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The Spaniard has disclosed that the Manchester and London outfits had one request flatly denied by the league.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed frustration with the Premier League for denying a request to postpone the start of next season for clubs participating in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup in 2025.
City and Chelsea will be competing in the tournament, which is scheduled to take place in the United States from June 15 to July 13, leaving players with limited time to recover before the start of the Premier League season.
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15:26 - 30.05.2024
‘You’re killing the game’ - Premier League joins threat to pull out of FIFA Club World Cup
The Premier League have joined the campaign to boycott the FIFA Club World Cup due to its effect on players.
What Guardiola said
The Spaniard revealed that City had informally requested a delay to allow their players adequate rest, but the Premier League has indicated that it will not grant their request.
Guardiola sarcastically thanked the league for their lack of support, highlighting the challenges faced by clubs competing in an increasingly congested football calendar.
“The Premier League did not allow us and Chelsea to postpone the first games to help with our recovery — thank you so much,” said the City boss. “So if they do not postpone these games it will be, ‘Oh, what do we have to do?’.
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“I don’t have an answer right now because I have never been there before, I don’t know. We are going to take a decision, I would say, with common sense. We are going to see the players and schedule.”
As per the Athletic, the Premier League confirmed that while informal discussions took place, no formal request was submitted.
They emphasised that this situation exemplifies the difficulties faced by domestic leagues due to FIFA's alterations to the international football schedule.
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10:42 - 10.06.2024
Champions League winners Real Madrid reject Club World Cup invitation
According to reports, Real Madrid are planning to turn down an invitation to participate in the Club World Cup.
What next for Man City?
Guardiola’s men welcome Fulham to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, October 5, keen to return to winning ways in the league after consecutive draws against Arsenal and Newcastle United.
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