Club World Cup

LIVERPOOL and Manchester United have been blocked from a potential £50million payday after being ruled OUT of the new expanded Club World Cup.Fifa chiefs unveiled the official criteria for the 12 European sides eligible to take part in the 32-team event in the USA in 2025.
Liverpool have missed out on the lucrative new eventCredit: PA
Man Utd are also set to be denied a huge paydayCredit: AP
Manchester City and Chelsea have been guaranteed their place in the most lucrative club event in football history – worth £1BILLION-plus – after their Champions League triumphs in 2021 and last season respectively.
But Liverpool and United are officially OUT of contention – although Arsenal could STILL take a place.
Fifa’s ruling Council – including FA chair Debbie Hewitt – agreed with the proposal that all countries would be limited to two places unless they had more continental champions.
In addition to the places for the Champions League winners between 2021 and this term, eight more European slots are available based on coefficient points earned solely in Uefa’s senior competition over the four campaigns.
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But the restriction on English places to two – unless Arsenal win the Champions League for the first time in June’s Wembley final – is a bitter blow to Liverpool in particular.
Jurgen Klopp’s men currently stand fourth in Europe’s overall rankings and would have qualified through their Champions League performances over the past three campaigns.
Under Fifa’s initial plan, allowing one coefficient place per country, Liverpool were guaranteed a spot.
That was taken away by the vote at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Jeddah, where the Council including Hewitt backed the plan and the dates of the tournament, which will take place from June 15 to July 13.  
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United were hanging on to a place through the coefficients alone although they are likely to be overtaken by the end of this season.
But any remaining chance of the Old Trafford side taking part were dashed by the Fifa decision, which opens the door to the likes of Juventus even though they are out of Europe this term.
The decision means EIGHT clubs are already confirmed slots, with City, Chelsea and Real Madrid qualifying through their Champions League wins.
They will be joined by Bayern Munich, PSG, Inter Milan, Porto and Benfica.
Arsenal, Real Sociedad, PSV Eindhoven and outsiders Copenhagen can only qualify if they win the Champions League.
But at least three places – four if City or Madrid win at Wembley – can be sealed during the knock-out stage of this season’s competition.
Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid are in the box seat but could still be overtaken by Leipzig and Barcelona respectively, with Napoli – or theoretically Lazio –  able to overtake Juventus.
Austrians Salzburg will qualify if City or Real Madrid win the Champions League.
The 32-team event will follow the traditional World Cup structure with eight groups of four clubs and the top two going into the knock-out round.
Every club is guaranteed three days between games and the entire event will involve 63 matches – with no third-place game.
Following the meeting, Fifa President Gianni Infantino said: “Clubs play a fundamental role in world football and the Fifa Club World Cup 2025 will be a major milestone in providing clubs from all confederations with a fitting stage on which to shine at the highest level.
“This will be an open competition based on sporting merit that will play a key role as part of our efforts to make the game truly global.”
Fifa also announced the creation of a new “Fifa Intercontinental Cup” to be played each season with the Champions League winners facing the survivor of a series of one-off games between the other five continental winners for the trophy, with the Final on neutral territory.
Confirmed places: 
Past Champions league winners: Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City
Through Champions League coefficient points: Bayern Munich, PSG, Inter Milan, Porto, Benfica
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Can qualify only if they win the Champions League this season: Arsenal, Copenhagen, PSV Eindhoven, Real Sociedad
Can qualify through Champions League coefficient (only one per country): Borussia Dortmund, Atletico  Madrid, RB Leipzig, Barcelona, Juventus, Napoli, Salzburg, Lazio
Man City booked their place by winning the Champions League last seasonCredit: PA More

CHELSEA fans were claiming that their “board did us dirty selling this guy” after watching N’Golo Kante produce a rocket tonight.The French World Cup-winning midfielder, 32, left Stamford Bridge this summer after seven years at the club.
N’Golo Kante scored a screamer in the Club World CupCredit: Twitter @footballontnt
Al Ittihad’s players mobbed the ex-Chelsea man after his wonderstrikeCredit: AP

