Cloak and dagger games continue to cloud Fifa s Club World Cup

As European footballers take their post-season vacations, with the continent’s southern beaches providing mental and physical havens, there comes the realisation that the club game will go global this summer.

Looming on June 14 is the Club World Cup’s opener, between Al Ahly of Egypt, and Inter Miami of the United States, Africa versus North America.

By little coincidence, the latter team feature Lionel Messi, who celebrates his 38th birthday during Fifa’s new month-long showpiece.

Messi’s presence came via spurious means, his club granted entry after winning the 2024 Major League Soccer (MLS) Supporters’ Shield – awarded to the team with the best overall record during the regular season.

That Inter bombed out of the subsequent play-offs and eventual MLS champions LA Galaxy will be absent is just one wrinkle in the make-up of the 32-team finalists.

Red Bull Salzburg, 34th in this season’s 36-team Uefa Champions League, winning just a single match, take their place, by virtue of a complicated coefficient which restricted countries to two entries.

The Austrian side qualified by being the 18th best team over four years of the Champions League, after featuring in the group stages up to 2023-24 and making the round of 16 in 2022.

There will be 12 European teams in the United States and yet this season’s champions of England, Liverpool, and of Spain, Barcelona, will not be present, unable to take advantage of the potential €100 million (S$146.6 million) prize bounty on offer.

For a club like Chelsea, teetering financially, and involved in all sorts of financial chicanery to pass profit and sustainability regulations, such a bonus competition is welcome. They qualify by dint of winning the Champions League under the previous ownership of Roman Abramovich in 2021.

As curious as all that might be, there should be no confusion