Healthy crowds and Messi mania lift Club World Cup, but quality gap shows

MIAMI :The expanded Club World Cup has kicked off with healthy crowds, "Messi mania" and a festival atmosphere in Miami, giving an early vindication to world football body FIFA after fears of empty stands and global disinterest.

FIFA controversially awarded Lionel Messi's Inter Miami a backdoor route into the tournament, ensuring the sport’s biggest name would be there after he propelled soccer to new heights in a country often ambivalent to the world’s most popular game.

Some 61,000 fans packed the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday to watch the Argentine and teammates play Egyptian giants Al-Ahly in a goalless draw.

Another strong crowd turned out on Sunday for the clash between Paris St Germain and Atletico Madrid, which ended in a one-sided 4-0 win for the Champions League winners.

However, Bayern Munich’s 10-0 demolition of semi-professional Auckland City underscored the worrying gulf in quality between some of the competing clubs.

But the opening weekend largely delivered what FIFA had hoped for: vibrant crowds and global representation.

South American supporters made their presence especially felt.

More than 1,000 Boca Juniors fans in blue and gold turned Miami Beach into a party strip on Sunday ahead of their opening match, singing club anthems and waving flags in scenes reminiscent of a World Cup carnival.

"Wherever you go, Boca is here,” Gaston San Paul, a fan who flew in from Entre Rios in Argentina, told Reuters.

“Wherever we are we do this,” he added, referring to the "Banderazo" (flag party), a fan gathering destined to mark territory ahead of a game.

Boca and Real Madrid games were among the top early ticket sellers, according to FIFA, which said that top markets after the U.S. were Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.

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