JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - DECEMBER 18: Fluminense players celebrate with their fans after the final ... [+]
In Rio de Janeiro, Fluminense supporters sang ‘The City will die’ after their club eliminated Al Ahly of Egypt to reach the final of the Club World Cup. Thousands had flocked to Laranjeiras - their club headquarters - to witness history and spur their team on to a meeting with Manchester City in faraway Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Club World Cup has always been of pivotal importance to South American club soccer. Bangu still claims it won the World Cup in 1960, Flamengo fans wax lyrical about Zico demolishing Liverpool in 1981 and Corinthians supporters travelled in their tens of thousands to Japan for their club’s 1-0 victory against Chelsea.
It was the last time a Brazilian team, and for that matter any outfit outside of Europe, won the tournament. Since then, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Chelsea have shared the prize. Europe remains unbeaten in 21 matches in the tournament. It’s a reflection of the balance of power as well as the economic imperatives of the global game. South America simply can’t keep pace with Europe’s industrial scale modernization mainly due to colossal, foreign investment.
In Brazil, recent legislation has allowed foreign investors to target domestic clubs, but the gap with Europe remains huge. The 2023 final provides the perfect illustration: Manchester City’s revenue last season was $890 million, Fluminense’s expected 2023 revenue is $74 million. The English club has a wage bill of $530 million, dwarfing what Marcelo and other stars at the Rio club earn.
The left-back, formerly of Real Madrid, is one of many veterans in the squad of the Copa Libertadores winner, prompting the English newspaper the Daily Telegraph to write that Fluminense’s line-up is ‘more suited to Soccer Aid’, infuriating the Brazilians. Even so, Fluminense and its manager Fernando Diniz will rely on their own strengths to tackle City. Diniz is somewhat of an outlier in Brazilian soccer.
In his column, Tostão, a Brazil 1970 great, recently hailed Diniz as a great coach because of his organized anarchy. His teams tend to attack, overloading the opponent’s midfield. It is in no small measure a testimony of how the manager regards the game. Diniz was often criticized for not achieving anything with his philosophy, but he was vindicated last month when Fluminense won their first-ever Copa Libertadores.
He said that his side will not adapt their style to its illustrious opponent. At a news conference, Diniz explained: “Fluminense will play like a team that believes in its values and believes that things are possible. Let's not run away from our characteristics. We prepared a lot. We've been watching them for a long time, we've mapped them, we're going to study them. It's a very complete team, very well trained. Let's try to do our best with a lot of humility, be smart in the game and have the courage to do what we usually do.”
Diniz’s steadfastness has its merit, but is perhaps also foolhardy in the face of Manchester City’s pedigree and depth, even without marquee striker Erling Haaland and midfield orchestrator Kevin de Bruyne. With the exception of Flamengo against Liverpool in 2019, few Brazilian teams have gone toe-to-toe with their European opponents in a final of the Club World Cup. Corinthians and Tite defeated Chelsea in Yokohama playing an organised and defensive game. They sat back and absorbed the pressure.
This Fluminense - Manchester City encounter should be different. It is a match-up between classic Brazil and modern Europe with the danger of descending into a one-sided triumph for the Old Continent. Diniz however is prepared to risk it all.
