Enzo Maresca claims America is maybe ‘not the right place’ to host big tournaments following weather delay against Benfica | OneFootball

Chelsea beat Benfica 4-1 after extra time in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup, but the game was overshadowed by a 106 minute stoppage, leading Enzo Maresca to question whether the USA should be hosting big tournaments.

This is not the first game of this competition to see a huge stoppage, as five other games have also been affected by the weather.

The longest delay in a game was during Benfica v Auckland City, which saw a two hour delay. And Maresca was clear that these delays are unacceptable.

He said: “It’s already seven, eight, nine games that they suspended. I think it’s a joke to be honest, it’s not football. It’s not for us. You cannot be inside. I struggle to understand. I can understand that for security reasons, you are to suspend the game.

“But if you suspend seven, eight games, that means that probably is not the right place to do this competition.”

The delays and unhappiness, from fans, players and managers, has raised questions as to how these situations will be handled at the World Cup next year.

This competition has always been seen as a dress rehearsal, and if weather warnings in the summer are having an effect, it will be no different this time next year.

The Italian expanded on his unhappiness: “As I said, the game was very good for 85 minutes. Then we had an hour and a half, two-hour stop. Then it started completely different. It’s not the same game. It’s not the same game because you break the tempo.

“So two hours inside; people speak with the family outside, if they were good, the security. People eating, people laughing, people talking on the mobile. It’s two hours. That’s why I said it’s not football.

“It’s something that you struggle to understand. But we tried to go out, continue in the same way, knowing that it was difficult. It’s not random that for 85 minutes, we didn’t concede nothing. And then for five minutes, we conceded a few chances.

“Why? It’s because it started a completely different game. It’s not normal. It’s not football.”

Despite the less than ideal events off the field, Chelsea are into the next round of the competition and will be playing Palmeiras in Philadelphia on Saturday.

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