The FIFA Weekly Issue #26 by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)

ISSUE 26, 17 APRIL 2014

ENGLISH EDITION

Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Since 1904

HERZOG AN AUSTRIAN IN AMERICA BLATTER DO STADIUM BANS MAKE SENSE? MARKLUND FOOTBALL AND MOTHERHOOD

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS SPAIN

LA FURIA ROJA W W W.FIFA.COM/ THEWEEKLY

CONTENTS

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Campeonato Brasileiro gets underway With less than two months until the start of the World Cup in Brazil, many people are unaware that the country’s national championship is about to kick off again. Fred, one of the Seleção’s key men, is ready to challenge for the title with Fluminense.

“Italy are strong” In this week’s Interview, Fabio Cannavaro discusses retirement, reminisces about Italy’s 2006 world title and believes the Azzurri can bring the Trophy home again this summer.

North and Central America 35 members www.concacaf.com

S pain: Short passing the key to success Spain head into the World Cup in Brazil as defending champions and one of the favourites. La Furia Roja have set new standards in recent years with their much acclaimed tiki-taka passing game and will want to impress again at this year’s tournament. Jordi Punti reports on the past and present of Spanish football.

P residential Note: Do stadium bans make sense? FIFA President Blatter advocates tough punishments for crowd violence, but insists “a football match without fans is like a concert without sound”.

South America 10 members www.conmebol.com

“We Are One (Ole, Ola)” We chat to Jennifer Lopez, singer of the official 2014 World Cup song

N etzer knows! Could one of the smaller teams win the World Cup? Our expert doesn’t think so, particularly in 2014, stating: “Winning the World Cup requires a certain amount of experience.”

World Cup 2014: Groups A-C

La Furia Roja Non-stop celebration has been the order of the day for Spain over the last six years. Our cover features a fan in Barcelona after the Spanish triumph in the 2010 World Cup Final. The flag bears the legend Podemos!!! (“We can!!!”).

Group B

Group C

Brazil

Spain

Colombia

Croatia

Netherlands

Greece

Mexico

Chile

Côte d’Ivoire

Cameroon

Australia

Japan

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Cover: Albert Gea / Reuters

Group A

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

Football or family Falling pregnant prompted Hanna Marklund to hang up her boots.

Andreas Herzog The USA team’s assistant coach is living the American Dream.

Ambass ador Fuleco The World Cup mascot is on a mission for the game and the environment.

World Cup 2014: Groups D-H

Inhalt: Getty Images (3)

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Uruguay

Switzerland

Argentina

Germany

Belgium

Costa Rica

Ecuador

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Por tugal

Algeria

England

France

Iran

Ghana

Russia

Italy

Honduras

Nigeria

USA

Korea Republic

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UNCOVERED

Small steps to success

Susana Vera / Reuters

pain’s triumphs at the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 EUROs were founded on short passing. The Spaniards executed their intricate passing triangles over and over again in midfield, before unleashing defence-splitting passes and catching their opponents off guard. The method was christened tiki-taka and the moniker has passed into today’s footballing lexicon. The short pass is rather like the shortest note in an orchestral score. In the hands of the inspired Spanish, it adds up to a grand symphony. Our writer Jordi Punti analyses Spanish football over the last few decades and assesses the current state of play just a few weeks before the Iberians set out to de-

fend their crown at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

ormer world-class midfielder Andreas Herzog once played alongside Jurgen Klinsmann at Bayern Munich. The Austrian and the German then joined forces at the helm of the USA national team. Andreas Jaros met Herzog in a Vienna cafe to talk over the forthcoming World Cup campaign and living the American Dream.

anna Marklund made 118 appearances for Sweden before retiring from the game in 2008. “It is true”, the former centre-back says, “that support for pregnant players isn’t

great. And it’s tough to continue a professional sporting career as a mother.” Marklund hopes that one day it may be possible “to be part of a team and a mother at the same time”.

rdering matches to be played behind closed doors penalises football and represents an unduly excessive punishment, writes FIFA President Joseph. S. Blatter in his weekly column. “It is the troublemakers who must be punished,” he urges. As clubs are ultimately responsible for their fans, the only solution is to punish the clubs, Blatter insists. Å Perikles Monioudis

He’ll grow into it Two curious Spanish brothers play in the street in front of a bank.

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Tiki-taka and the art of winning T H E F I FA W E E K LY

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Unadulterated joy Sergio Ramos and Co. are determined to succeed in Brazil this summer

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World Cup holders Spain have perfected the art of football with their short-passing game, winning three major honours in the process, but their rivals are catching on. Are Vicente del Bosque’s team capable of winning a fourth major trophy on the bounce in Brazil?

Jordi Punti pain is a country divided in two. It is a split that has nothing to do with its political parties and everything to do with its football fans. In one camp are the young brigade, who have hardly ever seen the national team lose, and in the other are the old guard, who endured some lean times in the past but have been rubbing their eyes in disbelief for the best part of the last deca-

Getty Images (3), imago

de. The three titles recently won by La Roja – the team formerly known as La Furia – are an imposing testament to Spain’s power and represent a source of concern for their rivals and comfort for their fans. The team’s triumphs at EURO 2008 and 2012, which sandwiched their glorious campaign at South Africa 2010, form part of an upward curve that has taken the men in red to the top of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking and has brought rich reward to the best generation of players the nation has ever produced. In the process the likes of Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Iker Casillas, Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Ramos, David Villa, Sergio Busquets, Santi Cazorla, David Silva, Gerard Pique, Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres have become household names whose shirts sell the world over. What makes Spain’s recent success even more noteworthy is the fact that for many T H E F I FA W E E K LY

years the national team failed to reflect the passion that existed for football in every city, town and village across the country and was embodied in the children who played the game in streets up and down the land. The problem was that, deep down, Spain did not know which game to play. An observant psychologist once noted that the country’s existential doubts were a reflection of its geopolitical situation, of it being caught between Latin America’s chaotic and mischievous sense of fun – which linked Spain to its colonial past – and the need for it to come into line with the order and organisation of post-war Europe.

It is something of a surprise that Real Madrid’s early domination of the European Cup, which saw the club win the competition every year from its inception in 1956 through to 1960, did not translate into a golden era for the national side. Though Spain had the likes of Antonio Ramallets, Paco Gento, Ladislao Kubala and Alfredo Di Stefano in their ranks, they failed to qualify for Sweden 1958. The problem perhaps lay in the fact that the values that really mattered in General Franco’s Spain were all to do with physical prowess, pedigree, pride, bravery and honour, while other facets were frowned upon, such as the creative talent and individual skill of the player who could dribble and create something from nothing. Fitting into that second category were Di Stefano and Kubala, an Argentinian and a Hungarian who had taken out Spanish nationality.

1 Five in a row Real Madrid with the European Cup on 18 May 1960 2 Golden star Spain finally won the World Cup in 2010 3 Calm before the storm The Spanish dressing room ahead of the 2010 World Cup final 4 Honorary Spaniards Hungarian-born Laszlo Kubala (r.) with Argentine-born Alfredo Di Stefano

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5 First title Spain beat the Soviet Union in the European Championship final on 21 June 1964 6 Miro’s poster An artistic take on the 1982 World Cup in Spain 7 Short passing Spain beat France in the EURO 2012 quarter-finals 8 Xavi The Barcelona star is the focal point of the Spanish team

