Madrid to stage centenary tournament

Real Madrid CF have organised a four-team tournament to be held in August as part of their centenary celebrations.

Fab four
Milan AC, FC Bayern München and Liverpool FC will join Madrid in a tournament that brings together the four most successful clubs in European club competition history to celebrate their centenary. Madrid have eight European Champion Clubs' Cups to their name, Milan five and Bayern and Liverpool four each.

Clash of the titans
The tournament is scheduled to take place at the Santiago Bernabéu from 1-3 August, and will involve semi-final matches on 1 and 2 August followed by a final on 3 August. The tournament may represent an opportunity for Milan's Argentinian international Fernando Redondo - still yet to appear in Serie A due to injury - to return to the club he left in summer 2000.

'Best club of the century'
It is just one of a number of major events taking place to celebrate the Merengues' centenary, along with an exhibition match against a world all-star eleven scheduled to take place on 18 December. FIFA have already announced that on that day no other football matches should be played worldwide to honour the club recently voted the best of the last century.

Charity fixture
Another match in connection with the centenary celebrations is scheduled to take place on 8 August in New York. Madrid will play Mexico and the revenues generated from this match will be donated to charity. On the same day, the General Assembly of the United Nations will receive the Madrid club officials at their headquarters in New York.