The FIFA Weekly Issue #14

ISSUE 14/2015, 10 APRIL 2015

ENGLISH EDITION

Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Since 1904

New York Cosmos with Raul

Back to the future CANADA 2015 ECUADOR TARGET LAST SIXTEEN BERTH

LUCAS BARRIOS “I’M A GOALSCORER FOR LIFE”

MALAWI BIG BULLETS AIM FOR 13TH LEAGUE CROWN W W W.FIFA.COM/ THEWEEKLY

THIS WEEK IN THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL

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North and Central America 35 members www.concacaf.com

New York Cosmos Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Giorgio Chinaglia brought soccer stardom to the Big Apple in the 1970s, but by 1985 the club they had represented was disbanded. Emanuele Giulianelli reports on the recently re-established New York Cosmos, now striving for recognition in US football’s second tier.

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Lucas Barrios The striker suffered a loss of form after a glorious period with Dortmund. In an interview with The FIFA Weekly, the Paraguayan explains how he rediscovered his scoring instincts in Montpellier.

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S epp Blatter In his weekly column, the FIFA President says: “The example of Costa Rica is a model for CONCACAF’s other associations to follow.”

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K ick-off in Malawi With the south-east African state’s Super League due to get underway once more on 18 April, the new season promises to spring a few surprises.

South America 10 members www.conmebol.com

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Raul The former Real Madrid star discusses his move to the USA.

Back to the future Our cover shows Spanish star Raul in New York Cosmos kit, against a backdrop of famous landmarks from the Big Apple.

The FIFA Weekly Magazine App The FIFA Weekly Magazine is available in four languages and also on your tablet every Friday. http://www.fifa.com/mobile

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FIFA Women’s World Cup 6 June – 5 July 2015, Canada

Getty Images, Estuardo Vera

Mario Wagner / 2Agenten (illustration)

THIS WEEK IN THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL

Europe 54 members www.uefa.com

Africa 54 members www.cafonline.com

Asia 46 members www.the-afc.com

Oceania 11 members www.oceaniafootball.com

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Dan Ito The 39-year-old from Japan has played football in 18 different countries.

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Ireland Recent acquisition Michael Drennan is off to an impressive start for Shamrock Rovers.

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David Maher / Sportsfile, Namzay Kumutha

Ecuador “We can also dream of winning the World Cup,” says coach Vanessa Arauz.

Blue Stars / FIFA Youth Cup

FIFA U-20 World Cup

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup

FIFA U-17 World Cup

13/14 May 2015, Zurich, Switzerland

30 May – 20 June 2015, New Zealand

9 – 19 July 2015, Portugal

17 October – 8 November 2015, Chile

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UNCOVERED

Summer love

Mario Wagner / 2Agenten

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any non-Americans occasionally feel an urge to explore the enormous and diverse USA, perhaps when a dusty recording of Frank Sinatra plays on the radio and Ol’ Blue Eyes sings about the city that never sleeps. That said, the lyrics to this particular tune seem nonsensical and even annoying when you consider firstly that cities do not need any sleep and secondly that there are plenty of equally exciting places around the world.

Having said that, perhaps New York is unique because it continues to attract people who not only have crazy ideas but also manage to bring them to fruition. At the start of the 1970s, Warner Communications boss Steve Ross had one such notion. Together with the Ertegun brothers from Atlantic Records, he founded a football club called New York Cosmos and lured the sport’s veteran stars to the city from all around the globe. Although this glamorous project worked extremely well for a few years, it ultimately failed to generate widespread appeal. Cosmos became little more than an adventure – something of a summer romance.

After being revived in 2010, the club now exists as a much more down-toearth outfit in US football’s second tier. Nevertheless, many still yearn for a return to past glories, as our report beginning on page six explains. “We want to be an accepted and respected club, including by those on the other side of the ocean,” says coach Giovanni Savarese. “Cosmos should be able to compete with any opponent both in the USA and abroad.” Although this sentiment might seem ambitious, it is perfectly in keeping with a city like New York. Å Alan Schweingruber

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NEW YORK COSMOS

WHERE STARS STILL Cosmos stars past and present: Raul, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia, Pele, Johan Neeskens (from l. to r.).

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NEW YORK COSMOS

SHINE

New York Cosmos burst into the soccer stratosphere in the Seventies, only to fade away in the mid-1980’s.

Now though, as Emanuele Giulianelli reports, the once glamorous club are back, winning titles in the NASL and craving recognition again.

Illustration: Mario Wagner

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ew York Cosmos’ increasingly cosmopolitan aspirations have become apparent in recent months. Chairman Seamus O’Brien announced that the Cosmos will play a friendly against Cuba in Havana on 2 June, thereby ­b ecoming the first American side to play a football match in the country since 1978.

In so doing, coach Giovanni Savarese’s charges will be ambassadors in thawing political relations and promoting diplomatic rapprochement between the USA and the Caribbean island state. “For me it’s a big honour to be captain of New York Cosmos,” said 34-year-old defender Carlos Mendes. “After all, it’s a very important club historically and some of the greatest players of all time have played here.

I’m very proud of that. With regard to the game in Cuba, there was fantastic collaboration between the owners of the club, the heads of American soccer and the State Department.” Indeed, the fixture is more about global affairs and bilateral relations between the two countries than it is about football. “Nevertheless, first and foremost it’s still a football game for us,” Mendes continued. “We’ll be playing against a strong side, the Cuban national team, and they play good football.

We’re already looking forward to the game.”

Pele, Chinaglia and Beckenbauer New York Cosmos had a global reach even in their early years. The franchise was founded in 1970 by Steve Ross of Warner Communications and Turkish brothers Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun of Atlantic Records. The following year the Cosmos joined the fourth season of the North American Soccer League (NASL), the highest division in America and Canada at the time. Back then, home games were played in the New York Yankees’ baseball stadium, before the club moved to the Hofstra Stadium in 1972 and won their first title that same year. Then, in 1973, one of the most radical events in the Cosmos’ history took place.

In true Hollywood style, Ross held a press conference to anounce that Warner had bought out the other ten shareholders with the aim of taking the club to the very top of the game.

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COSMOS NEW YORK

When a certain Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, arrived in the Big Apple on 10 June 1975 to play for the Cosmos, the rest of the world stared on in disbelief. Since when had Americans taken an interest in football? The global media spotlight was trained on the New York franchise in a manner reminiscent of the launch of a new film – as was to be expected from a film production company like Warner. Pele joined on a three-year deal worth over $USD 4.5m, putting

In the 1978/79 campaign the average attendance was almost 50,000 spectators per game. pen to a complex contractual agreement that was divided into five sections, factoring in such details as his image and public relations rights.

For a country new to the football business, the transfer was quite a coup. Even US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger got involved to encourage the Brazilian government to persuade the initially hesitant Pele to make the move.

Ross wanted to make New York Cosmos part of his media empire by making soccer a marketing tool, a means of communication through

which not only audiences in New York or the USA could be reached, but people everywhere on the planet. Pele’s pulling power was so strong that other big names in world football, most of whom were approaching the end of their careers, soon signed up for an American adventure.

Among them were 29-year-old Italian centre-forward Giorgio Chinaglia, whose outspoken manner rubbed people up the wrong way in his home country, Brazilian World Cup winner Carlos Alberto and ’Kaiser’ Franz Beckenbauer, who joined the Cosmos in 1977.

Game over in 1985 Giorgio Chinaglia Jr., whose father ‘Long John’- as he was dubbed by Lazio supporters – passed away three years ago, still has vivid memories of his father’s glamorous spell at the Cosmos: “My dad had an extraordinary time at the club. He moved to the USA for two reasons: he wanted to be one of the people who took football to America and he wanted to protect his family,” he said. “Dad was never worried about going up against the star players who were with him in the squad at the time. He always wanted to be the best anyway. He had a lot of respect for the big international players who were his team-mates, but he wanted to show everyone that he was the best player ever to have gone to America. A lot of things have been written about my father. The truth is, he had a clear vision of how a football team could become a team of winners and he always expressed his opinion, regardless of whether it was asked for or not. A lot of Italian fans were shocked by his decision to leave Italy and become an American citizen, but they all still celebrated whenever he scored. As for the American fans, they were beside themselves whenever he got the ball. He was their big hero.”

