The FIFA Weekly Issue #33

ISSUE 33/2015, 21 AUGUST 2015

ENGLISH EDITION

Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Since 1904

Nutrition in football

FOODBALL

NEYMAR ROBINHO WAS MY BIGGEST HERO

SEPP BLATTER FANS MUST SHOW RESPECT

CLUB LICENSING REAPING THE BENEFITS OF GOOD ADMINISTRATION 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

Foodball A footballer’s body is his or her most valuable asset. Holger Stromberg, chef to Germany’s national team, knows that proper nutrition means more than eating plate after plate of pasta and notes the need for a varied diet. Sarah Steiner reports on energy management, fluid reserves and the culinary keys to success.

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Turkey The country’s top three clubs, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas, are readying themselves for the new season and dreaming of past glories.

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Club Licensing System FIFA’s standardisation programme is aimed at strengthening the development of club football, with Club America acting as a template for its implementation.

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S epp Blatter “Spectators may express their frustration with what is on offer by whistling or simply choosing to stay at home next time, but they should never interrupt proceedings,” says the FIFA President in his weekly column.

South America 10 members www.conmebol.com

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No limits Blind and cerebral palsy footballers captivate Toronto.

(Pictured: Ricardinho)

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Neymar The Brazilian superstar discusses his role models, friends and best goals.

George Coppock / Getty Images

The FIFA Weekly app FIFA’s magazine The FIFA Weekly is published in four languages every Friday and is also available free of charge on smartphone and tablet. http://www.fifa.com/mobile 2

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FIFA U-17 World Cup 17 October – 8 November 2015, Chile

Suhaimi Abdullah / Getty Images, Pedro Paulo Ferreira / FotoArena

Foodball What do professional footballers eat?

An apple every now and then for sure!

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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All-Star Squad 23 players from the FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 in Canada made it into the squad of the tournament.

(Pictured: Megan Rapinoe (r.) and Heather O’Reilly)

Schueler / Eibner-Pressefoto, Stuart Franklin / FIFA via Getty Images

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Germany Borussia Dortmund sent out a warning to their rivals in their Bundesliga opener. (Pictured: Marco Reus)

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UNCOVERED

Bon appetit!

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he musings of German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach (18041872) have filtered down through the generations, moving around with the speed and agility of a footballer despite the fact that the beautiful game only reached the German-speaking world a year after the scholar’s death. “You are what you eat” is perhaps the most famous of Feuerbach’s maxims. If only professional footballers had listened to him sooner!

Nowadays players are acutely aware of what they consume, accepting advice, help and guidance on all things nutritional. They know that “they are what they eat” and appreciate that this not only applies to the dinner table but describes a way of life, a holistic attitude and an appreciation of the need to eat healthily all the time. Turn to page six to get your mouth watering! Å

Mario Wagner / 2Agenten

Perikles Monioudis

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Kavel Rafferty / Die Illustratoren

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DINNER IS SERVED! Maintaining a healthy diet is now considered an essential part of any footballer’s career.

Sarah Steiner investigates exactly what that means.

Illustrations by Kavel Rafferty.

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ou are what you eat!” Although this declaration by German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach is now just over 150 years old, it has lost none of its significance in the intervening years and is particularly true of football.

While players require energy to ensure they can deliver the strong performances expected of them, this simple equation is about more than just the simple act of eating.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger once said: “Food is like fuel. If you fill up your car with the wrong type, it doesn’t run.” The same principle applies to the human body. Proper nutrition provides players with the essential nutrients they need to perform at their best. Given that a footballer’s body is his most important asset, it is no wonder that nutrition plays an ever-greater role in the sport. Players who eat right recover better, maintain their ideal weight more easily and reduce their risk of injury – but this was not always so well understood. A plate of schnitzel and fries was once considered a good source of energy, while it was also common for players to enjoy a pint of beer after a match. It would be almost unthinkable to encounter such nutritional gaffes today.

Football is an endurance sport. Although a player normally works at around 70 per

cent of their capacity even in the lower-intensity phases of a match, heart rate and body temperature readings suggest that their energy needs remain high throughout a game due to the short bursts of high-intensity activity they complete along the way.

Players endure between 150 and 200 of these intervals in the course of a game and cover between 10 and 15 kilometres over 90 minutes, including an average of 600 metres at a full sprint and a further 2.4 kilometres of high-intensity running. Their heart rates remain at 85 per cent of their maximum for the duration of the match as their oxygen requirement climbs to 70 per cent of the maximum absorption capacity. A player weighing 75 kilograms requires an average of 1,800 calories per game. Never has the term “high performance” seemed so appropriate!

More than just pasta Holger Stromberg knows just how important the right nutrition can be. He has been the German national team’s chef for eight years and celebrated their World Cup win with them in July 2014. “When Oliver Bierhoff came to me in 2006 and asked if I would like to cook for the national side, it was vital for me to think it over,” the 43-year-old explained. “I didn’t want to be someone who just dishes out pasta; I wanted to highlight the important role that nutrition plays in football.” He did exactly that thanks to T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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­ eticulous planning and the best possible m ingredients, and the players seem to appreciate his efforts. “Ever since they were children, footballers have been given nothing but pasta, pasta, pasta,” Stromberg said, “Players look forward to trying new alternatives because they need more than just noodles to get their daily intake of carbohydrates. A salad of pearl barley or couscous is also perfectly suitable in this respect.”

Carbohydrates are vital when it comes to fuelling elite athletes, as the body needs these building blocks in order to function and perform at its best. While carbs are considered particularly important for energy production, sportspeople also need to consume protein for tissue and muscle growth and fat for energy, building cell membranes and transporting fat-soluble vitamins. Small amounts of these vitamins, together with

Michael Agel

Chopping, baking, stirring Lukas Podolski (left) with Holger Stromberg, chef to Germany’s national team.

Footballers capture the imagination with their discipline in training, dynamism on the pitch and ability to entertain. However, away from the field of play they also regularly provide culinary anecdotes. With this selection of gastronomic tales we dive into a world where greasy burgers can still be eaten in spite of nutritional plans, where bananas and cof fee play an important role and where a forgot ten piece of chewing gum could have decided the 1969 European Cup final.

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FAST FOOD CRAVINGS “Coach, we’d really like to eat a couple of burgers,” said the Denmark squad ahead of their semi-final at the 1992 European Championship – and their request was granted.

The trip to a local fast food outlet evidently did not do them any harm; the Danes surprisingly went on to win the tournament.

A TASTE OF HOME Ecuador was once the fifthlargest banana exporter on the planet.

When the country’s national team arrived in Brazil ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, they only had one request when it came to food: bananas. Hotel employees were asked to take a freshly filled basket of the fruit to the players’ room every day.

However, they did not want just any bananas. Locally grown produce was not desired; instead the Ecuador camp wanted bananas delivered from their beloved homeland.

Illustrationen: Kavel Rafferty / Die Illustratoren

CULINARY DELIGHTS FROM THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL

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“I didn’t want to be someone who just dishes out pasta; I wanted to highlight the important role that nutrition plays in football.”

Holger Stromberg

Marc Attkins / Offside

Cheers! Regulating fluid levels is vitally important when it comes to physical exertion.

minerals and micronutrients, are also important. The key to success is achieving an optimal balance between all of these elements. As a player’s energy consumption levels change depending on whether they are training or contesting a match, their nutritional mix varies from one day to the next. Put simply, an athlete whose energy stores are inadequate will tire easily, struggle to train effectively or at all and be at a greater risk of injury.

PATRIOTIC PASTA The green, white and red colours of the Italian flag are also mainstays on the Azzurri’s matchday menu.

According to the team’s nutraitional advisor Elisabetta Orsi, green olive oil, white pasta and red tomatoes make up the per fect pre-game meal.

FOOTBALL AND SAUSAGES – A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS Uli Hoeness left nothing to chance when planning for his future. In 1985, while working as general manager at Bayern Munich, he set up his own meat factory. It has since been a great success, with up to four million Hoeness sausages sold every day.

Incidentally, Ferenc Puskas was no stranger to the meat industry either - his father was a butcher.

23 professional footballers, 23 favourite meals Although every player has the same basic nutritional requirements, their tastes vary considerably. While the needs of each individual depend predominantly on their playing position as well as their physical condition and tactical role within the team, each footballer naturally has their own set of personal eating preferences. “There’s no master plan,” said

STOKING UP, AUSTRALIAN STYLE “Not without my coffee”, was the motto of the Australian team at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Accordingly, a coffee machine was set up close to the players’ rooms to quench their thirst for caffeine and help them prepare for the upcoming tasks. Newspapers were made available too, giving the players everything they needed ahead of the next match.

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Energy intake Pele paid close attention to nutrition during his playing days.

Declaration of love Dominic Oduro expresses his passion for pizza.

