India, June 29 -- Former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp has long been a vocal critic of the increasing fixture congestion in top-level football and the impact it has on the welfare and well-being of football professionals, and he once again used his platform to demand better for players. This time, the target of his ire was the newly-refurbished FIFA Club World Cup, now extended to a month-long window in the European summer break.

With fixtures piling up particularly for the top teams, who already play upwards of 60 club games in a 10-month window, the summer has now been taken up by another competition that further reduces their rest and recovery time. Klopp was enraged by this fact, and hammered the decision-maker...