Comments on: FIFA Club World Cup: A Second Look

By: BD Condell

BD Condell — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 09:59:21 +0000

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/martin_samuel/article5354668.ece?Submitted=true

By: EPL

EPL — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:36:22 +0000

Yes Ahmed i understand whats being said and its back to the round table again, Champion League is for champions not second place third place, The Cup World Cup is a useless tournie supplementing the ego of Blatter. Its a matter of opinion.My opinion its a useless unfair tournament.United one of the world’s best club challenging for the world title against teams not known outside their continent.now that is a fact. Just cuz people in my region never heard of any of the teams before or made the effort to learn about the team does not make us at fault one bit and that does not give any Tom, Clark or Kenny rights to accuse us so. You want the world to know your team go lobby not cry and critisize. just cuz people in CHINA does not know who Torres is its stupid of me to start nitpicking at their football or culture.

By: Ahmed Bilal

Ahmed Bilal — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:10:03 +0000

EPL – I think the point being made is that because the teams being played against are not in Europe does not make them less worthy opponents.

Also, playing champions from one region against champions from other regions is a fair way to find a world champion. After all, it’s the same principle that the Champions League is built upon (until they allowed non-champions to enter as a way to expand and make more money).

By: EPL

EPL — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 12:43:46 +0000

Not worth the time to get into a word war with you when i was clearly explaing that United were playing in a tournament which crowns them world champions after playing two games against 2 teams not even listed in the top 50 world rankings. If my post got you to spew foam out of your nose then i rather let you ramble on then bother to reply to your childish fanatic retorts again.

By: tom clark

tom clark — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 08:18:02 +0000

EPL: If Pachuca don’t ring a bell for you, maybe you ought to try looking them up. There are Pachuca fans who don’t care a fig for the English Premier League.

The team you call “LDU Quinto” is actually called Liga de Quito. Quito is a city in Ecuador. I wonder if people there are in the habit of insulting distant cultures that are strange to them. Or, on the other hand, whether they might not be intelligent enough to inform themselves just a bit before sounding off.

(Actually you might be surprised to hear that most South American football fans I know are at least sophisticated enough to be aware that the name of that ginger midfielder with United– the one you mention at the top of your last post– has an “s” on the end of it.)

By: EPL

EPL — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:40:02 +0000

Maybe Ahmed but we sure had some quality oppostions to fight with unlike the competition you have now. At least there are some good looking guys to ogle at this time. :=)

By: Ahmed Bilal

Ahmed Bilal — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:15:35 +0000

BD – fyi it’s Vickery, not Vikery.

as for the Gamba game, don’t know if you people saw it but it was good entertainment, at least for the last 20-25 mins or so.

I’m gutted no matter when United lose. Each defeat hurts just as much, especially when I’m watching the bloody game. The mind knows that CL and EPL is more important, but a League Cup loss or a friendly loss hurts just as much.

EPL – you’re just jealous because Pool lost in 2005

By: EPL

EPL — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:00:39 +0000

Paul Schole said he rather be at home than play in this tournament.
How many United fans echo his sentiments?
instead of worrying about more pressing issues like how to close the gap on Liverpool and Chelsea, they have to fulfil a Fifa obligation or rather Blatter(EGO)!. Is it really worth the effort?
World Champions? But for in whose company?
Gamba Osaka- A team not known outside the Japanese Peninsular
Adelaide United- Whose fans inAustralia is probably know more about footie than football
Pachuca, a name that does not ring a bell if you look back at recent history in world football
LDU Quinto, whose players are not known beyond the South Atlantic
For United to be crown World Champions by winning just 2 matches against unknown oppostitons echoes only of emptiness and embarrassment

By: BD Condell

BD Condell — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:04:00 +0000

Tom, I’m not questioning the excitement level of individual games just the rationale for such a competition and matching these teams together (no direspect to any team involved). The early stages of the CL always produce some poor matches and with it being a group process, even more so but that competition is established as one of the premier competitions in the world with huge interest and ratings well beyond Europe.

Equally I don’t consider this a sleep walk for Utd. I’ve no doubt that Gamba (in front of a home audience) and Liga, should Utd get thru, will give them a hell of a game and Utds motivation will also be questionable. Paul Scholes is on record as saying he would rather stay at home and prepare for EPL matches!

I also accept the South/Central American point, having read Tim Vikery’s piece on the subject. However, i wonder is this interest confined to the supporters of the participating teams or do fans in (say) Argentina and Brazil also get involved with it? (this year I mean.)

My main gripe, which is probably obvious by now, is that my own team are disadvantaged vis-a-vis other key competitions by having to participate in a competition that, as I see it, has no real standing or prestige. The timing is a particular problem for Europe which may not apply to some of the other teams who have different league calendars.

The real baraometer for me is that, as a liflong Man Utd fan, it won’t cost me a thought if they don’t win this whereas if they lose a PL or CL game I’m gutted. Not sure how this translates to your feeling about Pachuca?

But I accept that not everybody, even Utd fans, hold the same view.

Is it reflective of the general interest in the competition that, despite 2 articles on the subject we’ve more or less ended up debating this among ourselves!?

By: tom clark

tom clark — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 08:13:50 +0000

BD–You’re exactly right, I saw a couple of good games involving three pretty good clubs. That satisfactory bit was probably more than I got out of–just to draw the comparison–the entirety of the Champions League group stages. (Hold that, the Aalborg games were okay–but who can deny that the CL so far has been an absolute bore…).

Otherwise, yes, the show is pretty much pure rubbish, as you suggest.

But you know it’s funny. There are indeed fans in Central and South America who take this tournament seriously. A Brazilian friend who supports FC Sao Paulo found it very interesting some years ago to see his club compete with the Europeans. And though finally Liga de Quito wasn’t even better than Pachuca–despite the scoreline–don’t be too surprised if they give United something to think about. And that would matter to fans in Ecuador, South America and Central America perhaps more than you might think. After all, winning the Copa Libertadores is a pretty big deal in those regions, and the prize that comes of it is a chance to compete in this (admittedly rather chintzy) tournament.