[lfc-news] Purple monsters lie in wait for Reds - Official Site

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Official LFC Website, 8 June 2005
PURPLE MONSTERS LIE IN WAIT FOR THE REDS
By Mark Platt

While debate continues to rage over Liverpool's participation in next
season's Champions League, Liverpoolfc.tv turn the spotlight on a
tournament the Reds HAVE definitely qualified for - the FIFA Club World
Championship.
Between December 11 and 18 this year, the best teams from each of the
world's six continents will converge on Japan to battle it out for the
honour of being the crowned the finest club side on the planet.

That unforgettable victory over AC Milan in Istanbul last month means
Liverpool, the most successful club in the history of English football,
will represent Europe at FIFA's showpiece event in the Land of the
Rising Sun just before Christmas.

Rafael Benitez's reigning European Champions, together with the South
American qualifiers, will join the tournament at the semi-final stage,
with the representatives from Asia, Africa, Oceania and North/Central
America battling it out to see who joins them.

Liverpool are guaranteed to play two games. Their first (the semi-final)
will take place in Yokohama on Thursday 15 December. Depending on
whether they win or lose they'll then contest either the 3rd/4th place
play-off or the final three days later (Sunday 18 December) at the same
venue.

But who are the Reds likely to meet out in Japan? Only one other side
has so far been confirmed - Costa Rica's Deportivo Saprissa - and
there's still a lot of football to be played before we'll know the
identity of the four other participants.

But in an attempt to paint a clearer picture Liverpoolfc.tv search the
globe to examine some of the possibilities...

Asia (AFC)

29 clubs from 14 countries compete for the Asian Champions League title.
The group stages have now been completed and the draw for the
quarter-final will take place in Kuala Lumpar on June 25.

The reigning Asian champions are Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia) and they will
join the following seven group winners in the last eight - Pas (Iran),
Al Ain (UAE), Al Sadd (Qatar), Al Ali (Saudi Arabia), Shenzhen (China),
Shandong (China) and Busan l'Park (Korea).

The competition reaches its climax with the second leg of the final on
November 2.

Africa (CAF)

After the completion of the opening knockout phase, the group stage of
the competition kicks off later this month.

The eight remaining club's have been split into two groups are four and
have been paired as follows - Group A: El Ahly (Egypt), Raja Casablanca
(Morocco), Ajax Cape Town (South Africa), Enyimba (Nigeria), Group B:
Asec Mimosas (Ivory Coast), Zamalek (Egypt), E.S.S. (Tunisia), Esperance
(Tunisia).

The winners will be known after the two-legged final that is due to be
completed in early November. Enyimba of Nigeria are the current champions.

Oceania (OFC)

The Oceania Football Federation Club Championship is currently taking
place in Tahiti. Eight club's have been competing in two groups of four,
with Sydney FC (Australia) and AS Magenta (New Caledonia) making it
through to the final on June 10.

North, Central American and Caribbean (CONCACAF)

Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica were the first club to book their place
in the 2005 Club World Championship. While Liverpool were preparing to
take on AC Milan in the European Champions League Final Saprissa
defeated Pumas UNAM of Mexico 3-2 on aggregate in the CONCACAF
equivalent, winning 2-0 at home and losing 2-1 away.

Saprissa are based in the Costa Rican city of San Jose and are the
country's most successful club. In winning the CONCACAF Champions League
they have managed to break a Mexican stranglehold on club football in
this area of the world. Coached by former Costa Rican international
Hernan Medford they are known as the 'Purple Monsters'.

South America (CONMEBOL)

The 2005 Copa Libertadores is nearing it's conclusion, with clubs from
Argentina, Brazil and Mexico battling it out for the honour of
representing their continent in Japan.

Last week the first leg of the four quarter-final ties took place and,
with the return legs scheduled for next week, here's how they stand at
the moment -

Atletico PR (Brazil) lead Santos (Brazil) 2-1
Sao Paolo (Brazil) lead Tigres (Mexico) 4-0
Banfield (Argentina) and River Plate (Argentina) are tied at 1-1
Guadalajara (Mexico) lead Boca Juniors (Argentina) 4-0

The two-legged final is pencilled in for July 6 and 13.

FIFA Club World Championship - a brief history

The tournament first took place in Brazil five years ago, with
Corinthians defeating Vasco de Gama on penalties in the final, and it
has now replaced the old World Club Championship on the world football
calendar.

Under the old format, which pitted just the champions of Europe and
South America against each other, Liverpool twice competed for the title
but lost on both occasions - first in 1981 against Flamengo (3-0) and
then three years later against Independiente (1-0). Both of these games
were one-off affairs in Tokyo but originally the World Club Championship
(or Intercontinental Cup as it was commonly known) was a two-legged contest.

Traditionally it was taken more seriously by the South American clubs
and domestic fixture congestion forced the Reds to pull out in 1977 and
1978. Manchester United are the only British side to have won the
trophy, defeating Palmeiras 1-0 in 1999. Real Madrid were the first
winners in 1960 and FC Porto the last in 2004.

The new FIFA World Club Championship initially involved eight clubs and
began in controversy when United withdrew from the FA Cup in order to
take part. The second tournament was due to take place in Spain the
following year, consisting of twelve clubs, but problems with
sponsorship eventually forced it to be scrapped.

Now it's back, with Tokyo, Toyota and Yokohama the host cities of the
2005 tournament. The competition has been streamlined to involve just
six teams and FIFA hope it will now become an annual event.

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