AC Milan are the FIFA Club World Champions after they avenged a 2003 Toyota Cup defeat by beating Boca Juniors 4-2 in the final at Yokohama International Stadium. Pippo Inzaghi scored twice, but the star of the show was undoubtedly Kaká, who scored one and set up two in another virtuoso performance. He was named Player Of The Tournament, and received a spiffy new Toyota for good measure... just the kind of car a multi-millionaire needs, I'm sure.

Milan always looked the likely winners of the tournament, after they expended minimal energy in seeing off Urawa Reds in the semi-finals. Boca Juniors, on the other hand, struggled to overcome Etoile du Sahel, and the Rossoneri simply looked a step up in class compared to their Buenos Aires counterparts.

Pippo Inzaghi was always going to get on the scoresheet - he loves these kind of (kind of) big occasions, while Boca seemed to genuinely miss their scheming midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme. Doubts persist about Boca coach Miguel Russo's future at the club (I got his name right this time, emiyan!) but there was little Russo could do here but sit and admire Milan's tactical nous.

So AC Milan are the 2007 FIFA Club World Champions! The faux-Milan fans will be partying like it's 1999 (until fifteen minutes passed their bedtime - or the last trains stop running, whichever comes first) in Yokohama, but the Rossoneri don't have too long to celebrate. It's back to the grind for them, when they take on Reggina in the Coppa Italia four days before Christmas.

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.

It's 1am on a typical Tokyo weekend. There are millions on the streets, enjoying the nightlife in Shinjuku and Ginza, watching live bands, dancing in clubs and spending time with friends in restaurants. And where am I? Like many a football tragic, I'm in front of the computer, listening to live coverage of the Bundesliga clash between Karslruher SC and Hamburger SV.

Since my boys Borussia Dortmund are currently on the wrong end of a thumping from Wolfsburg and I'm sour that Karlsuher's goal-scorer is an ex-BVB man, I thought I'd share with you my impressions of the two combatants in tomorrow's FIFA Club World Cup Final.

I'll start with Milan. My first memories of the club are from their all-conquering 1991-92 season when the Rossoneri didn't lose a single match on their way to lifting the Scudetto. Their backline included a certain Mauro Tassotti and Alessandro Costacurta, and both men work for the club in coaching capacities these days. Teammate Paolo Maldini still works for the club too - but he'll be hoping to take to the pitch tomorrow, as he nears his 40th birthday.

I thought Milan were particularly economical in their 1-0 win over Urawa in the semi-finals. Coach Carlo Ancelotti was purring in his praise of his team following that win, after Milan clearly played out Ancelotti's game plan to perfection. Still, it's hard not to get the feeling that Alberto Gilardino is out-of-his-depth at the Rossoneri. He never seems to present a genuine threat, although of course now that I say that, he'll probably go out and score a hat-trick tomorrow.

Everything for Milan naturally goes through their superstar Kaká. Ironically though, the key man tomorrow could be Dutch international Clarence Seedorf. Plenty point to Seedorf's incredible wealth of experience, but in doing so they overlook the fact that for two seasons Seedorf has been Milan's most in-form player, along with Kaká. The duo combined to score Milan's winner against Urawa, and with the Italian giants looking relatively toothless up front, they no doubt hold the key to the Rossoneri's chances tomorrow.

Boca Juniors are a club I know far less about. They were dealt a hammer-blow when scheming playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme was ruled out of the tournament by FIFA's petty bureaucracy, but they still have plenty of experience of their own to call upon, particularly in the likes of Hugo Ibarra and Martin Palermo. One thing in Boca's favour is their sheer will to win. For all the lip service paid by Milan about "restoring Europe's honour" by lifting the Cup, South American sides have so often been the teams for whom this tournament has meant the most.

The Buenos Aires giants will also be looking to exploit the shaky form of Milan shot-stopper Dida. Carlo Ancelotti admitted that Dida was once again far from perfect against Urawa - he dropped two efforts on goal that a quicker striker than Washington could have pounced upon, and with the pacy Rodrigo Palacio in the Boca line-up, the Argentine club would love nothing more than to show up Milan's fumbling Brazilian goalkeeper.

Yet Boca were far from perfect themselves in their 1-0 win over Etoile du Sahel in their semi-final, with defender Gabriel Palletta showing all and sundry just why Liverpool were so quick to discard him from their squad. Palletta was often caught facing the wrong way or out of position entirely against Etoile, and he will surely be punished if he continues his habit of knocking around wayward backpasses.

