ZURICH - Fifa has announced the provisionary list of the 30 Rossoneri called-up for the World Club Cup, in program from the 7th to the 16th December in Japan: GOALKEEPERS: Dida, Kalac, Fiori, Offredi; DEFENDERS: Cafu, Maldini, Kaladze, Nesta, Simic, Jankulovski, Favalli, Bonera, Serginho, Digao, Darmian, Oddo; MIDFIELDERS: Emerson, Gattuso, Seedorf, Gourcuff, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Brocchi, Caraglia, Ba; ATTACKERS: Inzaghi, Gilardino, Kakà, Aubameyang, Ronaldo. (Fifa.com)

Hopefully we will play better in Japan than in Serie A...

I'd really like to see Ba play...I mean, he should get a chance every now and then, it's not that he is such a disaster. In 5 or 10 of the last minutes he won't score owngoals,..

They probably did it just to say that they made more then 2 signings this summer 

He may be in financial trouble or something. I've heard of clubs resign former players to help them with the money issues.

Then again, we may feel we need him, but I doubt it. 

I don't think there is a chance that he will play, most of the players that are called up are mostly fillers to reach the 30 player quota.

Maybe in the first game cuz it's against some team from Africa or Asia. The real game we'll be against Boca in the final.

Still can't see players like Ba, Willy, Darmain and Caraglia getting a chance. They don't even get a chance in coppa games

They are weaker than Coppa teams and you need the starting players fresh for the final so I think some of those players might play.

Well let's hope they are given a chance but I can't see it happening.

Well let's hope they are given a chance but I can't see it happening.

the only young player who will play any part of this tournament would be Gourcuff ... This tournament is too important for the club, so yeah it's very likely that Carlo would stick to his first XI .. Maybe subbing when he has the game in the bag.

Boca Juniors have been told they cannot use new signing Juan Roman Riquelme in the Club World Cup.

The Argentine just completed his move from Villarreal, but is not eligible because he missed the “strict deadline of Friday November 23 2007 for submitting a final list of players,” explained FIFA.

Riquelme was not on the preliminary list handed in last week.

Galliani going for world prize

Milan may be about to face Juventus, but Adriano Galliani is already looking ahead to “number one objective” the Club World Cup.

“The Club World Cup is the number one objective of the solar year 2007, a wonderful 12 months that saw us already triumph in the Champions League and European Super Cup,” proclaimed the Vice-President.

“Now we are facing the biggest trophy a club football player can aim for – a wonderful and intriguing tournament.”

This will be the first time the Rossoneri have entered what was once known as the Intercontinental Cup since the format was expanded to include the winners of all the various continental competitions.

“It has been 18 years since our first time in Tokyo. I remember I ran like crazy when Chicco Evani scored. I got to the middle of the park and the referee looked at me badly. Now I certainly run a lot slower!”

Milan’s fortunes in this contest have been mixed, as they won three times, but have lost their last three attempts in 1993, ’94 and 2003.

“Japan has changed a lot since then and if we end up facing Urawa Reds in the semi-final then we’ll have 70,000 people in the crowd pushing them on.”

With the victory over Liverpool in May, Milan became the joint most successful club side of all time, but it is not enough for Galliani.

“I don’t understand why the Coppa Latina trophies we won don’t count, seeing as the Boca Juniors list has some very strange tournaments,” he complained.

“Still, we are on 17 cups along with Boca and the most successful side in Europe with 14 UEFA trophies ahead of Real Madrid’s 12.”

FIFA and UEFA do not recognise the Coppa Latina, a tournament played between 1949 and ’57 between sides from France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Milan won the competition in 1951 and ’56 before it was effectively replaced by the European Cup.

“Now we are facing the biggest trophy a club football player can aim for – a wonderful and intriguing tournament.”

Please... only in size maybe! And is it just me or does he try to sound like a poet to mellow things up??

Please... only in size maybe! And is it just me or does he try to sound like a poet to mellow things up??

Boca Captain Palermo: We Will Miss Riquelme

Martin Palermo has rued the absence of Juan Roman Riquelme from the Boca Juniors lineup to contest the Club World Cup, but he remains confident of success...


Martin 'El Loco' Palermo is disappointed with the absence of Juan Roman Riquelme from the Boca Juniors Club World Cup side.

The playmaker, who jsut returned to Boca from Villarreal, is ineligible to play in the competition that may see the Buenos Aires side meet AC Milan in the final.

"We will miss Riquelme," Palermo told Reuters.

"He is a terrific player and took much of the responsibility on his shoulders.

"But the rest of the players need to work hard to fill the gap left by his absence here. We're desperate to take the trophy back to Argentina."

Boca must negotiate past either Pachuca of Mexico or Tunisia's Etoile du Sahel in order to reach the final, where they will almost certainly encounter AC Milan.

The rossoneri are the tournament favourites, but Palermo hopes that his side's prior history in the competition will help them along.

Indeed, they won this tournament's precursor, the Intercontinental Cup, on three occasions, most notably beating AC Milan themselves on penalties in 2002 and Real Madrid in 2003 in a match in which Palermo scored twice.

"That was an unforgettable night," he continued.

"To score two goals to beat a great club like Real Madrid was incredible. You only get that sort of feeling once in a lifetime.

"No disrespect to our team but Milan are frightening.   Nevertheless if we play them in the final it will be one game and it's in those situations where we thrive -- it doesn't matter who it is."