CALM BEFORE THE STORM Preparation is the key to success, and Pepe Reina always follows his own pre-match ritual. The goalkeeper has two toasted cheese and ham sandwiches with a glass of wine the evening before every game. The snack helps him to sleep so that the next day he is well rested by the time he dons his gloves.

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FINE WINES Footballers have to avoid consuming alcohol as far as possible during their careers, but that does not mean they cannot produce alcoholic beverages. Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta has his own vineyard in his hometown, where he strives for the same per fection in winemaking that he demonstrates out on the pitch: he produces top-quality wines for high-end restaurants.

Stromberg. “23 professional footballers have at least 23 favourite dishes. One might love meat while another prefers fish or vegetables, and some have a sweet tooth they want to satisfy.”

With this in mind, Germany’s chef is convinced that “eating healthily is only possible in the long run if the food you’re eating tastes good.”

While there is no doubt that the World Cup winners are lucky to have such a range of delicious dishes cooked for them, it is not a service they get to enjoy all the time. When there are no matches being played, footballers tend to eat most of their meals alone. This poses a particular challenge for youngsters: often living away from home for the first time, they have little experience of eating well and cooking for themselves. As a result, many clubs now pay special attention to this issue by offering advice on cooking and food shopping as part of every rising star’s training programme. Ensuring players take on enough fluids is also crucial. This is because the body reacts to increases in exertion by producing sweat to regulate its temperature, leading to a loss in both fluids and salts.

When it comes to serious competition, a player’s supplies of energy and fluids can prove particularly decisive in the second half of a match. Having well-stocked energy levels keeps a footballer’s skills sharp and enables him to make the right decisions. With so many games decided in the closing minutes, being able to deliver the best possible performance until the final whistle is vital.

“After the match is before the match” Although Sepp Herberger was not thinking about nutrition when he uttered these oft-quoted words, he still managed to sum up this crucial requirement perfectly. Recovering from one game forms part of a player’s preparations

MENU A LA RONALDO What is current FIFA Ballon d’Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo’s favourite food? According to Helio Loureiro, the Portugal national team’s chef, the fish dish ’Bacalhau a Bras’, risotto, polenta and vegetable soups are among them.

Nutrition is important to Ronaldo, who once said: “You can have fantastic talent but if you don’t follow the rules you won’t be the best.”

Popperfoto / Getty Images, Rick Osentoscki / USA TODAY Sports

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for the next encounter, with rehydration also important in this regard. Offsetting perspiration also plays a key role; the body needs to replace both the fluids and salts it loses during exercise, while it is also important to ensure that calorie needs are being met. “Carbohydrate reserves need to be replenished as quickly as possible after a match, ideally within the first 45 to 60 minutes,” said Holger Stromberg.

“Pasta, a snack or a banana and oatmeal shake are all good ways of satisfying this need.” Even after victory in last year’s World Cup Final, the chef’s primary concern was still for the physical wellbeing of his players. “Of course, nobody was thinking about food at first,” he recalled, “but after 45 minutes the first few guys came through feeling hungry.” Stromberg was ready and waiting with pasta in tomato sauce.

“Eating healthily is only possible in the long run if the food you’re eating tastes good.”

Illustration: C2/Kristina Rotach

Holger Stromberg Rice pudding with rice milk The FIFA World Cup in Brazil was a challenge for each and every team, with the country’s climate, heat and humidity all affecting the players’ nutritional needs. Overheating can be dangerous, with just a two or three-degree increase in body temperature posing a grave threat to health. If the weather is too humid, sweat cannot evaporate and instead remains stuck to the skin. Taking on extra fluids becomes essential, while soups and tomato juice

THE POWER OF SUPERSTITION Chewing gum can help smokers quit by serving as a nicotine replacement, the act of chewing serving to calm the nerves. If Johan Cruyf f is to be believed, gum can also be the dif ference between winning and losing.

The former Ajax player had an extremely unusual pre-match routine: shortly before kick-of f he would hit goalkeeper Gert Bals in the stomach and then spit his chewing gum into the opposition half. Only then could the game begin. Cruyf f discovered what the consequences of not following that ritual were in the 1969 European Cup final when he hit his keeper in the stomach only to find he had forgotten his gum. Ajax went on to lose the match 4-1.

PIZZA LOVER When it comes to goal celebrations the possibilities are endless: Miroslav Klose has his somersaults, for example, and the Colombian national team their dance moves.

Colombus Crew’s Dominic Oduro came up with a new celebration after scoring against Chicago Fire in an MLS match. After hitting the net he ran to the touchline, grabbed a pizza box and promptly ate a slice. Once he even shaved a picture of his favourite food into his hair.

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Tour de France, 1921 Swiss riders Henri Colle and Charles Parel take a break in the village of Dalstein.

Mine’s a pint, please Sandwiches were born out of necessity during an evening game of cribbage.

Chess world champion Magnus Carlsen relies on orange juice for concentration, and professional cyclists used to drink beer and wine.

Hitting the wall Montagu was a lifelong cribbage player a n d o n e e v e n i n g i n 1762 h i s w i n n i n g streak during the t wo - person card game w e n t o n f o r s o l o n g t h a t h e a s ke d f o r a s li c e o f r o a s t b e e f t o b e p u t b e t w e e n t w o p i e c e s o f b r e a d s p r e a d w i t h m a y o nn a i s e .

A s i t w a s b o t h t a s t y an d c h e ap t h a t w a s all he subsequently ate during cribbage matches

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White bread may not be par ticularly he althy w hen e aten in lar ge quantitie s but w he at f lour do e s ha ve c er tain ad vantage s in an emer genc y : it r aise s blo o d sugar lev e l s quic k l y. In t h e wo r l d o f p r o f e s sio n al c yc ling, some r ider s s till make the mis take of f ailing to eat while r iding – and doing so c an ha ve huge c onsequenc e s.

For ins tanc e, a slic e of white bread or a ba nana would have done Jan Ullr ic h the wor ld of good bef ore he s tar ted a climb dur ing the Tour de Franc e on 27 July 1998. It may even have helped him win the rac e. Onc e he hit the wall, however, it was too late. His body hy pother mic , Ullr ic h s tar ted trembling and r ings developed under his eye s. He f ell f ur ther and f ur ther b ehind in the r ac e, w hile his r ival Marc o Pantani pulled away at the f r ont . Not onl y did Ullr ic h lo se the yellow jer s ey t ha t da y, he als o lo s t t he Tour de Franc e in what was the mos t disappointing def eat of his entire c areer.

T he c onc ept of ’hit ting the wall ’ has long ex is ted, but it has gained in signif ic anc e in r e c ent ye ar s as the intensit y of endur anc e sp or t s has inc r e ase d. In mo der n c yc ling or c ro s s - c ount y sk iing, athle te s c an no longer af f or d to r e s t in or der to e a t or dr ink . In the Tour de Fr anc e it was c ommon pr ac tic e

well into the 1970 s f or c yc lis t s to s top of f at a b ar and or der a glas s of b e er or w ine w hen t hir s t y. L andlor ds to ok s tep s to ac c o mm o d a t e su c h v i si t s dur in g t h e t our, noting dow n a c yc lis t ’s s tar t numb er in or der to set tle up af ter the rac e was f inished.

Supp or t vehic le s did ex is t at the time, but t hey we r e no t p e r mi t t e d t o ove r t ake c y c lis t s to gi ve them f o o d or dr ink . Inc iden t all y, t o d a y ’s c y c li s t s c o n sum e 30 k il o gr am s of p o t a t o e s and 75 b ananas ove r the c our se of the entir e Tour de Fr anc e.

Concentration crucial Eating and dr ink ing is not as c ommon dur ing c he s s , w he r e p la ye r s nor mall y main tain c onc entr ation levels w ith c of f e e, te a or miner al water. If a matc h do e s dr ag on f or a long time then pla yer s tend to e at ei t he r f r e sh or dr ie d f r ui t , w hile Nor wa y ’s Magnus C ar ls en onl y dr ink s pur e or ange juic e. T h e 24 - y e ar - o l d i s c o n sid e r e d t h e b e s t c he s s pla yer of all time and even had unusual eating habit s dur ing c hildhood: he w o ul d o f t e n e a t w hil e s a t a t hi s c h e s s b o ar d, r a t her t han w i t h his f amil y a t t he dinner table.

Alan Schweingruber

AFP / PRESSESPORTS

Me als ar e not alwa y s c omplic ate d to pr e pare and tailored specif ic ally to the body ’s needs. For example, sandwic he s are one of the more basic options available: a c ouple of slic e s of bread, but ter, let tuc e and some c he e se or me at . Br itish c he f Jamie O li ver, much like all other television c ooks, has c on c o c te d his ow n ver sion of s andw ic he s to great suc c e s s. His additions of her bs, hor se r adish or r ump s te ak make f or a delic ious snac k , even if they are f ar removed f rom the s andw ic h ’s simple or igins. T he f ir s t s and w ic h was made in t he middle of t he 18t h c entur y, and as w i t h all innova t ions, t he name of it s c reator is s till disputed. Nowa days his tor y tends to credit Br itish diplomat Sir John Montagu, the f our th Ear l of Sand wic h, as the f ounder.

