MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — After more than a year of uncertainty and criticism, the Club World Cup kicked off in Miami on Saturday and soccer may never be the same.
At least that's what FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been telling anyone who would listen.
“This tournament will be the start of something historic that will change our sport for the better,” he said this week as part of an exhausting schedule of public engagements to drum up interest in the monthlong event staged across 11 cities in the United States.
Soccer's newest tournament is what the sport has been waiting for, Infantino says, and on Saturday, despite considerable pushback and obstacles, he turned his personal passion project into a reality.
The Swiss lawyer, who holds one of the most powerful positions in the world as head of soccer's governing body, was on hand at a largely full Hard Rock Stadium to watch Lionel Messi's Inter Miami draw 0-0 with Egyptian team Al Ahly in the opening game of his super-sized Club World Cup.
Influence
The match may have been underwhelming, but the occasion — kicked off with a lavish opening ceremony featuring music, dance routines and fireworks — was a moment of immense pride for Infantino and conclusive proof of his influence over the most popular sport on the planet.
Despite his assertions, it's not clear how much soccer really wanted another elite tournament. But this was his baby — so much so that his name is etched not once but twice onto a giant golden trophy crafted by Tiffany & Co. that will be lifted by the winner on July 13.
It has gone ahead against the backdrop of legal challenges in Europe, threats of strike action from players, and fears of injury and burnout for the biggest stars.
There have been concerns about overreach by FIFA — which has traditionally focused on national team soccer — and the detrimental impact a new club competition would have on domestic leagues.
But nothing was going to stand in the way of Infantino's plans to expand the Club World Cup from its previous guise as a seven-team midseason mini tournament to a 32-team extravaganza that could one day rival the Champions League and Premier League as one of the most popular and wealthiest competitions in the world.
The tournament is now locked in
Time will tell if it lives up to Infantino's billing, but he has navigated the biggest hurdle of all by getting this inaugural edition off the ground.
It is locked into the calendar — every four years — and teams such as Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain already have qualified for the next edition in 2029.
"Maybe not now in its first edition, but it will become an incredibly important competition to win,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said.
He may have a point. Peculiarly, and despite the global nature of soccer, the club game has largely been restricted to continental competition, aside from the previous guise of the Club World Cup, which was often looked on as little more than a exhibition.
Do fans really want it?
Still, it remains unclear how much of an appetite there is for another soccer tournament in a calendar that has reached saturation point.
So a crowd of more than 60,000 at the Hard Rock Stadium likely came as a relief to FIFA, though it is not known how many of those in attendance paid anything like the $349 being quoted for seats in December.
FIFA has not offered definitive numbers on the amount of tickets sold for the tournament as a whole and prices were slashed as the opening game approached. But there were only pockets of empty seats in the stands, with many red-shirted fans of Al Ahly in attendance.
“We’ve been looking forward to it for a long time,” said Peter Sadek, a fan originally from Egypt who now lives in Orlando. “At least 50 more just from our area (are coming). It's been bubbling up for a long time and you can see how many are here.”
Other Al Ahly fans had traveled directly from Egypt, with red shirts outnumbering the pink of Miami in parts of the stadium.
Messi magic
If only Messi could have crowned Infantino's big night with a moment of magic.
He certainly tried.
His stunning curling effort from long range, deep into stoppage time, would have been the perfect finish. Instead, Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed Elshenawy tipped the ball onto the crossbar to deny the Argentine great and Infantino that prize moment.
Not even Infantino can have everything, it seems.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
James Robson, The Associated Press
