UEFA to meet European clubs in World Championship row

UEFA will meet with disaffected European clubs next week to discuss whether the Champions League winners should be forced to compete in the revamped Club World Championship.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Friday that Japan would host the controversial tournament in December 2005 with $15 million prize money on offer.

The format of the slimmed-down six-team tournament, featuring the top clubs from each continental body, was ratified by FIFA's executive committee meeting in Paris on Monday.

"The view of the (UEFA) executive committee has so far been the competition should be by invitation, which means the clubs can say yes or no," UEFA chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson told reporters after an executive committee meeting in Gothenburg before Wednesday's UEFA Cup final.

"Normally, in a FIFA competition there is an obligation to participate so for us it is important to discuss this matter with the clubs."

"The main question is whether the executive committee should force the clubs to play or not, because we have already accepted the format."

The European Club Forum, made up of Europe's top 102 clubs, unanimously agreed in February to reject plans for a revamped Club World Championship, branding it "ill-conceived and detrimental to the domestic calendar".

The tournament has only been staged once -- in 2000 in Brazil -- and sparked controversy when Manchester United withdrew from the English FA Cup to travel to South America.

Corinthians won the inaugural event when they beat fellow Brazilian club Vasco da Gama in Rio's Maracana Stadium.

But a proposed second competition in Spain in 2001 was cancelled because of financial problems following the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner ISL-ISMM.

Olsson said the majority of UEFA executive committee members were opposed to the idea of resurrecting the tournament but accepted it because of the "democratic principles" of the organisation.

"We don't think there is a need to add more competitions to the international calendar," he said.

"But when a decision is made you have to follow us otherwise you should not participate since we all recognise the democratic principles for the organisation."

"They (the European clubs) already know the facts. We will now discuss their views on how it will be played."

The championship will replace the annual fixture between the European and South American champions which has been staged in Tokyo since 1980.