'Not football' - Maresca questions Club World Cup hosts after 'joke' delay

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says the decision to suspend the Club World Cup last-16 tie with Benfica for two hours because of extreme weather was "a joke" and said the US is "probably not the right place to do the competition".

"This is not football" was how the Italian described the situation after the 4-1 extra-time victory in a match that lasted four hours and 39 minutes in Charlotte and finished at 01:39 BST on Sunday.

It was the sixth game of the tournament that has been suspended because of seasonal summer thunderstorms.

Players, staff and supporters were immediately pulled indoors because of extreme weather, in this case because thunderstorms were detected within an eight-mile radius of the venue, in line with US safety regulations.

The weather has been one of the Club World Cup talking points a year out from the US co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, with extreme heat also affecting games.

"I think it's a joke, to be honest," said Maresca.

"It's not football. It's completely something new; I struggle to understand.

"I can understand if it's security reasons but if you suspend seven or eight games then it's probably not the right place to do the competition.

"It's not normal to suspend the game. In a World Cup, how many games are suspended? Zero probably. In Europe how many games get suspended? Zero.

"We've been here two weeks and they've already suspended six or seven games. There is some problems for me personally."

Here is how the game unfolded at the Bank of America Stadium:

Chelsea players Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill and Tosin Adarabioyo were furious when pulled off the pitch - as was Maresca - having been on course to win with only five minutes of normal time remaining.

After re-entering the operations and dressing room area, players took turns to cycle on exercise bikes to keep their muscles warm and did kick-ups to stay fresh.

Maresca explained the mood and why it impacted performance, saying: "So two hours inside - people speak with the family outside [to check] if they were good with the security. People eating, laughing, talking on their mobiles. It was two hours. That's why I said it's not football.

"For 85 minutes we were in control of the game. We didn't concede anything; we created chances enough to win the game. And then after the break the game changed completely."

James added: "It was quite disruptive when you're in the flow of the game. Lots of substitutions - trying to get warm and stay warm. It was difficult and the climate was very hot and humid."

A senior Chelsea official admitted to confusion and relief around the senior staff after the match.

Defender Trevoh Chalobah saw the funny side, posting on social media: "Game started Saturday and ended Sunday."

This was the second longest stoppage of the tournament, with Benfica having had another two-hour stoppage delaying the start of their match against Auckland City.

There have been six similar stoppages in five different cities, including Mamelodi Sundowns against Ulsan HD, which also happened in Orlando, because of heavy rain and storms.

And there were long pauses in the second half of Palmeiras v Al-Ahly in New Jersey (40 minutes), Salzburg v Pachuca in Cincinnati (90 minutes) and Boca Juniors v Auckland City in Nashville (50 minutes).

Chelsea are also one of many teams to fall victim to extreme heat. Maresca said it was "impossible" to conduct a normal training session at their previous base in Philadelphia.

Some of the best stadiums in the US and Canada have roofs, like Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but many do not.

Atlanta is the only ground selected with such a covered roof in the Club World Cup but further stadiums in Vancouver, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Toronto are covered for next summer's World Cup.

However, that tournament has been expanded to 48 teams, meaning these events will likely happen next summer.

Possible solutions could include moving the World Cup to winter months, as Qatar did in 2022, but severe cold is also an issue in parts of the US and Canada.

Head of Fifa's technical study group Arsene Wenger addressed stoppages from its base in Miami.

He said: "It's not ideal, I agree, because you want the flow of the game from the first to the last minute but, as well, when you organise a competition you have [to put] security first."

Fifa also issued a statement at the time of the incident which read: "Due to adverse weather conditions in Charlotte, including the risk of lightning in the vicinity of Bank of America Stadium, the Fifa Club World Cup match between SL Benfica and Chelsea FC has been suspended. Fifa will follow the established safety protocols, and the match will resume as soon as it's safe to do so."

Fifa has been asked for a response to Maresca's comments.