Opinion

Why strong Copa Libertadores winner will breathe life into Club World Cup

South American football fans love the Club World Cup. But many have found recent versions of the tournament very hard to watch with any pleasure.

Since FIFA set up the competition in 2005 there have been three South American wins, all Brazilian.

Sao Paulo and Internacional emerged triumphant in the first two years, and Corinthians followed them in 2012.

All were single goal wins achieved on the back foot, by teams who acknowledged the superiority of their opponents, the European champions, and adjusted their game accordingly. 

In most of the other years, the South Americans were brushed aside with relative ease, and sometimes even failed to make it through their semi final.

But there is a hope that 2018 might be different.

For a start, the current European champions look vulnerable. Real Madrid are not the same side that beat Liverpool in May. 

Cristiano Ronaldo and coach Zinedine Zidane have gone. There is an air of transition about the side, whose vulnerability was highlighted by last week’s 3-0 defeat to Sevilla.
And whatever happens in the rest of the Copa Libertadores, South America is going to be represented by one of the continent’s big hitters.

Two big Brazilian sides, reigning champions Gremio and money rich Palmeiras, are already very close to booking their place in the semi finals. 

Another giant will emerge from the clash between Cruzeiro of Brazil and Argentina’s Boca Juniors, with Boca 2-0 up from the first leg. 

And the all Argentine tie between River Plate and Independiente pits a team with three Libertadores titles against a side with seven. The first leg was an entertaining 0-0 draw.
The return game - LIVE, FREE and in HD on SBS from 8:15am (AEST) on Wednesday morning - is a showcase for two of Argentina’s brightest coaches, Marcelo Gallardo of River and Ariel Holan of Independiente. 

Whichever side gets through, they will be worthy members of an elite club of South American heavyweights.

It is worth recalling that just two years ago the Libertadores final was between Atletico Nacional of Colombia and tiny Independiente del Valle from Ecuador. 

Now, though, the domination of Brazil and Argentina seems complete.

This is partly explained by the changes to the competition which came into force last year. 

Firstly, Brazil and Argentina were given more slots – almost certainly in a bid by a desperate CONMEBOL, the continental federation, to boost income in the wake of the FIFA-gate scandal.
Secondly, the competition was extended. Previously it had been squeezed into the first half of the year.  Now it runs all the way through from late January to the end of November. 

The longer timescale clearly benefits those clubs which can afford to assemble deeper squads, and can replace talent lost during the mid-year transfer window.

The Brazilian clubs had clearly been under-performing in recent times. They pay higher wages than elsewhere on the continent, and can therefore attract good players from neighbouring countries. 

Cruzeiro have Uruguayan World Cup attacking midfielder Giorgian De Arrascaeta.  Palmeiras have Colombian centre forward Miguel Borja, who was also on duty in Russia. 

Gremio have Argentina’s newly capped centre back Walter Kannemann. There are no Brazilians of similar stature playing elsewhere in South America.

Not to be outdone, and boosted by a new TV deal, Argentina’s clubs have also found the revenue to go shopping. 

At the start of the year River Plate picked up Franco Armani, who ended up being Argentina’s World Cup goalkeeper, and mercurial Colombian playmaker Juan Fernando Quintero. 
Boca Juniors have recently added Mauro Zarate and the highly promising Colombian winger Sebastian Villa to a squad already deep in attacking options. 

And Independiente have drafted in Chilean international midfielders Francisco Silva and Pablo Hernandez.

This may not be sustainable. 

With the collapse of the Argentine currency, any contracts signed in dollars will be a burden to the clubs.  There may be a fire sale ahead. 

But it means that this year, at least, the big Argentines can compete on equal terms with the strongest Brazilians. 

What remains to be seen is whether the winner of the Libertadores will be able to compete on equal terms with Real Madrid in the Club World Cup.


Share
Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service. Read more about Sport
Have a story or comment? Contact Us

Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service.
Watch nowOn Demand
Follow SBS Sport
4 min read
Published 1 October 2018 11:20am
By Tim Vickery

Share this with family and friends