Mike Stobe/Getty Images for New York Cosmos

Into the fray Cosmos captain Paulo Mendes and his team-mates take to the field in Hempstead in September 2013.

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NEW YORK COSMOS

Franz Beckenbauer In 1977 the world’s best sweeper moved from Munich to New York.

imago (2)

Pele The Brazilian hung up his boots in October 1977. He was acclaimed in a farewell game between the Cosmos and FC Santos.

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NEW YORK COSMOS

“I’m committed to the Cosmos” Which are your best memories of Real Madrid?

I have a lot of very special memories from Real Madrid - the Champions League wins and playing with players like Fernando Hierro, Luis Figo and Roberto Carlos. It’s difficult in so many years to pick just one memory. But I always say the same thing – the first game was the most memorable. When I was young, my dream was to be a professional player so when that came true for me on the day of my debut it was amazing. I remember everything about that day, the 24 hours before the game and afterwards.

“When my playing career ends, my plan is to build an academy here” Raul Gonzales After three Champions League triumphs with Real Madrid, the 37-year-old is now on the hunt for goals at New York Cosmos.

How are things in the USA? How is this new experience?

Raul Gonzales My wife and I love it in New York: it’s a city we’ve always liked.

Who doesn’t like New York? When you are here you’re a bit more anonymous.

It’s nice to be able to go out and walk around freely.

Why did you decide to go to play in the US? At this moment in time soccer is beginning to take a stronghold in the U.S. and for me, I’m really excited to be

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part of that and especially the Cosmos – a team that has such a great history and was one of the first to put soccer on the map in the U.S.

How is the level of football in the United States?

I was really surprised to see the level of NASL games when I watched a Cosmos game last October. I know the NASL will be a good challenge for me. It’s a competitive league, and a physically demanding one.

Are you still a Real Madrid supporter?

I still give my full support to Real Madrid even now, more than ever.

How many more years do you want to play?

There are no limits and deadlines.

I hope to play for many, many more years. When the body says that’s it, then I will be more involved in the Cosmos academy.

What do you want to do after football?

Would the role of youth development chief be good for you?

My plan is to build an academy and work on this project with the Cosmos when I retire. I’m committed to being here with the Cosmos now. If I return to Spain at any given time, for obvious reasons it would probably be with Real Madrid. Whatever I’m doing here now

NEW YORK COSMOS

Pele’s last season at the Cosmos was in 1977 but in subsequent years more of the game’s greats headed stateside, including Dutchman Johan Neeskens, Italian Pino Wilson, who was captain of Lazio’s championship winning team in 1974, and Yugoslavian Vladislav Bogicevic, while Beckenbauer also returned briefly. In the 1978/79 campaign the average attendance was almost 50,000 spectators per game.

Pele’s presentation in 1975 was like the launch of a new film in front of the global media.

with the Cosmos would be a great experience to go and apply with Real Madrid, or anywhere else.

Who was the best coach you had, and why?

It difficult to choose just one. I can pick out three: Jorge Valdano, who was my coach at Real Madrid when I played my first game as a professional Also I’d say Fabio Capello. He came from Italy and brought a different footballing mentality, which helped me improve a lot. And the last one is Vicente Del Bosque. He was in charge when we won two Champions League titles. He’s a very good coach and a very good person.

Yet after enjoying several years of glamour the curtain came down on New York Cosmos in 1985, three years after they won the last of their five NASL titles. The club’s dissolution was unspectacular and put down to the American public’s lack of enduring interest in the game. The Cosmos could no longer afford to pay the huge running costs and exorbitant salaries and closed their doors for good after Giorgio Chinaglia had bought the club in a final desperate rescue attempt. The team did not even finish the 1984/85 indoor championship. The dream was over.

Is it true that one of your regrets is not having played with Francesco Totti?

Totti is a magnificent player, one of the best of this generation. Who wouldn’t want to play with a talent like that?

You went to play in Qatar: was it only for money?

Giorgio Chinaglia The charismatic Italian was in his prime when he played for the Cosmos between 1976 and 1983.

No, I love to work with children and coach them. A big part of my decision to go to Qatar, where I could keep playing, was because I could also spend more time working with children in the Aspire Academy.

Cosmos New York, Keystone

Raul was speaking to Emanuele Giulianelli

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NEW YORK COSMOS

When friends become opponents Beckenbauer (left) and Muller on 20 July 1979.

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y signing for New York Cosmos in 1975, Pele is gener ally considered to have brought football to the USA – or, to put it another way, to have put the countr y on the beautiful game’s wor ld map. Whatever the case, the Brazilian legend is credited with delivering fantastic imag es of him playing alongside Franz Beckenbauer in a manner few in Europe or South America could ever have imagined, but which was made possible by the lure of the New World and the ef for t s of Cosmos investors.

The Kaiser also enjoyed several reunions with former team mate s dur ing his time with the New Yor k club bet ween 1977 and 1980 and again in 1983, including those with whom he celebrated the greates t tr iumphs of his career and, in the case of Gerd Muller, someone who contributed decisively to these successes.

Together the Bomber – sometimes also af fec tionately re ferred to as kleines dickes Müller (“shor t fat Muller ”) – and the Kaiser became European champions in 1972, wor ld champions t wo years later and won the European Cup – today ’s Champions League – three times in succession be t ween 1974 and 1976 with Bayern Munich. Beckenbauer set the standard for the now largely unused sweeper position, providing brilliant f inal passes with the out side of his boot, while Muller f ired in goals from ever y conceivable angle and dis tance to collec t top scorer awards at the Wor ld Cup, European Championship and four European Cups.

Muller ’s stint at the For t Lauderdale Strikers bet ween 1979 and 1981 created the conditions for one more legendar y image – the sight of the Kaiser marking the Bomber in the New World.

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“New York Cosmos should be able to compete with any opponent. We want to be a respected club, on the other side of the ocean too.”

Coach Giovanni Savarese

Another former Spain international has joined him at the club, namely Marcos Senna, who won the 2008 European Championship.

Alongside the two Spaniards and captain Mendes, American defender Hunter Freeman and midfielder Danny Szetela are the key members of the team.

Raul in charge of a section of the youth academy Raul is more than just a footballer for the Cosmos: he is the face of the team and the poster boy for all occasions, from the season ticket advertising campaign to the launch of the second away shirt. Furthermore, he is also responsible for the technical management of the youth academy, a role that guarantees him a future in New York after his playing days are over. It also offers further evidence that the decision makers at the Cosmos have a very clear vision of how to build and run a football club in the 21st century.

Coach Savarese does too. “For me the most important thing is for us to perform as best we can and show our potential as a team from the very first game,” said the former Venezuela, Swansea and Perugia striker. “Raul brings a lot of class and experience to our team and that means our technical level has gone up significantly. Raul’s a great new signing and he drives us to keep improving.”

imago

Images from the New World

Carlos Alberto and Robert De Niro on board But dreams are not easily extinguished and in 2010 former Tottenham Hotspur vice-chairman Paul Kemsley, along with a number of partners, revived the New York Cosmos brand and the illustrious club.

Three years later they succeeded in incorporating the Cosmos as a franchise in the new NASL, the country’s second tier, and the club won the league title in their very first season back. Carlos Alberto and actor Robert De Niro both now own shares in the franchise, while Savarese, a Venezuelan with Italian roots, is coach. Last year Cosmos reached the SoccerBowl, the championship final, and are again aiming to finish at the top of the NASL this year. The Cosmos shareholders had planned for the present campaign to be the club’s first in the MLS, the north American top flight, which is structured on the NBA model of franchised teams. However, there is no promotion or relegation to and from the league; instead participation happens by invitation only, and while New York City and New York Red Bulls already compete in the MLS, the Cosmos do not.

