Ten Juventus players requested to be substituted during their Club World Cup Round of 16 match against Real Madrid, highlighting the toll the extreme heat is taking on players.
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One of the major storylines of this summer’s tournament in the U.S. has been the sweltering conditions, which have led to canceled training sessions and widespread complaints from players and coaches alike. ..Continue Reading
Atletico Madrid’s Marcos Llorente even described the heat as unbearable after their group stage loss to Paris Saint-Germain, saying the conditions were so intense that his toenails were in pain. “It’s impossible,” he added. “It’s terribly hot. I couldn’t stop or start.”
Earlier in the tournament, Borussia Dortmund’s bench players stayed in the locker room during the first half of their match against Mamelodi Sundowns in Cincinnati, as head coach Niko Kovač likened the sweltering conditions to being inside a sauna.
Just last week, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca described the situation in Philadelphia as “impossible” for holding proper training sessions, citing a “code red” heat warning where 37°C temperatures felt closer to 45°C.
On Tuesday, Juventus suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Real Madrid at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, where the temperature reached 32°C.
Following the final whistle, Juventus manager Igor Tudor revealed that ten of his players had asked to be substituted during the Round of 16 clash due to the extreme heat.
“The conditions were really difficult today,” Tudor told reporters. “Ten players asked me to be replaced. They were really tired. There are a lot of factors that weighed into that. It is the end of a long season and there was a lot of stress on the players that takes their energy.
“The conditions that they played with were really difficult – the humidity too. All of these conditions make it much more difficult. And the heat – that was another thing that made it more difficult.”
FIFA guidelines state that if temperatures exceed 32C then short cooling breaks are mandatory in both halves of a game. The governing body have also released a statement on the extreme temperatures at the tournament.
It read: “Heat conditions are a serious topic that affect football globally. At the Club World Cup some significant and progressive measures are being taken to protect the players from the heat. For instance, cooling breaks were implemented in 31 out of 54 matches so far.
“Discussions on how to deal with heat conditions need to take place collectively and Fifa stands ready to facilitate this dialogue, including through the task force on player welfare, and to receive constructive input from all stakeholders on how to further enhance heat management.
“In all of this, the protection of players must be at the center.”
