CLUB WORLD CUP
Fluminense fans dream of Club World Cup glory against Man City
After overcoming resistance from Egypt’s Al Ahly in the semi-final, the Brazilian side are hoping to create an upset in the Jeddah final.
The 4th of November, 2023 will be forever remembered in the annals of Tricolor history after substitute John Kennedy fired home the winning goal and for the first time ever the Rio de Janeiro club secured a Copa Libertadores title as Fluminense beat Argentine giants Boca Juniors in the Maracanã final.
Manchester City - Fluminenese: Follow the live action here!
Winning the continental title also secured the Brazilian side a place in the semi-final of the last ever FIFA Club World Cup to be played with the current seven team format before the newly revamped 32-team model which FIFA propose for 2025.
Thousands of Flu fans have made the long trip from Brazil to see their side in action in Saudi Arabia with the distinctive green, burgundy and white jerseys standing out in all the central areas of downtown Jeddah as they look forward to Friday’s final where they face Premier League heavyweights Manchester City after overcoming Al Ahly in the semi-final.
AS USA caught up Daniel Xavier and Marcos Tani, two of the many Fluminense fans who made the journey to Jeddah to see their side in action with both ‘torcedores’ confident that the Brazilian Serie A outfit can deliver a shock firmly believing that Flu head coach Fernando Diniz has the coaching nous to outfox Pep Guardiola.
At what point did you decide to make the trip to Jeddah to see Flu in the finals?
Daniel Xavier: It was around a week after the Libertadores final, I was talking with my father who was at the Maracanã final and we started to get a group of friends together that also want to go and started looking at logistics...match tickets, hotel prices and transport.
Marcos Tani: Things were different for me as I’m here for work with the Brazilian foreign service. So even though I’m a Flu fan, I’m also here offering help and support for the thousands of travelling Brazilian fans.
Which would mean more to Flu fans, the Libertadores win or beating City in the CWC final?
MT: I think the Libertadores is the one trophy every club on the continent wants to win and then the Club World Cup is a positive addition, a nice cherry on the cake.
DX: I think that many European clubs don’t take the Club World Cup that seriously but for South American clubs, the competition is a big deal. Of course, winning the Libertadores was huge, but winning this title generates global notoriety and given that the last time a non-European club to win was Corinthians in 2012, this is massive for Fluminense, but it would also be good for Brazilian club soccer as a whole too.
How has your experience been so far in Jeddah?
MT: It’s been good despite the cultural differences and you notice the absence of alcohol. It certainly feels like a very safe country and the people are really friendly.
DT: I agree, the people have been wonderful and seem really enthusiastic about the competition with many fans coming to games not involving the local Saudi team. My only complaint would focus on the lack of a good public transport system.
So, how do you see the final against City playing out?
DT: One things is for sure is that we’ll have way more fans than City as there are even more Fluminense fans coming over to watch the final.
Winning the last final in this format would be perfect for Fluminense and the game is fascinating as the type of football that Diniz promotes is the opposite of how Guardiola likes to play. Sometimes his style of play carries risks but as long as it works, that’s what we really care about.
Are you concerned that will all this success, key parts of the Flu team may get sold or Diniz may be lured by a European club?
MT: We’re well accustomed to this in South American football. In a perfect world we’d want to keep our key players but the club has a very active youth system so I’m optimistic that any big names leaving would be replaced by newer emerging talents.