FOOTBALL AND NUTRITION

can also provide good sources of salt. In such climatic conditions, Stromberg estimates that players should be drinking five litres of water a day, even taking a further two litres on board on match days. Germany’s chef also made changes to the ingredients he used during the World Cup, explaining: “I left out dairy products because of the hot weather.” Nevertheless, he ensured that no players felt deprived by this adjustment. “There was rice pudding before each game in any case!” he said. “The players believe that it brings them luck, so I simply made the dish with rice milk instead. It was pretty good. Animal fats put a particular strain on the body in the heat because a great deal of energy is required to digest them,” Stromberg explained. “The players felt much better without dairy products.”

Franck Fife / AFP

Escribano’s magic potion Germany are not the only team with a professional like Holger Stromberg on their side.

With nutrition also becoming an increasingly prominent concern at club level, Spaniard Antonio Escribano is considered a master in his field. The sports nutrition specialist has advised top clubs such as Atletico Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur and Sevilla. Players at Schalke 04 will still recall one particular episode from 2006 that may just be the reason they lost their UEFA Cup semi-final to Sevilla after extra-time. Escribano prescribed the Spanish side a ’magic potion’ of bananas, oranges, apples, peaches and melons as well as two per cent fructose, all blended together in milk or water. But there was no magic at work here.

Instead, he simply determined exactly how much energy the players would require in that situation and mixed them a drink on that ba-

sis, explaining that these concoctions are also cheaper to produce than the isotonic sports drinks sold in shops.

In addition to these isotonic beverages, numerous sports nutrition products have been developed to supply the body with a certain amount of energy and nutrients in an easily consumable form. This can be very valuable for satisfying a player’s specific needs in situations where normal food is unavailable or impractical, such as shortly before, during or after a training session. Nevertheless, countless other sports nutrition products and supplements are on sale whose effects have not yet been sufficiently investigated. In many cases, not all of the products’ ingredients are disclosed on their packaging, while some are manufactured in substandard hygienic conditions.

In its “Nutrition for Football” guidelines, FIFA warns: “Players must be aware of the strict liability principle that makes them responsible for everything they eat and drink.

Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse for a positive doping result. Check all supplements with a medical officer. If there is any doubt at all, don’t take it.” Å

The recipes on page 11 are taken from “Das Kochbuch der Nationalmannschaft” (“The National Team Cookbook”) by Holger Stromberg (Hamburg 2014, Edel Books, 17.95 euros).

Spoilt for choice France’s women’s national team browse the buffet.

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T H E

G er m a ny : 1. B u n d e s l i g a

Has Dortmund’s ‘greed’ returned?

Perikles Monioudis is chief editor of The FIFA Weekly.

Reigning champions Bayern Munich kicked off the new Bundesliga season on 14 August with a 5-0 victory over a Hamburg side that has been in severe danger of relegation in recent years. A day later the remaining title candidates also got their campaigns under way.

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youngsters at centre-back. Dortmund eased off a little after scoring their fourth, albeit without ever allowing their opponents a chance of getting back into the game.

After the match Tuchel, a Swabian native known to be a meticulous worker obsessed by success, expressed his delight that his charges “didn’t give an inch in the tackles and kept the tempo of the game high”.

In Germany the question has now been raised as to whether their “greed” for success, to use a term often touted in the press, has now returned. Tuchel refused to be drawn on the matter, saying: “We know what we’re capable of and what we’re not capable of.”

One thing that can be said with certainty, though, is that Dortmund look to be in good shape again – and ready to go a long way. Å

They did so with varying degrees of success: Schalke eased to a 3-0 away triumph over Werder Bremen, Bayer Leverkusen went behind early on against Hoffenheim but fought back to win 2-1, while Wolfsburg won by the same scoreline against Eintracht Frankfurt. Yet the result that really caught the eye was Borussia Dortmund’s 4-0 defeat of Champions League participants Borussia Monchengladbach, whose Swiss coach Lucien Favre has high hopes for his side this season.

Thanks to Dortmund, those plans suffered a setback at the outset.

Yes, it was Dortmund of all teams who ­inflicted the defeat. The Yellow-Blacks have struggled recently but now, following the departure of head coach Jurgen Klopp – who led the club to Bundesliga titles in 2010/11 and 2011/12, as well as to the Champions League final in 2012/13 - hopes of the side returning to its former glory have been rekindled after Matchday 1. And all thanks to new coach Thomas Tuchel.

Spearheaded by the latter, Dortmund’s attack ran riot: Reus linked up with Aubameyang, Kagawa and Mkhitaryan and the quartet picked apart a Gladbach defence that, to the surprise of many onlookers, had two 14

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Inspired interplay Reus (top), Aubameyang (l.) and Schmelzer.

imago / Eibner

Just like his predecessor, the 41-year-old moved to Dortmund following a spell at Mainz. Once again he has inherited Klopp’s team and this time has been left with a host of top-quality players at the Signal Iduna Park, including Mats Hummels, Marcel Schmelzer, Shinji Kagawa and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus the pick of the bunch.

Tu r k e y : S u p e r L i g

Eto’o heads new a ll-star cast Roland Zorn is a Frankfurt-based football correspondent.

Istanbul has never failed to stage a grand airport reception every time major signings have landed, raising hopes of success at Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas, the Turkish capital’s leading clubs. But never have the Big Three’s shopping sprees on the global transfer market heralded such promise as in the run-up to this season. The clubs’ latest purchases underscore their ambitions to compete for honours on the domestic front and restore their reputation in Europe.

Fener featured in the opening Super Lig match on 14 August. Having spent more than any of their competitors on 15 new arrivals to date, the club failed to progress in the Champions League, losing to Shakhtar Donetsk in the qualifying stage. A comfortable 2-0 home victory against Eskisehirspor saw the team’s new superstar, Dutch international Robin van Persie, formerly of Manchester United, take to the field late in the second half to loud applause.

imago / Seskim

Turkish international Mehmet Topal, meanwhile, was greeted with a standing ovation when he was sent on in the 82nd minute, just a few days after his car had been shot by an unknown assailant. Topal was lucky – his vehicle had bulletproof windows. The incident in Istanbul city centre came four months after a gunman who remains at large opened fire on the Fenerbahce team bus following an away game in Samsun, and served to dampen Turkish fans’ excited anticipation in the run-up to the new season.

The Turkey national team have failed to satisfy expectations in recent years, but when the domestic league campaign finally got under way a number of the new arrivals lived up to the hopes invested in them. They included former Cologne and Arsenal marksman Lukas Podolski, whose eye-catching header earned champions Galatasaray a point in their 2-2 draw at Sivasspor. Podolski’s compatriot Mario Gomez, meanwhile, made a substitute appearance for Besiktas in their 5-2 victory in Mersin.

Samuel Eto’o The Cameroonian veteran fired Antalyaspor to a 3-2 victory.

But it was Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o who stole the show among the plethora of recently recruited thirty-something star strikers. The 34-year-old underscored his enduring global reputation with two spectacular goals for newly promoted Antalyaspor in their 3-2 away win over Basaksehir. Having first found the net with a thumping volley, Eto’o went on to tuck the ball away neatly following a weaving solo run through the defensive ranks of the opposition. His match-winning performance made Eto’o the

standout performer of the opening matchday of the Super Lig season.

Even German-Turkish forward Cenk Tosun, who left Eintracht Frankfurt and the Bundesliga several years ago citing a lack of prospects in Germany, had to accept that he had been eclipsed. Tosun’s three goals helped put Besiktas top of the league after the opening round of fixtures, meaning Gomez evidently has a fight on his hands to gain a regular starting place for his new club. Å T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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“Leagues will be much more competitive” The five criteria of the FIFA Club Licensing System

FIFA is seeking to help improve club football with its Club Licensing System – and Mexico’s Club America are leading the way.

1 Sporting criteria – to encourage clubs to invest more in youth development Example: Youth team with development programme

2 Infrastructure criteria – to

­ nsure appropriate technical e environment in terms of infrastructure for clubs Example: Access to playing stadium and training venues

3 Personnel and administrative

criteria – to encourage clubs to manage themselves in a ­professional way Example: Appointment of a general manager, finance officer and qualified head coach

4 Legal criteria – to ensure

5 Financial criteria – to ensure

sustainability and transparency of clubs Example: Submission of audited financial statements and no payables overdue

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lub America are Mexico’s most successful team. Although they were unable to clinch their 13th championship title this spring, the fans were still able to celebrate the club’s sixth CONCACAF Champions League triumph. But America are not only sporting role models. As part of their commitment to becoming pioneers at an organisational level, the club are providing a great example of how FIFA’s Club Licensing System can be implemented.

