Boss says no: club face World Cup absences for bizarre reason 😅 | OneFootball

The Club World Cup will feature some of the richest and best-structured teams on the planet, but it also has room for more modest participants.

And there is no greater representative of "humility" in the tournament than Auckland City, from New Zealand.

With a squad of semi-amateur athletes, the club will have absences in the United States because some players were unable to take time off from their other jobs during the tournament.

"Players had to take their annual vacation from work...in fact, some of the players were unable to take time off to attend the OFC Champions League and the Club World Cup," said Auckland City coach Paul Posa, according to Reuters.

"All players have other jobs besides their football commitments. However, they have an extraordinary dedication to football outside of work hours," the coach guaranteed.

Auckland City is the only representative of Oceania in this year's Club World Cup.

The team is in Group C of the competition, which also includes Bayern Munich, Benfica, and Boca Juniors.

"It's possibly the toughest group we could have chosen," the coach admitted.

Despite the investment difference, Auckland City can at least count on experience on their side, thanks to their 11 previous participations in FIFA Club World Cups.

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