It does not get much bigger than this for Arab football fans as well as those in Asia and Africa. Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia take on Egypt’s Al-Ahly in Jeddah on Friday. The prize for the winner is a FIFA Club World Cup semifinal against Fluminense of Brazil and a lot more besides as two of the biggest Arab clubs meet on the global stage.
Any Saudi Arabia and Egyptian clash, the two major powers of the region, as well as Asia and Africa in a competitive setting, is special — though Asia has a better head-to-head record at the World Cup, winning 12 of 19 meetings.
On the one hand,…
