YOU PEOPLE

'Europe's leading clubs dealt a potentially fatal blow to the controversial World
Club Championship by today outlining their opposition to the tournament.

A statement released by the 102 clubs in the European Club Forum after a
meeting in Nyon, Switzerland, this afternoon made clear they will resist FIFA's
plans to stage the tournament in 2005.

The statement from the club forum, which is chaired by Bayern Munich's Karl-
Heinz Rummenigge and which was also attended by United chief executive
Peter Kenyon, read:

"We do not believe that there is a need or a desire for this competition among
European clubs, fans, players or commercial partners. We would oppose it
being played in the future. At a time when European football has made the
step of reducing the number of top-class competitive games by abolishing the
second group stage of the UEFA Champions League it doesn't make sense to
try and introduce another international club competition. This would be a
backward step. The challenge is to make the international calendar workable
not to add to it and increase the pressure on players We hope that sense will
prevail."

FIFA president Sepp Blatter however is keen to revive it and has earmarked
2005 for the next one.'