Robert Lewandowski considers that the FIFA Best award is better than the Ballon d'Or. He is the winner of the FIFA award for the past two years. On the other hand, he controversially missed out on the Ballon d'Or Lionel Messi in 2021. Most of the football stars are not that about such individual awards, but Robert's seeming biased comment gave a peek into the intense rivalry of the star players.

Read also: Qatar World Cup Qualifiers: Teams that qualified already

Robert Lewandowski piped out Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah for his second consecutive Best FIFA Men's Player 2021. Meanwhile, the 33-year-old lost out on the Ballon d'Or despite netting 65 goals for Bayern Munich and Poland last year.

His comments on the awards:

While talking to Polish outlet Pilka Nozna, Lewandowski shared, "I've been thinking about these two awards lately: FIFA The Best and the Ballon d'Or. I have come to the conclusion that the FIFA award does matter more than the Ballon d'Or. Only journalists vote in the latter - there is no clear verification, as many experts or former and current footballers have said. Professionals and journalists vote for it in FIFA; team captains, coaches, and they can realistically and objectively evaluate our achievements because they know how much each match, each record, each injury costs us."

Read also: FA Cup 2022: Middlesbrough stuns United on Ronaldo's birthday

He reckoned that the Ballon d'Or is more important and he was proud to win the Best FIFA Men's Player. He said, "Maybe in terms of prestige, the Ballon d'Or is positioned higher than the FIFA Footballer of the Year. But knowing that I have received the best footballer of the world award for the second time in a row in the voting from coaches and players makes me proud because I know how hard I have worked for many years."

FIFA has revealed the seedings for the Group Stage Draw for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. The 32 qualified clubs will know their fate on 5 December 2024, as the groups and the opponents will be decided for each participating team. However, According to DailyMail, FIFA has revealed the pots according to the seedings ahead of the draw on Thursday.

The expanded FIFA Club World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 15 to July 13, 2025, and will be held in various stadiums in the United States. 

FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Group Stage Draw details

Date: 5 December 2024

Time: 11:30 PM IST

Streaming: FIFA.com, FIFA+ App and Supporting Channels

Pots and Group Stage Draw

32 clubs have been divided into 4 pots comprising 8 clubs in each pot. Each group at the Club World Cup will consist of one team from Pot 1, a team from Pot 2, one from Pot 3, and one from Pot 4. This is how the Group Stage Draw will decide the potential opponent for the clubs on Thursday.

The Group Stage will have eight groups, consisting of 4 teams in each group playing a single game in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will earn qualification for the Round of 16 and after the quarter-finals and semi-finals are over, two teams will meet each other in the final set to be played on 13th July 2025. 

Read Also | Qualified teams for Club World Cup 2025

FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Pots 

Pot 1

Manchester City (England)

Real Madrid (Spain)

Bayern Munich (Germany)

Paris Saint-Germain (France)

Flamengo (Brazil)

Palmeiras (Brazil)

River Plate (Argentina)

Fluminense (Brazil)

Pot 2

Chelsea (England)

Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

Inter Milan (Italy)

FC Porto (Portugal)

Atletico Madrid (Spain)

SL Benfica (Portugal)

Juventus (Italy)

FC Salzburg (Austria)

Pot 3

Al-Hilal SFC (Saudi Arabia)

Ulsan HD FC (South Korea)

Al Ahly FC (Egypt)

Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)

CF Monterrey (Mexico)

Club Leon (Mexico)

Boca Juniors (Argentina)

Botafogo (Brazil)

Pot 4

Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan)

Al-Ain FC (UAE)

Esperance (Tunisia)

Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

Pachuca (Mexico)

Seattle Sounders (USA)

Auckland City (NZL)

Inter Miami (USA)

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin responded to recent criticism of footballers playing an excessive number of matches and warned that reducing the number of matches can result in less revenue and lower wages for the players.

According to The Sun, the UEFA President stated:

Ceferin sparked controversy after the General Assembly of the European Clubs Association, held in October 2024, where he stated that only the high-paid players expressed dissatisfaction, while those who earn less did not make any public statement regarding the issue. 

The European calendar of football and its unbalance were discussed in the assembly though Ceferin admitted that the schedule in congested and reached the maximum limit. 

The long-growing displeasure

UEFA and FIFA had already been slammed by footballers and coaches about the increasing number of games per season.

UEFA faced severe criticism after introducing the UEFA Nations League, back in 2018 with a new format including promotion and relegation. Controversies started hovering as various theories suggested this tournament to be a series of friendlies branded into a tournament to generate more revenue for UEFA. 

The Nations League matches are played during the international breaks when European teams used to feature in friendlies or take part in the qualifiers matches. 

