They can't say they weren't warned. Pachuca may have dominated possession, but they were out-foxed by an Etoile team that were determined to put themselves on the football map.

21 year Ghanian Moussa Narry scored the only goal following an intricate passing move - practically Etoile's only passing move of the match, and Narry's strike took a cruel deflection off defender Leobardo Lopez on its way in. The deflection left popular goalkeeper Miguel Calero clutching at thin air as the ball bounded passed him, but it sparked wild celebrations from the Etoile bench.

It also prompted a deathly silence from the 300 or so Pachuca fans that had made their way to the National Stadium, with Narry's late strike on a blustery afternoon in Tokyo leaving little time for the Mexican team to conjure an equaliser.

They failed to do so, and while the Mexican media were quick to round on Australian referee Mark Shields' performance, veteran coach Enrique Meza was having none of it. Indeed Meza was gracious in defeat, claiming that Etoile deserved their win despite the fact that Pachuca dominated territorial possession. "If you don't score a goal, you can't win the match" was Meza's reasoned response.

So Etoile go on to meet Argentine glamour club Boca Juniors in the semi-finals of the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup. When asked if Etoile would feel "less pressure" because no one expected them to beat Boca, Etoile coach Bertrand Marchand claimed that no one expected his side to beat Pachuca either, before going on to sing the praises of his young team for executing his game plan in grand style. Who knows, perhaps the former Guingamp coach has another surprise up his sleeve for Boca Juniors?  

Tonight, at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia beat Mexican champions Pachucha 1-0 with a late goal from Ghanaian midfielder Moussa Nary. Pachuca will be a bit annoyed at the whole thing, because they had the majority of the possession and had some excellent, intricate attacking play throughout the game, with Damian Alvarez showing his array of gifts.

Etoile however didn't give them much. Pachucha might have been able to string endless series of passes together, but about halfway through the first half it became clear that the final ball and end product were lacking from the Mexicans. Somehow whenever a cross, through pass or shooting chance arrived, there was always an Etoile player there to get a boot on it. For all their possession, Pachuca didn't create enough chances, and were eventually punished by Etoile.

The Tunisians didn't give a particularly glowing account of themselves, and were quite static and dull, although they made a concerted effort to be more attacking in the second half. They lacked runners from midfield, and one of their main attacking threats, the right-back Sabeur Frej had to stay back to guard the threat of Alvarez, supported by the roaming of Christian Gimenez and terrific overlapping runs of left-back Gerardo Rodriguez. In the mould of another rampaging Tunisian full-back, Trabelsi, Frej is an exciting player, and he's Etoile's top scorer. In this game however, he grew increasingly uncomfortable and irritable at having to sit deep, but had no choice with the midfield providing little protection. To compensate however, their solid left-back Hatem Bejaoui started to rampage forward, and with the rest of the midfielders and forwards raising their game, Etoile competed well.

The first real incident was in the 11th minute, Alvarez controlling and turning past 2 players, and then dribbling past a couple more to win a corner. Alvarez hung around on the left for most of the game, in a 4-3-3 or 4-4-1-1, and threatened throughout, often taking on the fullback, but moving into the centre to good effect as well.

A few minutes later, a Cristian Gimenez corner was dangerously close to the goal, and flicked up off the bar (via a touch from the 'keeper it seemed). The ball then fall to a Pachuca player who head it towards goal, but Etoile's goalie Aymen Balbouli suddenly materialised to produce a stupendous save from point-blank range.

Pachuca were the dominant side, and apart from a heroic punch clear by fan favourite Calero, Pachuca weren't troubled much. Gimenez was playing very deep for them, depriving them of a presence in the box, but dragging the midfielders and fullbacks everywhere.

In the 27th minute, good interplay saw Alvarez brought down on the edge of the box. The Pachuca players typically went searching for a penalty, and the Etoile players were calling for a dive, but eventually nothing came of it.