This new system sets out specific minimum requirements for clubs in national and international competitions, and will be binding within the CONCACAF zone from 2016 onwards.

FIFA’s Club Licensing System is based on five key criteria and aspects (see left). They are

designed to preserve the integrity and credibility of club competitions while at the same time helping to improve professionalism within the footballing family and ensuring transparency in areas such as finance, ownership structures and control of clubs.

As he explains in an interview on the opposite page, Club America CEO Yon de Luisa is convinced of the value of this system.

Daniel Aguilar / Reuters (Fotomontage VSD)

­ ppropriate club governance a and sporting integrity of club competitions Example: Submission of club statutes and ownership structure / control of clubs

FOOTBALL DEVELOPEMENT

Two examples of club licensing in Africa

Why is FIFA’s Club Licensing System a good idea?

Yon de Luisa: This programme will help

clubs across the globe to develop in both sporting and organisational terms. These improvements will make the leagues much more competitive and provide more entertaining matches for fans to watch. It’s important to understand that this project calls for a long-term process that creates success within individual confederations across a vast number of leagues.

How is the system helping to improve standards at your club?

Club licensing improves a club’s standards because it identifies best practices globally and uses these to specify minimum requirements for successfully running the club both on and off the pitch. Determining sporting targets and defining structures designed to support everyday administrative, financial and legal issues improves the club’s chances of success.

Could you tell us which measures have been most useful for your club during the club licensing process?

For Club America and all clubs in Mexico’s Liga MX, I think the requirement to run U-17 and U-20 tournaments in parallel with the first team league has been one of the projects where we’ve seen the most remarkable results. To set up these tournaments, the sporting officials within each club – including top-flight coaching teams – have been forced to invest time and resources into developing future generations.

Yon de Luisa The Club America CEO can see many positive aspects to the Club Licensing System

be more likely to disappear from the landscape. In addition, the gap between clubs and leagues would remain so great that this imbalance would have a negative impact on international matches. Å tfw

Generally speaking, what would happen if clubs did not follow these club licensing principles?

Clubs in the development phase would take longer to reach their goals and would

For more information on this issue, visit http://www.fifa.com/development

FIFA Club Licensing System to be implemented globally

Osvaldo Aguilar / Mexsport

Club licensing is among FIFA’s main football development priorities for the 2015-2018 cycle. FIFA is working closely with confederations and the 209 member associations to improve standards and implement club licensing around the world. Clubs must be licensed to take part in competitions. FIFA’s Club Licensing System will be implemented worldwide until the end of 2016.

Aims: • To improve standards in club football for the benefit of leagues, clubs, players and fans • To strengthen clubs. They are the foundation and heart of the football pyramid (clubs – leagues – member associations – confederations – FIFA). Their development and strength is essential for the well-being of football in general and for leagues and national teams in particular • For national associations to implement the system in the long term with the help of FIFA and the confederations.

George Kasengele, Secretary General of the Zambian Football Association: “We have made our own standardisation efforts. The problem is we’ve had so much turnover in our clubs. Only one participant from our club administration course five years ago is still in position in a club. We realized we need to take example from various countries, South Africa for example, and we achieved the enactment of the club licensing regulations. The first body has been appointed and ratified by the General ­A ssembly so we are almost set to start in 2015 in Zambia. We told the clubs to be ready to be licensed. We are ready to take off.

Changing the mindset is crucial and takes time. Legal issues are key. Clubs need to change their set-up. There are issues of leadership and control for those who have been appointed to run the clubs. Our clubs are sponsored by major companies, not individually owned. The companies have appointed committees to run the club; for these committees to relinquish control to full time employees is an issue.

Infrastructure is a big issue too as no clubs own their own stadiums or training grounds. We find it hard to have stadiums that meet modern day requirements. We are very far off that target in terms of standards. We need to do more in terms of corporate social responsibility. All clubs in Zambia need to do more with the communities where they are based. You need to develop a sense of belonging in your commu­ nity. It’s a serious work in progress but we must show we are up to the task.”

Wajdi Aouadi, Secretary General of the Tunisian Football Federation: “We have had a professional league in ­Tunisia since 1996. In 2003, we modified our regulations to include new requirements for the professional clubs. If we compare with today, our regulations were approximately 80% ­compliant with the system that CAF is imple­ menting now.

In 2014 we started to introduce new modifications to adapt to CAF’s requirements. For example we set up two separate instances (a first-instance body and an appeal body) and presented the eligibility criteria for CAF competitions to the clubs. The current factors include all the CAF requirements around the five pillars (sporting, infrastructure, lega, administrative, financial).

In Tunisia we are ready but after one or two seasons we will need to evaluate the implementation, see what is lacking and improve on it. We will succeed, and improve. We need to do it for the promotion of African football, whether it be the clubs or the national teams.”

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Name Neymar da Silva Santos Junior 5 February 1992 Position Striker Clubs played for 2009–2013 Santos since 2013 Barcelona Brazil national team 65 caps, 44 goals

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Ryan Pierse / FIFA via Getty Images

Date and place of birth

THE INTERVIEW

“Robinho was my biggest hero” Romario, Robinho, Dani Alves and Javier Mascherano have all graced the pitch during Neymar’s lifetime. The Brazil and Barcelona striker explains how each of them have influenced his development.

Who is your greatest role model?

Neymar: Robinho, without a doubt.

I admired him when I was a small boy and then had the great honour of playing alongside him for not only Santos but also the Brazilian national team.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the best players in the world right now, but the time has come for Neymar to take their place.

Ronaldo on Neymar

Which players, past or present, would you most like to play a match with?

I’m a big fan of Romario. He’s someone I would really, really have liked as a teammate. The same is true of Zinedine Zidane.

I once had the chance to take to the pitch with Ronaldo; it was his last-ever match for Brazil, and I wish we’d had the chance to partner each other more often.

Who do you rate as the strongest defender you’ve ever had to go up against?

Neymar is simply and compellingly spectacular.

Rob inho o n Neymar He has everything it takes to become better than

Wow, that’s a really tough question to answer. There are so many top defenders: Javier Mascherano, Gerard Pique, Thiago Silva and Sergio Ramos are just some of them – I could go on and on.

Messi. Messi has already made history with what he has achieved, and Neymar can do the same – and perhaps take things even further. Who knows

Who is your best friend in the world of football?

how many more World Cups Messi will feature at?

I’m fortunate to have made many great friends. I was particularly close to Paulo Henrique Ganso during my time at Santos, but unfortunately we lost touch with one another a little after he moved to another club. These days it’s Dani Alves; he’s one of my best mates.

What do you consider to be the best goal you’ve ever scored?

I’ve scored so many special goals that were significant at different points in my career so far, and I’ll never forget any of them. But if I have to choose, then it’d probably be my goal against Flamengo.

That’s the strike that won me the FIFA Puskas Award. tfw

In any case, Neymar still has the chance to play at several more World Cup finals.

Romario on Neymar

Players like Neymar need better protection. He was attacked 20 times, and that kind of thing can get under a player’s skin. Although Neymar is Neymar, we shouldn’t forget that he’s still only 23 years old.

Javier Mascherano o n Neymar ’s red c a rd at the Copa A merica T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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First Love

P l a c e : B u f f B a y, J a m a i c a Date: 9 November 2014 Time: 1.51 p.m.

Photog rapher: Dietmar Denger

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laif

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FOOTBALL FOR HOPE

Football for Hope is our global commitment to building a better future through football. To date, we have supported over 550 socially-responsible community projects that use football as a tool for social development, improving the lives and prospects of young people and their surrounding communities

To ďŹ nd out more, visit the Sustainability section on FIFA.com.

MEDICAL

PRESIDENTIAL NOTE

“The team doctor’s decision must be respected” Following recent discussions around the role of ­medical staff and their relation with the coach, FIFA’s Chief Medical Officer Prof. Jiří Dvořák clarifies FIFA’s position on this important matter.

Whenever an incident happens on the pitch, what is the protocol in place concerning the intervention of medical staff?

If a player goes down and the referee suspects an injury then he’s entitled to call the medical team and the team doctor from the sideline to provide medical assistance. When they are called, the medical team has to run onto the pitch and attend to the player. There are even two situations in football where the team doctor can run to the pitch without being asked, which are if there is a suspicion of sudden cardiac arrest or if there’s the suspicion of a head injury, such as concussion.

Can the coach intervene at that moment?

In medical terms, when it comes to medical diagnosis, the coach has nothing to say. It is at the sole discretion of the doctor and we at FIFA will always endorse that. This is what we teach, this is how we are educating our doctors all around the world. It is our professional rule and our ethical duty to look after the players’ health. If we let coaches intervene, we can end up with a situation where a player suffers a serious health issue as a consequence of a lack of medical attention. And then the one to be held responsible will be the doctor, not the coach.

