World champions. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? And yet as Chelsea settle into their week in Abu Dhabi with a rare opportunity to earn that moniker, the age-old debate that has hung over Premier League clubs since the early days of the Intercontinental Cup remains.
Does this title really matter? Where in the list of priorities should it sit in such a congested season? Is the competition much more than a money-spinning glorified pair of friendlies?
When a member of Chelsea’s coaching staff and a player address the media at Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium tomorrow afternoon ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final with Al Hilal, of Saudi Arabia, the message will undoubtedly be one of utmost seriousness.
But should it go pear-shaped, as it did for the 2012 team and six other English representatives, will they be cut up to the same extent as being knocked out of the Champions League or losing a domestic cup final? Probably not.
A feeling of English indifference, bordering on disdain a couple of decades ago, has always been present.
Such was Liverpool’s unserious approach to the old format, they did not participate in 1977 and 1978 because of supposed concerns around the physicality of South American teams. In 1981 Bob Paisley kept his players on GMT during their brief time in Japan meaning they had breakfast at 6pm, dinner at 8am and some former players have more recollection of being on a driving range than the 3-0 defeat to Flamengo.
Then there is the narrative of it being an unwanted distraction from domestic duties. When Manchester United went to Brazil in 2000 for the first edition of the rebranded CWC it led to an iconic Mirror front page that debated the merits of their participation in the FA Cup, which seemingly needed to be saved back then as well.
“Outrageous,” reckoned Caprice. “An insult to other clubs,” said a National Lottery winner. “We must sort it out,” added prime minister Tony Blair.
Even three years ago there was discussion around Liverpool’s need to play their kids in the Carabao Cup against Aston Villa and which competition was the right one to prioritise. Gaining revenge of sorts over Flamengo in Qatar should have provided the answer. The agonising may not be as weighty this week but grumbles around rearranging two league fixtures can still be heard.
Yet for the rest of the world this competition, and the Intercontinental Cup before it, has always been held in high esteem. For South America it is viewed as an annual opportunity to take a European scalp and prove that the Champions League is not the goliath our clubs want to believe.
When Brazil’s Corinthians defeated Chelsea 1-0 in 2012, their defender Paulo Andre put the different approaches into context. "This was a real battle between the third world and the first world," he said. "For our people, for our fans, who have a difficult life, it's so important to show the world we can beat teams like this. And that we can be the best in the world. Just once."
That is not to say it is a competition without problems. Hosting it in the Gulf region for a fifth straight year means few Stamford Bridge regulars will be present to see what unfolds and there are still plenty of tickets, starting from £4, available for the showpiece.
The games will be broadcast on E4 and Channel 4, with an exemption for Saturday’s blackout as the final kicks off at 4:30pm, and while free to air football should always be cherished it is notable that neither Sky nor BT showed much interest in getting the rights.
It is also easy to view it as little more than a money-maker for FIFA, with their planned 24-team tournament halted on account of the pandemic. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in late 2020 that the expanded tournament, initially meant for China, was "still on the agenda, we just have not decided when it will take place."
Eight UEFA teams would participate in a group stage held in the summers where major international tournaments are not staged and clubs would bank millions for simply turning up.
The prize money for this week is a closely guarded secret but previous estimates indicate that the winner will bank about £5million. Nothing to be sniffed at for a week of work in the sunshine.
When Liverpool finally earned the title in December 2019 by defeating Flamengo in an edgy final, Jurgen Klopp offered a neat summation of the general feeling towards the competition now from a Premier League point of view. “I said before the game I didn’t know how it would feel but now I can say it feels outstanding, sensational,” he said. But, again, the pain of defeat would not have lingered as long.
If the next week ends with Cesar Azpilicueta hoisting up another trophy, Chelsea being able to claim they rule the world and a nice gold badge being embroidered to the front of their shirts, it will be a memory to cherish and a nice story to tell for decades to come.
Should it not go to plan then they will return to England and refocus, undoubtedly citing domestic and continental success as their primary goals instead of this curious competition that no one in England is quite sure how to appraise.
