two incidents of heat-related dehydration.
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