However, many prominent footballers and managers did not welcome the idea of this new tournament. Following the 2021 UEFA Nations League third-place play-off match between Italy and Belgium on 10 October 2021, Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois publicly criticized FIFA and UEFA in the post-match interview with Sky Sports:

"This game is just a money game and we have to be honest about it,"

"We just play it because for UEFA it's extra money.

"They can be angry about other teams wanting a Super League but they don't care about the players, they just care about their pockets.

"It's a bad thing that players are not spoken about. And now you hear about a European Championship and a World Cup every year, when will we get a rest? Never."

"So in the end top players will get injured and injured and injured. It's something that should be much better and much more taken care of,

"We are not robots! It's just more and more games and less rest for us and nobody cares about us."

Former Germany coach Hansi Flick addressed his concern about the increasing number of matches in a press conference on 10 June 2022. Flick responded to a question:

"This should be looked at and we need to ask ourselves how we can offer players a break because that is important,"

"UEFA or FIFA should look into these things and take some measures."

In a very recent interview ahead of Belgium's clash against Israel in the Nations League in September 2024, Courtois' national team-mate Kevin De Bruyne addressed the same issue along with the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, which is set to be played in 2025.

🚨⚠️ De Bruyne: “The PFA and other player associations have tried to find solutions…”.

“The issue is UEFA and FIFA keep adding extra matches”.

“We can raise concerns, but no solutions have been found”.

“It seems money speaks louder than players' voices!”, says via @Reuters. pic.twitter.com/8PzTIogMlQ

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 7, 2024

"The real problem will emerge after the Club World Cup...We know there will be only three weeks between the Club World Cup final and the first Premier League match. So, we have three weeks to rest and prepare for another 80 matches,"

"The issue is that UEFA and Fifa keep adding extra matches, and we can raise concerns, but no solutions have been found. It seems that money speaks louder than the players' voices"

via Reuters

Criticism and legal actions regarding the expanded FIFA Club World Cup 2025

The FIFA Club World 2025 will introduce an expanded format that will feature 32 participating teams competing for the glory. This new tournament has further increased the number of matches in a season and resulted in grievances from prominent players and managers.

2024 Ballon d'Or winner and Manchester City's midfielder Rodri expressed his concern about the excessive number of games and said that every player should have an optimum number of matches to play every season.

"From my experience I can tell you that 60-70 [is no good]. Between 40 and 50 is the amount of games in which a player can perform in the highest level. After that you drop because it is impossible to sustain the physical level."

"This year we can go to 70, maybe 80, I don’t know. It depends how far you go in the competitions. It is too much. We have to take care of ourselves. Someone has to take care of ourselves because we are the main characters of this sport or business or whatever you want to call it."

via The Guardian

However, this long-growing cold war between the players or officials and the governing bodies has now turned into a legal battle. 

The tension emerged when FIFPro, the worldwide players' union, and the European Leagues, which represents 37 domestic leagues submitted a legal claim against FIFA on 13 June 2024, "challenging the legality of FIFA's decisions to unilaterally set the International Match Calendar and, in particular, the decision to create and schedule the FIFA Club World Cup 2025."

Here is the official legal claim.

"We don't have enough dates anymore in the calendar."

The Premier League's director of international relations, Mathieu Moreuil, states that legal action is the 'only option' as they allege that FIFA have failed to consult properly regarding football fixtures 😬 pic.twitter.com/GHqgwY8rgF

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 14, 2024

At the European Commission in Brussels On 14 October 2024, the protesting bodies jointly filed a legal complaint against FIFA over FIFA's imposition on match calendars. 

Check the official legal complaint here.

The third international break of the year has already started and the players are on their national duties. But the question remains, will there be any change regarding this distressing issue?

Luis Díaz netted a hat-trick to keep Liverpool at the top of the league table with a flawless record, while AC Milan shocked Real Madrid on their home turf. Celtic, Borussia Dortmund, PSV Eindhoven, GNK Dinamo, and Monaco also secured wins.

Meanwhile, Viktor Gyökeres scored three goals as Sporting CP pulled off the night’s biggest upset against Manchester City. Sit back and relax, as we bring all the updates of the match week 4 of the UEFA Champions League 2024 - 25 league phase round.

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Tuesday night's action

Sparta Praha 1-2 Brest

The away team was in fine form tonight, causing a consecutive defeat to Sparta Praha. Edimilson Fernandes opened the scoring in the 37th minute to give Brest an early advantage, which they doubled in the second half courtesy of an own goal by Sparta midfielder Kairinen in the 79th minute.

Victor Olatunji ensured that the visiting team did not leave with a clean sheet when he fired home a left-footed shot to the center of the goal at stoppage time.