The Pachuca left-back Rodriguez was rampaging forward, and combining fantastically with Alvarez and Gimenez. In the 31st minute, he was played through on the left by Alvarez and delivered a fantastic cross, right onto the penalty spot where it was two Pachuca players and just one Etoile defender. However, it was a tricky one to control for the nearer attacker, and the miscontrolled ball bounced up onto the arm of the other Pachuca player, and a fantastic chance was wasted.

The half ended with little incident, but after the restart, a much more positive Sahel were the first ones to take the initiative, Madi Ben Dhifallah testing the keeper from 30 yards out with a crisp, curling shot - their first shot on target.

With 50 minutes gone, Alvarez then broke through on goal, edging past one defender, but being tackled by the second. It was all very fast-paced, but the defender got the ball right between Alvarez's feet, and the Argentine player tripped and rolled over in the penalty box, followed by the usual Latin American "Can we have a penalty? We should have a penalty!" scenario. Alvarez meanwhile stayed down, either through injury or the feigning of it, and the referee waited patiently for him to heal and then booked him for diving.

15 minutes later, Alvarez, Gimenez and Rodriguez combined with some exquisite football, and the left-back laid a perfect, pinpoint cross into the penalty box, to their star striker Juan Carlos Cacho. Cacho however opted to bring the ball down instead of trying to hit it first-time, and the Etoile defenders once again were in close attendance, and the chance was lost. It was poor play from Cacho, who had a very quiet night and was marked out of the game.

There was similar hesitation in the 71st minute. Etoile broke clear, and a brilliant touch from exciting youngster Armin Chermiti put his strike partner Dhifallah through on goal. Dhifallah however dithered, perhaps because he had to shoot with his weaker foot, and the extra touch he needed to set himself up saw Pinto get in a sliding block. A half-volley was what was needed there.

There was a massive scare 2 minutes later. Pachuca one a free-kick about 30 yards out, and just as he'd tried all night, Gimenez banged a shot in. Balbouli, who had looked nervous all night, made a complete hash of it, sticking out a weak flailing arm and pushing the ball straight back to the lingering Pachuca player, who tucked the ball away. Luckily for Balbouli the Pachuca player was offside, and his blushes were spared.

Alvarez was magical again in the 76th minute, exploding past the Tunisian full-back on the left, and putting in a neat, low cross that no one could get to. It was symptomatic of Pachuca's night, and that would be their last chance.

In the 84th minute, Etoile du Sahel put together their first real flowing move of the game, with the left-back, two strikers and right-back combining to give Ghanaian midfielder Moussa Narry the ball. Narry took a few touches to set himself, and drilled a low, hard shot across the goal, which deflected of defender Leobardo Lopez, and left Calero with no chance.

It was hard on Pachuca, who played so well, but as their coach graciously acknowledged after the game, if you don't score, you don't win.

Etoile will have to do a lot better in the next game when facing Boca, but at least they have a solid defensive base on which to operate from.

The last word goes to the Aussie ref Mark Shield, who had an excellent game. He didn't give anything that didn't need to be given, and he was never fooled by any of the antics. The Mexican press didn't like him (for not being Latin enough I suppose), but the coach was honest enough in accepting that he'd had a good game.

Asi que hable con unos aficionados de Pachuca que viajaran como que mas de 15 horas para ver su equipo jugar en el Mundial Interclubes de la FIFA in Japon, you percebi que muchos de ellos ya estan piensando en el partido contra Boca Juniors.

Me encontre con Jesus Alberto Soto que se quedava tranquilo en el lobby del hotel esperando el momiento de ir a el Estadio Nacional de Tokio. Entonces charlamos por algunos minutos:

Mano Gil: Entonces Jesus, crees que Pachuca esta listo para el torneo?

Jesus Soto: Seguro. Pachuca esta muy listo. El equipo es muy solido y los jugadores estan muy motivados. Nosostros (los aficionados) estamos aca par aver Pachuca ganar el titulo.