Their most prominent new signing is Spanish striker Raul, a Real Madrid legend whose trophy cabinet bulges with six Spanish league titles, three Champions League crowns and two Intercontinental Cups. Raul made his debut a few days ago but was substituted after 53 minutes against Fort Lauderdale Strikers with an achilles complaint. Savarese soon allayed any injury fears by explaining that he had only been taken off as a precaution, and even without their star player the Cosmos won 1-0.

NEW YORK COSMOS

Global appeal Beckenbauer, Pele and Chinaglia in 1977.

imago,Matt Rourke/Keystone/AP

Savarese went on to underline why Cosmos’ absence from the MLS does not represent a major problem for the club, who are strongly geared towards an international market and do not want to limit themselves merely to the USA: “You’ve got to understand that first and foremost New York Cosmos want to be a real football team, a team that is respected both on and off the pitch, a team that can compete with any opponent both in the USA and abroad. We want everyone to know who we are: on the one hand because of our success on the pitch today, and on the other because of our golden past. We want to be an accepted and respected club, including by those on the other side of the ocean.

Alongside LA Galaxy, we’re probably the most important and wellknown name in American soccer because of our history. Our name means people all over the world can identify with us. Of course we want to be at the very top in the USA to.”

It is not inconceivable to imagine the Cosmos’ future lying in the MLS. In the meantime they have Raul, a cosmopolitan team with a global reach, and of course New York. The city itself is a recognised brand and a symbol the world over – just like Pele, and just like the Cosmos. Å

Publicity Cosmos striker Raul and former star Pele in Philadelphia (January 2015).

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For the Game. For the World.

FIFA is committed to developing football for the benefit of all. Our mission is to: Develop the game FIFA’s primary objective is to develop the game of football in our 209 member associations. The FIFA World Cup™ gives us the resources we need to invest USD 550,000 per day in football development across the globe.

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Build a better future Football is much more than just a game. Its universal appeal gives it a unique power and reach which must be managed carefully. FIFA believes it has a duty to society that goes beyond football.

TALK ING POIN T S

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T H E

Norway: Tippeligaen

C a l mer t i mes a re over Ben Lyttleton is a London-based freelance reporter and author.

Anders Hoven / Digitalsport

There was a sense of relief in the voice of Jostein Flo, the Strømsgodset sports director, after his club had sold Norwegian teenage sensation Martin Ødegaard to Real Madrid in January. “Things will probably be a bit calmer around here now,” he sighed. So it proved, at least until the Tippeligaen season began this week, with some surprising results in the opening round, among them Stromsgodset’s 3-1 defeat at Valerenga.

I N S I D E

But Norway’s real opening-day story belonged to an older man: Frode Johnsen, 41, took just eight minutes after coming off the bench to score against Molde, as his side Odd gained revenge for last season’s Cup final defeat with a stunning 2-1 win at the reigning champions. Ole-Jørgen Halvorsen’s last-minute winner sealed success for Odd, whose coach Dag-Eilev Fagermo remained adamant that Molde would still run away with the title.

Molde have won the league three times in the last four years – the first two under coach Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer, who laid much of the foundations for the current success – and last season finished eleven points clear of second-placed Rosenborg. Their points total of 71 was a record in a 30-game season and they beat Odd 2-0 in the Norwegian Cup final.

Their biggest test will come in July with the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. Rosenborg was the last Norwegian team to play in the group phase in 2007. If Molde qualify, and bring in the extra revenue from those European games, they could dominate Norwegian football like Rosenborg, who won 13 titles in a row from 1992 to 2004.

“There is an ideological split between the football authorities and the fans,” explained Mads Gudim Burheim, a reporter and TV presenter for Dagbladet. “The authorities want Molde to play Champions League, as that will improve the level of their game and help the national team. But fans want their teams to have a chance against the bigger teams in Norway.” The most attractive league is not always the one with the best quality, and if Molde’s success continues, it could be a double-edged sword for football in Norway. Å

Talented 18-year-old Iver Fossum is following in Martin Odegaard’s footsteps at Stromsgodset.

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Title contenders A fan watches an Interclube training session.

A touch of M i la n Emanuele Giulianelli is a freelance football correspondent

have gathered 11 points from their opening six games. Interclube are traditionally affiliated with the police and one of the country’s oldest clubs, having been founded in February 1976 before making their Girabola debut in 1984.

based in Milan.

The 37th season of Angola’s top flight, the Girabola, is now in full swing. The league’s inaugural campaign got underway in 1979, four years after the country gained its independence from Portugal. Primeiro de Agosto secured the inaugural title before triumphing again in the following two seasons. Almost four decades later Interclube top the table with 13 points after seven rounds of matches.

Hailing from the capital Luanda and with Bulgarian Ilian Iliev on the coach’s bench, the team currently boast both the most prolific attack and most formidable defence in the league.

Their two closest rivals are defending champions Recreativo Libolo – who have been led by French coach Sebastian Desabre since his Angolan predecessor Miller Gomes resigned – and Petro Luanda. Both sides 16

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Interclube top the table with 13 points after s­ even rounds of ­m atches.

Although Inter had to wait until 2007 before securing their first championship title, their second followed shortly afterwards in 2010 - the same year their Italian namesakes achieved a historic treble under Jose Mourinho by lifting the Serie A, Coppa Italia and UEFA Champions League trophies. Their moniker is not the only thing

the Luanda team share with Inter Milan; they also wear the same blue-and-black vertically striped kit. The two clubs have enjoyed a partnership since the Mourinho era, when a delegation from the Angolan side paid their European counterparts a visit. The Portuguese maestro may even have signed off on this particular endeavour given that his wife, Tami, was born in the southern African state.

Interclube’s greatest rivals in this year’s title race are likely to be their two current pursuers plus Primeiro de Agosto. Despite having only secured eight points so far this campaign, the armed forces’ favoured club boast an incredibly strong squad that appears to be hitting its stride after a resounding 3-0 away win at Progresso da Lunda Sul recently. The team’s name refers to the date on which it was founded in 1977; like Inter, they are based in Luanda and wear a vertically striped kit identical to that of a Serie A club – this time the red and black of AC Milan. As a result, it is easy for anyone watching a derby between the Angolan capital’s two largest sides to feel as though they have been transported to northern Italy. Å

AFP

Angola: Girabola

Ireland: Premier Division

Dren na n i n f i ne fet t le Alan Schweingruber is a staff writer on The FIFA Weekly.

David Maher / Sportsfile

Anyone unfamiliar with the Premier Division would be well advised to start following it more closely, as there are few European leagues more exciting than Ireland’s when it comes to title races. This island nation with a population of 4.5 million has no experience of the kind of two-tier league found in countries such as Germany or Spain. No fewer than eight different clubs have secured the title on the Emerald Isle over the past ten years. With the exception of Shelbourne, who enjoyed a phenomenal run of five league wins between 2000 and 2006 before being demoted to the First Division after suffering serious financial difficulties, all of those championship-winning sides still compete in the top flight.

With six rounds of Premier Division matches now complete – as in Scandinavia, the season is based around the calendar year – a frenetic situation is already unfolding. Hailing from the largest town in north-west Ireland, Sligo Rovers have made a surprisingly poor start to the current campaign. The 2012 champions have only managed two draws so far and slipped to the foot of the table last weekend.

To make matters worse, the club – owned by Sligo residents – were eliminated from the EA Sports Cup on Easter Monday after a 2-0 extra-time defeat by Northern Irish side Derry City. Although it should be noted that there is no shame in being beaten by a team that has won the competition a record ten times, the loss did little to lift the Rovers’ spirits as they face the prospect of a relegation battle.

Carlisle United before being dispatched to Portsmouth. Now back in Ireland, it already appears as though Shamrock Rovers made a superb acquisition in January. The 21-year-old delivered an outstanding performance on 3 April, scoring twice as his new team sealed a 3-0 league win against Galway United.

Meanwhile, a somewhat unhappy and complicated chapter seems to have drawn to a close for one Republic of Ireland U-21 striker. The young man in question, Michael Drennan, left his homeland to sign for Aston Villa in England in 2010 but failed to establish himself at the Birmingham club. After a nine-month injury layoff he was first sent out on loan to

The victory provides Shamrock Rovers with vital points in their title challenge against reigning champions and current league leaders Dundalk, who could only manage a 1-1 draw away to Limerick on their last outing.

