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World Cup glory beckons for Pirates

Aiming high. . . Orlando Pirates sextet of Oupa Manyisa, Thabo Matlaba, Happy Jele, Rooi Mahamutsa, Sfiso Myeni and Andile Jali will be most glad to play in the Fifa Club World Cup in December. 

ONE crucial factor the soccer public in South Africa is overlooking about Orlando Pirates' potential success in the CAF Champions League is that the reward is bigger than the $1.5million (R15m) first prize, or the much-vaunted "Second Star". The ultimate prize however for Pirates winning the Africa championship will be the chance to play in the Fifa Club World Cup in December.

The Fifa tournament is the lofty heights of club football. It was not existant in 1995 when Pirates were crowned Africa champion. After a modest beginnings in 2000 in Brazil, today the Fifa Club World Cup is a prestigeous one-week tournament offering big financial rewards to the qualifying continental champions. The top prize comes at a hefty $5 million, but even finishing last - seventh - is not shabby: $500 000 for just one lost game!

To date only one club from sub-Saharan Africa has played in the Fifa tournament, TP Mazembe of DR Congo, twice in 2009 and 2010. All the other occasions Africa had been represented by clubs from the Arab north, who have dominated Africa's club championship  for decades.

Al Ahly, 2013 Champions League finalists against Pirates, played in the 2012 Fifa Club World Cup, and Esperance of Tunis a year earlier. Most of SA football fraternity had been in ignorant about this tournament as no club from these had even come close to qualifying for until now. All Pirates have to do is to overcome Al Ahly challenge and have first-time experience  of meeting top international clubs in an official match. Perhaps this will help local fans not to go overboard with excitement over PSL teams meeting visiting English clubs in their pre-season kickabouts.  

Making it to the Fifa finals will open a whole new world to Orlando Pirates, something  Al Ahly has experienced four times before in this tournament. Additional attraction to the 2013 edition from the African perspective is the fact that the tournament will be hosted on the continent for the first time ever - in Morocco.

Apart from CAF, Asia is still to conclude its competition to produce a representative. But so far the line-up is delightful enough: Bayern Munich (Germany, Uefa), Monterrey (Mexico, Concacaf), Atletico Mineiro (Brazil, Conmebol) and Auckland City (New Zealand, OFC). As per tradition, the seventh team is the national champion of the host country, Raja Casablanca.
The tournament will run from December 11-21 in the cities of Marrakesh and Agadir. If they win the CAF event, Orlando Pirates will open their 2013 Fifa Club world Cup against Asian champions at the quarterfinal stage on December 14.

The prizemoney breakdown for 2013 Club World Cup is as follows:
Winner: $5m (R49m)
Runner-up: $4m
3rd Place: $2.5m
Fourth: $2m
Fifth: $1.5m
Sixth: $1m
Seventh: $0.5m (R4.9m)

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