Jeff Stelling Branded 'Ignorant' For His Comments On FIFA Club World Cup

Jeff Stelling has come in for criticism for his comments on the FIFA Club World Cup competition.

A win in the final means Thomas Tuchel's side can lay claim to being the best team in world football as the tournament is contested between the champions of the continents.

But not for the first time, Stelling downplayed the competition, which is being held in Abu Dhabi this year.

"Arsenal would have been playing Chelsea today but of course they play Palmeiras in the Club World Cup final. A great run to the final, beating Al-Hilal and.... oh, well, nobody else.

"It's not their fault, I'm not blaming Chelsea but the other teams are Al-Ahly, Monterrey, Al-Jazeera and Auckland City. It's a nonsense it's it, let's be brutally honest.

"Nevertheless we're hoping Chelsea beat Palmeiras, who are the other good side in there."

Stelling's mini-rant caused a stir on social media, with fans feeling as though the Soccer Saturday host was being incredibly ignorant:

Chelsea qualified for the Club World Cup after winning the Champions League for a second time with victory over Manchester City in Porto in the summer.

In their first Club World Cup appearance, the Blues were beaten 1-0 by a Brazilian side and CONMEBOL champions in Corinthians back in 2012.

Copa Libertadores winners Palmeiras have continued the Brazilian tradition of taking the tournament very seriously by bringing no less than 15,000 fans for the final.

Only two English clubs have won the Club World Cup in the past: Manchester United in 2008 and Liverpool in 2019.

Chelsea beat AFC Champions League winners Al-Hilal 1-0 in the semi-final on Wednesday.