The Dubliners are just two points off the lead in third place, with 2005 champions Cork City currently occupying the runners-up spot. Å

Shamrock Rovers appear to have made a superb acquisition.

Match-winner Michael Drennan celebrates after scoring for new club Shamrock Rovers in their 3-0 win against Galway United.

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THE INTERVIEW

“You must never doubt your own ability” Striker Lucas Barrios discusses his return to form, coming back to the Paraguay fold and the hopes resting on the shoulders of new Albirroja coach, Ramon Diaz.

Lucas, what has happened to your twin ­brother – the player who looked just like you and wore the same shirt but did not score a single goal for Montpellier until December?

Lucas Barrios: [laughs] It’s true that the first few months were tough. I arrived at the end of August and the time it took me to integrate into the team, move from Russia to France and get used to French football cost me a lot in terms of adaptation. By the end of November, I started to feel better, and in the first few games in December I started to play more regularly and began scoring again. Since then, my luck has returned in front of goal.

Was it easier working to get back to your best at Montpellier than it might have been at a big club, with lots of pressure?

For me, it’s difficult to say there’s no pressure. When you’ve achieved things in football in the past, people obviously have expectations. Montpellier expected a lot from me, and right from the very first months.

They wanted the Lucas who played for Dortmund. I went through a difficult time – everyone was asking why I’d chosen Mont­ pellier and told me I could’ve chosen a better club. But I made this choice because first and foremost they chose me and had faith in me.

I played with that pressure on me and I managed to get through that slightly tricky period.

Were you afraid that you might never get back to your best after those difficult times and the injuries you picked up in China and Russia?

The only thing keeping me away from my best level was a lack of consistent playing time. I came over from Russia without having played much, and that interrupted my rhythm. But I played in China, scored lots of goals and contributed to us winning the championship. After that I had to deal with an injury, which cost me my place and caused 18

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me to lose momentum. You can lose your rhythm, but you mustn’t doubt your ability.

I didn’t forget what I was able to do. Without momentum, it’s difficult to stay at your best level, but I never doubted that I’d be able to get back to it.

Ramon Diaz recently said that he is hoping for a lot from experienced players based in Europe. Is that not a perfect description of you?

Exactly, yes! [laughs] Myself and the other experienced players are always available to help the national team. Despite not being called up for two years and having turned 30, I never gave up on the idea of playing for the national side again and helping out. Ramon understands that he needs people – both players and staff – who’d never hesitate to make any sacrifice to help the national team, given the difficult years we went through.

If I don’t get called up, I can accept that and support my team without bitterness.

Right now, though, I have another chance to help directly, and my only goal is to take the national side back to the level it deserves to be.

After a good performance at the 2010 World Cup, Paraguay failed to qualify for Brazil 2014.

What changed in the space of four years?

After ‘Tata’ Martino left, it was difficult for us to stay on the same path. We tried to begin a new project but without really having enough time to do it. Several coaches came and went, and certain players were cast aside when, personally, I thought they could have brought something to the national team.

But those are the kinds of changes that are normal under any coach and in any national side. It’s a shame we couldn’t maintain stabi­ lity after our good results at the 2010 World Cup and the 2011 Copa America, but I think we’re on the right track again with a coach

who has an interesting squad of players. Some are more experienced and others are younger players who’ve already achieved something.

This side can do well under Ramon, who has a good approach to managing a squad. He can lead the national team to the objectives it deserves: a good Copa America and qualifica­ tion for the 2018 World Cup.

Another highlight for you was finishing top scorer in world football with 38 goals in 2008.

Is that the high point of your career so far?

I’m very proud of that and I don’t feel too far off that level. But when I look back at that time, and coming from Chile to Dortmund with those statistics and the title of world’s top scorer, lots of people said: “Scoring goals in South America is easy. Now we’ll see what he’s worth in Europe.” I spent several months adapting to life in Dortmund and it’s true that I didn’t score a lot, but afterwards I got 20-something goals at the end of my first season [23]. Following up like that was per­ haps more important than my title of top scorer in world football. And my situation in Montpellier is a bit similar. I took a few months to start scoring again, but now I’m up and running and back to being the Lucas who played for Dortmund. I’ve grown used to life in front of goal – I’m a goalscorer for life.

I always look for goal and I always will. It’s the best feeling of all to help your team by making your own contribution. Å Lucas Barrios was talking to Julien Sebbah

Name Lucas Ramon Barrios Caceres Date and place of birth 13 November 1984, San Fernando, Argentina Position Striker

Jean-Louis Fel / Presse Sports / freshfocus

Clubs (selected) 2003–2004 Argentinos Juniors, Argentina 2005 CD Temuco, Chile 2006 CA Tiro Federal, Argentina 2006–2007 CD Cobreloa, Chile 2007–2008 CF Atlas, Mexico 2008–2009 CSD Colo-Colo, Chile 2009–2012 Borussia Dortmund, Germany 2012–2013 Guangzhou Evergrande, China 2013 Spartak Moscow, Russia 2014- HSC Montpellier (loan), France Paraguay 23 appearances, six goals

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First Love Place: Sunji, Shanxi, China PR Date: 25 March 2015 T i m e : 7. 4 3 a . m .

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Talent scouts take note!

The curtain will soon be raised for the 77th edition of the Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup 2015, boasting an outstanding line-up full of budding superstars.

Up and coming

T Where stars are born The prestigious and historic Youth Cup in Zurich.

Kurt Schorrer / foto-net

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he Brazilian ball wizards of CA Paranaense are returning to ­Zurich to defend their 2014 title on 13 and 14 May, but face stiff competition from the likes of Werder Bremen, who hail from the land of the reigning world champions and boast one of the most successful youth teams in Germany. Last year’s beaten finalists Benfica bring a wealth of technical class and creativity to the tournament, and their fans are sure to provide a lively atmosphere. Meanwhile, Feyenoord’s junior side will be representing the Netherlands and an academy that continues to build on the achievements of the three-time World Cup finalists. The appearance of Swedish giants IFK Goteborg sees the return to Zurich of an old friend – Mats Gren.

The former Grasshoppers favourite and current head of sport at IFK now wants his youth team to replicate the success he had as a player.

Bursaspor boast one of the biggest fan bases in Turkey, and their players certainly make a noise on the pitch too. Based in the Anatolian city of Bursa, the club’s biggest success to date was becoming Turkish champions in the 2009/2010 season. FC Zurich, Grasshoppers, Lucerne and hosts Blue Stars complete the line-up and will once again prove that young Swiss players have nothing to fear when it comes to international competition.

One of Zurich’s oldest clubs, Blue Stars have been staging Switzerland’s most prestigious youth tournament since 1939. It quickly became one of those rare events that offer an opportunity to experience a variety of playing cultures, and it has certainly lost none of its international allure. The organisers always place a firm emphasis on footballing and cultural diversity, with 14 countries featuring in the roll call of winners, including all of those to have won the World Cup (apart from Uruguay), as well as other countries steeped in football tradition like Russia, Serbia and Portugal. Players who have gone on to become household names, including Bobby Charlton, Pep Guardiola, David Beckham, Nani, Kaka and Gerard Pique, along with Swiss stars Kobi Kuhn and Xherdan Shaqiri, have all left their mark on the competition. Å tfw

he Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean (CONCACAF) Congress on Thursday 16 April will bring back fond memories of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Of the four CONCACAF representatives, no fewer than three – Costa Rica, Mexico and USA – made the Round of 16 and laid down a clear marker. Simply by ­qualifying for the finals for the second time, Honduras provided a highlight of their own.

Costa Rica’s progress to the quarter-finals was the biggest surprise of the tournament, and even more so as the “Ticos” were ultimately only eliminated on penalties by the Netherlands. The example of Costa Rica clearly demonstrates just how much is possible even for smaller nations via continuous development and FIFA support programmes. Qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 1990 triggered an extraordinary footballing boom in Costa Rica, not least in youth development. That laid the foundations for today’s success and closed the gap on the leading CONCACAF associations, Mexico and USA. Costa Rica’s is a model for the other associations to follow.

