BAYERN MUNICH’s opening Club World Cup opponents are facing a major crisis after several of their players failed to get time off work to play in the tournament.
The 2024/25 Bundesliga champions will face amateur New Zealand side Auckland City in Cincinnati on Sunday evening.
GETTYAmateur side Auckland City are without several players for the Club World Cup as they were denied annual leave[/caption]
CONOR TERYAuckland’s players have full-time jobs, with Conor Terry being a forklift operator[/caption]
MARIO ILICHSkipper Mario Ilich is a salesman for Coca-Cola[/caption]
Club World Cup 2025 Guide
SOME of the world’s biggest clubs are heading Stateside for a MAMMOTH Club World Cup.
Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Man City, and Inter Miami are among the 32 teams taking part in the tournament, which runs from June 14 to July 13.
Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Ousmane Dembele, Cole Palmer and Harry Kane will be showing their skills to packed crowds across the US.
Los Blancos are favourites to lift the trophy in New York but will face stiff competition from around the globe.
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Auckland have been drawn in a group of death along with Bayern, Benfica and Boca Juniors.
And their slim chances of making the last 16 have been rocked by several of their players not being able to travel to America due to their work requirements back home.
Interim head coach Paul Posa said: “All of the players have other jobs alongside their football commitments.
“However, they have an extraordinary dedication to their football outside of their working hours.
“Players have had to take annual leave from their jobs.
“Indeed, some of the players were unable to take time to attend both the OFC Champions League competition and the Club World Cup.”
Auckland’s squad is made up of forklift drivers, a fizzy drink salesman, real estate agents and a warehouse manager.
Reflecting on Auckland’s group of death, Posa added: “It’s quite possibly the toughest group we could have drawn.
“We have two traditional European powerhouses in Bayern Munich and Benfica and Boca Juniors, who are also capable of going all the way.”
The odds may be stacked against Auckland, but Posa, who is in temporary charge of the side due to Albert Riera’s absence, has a history of Club World Cup upsets.
During his first stint with the club, Posa guided Auckland to a fifth-placed finish in the 2009 Club World Cup.
Posa would love nothing more than to repeat his success, but is a realist when it comes to his side’s chances of doing so.
“It’s nice to dream we could be that competitive again,” he said. “However, we’re realistic about the challenge.”
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