Does the same rule apply at all levels?

Yes, the same rule applies all around the world at all levels of football, be it an international FIFA competition, a confederation’s competition or a club competition at national level.

How difficult is it for team doctors to balance the needs of their teams with their medical duties?

The team doctor has to be concerned only about medical treatment and the health of the players, and we have to protect this. A clear example is the new protocol for concussions introduced last year by FIFA’s Medical Committee and which applies to all FIFA competitions. The objective of this new protocol is to reinforce the role of team doctors in order to ensure the correct management of potential cases of concussion in the heat of the competition. Under this new rule, whenever a suspected incident of concussion occurs, the referee has the right to stop the game for three minutes, allowing the relevant team doctor to complete an on-pitch assessment and determine if the player has suspected concussion. The referee will only allow the injured player to continue playing with the authorisation of the team doctor, who takes the final decision.

Respect is more important than fences!

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e are tired of reading reports of fans sparking riots and mayhem, making the headlines at the expense of players and teams, thereby undermining our sport.

Ahead of the German Cup encounter between Arminia Bielefeld and Hertha Berlin, the visitors’ team bus was shot at as it travelled down the street in broad daylight, while another match between Osna­ bruck and RB Leipzig had to be abandoned when the referee was hit by a cigarette lighter. Instead of being one-off occurrences, these incidents in Germany are randomly selected examples of an alarming trend. Similar events occur at deplorably regular intervals in almost every country.

This must not happen. Such attacks are criminal violations that make a mockery of respect for the game and its main protagonists and call the integrity of our sport into question. Roles are as clearly assigned in football as they are at the theatre, the opera or a concert, where the stars perform on stage as spectators look on from their seats. Can you imagine a member of the audience suddenly snatching the conductor’s baton at the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year Concert or pelting Rodolfo and Marcello with cups at a performance of La Boheme at La Scala in Milan?

Exactly the same rules apply in football as in culture and the arts.

The main protagonists must be considered untouchable. Spectators may express their frustration with what’s on offer by whistling or simply choosing to stay at home next time, but they should never interrupt proceedings and become part of the performance themselves. What’s more, this rule should never be enforced with fences, barriers or police intervention. Our sport can only function through fairness, respect and humility – or education.

But would there be any situation where the manager could tell the medical team not to enter the field of play?

I can’t envisage such a situation. I think we have to defend our position. Everybody on the pitch – the players, the manager, the assistant manager, the representatives of the clubs – they all have to show the appropriate level of respect and accept the decisions of the doctors who are in charge. We have been educated that way, we have years, in some cases decades, of education, training and experience, so we know what needs to be done. Å tfw

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

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Ball wizard Jefinho shows off his skills. All of the players wear blindfolds to balance out their different levels of vision impairment.

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Pedro Paulo Ferreira / FotoArena

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BLIND AND C EREBR AL PAL S Y F OO T BALL

BLIND AND C EREBR AL PAL S Y F OO T BALL

Anything is possible

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henever Jefferson da Conceicao Goncalves, or Jefinho for short, receives the ball he is the centre of attention, regardless of whether he is playing in his home city of Candeias or elsewhere around the world. The ball appears to just stick to his feet as he caresses it, dribbling it lovingly, while his astonishing technical ability makes it seem as if he is one with the ball. The 26-year-old was born with glaucoma and has been completely blind since the age of seven. Yet that has not stopped the Brazilian from living his dream, having made his senior debut in Brazil’s blind national team when he was 17. “Football is my life,” he said. “I just want to play. It’s like an escape from the problems I otherwise have due to my lack of sight.”

The Paralympic Pele Jefinho, who is also called the Paralympic Pele in reference to the Brazilian footballing legend, is quite a player. He demonstrated as much at the Parapan American Games for athletes with physical disabilities in Canada from 7-15 August, which served as qualification for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil dominated the group stages and alongside their South American neighbours Argentina, played captivating football on the University of Toronto pitches. It was therefore no surprise when the two teams met in the final.

“I saw their ability as individuals, their intensity and their desire,” said FIFA technical advisor Dick Howard. “They played great football and all the fans were very impressed.” It is something of a revelation to witness the interplay and astonishing moves put together by footballers who rely solely on sound and touch to play the game.

“Team work and adapting to your teammates are the foundations for success,” said Jefinho, whose talents were again evident in the final against Argentina, where he scored the opening goal in a 2-1 victory. Now he and his colleagues are focusing on winning gold at the Paralympics on home soil, a feat that would see them successfully defend the crowns won in 2004, 2008 and 2012.

By delivering top performances at the Parapan Am Games, 11 teams proved that impaired vision and cerebral palsy cannot stop them from following their passion, as Annette Braun reports.

Olympic fever Qualifying for the Olympics is a universal dream shared by athletes the world over, and Sam Charron, Liam Stanley and Dustin Hodgson from the Canadian cerebral palsy team are no different. CP football, which is played by people who have impairment of motor function due to a neurological disorder, was the second football tournament staged at the games in Toronto and, at Rio 2016 at least will still be a Paralympic sport. Canada needed to finish on the podium in order to book their ticket to Brazil but coach Drew Ferguson’s side lost 2-1 to Venezuela in the third-place play-off. While that means the team will not compete in Rio, their enthusiasm for the sport and dedication to the game remain unaffected. “Football is

P ar ap an A m Games 15 di f f e r e n t s p o r t s f e a t ur e d a t t h e Par a p an A m G am e s f o r a t hl e t e s w i t h di s ab il i t i e s . B e t w e e n 7 a n d 15 A u g u s t 2015, 1,6 0 0 c o m p e t i t o r s b a t t l e d i t o u t i n To r o n t o f o r a p l a c e a t t h e 2016 Par al y mp ic G a m e s i n R i o d e J a n e i r o. F o o t b a l l w a s al s o r e p r e s e n t e d a s t e am s f r o m 11 c oun t r ie s g a t h e r e d t o c o n t e s t f i v e - a - s id e an d seven - a - side blind and cerebral palsy t o ur n am e n t s . bra

everything for me – nothing else matters,” said captain Hodgson, who has over 70 caps for Canada.

The competition in Toronto was an extra special occasion for Hodgson and his teammates given that they were playing on home turf. “It was a great experience to have so many family members watching on pitchside,” said 18-year-old Stanley, while 17-yearold Charron added that their presence also increased the amount of pressure he felt.

Ferguson, meanwhile, believes the two teenagers were one of the highlights of the tournament and an important symbol for the future of the sport.

Ferguson, who himself used to play for Canada, has been in charge of the national team for ten years and is one of the main reasons why CP football has developed in the country. Making progress is not easy and there are always many obstacles to be overcome.

Tough competition Coaching courses are expensive and financial support is limited. “I’m impressed by the players’ attitude: they work hard and are committed,” said Ferguson, citing that as one of the reasons why he cannot imagine there being a better job. He is keen to nurture his players further, not only because he recognises their huge potential on the playing field, but also because he has observed that football has increased their self-confidence off it.

“Now they feel more secure when driving a car or on a flight to South America,” he said.

Jan Francisco Brito da Costa, one of the best players in Brazil’s CP team, agrees: “For me it’s a dream to play football and to improve my life as a result.”

Brazil not only dominated the blind tournament in Toronto but also the CP competition, thanks in part to the performances of Brito da Costa, who has been involved with the national team for five years. They beat Argentina 3-1 in the final, and also finished third behind Russia and Ukraine at the 2015 World Championships in England in June.

Next year’s Paralympics will therefore be a closely fought contest.

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BLIND AND C EREBR AL PAL S Y F OO T BALL

S e v en - a - side: CP f oo t b all C e r e b r al p al s y f o o t b all o r i gin a t e d in t h e Uni t e d K in g d o m an d t h e N e t h e r l an d s an d i s n ow p l a y e d o n e v e r y c o n t in e n t . P l a y e r s h a v e imp air m e n t o f m o t o r f un c t i o n du e t o a n e ur o l o gic al di s o r d e r an d ar e gr a d e d in c l a s s e s r an gin g f r o m C 5 t o C 8, d e p e n din g o n t h e ir l e v e l o f di s ab ili t y. T h e s e v e n t e am m e mb e r s m a y n o t in c lu d e m o r e t h an o n e c l a s s C 8 p l a y e r a t a ny t im e , w hil e t h e s t a r t in g l in e - u p mu s t f e a t u r e a t l e a s t t w o p l a y e r s f r o m c l a s s e s C 5 an d C 6. T h e r e i s n o o f f s i d e r ul e , an d o n e - h an d e d t hr ow - in s a r e p e r m i t t e d . A m a t c h l a s t s 6 0 m i nu t e s , w i t h a 15 - m i nu t e i n t e r v a l b e t w e e n t h e h a l v e s . In c a s e s w h e r e a w i n n e r h a s t o b e d e t e r m i n e d , a d r a w n m a t c h r e s u l t s i n e x t r a t im e b e in g p l a y e d, f o ll ow e d by a p e n al t y s h o o t - o u t i f n e c e s s ar y.