If development efforts in terms of infrastructure and training are pursued with the same determination as in Costa Rica, sustainable growth is possible in other places too. Nations such as Panama, El Salvador and Canada have shown they are capable of a similar exploit on many occasions.

A glance at the statistics indicates the huge potential in north and central American and Caribbean football: even though it is the confederation with the third-smallest number of members, CONCACAF lies third in the all-time World Cup rankings behind only UEFA and CONMEBOL. USA are the only nation outside Europe and South America to end a World Cup in the top three, in 1930.

Benchmarks have also been set in terms of tournament organisation. The imposing Azteca Stadium was a magnificent centrepiece in 1986 when Mexico became the first nation to stage the World Cup finals twice. The 1994 tournament in the USA attracted a total of 3,587,538 spectators, an attendance record that stands to this day.

Football at the highest level returns to CONCACAF this year: the Women’s World Cup 2015, which kicks off on 6 June and features 24 teams for the first time. It marks a further highlight in the history of this great sporting region and is a great joy to me personally.

Many compliments to CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb for his successful leadership.

Best wishes, Sepp Blatter T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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M AL AWI

Anticipation builds ahead of Super League A model club and several quality foreign players have entered the race for the Malawi Super League.

A top team has received a lifeline too, writes Peter Kanjere in Chichiri, just days before the league starts on April 18th.

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arrest of some Bullets fans, including Mwamadi, on allegations of looting, including trophies, from the team’s club house in the ­commercial capital Blantyre.

Before the incident, pro-Msungama supporters led by Alick ­K azonda and Peter Tembo obtained a Blantyre High Court injunction against trustees meddling in executive committee affairs.

Defending champions Blantyre side Big Bullets are keen for this season to be as successful as the last campaign.

Bobby Kabango

I

n Malawi, a former British colony of 14 million people located in south-east Africa, football is the major form of entertainment.

Indeed, it is the next crowd puller after religion in the predominantly Christian nation.

Much is at stake this season as 15 teams, led by troubled defending champions Big Bullets, prepare to chase the $2,148 championship prize in the elite league sponsored by mobile phone services provider TNM to the tune of $154,761.

Chasing a record 13th league title, Bullets enter the race physically drained, financially cleaned out and administratively crippled by running squabbles at board level. Participation in the 2015 African Champions League, which ended with a first round 5-1 aggregate loss to El Hilal of Sudan, sparked allegations of financial mismanagement.

Supporters, led by their chairperson Stone Mwamadi, forced club chairperson Kondi Msungama’s brief resignation on March 30, 2015, only for him to bounce back following the intervention of the Football Association of Malawi. Msungama’s return coincided with the

Wanderers sign Lionel Asu Bullets’ rivals Mighty Wanderers, who endured a trophy-less season in 2014, are enjoying relative peace after landing one-year sponsorship worth $166,666 from Japan car dealers Be Forward. Wanderers have since hired head coach Elia Kananji to work under a restructured coaching panel comprising technical director Yasin Osman and football manager Eddingtone Ng’onamo.

“I have settled here. There is no pressure on me, but obviously the expectation of every coach is to win trophies,” explained Kananji who had previously been fired from the Bullets despite winning the league and cup. The stability at Wanderers has attracted a foreign player of the quality of striker Lionel Asu. The Cameroonian joins in the ­Malawi league Ghanaian Samuel Siaw, who has signed for capital city kings, Silver Strikers. However, Asu had a glimpse of the rough season ahead when he was fouled to spark violence during a friendly between Wanderers and Silver Strikers at the Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre on March 22, 2015. Two suspected hooligans are facing criminal charges at Blantyre Magistrates Court, raising fears ahead of next season.

Wanderers’ general secretary Mike Butao, whose side has not won the league since 2006, expects “a tough season. We are coming from position nine, so we are not kidding ourselves that it will be smooth sailing. It will take us about two years to get the team to where we want it to be.”

In Lilongwe, Silver coach Stan Chirwa has played down their ­lukewarm performances, including a 3-0 loss to Azam Tigers, in pre-season. Silver also have the Standard Knock-out Trophy to defend.

“There are no targets. We do not want to pile unnecessary pressure on the players,” Chirwa insists despite losing key players Chawanangwa Kawonga, Frank Banda and Charles Swini to Mozambican clubs.

Three new Super League entrants Every season, the Malawi league welcomes three rookies, each being second tier regional premier division champions who replace the bottom three relegated clubs. This season, Surestream FC, Dedza Young Soccer Stars and Mzuni FC come from the South, Centre and North to replace relegated Blantyre United, Chikwawa United and Karonga United.

Mzuni’s promotion was heavily contested as critics felt the Northern Region Football Association short-changed Chirumba Barracks who for a long spell led the promotion chase. Despite the Super League of Malawi (Sulom) provisionally planning around Mzuni’s promotion, FAM decided that Mzuni’s final match of last season against FC Kaporo should be replayed and their promotion has therefore been suspended. Dedza were also embroiled in controversy after coach Milias Pofera resigned and returned within two days, thereby rendering his supposed replacement Abbas Makawa assistant coach.

Among the newcomers, Surestream have a professional set up which could be a model in the Super League. The team has secured sound investment estimated at $1 million, thanks to United Kingdom sponsor Christopher Pitman. “This is my personal dream to develop the future of Malawi football by giving these young and talented players a chance to reach out for their dream. In ten years, these players should be able to play in the English Premier League and Serie A in Italy,” said Pitman whose company Surestream Petroleum has oil exploration interests on Lake Malawi.

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6 June - 5 July

M AL AWI

On the player front, Silver were dragged into player-tapping allegations involving Wanderers midfielder Timothy Chitedze. However, Sulom cleared Silver of wrongdoing while ordering them to pay a transfer fee to Wanderers.

“There are no targets.

We do not want to pile unnecessary pressure on the players” Silver coach Stan Chirwa

On the coaching front, there is little movement: Gerald Phiri, who resigned from Wanderers last season, has replaced Franco Ndawa at Tigers, whereas Leonard Mpulula has replaced Epac sacked coach Audloy Makonyola.

Airborne Rangers, Kamuzu Barracks, Mafco, Blue Eagles, Moyale Barracks, Red Lions and Civo United have stuck to their coaches.

Civo coach Oscar Kaunda led the Lilongwe side to a respectable fourth position last season and defender Emmanuel Zoya expects more from this campaign. “He is disciplined and does not favour players. Every player knows that selection is based on merit. Expect surprises from us this season,” Zoya said.

Indeed, the season promises surprises galore – hopefully only for good reasons. Å

New leadership The Mighty Wanderers (in dark blue) have a new coach in Elia Kananji.

Good preparations Big Bullets’ Sankhani Mkandawire takes on Ishmael Thindwa in a friendly against Zimbabwean side Caps United.

Peter Kanjere

FIFA in Malaw i T he F oot ball A s sociation of Malawi has f requent ly benef ited f rom FIFA development suppor t in recent years, including the construction of four technic al cent res in 2001, 2006, 2010 and 2013 f unded by t he Goal programme at a cos t of US $1.7m. Bet ween 2010 and 2014 F IFA inves ted a f ur t her US $2,050, 000 f rom t he F inancial A s sis t ance Programme.

A tot al of 1,580 adidas Goal foot balls were supplied bet ween 2003 and 2014.

Spiritual support The Tigers pray for a better league finish than last season’s 8th place.

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C O U N T D OW N T O C A N A DA 2015: 57 DAY S T O G O

Rodrigo Buendia / AFP

Penultimate hurdle Ecuador’s women’s team celebrate reaching the World Cup qualifying play-offs in September 2014.

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Ecuador counting on speed Vanessa Arauz, the 26-year-old coach of the Ecuador women’s national team, is meticulously preparing her side for the Women’s World Cup in Canada. There, she will become the youngest female coach in tournament history, and aim to lead her side to the Round of 16.