The ace, who was part of Leicester City’s legendary title-winning side in 2016, helped Chelsea win six trophies during that period, including the Premier League, Champions League and Europa League.
However, injuries hindered Kante in his final few years in West London and that led to owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake opting to cash in this summer.
He moved to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad – but Blues supporters were soon begging him to return after he scored a screamer on his debut.
Now Kante has done it again by producing another magical finish in the opening match of the Club World Cup.
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Al-Ittihad were already leading Auckland City thanks to Romarinho when the much-loved Kante almost burst the net with a brilliant half-volley from the edge of the area.
Auckland City had failed to properly clear a corner as the ball was swung back in, and it fell perfectly for the ex-Blues man to rifle home.
The clip soon began to go viral, and Chelsea supporters were quick to react to the goal on social media.
“Chelsea board did the fans dirty by selling this guy,” declared one.
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A second one said: “Now Kante looks fit i think Chelsea should bring him back.”
Another commented: “The man is too humble he looks like he was embarrassed he scored.”
While a fourth added: “Miss this guy sooo much.” More

A LITTLE more than 23 years have passed since Manchester United flew to Brazil to take part in FIFA’s first attempt to organise a Club World Cup.As that competition came to an end, then FIFA president Sepp Blatter gave his verdict; if the tournament was to thrive, he said, then it would have to take up more time, and the Europeans would have to show more solidarity.
Karim Benzema of Real Madrid lifts the Club World Cup trophy
The reverse has happened. The Club World Cup was relaunched in 2005 on a basis meant to inconvenience the Europeans as little as possible.
That inaugural version back in 2000 had eight teams in two groups of four, with the group winners meeting in a final. The teams, then, were playing at least three games, with the finalists playing four.
The versions  that have come afterwards are pure knock out, with the Europeans and South Americans coming in at the semi final stage, and only playing two games.
The objective seems to be to get the thing over and done with as soon as possible so that the Europeans can get back to the football that they care about.
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It is easy to understand the thinking behind this. Year after year the Club World Cup shows the distance between Europe and the rest of the planet.
There have been three South American victories; Brazilian sides won in 2005, 2006 and 2012 – all 1-0 wins achieved with a combination of deep defence and the occasional counter attack.
It would seem to be the only way they can win – and they have not come close in the last decade.
This is extremely painful for South America. If Europe treats the Club World Cup with disinterest, the same is emphatically not true on the other side of the Atlantic.
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For a South American team it is the most important date in the club calendar, the dream that is nurtured for months.
Fans make extraordinary sacrifices to follow their team to the competition, and those who can’t go will often make a point of seeing them off at the airport.
There is a strong memory of the time – until the turn of the century – when there was no gap between the best of Europe and South America’s finest.
Every year there is the hope that these times might be coming back – until the pitch reveals its painful truth.
This year Real Madrid beat Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in the final. The Saudis had previously eliminated Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo, the South American champions.
It is the sixth time since 2005 that the South Americans have lost in the semi final – an event which is becoming increasingly frequent. It is becoming harder to justify the status that the South American champions are given.
Why should they come straight in at the semi final stage if the evidence points to the conclusion that they are no longer automatically superior to the champions of Asia, Africa or North America?
The issue of the Club World Cup is likely to become more explosive in the next few years. FIFA acknowledge that the current format has not been a success.
From 2025 they plan to replace it with a new expanded competition, probably to be held every four years. The idea is to gather 32 teams from around the world and play a proper tournament.
Last South American triumph at the Club World Cup came in 2012Credit: Reuters
Sepp Blatter believed the Club World Cup needs more time in a bigger formatCredit: AFP
This, as Sepp Blatter pointed out all those years ago, needs more time – and finding it will not be easy in an already over-cluttered calendar.
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And it also needs the cooperation of the Europeans, who at this stage seem dead set against the idea, fearing that the aim is to encroach on the success of the Champions League.
There is huge potential for conflict here. Many in Europe have not been paying much attention to the Club World Cup. They might end up having to pay attention to an issue that could even lead to a split in FIFA. More