Mano Gil: Y tu ya piensa en juego contra Boca?

Jesus Soto: Si, ya estamos con la miente en Boca Juniors. Sera un gran partido.

Mano Gil: Pero hay que ganar de Etoile du Sahel premero.

Jesus Soto: Seguro pero como dijo el equipo esta preparado y yo estoy seguro que vamos a la proxima ronda.

Mano Gil: And what do you know about Etoile du Sahel?

Jesus Soto: Not much. But they might not be very bad. They are the champions of their continent, isn’t that right?

Un otro aficionado, Gustavo Martin de Campo medio major sus palavras cuando hablo de las chances de Pachuca:

Nosotros estamos aca para apoiar Pchuca el tiempo todo. No va ser facil pero tenemos que tener fé. Todos los equipos que llegaram hasta acá tienem las mismas chances porque ellos ganaram sus torneos continentals. Yo no sé quasi nada cerca de Etoile du Sahel. Creo que es un time rapido con jugadores veloces entonces hay que tener cuidado.”

Gustavo dijo eso possivelmente porque Pachuca ya jugo un numero excessive de juegos este año.

“El equipo esta cansado y eso puede ser un problema pero el retorno de Callero (el portero) es una cosa muy Buena porque el es el lider de nuestro equipo. Confiamos en Pachuca e creo que si jugarmos bien hoy nosostros vamos a proxima ronda y intentaremos todo contra Boca Juniors.”

Tambien encontré algunos aficionados tunecinos cerca del estadio y ellos no piensam nada como los mexicanos.

“Pachuca llego en Japon y perdio para un equipo japones. Nosostros venimos mas temprano a Japon y nos preparamos mucho para ese troneo. Yo creo que sera un partido mucho  mas dificil que los mexicanos creen” afirmo el aficionado de Etoile du Sahel.

Los aficionados estan listos. Los equipos tambien. Ahora vamos empezar el espetaculo!

Yo soy Mano Gil, escribindo del Estadio Nacional de Tokio en exclusivad para Ole Ole.

Sayonara!

As I talked to some Pachuca fans who traveled more than 15 hours to see their team play in the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, I realized that most of them are already thinking about the game against Boca Juniors.

I met Jesus Alberto Soto sitting at the lobby of his hotel calmly waiting for the moment to go to the National Stadium here in Tokyo. We chatted for a few minutes:

Mano Gil: So Jesus, do you think Pachuca is ready for this tournament?

Jesus Soto: Sure, Pachuca is totally ready. The team is very solid and the players are very motivated. We (the supporters) are here to go after the tittle.

Mano Gil: Are you already focused on the game against Boca Juniors?

Jesus Soto: Yes, we are already thinking of Boca Juniors. It’s going to be a great game.

Mano Gil: But you guys need to beat Etoile du Sahel first.

Jesus Soto: Sure but as I said the team is prepared I’m sure we are going to move on to the next round.

Mano Gil: And what do you know about Etoile du Sahel?

Jesus Soto: Not much. But they might not be very bad. They are the champions of their continent, isn’t that right?

Another fan, Gustavo Martin de Campo, was a little more cautious when analyzing Pachuca’s chances:

“We are here to support Pachuca all the way. It’s not going to be easy but we must have faith. All teams that made to here have the same chances because they deserved to be here by winning their continental competition. I don’t really know anything about Etoile du Sahel. I know they might be a fast team so we have to be careful.”

Gustavo says that possibly because of the excessive number of games that Pachuca played this season.

“The team is tired and that might be a problem but the return of Callero (the goalkeeper) is a great thing because he’s the leader of this team. We trust Pachuca and I believe that if we play well today we can move forward in the competition and try everything against Boca Juniors.”

I also met some fans from Turkey near the Stadium and they don’t agree with the Mexicans.