E

cuador’s hopes of qualifying for the Women’s World Cup hung by a thread on several occasions. The side ranked 48th in the world were 2-0 down after 30 minutes against Argentina in the Copa America, for example, but managed to fight back to win 3-2 and thereby secure a place in the play-offs against Trinidad and Tobago. Again, things could also have turned out differently had coach Vanessa Arauz had not been able to persuade striker Monica Quinteros to come out of retirement in time for those play-offs. It was Quinteros who scored in the 91st minute of the second leg in Port of Spain, heading in the only goal of the tie after the first leg had finished 0-0.

Reaching the finals is not something that can be taken for granted in Ecuador, where women, unlike their male counterparts, do not play in a professional league. Indeed, only since July 2013 has there been a regular 12-team domestic championship for women. Twenty-four of the 26 players in Ecuador’s preliminary squad ply their trade back home, with the other two playing in the USA - although they are not professionals either. In accordance with league regulations, every Ecuadorian club side must include at least two 14 to 17-year-olds.

“The league improves the quality of my players and young girls can start playing the game at an earlier age,” said Arauz. Female footballers still struggle for recognition in

57 DAYS TO GO

Ecuador, although almost 20,000 spectators were at the Atahualpa stadium in Quito for the first leg of the play-offs.

Arauz never played for Ecuador herself, but is nonetheless a trailblazer in her own right. The 26-year-old was the first Ecuadorian woman to become a certified football coach and has been responsible for the country’s women’s teams at all levels since 2013. Furthermore, she holds a diploma in sports psychology and is known to be a meticulous worker with a knack for motivating her players. Arauz has organised eight training camps in preparation for the World Cup and her plans have included getting the team playing on the artificial surfaces that are to be used at the tournament in March.

Her preferred 4-4-2 formation is built around a core of key players, including goalkeeper Shirley Berruz, defender Nancy Aguilar, midfielder Denise Pesantes and striker Quinteros, all of whom boast great experience and are the side’s leading figures. The average height in the team is 168 centimetres, making Ecuador one of the smaller sides in the competition. “That might mean we have a certain disadvantage in the air but we want to compensate for that with our speed and compactness,” said Arauz, who believes her charges are stable defensively, but have room for improvement in attack.

Ecuador’s most dangerous outlet in the final third is Quinteros, a 25-year-old PE teacher

from Guayaquil who scored 25 goals, many of which were headers, for her club 7 de febrero last season. She had stepped down from international duty because of difficulties in balancing her work commitments with playing for her country. However, given Quinteros’ importance to the side, Arauz did everything she could to find a solution to bring her back. “The aim of reaching the last 16 is easier with her on board,” explained Arauz, who views the team’s pivotal fixture en route to doing so as their second game against Switzerland, who are ranked 19th in the world. She accepts that overcoming defending champions Japan will a tough task, but insists that final group stage opponents Cameroon, who are ranked 53rd in the rankings and like Ecuador and Switzerland making their World Cup debut, are a more beatable side, albeit a more physically imposing one.

“We can also dream of winning the World Cup,” said Arauz, who will become the youngest coach in tournament history in Canada. Ecuador can expect a reception from president Rafael Correa upon their return home, an experience the squad are already familiar with. In February, Correa invited them to breakfast at the Palacio de Carondelet, the seat of government in the capital city of Quito, in recognition of their World Cup qualification. Å Peter Eggenberger

Hawk-Eye to be used at Women’s World Cup FIFA is pleased to confirm Hawk-Eye as the official goal-line technology (GLT) provider for the Women’s World Cup. It will mark the first time that GLT has featured at the pinnacle event for women’s football and follows the successful implementation of the technology at the World Cup, the Confederations Cup and three Club World Cups.

Hawk-Eye is a camera-based system, with seven cameras per goal installed as high as possible within the stadium structure. Utilising the

latest technology of high-frame-rate cameras and cutting-edge vision-processing techniques, Hawk-Eye is able to locate the ball at all times even if it is only found by two of the seven cameras. The system is millimetre-accurate and indicates whether or not a goal has been scored within one second by a vibration and visual signal on each match official’s watch. tfw

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GENER AL INFORMATION Country: St. Vincent and the Grenadines FIFA Trigramme: VIN Continent: South America Capital: Kingstown

A sport for scholars Sarah Steiner

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he answers given by some players in interviews can make the public smile. Classic examples include Lothar Matthaus’s ­profound observation, for example, that “we cannot put the sand in our heads now,” Paul Gascoigne’s classic quote, “I never make predictions and I never will,” or Ruud Gullit’s assertion that “we must have controlled 99 per cent of the game. It was the other three per cent that cost us”?

In each and every match, players prove to us that they have the intellectual prowess required to succeed, processing countless pieces of information simultaneously within a split second to make the right decision. With factors such as the direction and speed of an oncoming ball, the location of their opponents and team-mates and an evaluation of the best move for each situation all affecting a player’s choices, match intelligence is a vital part of every professional footballer’s toolkit.

The pitch is not the only place where players can give an indication of their IQ though; many also pursue academic qualifications. The finest example was Socrates, whose name alone suggests a significant amount of intellectual aptitude. The Brazilian midfield maestro held a doctorate in medicine, having avoided signing a professional contract until he was 25 to enable him to complete his studies. After hanging up his boots in 1989, O Doutor practised medicine in the Brazilian city of Ribeirao Preto. Still today there are educated footballers in the

sport’s top ranks, Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet being one of them. When negotiating his move to Sunderland from his homeland, the Belgian’s primary concern was not his salary but finding somewhere in England where he could finish his political science degree.

The coaching community also contains its fair share of scholars, including El Ingeniero Manuel Pellegrini, who graduated with top marks as a civil engineer during his playing career. His Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger can also boast academic success, having gained a degree in economics while playing for Mulhouse.

Sometimes it is simply the journalists’ questions that leave something to be desired.

Richard Golz was once asked whether ­“Freiburg’s status as a university town is ever noticeable in the dressing room,” prompting the Breisgau club’s former goalkeeper to respond dryly: “Yes of course; our discussions about Schopenhauer get so heated sometimes that we don’t even bother to train.” Å

GEOGR APHIC INFORMATION Surface area: 389 km² Highest point: La Soufrière 1220 m Neighbouring seas: Caribbean Sea

MEN’S FOOTBALL FIFA Ranking: 119th World Cup: –

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL FIFA Ranking: 116rd World Cup: –

L ATES T RESULTS Men’s: Barbados St. Vincent and the Grenadines 2-2 8 March 2015 Women’s: Antigua and Barbuda St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1-0 27 May 2014

FIFA INVES TMENT The weekly column by our staff writers

Since 2008: $ 1,014,486 T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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MIRROR IMAGE

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Kaiserslautern, Germany

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Ferdi Hartug / imago

Vantage points up a floodlight pylon at the Betzenberg Stadium.

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Luke Walker / Getty Images

Vasco da Gama Cape Town supporters at Parow Park Stadium.

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THERE WILL BE ATERS

THE ART OF FOOTBALL

A culture of song Ronald Duker

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“The only way I could think to jump higher was to grab the post. It was spontaneous. Afterwards I read the rules and now I know they can punish you for doing that. My team-mates said I was crazy.”

Daniel Nadales (CD Cuarte)

“I never go out after we lose, I just sit at home miserably. If we have not got a game for a while, and we have lost, there are times when I have not gone out for days. It really hurts.

Arsene Wenger, Arsenal coach

Simon Bruty / Allsport / Getty Images

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o sing or not to sing: for many footballers this question can become a test of attitude evaluated by an entire nation. For example, when Ozil, Klose or Khedira – that is, German players from a migrant background – do not move their lips once when their national anthem rings out around a stadium shortly before an international game, it is highly likely to become a talking point for the tabloids the next day. Are these players being unpatriotic and ungrateful towards the country that has given them the honour of playing their part on the sport’s biggest stage? Or are ostentatious renditions of the national anthem simply no longer necessary in a tolerant and liberal-minded society, therefore ensuring that nobody is forced to give such a performance? It might also be suggested that these national songs are simply a patriotic custom that have little place within the cosmopolitan world of modern football.

