\n
\nJEDDAH: Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad and their star striker Karim Benzema avoided Manchester City in the semifinal\u00a0draw on Tuesday for the first FIFA Club World Cup to be hosted by the Kingdom.<\/p>\n
\nThe December 12-22 tournament for continental champions and the host nation\u2019s league winner will be played in Al-Ittihad\u2019s home city Jeddah.<\/p>\n
\nThe event will be the last Club World Cup in the current annual format before a 32-team version played every four years starts in June 2025. The inaugural host is the US.<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nAl-Ittihad will kick the tournament off\u00a0against Auckland City, the champions of Oceania.<\/p>\n
\nThe winners of that tie will go on to face African champions Al-Ahly of Egypt in the second round for a place in the semifinals against the champions of South America.<\/p>\n
\nThe Copa Libertadores is currently at the semifinals stage featuring Boca Juniors of Argentina and Brazilian clubs Palmeiras, Fluminense and Internacional.<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nManchester City, as the champion of Europe, also get direct entry to the semifinals and will play either Club Le\u00f3n of Mexico or Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan.<\/p>\n
\nThe final on Dec. 22 will be played at the 62,000-seat King Abdullah Sports City, home of Al-Ittihad.<\/p>\n
\nJaime Yarza, director of FIFA Tournaments, conducted the draw and was assisted by\u00a0Yaya Toure, who won a memorable and dramatic final with Barcelona in 2009 and Manaf Abushugair, a two-time AFC Champions League winner with Al-Ittihad.<\/p>\n
\nFIFA president Gianni Infantino and Saudi soccer federation leader Yasser Al-Misehal, who is now a member of the ruling FIFA Council, also attended the draw ceremony.<\/p>\n
\nDuring his welcoming speech, Al-Misehal said: \u201cWe are prepared and\u00a0excited to welcome the world to Jeddah in December, we are honored that Jeddah is hosting this world-renowned tournament.<\/p>\n
\nHe continued: \u201cThis tournament will be an extraordinary celebration of professional football, international talent and best-in-class skill, showcasing the great facilities, hospitality and unique culture of Saudi Arabia as a world-class sporting destination.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe sports sector is a fundamental pillar of the continuous transformation process that the Kingdom is witnessing, as part of the\u00a0Saudi Vision 2030, and enjoys unlimited support from the Saudi leadership, Saudi Arabia has succeeded in establishing its position as one of the most important and fastest growing sports destinations globally,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\nInfantino said he was looking forward to the tournament in Jeddah, adding it was a\u00a0\u201cspecial occasion\u201d taking\u00a0place \u201cin a very special country, in a great football environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nBenzema, who came to the ceremony wearing the Saudi thoub, added: \u201cI have played in the FIFA Club World Cup with Real Madrid and I have the experience to help my team.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nYaya Toure said: \u201cIt is a great opportunity for football fans here in Saudi Arabia to witness some of the best football talent in the world. All of the teams participating are champions. It is high quality and the fans are really in for a treat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nHussam Ghali, former captain of Egyptian giants Al-Ahly expressed his happiness at the club being with the best teams in the world for the eighth\u00a0time in a row and told the press that his team were\u00a0looking forward to playing\u00a0the winners of the Al-Ittihad and Auckland City tie.<\/p>\n
\n* With AP<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Benzema\u2019s Al-Ittihad avoid facing Man City in semifinals of Saudi-hosted FIFA Club World Cup JEDDAH: Saudi…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\n
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