Club World Cup: Liverpool, Real Madrid, Man United Stripped of Title in New FIFA Decision
- A couple of clubs, led by Real Madrid and Manchester United, have been stripped of a major title by FIFA
- The decision comes after Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain to win the first trophy of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup
- The new FIFA Club World Cup will be held once every four years, which is a break from the previous annual tournaments
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FIFA has officially confirmed Chelsea as the first-ever Club World Cup champions, rendering the previous winners invalid.
Source: Getty Images
Chelsea thrashed Paris Saint-Germain a week ago at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Cole Palmer ran the show in the United States, scoring twice in 10 minutes before setting up Joao Pedro in a rampant display from Chelsea.
How Chelsea, PSG reached Club World Cup final
PSG had been touted as the overwhelming favourites ahead of the game by virtue of their dominant performances this year.
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Luis Enrique's side won their maiden Champions League title by thrashing Inter Milan 5-0. They then beat Atletico Madrid, Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and Real Madrid by identical 4-0 scorelines in the lead up to the final.
The Blues, meanwhile, had met modest opposition in America. They started their campaign with a 2-0 win over Los Angeles, before losing 3-1 to Flamengo. They bounced back to beat Esperance Tunis 3-0 to set up a Round of 16 tie vs Benfica.
Enzo Maresca's side saw off the Portuguese team, Palmeiras and Fluminense in the knockout rounds.
Manchester United, Real Madrid stripped of major title
The West Londoners' win in New Jersey has now had a ripple effect as the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, and Real Madrid have been stripped of a major title.
FIFA has renamed the previous FIFA Club World Cup winners as FIFA Intercontinental Champions.
Chelsea are now the first-ever world champions in the newly structured competition, which will take place once every four years.
In the previous format, the Champions League winners of all continents met in a short tournament towards the end of the year, where the winner would be crowned the world champion.
The first edition was held in 2000, where it was an all-Brazilian affair as Corinthians beat Vasco da Gama. It wasn't held again until 2005 due to lack of a sponsor.
São Paulo beat Liverpool in the 2005 final before Internacional made it a hat-trick of Brazilian wins in 2006, beating Barcelona in the final.
Afterwards, European clubs, AC Milan, Manchester United, Barcelona (2) and Inter Milan won it before Corinthians beat Chelsea in the 2012 final to take the trophy back to Brazil.
Source: Getty Images
However, since then, only European clubs have won the title, with Real Madrid the most successful club with five wins.
Barcelona have won it thrice, with Corinthians and Bayern Munich having two titles each.
All these previous wins, including Chelsea's in 2021, will now be known as FIFA Intercontinental Champions.
When is the next edition of FIFA Intercontinental Cup?
The next edition will be held from December 8 to December 17 in a yet-to-be-confirmed venue.
PSG will represent Europe after winning the UEFA Champions League, while Pyramids will represent Africa after winning the CAF Champions League.
Why Chelsea haven't qualified for next Club World Cup
At the same time, Chelsea haven't qualified for the next Club World Cup despite winning the inaugural edition.
The next Club World Cup will be held in 2029, but Chelsea haven't qualified automatically as the defending champions.
Interestingly, the losing finalists, PSG, are one of the few teams that have already booked their ticket to the 2029 tournament.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
