Japan refuses to host the Club World Cup
The Japan Football Association has dismissed the idea of hosting the Club World Cup next December, due to restrictions imposed by the health crisis in the country, the Japanese press reported today.
"The risk of an increase in the number of injuries and the difficulty of making profits due to a possible limitation in the number of spectators, has affected this decision," Kyodo Agency wrote, citing unnamed sources.
According to the same agency, the Japan Football Association is in discussions with the International Football Association Board (FIFA), which could postpone to early 2022, the competition that annually brings together the winning clubs in the major continental leagues and representatives of the host country.
"The details of the next edition of the Club World Cup will be decided upon when the time comes," a FIFA spokesperson told AFP.
Japan had previously hosted this competition in 2016, and the JFA wanted to host the 2021 edition specifically to celebrate its centenary, according to Kyodo.
The tournament is usually held in December, but the 2020 edition, which was organized in Qatar and won by Bayern Munich, was postponed to February 2021 due to the Corona pandemic.
Since the beginning of this summer, Japan has been suffering from a fifth wave of COVID-19, the most violent so far in the country, prompting the government to re-impose health measures and restrictions in mid-July and expand them to include most of the country.
The procedures are supposed to be extended again until the end of September, according to local media.
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