Club level holds its own World Cup half a world away

	FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been eager to make a club championship a yearly event. Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images
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LEIPZIG, Germany -- See if you'd like to lead a life like these guys: First they'll put their hands in a bowl, screen a short film and applaud supermodel Heidi Klum. Then, they'll sit and talk about 64 soccer matches that will happen throughout Germany in six months.

Then they'll run to the airport to fly to the other side of the globe to make sure everything is in place at a major soccer event, communicating through translators with players and officials from Asia, Africa, South and Central America. Before they finish unpacking, they'll have to climb back in an airplane and fly back to the other side of the world. When they land in Zurich, Switzerland, they'll attend a lavish party attended by some of the world's best soccer players.

Quite a few days for the suits at FIFA. Mere hours after the World Cup draw here is complete, uncovering the fortunes of the crème de la crème of world soccer, they're already on their way to Japan for the Club World Championship. Then, 12 hours after the Dec. 18 final, they head back to world headquarters in order to prepare for a gala evening to announce the winner of FIFA Player of the Year award.

It doesn't sound that bad, and I'll be following them around to every event. The funny thing is that out of all this, the only event that actually has players playing is the club championship, which should be a dramatic event.

FIFA is trying extremely hard to stage a serious ultimate tournament between champion clubs from different parts of the world. And it seems to be working: The event is completely sold out, and São Paulo and Liverpool, the champions of South America and Europe, respectively, have said they're taking the tournament very seriously. And above all, everyone is really scared of the potential of the so-called "smaller" clubs.

In other words, FIFA has overcome tremendous odds from doubters to give soccer-lovers around the world a gift for the holidays. The champions of all six continental confederations will be represented in Tokyo and Yokohama, where the final of the 2002 World Cup was held -- a perfect set-up.

The first time FIFA tried this, in 2000 in Brazil, I had the chance to participate as the event's media relations guy. Many thought no one would come to Brazil. Manchester United and Real Madrid certainly didn't want to. No more than 300 journalists were expected. Regardless, the event was a terrific success.