“World Cup 1982: New stadiums and a renewed fanbase” money being pumped into the game. Although the national side still was still suffering from an identity crisis, Spanish football had renewed its fanbase. Its richest clubs had also made a habit of buying in the very best talent, with the likes of Gunter Netzer, Paul Breitner, Johan Cruyff, Ruben Ayala and Diego Maradona all jetting into La Liga in the 1970s and 80s. It is not hard to picture them as the pioneers of a brand of football that would eventually conquer the world. The birth of tiki-taka In his article in these pages on the current Netherlands team a week ago, David Winner wrote that the Dutch – the so-called Clockwork Orange – invented total football and that years later Barcelona and Bayern Munich would update the concept and make it

dictator with a perfectly timed gift with which to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his victory in the civil war. It was a triumph that Spain would ultimately fail to build on. The hopes that preceded subsequent World Cups or Olympic Games invariably lasted only one or two matches. The nation’s optimists saw the spanish world finals on home soil as a potential turning point, with the competition coming at a time when the country was still taking its first few faltering steps as a young democracy. The hosts were outplayed, however, with the Brazil of Zico and Socrates, Grzegorz Lato’s Poland and champions Italy, inspired by Marco Tardelli and Paolo Rossi, taking the limelight. If there was one good thing that came out of that World Cup, it was the renovation of Spain’s footballing infrastructure, with new stadiums being built for the competition and

even more successful. In following that line of thinking, it is not to outlandish to say that Spain won their three recent titles thanks to an upgraded version of the football the Dutch once played, thanks in other words to the legacy that Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff left at Barcelona. The blossoming of Spain’s creative style of play in 2008 coincided with one of the most brilliant eras in Barça’s history, which began with former Netherlands international Frank Rijkaard in the dugout and continued with Pep Guardiola. Both of them had the good fortune of being able to shape the type of football they wanted to play around Xavi, who had incidentally been given his club debut by another Dutchman in Louis van Gaal. A midfielder who could dictate games and bring others into play, Xavi was the key to many a triumph. The secret to the success enT H E F I FA W E E K LY

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Like all dictatorships, Franco’s, which lasted from 1939 to 1975, used sport to generate patriotic feeling and bring the country together. A fine example of the way it manipulated football came in 1960, when Spain were drawn against the Soviet Union in a two-legged qualifier for the inaugural European Championship, to be held in France that year. A sworn enemy of communism, Franco refused to entertain the thought of the national team travelling to Moscow and then having to welcome the Soviets, and decreed that Spain should refuse to play. A wonderful side that featured Luis Suarez, Joan Segarra, Gento, Kubala and Di Stefano among others was thus denied the chance to play by the whim of a dictator, whose fear of losing out to the communists proved more powerful than the lure of defeating them. UEFA subsequently fined the Spanish FA and awarded a walkover to the Soviets, who went on to win the title. Perhaps in an attempt to smooth things over, UEFA then entrusted Spain with the task of hosting the second European Nations’ Cup in 1964. This time the calendar suited the Spanish, who did not face the USSR until the final in Madrid, when a Marcelino goal gave the hosts a 2-1 win. The famous photograph of the player heading home the winner became a defining image of franquismo and provided the

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joyed by Luis Aragones and then Vicente del Bosque, his successor in the Spain job, was to surround the Barcelona man with other players able to make the most of his attributes. An indication of the sea change came when the down-to-earth Aragones inadvertently, but tellingly, referred to the national team in a press conference not as La Furia Roja (The Red Fury), as they were commonly known, but merely as La Roja. Real Madrid had long been the club that provided the national side with its fury and furnished it with the majority of its players, who were joined by the best of the rest, most notably from rivals Barcelona. The last great generation of Madrid players, the five-strong Quinta del Buitre led by Emilio Butragueno, helped take Spain forward in the late 1980s and early 90s, though the situation had changed by the time Aragones took over, with players and fans alike gradually warming to a new way of doing things and enjoying their first taste of life at the pinnacle at EURO 2008. By this stage leading Madrid luminaries such as Ramos, Casillas and Alonso were being permed with Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and, at a later stage, Pedro, Gerard Pique and the indispensable Sergio Busquets, in the development of an offensive brand of football founded essentially on gaining and retaining possession

Reuters (1), Getty Images (2), PD (1)

of the ball. And so the world-famous tiki-taka was born. Like all successful inventions, theories abound as to the origin of the term “tiki-taka”. More than one fan has claimed it for their club, though it is believed to have come about as a term of abuse. It was first used by the former Espanyol coach Jose Maria Maguregui in the 1980s to criticise the somewhat cerebral of style of Bernd Schuster’s Barcelona, a team that liked to move the ball around from one side of the pitch to the other and control possession rather than storm forward. The person responsible for popularising it was the effusive Spanish commentator and journalist Andres Montes, who was behind the microphone for the 2006 World Cup, when his continued use of the term set a staccato beat for the football produced by Aragones’ side. Tiki-taka, tiki-taka, tiki-taka … the onomatoT H E F I FA W E E K LY

poeic sound of a heart beating ever faster, the tick-tock of the Netherlands’ clockwork orange and the sweet samba sound of Brazilian football at its best, all rolled into one. Praise came from all quarters when Spain went on to claim the world title in South Africa in July 2010. Former Italy centre-half Franco Baresi lauded the team’s character, current Everton coach Roberto Martinez spoke of their “maturity”, and Franz Beckenbauer, still recovering from Germany’s semi-final defeat, spoke of a World Cup in which the collective and not the individual was what mattered. In giving their views on tiki-taka, others would speak of an intricate web of passing angles, the precision of an architectural plan and even Antoni Gaudi’s celebrated mosaics, of the beauty, colour and clarity created by someone who knows that a straight line is not always the shortest distance between two points, or at least not the most beautiful. The credit for creating this fine blend of talented players, ambition and old-fashioned modesty should go for the most part to Spain’s last two coaches. Perhaps not enough praise has been heaped on the roles performed by Aragones in 2008 and Del Bosque in 2010 and 2012. Though pursuing different approaches, they have forged close links with their players. Having both played at the highest level, they

have shown an intimate understanding of what makes players tick. Aragones, who passed away in February at the age of 75, gave most of the current crop of players their international debuts, treated them with respect and knew how to get the best out of each of them. The Wise Man of Hortaleza, as he was known, coached no fewer than eight Spanish clubs and, in so doing, gained an innate understanding of the game and how to make his players perform to the best of their abilities. His successor Del Bosque possessed exquisite touch as a player and the vision of a strategist, and had a perfect understanding of what the role of a midfield creator involved. The archetypal one-club man, he spent his entire playing career at Real Madrid and, after taking charge of the famous galácticos, won two Champions League titles there as a coach. His easy-going nature has been a feature of his tenure

9 Wild celebrations Spanish fans celebrate in Madrid following their heroes’ World Cup win 10 Bayern stars Thiago (r.) and Javi Martínez 11 Flying high Coach Luis Aragones after Spain’s victory in the EURO 2008 final 12 Andres Montes “Tiki-taka, tiki-taka, tiki-taka…”

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A Brazilian kind of happiness “Sadness has no end. Happiness does,” lamented the Brazilian singer Tom Jobim, positing a view that Spain will look to counter when they travel to Brazil, intent on making happiness stretch for a few years longer. In an article published on the eve of the 2010 World Cup Final against the Dutch, the Spanish writer Javier Marias said: “Spain go into this final with the confidence of the innocent, in both senses of the word: as well as being free of blame, they are also lacking in worldliness,” Four years on, La Roja have the respect of the world. Fully acquainted with victory and innocents no more, they are, quite simply, the team to beat. There are two factors that could work in Spain’s favour in Brazil or against them. Firstly, Del Bosque will rely on the core of players that has proved so successful for him, provided in the main by Barcelona, though that core has grown older now, with mainstays such as Xavi and Puyol no longer as influential as they were. By using them carefully, along with Villa, Alonso and

13 Leading by example Carles Puyol (l.) heads at goal during the 2010 World Cup final 14 Master tacticians Vicente del Bosque (l.) and Pep Guardiola 15 Neymar steals the show Spain lost out to Brazil in the final of the 2013 Confederations Cup 16 In good company A fan arrives early for World Cup qualifier

“Aragones treated his players with respect and knew how to get the best out of each of them.” their trade in foreign leagues, among them Juan Mata, David Silva, Alvaro Negredo, Santi Cazorla and Cesar Azpilicueta. It will be interesting to see how much Del Bosque relies upon them. The coach will announce his 30-man shortlist for Brazil 2014 on 11 May. Fresh in the memory is the 3-0 defeat to the Brazilians in last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup final, a disastrous match the Spanish would prefer not to think about as they prepare to make their return to the country, ignoring Tom Jobim as they do so and putting happiness before sadness. As a nation, Spain needs a little love and joy right now, what with all the problems caused by the ongoing economic crisis: rocketing youth unemployment, an austere government

