An introduction to the Club World Cup
December 10, 2007 4:00 PM
For many, December brings thoughts of the Holiday season and what may lie ahead for the New Year. It is also a time when certain sporting events grab the attention of fans everywhere.
Canadians usually make time to take in the World Junior Hockey Championship on TV, while for our American friends, the Bowl games of US college football tend to satisfy their holiday sporting palate. My experiences of living in Britain introduced me to their very busy sporting culture during this time of year. One of the busiest sporting days of the year was Boxing Day, as popular events like soccer and horseracing were always in full swing on December 26.
Another December event that is becoming an annual fixture in the soccer calendar takes place in Japan, as the fledging FIFA Club World Cup tries to determine the top men’s club side in the world. The 2007 edition is the competition’s fourth tournament, with the inaugural championship having taken place in Brazil back in 2000. Following a five-year hiatus, the tournament was resurrected in 2005 and fittingly moved to Japan, as the Far East nation has a long history with such championships. Between 1980 and 2004, Japan was home to the Club World Cup’s predecessor event in the Intercontinental Cup. The single-game final would usually pit the UEFA Champions League winners from Europe and the Copa Libertadores champions from South America, with the winner crowned as the top club side in the world.
Having started as a competition in 1960, the Intercontinental Cup remained in existence until FIFA formally expanded the playing field to include the club champions from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and our region in CONCACAF two years ago.
The three previous Club World Cup winners have come from Brazil, with Sao Paulo and Sport Club Internacional seeing off European Cup holders Liverpool and Barcelona in the last two finals respectively. Unfortunately for Brazilian fans, 2007 will not bring another champion in the tournament, as Argentine giants Boca Juniors claimed the South American spot when it beat Gremio of Brazil to win the 2007 Copa Libertadores. Many will expect Boca Juniors to meet European giants AC Milan in Sunday’s final, should the two sides get through their semifinal contests this week.
Action in this year’s tournament started on Friday, as Iranian club Sepahan defeated New Zealand’s Waitakere United 3-1 in an opening-round playoff. Waitakere earned their spot after winning the Oceania Champions League or O-League. Sepahan’s win, meanwhile, gave them a chance to avenge their Asian Champions League defeat to Japanese J-League club Urawa Red Diamonds, but Holger Osieck’s side were again too much for the Iranians after their 3-1 victory on Monday. The day before, CONCACAF representation came to a sudden end when Mexican club Pachuca succumbed to a late winner against African Champions League winners Etoile Sportive du Sahel. The Tunisians’ reward for Sunday’s win is another Latin American encounter against Boca Juniors on Wednesday, while AC Milan will have the tricky prospect of facing the home favourites in Urawa Red Diamonds on Thursday. By no means should Boca and Milan expect easy games, but many will be surprised if these clubs do not contest Sunday’s final.
Now, I understand that I might have written this blog as a bit of a feature story, but it was difficult to leave out the above information, as many of you who read this will have wondered what the Club World Cup is all about. It is safe to say that the competition is lost in the shadows of other soccer events. For example, there will probably be more global interest in the final group-stage games of this season’s UEFA Champions League than on matters in the Far East this week. With the world soccer calendar as congested as it currently is, one wonders if the Club World Cup can ever draw the attention that such a competition might deserve to merit. One of the problems may be the structure of the tournament and how it is limited to the confederation champions. The various Champions League tournaments are more expansive and provide more creditable competition. Coupled with the extended timelines that these competitions use, it is unlikely that a ‘FIFA World Champions League’ - for lack of a better word - would ever come into existence.
I get the feeling that the Club World Cup is a bit of compromise in light of the current club competitions that are in place around the world, but I say better that such a tournament is in place than not at all. Most may find the Club World Cup to be irrelevant, but I enjoy the fact that little-known sides like a Waitakere United or Urawa Red Diamonds can have ‘15 minutes’ in the global spotlight.
Whitecaps fans also need to remember that this is a competition that our club could qualify for in the future. There is a possibility that a Canadian club competition between the Whitecaps, Toronto FC and Montreal Impact may take place in the future, while CONCACAF have already declared their intention to form their own Champions League competition in the New Year. Should the Whitecaps have the fortune to be part of and succeed in the above proposed tournaments, then a trip to Japan to face a Boca Juniors or AC Milan may not be just the stuff of dreams….but one step at a time….that’s what I say….
Posted By: Simon Fudge on December 10, 2007 4:00 PM
