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Topics: Juventus, Real Madrid, FIFA Club World Cup
Jack Kenmare
Ten Juventus players asked to be replaced during their Club World Cup round of 16 clash against Real Madrid.
One of the big talking points from this summer's tournament in America has been the extreme heat, with teams abandoning training sessions and a number of players and managers complaining about the intense temperatures.
Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente even claimed his toenails were hurting after a group stage game against Paris Saint-Germain. “It’s impossible," he added. "It’s terribly hot. I couldn’t stop or start."
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Earlier on in the tournament, Borussia Dortmund's substitutes watched the first half of their match against Mamelodi Sundowns in Cincinnati from the dressing room as Niko Kovac compared the conditions to a sauna.
And last week, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said it was "impossible" to organise normal training sessions amid a "code red" warning in Philadelphia, where 37 degrees felt like 45.
On Tuesday afternoon, Juventus fell to a 1-0 defeat against Real Madrid at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, where temperatures reached 32 degrees.
And after the full-time whistle, Juve boss Igor Tudor claimed ten of his players asked to be replaced during the round of 16 clash.
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"The conditions were really difficult today," Tudor told reporters. "Ten players asked me to be replaced. They were really tired. There are a lot of factors that weighed into that. It is the end of a long season and there was a lot of stress on the players that takes their energy.
"The conditions that they played with were really difficult – the humidity too. All of these conditions make it much more difficult. And the heat – that was another thing that made it more difficult."
FIFA guidelines state that if temperatures exceed 32C then short cooling breaks are mandatory in both halves of a match. The governing body have also released a statement on the extreme temperatures at this summer's tournament.
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It read: "Heat conditions are a serious topic that affect football globally. At the Club World Cup some significant and progressive measures are being taken to protect the players from the heat. For instance, cooling breaks were implemented in 31 out of 54 matches so far.
"Discussions on how to deal with heat conditions need to take place collectively and Fifa stands ready to facilitate this dialogue, including through the task force on player welfare, and to receive constructive input from all stakeholders on how to further enhance heat management.
"In all of this, the protection of players must be at the center."