FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP FINAL Manchester United 1 Liga de Quito 0: ALEX FERGUSON feared the Club World Cup could have repercussions for Manchester United and now he can name the time and place when its impact will be felt: February 24th, 2009, at the San Siro, when their defence of the Champions League will continue without Nemanja Vidic after his foolish dismissal against Liga de Quito.
Right now, however, that seems a small price to pay for a club who like to think themselves the biggest in the world and can now officially claim to be the best.
While Wayne Rooney received a car from Toyota as the player of this tournament and the architect of United's 2008 treble - champions of England, champions of Europe and now champions of the world - Vidic collected a needless red card for an elbow on Claudio Bieler in the 49th minute of yesterday's final.
The influential central defender will be suspended for United's next Champions League game at Internazionale, given that it is technically a qualifying event for the Club World Cup, and possibly longer once Fifa passes its official report on to Uefa's disciplinary committee.
"He will get at least a one-match ban," a Fifa spokesman confirmed. "A Fifa commission will have to meet to decide if they will recommend any more to Uefa."
Not even Ferguson could find room for complaint. "He just pushed it into him really. It was soft, but if you do that in front of the referee you give yourself no chance," the United manager admitted. "It's disappointing. It was unnecessary because the two central defenders were having the easiest night they had had for ages. I don't know how long the ban will be but I hope it is not too bad for us."
Ferguson had every right to be aggrieved with the Serbian international, who refused to discuss the incident afterwards as he told waiting reporters: "This is not a good time for me." At least he got that right. The elbow was an unnecessary risk in a final United had dominated and an undeserved diversion from the achievement of becoming the first English team to win the Club World Cup in its expanded form.
As has been the case throughout United's time in Japan, Rooney revelled in the occasion and delivered the victory the team deserved with the goal his outstanding display merited in the 73rd minute. The winner, swept into the far corner of Jose Cevallos's goal after Michael Carrick and Cristiano Ronaldo had combined to tee him up on the left of the area, spared United the anxiety of playing a further 30 minutes with 10 men against opponents who came to life only with defeat steadily closing in.
"It's an amazing feeling to be a world champion," said Rooney, whose demeanour has defied those who doubt the credibility of this tournament. "I looked at my phone in the dressingroom after I'd had a shower and there was a text from a friend saying 'Congratulations, you're a world champion'. That's a great feeling, one that no one can ever take away from you. It's the perfect way to end the year, winning a third trophy to go with the Premier League and Champions League."
Rooney epitomised United's greater ambition and quality from the start, forcing two saves from Cevallos with thunderous attempts in the first half and also chipping just over the Liga de Quito goal when played through by the first in a series of incisive passes from Carrick.
The only time Rooney suffered any discomfort was when handed a giant golden car key in the post-match presentation. How big must the car be? Theoretically this was a contest between the first - and second-best club sides in the world but the Ecuadorians' true status undermines Fifa's desire to have this event appreciated throughout the world. Liga de Quito arrived with only two objectives in mind: to stage a damage-limitation exercise and to attempt to damage Ronaldo's ankles. Only in the final stages did they show the quality or desire that brought them the Copa Libertadores this year.
This event may lack prestige in Europe but, Vidic apart, United will not rue the exertion required to become world champions.
LIGA DE QUITO: Cevallos, Norberto Araujo, Calle (Ambrossi 77), Campos, Calderon, Reasco (Larrea 82), Urrutia, William Araujo, Manso, Luis Bolanos (Navia 87), Bieler. Subs Not Used: Dominguez, Obregon, Delgado, Eder Vaca, Danny Vaca, Chango, Viteri. Booked: Bieler, Campos, Cevallos, Calle, William Araujo.
MANCHESTER UTD: Van der Sar, Rafael Da Silva (Neville 85), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Anderson (Fletcher 87), Park, Tevez (Evans 51), Rooney. Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Berbatov, Giggs, Nani, Scholes, Welbeck, O'Shea, Gibson, Amos. Sent Off: Vidic (49). Booked: Anderson. Goals: Rooney 73. Attendance: 62,619.
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov(Uzbekistan).
• Guardian Service
