There were several interesting games and players at the Club World Cup, so I though I'd put together an XI for the tournament, excluding of course the Milan and Boca players, because they're high profile and everyone knows about them. This team thus features players from Urawa Reds, Sepahan, Etoile du Sahel, and Pachuca. Players from Waitakere have been omitted because... well... no explanation needed. This is a mixture of players who look like they have a lot of potential, and those who just played well... in a well-organised 4-3-3 of course.

GK: Ryota Tsuzuki (Urawa Red Diamonds)
Excellent shot stopper who thwarted Seedorf several times to keep the score down to 0-1, and then saved two penalties in Urawa's 3rd/4th place win over Etoile. Made a mistake against the Tunisians, but that was more the fault of the defenders, and he was generally very sharp and positive in all Urawa's games.

DR: Sabeur Frej (Etoile Sportive du Sahel)
Frej is a curious case. He's Etoile's right-back, but domestically also their top scorer, and he only really ever looks comfortable when rampaging upfield, so I'd pin his best position down as a wing-back, if not wide midfielder. He was my favourite players in this tournament, and against Boca had the Argentine fans Oooohing and Aaaahing at his skills. Like so many of the Tunisians, Frej is a silky player, with languid control, movement and passing. His movement was first class, as were his combinations and one-twos with teammaters. Not really a dribbler, but he had his repertoire of trickery was excellent. Never looked uncomfortable in a tight space, and he more often than not managed to get past his man, whether with a neat turn, a shimmy, drop of the shoulder, or a feint that would leave the defender clueless. His final ball was excellent, and he was solid defensively too. Unfortunately like many of his teammates, he lacked that bit of fire and passion that prevents good players from being great. He's 28, and his chances to play in Europe are probably gone, which is a pity.

DC: Keisuke Tsuboi (Urawa Red Diamonds)
Rugged 26 year old who has good pace and a fantastic leap. He was immense in the tournament, especially against Milan (although Kaka eventually got the better of him), and although he had a bit of a shocker to start with against Etoile, he was excellent.

DC: Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Urawa Red Diamonds)
Brazilian born Japanese international who is an odd character at the back, but a joy to watch. Good on the ball, a great passer, good in the air, and tough as well. He lacks a bit of pace, but his overall game is excellent, and his instinct to rampage forward often adds impetus to the Urawa attack. He talks and organises non stop for the 90, and has fantastic personality on the field. Would like to see him player in a higher league, and at 26 he needs to move soon.

DL: Gerardo Rodriguez (CF Pachuca)
Unfortunately we only got to see him for one game, but he was a joy to watch. More a wingback than a conventional full-back or midfielder, he got up and down the flank with ease, and had terrific movement. Combined well with Alvarez and Gimenez, passed and crossed neatly, and was able to beat his man when he needed to. He's just 22, and surely has a big future ahead of him.

CM: Moussa Nary (Etoile Sportive du Sahel)
Nary started the tournament off poorly against Boca, but then greatly upped the level of his performances. The Niger-born Ghanian is rugged and skillful, but quite raw, and probably lost the ball as much as he won it. He was comfortable running with the ball or passing it, and at 21, it's possible he could still gain the tactical discipline and understanding needed to be a complete central midfielder.

CM: Keita Suzuki (Urawa Red Diamonds)
Very consistent throughout this tournament, and completely rubbish Western perceptions of Japanese footballers not enjoying a fight. A good ball winner and passer, he has a great all-round game, although his shooting was garbage. He's spent his whole career with Urawa, and played all 20 games of previous Japan manager Ivica Osim's reign, by whom he was referred to as the "Japanese Claude Makelele".

AM: Damian Alvarez (Pachuca)
The former River plate man was a class act who dribbled, passed and roamed all over the pitch. Really, Pachuca should have scored 2 or 3 goals against Etoile, and Alvarez was at the heart of most of the chances created. Most of his invention came from a position hovering near the left wing, but he also ran through the middle of the park, worked the space behind the strikers, and dragged the covering midfielders over to the right-wing. Displayed not only great individual ability, but also great team-work and tactical intelligence.

LW: Takahito Soma (Urawa Red Diamonds)
Slight Japan midfielder who had an oustanding tournament. Not always a regular for Urawa, but he might have cemented his place now. His passing, crossing and dribbling were outstanding, and just like the rest of the team. he displayed outstanding awareness of those around him. Wasn't much use defensively, although he tried hard, but he really gave fullbacks and opposition wingers a tough time up the other end. He's already 26, so a move to Europe would be surprising at this late stage.

