‘It’s not football’: Maresca furious after Chelsea’s two-hour weather delay | Club World Cup 2025

A furious Enzo Maresca suggested that the United States is not able to welcome the club World Cup after the 4-1 victory in Chelsea against Benfica in the past 16 times, was delayed almost two hours in Charlotte, North Carolina, due to a violent weather event.

Chelsea was 1-0 and sailed to the last eight when the game was arrested with normal on the left at the Bank of America Stadium after a lightning strike in the region. The teams were ordered on the field by the officials and had to stay in their respective changing rooms before the game resumed after an hour and 53 minutes.

There was a new frustration for Chelsea when a last -minute controversial penalty allowed Benfica to force more time. The Premier League team finally pushed to win 4-1, four hours and 38 minutes after kick-off, but there were concerns about off-piste events a year before the male World Cup was held in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

“For 85 minutes, we checked the match,” said Maresca. “After the break, the game has completely changed. For me, it’s not football. It is 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. [this] is not the right place to do this contest. »»

The storms had six games suspend, all held in different cities, during the tournament. The teams also had to face a heat wave covering a large part of the east and the center of the United States.

“I’m very happy,” said Maresca. “We are in the last eight of this fantastic competition. The team was very good. For me, one of the best performance of the past few weeks and months.

“The problem is that when the match is suspended, it is not football. Guys are not football. You suspend the game, it’s not football. This is completely different. They [Benfica] marked because they have to continue. We are inside, we win. You go out, mentally different. It is difficult.

“We had an hour and a half, two hours of stopping. Then it started completely different. It’s not the same game because you break the tempo. Therefore two hours inside; People speak with the family outside, if they were good, security. People eating, laughing people, people who speak on mobile. It’s two hours. This is why I say that it was not football.

“It is something that you find it hard to understand. But we tried to go out, to continue in the same way, knowing that it was difficult. It is not random for 85 minutes, we conceded anything. And then for five minutes, we conceded a few chances. Why? It is because it started a completely different game.”

Chelsea, who lost Moisés Caicedo to a ban on a match, will then face Palmeiras after taking advantage of Benfica to descend to 10 men in overtime with goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

It was submitted to Maresca that the implementation of the protocol was likely to harm the position of the tournament. “The guys, please don’t like me, I said it was a fantastic competition,” said Maresca. “It’s at the top. We are happy to be in the last eight.

“But something is happening, six, seven games suspended. In a World Cup, how many matches are suspended? Zero, probably. In Europe, how many games? Zero. We are here, two weeks, they are already suspended six, seven games. There is a problem. We are happy to be in this competition. But it is not something that is not normal.”