While the same rules apply to all on the pitch, many of the individual anthems could not be more different. The oldest of them all, the Japanese composition, is also the shortest, with lyrics written in the 10th century consisting of just four lines. At the other end of this scale, the Greek national anthem has 158 verses, meaning that playing it in full before a match would be likely to leave

each and every spectator sound asleep before the whistle had even sounded for kick-off. Other national songs call to mind wars of independence, including Algeria’s, whose lyrics were penned by poet Moufdi Zakaria in 1956 while he was in prison. Other patriotic hymns are only performed in part, in acknowledgement of past events. Nowadays Germans only sing the third stanza of their anthem, written in 1841, because the rest of the text has been rendered intolerable by the scourge of National Socialism.

Given how far-reaching and momentous the meanings of these rousing songs can be, perhaps it is a good thing that they are only recalled for a few minutes before nations small and large, young and old face each other in matches governed solely by the Laws of the Game and overseen by impartial referees for 90 minutes. What’s more, have we also stumbled upon the reason why the Spanish recently dominated world football for several years? After all, when their hymn, the Marcha Real, rings out, not a single player moves their lips as their anthem has no lyrics at all. This means that each and every one of them, whether or not they are patriotically inclined, can concentrate wholeheartedly on the planet’s most wonderful ball game and the match set to get underway just a few moments later. Å

“I don’t want to be perceived as a money-grabbing 20-year-old.

It is about winning trophies throughout your career – I don’t talk about how many cars I will drive or how many houses I’ve got.”

Raheem Sterling on rejecting Liverpool’s contract offer

“I don’t know where she finds some of these things. She sends me memes, pictures of anything. Bald rats.

I don’t even know.”

Alex Morgan on USA team-mate Sydney Leroux

“I always watch football. My team is Argentina. Leo Messi is unbelievable.”

Manny Pacquiao, Boxer T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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TURNING POINT

“Comic books inspired my career” Japanese midfielder Dan Ito’s footballing journey through Asia began when he saw an advert in a paper. Now he’s played in 18 different countries.

Namzay Kumutha

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’ve never calculated the mileage I’ve racked up throughout my career, but I can say with confidence that I’ve crossed the length and breadth of Asia in that time, and always with a ball at my feet. Immediately after my final exams at Sendai University, I left Sapporo and the island of Hokkaido hoping to turn my dream into reality. I signed my first professional contract with Vegalta Sendai, which at the time was called Brummell Sendai. I had my qualification as a teacher in my back pocket, but the desire to become the next Captain Tsubasa, the hero in the football comics I used to read as a kid, came first, and so I became a professional footballer.

One day I saw an advert in a magazine that said a club in Singapore was looking for players.

I already knew the city of Singapore – I’d been there as a student once before – and so I decided to up sticks and move. It was the beginning of my Asian adventure. Since that day, Asian football and culture has fascinated me. I realised there were more league championships to be won on the Asian continent than I’d ever imagined, and so I set out on a journey that, even with its protagonist approaching 40, still hasn’t reached its destination.

When I first left Japan, I’d never have dreamed that I’d play in 18 different countries.

My target was ten – a nice round number – and I came up with two rules for the adventure that would dominate my life: firstly, to only play a maximum of one year in any country; and secondly, to make sure that even if I was offered a contract extension, I’d still leave that country and move on to the next. Every place has its own culture, traditions and unique characteristics, and it’s those that I want to discover and experience. I did end up staying longer than one year in Brunei, but that was because the championship was put on hold for two years. I also had two different spells in Hong Kong, one

with Kitchee and one with Tuen Mun Progoal, but Tuen Mun are actually based in Mainland China, and I count that as playing in another country.

The choice I made wasn’t motivated by my career or my profession, but on living my life in a certain way. I’ve never visited Europe or South America, neither as a player nor on holiday, but I did have the pleasure of playing for Kitchee against AC Milan in Hong Kong in 2004 and beating the likes Andriy Shevchenko and Paolo Maldini. My journey isn’t over yet: after playing for Lao Toyota in Laos, I’ve been at FC Thimphu in the Kingdom of Bhutan since mid-March. The team actually belongs to Bhutan’s royal family.

I’m convinced that football is a global instrument for encouraging understanding, since the rules are the same across the board. On a personal level, I’ve been able to get by anywhere with the language of football. Indeed, football has become my passport. Å Adapted by Emanuele Giulianelli

Name Dan Ito Date and place of birth 3 November 1975, Sapporo, Japan Position Midfield Clubs (selected) 2000 Sapporo Shukyudan, Japan 2001 Woodlands Wellington, Singapore 2002 Westgate FC, Australia 2003 Saigon Port, Vietnam 2004 Kitchee, Hong Kong; Osotspa, Thailand 2005 Penang, Malaysia; QAF, Brunei 2006 Valencia Club, Maldives; DPMM, Brunei 2007–2008 QAF, Brunei 2008 Tuen Mun Progoal, Hong Kong 2009 Windsor Arch Ka I, Macau, China 2009–2011 Churchill Brothers, India 2011 Rakhapura United, Myanmar, Burma 2011–2012 Manang Marshyangdi Club, Nepal 2012–2013 Build Bright United, Cambodia 2013 Green Archers United FC, Philippines 2013 Erchim, Mongolia 2014 Lao Toyota FC, Laos Since 2015 Thimphu FC, Bhutan

In Turning Point, personalities reflect on a decisive moment in their lives.

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MEN’S WORLD R ANKING

Germany (unchanged) Switzerland (9th, up 3 ranks), Spain (10th, up 1 rank) France (11th, down 3 ranks), Italy (13th, down 3 ranks) 135 British Virgin Islands, Dominica (3 matches each) Wales (up 153 points) Bhutan (up 46 ranks) Israel (down 231 points) New Caledonia (down 23 ranks)

Leader Moves into top ten Moves out of top ten Matches played in total Most matches played Biggest move by points Biggest move by ranks Biggest drop by points Biggest drop by ranks Rank Team