Casillas, who has been watching Real Madrid’s league matches from the bench, Del Bosque can strike a balance between the old and the new, while continuing to harness Iniesta’s rare gift for organising and drafting in fresher faces such as Juanfran and Isco. It should also be remembered that Spain’s tiki-taka-inspired successes of 2010 and 2012 were also founded to some extent on the high-precision movements that Guardiola nurtured in the Barça midfield and which Del Bosque was able to adapt to the needs of his side. The problem now is that Germany could well benefit from that selfsame sophistication through their clutch of Bayern players. Del Bosque has two key Bayern men of his own, of course, in Thiago and Javi Martinez. The former can ably deputise for Xavi whenever the need arises, and latter is as versatile as they come. The duo are just two members of the growing band of Spanish stars plying

that bails out the banks but leaves its people to fend for themselves, and the overriding sense of a future with no hope. That general air of discontent will be forgotten about for as long as the World Cup lasts and could pose both a burden and an incentive for the players. Another win for Spain would not improve the national economy, but it would lift spirits and allow people to see the future in a slightly different way. Reflecting on the task ahead in a recent interview, Del Bosque said: “The fact is we are very good. We have a very recognisable style of play and we have a clear idea of what we have to do. And what we have to do if we’re going to succeed is apply ourselves and keep our feet on the ground. We mustn’t get carried away or believe that we are the bee’s knees. That can’t happen: we don’t boast and we’re not the best thing since sliced bread. We have to be normal because that’s exactly what we are.” Å T H E F I FA W E E K LY

AFP, (1), Reuters (1), Getty Images (1), PD (1)

as national team boss, which began in 2008, as has his common sense, his gift for handling the glare of the media and the respect he has for his players. Yet perhaps his biggest virtue of all has been his ability to make success commonplace.

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Celebrating with FIFAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s President The Spanish team receive the World Cup trophy in Johannesburg on 11 July 2010 T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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Six unforgettable years

Though Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and France were the favourites going into EURO 2008, it soon became clear that there was something different about Spain this time around. After qualifying from their group without dropping a point, the Spanish ground out a penalty-shootout win over Italy in the quarter-final and never looked back, a solitary goal from Fernando Torres giving them victory over the Germans in the final. Luis Aragones’ side had conquered Europe by playing good football, and also boasted the tournament’s top scorer in David Villa and its best player in the imperious Xavi. “We’ve done football a big favour,” said the midfielder the following day. Discussing his coach, he said: “Luis is the essence of football and he gets that across to you too. We put our faith in a certain style of play and it took us to victory.” Å

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Denis Doyle/Getty Images (3)

2008

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2010

2012

South Africa 2010 was the World Cup of the vuvuzela, waka-waka and Paul the Octopus. It was also the World Cup where Spain came of age. After falling to a shock defeat to Switzerland in their opening game, the Spanish gradually shook off their rustiness and reasserted their philosophy and style. Carles Puyol’s match-winning header in the semi-final against Germany – a replica of the kind of goals he scored for Barcelona – encapsulated Spanish desire and strategic nous. The men in red won all their knockout matches by the same scoreline of 1-0, though their winner against the Netherlands in the Final did not come until deep into extra time. That match was the archetypal clash of styles, with the Dutch renouncing their values in a bid to counter Spain’s elegant possession play. In the end Andres Iniesta’s sublime strike settled the issue. “Newton helped me out,” the goalscorer later said. “I controlled the ball and waited for it to come down. I knew it was a goal. It was just a case of waiting for gravity to do its thing.” Å

Though he went without scoring, Iniesta was voted player of the tournament at EURO 2020, a competition in which Torres top-scored and Spain played with authority and were full of ideas, showing their capacity for renewal after the World Cup and their strength of character. Their 4-0 defeat of Italy in the final in Kiev was the performance of a team on top of its game, a team also capable of rolling up its sleeves when the occasion demanded, just as it did in seeing off Portugal on penalties in the semi- finals. L’Équipe greeted their commanding display in the final with the headline: “Gracias!”. There was simply nothing else left to say. Å

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TALK ING POIN T S

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Brazil: Campeonato Serie A

A spectacle in its own right Sven Goldmann is a football expert at Tagesspiegel newspaper in Berlin.

It is a spectacle in its own right but remains a mystery for many outside of Brazil. Moreover, its latest edition will pass by largely unnoticed when it starts in April, with most of the football world firmly focused on Brazil for one reason only: the 2014 World Cup. Yet while every fan is waiting excitedly for the global showpiece to kick off on 12 June, just how many of them are aware that the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, the national league’s top flight, is about to get under way just two months before the World Cup. One of the clubs involved is Rio de Janeiro’s Fluminense, who, in stark contrast to Flamengo and to a lesser extent Vasco da Gama and Botafogo, boast strong support in

I N S I D E

the surrounding areas. On Saturday the Time de Guerreiros will take to the field for their opening match of the season against Figueirense, a club based in the southern city of Florianopolis that enjoys more of a local following. Indeed Florianopolis had also hoped to be selected as a World Cup host city, but its application fell through when its main stadium failed to meet the requirements. This was not an issue for Fluminense, though. The Tricolor Carioca play their home games at the Maracana, and a World Cup without the planet’s most famous stadium would be simply inconceivable. One could say the same of Fluminense and the Campeonato Brasileiro. The club are one of the biggest in Brazilian and won the national league as recently as 2012. However, disaster struck one year later when they surprisingly finished their domestic campaign in the relegation zone. Then, by an extraordinary stroke of luck, the seemingly safe 12th-placed side Portuguesa were deducted four points for fielding a suspended player in their final game, a mistake which saw Fluminense retain their top-flight status at the Sao Paolo club’s expense.

A striker at the Maracana Fluminense captain and Brazilian international Fred pays tribute to his roots. 14

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Many football fans in Rio breathed a sigh of relief at the news, as did national team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. His striker Fred, one of the Seleção’s key players, would not be forced to prepare for the biggest competition in world football from the depths of Brazil’s second tier. The player would have probably requested a transfer had Fluminense not survived the drop, but whether the club would have sold him is another matter. Ultimately, though, Fluminense stayed in Serie A and Fred remained in Rio. That said, both have had their travails recently, with the club losing 3-1 away to Horizonte Ceara in the Copa do Brasil. The fans reacted furiously, and were further annoyed by Fred’s subsequent claims that they had no right to be upset. The striker’s comments might have caused a public outcry, but the club turned the tie around in the second leg by beating Ceara 5-0 at the Maracana. Eight days on from last Friday’s victory, Fluminense will take to the field in Rio once again to face Figueirense in one of the opening matches of a championship certain to be overshadowed by this summer’s World Cup. Å

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Malawi: TNM Super League

League hopefuls on their blocks Peter Kanjere is a Sports Writer in Malawi.