There'll probably be just the one goal in it, with matches of this magnitude rarely rising to the greatest of heights. I think that goal will be in favour of Milan, and I'm going to tip Filippo Inzaghi to sneak it. So there you have it. I've laid my cards on the table. What do you think?

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?

Si, ganó. Y eso es lo más importante. Pero hay que decir que la equipe tunecina de Etoile du Sahel jugó muy bien y en muchos momientos mejor que Boca.  

Rodrigo Palacio fué el responsável por la jugada que originó el gol de Neri Cardozo pero no jugó bien. No tuve espacios en la defense tunecina y lo mismo se pasó com Palermo.  

 Neri celebra su gol  

Para Cardozo el equipo de Tunisia  luchó por todas las jugadas y jugó bien y por eso no fué fácil pero lo más importante fué la victoria en el final y él se quedo muy feliz por ter anotado el gol decisivo.  

La verdad es que Boca cometió unos de los errors que también lo cometió Pachuca: substmarán la equipe tunecina.  

 El experiente Ibarra ahora solo piensa en lá final. “Eso partido fué muy difícil y estoy muy feliz que ganamos y ahora vamos intentar manter la tradición de sucesso aqui en japón y ojalá ganaremos más un título mudial para Boca.”  

Para el equipo de Etoile du Sahel la impression es que después del nervosismo del primero partido el equipo puede mostrar contra Boca su talento (y también fraquezas).  

Es un equipo que tiene jovenes que possuem habilidad y que conduzem bien la pelota. La marcación es cerrada y dura pero tienen que trabajar major la pelota en la creación de las jugadas y, seguro que hay que finalizar mejor. Lo que importa en fúbol es hacer más goles que su oponente.   

Ahora tienen la increible oportunidad de tornarse el tercero mejor equipo del planeta. Y para eso hay que contra también com la ayuda divina corforme me dijo el mediocampista Moussa Narry. “Nosotros jugamos muy bien en este partido pero futbol es el juego de las oportunidads, las tuvimos pero no hicimos los goles Boca hizo y as vezes ese es lo deseo de Dios. Y ahora tambiém estará en las manos de Dios esa decision de llegarmos a  la victoria en el proximo partido. Nosotros vamos hacer todo para ganar para es siempre una decision divina.”  

Es una buena manera de pensar pero hay que marcar los goles porque creo que Dios no vas surgir en la cancha y poner la pelota adentro de las redes.    

Yo soy Mano Gil, escribindo directamente de Tokyo, com exclusividad para Ole Ole.

Dewa mata suguni ne!!!

Ahead of their Club World Cup quarterfinal against Boca Juniors, Etoile Sportive du Sahel will be relying heavily on the talents of their young forward Armine Chermiti. As one Tunisian journalist said before Etoile's opening encounter against CF Pachuca - "without Chermiti, Etoile are poor", and I tend to very much agree.

Chermiti is a very gifted young striker, who in these days of 17 year old Wayne Rooneys, and 16 year old Cesc Fabregases, is something of a late bloomer at 19.

Nonetheless, in his first full season with Etoile du Sahel, he has scored 12 goals, and broken into the Tunisian national team, scoring on his international debut. Currently at the FIFA Club World Cup in Tokyo, he impressed against CF Pachuca of Mexico when his team beat them over the weekend, and there are a whole army of European scouts rumoured to be here watching him.

He is still very, very raw, but his talents are clearly visible. He's pacy and electric, and has great touch, although he isn't an out-and-out striker in mould of an Eto'o or Ronaldo. He's got great awareness, and his movement was interesting, often drifting out to either wing when Etoile were playing possession football, but going straight through the middle on counter-attacks and long balls.

He's not the biggest or strongest player (he's about 5'9") and it would handicap him in some European leagues, because he's not quick enough to compensate for a lack of strength.

His main strength, apart from technique, is intelligence. Every ball he chested, flicked, headed or touched on was preceded by a quick heads-up look around, and it's a pity his team-mates didn't create more options for him. All Etoile's best chances were created by him, and his liveliness and innovation will be essential against a tough Boca defence that boasts the veteran Hugo Ibarra, and Liverpool reject Gabriel Palletta.

