By Phil McNulty Chief football writer

Fifa unveils new event

Fifa president Sepp Blatter is in the process of building another monument to his personal vanity with the return of the ill-fated World Club Championship.

Blatter backs the re-introduction of the tournament in Japan in December 2005 - and hopes to win approval at a Fifa executive meeting in London on 29 February.

The competition has had a chequered history since the 2000 event in Brazil, but Blatter has always been determined to ignore logic and stage another run-out for this unwanted invasion into football's already over-crowded calendar.

It is almost impossible to see the appeal of dragging teams from football's various continents to Japan in mid-season.

And Manchester United's experiences in Brazil will not whet the appetite for a dish that hardly qualifies as the main course for the world's top clubs.

Blatter claimed the new "slimline" format would be "an expression of solidarity in world football" - but it is a theory based on shaky foundations.

We do not believe that there is a need or a desire for this competition among European clubs, fans, players or commercial partners European Club Forum statement - Jan 2003

United scored a massive public relations own goal when they pulled out of the FA Cup to take part in the tournament in 2000 - and some still say this manouevre removed some of the gloss from England's most glamorous domestic tournament forever.

And events on the field did not turn out much better, with United having David Beckham sent off in the opening 1-1 draw against Mexico's Necaxa before losing 3-1 to Brazil's Vasco da Gama.

Some semblance of respectabilty was restored with a 2-0 win against South Melbourne, but it was not enough to put United in to the last four and they returned home having enjoyed what was little more than a glorified mid-season break.

Sao Paolo's Corinthians beat Vasco da Gama in the final, but it was not the stuff that left you wanting more.

This much was proved when a second competition scheduled for Spain in 2001 was scrapped amid claims it was struggling to attract serious sponsors.

Blatter blustered about "various factors...commercial difficulties" - which included the not inconsiderable concerns of fixture congestion.

And this will be of major concern to managers who may take their team to Japan as Champions League winners, such as Ferguson, Arsenal's Arsene Wenger or Chelsea's Claudio Ranieri as they contend with Premiership and European demands, plus the domestic cup competitions.

Ferguson may not welcome trip to Japan

Fifa has insisted the European and South American champions would be seeded, join the event in the semi-finals and play no more than two games in a tournament lasting only eight days - but even this concession is unlikely to find favour.

But Blatter has been determined to stage the competition again, with Fifa keen to be involved with rich major clubs.

In January 2003, the European Club Forum, a group representing 102 of Europe's top clubs met at Uefa headquarters in Switzerland and publicly declared they would not welcome its return.

A statement said: "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 future."

This, of course, cut no ice with Blatter, who promised it would return and is still set on his wrong-headed course.

No matter how Blatter applies his window dressing to this shabby adventure, it makes no sense to re-introduce a tournament that was a failed experiment in a previous life.

But Blatter is too thick-skinned to be diverted by this discontent - and expect pressure to be applied to clubs who qualify for the dubious honour of partaking in Sepp's latest sideshow to ensure their appearance.