The 2014/15 TNM Super League gets underway on 19 April in the south-east African nation of Malawi, where there is an abundance of home-grown talent and a burning passion for the game. Central Bank-sponsored Silver Strikers FC enter the 15-team race hoping to secure the league championship for a record-breaking fourth consecutive season. Though certainly a tall order, Silver captain Lucky Malata believes anything is possible in this league. “We have the depth of squad to win more trophies this season. As captain, I’m determined to ensure we succeed,” he said. However, if they are to achieve that, it will have to be without a customary big-name signing, the club having put its faith in some real gems from their youth side instead.

mood further. For their part, Wanderers will be determined to improve on last term, when their sole success was their retention of the Standard Bank Knock-Out Trophy. The 2014/15 season will see newcomers Support Battalion, Chikhwawa United and Karonga United join the top flight from the Central, South and Northern Premier Divisions. They replace relegated Mponela United, Evirom and Mzuzu United. Save for those of the Central Region, no promoted team has survived more than one season in the Super League. Avoiding the drop will again be the objective of this season’s promoted sides, a sentiment echoed by Chikhwawa chairman Owen Chomanika, who has recruited ex-Bullets coach Gerald Phiri as his side’s director of football. “Our target is to avoid relegation. We also intend to beef up our squad. With Phiri as the overall head of the coaching panel, we believe we can survive in the league,” Chomanika insisted. Malawi has three national cups: the Carlsberg Cup, Presidential Cup and Standard

Knock-Out Trophy in addition to its league championship. Apart from Silver, Civo United, the four army teams and Malawi Police side Blue Eagles, the remaining eight teams operate without sponsorship, causing something of a players’ exodus to teams from neighbouring Mozambique. The league has faced other challenges in recent times, not least the tragic death of Wanderers fan Lemiyasi Josita on 28 December 2013, following a stampede at the Balaka Stadium during a game against Silver. Reacting to the tragedy, the General Secretary of the Football Association of Malawi Suzgo Nyirenda said: “As administrator of the league, Sulom [the Super League of Malawi] should not permit a match to take place when security is not guaranteed.” Yet in spite of these difficulties, passion for the game remains as strong as ever in Malawi, where most league fixtures attract at least 20,000 fans. With support like that, it promises to be another enthralling season! Å

Silver, who are based in country’s administrative capital Lilongwe, will also be wary of the growing threat of five Malawi Defence Force sides – Red Lions, Mafco, Kamuzu Barracks, rookies Support Battalion, and a Moyale Barracks side that finished runners-up in the previous campaign. Also last season, Mafco stunned Silver 10-9 in a penalty shoot-out to lift the Presidential Cup, while Kamuzu Barracks got the better of Moyale 1-0 to claim the Carlsberg Cup. Four of the quintet will be aiming to extend their cup form into the league campaign, including Kamuzu Barracks, whose spokesperson Captain Gilbert Mittawa had this to say. “Having analysed our strengths and weaknesses, we feel we’ve surpassed expectations. We intend to reinforce issues of discipline and logistics ahead of the new season.”

Bobby Kabango

Though lacking sponsors, city rivals Big Bullets and Mighty Wanderers cannot be ruled out either. The pair, who hail from the commercial capital Blantyre, finished eighth and sixth respectively last season. The arrival of quality signings Pilirani Zonda and Mussa Manyenje from Epac offers the Bullets renewed hope of silverware this campaign. The Bullets finished last season empty-handed and the departure of key midfielder Chimango Kaira to Mozambican side Costa Dol Sol seemed to dampen the

High hopes Silver Strikers FC are seeking a fourth successive title. T H E F I FA W E E K LY

Only eight countries have ever lifted the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

Yet over 200 have been winners with FIFA. As an organisation with 209 member associations, our responsibilities do not end with the FIFA World Cupâ&#x201E;˘, but extend to safeguarding the Laws of the Game, developing football around the world and bringing hope to those less privileged. Our Football for Hope Centres are one example of how we use the global power of football to build a better future. www.FIFA.com/aboutfifa

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→ http://www.fifa.com/worldcup

“I’m excited to see Brazil” Jennifer Lopez teams up with Pitbull and Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte for the official 2014 World Cup song “We Are One (Ole, Ola)”. Lopez, a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo and Hope Solo, talks about the song, her work-out programme and the beauty of Brazil. Mrs. Lopez, American football or soccer? Jennifer Lopez: I love both! I’m especially looking forward to the World Cup this summer. It’s a great opportunity for people from all over the world to come together in a competitive spirit. Football is a sport that crosses national boundaries.

What’s your favourite soccer team?

looking forward to performing there again for this momentous event.

Who will win the World Cup? It’s going to be a difficult tournament – so much great talent this year. We will see! Å

What do you see in the World Cup song? It’s a high energy song with the sounds of Brazil. I loved collaborating with Pitbull and Claudia Lette. We filmed the music video in Miami and I think people are really going to enjoy it.

Jennifer Lopez was talking to Thomas Renngli

There are so many talented teams right now. It’s hard to pick just one! I’ll obviously be rooting for the US, because it’s my home country. But I’m excited to see Brazil and reigning World champions Spain.

Which players do you admire most? Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best in the world. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him a few times and he’s a genuinely good guy. I’m also a fan of Hope Solo and what she did with the US Women’s team.

You have Puerto Rican roots, so you probably have soccer in your blood somewhere. Have you ever played the game? I’m more of a spectator these days. I played a bit as a kid, and my own children play the game.

How do you keep yourself fit? I try to work out five times a week. I love to dance. Rehearsing for a show or being on tour is hard work, but it’s also fun and I’m lucky to be surrounded by a great group of dancers and choreographers.

Are you looking forward to returning to Brazil?

Dukas / Action Press

Absolutely! It’s a beautiful country, with a rich culture and an amazing spirit. I had an incredible time there on my last tour, and I’m

World Cup build-up Shooting “We Are One (Ole, Ola)” in Fort Lauderdale featuring Jennifer Lopez. T H E F I FA W E E K LY

THE INTERVIEW

“Italy are strong” On the evening of 9 July 2006 Fabio Cannavaro lifted the World Cup trophy into the night sky. “We players have had plenty of good fortune in our lives,” the former Italy captain said. “Now it’s time to give something back.”

How are things Fabio? Fabio Cannavaro: Very good. I quit playing a good while ago and have been acquiring all the requisite coaching and sporting director qualifications over the last few years. Right now I'm coaching in Dubai but who knows what the future might bring? However, I’m definitely very happy with the position I’m currently in.

You’ve not entirely given up playing in fact… I frequently get together with former greats of the game for fund-raising matches and what they call Exhibition Games. I particularly enjoy playing for a good cause. We all had plenty of good fortune in our lives and played football for big clubs. With our professional playing days over, the time has come to lend a helping hand to others and give something of our good fortune back. I always hope to see plenty of fans at the benefit games donating money to good causes.

What was the main factor behind you deciding to end your career in 2011? There were two things. On the one hand, the long years as a pro took their toll physically. Once you reach a certain age you’re always feeling pain somewhere in your body. In my case an old knee injury flared up and gave me horrendous problems. On the other hand, my decision was prompted by a lack of motivation. An unmotivated sportsman can make a real fool of himself, and that would be a shame after a successful career.

What happened on the first day after you retired? How did you feel? On the first day I didn’t miss football in the slightest. Very shortly afterwards I started to travel. I spent two years as an ambassador for Al Ahli of Dubai. I travelled around Asia a lot and acquired my qualifications in the meantime. The role of coach and sporting director really suits me now. I sense the drive to put my ideas into practice. 18

You’re an assistant coach with Al Ahli. Can we assume you hope to end up coaching in Italy one day? Definitely. I’m Italian and the privilege of working in my home country would fill me with pride. However, the opportunity to work in a variety of countries, learning new cultures and footballing mentalities, is also very valuable.

As captain you hoisted the World Cup trophy in 2006. Can you describe how that felt? No, it’s impossible! It could even be that I feel it even more strongly now than I did at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Now, eight years later, I’m properly conscious of what this World Cup triumph has made out of a group of ordinary players – namely legends. It’s the reason we’re invited to appear in fund-raising matches all over the world nowadays.

How much did winning the World Cup change your life? It’s only changed for the simple reason that we became heroes in people’s eyes. We wrote footballing history. On a personal level I’ve stayed the same, and my life is exactly the same as before. Those who know me well can confirm that.

What’s it like playing at the biggest football tournament on the planet? You’re representing an entire nation and you’re up against the best players in the world. It’s a bit like the Japanese cartoon “Captain Tsubasa” [“Holly e Benji” in Italian]. It involves the crème de la crème. It takes a huge amount of preparation. A player can’t be thinking the World Cup will just take care of itself. He has to make huge sacrifices, not only physically, but also mentally. The World Cup pushes you to the limit. The pressure is enormous. Many players only get one shot at the World Cup in their whole lives. I was lucky enough to contest four World Cups. T H E F I FA W E E K LY

You assisted at the Final Draw in December 2013. What was your impression of Brazil? When the talk turns to Brazil, you talk about football. Obviously, the news emanating from the host nation at the moment isn’t all positive. We keep hearing they’re late with completing the stadiums for example. But at the end of the day it’ll be a fantastic World Cup. We’re all going to enjoy it a lot.