CF: Amine Chermiti (Etoile Sportive du Sahel)
I've already had a lot to say about Chermiti, but he was excellent again in Etoile's final game, and got himself a goal. He's got great heart, great ability, and real hunger, and he's got to move on to bigger things before his ambitions start drying up. Really exciting youngsters, who harrowed defenders with his pace, running, and vision.

RF: Emad Mohammed (Sepahan)
The only Sepahan player to make it here, but he was a good attacking presence. Had a hat-trick against poor opposition in Waitakere, but shone against Urawa as well, where he hit the bar. All the Sepahan players seemed to have fantastic skill and touch, but had poor, poor attitudes, and zero appetite for the game. Mohammed, an Iraqi international, was their captain, but had little influence in that regard.


                       Tsuzuki

               Tsuboi        Tulio
                                          Rodriguez
     Frej           
                  Nary      Suzuki

                            Alvarez
                                               Soma
       Mohammed
                          Chermiti

We're here at the Etoile du Sahel vs Urawa Reds 3rd/4th place playoff match, and the Urawa fans, although present in smaller numbers, are in good voice. It's 2-2 in an exciting game right now, but what we're all curious about is what the support will be like for the final.

As it is, there's large sections of empty seats for this game, because the Boca vs Milan final is the real attraction.

In the previous Urawa match, we asked the question about whether the "neutral" Japanese fans would support Urawa or go for the glamour of Milan, and as it turned out they were mostly there for the spectacle of the Italians. About 70% of the stadium were AC Milan "fans"/ neutrals, but not having any vested interests, they lacked the passion of the Urawa fans and made little or no noise (other than when Seedorf scored, and when somebody did a trick).

Tonight's equation is much more complicated, particularly because of two factors:
1. Boca have quite a following here for two reasons. Firstly, popular Japan striker Naohiro Takahara spent sometime there in the early noughties, and Boca have always been well regarded for that. Secondly, Boca are a team with a very successful Copa Libertadores history, and so they've made several visits to Tokyo already for the Club World Cup's predecessor, the Intercontintenal Cup, which they won in 2000 and 2003.

2. There is a combined ticket for both matches. So you have the small pocket of Etoile du Sahel fans, the few thousand well organised Urawa fans, the surprisingly sizeable contingent of travelling Bocense, the few Italians that could be bothered to make the trip/holiday, and of course the sea of unsure, easily impressed "neutral" Japanese fans that must still be furiously pondering whether to support Milan or Boca.

We know that Boca are equally as, if not more popular than Milan, so the neutrals here will be split on that (as opposed to last year, when the relatively unknown, starless Internacional played Barcelona and their midfield marketing maestro Ronaldinho).

We know that there aren't enough Etoile fans to make a difference to the overall support.

The Boca fans are a noisy, dancing bunch, who are concentrated into one section of the ground, right next to a bank of Urawa fans. They will be creating a lot of energy, but the eventual decision on what the atmosphere is like will come down to the Urawa fans, who could easily drown out the rest of the stadium.

They will be in good spirits (Urawa just beat Etoile on penalties), but it's unlikely that they'll keep singing Urawa songs. So the question is, will they just let the passion fade away and join the ranks of casual fans in polite applause and general silence? Or will they pick a side and really make this final feel like a football match of some worth?

It's difficult to predict. They seemed to be irritated during this match by the Boca fans, who just kept singing their Boca songs throughout the game, so they might go against Boca. But then again, football fans also just love to be football fans, and they just join the Bocense in their revelry.

Milan were also the ones who beat Urawa in that tight encounter, so they might just decide that's a good enough reason to ally with Boca. But as MikeTuckerman pointed out to me, they might even prefer to support a Milan victory, because they could then say "We lost to the eventual Champions".

Lots of different theories there, but that's football fan psychology for you.

Either way, we can't wait to find out what it's like for the second match, and any fan with a bit of sense will try and be as lively as possible outside, because it's f**king freezing here.

***L'audio originale IN PORTUGUESE dell'intervista disponibile nella sezione videos CLICCA QUI PER VEDERE***

Il Milan ha vinto giovedì a Yokohama con l'Urawa, 1-0. In mezzo a uno tsunami di giornalisti giapponesi e internazionali, ho umilmente messo a segno un gran gol per Ole Ole: una veloce intervista esclusiva con il più grande giocatore del mondo al momento: Kakà.

