What happens if Manchester City lose to Urawa Red Diamonds? Many have wondered ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup Semi-Final.
Pep Guardiola takes control of his first FIFA Club World Cup game in charge of Manchester City tonight, having previously won the prestigious competition twice with Barcelona and once with Bayern Munich.
Many expect Manchester City to defeat the J1 League outfit in Saudi Arabia and secure themselves a place in the final against Fluminense on Friday, so defeat might not have even crossed the minds of some fans.
But, what will happen if Manchester City do end up losing to Urawa Red Diamonds? Let’s take a look…
What happens if Manchester City lose to Urawa Red Diamonds?
Well, Guardiola won’t even be able to take his squad back home to prepare for the busy festive period if Urawa Red Diamonds win this Semi-Final clash.
Manchester City would have to take on Al Ahly in a third place play-off on Friday 22nd December at 14:30 in the event of defeat tonight, as confirmed on the club’s official website.
The treble winners would also miss out on the maximum case prize of $5m (£4m).
If Manchester City beat Al Ahly and finish third at the FIFA Club World Cup, they will be awarded $2.5m (£2m) in prize money, with fourth place receiving $2m (£1.6m)
Furthermore, Manchester City would not be able to wear the iconic FIFA Champions Badge on their shirt in the UEFA Champions League this season, if the Citizens suffer defeat to Urawa Red Diamonds.
Guardiola’s side could still – however – depart Saudi Arabia with the FIFA Fair Play award, even if they were to lose against both Urawa Red Diamonds and Al Ahly.
That would secure Manchester City an actual piece of silverware – which the likes of Andres Iniesta have previously collected for Barcelona – along with £40,000.
