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Ignominious invites FIFA ignores merit in choosing teams for Brazil 2000
Posted: Thursday January 06, 2000 01:39 PM
Give FIFA credit once again. If anybody knows how to come up with a decent idea and then make a complete hash of marketing it, it is soccer's world governing body. The Club World Championship has been roundly criticized as just another money-spinning tinpot trophy. According to some members of the media, it is an inconvenience that soccer's already congested calendar does not need, and a competition which nobody will take seriously. The English press has gone even further, incensed that Manchester United will not be taking part in the F.A. Cup because it conflicts with the Club World Championship. Not only is United the defending champion, but the tradition-drenched F.A. Cup remains the oldest tournament in the sport. Not participating is seen as an insult to the founding fathers of the game. The hysteria reached epic proportions as the media moaned about the long flight to Brazil, the crime rate in Rio and even the risk of catching some mysterious disease on Copacabana. All this is a shame. This may not be the most significant competition around, but it has potential. After all, the World Cup itself was seen as something of a joke back in 1930, and look how far it has come. The least we can do is give it a chance. Sure, it's too bad that Sir Alex Ferguson won't be able to defend the F.A. Cup. But surely competing against Real Madrid and Corinthians is more prestigious than playing Rotherham and Colchester? Yes, it is a long way from Manchester to Rio, but a 25-year-old professional athlete should be able to handle it, especially if he's cuddled under his duvet in first class. As for conditions in Brazil, it all smacks a little of First Worldism. Of course, there are poor people in Rio who live in dangerous and unsanitary conditions. But there are also plenty of extremely rich people in Brazil who probably live better than their counterparts in Europe. And since United's players are all millionaires, it's a safe bet they'll be treated real well.
If you want to criticize this competition, there are plenty of other reasons to do so. For starters, this is supposed to be a tournament pitting the six continental champions against each other, with the current club champion (Real Madrid) and the champion of the host country (Corinthians) thrown in. Except Jubilo Iwata (Asian club champion) and Palmeiras (the current Libertadores Cup winner) won't be in attendance. In their place will be Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr and Brazil's Vasco da Gama. Al-Nassr, winner of the 1998 Asian Super Cup, was selected ahead of Jubilo for reasons known only to the Asian Football Confederation. As for Vasco, it benefited from some shameless practical thinking. Rather than wait for the final of the 1999 Libertadores Cup, contested by Palmeiras and Deportivo Cali back in June of last year, authorities decided to simply award the spot to Vasco, the previous season's champions. Why? Because nobody wanted to risk having Deportivo Cali win the Libertadores and qualify for the tournament. To succeed, the inaugural World Club Championship must feature big name players and packed stadiums. And Colombia's Deportivo Cali offered neither. Vasco, the hometown favorite, will fill Rio's Maracana. Deportivo might, at best, fill a phone booth. Of course, all this wheeling and dealing also meant that Palmeiras, the current champions of South America, won't be participating, even though the tournament is taking place in the team's backyard.
A little more transparency would have served FIFA well. You cannot change the fact that half the clubs involved (i.e. the ones which are neither European nor South American) are going to be relative lightweights. But you can at least ensure that those who make it do so on merit. As it stands, the two groups seem eerily balanced (funny how each one got two juggernauts and two minnows). Expect Corinthians and Real Madrid to battle it out in Group A, with the edge going to the Brazilians. Oswaldo de Oliveira's team is solid in midfield and should be dangerous up front with the flamboyant Edilson, while Real is in such turmoil that the players' minds will probably be elsewhere (like how to avoid the drop from the Primera Liga). Neither Raja Casablanca nor Al-Nassr are the best teams in their respective federations. The Moroccans were lucky to win the African Champions Cup despite scoring just four times in eight matches. As for Al-Nassr, things have fallen apart after its controversial selection to represent Asia, and it could only finish fifth last season. Group B should provide some real entertainment as Vasco da Gama and Manchester United clash for a spot in the final. Vasco features the dream pairing of Romario and Edmundo, the world's most talented (and egomaniacal) strike force. These two can win games single-handedly, though there is plenty of star quality in the rest of the team with the likes of Juninho and Felipe. United's main strength is that its star players (David Beckham, Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs), tend to perform within a system, rather than having a team built around them. This serves it well over a long period, but in a short tournament anything can happen, which is why Vasco, buoyed by home advantage, has a good chance of beating Sir Alex Ferguson's men. Necaxa is a solid club, but still light years behind Vasco and United (when you must rely on a 35-year-old striker like Carlos Hermosillo for your goals, you know you're in trouble). South Melbourne is here just to make up the numbers. Don't be too surprised if we see an all-Brazilian final, Corinthians-Vasco da Gama. What really matters, however, is that we see quality games and genuine interest. This can become an important competition, as long as FIFA allows it to develop properly. And that means, among other things, no free passes to big clubs.
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