In questa veloce chiacchierata, Kakà prla della possibilità di unificare il titolo di miglior giocatore con quello di giocatore della migliore squadra al mondo, ma ha anche parlato della difficile partita con l'Urawa e del suo amore per il San Paolo FC.

Kaká, il miglior giocatore del mondo può entrare a far parte della miglior squadra del mondo. Che cosa rappresenta per il ragazzo Ricardo venuto da Brasilia il raggiungimento di tutto ciò?
Ah, è fantastico. È un sogno che si è realizzato, è meraviglioso avere la possibilità di giocare ancora un Mondiale per Club. Stavolta spero di vincere, perché la scorsa volta non ho vinto anche se fu un grande anno per me. Far parte di questa squadra è avere davvero la chance di far parte della più grande squadra del mondo.

Che cosa pensi del fatto che sia il Milan che il Boca hanno faticato in semifinale contro squadre teoricamente più piccole?
Beh, non è facile. Nel nostro caso in particolare, penso che abbia contato il fatto che l'Urawa era la squadra di casa, stavano giocando per la loro storia. Penso che fosse una delle più grandi partite che una squadra giapponese abbia mai giocato. Quindi l'hanno giocata con entusiasmo, per il pubblico, per questo è stato difficile.

Ora, il San Paolo ha una delle squadre meglio strutturate in Brasile e ha appena vinto il campionato brasiliano ancora una volta. Segui le partite del San Paolo? Hai qualche messaggio per i loro tifosi che sicuramente tiferanno per il Milan domenica?
Sì, certamente. Seguo sempre le partite del San Paolo, seguo il campionato brasiliano, tutti i club, il San Paolo è ancora una volta campione, per la quinta volta, e questo mi rende felice. Sono cresciuto là, sono un tifoso del San Paolo. Voglio mandare un grosso abbraccio a tutti i tifosi e voglio chiedere a loro di tifare Milan, perché il Milan rappresenta il Brasile in questa partita.

It's an odd thing. On the one hand FIFA are desperately trying to legitimise both the idea and appearance of the Club World Cup, a tournament that no one really seems to take seriously outside of South America; and on the other hand, they continue to act like silly, pedantic bureaucrats when they don't have to.

The reference in this case, is to the situation of Juan Roman Riquelme, Argentine midfield maestro, and arguably one of the world's best players. Riquelme was instrumental in Boca winning the Copa Libertadores, on loan from Villareal.

Now it was never Riquelme's intention to return to Villareal, and it was never Villareal's intention to keep him, and statements from Boca and the player made it clear that his future was at La Bombonera.

The eventual transfer, when it took place, was a long, drawn-out wrangle which was unfortunately just a few days after FIFA's "deadline" for squad registration for this tournament.

Now you can understand something like that happening for the Champions League, where it's an important competitive tournament, and there are scores of clubs. But the Club World Cup is essentially supposed to be an exhibition of world football, so why not allow Boca to exhibit the world's best?

Considering that some teams only qualify for this tournament a few weeks before FIFA's registration deadline passes, and that some teams sign players just to play in this tournament (Sydney FC with Kazu Miura, Auckland FC with Teru Iwamoto), it really is bizarre that FIFA didn't make some sort of exception to allow Boca to play Riquelme. After all, he was so instrumental in leading them to the Libertadores title.

It's a lose-lose situation for everyone, except, I suppose, Milan... although that's just a maybe - great players love to play against other greats.

The Japanese public would have been much more inovlved. The marketing opportunities would have increased. There would have been more worldwide TV and news coverage. More Argentines would care (Boca might be playing, but Riquelme is an idol all over his country, not just for his club), and more football fans in general. Merchandise, revenue, blah blah blah. Considering that FIFA are usually such greedy, money-hungry, profit-oriented fusspots, it really doesn't make any sense.

And speaking of sense, specifically common sense, FIFA could do with some soon. They allowed Milan to replace the inured Ronaldo with Giuseppe Favalli a few days ago, even though Ronaldo has been unfit for ages, and only had a very slim chance of playing in the first place. Perhaps a Boca player could have got injured?

***La versione originale in PORTOGHESE disponibile nella sezione video CLICCA QUI PER VEDERLA

Calciatore professionista da oltre 18 anni, dal suo debutto al San Paolo nel  1989. In tutti questi anni Marcos Evangelista de Moraes, universalmente conosciuto come Cafu, è stato un personaggio modello.