“Pachuca arrived in Japan and they lost to a Japanese team. Our team arrived here a lot earlier and we prepared ourselves very well for this cup. I believe it will be a tougher game than the Mexicans expect.” Told me a Etoile du Sahel fan.

The fans are ready. So are the teams, now let the show start!

I’m Mano Gil, writing from the Tokyo National Stadium, exclusively for Ole Ole.

Sayonara!

A word on Tokyo National Stadium, the venue for today's FIFA Club World Cup clash between Mexican side Pachuca and Tunisian outfit Etoile Sportive du Sahel.

The National Stadium or 'Kokuritsu' as it's affectionately known around these parts, was built in 1958 in preparation for the 1964 Summer Olympic games held in Tokyo. It's an historic venue in Japanese football, where it has hosted the final of Japan's FA Cup - known as the Emperor's Cup, for decades.

It's also a venue that might appear familiar to football fans across the globe, having hosted the final of the Intercontinental Cup - the forerunner to today's FIFA Club World Cup, from 1980 to 2001. I remember Aussie goalkeeper Mark Bosnich turning in an heroic performance when Manchester United beat Palmeiras 2-0 to lift the Intercontinental Cup in 1999.

With Japan co-hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the National Stadium has taken on a particularly dated look. It's location within the heart of the Tokyo city centre, however, not to mention the sheer history that surrounds the venue, means that it should remain an integral part of Japanese football for years to come.

I finally found out one of the main problems with Mexican football: they tend to brag too much about themselves.  

Pachuca is here in Japan ready to play in the quarter-finals FIFA Club World Cup against Tunisian team Etoile du Sahel. Reading some of the on-line articles from Mexican journalists it seems clear that most of them are already talking about the game against Boca Juniors and in one of the articles coach Enrique Meza stated that Pachuca came here to win the tittle. 

Are you kidding me??? 

How can you be so sure your team is ready to make it to the finals Mr. Meza? Pachuca played more than 90 games this year. The team is tired. On Friday they managed to lost to United Chiba, with a score of  4 x 2.

I just think it would be advisable to be more careful with the words not to sound too arrogant and feed your opponent  with reasons to be more motivated to play against you, right? 

Well, I must say. I defintly don’t see Pachuca beating Boca Juniors and I wouldn’t even be surprised if the good and organized team of Etoile du Sahel gives Pachuca an early ticket back to Mexico.   

Mark my words! 

I’m Mano Gil writing straight from Shinjuku – in the greater Tokyo area – exlclusive for Ole Ole.  

 Sayonara!  *******************************************************************************************************spanish *spanish version* 

Creo que ahora ya se qual es de los principales problemas con el futbol mexicano: Los jugadores pensam que son mas grandes que todos el resto del mundo. 

CD Pachuca estas aqui en Japon para jugar en los quartos-de-final del Mundial de Clubes de la FIFA contra el equipo tunecino de Etoile du Sahel. Yo estaba leendo algunos de los articulos on-line de periodistas mexicanos e quedo claro que grand parte de ellos ya hablam del juego contra Boca Juniors y en uno de los articulos el DT Enrique Meza afirmo que Pachuca esta en Japon para ganar el torneo.  

Es una broma??? 

Como uno puede estar tan certo que su equipo va a jugar la final Senor Meza? Pachuca ya jugo mas de 90 partidos este ano. El equipo esta cansado. Viernes Pachuca jugo a United Chiba (un equipo japones) y perdio por 4 a 2.

Yo solamente creo que eso ya seria un buen motivo para tener mas cuidados com las palavras. Porque cuando se utilza de la arrogancia eso puede se tornar una motivacion extra para que su oponente tenga mas ganas para jugar contra usted, cierto? 

Bueno, tambien los digo que no creo que Pachuca tenga un equipo en condiciones de vencer a Boca Juniors y tambien no me quedaria supreso se el bueno e organizado equipo de Etoile du Sahel regale Pachuca un ticket temprano para Mexico. 

Guarden mis palavras! 

