CHELSEA could be facing a fixture pile-up after reports claimed the Club World Cup was set to be postponed.
The Blues are one of the sides taking part in the competition after their Champions League success over Manchester City in May.
Japan was due to host the tournament but because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, they are set to relinquish the right to host it.
Kyodo News Agency states: “The Japan Football Association has decided to relinquish its right to host this year’s Club World Cup due to the Covid-19 restrictions and is in discussion with Fifa.”
The decision has allegedly been made not to play it out in Japan due to the risk of increasing infections.
And the difficulty of delivering a profit because crowds are expected to be capped is also a major reason behind the nation’s expected official pull-out from hosting duties.
However, no official announcement has yet been made.
The JFA’s talks with Fifa may also see the competition pushed back to early next year.
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A Fifa spokesperson told AFP: “Details of the next Fifa Club World Cup will be confirmed in due course.”
But the Mail states Qatar is the ‘obvious alternative venue’ for Fifa.
World football’s governing body wants fans to be able to attend their ‘flagship club competition’.
And after the controversial decision to proceed with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics – and the recent resignation of the nation’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga – his successor is unlikely to give the green light for football supporters to travel to Japan for the showpiece.
The Club World Cup was last held in Japan in 2016.
And the JFA had planned to host the 2021 edition as part of its centenary anniversary celebrations.
It usually takes place in December but last year’s edition was postponed until February due to the pandemic and was held in Qatar and won by Bayern Munich.
But a similar decision could leave Chelsea struggling with a potential congested fixture problem should they still remain in all competitions.
The EFL Cup will be in its final stages by then while the FA Cup will also be underway.
And with the Premier League in full-swing, the Champions League knock-out stages will also be about to begin.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