How far do you think Italy can go? Italy are a strong team and Cesare Prandelli is a very good coach. I hope the lads can bring home the trophy.

You always have a smile on your face. That’s the way I am. It’s my nature. I always try and keep things in perspective. There are lots of people out there suffering serious and real problems. You have to try and find the strength to work your way out of trouble even at the most difficult times. As long as I have this strength, I’ll always smile.

You celebrated your 40th birthday last autumn. Has the time come for you to grow up? (laughs) My mother says I grew up very early actually. I’m setting myself new targets now. I’d like to take on the job of head coach, for example. I learned from the best coaches in the world. I want to pass on my expertise. I think I’m ready. Å Fabio Cannaravo was talking to Giovanni Marti

Name Fabio Cannavaro Date and place of birth 13 September 1973, Naples Clubs Napoli, Parma, Inter, Juventus, Real Madrid, Al Ahli Italian national team 136 appearances, 2 goals Major honours Remo Neuhaus

2006 World Cup winner 1998/99 UEFA Cup (Parma) 2006/07 and 2007/08 Spanish championship (Real Madrid)

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

First Love

Jonathan Kingston / National Geographic Stock

Place: For t Sa n Jeron i mo, Pa na ma Date: 10 April 2014 T i m e : 7. 1 8 p m

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

T HE DEBAT E

Goethe’s warning to football

Forcing teams to play behind closed doors has become an established sanction in football, but opinions still differ on the effectiveness of this strategy. Thomas Renggli

lthough a football can be kicked with the feet and picked up with the hands, the sport of football occasionally drifts towards the intangible, paranormal and supernatural, like when a phantom goal is scored, the Hand of God comes into play or coaches begin imagining things. The colloquial term “ghost games” also lends a spectral air to matches played behind closed doors. This turn of events can trigger anxiety for the finance directors of clubs and football associations in particular, as Swiss champions Basel can confirm. After their fans rioted during the 22

Europa League Round of 16 meeting with Red Bull Salzburg, they had to play the first leg of their quarter-final against Valencia in front of empty stands on 3 April. The club missed out on income in the region of two million Swiss francs as a result. Instead of playing with the benefit of a packed home crowd, Basel hosted their Spanish visitors in front of a handpicked audience of 75 UEFA officials, 200 sponsor guests, 209 accredited journalists, 75 members of each club (including the players and coaches) and 65 club representatives. The crowd totalled just 699 out of a possible 36,500. Stadium bans have become an established sanction in recent years, particularly at national and continental level. In Germany, a second division match between Alemannia Aachen and 1. FC Nurnberg on 26 January 2004 was the first game to be played behind closed doors. The fixture was originally halted in the 71st minute after Nurnberg coach Wolfgang Wolf was hit by a projectile. At international level, the most serious incident in Europe came in the play-off between Turkey and Switzerland for a place at the 2006 World Cup. The violent clashes witnessed that T H E F I FA W E E K LY

evening meant Turkey’s national side were forced to play their next six home games behind closed doors and on neutral soil. Most recently, the Ukrainian football association was hit with a stadium ban after its fans chanted xenophobic words and displayed Nazi symbols at a World Cup qualifier against San Marino in Lviv. The Ukrainians must play their first home qualifier for the 2018 World Cup without fan support and will not be permitted to host any matches in Lviv for the entire qualifying campaign. According to FIFA President Blatter, this kind of verdict should remain the exception. Instead, sporting sanctions should be imposed upon the football association concerned (see Presidential Note). As Goethe’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice discovered to his cost, one should always be wary of ghosts: they can be difficult to chase away once summoned. Å

The weekly debate. Any thing you want to get off your chest? Which topics do you want to discuss? Send your suggestions to: feedback-theweekly@fifa.org

Alessandro Della Bella / Keystone

Ghostly celebration FC Zurich players salute the “crowd” after defeating Lucerne 1-0 behind closed doors on 23 July 2008.

T HE DEBAT E

Tougher sanctions such as closing stadiums, switching games to neutral venues or individual stadium bans would teach the fans discipline. Football is a sport for upstanding people, not criminals and troublemakers. If you can’t accept defeats for your team you shouldn’t be at the stadium. Football is a wonderful game and it should reflect a fit and proper life.

I’m a passionate AS Roma fan. The Curva Sud has frequently been closed recently. That’s just an insult to the fair Tifoso. We want to give our team passionate and loud support in every match. The club is our life and we can’t just wait and wait until we finally move to a new stadium without a running track, although we’ll only be really close to the team when we get there. Massimo Marchetti, Rome

Ozoechi, Nigeria

“They just isolate the fans.” Thinking about the purpose of matches behind closed doors, I ask myself why we don’t go after known hooligans more often and more vigorously. Perhaps it’s a question of the cost, or maybe the clubs need to invest more in this area. Ticket revenue is their biggest source of income, so why shouldn’t they be punished if they don’t do enough in terms of security? H.D., Germany

No! They are just isolating the fans. If anything make the club donate all ticket sales to a local charity. That way it’s a win-win for the fans/community and the club doesn’t make money, which was the punishment.

PRESIDENTIAL NOTE

Forcing matches to be played behind closed doors is going after the wrong people. The idea is to punish the club and the 100 idiots, but in reality you punish the other 39,900 spectators who are just there to watch the match in peace. In my opinion, a heavy fine for the club (for not distancing themselves from the hooligans) plus pursuing the culprits to the full extent of the law and handing out lifelong stadium bans is the right way to go. Thomas Maag, Switzerland

I’m not a believer in collective guilt and punishment. It would be much better if the stadium operators finally did their job and ejected unruly fans without further ado. They should then be banned from attending matches. Ralph Hennecke, Switzerland

In my opinion the penalty should be applied to the actual culprits, i.e. the fans from the block or section in question. The dads and their lads shouldn’t be robbed of watching a great game. But if you simply close a section of the terraces or a particular sector, like they did a short time ago in Munich, the fans simply get hold of tickets for a different part of the stadium, so this penalty is nothing more than an alibi. If you really want to hit the culprits where it hurts, we’ll need a comprehensive registration system and detailed video surveillance in the future, like they have in England. Once you can identify the perpetrator beyond doubt you can apply a direct penalty with individual stadium bans lasting a number of years. I’m in favour of penalising the miscreants directly and severely.

el_alan09, Mexico

Christian Buerge, Switzerland

“I think it’s a reasonable punishment.”

Sporting sanctions, not shut stadiums

ootball matches are also community events. They bring people together, connect different social classes and generations, and stir the emotions. The crowd is much more than a mere backdrop. The spectators deliver a decisive contribution to a positive atmosphere. A football match without a crowd is like a concert without sound, carnival celebrations without costumes or a sight-seeing tour on an underground train. It lacks something important. Please don’t misunderstand me here: it is of the highest priority to FIFA that drastic measures and severe penalties are rigidly imposed in the event of crowd disturbances. Last year’s Mauritius Congress unanimously approved the anti-racism and discrimination resolution and set out a clear hierarchy of punishments: a first offence can occasion a warning or a fine against the club whose fans misbehaved. For a repeat offence or in the case of severe transgression, the penal code stipulates the deduction of points or expulsion from the competition in question. Games played behind closed doors are also included in the code, but I regard this penalty as an extremely dubious instrument. They represent a disproportionately collective punishment. Furthermore, it involves excluding innocent fans of the opposing team. In the final analysis matches played behind closed doors penalise football. The punishment is unduly excessive. Instead, it is the troublemakers who must be punished. And it is clear to me that the clubs are responsible for the hooligans. To my mind, there remains only one solution to the problem: sporting sanctions are the only effective punishment. It has to cause the clubs real hurt, otherwise nothing will change.

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

A FIFA World Cup in Brazil is just like Visa: everyone is welcome.

