If you can't stand the heat, get out of the tournament: that's what appeared to be the message Manchester United received and then recycled over the past 11 days in sultry Rio de Janeiro. The difficulty for Europeans dealing with high temperatures and oppressive humidity was mentioned many times by Alex Ferguson and there was merit in his climate warnings.
However, what Ferguson and United did next is sure to be of renewed annoyance in England, especially at Leeds United and Arsenal. The latter are perhaps United's most realistic Premiership challengers and, after their Brazilian exit, United's next opponent on Monday week.
Because, despite effectively being eliminated from this competition last Saturday night by Vasco da Gama, and recognising that fact by playing an unrecognisable line-up against South Melbourne on Tuesday, United did not speed for Manchester yesterday morning. Nor will they dash for home this morning.
No, what United have decided to do is remain in Rio until late tonight. They will arrive in Manchester tomorrow. That, as Arsene Wenger and David O'Leary are sure to point out shortly, means that the United first team have spent a fortnight of January avoiding heavy pitches and the draining FA Cup in the sunshine of South America. It amounts to a winter break and it is certain to be viewed as an unfair one.
Since drawing 2-2 at Sunderland on December 28th, Ferguson's first XI will have played 180 minutes against Necaxa and Vasco by the time they host Arsenal at Old Trafford on January 24th. In the same period Arsenal will have played at Sheffield Wednesday, at home to Leeds and Sunderland and had two FA Cup ties with Leicester.
Given that the Vasco match was over by half-time, United's only truly strenuous exertions came against Necaxa and that means that Jaap Stam and Roy Keane, for example, will have had 14 days rest between Vasco and Arsenal.
There are apparently very tasty odds on the Mancunian club winning the Premiership by 12 clear points and it feels like a worthwhile wager. On Sunday morning after the Vasco result Ferguson was already gearing himself up for what awaits on his return, stating chirpily that one of their three fixtures needing rearranging had been sorted out already - Saturday the 29th, an FA Cup weekend - and following their anti-climax to this competition Andy Cole and Gary Neville both showed with their words that all United eyes are now on domestic issues.
"People warned us about the effect it might have on us physically," said Neville. "But it won't have done us any harm in terms of fitness. Tokyo and the Intercontinental Cup in December was a tiring trip and this has been nothing like Tokyo. Jet-lag and tiredness won't be a problem. We have had some fantastic days in training."
Cole was as positive. "It helps that back home the results have gone for us," he said. "It helps that we are going home to a healthy position in the league, we could never have expected it to go so well back home. Now we have to go home and win the Premiership." Ferguson said of the immediate future: "all the players here are fit to meet Arsenal," an ominous noise.
Brazil is already a past tense discussion for United. For others, though, it is still the issue and there is widespread disillusion that United have not contributed more to it.
Eurico Miranda, the Vasco da Gama chairman, was brutal with his verdict. "They have been a disappointment in this tournament on the sort of stage you should be judged," he said. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has been in Rio this week and in the Brazilian papers is said to have had a private dinner with Ferguson on Monday night. Ronaldo is alleged to have told Ferguson of his desire to play in England. The small problem with this story is that Ronaldo was in a restaurant called Antiquarius on Monday night and Ferguson was not. The reason this is known is that Ronaldo annexed a table reserved for some of the members of the London press corps waiting in reception.
