“It had been a long day. Much, much longer than Enzo Maresca had wanted. Play was suspended for nearly two hours waiting for the weather to pass over Charlotte, but the storm whipped up by the Chelsea coach’s post-match comments threatens to rumble on much longer. ‘It’s a joke,’ he said after Chelsea’s Club World Cup knockout clash with Benfica was held up for 113 minutes, the sixth storm-enforced delay of the tournament and the third hour-plus interruption. And he kept using those words — ‘a joke’ — while making clear he did not see the funny side, despite seeing his team run out 4-1 winners after extra time in a match that kicked off at 4pm local time and did not conclude until 8.38pm. …”
NY Times/The Athletic