Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca lashed out at the two-hour weather delay that disrupted his team’s Club World Cup victory over Benfica on Saturday, suggesting the tournament should be played elsewhere in future.

Chelsea powered into the quarterfinals after defeating Benfica 4-1 in extra-time after a game that took 4 hours, 39 minutes to complete following a two-hour stoppage due to a storm warning.

It was the sixth time that a game has been halted at the tournament due to widely used rules in the United States that require outdoor sporting events to be halted if there is a chance of lightning.

Maresca said afterwards the number of games that had been disrupted should prompt a rethink.

“For me personally, it’s not football,” the Chelsea boss said. “It’s already (six) games they suspended here. I think it’s a joke. It’s not football. It’s completely amazing, it’s completely something new that I struggle to understand.

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