Soccer: World club championship set for revival

The World Club Championship is to be revived by FIFA for 2005, it was announced today.

The tournament was cancelled last year following the collapse of FIFA’s marketing partners ISL, but the next one will take place in three years’ time if space can be found in the international football calendar.

The championship aims to pit the top team in each confederation against each other, and Manchester United caused controversy when they competed in the inaugural tournament in Brazil two years ago but dropped out of the FA Cup to do so.

Despite limited interest from television companies, FIFA president Sepp Blatter is pressing ahead with plans for the event which was known as ‘Blatter’s Baby’ when it was first launched.

Blatter said: ‘‘We have decided that in 2005 we shall organise another FIFA World Club Championship, probably in a non-European country as there will already be the FIFA Federation Cup in Germany that year as a rehearsal for the World Cup.’’

Other decisions taken at this week’s FIFA executive committee and announced today included the principles for rotation of the World Cup.

These are being kept secret for the time being, but they detail how often the finals will be held in each continent.

European members have been pressing for agreement that the World Cup be held in Europe at least once every three tournaments.

FIFA have also decided to scrap plans to develop online betting for the World Cup in conjunction with Yahoo and British bookmakers Ladbrokes.

The governing body wants to make a study of its legal position under Swiss law before taking such a step and that will not be done in time for this World Cup.

The executive committee also ruled:

:: A new disciplinary charter will be brought in for the World Cup, with a significant aspect being the setting up of a permanent Football Arbitration Tribunal to rule on serious disciplinary matters such as doping.

:: 10 teams will contest the women’s soccer Olympics rather than eight.

:: No new countries will be permitted to affiliate to FIFA until the governing body’s new constitution comes into operation in two years’ time.

:: The 2004 FIFA centenary celebrations will include events in Britain (where the rules of football were laid down), China (a form of football was believed to have been first played there), France (where the World Cup was devised) and Zurich (FIFA’s home).

:: A FIFA Hall of Fame should be established by 2004, and the city of Valencia in Spain has requested to be its home.