™

ANDREAS HERZOG

An Austrian in America

Through thick and thin Andreas Herzog (l.) and Jurgen Klinsmann used to be team-mates at Bayern Munich

Andreas Jaros

decade has now passed since Andreas Herzog followed the call of his former Bayern Munich team-mate Jurgen Klinsmann, who, in his role as advisor to L.A. Galaxy, persuaded Austria’s mostcapped player to wind down his playing days in California. And so it was that, in 2004, the Vienna native ended up behind the wheel of a Jeep, cruising down a palm-lined boulevard on his way to training in Carson. As farewell seasons go, there are certainly worse ways to sign off.

Strategic planning By contrast, in his current role as assistant coach to Klinsmann with the USA national team, there will be little opportunity for the former playmaker to enjoy the sights on offer at the World Cup in Brazil this summer. The Stars and Stripes face considerable obstacles in the group stage, when they square off against title favourites Germany, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and also Ghana, widely considered to be Africa’s strongest side. Yet Herzog is unperturbed as he sits in a traditional Viennese cafe, casually sipping his blend of herbal tea and exuding the winning T H E F I FA W E E K LY

mentality that rubbed off on him during his time in Germany and the States. “Of course it’s a tough group,” said the 45-year-old. “Germany are favourites, but we won almost all of our important qualifying matches last year. What’s more, we lifted the Gold Cup and set a new record by winning 12 straight games. We’ve just had the best two years in the history of American football.” Herzog believes that the climate and the vast distances between the venues of Natal, Manaus and Recife represent the greatest challenges at the tournament, although USA have already taken care of the necessary logistics. “Jurgen has 25

imago

As assistant coach of the USA team heading to the World Cup in Brazil, Andreas Herzog is unfazed by the side’s tough group draw or the huge amount of travelling involved. We met up with the Austrian in Vienna, where he is plotting a way to make an American dream come true.

ANDREAS HERZOG

Same colours, different team Red and blue continue to play an important role in the lives of Klinsmann (l.) and his assistant Herzog.

Analytical eye Herzog, who still lives in Vienna and only travels to the US for training camps or matches, stays in regular contact with the USA squad’s European contingent and their club coaches through countless phone calls and trips to games. He is aided in this regard by Matthias Hamann, brother of former Germany international Didi. 26

In his role alongside Klinsmann, Herzog does not view himself as someone “who just sets up the cones. I’m able to read a game very quickly and analyse what needs to be worked on in training.” Out on the practice pitches Herzog has recently been joined by Tab Ramos, who he faced in a 1990 World Cup match in Florence, when Austria beat USA 2-1. Ramos, who enjoyed a successful spell in charge of the USA U-20 side, was surprisingly promoted to assistant with the seniors in place of Martin Vasquez for a friendly against Mexico at the start of April. However, that personnel change was overshadowed by the recruitment of Berti Vogts as ’special advisor’ to the team. Vogts, who was the last coach to lead Germany to a major international title – the 1996 European Championship in England – has been charged with developing training programmes and analysing T H E F I FA W E E K LY

USA’s World Cup opponents, as well as being an extra pair of eyes in the scouting department. Football boom Herzog has been impressed by Klinsmann’s methods and the winning mentality the former striker has instilled in the side: “He plans everything down to the finest detail and is always open to new ideas. He always aims to win, even in away games.” Klinsmann, a World Cup winner and European champion as a player, has recorded victories in 69.3 per cent of his matches while at the USA helm – an all-time high for a coach of the North Americans. Recent developments in Major League Soccer, the USA’s domestic championship, give further grounds for optimism, with David Beckham aiming to build a team in Miami over the coming years. Moreover, Herzog also pointed to the fact that “two of our most important

pixathlon

checked everything, including the hotels and the training facilities,” Herzog said. In January this year USA became the first foreign team to hold a training camp in Brazil and will use FC Sao Paulo’s base in Barra Funda as their headquarters during the competition. “World Cup fever hasn’t completely taken over yet but the organisation involved was impressive,” said the 103time Austrian international of the team’s twoweek sojourn in South America.

ANDREAS HERZOG

Name Andreas Herzog Date and place of birth 10 September 1968, Vienna (Austria) Clubs played for SK Rapid Vienna, FC Vienna, Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich, L.A. Galaxy Coaching career Austrian national team assistant coach, Austrian U-21s head coach, USA national team assistant coach Personal life Married to Kathi, two sons (Luca, 6, Louis, 3)

Eye on the ball Andreas Herzog in action for Austria in 1997.

imago

players have returned home from top European leagues. Michael Bradley has joined Toronto from Roma, while Clint Dempsey signed for Seattle Sounders from Tottenham. They’re all signs that the league is booming.” On top of that, firm foundations are now being laid at grassroots level. “As the number of academies has increased, the level of tactical understandings has grown. Young players used to come through via the college system, where they only play football for a couple of months each year. That’s obviously a big disadvantage compared to Europe.” World Cup springboard Herzog also revealed that some of the current senior squad would not look out of place on a basketball court: “We have three or four players who can jump unbelievably high and have a great eye for goal. When I was a player I’d

“We’ve just had the best two years in the history of American football.”

never have been able to jump that high, even on a trampoline.” While Herzog can “easily imagine signing a contract extension” with USA, he is also eager to use this summer’s World Cup as a springboard to future opportunities: “I’d like to make a name for myself in Brazil and then work as a head coach, either in the USA or in Europe.” The Austrian certainly has the credentials to do so. Å

Andreas Herzog

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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W E E K LY T O P 11

Legendary commentators

Filling the airwaves Sarah Steiner

ore than 500 media organisations will report on all victories and defeats during the World Cup in Brazil in order to provide first-hand coverage of each country’s progress, allowing the tournament to be broadcast in real time to living rooms, bars and public viewing areas across the globe. Should Neymar fire Brazil into the Final, Franck Ribery miss a sitter or Lionel Messi spearhead Argentina’s charge to glory, fans will feel in the thick of the action, rather than being idle spectators. Modern technology has made such longdistance proximity possible. Audio and video files are sent to a master control centre, from where they are transferred to television towers and transmitting stations to be forwarded to satellites, which in turn allow football matches to be broadcast to radio and television sets worldwide with a time delay of just seconds. Immediately after the games come interviews with players, match analysis, and features on coaches and backroom staff, all of which form part of an irresistible ’all-you-can-eat’ package for football fans. Given the depth of coverage that is considered standard fare nowadays, it is easy to forget how different sports reporting was in the past. The first international match to be aired on radio took place 88 years ago on 18 April 1926, when Germany hosted the Netherlands at the Rhine Stadium in Dusseldorf. Commentator Bernhard Ernst was in position behind one of the goalposts and was ready for kick-off, as were the 60,000 spectators in the stadium. Yet when 10,000 ticketless fans forced their way in and occupied the space around the pitch, Ernst had little choice but to make his way to the designated commentary box in the stands. He

arrived half an hour after kick-off having waded through the throng, only to discover that a postal worker had commandeered the microphone and was competently doing his job for him. In order to help listeners visualise the onfield events as they unfolded, the radio station had published an outline of the pitch, divided up into segments, in their weekly programming guide in the build-up to the fixture. The idea was for the commentator to fill the airwaves with descriptions such as “the ball flies from A5 to D8, before being whipped in from A7!” The scheme failed to take off and was swiftly scrapped once it was established that sports coverage needs both journalistic and linguistic creativity from its reporters. In that sense, not a lot has changed in the intervening years. Å

The weekly column by our staff writers T H E F I FA W E E K LY

Tiziano Crudeli, Italy. An icon in his native Italy, Crudeli has been known to sing, cry, shout and cheer when watching his beloved AC Milan.

Marcel Reif, Germany. Commentating since 1972, Reif is notorious for statements such as “The longer the game goes on, the less time remains.”

Kwabena Yeboah, Ghana. He is one of the most popular commentators in Afrika and celebrates goals with a load “Oluwaaaa”, usually followed by an equally enthusiastic “Wunderbar!”

Galvao Bueno, Brazil. A star in his native Brazil, Bueno lives and breathes football and is incredibly passionate about his country.

John Motson, England. Motson is a national treasure in the motherland of football and has commentated on around 1500 matches in his career.

Andres Cantor, USA. The Spanish language sportscaster is renowned around the globe for his long and booming “Gooooool!”.