Suc c e s s t he wor ld over C e r e b r al p al s y f o o t b all m a d e i t s Par al y mp i c d e b u t in 198 4. B e l gium w o n t h e f ir s t t o ur n am e n t , f o ll ow e d by t h e N e t h e r l an d s t hr e e t im e s in su c c e s s i o n (1988 in S e o ul, 1992 in B ar c e l o n a an d 1996 in A t l an t a). Ea s t e r n Eur o p e an t e am s h a v e d o min a t e d t h e Par al y mp ic t o ur n am e n t s in t h e n ew mill e nnium . C ur r e n t w o r l d c h amp io n s Ru s s ia wo n t h e g o l d m e d al in Sy dn e y in 20 0 0, w i t h Uk r ain e c lin c hin g v ic t o r y a t t h e n e x t t wo G am e s (20 0 4 in A t h e n s an d 20 0 8 in B e ijin g) b e f o r e Ru s s i a m an a g e d t o r e g ain t h e ir Par al y mp i c t i t l e in 2012. bra

Commitment to the cause Charron, Stanley and Hodgson are among that group and train anywhere between 14 and 20 hours each week for their respective clubs Bays United Victoria, Cumberland Cobras Ottawa and KWL United Burnaby. Youngsters Charron and Stanley are students, while Hodgson works for the city of Vancouver. At 31, the latter has a wealth of experience to draw on and after learning exactly how his body copes over the years he views his biggest challenge as staying fit in order to continue playing at such a high level.

Although Canada were unable to win the Parapan American Games, all three players drew positive conclusions from the tournament. The 2-1 group stage victory over USA in particular will live long in the memory, and Charron lists scoring against their big rivals and neighbours in that game as his personal highlight.

It is moments like those that spur the players on to overcome hardships. Goalkeeper Damien Wojtiw’s story is a case in point. The 33-year-old played football as a child until two blood vessels burst in his brain. He continued his playing career in the CP team and refuses to even consider retiring from the game despite the risks involved for him.

Source of inspiration The participants in Toronto were united by their love of the sport and the belief that anything is possible with the will to succeed.

Charron, Stanley and Hodgson stand as testament to that tenacity, having dealt with 26

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Captivating Teams captured the imagination with their talent on the University of Toronto pitches.

Pedro Paulo Ferreira / FotoArena, Marta Iwanek / Toronto Star via Getty Images

Canada’s bright future Canada’s hopes for a successful future rest on a number of players, with four members of their squad in Toronto under the age of 19. The reach of social media has helped raise awareness of the sport and the countless messages on Facebook and Twitter are proof of the increased interest potential players have in taking up the game. “Sometimes scouting is just about going to the shopping centre and observing people, keeping an eye out for prospective CP players,” said Ferguson.

Charron is one such player, having been discovered by chance after participating in a game that took place next to a CP football training session. Today he is a pillar of the national team, despite his young age. Nevertheless, keeping track of the organisational side of things is not always easy given the size of the country. Fifteen members of the current team receive support from Sport Canada and train daily with their clubs, which are spread from the east coast over to the west. The players also take part in regular camps and tournaments with the national side.

BLIND AND C EREBR AL PAL S Y F OO T BALL

Five-a-side: Blind football In blind f o o t b all, te am s of f i ve pla yer s c omp e te agains t one ano t her. T he f our out f ield player s are either blind or par tial ly sighted. T hey all wear blindf olds in or der to ensure that those who retain some me asur e of sight do not ha ve an unf air advantage. T here is one exc eption to this r ule, however : the goalkeeper s are sighted, although they mus t remain within their r e sp e c ti ve ar e as at all time s. Blind ath le te s r el y on their he ar ing and sense of dir e c t ion, s o t he b all make s a nois e to help player s loc ate it by sound. Spec tator s ar e enjoine d to ke ep quie t s o as not to c ompromise the game. T he ball, whic h re semble s that used in f ut sal, is smaller and muc h hea v ier than a traditional f ootball At home Dustin Hodgson (r.) led Canada on to the pitch in Toronto.

to ensur e t ha t it do e s not s t r a y to o f ar f r om the pla yer s and c annot bounc e too high. T he c oac he s and as sis tant s on the

the difficulties of the condition since birth but nevertheless played the game since early childhood.

Players who were on course to become professionals before an accident curtailed their careers share the same conviction, as do those who have encountered many hindrances, with tasks that were once straightforward, such as maintaining balance, now hugely problematic.

Cerebral palsy football gives them the chance

sideline s ac t as guide s, direc ting the play er s and initiating at tacks. T he pitch is sur r ounde d by r eb ound b o ar ds, w hic h ar e ac tively used in the game. Matc he s c on sis t of t wo halve s of 25 minute s.

Bra z il t he t eam t o bea t South A mer ic a’s his tor y of blind f ootball e x tends as f ar b ac k as 1980, w hen t he f ir s t tour nament was held in Br azil. T he

”Football is everything for me – nothing else matters.”

Dustin Hodgson, captain of Canada’s cerebral palsy national team.

Eur o p e an o r igin s o f t h e g am e c an b e f ound in Spain, whic h held the f ir s t blind f ootball national c hampionship s in 1986.

T he spor t is now played in over 40 c oun tr ie s around the globe.

C o n t in e n t al c h amp i o n s hip s h a v e b e e n held ever y other year f rom 1997 onwards, w hile t he Blind F o ot b all Wor ld C up has

Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press

taken plac e ever y f our year s sinc e 1998. to live out their dream of following in the footsteps of their idols Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.

It is for that reason that Barito da Costa has just one wish: greater public awareness of the sport and an accompanying increase in matches on the international stage. However, CP football is not scheduled to be an event at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Given that financial support increases with the status of being a Paralympic sport, there are difficult times ahead for teams everywhere. But if the players have learned one thing, it is that giving up is definitely not an option. Å

Blind f ootball made it s debut at the Ath ens Paraly mpic s in 20 0 4, with teams f rom A r gentina, Br azil, Fr anc e, Gr e e c e, S outh Kor e a, Rus sia and Sp ain ac ting as tr ail blazer s f or the sp or t . T he Br azilians tr i umphe d agains t their A r gent inian c oun ter par t s in the f inal. Having retained their t it le a t the Beijing Par al y mpic s in 20 08 and the L ondon Paraly mpic s in 2012, Bra zil w ill doubtle s s b e the team to b eat in Rio in 2016. bra

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F IFA WOMEN’S WORLD C UP C AN ADA 2015

Successful introduction The vanishing free-kick spray reaches the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Social media Marie-Eva Nault poses for a selfie with fans.

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Alex Livsey / FIFA via Getty Images, Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images, Stuart Franklin / FIFA via Getty Images

All Stars Megan Rapinoe (top) and her USA teammates Hope Solo (left) and Carli Lloyd.

F IFA WOMEN’S WORLD C UP C AN ADA 2015

Top performances, big stars Over a month has passed since the curtain came down on the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™, but the stars that shone so brightly continue to sparkle. FIFA has published its Technical Report on the tournament, as well as announcing the All-Star Squad.

T

he majority of players who showcased their skills to the world in June and July are now back with their clubs, their minds still brimming with treasured ­moments. And now 23 of them will have a new memory to cherish.

On 17 August 2015, FIFA’s Technical Study Group (TSG) published the FIFA Technical Report and unveiled the members of the Canada 2015 All-Star Squad, which features among the main findings and comprehensive statistics of the 52-match analysis along with various reports. These include technical and tactical analyses, trends, a confederations analysis, refereeing report, a goal-line technology report and a medical report. The All-Star Squad is made up of 23 players whose performances in the tournament particularly impressed the TSG experts. Mirroring an official tournament squad, it comprises three goalkeepers and 20 outfield players, in this case seven defenders and 13 midfielders and forwards. It goes without saying that any of the world’s top coaches would be delighted if they were lucky enough to have these talented stars at their disposal.

Some surprise selections Five of the players were part of the US side that won the tournament, including adidas Ballon d’Or winner Carli Lloyd and the recipient of the adidas Golden Glove, Hope Solo. German striker Celia Sasic, who won the adidas Golden Boot award and subsequently announced her retirement from football, also features.

In addition, the saves of goalkeeper Nadine Angerer (Germany), the defensive performances of Lucy Bronze (England) and Kadeisha ­Buchanan (Canada), the vision of Amandine Henry (France) and Aya Miyama (Japan), and the attacking nous of Ramona Bachmann (Switzerland) and Lisa De Vanna (Australia) saw those players earn a place in this expanded “Dream Team”.