Yo soy Mano Gil escribindo directo de Shinjuku – en la gran area de Tokio – exlclusivo para Ole Ole.  

Sayonara!

With the first of the rest days upon us at the FIFA Club World Cup, I thought I'd check out some of the headlines from around the globe. Trouble is, I started by having a look at the websites of some of the New Zealand newspapers... only to discover that this morning the main football story in New Zealand revolved around Wellington Phoenix beating Perth Glory in a battle of the cellar dwellers in the Australian A-League. Now, I'm not begrudging Wellington their success - in fact, I salute anyone that beats Perth Glory, but I was slightly surprised that it has taken until 1.00pm (Tokyo time) the next day for the New Zealand Herald to acknowledge that Waikatere United were beaten by Sepahan at the Club World Cup. Even then, you have to trawl through several Rugby and Cricket related headlines just to find an RSS link for the Waikatere result, with the main "Soccer" page still sporting a snappy photo of Waikatere coach Chris Milicich under the rather optimistic headline, "It's Over To The Team Now." Perhaps they're planning on challenging Sepahan to a rematch?

The Japanese daily's - never ones to update their websites too quickly lest they cut into sales of the hard copy product, were for once up-to-the-minute in making predictable noises about Urawa's much anticipated rematch with Sepahan. Urawa, of course, beat Sepahan to win the AFC Champions League just last month. But that was a very different Urawa team. They were winning then. More recently Urawa have been losing - to everyone - I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of school girls could rock up at Saitama Stadium and give the Reds a run for their money with the kind of form that they are currently in. After losing to J2 side Ehime FC in the Emperor's Cup and then relinquishing their J-League crown with a loss to the otherwise hopeless Yokohama FC just three days later, Sepahan coach Luka Bonacic has astutely pointed out that perhaps his team could be in with a chance of winning here. Urawa won't even be playing on "home soil" as such - they've traditionally struggled at Toyota Stadium, the home of J-League rivals Nagoya Grampus Eight and, suffice to say, the venue for their rematch with Sepahan.

Over at the Tehran Times, Sepahan's win was naturally the main news story of the day, although they were quick to point out that Luka Bonacic felt that his side were somewhat fortunate on the night. Bonacic graciously pointed out that Waikatere caused his side all manner of problems in the final fifteen minutes of the match, but in all honesty no one really expected anything but a Urawa - Sepahan quarter-final, Bonacic himself surely included.

It's obviously not a newspaper, but the English version of the Milan website is something that I check on a daily basis, just because I really love how matter-of-fact their updates are. "Milan in the air now!" one headline will scream, followed how a brief report of how Milan are indeed in the air - which is something I always hope to be any time I get on an aeroplane. "Milan almost ready to touch down!" the next headline will bellow, followed by a helpful synopsis of the Milan schedule for the next hour or so. I like this system. I think I might adopt it when I send emails to my friends. "I've just got out of bed!" the subject line will announce. "And I've put my slippers on, and am about to make some toast." "The toast is ready!" will be the subject line of the next email, with a body that poses the age old question of whether to apply Vegemite or honey.

And over at the online edition of the Wisconsin State Journal - lest anyone wants to accuse me of being a slacker and not really checking out all the resources available to me on this beloved World Wide Web of our's, the main sports story headline reads "UW men's basketball: Guarded approach." And for the record forecasts call for temperatures of temperatures of 14 degrees Fahreinheit with clear skies and late snow falls, just in case anyone is interested. So there you have it!

When I used to play football (badly, I might add), our coach used to drill into us the importance of not conceding goals inside the first five minutes of each half. Waikatere United must have missed that lesson, because they conceded twice within the first five minutes of their clash with Sepahan. Indeed the Kiwi side seemed to have left their concentration on the tarmac at Narita Airport, as Iraqi striker Emad Mohammed pounced twice to score an opportunistic brace with less than five minutes played.