Zama Masondo, South Africa. Rather than shout “Goal!”, Masondo bellows “Laduma!” (Zulu for “It thunders!”) and enjoys handing out nicknames to the best players.

Eugene Saccomano, France. Saccomano’s voice is synonymous with football in France. Even a touch of the ball 40 yards from goal is enough to get him off his seat.

Peter Wong, Hong Kong. The controversial reporter is best known for comments such as “There are two possibilities with penalties: Either they go in or they don’t.”

Georgios Helakis, Greece. He regularly goes ballistic during commentary and even gave the Greek national team the nickname “the Pirate Ship”.

Jack van Gelder, Netherlands. Van Gelder shouted himself hoarse when celebrating the winning goal at the 1998 World Cup quarter-final, screaming “Dennis Berg k amp, Dennis Bergkamp, Dennis Bergk amp…!!!” over and over again. Let us know your favourite commentators at: feedback-TheWeekly@fifa.org 29

FULECO

→ http://en.mascot.fifa.com/

Part mascot, part role model

Fuleco is fast becoming the most popular mascot in the history of the World Cup. As an ambassador for Brazil, football and the environment are at the heart of its mission.

ho or what best represents Brazil? Choosing a character to be the official mascot for this year’s World Cup was a difficult task. As well as having Brazilian roots, it had to be unique and, above all, appeal to a wide audience. With those criteria in mind, the three-banded armadillo was finally selected, seeing off the competition thanks to its well-known trait of rolling up into a ball when threatened. Six Brazilian agencies submitted 47 different proposals for the mascot as part of a competition calling for ideas. When making their selection, FIFA and the Local Organising Committee were especially guided by the eclectic tastes of their key target demographic: Brazilian children between the ages of five and 12. “Another key factor was the three-banded armadillo’s status as an endangered species,” stressed FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke. “One of our primary objectives for the

World Cup is to use the event as a platform to promote more ecological awareness and conservation.” The name of the mascot – selected by 48% of 1.7 million respondents in an online poll – is a further nod to this theme of sustainability, as Fuleco is a mix of the words futebol (football) and ecologia (conservation) in Portuguese. The mascot will be present at all 12 host stadiums during the World Cup and will serve as a conservation ambassador, making fans aware of the issue of waste disposal in particular. The hope is that the World Cup will inspire people across the globe to respect the environment.

play a key role. Indeed, it’s already enjoying incredible success almost 60 days before the action gets underway. The world’s most famous armadillo has more than 520,000 Facebook likes, his own Twitter account and a website, as well as his own song, which will form part of the official World Cup album. Fuleco is already a star in Brazil and is now well on track to becoming the most popular mascot in the history of the World Cup. Å

Stuart Franklin / FIFA via Getty Images

Sarah Steiner

Success across all channels Fuleco is the latest addition in a long line of World Cup mascots that originally began with World Cup Willie in England in 1966 and continued with a host of other legendary characters in the intervening years (see The FIFA Weekly No. 23). In terms of the tournament’s visual impact, this year’s mascot is expected to T H E F I FA W E E K LY

MIRROR IMAGE

Munich, Germany

1974

imago

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll do nicely: Germanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fans wear footballs on their hats ahead of the World Cup Final in Munich. On 7 July 1974, their team defeated the Netherlands 2-1.

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MIRROR IMAGE

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2014

Silvia Izquierdo / AP

Football on the brain: Given the success of the Munich example 40 years earlier, could this be a good omen for Brazil’s World Cup campaign?

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Ranking Nov 2013

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

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Biggest climber

Israel Haiti FYR Macedonia Oman Jamaica Belarus Northern Ireland Azerbaijan Uganda Gabon Congo DR Togo Cuba Botswana Congo Estonia Angola Qatar China PR Benin Zimbabwe Moldova Iraq Ethiopia Niger Georgia Lithuania Bahrain Kenya Central African Republic Kuwait Latvia Canada New Zealand Luxembourg Equatorial Guinea Mozambique Lebanon Vietnam Sudan Kazakhstan Liberia Namibia Malawi Tanzania Afghanistan Guatemala Burundi Dominican Republic Malta Cyprus Suriname Rwanda Gambia Syria Tajikistan Grenada St Vincent and the Grenadines New Caledonia Korea DPR Lesotho Antigua and Barbuda Thailand St Lucia Malaysia Belize Philippines

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Singapore India Kyrgyzstan Puerto Rico Liechtenstein Guyana Indonesia Mauritania Maldives St Kitts and Nevis Aruba Turkmenistan Tahiti Hong Kong Nepal Dominica Pakistan Barbados Bangladesh Palestine Faroe Islands São Tomé e Príncipe Nicaragua Bermuda Chad Chinese Taipei Guam Solomon Islands Sri Lanka Laos Myanmar Mauritius Seychelles Curaçao Swaziland Yemen Vanuatu Fiji Samoa Comoros Guinea-Bissau Bahamas Mongolia Montserrat Madagascar Cambodia Brunei Darussalam Timor-Leste Tonga US Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Papua New Guinea British Virgin Islands American Samoa Andorra Eritrea South Sudan Somalia Macau Djibouti Cook Islands Anguilla Bhutan San Marino Turks and Caicos Islands

4 7 -1 3 2 3 3 3 4 3 7 -14 -19 -13 1 -1 -3 -1 -1 3 -2 -1 1 1 1 1 2 -7 0 -2 -1 0 -1 0 0 5 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 0 0 1 -2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

144 144 143 143 139 137 135 127 124 124 122 119 116 111 107 103 102 101 98 91 91 86 84 83 80 78 77 75 74 73 73 67 66 65 64 60 55 47 45 43 43 40 35 33 32 28 26 26 26 23 21 21 18 18 16 11 10 8 8 6 5 3 0 0 0

NET ZER KNOWS!

THE OBJEC T

Why do only ‘big’ teams win the World Cup? Question by Bill Pollock, Dundonald (Scotland) Perikles Monioudis

f you’re implying that it would be nice for a ‘smaller’ team to win the World Cup, then I think you’re right, but it’s not easy. The eight World Cup winners so far have all gone through long processes of development, which makes things difficult for countries considered as underdogs. It costs a lot of money to train a young player and his talent needs to be properly nurtured. That’s where the problems start. Whose job is it to spot ability in youngsters? And who can guide them along the way? In countries that are economically weaker, highly talented players receive no support and if they stray from the right path, you never hear of them again. Of course those countries are also lacking the necessary infrastructure, which is vital to bring players through. Without it the good players all leave their homeland and only return once their playing careers are over, while the very best coaches in international football are not interested in experiments or development work in foreign countries. I think it’s also important to have experience in dealing with seemingly trivial factors 36

during a four-week tournament. For example, handling planning and nutrition or knowing how to make a side play consistently well in the six games leading up to the final. I’m a big fan of African football but the more fancied of the continent’s sides, such as Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, aren’t in a position to win the trophy this year. Å

What have you always wanted to know about football? Ask Gunter Netzer: feedback-theweekly@fifa.org T H E F I FA W E E K LY

imago

Widespread appeal A young Gunter Netzer gives a couple of even younger fans an autograph outside his ‘Lovers Lane’ disco.

How do you write a match report? A journalist essentially has two options: he can adopt either a chronological or a synoptic approach. Sports journalists tend to frown upon the former. After all, who wants to read a report that starts with the kick-off and ends with the final whistle? Surely it’s much more important to be told immediately, rather than at the end of the report, who has won the match. The alternative is to take the synoptic route like the Attic vase painters of Ancient Greece, who depicted long-lasting wars and the convoluted adventures of gods, demigods and the like on their pottery. Such was their artistic freedom that they went as far as to portray certain people or figures next to one another who, in fact, had never actually met. Their aim was to illustrate the essence of their chosen subject, irrespective of the contingencies of reality. Back to football, and the journalist who must decide how best to tackle his match report. He opts for the synoptic approach and starts off by describing the winning team’s midfield as inventive, purposeful and inspired, before moving on to the two strikers, who between them scored three goals to earn their side a 3-1 victory. If he were able to draw as well as write, our journalist could have told his story in pictures, thereby combining the two artistic disciplines as well as the chronological and synoptic reporting styles. This was done to great effect in “The Final for the Association Cup at Kennington Oval”, a woodcut block created in 1891 by S.T. Dadd, which has long been part of the FIFA Collection. It relates the story of the English FA Cup Final and is one of several such carvings by the Englishman. We remain very grateful to him today. Å

TURNING POINT

“It must be possible to be a footballer and a mother too” The former Sweden international Hanna Marklund retired from professional football when she became pregnant. She wants to see better support for mothers still playing the game.