È apparso sulla scena del calcio brasiliano proprio quando c'era la mancanza di un laterale destro di difesa, e da allora è diventato un idolo.

Ha raggiunto il top in carriera quando ha vinto con con il Brasile la quinta Coppa del Mondo dei verdeoro nel 2002.

Cafu è un "broda", come ciascuno chiamerebbe il suo migliore amico. E amichevole è stata la nostra chiacchierata, avvenuta appena dopo l'ultimo allenamento del Milan a Yokohama prima della semifinale del Mondiale FIFA per Club con gli Urawa Reds.

Cafu, dopo così tanti anni nel calcio sei sempre lo stesso, voglio dire, anche tu pensi di essere lo stesso degli inizi? Non ho dubbi, anzi non vedo perché uno dovrebbe cambiare. Sono lo stesso Cafu di trent'anni fa. Sono sempre stato il Cafu felice e bonario e sempre vincente, che poi è la cosa più importante, giusto?

Certamente... è molto importante... Hai vinto così tanti trofei, l'Intercontinentale col San Paolo nella fantastica rosa di Telé Santana e ora hai l'opportunità di vincere un altro titolo mondiale col Milan.  Provi sempre la stessa sensazione quando vinci un torneo? Naturalmente è così. Vincere campionati e coppe è sempre molto piacevole, significa che il lavoro che abbiamo fatto sta dando i suoi frutti. Sto ancora raccogliendo quanto seminato tanto tempo fa. Penso che vincere è semplicemente grandioso. Voglio sottolineare che questa è la mia quarta possibilità di vincere un Mondiale per Club, ne ho vinti 2 su 2 col São Paulo, poi abbiamo (col Milan) perso nel 2003 e ora ho la possibilità, con l'aiuto di Dio, di vincere questo col Milan.

Vero. Cafu, tu hai superato i 30 anni, come tanti altri componenti della rosa milanista. Qual è il segreto... Voglio dire, ti ho visto correre su e giù e crossare come il Cafu del San Paolo... qual è il segreto di questa forma eccellente? Io ho 32 anni ma non ci riuscirei mai. Il duro lavoro, tanto duro lavoro, dedizione, forza di volontà, è tutto importante, no? E la passione per il calcio, ovviamente. Credo che finché avrò passione correrò come hai visto qui. Quando mi renderò conto che la passione sta svanendo, capirò che è il momento di appendere le scarpe al chiodo. Ma mi sento ancora in forma e se, Dio volendo, non avrò infortuni, pensò che continuerò a giocare a lungo.

Che cosa intendi per “a lungo”? Hai dei progetti per il dopo? Vedi... ancora non so. Solo Dio lo sa, solo il tempo lo dirà, giusto? Se sto bene come oggi ho ancora la condizione per giocare tanto tempo, ma aspettiamo giugno. Voglio aspettare la fine di questa stagione per prendere una decisione.

Boca Juniors coach Miguel Russo was in a bullish mood after watching his ten-men side struggle to beat Tunisian outfit Etoile du Sahel 1-0 at the National Stadium in Tokyo tonight.

When asked about Boca's four bookings - including two to midfielder Fabian Vargas, who was sent off in the sixty-fifth minute, Russo responded "yellow cards are a part of football. I don't think Vargas was rough, but maybe the referee thought he had to be strong? For us, we played a very clean match."

Russo went on to claim that Boca had the players to cover Vargas' suspension in the final, but suggested that his team needs to improve - particularly in midfield, if they are to lift the FIFA Club World Cup. He was also critical of his strikers Martin Palermo and Rodrigo Palacio, whom he claimed "did not function well."

Nevertheless Russo told a packed media confidence that he was satisified with the result. "We have been aiming for this for sixth months, and Boca fans have gathered from all over the world, so we are happy to have reached the final."

The Buenos Aires giants will need to improve whomever they meet in the final, after they struggled to break down a resolute Etoile defence. The only goal arrived after Palacio did well to cut inside a defender before feeding the ball to midfielder Neri Cardozo, who blasted an unstoppable left foot drive high into the roof of Aymen Balbouli's net.

Etoile missed a golden opportunity to equalise in stoppage time, when Cape Verde striker Gilson Silva headed a difficult chance wide at the far post. The African champions gave a good account of themselves, however, with coach Bertrand Marchand claiming that his side will be highly motivated to win the 3/4 place playoff on December 16.

