FIFA are playing fast and loose with the fitness of the worlds best players ahead of this months newly expanded Club World Cup, according to David James.
The expanded tournament which begins next weekend, will feature 32 teams from all corners of the globe compete in the USA over the next month after FIFA abandoned the old format that saw just seven teams take part, with just seven games played in total.
The years final will be the 63rd game of the tournament and James has dubbed it a joke.
David James takes aim at FIFA over Club World Cup burnout
If I were Manchester City, I would declare my entire first team injured and send the youth team to the Club World Cup, he told FourFourTwo, speaking on behalf of Prime Casino. I think its a joke. Youve got the best players and the best teams in the world complaining about too many games, then you introduce this tournament.
Youre trying to work out who benefits, especially when you look at some of the outfits in it, who as far as I can consider havent even got a world ranking of the stature to be involved with the best in the world.
James - who FourFourTwo ranked at no.5 in the list of the the greatest-ever Premier League goalkeepers - believes the reason for this expanded tournament, which is putting players at risk, is simple: corporate greed.
The old format was fine, he continues. This format just looks like an opportunity for someone to make more money out of players. Theyre being flogged for it. Its not that players shouldnt be able to go and take part in these matches, but I think its an event too far.
I know theres some obligation for being in it that you have to put your best team forward, but if players are injured, theyre injured, so declare them injured.
Youve got sports science teams looking at recovery periods if youre a team like Man City, most of your squad is involved on international duty as well, and what benefit is it to a club when the players that you depend on for nine months of the season are being compromised for one competition?
It was FIFA that wanted to change the format, but youre asking fans to travel around the world to follow their sides. I dont like it. Because its a new format, there will be a lot of opinions similar to mine: that this is never going to work.
But if it sustains itself and becomes a regular fixture, then in the future well be talking about teams planning on going out there to win it, knowing its going to be a highly competitive event. At the moment, though, there will be players who are just absolutely knackered come the start of the season.
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