February 3 – On Thursday, host club Al Jazira from the United Arab Emirates and AS Pirae from Tahiti kick off the Club World Cup, the much-maligned tournament that remains a sideshow in the annual calendar.
FIFA shoe-horned the tournament into the congested calendar after Japan withdrew as hosts because of the Covid-19 pandemic. South Africa briefly flirted with the idea of bidding for the tournament, but ultimately the United Arab Emirates stepped in to host the seven-team competition for a fifth time, with all matches being staged in Abu Dhabi.
But not even the participants will be too keen on participation.
Chelsea could have used the rest the current international break provides, but they will jet off soon to the Gulf to play two matches in the space of four days.
The European champions will be the favourites to consolidate the old continent’s dominance of the tournament, but their previous appearance at the 2012 edition serves as a warning that the opposition is not to be taken lightly. At the Yokohama Stadium, Tite and Corinthians defeated Chelsea 1-0 with a defensive masterclass to clinch the global crown.
“Once you are not in it, it is a competition that has not the highest focus on and highest value,” said Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel. “It seems like this in Europe, or only for me. But once you are in it and you start planning it and you see it coming on the horizon is it quite exciting.”
Corinthians remain the last non-European club to have won the competition. This year their crosstown Sao Paulo rivals Palmeiras will be seen as Chelsea’s main rivals, but in 2021 Abel Ferreira’s team failed to progress past the semi-final losing to Mexico’s Tigres. In December, Palmeiras defended their Copa Libertadores against Flamengo.
Traditionally, the Club World Cup and the rivalry is a huge moment in the calendar for Brazilian clubs, but with the tournament slated on the eve of the new domestic season, enthusiasm has been dampened.
African champions Al Ahly from Egypt aren’t happy either. They will have to compete with a weakened side because of the Club World Cup’s calendar clash with the Africa Cup of Nations. Egypt’s national team reached the last four and will stay in Cameroon at least until February 5 when Al Ahly play Mexico’s Monterrey in the quarter-final, the winner of which will take on Palmeiras.
The seven-team tournament will finish on February 12, but its future remains up in the air.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has wanted to transform the tournament into a blockbuster event with 24 super clubs from around the world, feeding off continental super leagues, to tap into the lucrative broadcast and sponsorships of the club market, particularly in Europe.
None of those plans have come any closer to materialising. Instead, the coronavirus pandemic kicked Infantino’s project into the long grass. China had been due to stage the first expanded Club World Cup in 2021.
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