Successful debuts The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 broke new ground in many ways. Some of the innovations introduced at the tournament had little to do with the game itself but were nevertheless influential in one way or another. For example, it was the first time that all matches

ALL-STAR SQUAD CANADA 2015 Goalkeepers: Nadine Angerer (Germany), Karen Bardsley (England), Hope Solo (USA)

were played on artificial turf, and some inside a covered arena.

The vanishing spray used to mark the distance that the wall must stand from a freekick also celebrated its FIFA Women’s World Cup debut, as did goalline technology, which proved to be a valuable aid to the referees on a number of occasions, not least for Japan’s winner against England in the semi-final. Another change at this year’s tournament was the increased number of teams competing, which resulted in more matches and an additional knockout stage.

Of the 24 teams that took part, exactly a third had female head coaches. Three were with more established nations Germany, Sweden and USA while the other five oversaw teams that were playing in the competition for the first time (Côte d’Ivoire, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Switzerland and Thailand). All coaches, male and female, took a very active role in the matches, giving instructions that were often decisive, and for the third time in the history of the tournament, the winning team was coached by a woman.

Another noticeable feature of the tour­ nament was the higher performance levels.

Although it was clear that some nations are more developed than others, 72% of all matches were either drawn or won by one goal.

The tactics and playing styles varied from team to team but all had at their heart a collective spirit. Only a few teams, mostly from Africa and South America, relied heavily on the skills of individual players, and largely without success. Å tfw

Defenders: Saori Ariyoshi (Japan), Lucy Bronze (England), Kadeisha Buchanan (Canada), Steph Houghton (England), Julie Johnston (USA), Meghan Klingenberg (USA), Wendie Renard (France) Midfielders and forwards: Ramona Bachmann (Switzerland), Lisa De Vanna (Australia), Amandine Henry (France), Elise Kellond-Knight (Australia), Eugénie Le Sommer (France), Carli Lloyd (USA), Anja Mittag (Germany), Aya Miyama (Japan), Megan Rapinoe (USA), Mizuho Sakaguchi (Japan), Celia Sasic (Germany), Elodie Thomis (France), Rumi Utsugi (Japan)

You can find more information on this topic at http://www.fifa.com/womens-football T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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GENER AL INFORMATION Country: Singapore FIFA Trigramme: SIN Confederation: AFC Continent: Asia Capital: Singapore

Making the best of a hellish week Alan Schweingruber

Mario Wagner / 2Agenten

A

s humans, we possess a few characteristics that repeatedly get us into hot water. For example, we love to be able to control as many aspects of our lives as possible. One of the most ridiculous sayings ever devised for the working world says: “Trust is good but control is better”. In other words, the best way to get on in life is to trust nobody.

Bayern Munich place their trust in their coach despite this saying, and after their first match of the season they will be glad they did.

It was Pep Guardiola who pushed through his preferred transfer despite encountering scepticism from all sides. Having pleaded with club officials to be able to sign Douglas Costa, a player he had been watching for years, it now seems as though the Brazilian could be his new go-to player on the right wing, or at least a replacement for Arjen Robben. Despite being yet to feature in national coach Dunga’s plans at almost 25 years old, Costa dazzled on his Bundesliga debut, prompting German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung to refer to him as a “DC-11 rocket”. The Spaniard wears the same No.11 shirt previously worn by Stefan Effenberg, Lukas Podolski and, most recently, Xherdan Shaqiri.

Nevertheless, this first wave of positive reviews should be taken with a pinch of salt as,

while Bayern Munich were igniting their latest secret weapon on 14 August, their opponents could barely generate a spark. As the nation looked on, Hamburg seemingly took their cue from club officials in the week leading up to the match and relinquished control of the encounter. Last week HSV sporting director Peter Knabel had his rucksack, containing the club’s payroll details, stolen. The documents were subsequently found scattered in a Hamburg park. A few days later the club was forced to stop selling a fan shirt featuring a choreographed display by Hertha Berlin supporters.

As HSV dealt with this series of setbacks, satirists across Germany had a field day.

Although both cases appear to be a case of misplaced trust, this is no reason to revert to patriarchal adages about control that only breed mistrust. Instead, perhaps Hamburg – who came close to relegation in 2014 and 2015 and for whom so many things have gone wrong over the past seven years or so – simply need to take a sabbatical. After all, history teaches us that the sabbatical year is traditionally the last in a series of seven years. Å

GEOGR APHIC INFORMATION Surface area: 718.3 km² Highest point: Bukit Timah 163 m Neighbouring seas and oceans: Indian Ocean, South China Sea

MEN’S FOOTBALL FIFA Ranking: 155th World Cup: No appearances

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL FIFA Ranking: 142nd World Cup: No appearances

L ATES T RESULTS Men’s: Japan - Singapore 0:0 16 June 2015 Women’s: Malaysia - Singapore 2:0 19 October 2013

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MIRROR IMAGE

T

H

E Braunschweig, Germany

1975 A young street footballer‌

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O

W

Hamburg, Germany

2015

slg. Raiss / fotogloria (2)

…and his play mate.

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NET ZER KNOWS!

Is club loyalty no longer valued today?

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“I wanted to go up earlier but was told to wait until 90 minutes had passed.

I didn’t think the chance would come.

When it came, we just tried to create as much chaos in the box as possible. It was just instinct. Crazy. Unbelievable.

Words can’t describe it. Even now I keep thinking, ‘Did that really happen?’”

Goalkeeper Martin Hansen after his equaliser for Ado Den Haag versus PSV – a diving back-heeled flick into the bottom corner

“You can have as many tactical plans as you want, but if Eden Hazard starts running it’s chaos. He’s at a level where he decides how good his team are.

Messi and Ronaldo are stats animals.

If you look at their talent, you can compare Eden to them.”

Vincent Kompany (Manchester City) ahead of the match Manchester City versus Chelsea

July 1970 Gunter Netzer showcases his heading ability.

imago

C

lub loyalty is still valued very much, but the princely salaries on offer have changed the market. You can’t blame a player for accepting a deal that multiplies his income. In 1973 I moved from Monchengladbach to Spain with Real Madrid. Part of the appeal was definitely that the club was already very famous back then, but the financial terms were also very attractive. I moved into a new sphere and tripled my wages from one day to the next.

A player can reject a better offer if he feels a connection with his hometown club.

Decisions like that deserve respect, because in those cases he weighs up the conditions and realises that the overall package isn’t worth it. That is to say, he wouldn’t feel comfortable in his new surroundings despite an improved salary.

Team members like that are highly valued, especially at big clubs, because they stand for identity. You can’t forget that supporters don’t want to get to know a new team every season. Fans appreciate players’ loyalty

because they themselves are loyal to the club their entire lives.

There are so-called footballing nomads too; players who go through 14 or 15 clubs during their careers. In principle that’s not a bad thing because in my opinion living abroad expands your horizons. However, clubs would be well advised to thoroughly vet potential new signings. Å

“It is clear and I can’t deny it that there were certain things I was uncomfortable with. I never said that I wanted to leave Madrid but I couldn’t continue like that.

You can see the economic part is the last thing I mention, but there were things we needed to talk about.”

Sergio Ramos on his new contract with Real Madrid

“For me, it was a big surprise to see how many supporters welcomed me with warmth and enthusiasm at the opening league game against Tottenham at Old Trafford – it gave me goosebumps.”

Bastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United) after his first match at Old Trafford

“It’s an honour to have Turan with us.

He’s a phenomenon. Furthermore, he’s been very funny in the camp. Our team needs crazy men like him.”

What have you always wanted to know about football?

Ask Gunter Netzer: feedback-theweekly@fifa.org

Dani Alves (FC Barcelona) on his new team mate Adra Turan T H E F I FA W E E K LY

35

FIFA PARTNER

TURNING POINT

“One bad afternoon is all it takes.”

Alan McInally reached the semi-finals of the European Cup with Bayern Munich on two separate occasions.

A short time later, a knee injury signalled the end of the Scot’s playing career.

Christian Nilson / 13 Photo

I

got a wonderful opportunity to leave Aston Villa and go to Germany to play for one of the biggest clubs in Europe, if not the world, when Bayern Munich called. That was a huge step forward for me.

I was never someone who liked to stay at home and hope for the best. I wanted to get out there and do my best, and I thought it would be great to join Bayern. My first season there was fantastic because we were crowned champions, but the first half of my second year in Munich was tougher. I suffered an ankle injury in ­November and I’d scarcely recovered from that setback when I sustained another injury, this time to my knee.

It happened at Bayern’s Sabener Strasse training ground. I wasn’t even tackled; I just fell awkwardly and in no time at all my knee had swollen up. Although I didn’t realise it at the time, that was a turning point. Players began to call me a walking disaster, and they were right. What began as meniscus damage ended with a kneecap and knee joint replacement. I visited several surgeons, including Dr Richard Steadman in Vail, Colorado, and he operated on my knee twice.

