The circus has pulled up stakes and is leaving town. But it sure was fun to have Blatter Bros. Barnum & Bailey in town for consecutive Decembers. It’s not as if we here in the Gulf get to see elite teams playing hard. They might drop by for a winter-training-camp friendly (like AC Milan will on Jan. 2), but play hard? Not here. Unless it’s the Club World Cup.

Barcelona last year, Inter Milan this year, playing like the games mean something … that’s special.

And I wrote tonight about the chances of Abu Dhabi/the UAE getting the tournament back. That story is here.

So, yes, the local Football Association would like to have the event back, perhaps as soon as 2013. But nothing gets done here without the government signing off on it, and that hasn’t happened yet … and actually doesn’t have to until next year, when Fifa invites bids.

A rumor floating around out here is that Qatar might bid for the 2013 Club World Cup. To get more practice running international events and, also, perhaps to brace itself for an influx of European and South American soccer fans. They will arrive with some habits that normally are not seen in public in Qatar, a more conservative place than is the UAE.

A Qatar bid might be tough to beat. But you can’t win the race without a horse in it, and I believe the UAE should try. The Formula One race here is a big deal, and an annual thing for the foreseeable future, but I believe the Club World Cup has been the biggest sports event in this country since I’ve been here. Fifa figures 70 million people watched the 2009 final. That’s a very big number for an event originating in Abu Dhabi.

So, we shall see. It was fun, now it’s done. Japan in 2011 and 2012. But maybe back here for lucky 2013.