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Too much of a good thing Van Gaal's criticism a little harsh, but he has a point
Posted: Thursday January 13, 2000 11:31 AM
Dutch coach Louis van Gaal has accused FIFA, soccer's world governing body, of "killing football" with the new Club World Championship. "You can't just create a new competition while there's another one going on at the same time, " he declared. "Spain and England, among other countries, have had to decide against their own leagues for this competition. They're going to kill football." A bit excessive with his final thought maybe. But I take his point and, to some degree, agree. Manchester withdrew from the FA Cup, the oldest and most prestigious domestic cup tournament in the world, in which they were reigning champions, to appear at FIFA's inaugural bash in Brazil. And for what? David Beckham was sent off in a surprising draw with Mexican side Necaxa, Gary Neville produced two howlers to gift Romario a couple of goals in a 3-1 defeat by Vasco da Gama and as fast as that United's title hopes were over. They didn't even make the third-place playoff. They return home with some Premier League catch-up to play and Arsenal licking their lips at the prospect of facing them in their first game back on January 24th. Real Madrid, the second European contenders in Brazil, came closer to making the final and are left to fight for third. But they, too, have some ground to make up back home. They have been forced to skip a round of the Spanish Cup -- although didn't bow out altogether -- and missed several league fixtures to play in the World Championship. They'll return without record signing Nicolas Anelka, who found his goals-coring touch at long last in the first two games in Sao Paulo, then injured his knee and was ruled out for two months. Three Real players were sent off in that same game against Raja Casablanca, as the Madrid giants took a severe image battering. And for what? Third place? Big deal. Real, like Manchester United, have the Champions League second-round resumption looming. Why clog up their fixture list to play in the energy-sapping heat and humidity of Brazil at such a crucial stage of their respective seasons? And herein lies the greatest singular problem with the World Club Championship. Timing. Van Gaal, who in a rather cavalier fashion claimed the new competition had been created without consulting the clubs involved, is -- I think -- really trying to make the point that FIFA ploughed ahead with the event, named the dates, the venues and the qualifiers ... then threw the ball in their court. Outside of the hosts, no team had to play. But it would have reflected badly on their national federations if they hadn't, or so the argument goes.
Manchester United said all along that they felt compelled by the English FA and their own government to compete or risk damaging England's bid for the 2006 World Cup. Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich would have been United's substitutes. Germany are one of England's chief rivals for hosting rights in six years. Still, United's decision to opt for Brazil and not the FA Cup led to a storm of protest, which rages on even now. Van Gaal, for one, hates all this pressure, the politics, the disruption and disharmony -- but most of all the timing. And his club wasn't even involved. FIFA wants to make the Club World Championship a regular fixture in the international calendar and, on the whole, I like the principal of a tournament to decide the World Champions among clubs from across the globe. But I can't imagine how it can be staged every year. Even every two years could be pushing it. There are just too many fixtures already: Champions League, UEFA Cup, Libertadores Cup, Mercosur Cup, domestic leagues, domestic cups -- and that's before we touch on national team fixtures. All these matches may not kill the game entirely, as Van Gaal suggests, but they will certainly kill a certain amount of interest over time. Too much of a good thing is a dangerous thing for football. Even the most ardent supporters will only pay to watch so much. Stadiums were almost empty throughout the first World Club Championship, except when the hosts played. Now if Manchester United and Real Madrid can't pack them in, who can? Certainly not the likes of South Melbourne. Australia's representatives fought gamely, but were out-classed. Can we therefore legitimately have a World Championship with a team like this in it, while such storied names as Juventus, River Plate, Barcelona and Boca Juniors are not? Surely FIFA need different qualifying criteria. Perhaps they can pack their fixture list some more and have South Melbourne contest one berth from the Asia-Oceania region in a separate playoff. The CONCACAF champions should also play off against the best of the rest from South America. Staging the next championship in the summer months in Europe is probably the next step for FIFA's fledgling, probably next year. After that, president Sepp Blatter and his men need to seriously look at a World Club Championship every four years, like the World Cup for nations. Clubs can qualify by accumulating points according to their domestic and international success in the previous fours years. FIFA need to space it out and guarantee at least eight of the best are there to contest it. Otherwise Van Gaal's outrage about the World Club Championship, and his prophecy of doom, might prove more justified than any of us could ever have envisaged. Phil Jones is a co-host of "World Sport," the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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