He was the one who told me unequivocally that my knee would never quite heal completely. He said: “Alan, I think you need to call it a day.” That was the biggest blow of my ­entire life – it hit me like a hammer. Although I wanted to get back out there and fight, there was no point. I could no longer work my knee any harder than 80 per cent, and that meant I couldn’t play for Bayern Munich any more.

Despite that, the club were fantastic to me. They stuck by me for as long as possible and kept giving me more time to recover. ­Bayern president Uli Hoeness was like a father to me.

You tend to think you’re invincible as a professional footballer, but one bad afternoon is all it takes to spell the end of your career.

Despite having played in the semi-finals of the European Cup for two successive seasons, it was time for me to contemplate my next move. I could just as easily have ended up with two continental triumphs. Instead I was hanging up my boots for good.

My knee replacement means I can no longer run or play football, not even for ­ the Bayern, Aston Villa or Celtic veterans’ teams.” Å Alan McInally was speaking to Perikles Monioudis

Name Alan McInally Date and place of birth 10 February 1963, Ayr, Scotland Position Striker Clubs 1980–1984 Ayr United 1984–1987 Celtic 1987–1989 Aston Villa 1989–1992 Bayern Munich 1993–1994 Kilmarnock Major honours Scottish Cup winner 1985 (with Celtic) Scottish champion 1986 (with Celtic) German champion 1990 (with Bayern) DFB Supercup winner 1990 (with Bayern) Scotland national team 8 caps, 3 goals

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

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

37

MEN’S WORLD R ANKING

Argentina (unchanged) Chile (10th, up 1) Netherlands (12th, down 7) 29 Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, USA (6 matches each) Albania (up 166 points) Jamaica (up 21 ranks) Germany (down 185 points) Serbia (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

1 Argentina

0 1425

55 Jamaica

2 Belgium

1 1244

3 Germany

+/- Points

Rank Team

Last updated: 6 August 2015 +/- Points

Rank Team

+/- Points

21

596

108 Guatemala

-3

299

163 Timor-Leste

2

56 Trinidad and Tobago

8

595

110 El Salvador

-22

289

164 Bhutan

2

128

-1 1226

56 Japan

-6

595

111 Namibia

3

284

165 Suriname

-2

124 124

130

4 Colombia

0 1218

58 Paraguay

-2

588

112 Bahrain

1

282

165 Indonesia

-1

5 Brazil

1 1186

59 Congo DR

1

555

113 Mauritania

15

273

167 New Caledonia

0

118

6 Portugal

1 1177

60 Guinea

-2

552

114 Benin

-18

269

168 Malaysia

0

116

7 Romania

1 1166

61 Australia

-2

551

115 St Vincent and the Grenadines

0

268

169 Central African Republic

1

111

8 England

1 1157

62 Equatorial Guinea

1

546

116 Kenya

0

266

170 Bangladesh

-1

102

9 Wales

1 1155

63 Mali

-2

545

117 Syria

0

259

171 Pakistan

1

101

1 1124

64 Gabon

1

544

118 Palestine

1

255

172 Chad

1

100

10 Chile 11 Spain

1 1110

65 Panama

-3

528

119 St Kitts and Nevis

12 Netherlands

-7 1032

66 Serbia

-23

523

119 Cuba

1

254

173 Dominica

1

98

-15

254

174 Yemen

-3

96 90

13 Croatia

1 1023

67 Bolivia

-1

515

121 Botswana

-1

253

175 Maldives

1

14 Slovakia

1 1016

68 Norway

-1

495

122 Madagascar

0

251

176 US Virgin Islands

-1

88

14 Austria

1 1016

69 Bulgaria

-1

489

123 Belize

-5

242

177 Laos

0

86

16 Italy

1 1001

70 United Arab Emirates

-1

484

124 Korea DPR

5

240

178 Montserrat

0

74

17 Switzerland

1

997

71 Burkina Faso

1

482

125 Philippines

-1

239

179 Chinese Taipei

0

72

18 Uruguay

-5

988

72 South Africa

-2

478

126 Kuwait

-3

237

180 Cambodia

1

66

19 Algeria

0

941

73 Zambia

-2

465

127 Moldova

-3

236

181 Mauritius

-1

63

20 Czech Republic

0

933

74 Uganda

-1

463

128 Lesotho

3

229

182 Sri Lanka

1

62

21 Côte d’Ivoire

0

912

75 Faroe Islands

-1

456

129 Dominican Republic

-3

224

183 Brunei Darussalam

1

61

14

888

76 Uzbekistan

-1

452

130 Lebanon

0

223

184 Nepal

1

57

23 France

-1

882

77 Montenegro

4

423

131 St Lucia

-4

220

185 Seychelles

1

56

24 Iceland

-1

877

78 Estonia

4

420

132 Swaziland

6

218

186 Comoros

1

50 50

22 Albania

25 Denmark

-1

876

79 China PR

-2

416

132 Burundi

-1

218

186 Tahiti

2

26 Mexico

14

838

80 Togo

3

415

134 Afghanistan

0

212

188 Macau

-7

49

27 Ghana

-2

827

81 Honduras

-1

409

135 Bermuda

1

209

189 São Tomé e Príncipe

0

48

28 Bosnia and Herzegovina

-2

819

82 Cyprus

3

391

135 New Zealand

1

209

189 Cayman Islands

0

48

29 USA

5

816

82 Morocco

2

391

137 Aruba

-2

201

191 Solomon Islands

0

47

30 Ukraine

-3

791

84 Haiti

-5

387

138 Barbados

3

198

192 San Marino

0

40 33

31 Russia

-3

782

85 Iraq

1

386

139 Thailand

1

197

193 Turks and Caicos Islands

0

32 Scotland

-3

774

86 Latvia

1

377

140 Tanzania

-1

194

194 British Virgin Islands

0

27

33 Poland

-3

769

87 Sudan

3

375

141 Kazakhstan

1

193

195 South Sudan

0

22 20

34 Tunisia

-2

768

88 Armenia

1

373

142 Gambia

1

191

196 Vanuatu

1

35 Hungary

-4

763

89 Angola

3

371

142 Guinea-Bissau

-9

191

197 Samoa

-1

19

36 Ecuador

-1

758

89 Finland

1

371

144 Nicaragua

-1

188

198 Fiji

1

17

37 Sweden

-4

752

91 Rwanda

-13

369

145 Luxembourg

1

187

198 Tonga

-1

17

38 Costa Rica

3

728

92 Jordan

0

357

146 Guam

8

185

200 American Samoa

1

12

39 Senegal

0

722

93 Saudi Arabia

-1

351

147 Liechtenstein

0

182

201 Papua New Guinea

1

9

40 Northern Ireland

-3

721

94 Libya

2

345

148 Curaçao

1

173

201 Andorra

1

9

41 Iran

-3

718

95 Qatar

1

344

149 Turkmenistan

3

172

203 Eritrea

1

8

42 Cameroon

0

667

96 Belarus

4

341

150 Puerto Rico

0

169

204 Mongolia

1

6

43 Congo

4

666

97 Mozambique

-2

339

151 Hong Kong

3

168

204 Somalia

1

6

44 Greece

0

661

98 Malawi

10

335

152 Guyana

7

167

206 Djibouti

1

4

45 Turkey

3

627

99 Ethiopia

2

330

153 Vietnam

-10

166

206 Cook Islands

1

4

46 Slovenia

3

626

99 Oman

3

330

154 Georgia

-1

165

208 Anguilla

1

0

47 Israel

4

620

101 Canada

2

323

155 Singapore

-5

162

208 Bahamas

-8

0

48 Venezuela

-3

617

102 Niger

-6

312

156 Kyrgyzstan

1

160

0

160

-10

159

49 Peru

-3

612

103 FYR Macedonia

2

311

156 India

50 Cape Verde Islands

2

608

104 Sierra Leone

7

304

158 Tajikistan

50 Republic of Ireland

2

608

105 Antigua and Barbuda

2

303

159 Malta

-1

157

52 Egypt

3

606

106 Azerbaijan

2

302

160 Grenada

0

153

53 Nigeria

4

601

107 Lithuania

3

301

161 Liberia

0

150

54 Korea Republic

-2

599

108 Zimbabwe

4

299

162 Myanmar

0

142

38

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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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Picture Editor Peggy Knotz, Andreas Wilhelm (Deputy)

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FIFA inspiring girls and boys to play football FIFA’s Grassroots programme is the core foundation of our development mission, aimed at encouraging girls and boys around the world to play and enjoy football without restrictions. Grassroots focuses on the enjoyment of the game through small-sided team games, and teaching basic football technique, exercise and fair play.

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