However, his attitude should stand him in good stead against Boca. Having watched him train and play, his enthusiasm is fantastic, and he's just a happy go-lucky kid with a big appetite for the game. Boca will have to have an absolute 'mare to lose this one, but if Chermiti can put in a good showing, it will go a long way towards securing a move to Europe and putting him on the bigger stage he needs to progress.

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.

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.

     Boca conta com a experiencia de Palermo para chegar a sua 4a. final intercontinental 

Tudo parace estar calmo pelos lados do Boca Juniors aqui no Japão.

A equipe Argentina está confiante e motivada para vencer o jogo contra supresa Tunisiana do Etoile du Sahel e chegar à final da Copa do Mundo de Clubes da FIFA.

De acordo com o assessor de imprensa da equipe, o time se encontra totalmente concentrado neste jogo mas já com a final em mente.

Em nossa conversa por telefone apenas alguns minutos atrás ele me contou que o Boca vai passo a passo para ganhar o título.

Ele também revelou o sentimento da euqipe quanto a ausência de Riquelme. "O Juan (Román Riquelme) foi crucial para a conquista da Copa Libertadores mas desde que ele saiu nós aprendemos a jogar sem ele. Esta equipe conta com muitos grandes jovens talentos e também com jogadores experientes que estão muito determinados a ganhar esse título." 

Ainda de acorod com a Assessoria de Imprensa do Boca, a equipe está preprarada para não cometer os mesmos erros que o Pachuca cometeu contra o Etoile du Sahel. "Nós assisitimos a partida deles e estudamos a melhor maneira de furar o esquema defensivo que eles armam. Nós respeitamos a equipe tunisiana mas temos que pressionar desde o início para impormos nosso futebol."

Se o Boca alcançar o sucesso esperado na partida de hoje à noite será a primeira vez que a equipe argentina chega à final do Mundial de Clubes nesse formato da FIFA mas ao mesmo tempo será a quarta vez que o time disputa uma final intercontinental. Nas outras 3 oportunidades que chegou ã decisão o Boca ganhou todas.

Um bom sinal para os fãs! 

Qual será o placar do jogo de hoje? Na minha opinião o Boca vence por 3 x 0.  

Eu sou o  Mano Gil, escrevendo diretamente de Tóquio, com exclusividade para o Ole Ole.    

Dewa mata suguni ne!!!

   Boca cuenta con la experiencia de Palermo para llegar a su 4a. Final Intercontinental 

Todo parece tranquilo con Boca aquí en Japón.

El equipo Argentino está confiante y motivado para ganr el partido contra la sorpresa tunecina de Etoile du Sahel y lograr un sitio en la final de la Copa Mundial de Clubes de la FIFA.

Conforme su Assessor de la Prensa, el equipo se encuentra muy concentrado en neste primero partido pero con el objetivo fijo en la final. 

Él tanbiém me dijo on teléfono unos minutitos atrás que Boca siempre camina un paso de cada vez para ganar el título.

Tambiém me reveló cerca del sentimiento del equipo por la ausencia de Riquelme. “Juan (Roman Riquelme) fué fundamental para ganarmos la Copa Libertadores pero desde que se fué el equipo aprendió a jugar sin él. El equipo tienes muchos talentos jovenes y jugadores más experientes y todos están determinados para buscar el título."

Aún conforme con la Assessoria de la Prensa de Boca Juniors, el equipo está listo para que no cometas los mismos errores que Pachuca cometió contra Etoile du Sahel. “Nosostros estudiamos el partido de Pachuca e Etoile y intentaremos romper la estrategia defensiva de ellos. Nosostros respectamos al equipo de Etoile du Sahel porque llegaram hasta acá por sus proprios meritos pero vamos presionar la defensa de ellos para hacer prevalecer nuestro estilo de jugar".

Se Boca alcanzar el sucesso que desean en el partido esta noche llegarán a su primera final de la copa en neste formato de FIFA per será la 4a. Final Intercontinental para el equipo. En las otras 3 oportunidads Boca ganó todas. 

Bueno para los aficionados! 

Cual es tuya predicción para el partido de hoy? La mya es que Boca ganará por 3 x 0.  

Yo soy Mano Gil, escribindo diretamiente de Tokyo, con exclusividad para Ole Ole.    

Dewa mata suguni ne!!!