Feyenoord 1-3 RB Salzburg

It was a tough night for Feyenoord, who lost Nadje to a red card in the 45th minute, allowing Salzburg to take advantage. Striker Karim Konate seized the opportunity, scoring twice.

Moussa pulled one back for Feyenoord in the 81st minute, but Salzburg wasn’t finished; Guindo struck in the 86th minute to secure a comfortable victory for the visitors.

Stuttgart 0-2 Atalanta

Hello and welcome to another LIVE coverage of the UEFA Champions League football match. Tonight, we will cover the Crvena Zvezda vs Barcelona match in the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 season. 

The story before the match

Barcelona have been in red-hot form and on the contrary Crvena Zvezda have not won any matches in the tournament this season. With 6 points in three games, FC Barcelona are currently placed at the number 15 position. Meantime, with no points and a -9 goal difference, the Serbian club are currently at the number 33 position in the points table.

Read Also | Viktor Gyokeres: Do you know he was sold by Brighton for only £1 m in 2021?

However, in all competitions, Crvena Zvezda have won four out of their last five matches and looked in great form in the national league. Barcelona have also been undefeated and won all of their last five games across competitions. 

This will be the fifth time these two teams face each other. Barcelona have won 3 of those four games while drawing once. Only time will tell if the Serbian League champions will be able to resist rampant Barcelona, or if it will be an easy win for the La Liga table toppers.

So, sit down and relax as we bring you updates, facts, and news of the Crvena Zvezda vs Barcelona match from our webdesk. 

Manchester City's Spanish midfielder Rodri has lifted the 2024 Ballon d'Or award beating Vinicius Jr. who finished in the second position and Jude Bellingham who finished third in the final ranking.

This win has sparked serious controversies among football fans. Real Madrid also boycotted the award ceremony as they showcased their support toward Vinicius and no one represented Real Madrid at the Théâtre du Châtelet on Monday. 

Rodri, the Ballon winner, was instrumental in Manchester City's 2023-24 Premier League-winning campaign. The defensive midfielder made himself crucial in Manchester City's UEFA Super Cup 2024 and FIFA Club World Cup 2024 victory as well. 

Rodri also won the EURO 2024 with Spain and he was named the EURO 2024 Player of the Tournament. 

On the other hand, the second-placed Vinicius Jr. won the LaLiga 2023-24 and Supercopa de Espana with Real Madrid. The skillful forward performed exceptionally well in the UEFA Champions League 2023-24 as Real Madrid became the champions.

However, Vinicius had only scored 1 goal and made 2 assists in 3 matches for Brazil in the 2024 Copa America but Brazil was knocked out of the quarter-final, losing against Uruguay in the penalties. 

Jude Bellingham, the Real Madrid midfielder who finished third, scored 19 goals in the 2023-24 LaLiga and he also had a supreme performance in Real Madrid's midfield in the UCL 2023-24. He was named the UCL 2023-24 Young Player of the Tournament.

Bellingham also featured for England in EURO 2024 but they lost to Spain in the final. 

As the controversies have arisen, here is a statistical comparison between the top 3: Rodri, Vinicius Jr., and Jude Bellingham.

Read Also | Ballon d'Or 2024 Winners

Statistical Comparison: Rodri, Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham

1. Rodri

Club/Nation: Spain / Manchester City

Matches played: 63

Matches Won: 50

Matches lost: 1

Goals: 12

Assists: 14

Accolades:

• Premier League 2023-24 Winner
• UEFA Super Cup Winner
• FIFA Club World Cup Winner
• UCL 2023-24 Quarter-finalist
• EURO 2024 Winner
• EURO Player of the Tournament
• FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball

2. Vinicius Jr.

Club/Nation: Brazil / Real Madrid

Matches played: 49

Matches Won: 32

Matches lost: 2

Goals: 26

Assists: 11

Accolades:

• LaLiga 2023-24 Winner
• UEFA Champions League 2023-24 Winner
• Supercopa de Espana Winner
• Copa America 2024 Quarter-finalist
• UCL Player of the Season 2023-24
• Included in LaLiga 2023-24 Team of the Season
• Included in UCL 2023-24 Team of the Season

3. Jude Bellingham

Club/Nation: England / Real Madrid

Matches played: 54

Matches Won: 35

Matches lost: 4

Goals: 27

Assists: 15

Accolades: 

• LaLiga 2023-24 Winner
• UEFA Champions League 2023-24 Winner
• Supercopa de Espana Winner
• EURO 2024 Runner-up
• LaLiga Player of the Season 2023-24
• UCL Young Player of the Season 2023-24
• Laureus World Breakthrough of the year 2024