Whatever verbal spray Waikatere coach Chris Milicich gave at the break - it failed to take. As midfielder Abdul Wahab Abu Al Hail ambled forward four minutes after the restart, he clearly reckoned that a strike on goal was as good as, if not better than knocking the ball aimlessly around the midfield. Nevermind that his shot was straight at occasional New Zealand international goalkeeper Simon Eaddy, since the ball simply rocketed straight through Eaddy's arms to bounce down just inside the goal-line.

3-0 to Sepahan after 50 minutes - by the same stage last year Auckland City hadn't even conceded a goal to Egyptian side Al Ahly! It was around about this point that Sepahan started to attempt some exhibition football, and coincidentally around about the same time that Waikatere seemed to realise that the match had actually be in progress for a good fifty minutes or so.

Eventually Waikatere began to press forward, with Benjamin Totori occasionally looking dangerous, despite at times demonstrating the kind of first touch you'd expect from a brick wall. Finally the pressure paid off in the seventy-fourth minute as Sepahan goalkeeper Mohammad Savari dropped the ball into his own net from a floated free-kick. Maybe he had been sharing notes with Simon Eaddy, or perhaps he was petrified by the sight of Danny Hay bearing down on him like a mack truck, bald head shining menacingly under the bright lights of the National Stadium. Whatever it was, the goal was eventually credited as an own goal by Sepahan defender Hadi Aghily, not that it stopped Danny Hay from partying like it was 1999... the wily old fox.

Eventually Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez blew full-time, sparking a press conference that was almost as lively as Waikatere had been on the pitch. Coach Chris Milicich conceded that it wasn't particularly helpful to "wake up in the fiftieth minute," and suggested that "stupid errors" had cost his side the game. Bizarrely, a Japanese reporter enquired if the weather conditions had played a role in Waikatere's defeat. If he thinks it's cold in Tokyo in December, maybe he should visit Invercargill!

So Sepahan roll on to the grudge match that everyone expected, with coach Luka Bonacic suggesting that his side respects, but does not fear J-League side Urawa Reds. It's back to the day jobs for Waikatere United, though. They gave a decent enough account of themselves here, but one can only wonder what might have been had they not left their game boots inside the dressing room for the first five minutes of this match.

New Zealand side Waitakere United are only hours from the biggest match of their lives, with captain Danny Hay admitting this week that the "weight of the Oceania Confederation" was resting on his team's shoulders.

Yet while Waitakere United go into their clash with Sepahan as rank outsiders, for several players the match will undoubtedly represent a chance to gain recognition on the world stage.

Striker Daniel Koprivcic started his career with Croatian lower league outfit NK Graficar and represented the New Zealand under-23 side, before resuming his career with Auckland-based Central United. He hasn't quite scaled international heights since signing for Waitakere United, but a globally televised clash with Sepahan may represent the best way to get himself in the shop window.

Commins Menapi is a name familiar to many Australian football fans - he plied his trade in the old National Soccer League for Sydney United, before switching to NSW State League side St George. Menapi is a legend in Soloman football circles, not the least for scoring twice against Australia to secure a stunning 2-2 draw in the 2004 Oceania Nations Cup.

Englishmen Neil Emblen and Darren Bazeley came to New Zealand to play for the now defunct New Zealand Knights in the Australian A-League, but have since landed at Waitakere United, who play in the top flight of New Zealand football, the New Zealand Football Championship. Together with former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Neil Sykes, they add considerable experience to a team comprised mainly of amateurs.

Danny Hay is perhaps the man who can lay claim to having seen it all before. The former mainstay of the New Zealand national team played for Leeds United in the UEFA Champions League, but these days supplements his income through teaching in Auckland. The Waitakere captain knows how important a clash like tonight's could be for his younger players, and he'll keep a calm head at the back for the Kiwi underdogs.

