What to make of the Club World Cup (CWC)? Well, someone finally found a way to stop Cole Palmer! Chelsea’s two-goal and one-assist hero of the 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) admitted he was “confused” by Donald Trump’s presence on the podium. The 47th US President refused to leave the presentation ceremony and stole the show, having already “stolen” the trophy itself, according to reports. Claims the real one is in the Oval Office, and Chelsea players were lifting a replica won’t go away. Fake news, fake trophy, Trump’s gatecrashing was a perfectly apt way for this controversial power grab of a tournament to end. This is the post-truth era, after all. PSG might have wished he’d been in their defence during the preceding 90-plus minutes as Palmer ran amok. Afterwards, the entire football world wanted Trump to exit stage left. The worry is that he will be even more front and centre next year when the World Cup is also held in the United States. Oh, and in those noisy neighbours, Canada and Mexico, too, in case we forget. FIFA has designated them “auxiliary hosts.” Useful word, auxiliary. It’s what the Nazis called black Americans at the Berlin Olympics. Fortunately, Jesse Owens didn’t seem to know its meaning. The orange ogre is not the only reason to fear that the actual football may be overshadowed a year from now. The CWC is Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s baby, but Trump was claiming parentage by the end. Whatever the view of this competition, it is inevitably seen as a practice run for the World Cup itself, a mammoth 48-nation, 104-game affair in 16 cities. And there were enough cracks in the organisation of the CWC to be of concern. Extreme weather, indifference, logistical breakdowns, yo-yo ticket prices, travel weariness and the poor quality of pitches all had an impact. Multiply the numbers (for visiting fans many times over), and it will test the best-laid plans. And the physical effects of this tournament will still be felt when the next one starts. Many players will scarcely have a break (and no proper pre-season), either this year or next. Yes, a top-of-the-world Chelsea may come flying out of the blocks still high on adrenaline, but it will take its toll. Wearing out the biggest stars in advance is not the way to prepare for the biggest show in the world. The players’ union Fifpro president Sergio Marchi compared it to the “bread and circuses” of ancient Rome that were staged for the masses when, behind the scenes, things were falling apart. Calling for more protection for players, he added it was “fiction” to pretend it had been a success. Even Infantino admitted that heat was a factor, but the jam-packed schedule won’t permit playing only at night. And only four of the 16 stadiums have roofs. Flight delays could also cause havoc, the weather can be wild and the US airline industry is drastically understaffed. Postponements would cause fixture pile-ups. Another winter tournament, perhaps? Qatar? When the downpour-delayed Chelsea-Benfica game took four hours to complete, suggestions were not entirely in jest. The one thing that could dispel the gloom - a storming run by the US national team – is unlikely. After credible displays in World Cups earlier this century, the USMNT is in a lull and Mauricio Pochettino is struggling to take them out of it. To the game’s purists, the creeping Americanisation is also a worry. Longer half-times with entertainment, more water breaks, individual entries to the pitch… you can see four quarters coming next. All that said, it was a monster impossible to ignore. Some of the actual football was better than expected. There were a couple of humdingers and genuine upsets, including Al-Hilal’s 4-3 win over Manchester City and even Chelsea’s thrashing of PSG. Die-hard South American fans did their best to make up for any local indifference, but the so-called dynamic pricing for tickets was laughable. From starting at a month’s wages to giving them away, and many peaks and troughs in between. Latin Americans love the chance to put one over the aloof and largely stay-away Europeans, but it was the establishment that came through at the end. And several cherry-picked some of their best players, too. Infantino spoke of this tournament as if it were a huge levelling-up enterprise when it only widened the gap. There was an FA Cup third-round feel to Auckland’s part-timers playing Bayern Munich, but UEFA’s elite took 70% (US$338m) of the total performance-related prize money. Chelsea won US$114.6m to Auckland’s US$4.6m, almost exactly the figure that Transfermarkt valued the New Zealand club at the start. But at least it won’t all go to Auckland - 50% being shared between other clubs in a pre-tournament agreement. In the Champions League, first-round losers walk away with enough to keep them at the top of their domestic leagues for years to come. Unless there is a Kiwi-type sharing of the spoils, this is not levelling up, but turning minnows into big fish in their small domestic pools. Another bone of contention was that three of the strongest European champions, Liverpool, Barcelona and Napoli, were not there. A better qualifying system is desperately needed. Chelsea, who owed their place to their Champions League win in 2021, have yet to qualify for the 2029 edition. Skipper Reece James is the only player to have been in both squads. At times, with the US anthem played before kick-off, you wondered whether the US was hosting football or if football was hosting the US. The consensus among sceptics is that the stuff on the field just about saved the tournament, but it was close. Next season, they’ll have to do better or the sport will be Trumped a second time, and left trying to make the World Cup Great Again. The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.