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World Club Cup could be revived say South Americans [Fri Sep 16th, 2005]
Asuncion (Reuters) - South America and Europe will try to revive the traditional annual meeting between their champions for the World Club Cup, a spokesman for the South American Confederation (CSF) said.
"There have always been talks with Europe to reinstate the competition and the will exists, because it is a traditional meeting of the two confederations," CSF press officer Nestor Benitez said.
"The key is to determine the date and place," he said from the offices of the Paraguay-based CSF.
"It's something that will be decided, I estimate by the end of the year," added Benitez, who said the issue was discussed informally between CSF and European UEFA officials over the weekend on occasion of FIFA's 55th Congress in Marrakesh.
The World Club Cup, or Intercontinental Cup as it is also known, was played between the European Cup and Copa Libertadores winners from 1960 to 2004 when it was discontinued in favour of world body FIFA's World Club Championship.
The FIFA tournament involving the champion clubs of the six confederations is scheduled for December 11 to 18 in Japan with the European and South American champions getting a bye into the semi-finals.
Benitez said the revived World Club Cup match would, however, be between the European Super Cup winners and their South American counterparts.
He did not explain how Super Cup winners Liverpool, already due to play in the FIFA tournament in Japan in December, could also find the time for a meeting with Argentina's Boca Juniors, winners of South America's Recopa earlier this month.
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