Jamie Carragher warns players are being ‘treated like cattle’ as he DESTROYS new Club World Cup – while Rio Ferdinand accuses football managers of ignoring stars’ concerns amid threat of strike

Jamie Carragher has launched a fierce protest against the new FIFA Club World Cup tournament, which will add even more to the football calendar when it starts next summer.

The tournament, which will feature teams such as Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City, will take place for the first time from June 15 to July 13, 2025, and is being marketed as a tournament where the very best teams will compete against each other in the United States.

According to Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of Paris Saint-Germain and also chairman of the European Club Association, the new and expanded version of the tournament will become one of the biggest competitions in the world.

However, in recent seasons there has been some variation, but lately it has become a veritable flood of criticism. The creation of the new tournament coincides with an expanded Champions League, while in 2026 a World Cup with 48 teams will be played for the first time.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri claimed players are close to scoring goals and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson criticised the revamped European Cup. Former Reds defender Jamie Carragher joined the critics, warning players are being treated like cattle.

Jamie Carragher has criticised the new Club World Cup and the ever-expanding football calendar

Manchester City midfielder Rodri claimed players are on the verge of striking over the demands

“Football has been a domestic league for a long time, a European league, and we all know that every two years there’s an international tournament,” he said on CBS Sports. “And I think most people are comfortable with that.

“The problem I have is that you start creating new competitions that are all about money.

“This FIFA (Club) World Cup at the end of this season, it should be the best club teams in the world coming together to create a tournament. Nobody wants to participate in it.

“Nobody is excited about it. There is no way you can have that tournament there and say to the best players in world football that you only have one summer (off) in four years.

‘That’s not possible. The best players in the world are treated like cattle. But the clubs they play for also allow this to happen.

“For them it’s just another money-guzzling competition. The only way to stop it is if people as big as Rodri and other big players come together and say ‘enough is enough’.”

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has claimed the competition will be ‘bigger than the World Cup itself’

FIFA President Gianni Infantino first announced the new competition, which will take place every four years, in December 2022

“Forget all that nonsense about how much money they make. As Thierry (Henry) said, you want to see the best players at their best in the biggest moments. And we don’t see that because they’re being run into the ground.”

Pep Guardiola’s side kicked off their Champions League campaign against Internazionale on Wednesday night and could ultimately play 73 games in a season that is unlikely to end until July given the team’s participation in the new Club World Cup.

Rodri said before the match: ‘I think we are close (to a strike). It is easy to understand (why). Ask any player and they would say the same. If it continues like this, there will come a time when we have no other option. That is something we are worried about.’

The PFA is taking legal action against FIFA over an “overloaded and unworkable” schedule.

Former Premier League defenders Rio Ferdinand and Joleon Lescott also showed solidarity with today’s players

“I’m behind the players, I always will be. I don’t think it’s going to be as close as he’s predicting in terms of a strike,” Lescott said on TNT Sports. “I think players play for different reasons and I don’t believe in the financial aspect. They’re well paid but they can’t be treated like workhorses.”

Ferdinand added: ‘You also have to consider the quality. There will inevitably be a breaking point with the amount of games.

Former Premier League defenders Rio Ferdinand (left) and Joleon Lescott (right) stood in solidarity with the players

“We see a difference in injuries and other things. The most games I played were 62, Rodri played 64. Not a huge difference. I did that for one season and then it fell away, but these guys.

“This ecosystem. I don’t think the players’ voices are heard and loud enough when they’re the ones on the pitch.”