+/- Points

Rank Team

+/- Points

Rank Team

Last updated: 9 April 2015 +/- Points

Rank Team

+/- Points

1 Germany

0 1687

55 Gabon

-1

583

109 Cuba

1

298

163 Bhutan

46

128

2 Argentina

0 1490

56 Mali

-5

578

110 Sudan

0

288

164 Malaysia

-11

123

3 Belgium

1 1457

57 Albania

4

575

111 Libya

120

4 Colombia

-1 1412

57 Korea Republic

-1

575

111 St Kitts and Nevis

5 Brazil

1 1354

59 Zambia

1

556

113 Namibia

6 Netherlands

-1 1301

60 South Africa

-5

553

114 Canada

7 Portugal

0 1221

61 Equatorial Guinea

-11

549

115 Azerbaijan

8 Uruguay

1 1176

62 Republic of Ireland

4

546

9 Switzerland

3 1135

63 Australia

2

10 Spain

1 1132

64 Peru

11 France

-3 1127

65 Trinidad and Tobago

12 Romania

2 1086

66 Burkina Faso

13 Italy

-3 1085

67 Bulgaria

14 England

3 1030

15 Costa Rica

-2 1014

16 Chile

-1

991

17 Croatia

2

977

1

281

165 Grenada

-7

10

281

166 Puerto Rico

-6

119

0

279

167 Hong Kong

-10

116

2

277

167 Bangladesh

-5

116

24

264

169 Suriname

-8

115

116 St Vincent and the Grenadines

3

262

170 Yemen

5

111

531

117 Kenya

1

258

171 Montserrat

1

107

-5

526

118 Dominican Republic

-11

257

172 Pakistan

-2

106

-2

519

119 Niger

-5

252

173 US Virgin Islands

24

104

2

517

120 Mauritania

-5

246

174 New Caledonia

-23

101

4

505

121 Moldova

1

245

175 Guam

-8

97

68 United Arab Emirates

1

501

122 Lesotho

-2

242

175 Swaziland

-12

97

69 Venezuela

3

495

123 Burundi

3

237

177 Dominica

4

96

70 Norway

0

491

123 Zimbabwe

1

237

178 Laos

-8

88

70 Montenegro

-3

491

125 Vietnam

5

229

179 Cambodia

2

86

18 Mexico

3

937

72 Uganda

2

485

126 Syria

26

225

179 Chinese Taipei

9

86

19 Czech Republic

-3

923

73 Uzbekistan

-1

476

127 Kuwait

-2

224

181 Nepal

-1

71

20 Slovakia

2

920

74 Rwanda

-10

474

128 Liechtenstein

-5

219

181 Mauritius

9

71

21 Algeria

-3

917

75 Jamaica

1

466

129 Bermuda

40

217

183 Brunei Darussalam

15

69

22 Wales

15

916

76 Honduras

5

451

130 Barbados

1

215

184 Turks and Caicos Islands

-8

66

23 Côte d'Ivoire

-3

907

77 Armenia

2

449

131 Guinea-Bissau

3

212

184 Macau

3

66

24 Greece

3

900

78 Finland

0

446

131 Liberia

-14

212

186 Tahiti

-22

65

25 Austria

-2

891

79 Haiti

-2

442

133 Kazakhstan

5

210

186 Comoros

-9

65

26 Ghana

-2

833

80 Togo

-5

435

134 Aruba

-6

204

186 Sri Lanka

-12

65

27 USA

5

815

81 Paraguay

-1

418

135 Afghanistan

2

203

189 Seychelles

-11

60

28 Denmark

0

808

82 China PR

29 Scotland

10

796

83 Belarus

30 Tunisia

-5

793

84 El Salvador

31 Bosnia and Herzegovina

-1

783

85 Latvia

1

408

136 St Lucia

-4

202

190 São Tomé e Príncipe

-11

58

15

397

137 Luxembourg

-1

200

191 Cayman Islands

14

48

5

388

138 Georgia

-12

197

192 Solomon Islands

-8

46

10

387

139 Philippines

-11

193

193 South Sudan

-5

43

32 Russia

1

781

86 Mozambique

0

385

140 Palestine

0

192

194 San Marino

-13

40

33 Ukraine

-2

772

86 Iraq

11

385

141 Maldives

-8

191

195 Vanuatu

-4

34

34 Ecuador

-5

759

88 Sierra Leone

-1

382

142 Thailand

0

183

196 Fiji

-4

30

35 Poland

-1

753

89 Angola

-5

381

143 Tajikistan

-2

175

196 Samoa

-4

30

36 Senegal

0

752

90 Guatemala

-8

372

144 Central African Republic

-1

163

198 Bahamas

-4

26

37 Cape Verde Islands

1

737

91 Morocco

-2

371

144 Lebanon

2

163

198 British Virgin Islands

3

26

38 Iceland

-3

728

92 Bolivia

0

360

144 New Zealand

-10

163

200 Mongolia

-5

19

39 Sweden

6

704

93 Estonia

-6

358

147 India

26

161

201 Tonga

-5

17

40 Iran

2

689

94 Benin

-2

357

148 Curaçao

11

159

202 Papua New Guinea

-3

13

41 Guinea

3

678

95 Saudi Arabia

4

349

149 Malta

-4

158

203 American Samoa

-3

12

42 Northern Ireland

1

672

96 Cyprus

-11

342

150 Madagascar

-3

156

204 Andorra

-3

8

43 Hungary

3

665

97 Oman

-1

341

151 Chad

-3

155

204 Eritrea

-3

8

44 Serbia

-4

664

97 Malawi

-6

341

152 Timor-Leste

33

151

206 Somalia

-2

6

45 Nigeria

-4

652

99 Qatar

10

337

153 Kyrgyzstan

-3

146

207 Djibouti

-1

4

-20

649

100 Lithuania

-6

333

154 Nicaragua

31

142

207 Cook Islands

-1

4

47 Slovenia

1

648

101 Ethiopia

1

321

155 Guyana

11

139

209 Anguilla

-1

2

48 Cameroon

1

627

102 Faroe Islands

3

318

156 Gambia

12

138

46 Israel

49 Congo

3

624

103 Jordan

-2

316

157 Korea DPR

-8

137

50 Japan

3

614

104 Botswana

2

314

158 Myanmar

-5

133

51 Egypt

7

612

105 FYR Macedonia

3

312

159 Turkmenistan

-15

131

52 Turkey

4

603

106 Antigua and Barbuda

-4

311

159 Indonesia

-3

131

53 Panama

8

587

107 Tanzania

-7

302

159 Belize

5

131

54 Congo DR

-7

584

108 Bahrain

-4

299

162 Singapore

-9

130

38

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

http://www.fifa.com/worldranking/index.html

PUZZLE

Published weekly by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)

President Joseph S. Blatter

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Secretary General Jérôme Valcke

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Director of Communications and Public Affairs Walter De Gregorio

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Staff Writers Alan Schweingruber (Deputy Editor), Sarah Steiner

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Art Direction Catharina Clajus

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Contributors Ronald Dueker, Luigi Garlando, Sven Goldmann, Andreas Jaros, Jordi Punti, Thomas Renggli, David Winner, Roland Zorn Contributors to this Issue Peter Eggenberger, Emanuele Giulianelli, Peter Kanjere, Ben Lyttleton, Lisa Schneider, Julien Sebbah Editorial Assistants Alissa Rosskopf, Honey Thaljieh

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Production Hans-Peter Frei

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Project Management Bernd Fisa, Christian Schaub

Printer Zofinger Tagblatt AG

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MEDIUM

Proof Reader Nena Morf (Lead), Martin Beran, Kristina Rotach

Translation www.sportstranslations.com

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Picture Editor Peggy Knotz, Andres Wilhelm (Deputy)

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Chief Editor Perikles Monioudis

Layout Richie Kroenert (Lead), Tobias Benz, Susanne Egli

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EASY

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HARD

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Contact feedback-theweekly@fifa.org

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Internet www.fifa.com/theweekly

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Reproduction of photos or articles in whole or in part is only permitted with prior editorial approval and if attributed “The FIFA Weekly, © FIFA 2015”. The editor and staff are not obliged to publish unsolicited manuscripts and photos.

FIFA and the FIFA logo are registered trademarks of FIFA. Made and printed in Switzerland.

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T H E F I FA W E E K LY

Puzzles courtesy: opensky.ca/sudoku

Publisher FIFA, FIFA-Strasse 20, PO box, CH-8044 Zurich Phone +41-(0)43-222 7777, Fax +41-(0)43-222 7878

The objective of Sudoku is to fill a 9x9 grid with digits so that each of the numbers from 1 to 9 appears exactly once in each column, row and 3x3 sub-grid.

39

R E S U LT S O F PR E V I O U S P O L L

Which of these former champions will go furthest at this year’s U-20 World Cup?

T HIS WEEK’S POLL

38+28+2275 7%

Which team surprised you most in the recent international friendlies? · Australia · Cape Verde · Slovakia · Qatar · Panama · Other

5%

38%

22%

Cast your votes at: FIFA.com/newscentre

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≠ Argentina ≠ Germany ≠ Brazil ≠ Ghana ≠ Portugal

Premier League matches in a row have included at least one goal from Olivier Giroud. The Arsenal hitman was on target again in a 4-1 victory over Liverpool. The France international is only the third Gunners player to show this level of consistency since the introduction of the Premier League.

22 4 WEEK IN NUMBERS

competitive games and more than four months have passed since Corinthians were least defeated. The club are top of the table in both the Copa Libertadores and the Sao Paulo championship, and most recently remained in the winning groove with a victory in South America’s elite club competition.

months and five days after their last home success in Serie A, AS Roma finally returned to winning ways at the Stadio Olimpico. A 1-0 victory over Napoli ended a barren period that began after a 4-2 win against Inter on 30 November. The only goal of the game was scored by Miralem Pjanic, whose name reappeared on the scoresheet for the first time since the meeting with Inter.

Getty Images (2), imago (2)

Source: Fifa.com

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