Whatever the outcome, Waitakere United will fly the flag proudly for the Oceania Football Confederation. With many suggesting that tonight's fixture will represent little more than an exercise in damage limitation, the Kiwi side will nevertheless take to the pitch at the National Stadium in Tokyo with a spring in their step and perhaps thoughts of also springing a major upset. It's now or never, with the opening game of the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup less than two hours away. 

"For some of us it's a long way... from the cradle to the grave. When you've got no loving. When you got no love" howls Murder City Devils front-man Spencer Moody on their brooding Empty Bottles, Broken Hearts album. I was listening to that record on the Shinkansen as I made my way up from the Pacific coastal town of Shimizu to the megalopolis of Tokyo, and it made me think about some of the sacrifices that professional footballers make for their careers.

I used to be an intrepid traveller. It all started when my high school German class somewhat fortuitously applied for a Government grant for a paid two-week "excursion" to Germany in the mid-1990's. As the only school to actually apply for the grant, we reasoned that we had a decent chance of getting on the next Lufthansa to Frankfurt. Okay, so it was actually a hair-raising All Nippon Airways flight that landed us in the German heartland, but the point is that we made it, and pretty soon I was munching on bratwurst and watching Borussia Dortmund trounce 1.FC Köln with the best of them.

That particular trip started my love affair with travel, and I've been back to Germany many times - most enjoyably to follow the fortunes of my beloved Socceroos at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Yet something was different when I left my comfortable home in Shimizu late this afternoon, to hit the road in search of good times and glory at the FIFA Club World Cup. I left behind my wife.

Spencer Moody spoke often of the daily grind of touring in a rock'n'roll band and the strain that it placed on relationships, and it was no surprise when the seminal Seattle soundsters split up amidst a blaze of acrimony in 2001. One could argue that the stress is not that dissimilar to that experienced by professional footballers who are constantly on the road - if you take away the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll, of course.

Take recently crowned European Footballer of the Year, Kaká. The Brazilian superstar is not only a sublime talent in the AC Milan midfield, he will also celebrate his second wedding anniversary on December 23. The deeply religious Kaká is no doubt handsomely paid for his services, but how much does that compensate for the many nights and days he spends on the road away from his family, in pursuit of glory for both club and country?

Perhaps Commins Menapi of Waikatere United is a better example. The 30 year old Soloman Islands international has a wife and small child living in Honiara, yet the powerful striker plies his trade in the New Zealand Football Championship. And while Kaká can retire to a life of luxury, there'll be no such luxury for the likes of Menapi, who currently shares a small apartment in Auckland with fellow Solomon Islander Benjamin Totori.

How will being away from family and friends affect Mexican team Pachuca at the Club World Cup, a team who hail from a country renowned for its close-knit families and communities? The argument is often made in regard to Japanese players, several of whom have failed to make the grade in Europe, yet who have had little trouble resurrecting successful careers upon returning to the J-League.

Perhaps the strange, recent story of Stephen Ireland concocting a dead grandmother best illustrates some of the pressure that professional footballers are under. The fact that Ireland was too scared to inform his club and country that he wanted to skip Eire's clash with the Czech Republic in Prague because his girlfriend had just suffered a miscarriage is sad enough. Yet the media backlash that his naïvity provoked is almost as sad, with all and sundry lining up to blast Ireland for his "stupidity." Ireland is just 21 years old. In what other profession would an employer castigate their employee for wanting to spend time with a significant other during a time of crisis, no matter how ill-conceived the excuse?

International travel, in this day and age, is a fact of life. Much like everyone connected with the FIFA World Club Cup, I am delighted to be able to watch the tournament unfold in front of my own eyes. But I can empathise with those players who leave family behind in their pursuit of professional glory. Some of them will earn enough to retire off the game, but many of them won't. Perhaps the next time I jump to my feet to criticise Shimizu S-Pulse's tricky Brazilian Fernandinho for a misplaced pass, I'll stop, and consider the sacrifices that he has had made to come halfway across the world to entertain me in what is, after all, just a game.