Video replay helps Kashima Antlers beat Atletico Nacional to reach Club World Cup final

So the team that qualified for the World Club tournament by winning the...JLeague, is in the final. Serves the organisers right for making such a silly arrangement. If Kashima were entered then so could Leicester, Bayern, Juve etc.

It's called the host nation slot and is applied in the World Cups as well.

striking a Cristiano Ronaldo-style pose in celebration.

Silly me, I thought he was dabbing.

It was actually a pretty good game, a very high intensity not usually seen in J League matches and was pretty amusing the first ever Video Ref decision was a penalty award. Although if you look at the replays it was clearly a penalty. The only problem was that it took quite a long time for the decision, although that did include about 2 minutes of Atletico Nacional players complaining to the ref and refusing to make way for the penalty. If they can speed up the decision process then it should be adopted throughout FIFA

It's called the host nation slot and is applied in the World Cups as well.

Huge difference between getting a bye into a 32 nation tournament where 64 games are reliant on home ticket sales, and getting a bye into an 8 game tournament with 7 teams. In 1998 the host World Cup nation won the tournament but were recognised as the best team in the world anyway. And if Real have an off day and Kashima become World Club Champions? What a complete joke that would be.

@tigers: you certainly can't organize a party, huh? Lol

Lost, dont get me wrong. I understand a host club in a hosts tournament etc. But if FIFA need Kashima Antlers support for Japanese fans to turn up for the World Club Cup then they are desperate and should host the tournament elsewhere.

Tiger, your point is clueless: in every sport the host nation has rights to be automatically qualified. It would be very senseless to Russia soccer team not to participate in the next WC according to your "organization" method

Win or lose the J-media will sing how kashiwa has made history and is the best, if not, second best club on the planet.

Tiger, your point is clueless: in every sport the host nation has rights to be automatically qualified. It would be very senseless to Russia soccer team not to participate in the next WC according to your "organization" method

Read my post with a little more diligence and care next time. If FIFA are so desperate that they need to throw the J-League winners into the World Club Championship just for ticket sales, thereby ignoring great 2016 teams such as Bayern and Juve, then just move the tournament elsewhere. Yet again someone is comparing a 7 team/ 8 game trophy to a 32 team/ 64 game tournament. And the J-League has no right to own the World Club Championship. Just because it is sponsored by Toyota.

And you are completely ignoring customs of international tournament of sport in which host nations are provided slots to the tournament.

IF Kashima is to win against Real Madrid, which would probably the biggest UPSET in the entire history of professional football, then they really deserve it since they won against all the continental teams they fought against.

And you are completely ignoring customs of international tournament of sport in which host nations are provided slots to the tournament.

Its not a tournament. It lasts for only 8 games and the top 2 seeds only play twice max.

IF Kashima is to win against Real Madrid, which would probably the biggest UPSET in the entire history of professional football, then they really deserve it since they won against all the continental teams they fought against.

Absolute, total, nonsense. Even if Kashima were to win by an upset, how on earth could you possibly call them world club champions?! The J-League only get a team in because Toyota sponsor it.