Il Milan si è allenato a Yokohama in attesa dell'incontro con gli Urawa Reds, abbiamo intervistato in esclusiva per OleOle il portiere rossonero Zeljko Kalac.

MT: Benvenuto in Giappone, Spider. Com'è l'umore al campo d'allenamento?

Zeljko Kalac: Siamo fiduciosi. Ci siamo preparati bene e siamo qui ovviamente per vincere il torneo.

MT: Hai potuto vedere la partita dell'Urawa l'altro giorno?

Zeljko Kalac: Sì, l'abbiamo vista.

MT: Cosa pensi dei giapponesi? 

Zeljko Kalac: Sono uno buona squadra, ovviamente. Hanno avuto una stagione lunga e da tempo aspettano questa partita. Penso che l'intero Giappone non veda l'ora che si giochi questa partita, anche per questo penso che sarà senza dubbio difficile.

MT: Hai giocato un paio di incontri di Champions League quest'anno, pensate di ripetervi?

Zeljko Kalac: Il nostro obiettivo è vincere questo torneo, è la nostra priorità dopo avere vinto la Supercoppa Europea. Poi vogliamo andare avanti in Champions League e, nel campionato italiano, arrivare nelle prime quattro e qualificarci per la Champions League del prossimo anno. Ma per ora ci interessa vincere qui.

MT: Una vittoria al Mondiale per club vi farebbe superare il Boca nella classifica di trofei vinti. Questo vi dà un'ulteriore motivazione?

Zeljko Kalac: Pensa, non lo sapevo! So solo che l'ultima volta che il Milan ha incontrato il Boca, hanno vinto loro 1-0. Ecco, potrebbe essere un'occasione per prenderci la rivincita.

MT: Una domanda per gli australiani, c'è qualche possibilità di vederti in A-League in futuro?

Zeljko Kalac: No, non penso. Ho ancora un anno e mezzo al Milan, a fine contratto avrò 36 anni e solo allora deciderò se giocare un altro anno o se smettere, ma dopo quello non credo di andare oltre.

Yeah, yeah he may have only played six games on loan (scoring once) but Naohiro Takahara's short spell at Argentine giants Boca Juniors ensures that the fans will be out in force at the National Stadium in Tokyo tonight.

Thousands of Boca-jersey-wearing Japanese fans are making their way in to Kokuritsu, with locals keen to check out the famed Buenos Aires club for whom the former Jubilo Iwata and current Eintracht Frankfurt striker once played.

Boca are expected to hand Tunisian side Etoile du Sahel a footballing lesson in the Japanese capital, but as Etoile demonstrated in beating Mexican side Pachuca in their opening game, there are no certainties at the FIFA Club World Cup.

Nevertheless with the likes of Sebastian Battaglia, Hugo Ibarra, Rodrigo Palacio and Martin Palermo to call upon, Boca will be tough to beat, particularly given the importance with which they have treated inter-continental tournaments in the past.

One player missing from the Boca midfield is playmaker Juan Roman Riquleme, whose transfer from Spanish side Villarreal was finalised after the official squads for the Club World Cup had been named.

Well we're here tonight in the National Stadium in Tokyo ahead of the play-off game that will determine the final entrant to the FIFA Club World Cup. It's Sepahan F.C. of Iran taking on OFC Champions Waitakere United of New Zealand.

Sepahan finished as runners-up in the Asian Champions League, losing to Japanese giants Urawa Reds. Urawa subsequently took the AFC spot in the tournament, but Sepahan will still have a chance to rub shoulders with the likes of AC Milan and Boca Juniors if they can win their playoff against OFC team Waitakere.

Their lineup tonight includes a few interesting players whose names I've bolded:

GK: Mohammad Savari
LB: Jaba Mujiri
RB: Hadi Jafari
CB: Hadi Aghily
CB: Mohsen Bengar

MF: Ehsan Hajy Safi
MF: Farshad Bahadorani
MF: Abdul Wahab Abu Al Hail

FW: Mohamed Seyed Salehi
FW: Mahmoud Karimi
FW: Emad Mohammed

Mujiri is a bit of an oddity in this side - he's Georgian. The lanky left-footer is a tough defender and shows a lot of European awareness in his play.

Jafari might be set out at right-back, but really he plays as a winger most of the time.

Safi is just 17 years old, but plays with great maturity, and has a fantastic work-rate, one to look for in the future.

Mohammed is an Iraqi international striker, and Sepahan's leading forwards.