‘Maresca to defy Club World Cup rules with Chelsea, FIFA admit they are powerless’
Enzo Maresca looks set to break Club World Cup rules ahead of Chelsea’s upcoming clash against Flamengo with FIFA likely unable to act.
The Blues kickstarted their tournament with a simple 2-0 victory over LAFC, with goals coming from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez on Monday, 16 June, but it is their next opponents who sit top of Group D.
Liam Delap and Dario Essugo were both handed their debuts by Maresca, with Chelsea’s exit-linked Christopher Nkunku even being given a handful of minutes over in America.
Matters could get even worse for the MLS club, with Keith Hackett suggesting to Football Insider that LAFC could face a fine after a confusion with Olivier Giroud‘s half-time substitution.
There is now possible controversy surrounding the Blues and their outing in Philadelphia on Friday, 20 June, as Maresca appears set to break an agreement the club signed up to.
Enzo Maresca to risk FIFA’s wrath during Flamengo clash
According to the Daily Mail (18 June), Maresca is ready to defy Club World Cup rules by rotating his lineup against Flamengo despite signing an agreement to “field their strongest team throughout the competitions”.
The Blues manager believes that rotation is necessary following an elongated campaign at Stamford Bridge, especially given the hot and humid climate of the United States.
It is understood that FIFA have admitted challenging the club on such decisions could be difficult given the subjective nature of the agreement signed before the tournament kicked off.
There has been no comment on how a decision will be made on such matters, or even what the punishment might be if the agreement is broken by Maresca.
Chelsea to field weakened lineup at the Club World Cup
Football Insider verdict
The likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile, and Filip Jorgensen were all left on the bench against LAFC, with other youngsters also in the matchday squad.
Aaron Anselmino, Josh Acheampong, Mamadou Sarr, Andrey Santo, and Marc Guiu failed to get any minutes on the pitch, likely to the disappointment of the Blues fans out in America and back home.
It is fair to say that Cole Palmer‘s output dropped significantly in the second half of the 2024/25 season, and Maresca is likely wanting to rest stars like him for when the new campaign kicks off.
Palmer’s future at Chelsea was a doubt before the Blues secured Champions League qualification on the final day of the season, and now the manager will be doing everything to keep him fit.
Reece James and Romeo Lavia are extremely injury-prone, which will be a worry for the Italian, but some staff members may feel pressured to put them in the starting lineup once again.
Of course, the final decision is Maresca’s, and keeping players fit will be more important than the Club World Cup, especially now that FIFA are unlikely to take action.