Fergie keen on slice of cup history

AS Manchester United prepare to head for Japan to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup, Sir Alex Ferguson has reiterated his desire to pick up another piece of silverware.

While Ferguson conceded the competition is not as highly regarded in England as it is elsewhere in the world, he says it is nevertheless a competition well worth winning.

With a prize of five million United States dollars for the winners, and lucrative cash amounts for the remaining top-four teams, there is every incentive to succeed.

Ferguson said: “We are looking forward to the tournament. You only get there by invitation by winning the Champions League, which shows how prestigious it is.

“It is a fantastic tournament to be involved in and, as no British team has ever won it, that is a challenge for us. It has a different format from last time, but hopefully we can handle it.

“It is a world championship and a wonderful opportunity for the players to make an impression.”

Ferguson says they are keen to repeat their exploits of 1999 when they became the first British side to lift the Inter-Continental Cup by beating South American champions Palmeiras, in Tokyo.

“That was a piece of prestigious history for us, and this one would be even better,” he declared.

Ferguson admitted the tournament comes at a difficult time shortly before the hectic Christmas/New Year programme.

However, he said: “To go away for 10 days may be a nice break for the players and it is a good opportunity for us to get the team together in a serious competition.

“We have a group of young players and to have time together is a good thing for us.”

As one of the seeded teams, the disruption to United’s domestic programme is minimal as they miss only one fixture.

It could have been worse as the non-seeds kick off the tournament a week before United, who enter at the semi-final stage, taking to the field in Yokohama on Thursday, December 18.

The main worry is that United don’t return until Tuesday, December 23 which provides little time to recover from jet lag in readiness for the hectic Christmas/New Year programme.

Reds captain Gary Neville believes it is an opportunity to be grasped as it doesn’t happen very often due to the fact it is only open to the winners of the Champions League.

And Neville believes the size and quality of United’s squad means they are well equipped to deal with the demands placed on them.

“When you look back to 1999-2000 we had about 18 players.

“But when you look at the numbers and quality in this squad it is now about 25 who all are capable of playing international football,” remarked Neville.

“This is a reward for what the players achieved last season by winning the Premier League and European Cup.

“We deserve to be in the tournament and we have to go out and prove we are worthy champions.

“We will be representing England and Europe and we have to make sure we do ourselves proud and win the tournament.

“There is no point going out there if we are not going to win it.”


THE FIFA Club World Cup kicks off this Thursday at the Olympic Stadium, Toyko and the final will be on Sunday, December 21 at Yokohama, venue for the 2002 final of the World Cup.


Previous winners have been Sao Paulo in 2005, when they defeated Liverpool in the final, Sport Club International, of Brazil, in 2006 when they beat Barcelona in the final and AC Milan who defeated Boca Juniors in last year’s final.

The participating teams are:

Asia - Gamba Osaka (Japan); Africa - Al Ahly (Egypt);

North, Central America and Caribbean - Pachuca (Mexico); South America - Liga de Quito (Equador);

Oceania - Waitakere United (New Zealand);

Europe - Manchester United (England); Asia - Adelaide United (Australia).