Carl Sandin / Bildbryan / freshfocus

was incredibly lucky to be a professional footballer, but when I found out I was pregnant I just knew that my career was over. That was ok. At that point I’d already been playing for the national team for 10 years and I was back at Sunnana SK, my first club as a professional. I didn’t want to keep travelling around as much, and I felt that the time had come for me to finally hang up my boots. It’s clear, though, that pregnant footballers still aren’t offered much in the way of support, and it’s difficult to remain active as a professional sportswoman when you’re a mother too. It’d be both momentous and highly symbolic of the modern era if we could develop the means to allow players to travel with their families and to take part in daily training sessions. People need to accept that being a footballer is a full-time job. It must be possible to play for a team and be a mother too. I hope that’ll soon become the case because women’s football is developing all the time. The training opportunities available are getting better, as are the conditions which enable the girls to improve as players. Nowadays, the balance of power in women’s football is distributed fairly evenly across many nations, with the quality in many other countries on the rise too. Football is football, no matter who plays the game. Tactics and techniques don’t change. The key factor in achieving success is team spirit – for both men and women. And you need to work hard to establish this. That means working on yourself and on your mistakes, as well as on how you deal with other people. That was something I learnt at an early age. I grew up with my two sisters in a small village. Everyone there played football, so we did too. All three of us are completely mad about the game. My sisters are my best friends and the most

Name Hanna Marklund Date of birth, place of birth 26 November 1977, Skelleftea Position Defender Clubs 1990–1999 Sunnana SK 2000–2004 Umea IK 2005–2008 Sunnana SK Swedish national team 118 appearances, 6 goals

important people in my life. We motivated each other, coached each other, faced each other and spurred each other on: we were, and still are, the perfect team. Girls’ and women’s football has developed well in Sweden, and that helped me to launch my professional career. My prospects were good, so it wasn’t that much of a lottery. Nevertheless, I still studied to be a teacher because I thought it’d be a useful skill to have in addition to football. However, my focus was always clearly on the game. I was absolutely infatuated with it. I had such fantastic opportunities at Umea. The training was hard, but professional, and I had the chance to train with the best players in the world. Playing for the club opened up the door to the Swedish national team for me and paved the way for many wonderful moments. T H E F I FA W E E K LY

Of course, there were some tough times too, not least the 2003 World Cup Final. We battled our way through each round and reached the decider, where we lost against Germany. We were actually well prepared for the match, but as is so often the case against the Germans, they just did that little bit better in those all-important moments. You can’t say it was luck because it wasn’t. It’s a certain type of mentality that needs to be developed within a team. Germany had this desire to win at all costs. Å As told to Sarah Steiner

In Turning Point, personalities reflect on a decisive moment in their lives. 37

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

FIFA QUIZ CUP

Internet: www.fifa.com/theweekly

Two balls, three anthems, four top strikers – and the United States as world champions? Test your knowledge!

Publisher: FIFA, FIFA-Strasse 20, PO box, CH-8044 Zurich Tel. +41-(0)43-222 7777 Fax +41-(0)43-222 7878 President: Joseph S. Blatter Secretary General: Jérôme Valcke Director of Communications and Public Affairs: Walter De Gregorio

If they are genuine, these are two of the most valuable balls in World Cup history. How many years separate the two World Cups at which these balls were used? F 24

Chief Editor: Perikles Monioudis

B 36

H 48

Staff Writers: Thomas Renggli (Author), Alan Schweingruber, Sarah Steiner

C 60

Art Direction: Catharina Clajus Picture Editor: Peggy Knotz Production: Hans-Peter Frei Layout: Richie Krönert (Lead), Marianne Bolliger-Crittin, Susanne Egli, Mirijam Ziegler

Who top-scored in the league’s first division in three different countries?

Proof Reader: Nena Morf, Kristina Rotach

Contributors: Sérgio Xavier Filho, Luigi Garlando, Sven Goldmann, Hanspeter Kuenzler, Jordi Punti, David Winner, Roland Zorn

I Star Spangled Banner R Du gamla, Du fria

Contributors to this Issue: Andreas Jaros, Peter Kanjere, Giovanni Marti, Markus Nowak, Andreas Wilhelm (Picture) Editorial Assistant: Honey Thaljieh Project Management: Bernd Fisa, Christian Schaub

At one World Cup, only three different national anthems were played before each game. One was Uruguay’s anthem, another was that of Germany, but what was the third?

L God Save the Queen Y La Marseillaise

Although the United States have never won the men’s World Cup, a country with “United States” in its name has lifted the Trophy before – but when? E 1950

L 1962

K 1994

D 2002

Translation: Sportstranslations Limited www.sportstranslations.com Printer: Zofinger Tagblatt AG www.ztonline.ch

The answer to last week’s Quiz Cup was PACE (detailed answers on www.fifa.com/theweekly).

Contact: feedback-theweekly@fifa.org Reproduction of photos or articles in whole or in part is only permitted with prior editorial approval and if attributed “The FIFA Weekly, © FIFA 2014”. 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. Any views expressed in The FIFA Weekly do not necessarily reflect those of FIFA.

Inspiration and implementation: cus

Send your answer by 23 April 2014 to feedback-theweekly@fifa.org. Correct submissions for all quizzes received by 11 June 2014 will go into a draw to win two tickets to the FIFA World Cup Final on 13 July 2014. Before sending in your answers, all participants must read and accept the competition terms and conditions and the rules, which can be found at http://en.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/the-fifa-weekly/rules.pdf T H E F I FA W E E K LY

ASK FIFA!

T HIS WEEK’S POLL

Can Liverpool end a 24-year wait to win the league ?

When and why was the ‘three points for a win’ rule introduced? Diana Morf, Winterthur, Switzerland Answered by Thomas Renggli: In 1994, FIFA decided to award three points for a win instead of two, and first implemented this rule at the World Cup finals that same year. The aim of this initiative was to encourage teams to take more risks and incen tivize more attacking football. Teams that regularly record draws are disadvantaged by the three-point rule, as three draws are needed to compensate for one win. Statistics show these changes did not have the desired effect: the number of goals per game at the World Cup finals only increased briefly and has since dropped from 2.71 in 1994 to 2.27 in 2010.

“This is Anfield”. Liverpool fans sing a thunderous chorus of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” after their team’s 3-2 victory over Manchester City. The Reds are closing in on the Premier League title after their tenth successive win, but can they finish the job? Email your views to feedback-theweekly@fifa.org

L A S T W E E K’S P O L L R E S U LT S Who will win the Champions League 2013/14?

35% Bayern Munich

26% Real Madrid

24% Chelsea

15% Atletico Madrid

WEEK IN NUMBERS

3 12 42 Dortmund goals have been

years after Granada last beat

victories was what Crystal

scored or assisted by Marco

Barcelona in La Liga, they repeated

Palace (pictured Jason Puncheon)

Reus (pictured) as his

the feat on Saturday. Despite

achieved on Saturday for the first

scintillating form continues.

Gerardo Martino’s men having over

time since November 1994, when

The 24-year-old attacker

80 per cent of the possession – a record

the likes of Nigel Martyn, Gareth

cleverly laid on the opener

in this season’s Spanish top flight – and

Southgate, John Salako and Chris

for Henrikh Mkhitar yan

29 shots, Yacine Brahimi’s (pictured)

Armstrong inspired them to four

away to Bayern Munich

16th-minute strike proved enough for a

consecutive wins.

on Saturday.

1-0 home win. T H E F I FA W E E K LY

Getty Images (3), imago (2)

of the last 13 Borussia

successive Premier League