The FIFA Weekly Issue #45

ISSUE 45, 29 AUGUST 2014

ENGLISH EDITION

Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Since 1904

Always a derby Glasgow

CAMILLE ABILY SUCCESS THROUGH SKILL

MATCH FOR PEACE STARS COME OUT FOR KIDS’ CHARITIES

SEPP BLATTER DON’T NEGLECT THE NATIONAL CUPS 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

Eternal rivals Celtic versus Rangers remains an enduring rivalry despite the clubs playing in different leagues. Nicola Berger reports from Glasgow on a long-standing antagonism that causes tempers to flare to this day.

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Germany After opening their Bundesliga campaign with the league’s fastest-ever goal, Bayer Leverkusen have laid down the gauntlet to defending champions Bayern Munich. But despite a serious long-term injury to defender Javi Martinez, the Bavarians remain clear favourites to retain the title.

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Turkey Competition is spurring the Turkish Super Lig to new heights as a fresh wave of players and coaches enhance the league’s quality and drive the clubs’ ambitions. And for a change, hope is even blossoming outside Istanbul.

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Sepp Blatter The FIFA President stresses the important of cup competitions as a foundation for football, and explains that these contests should not be used as filler material for the schedules as they provide a rare display of “small against large, of David against Goliath.”

South America 10 members www.conmebol.com

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Pope Francis World footballing stars from several different religions will come together for the first time to play a match for world peace devised by Pope Francis and Javier Zanetti.

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U-20 Women’s World Cup An exciting tournament came to a close with a hard-won triumph for Germany’s players in Montreal.

Always a derby Our cover picture was taken in the Rangers dressing room at Ibrox in Glasgow.

Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert

Getty Images

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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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Jochen Figgel, Getty Images

Camille Abily The French Champions League winner recalls a salutary year in youth football when she learned to assert herself as part of a mixed team.

FIFA Club World Cup 10 – 20 December 2014, Morocco

Once upon a time in Nepal Holger Obermann provided crucial support for youth development and the re-establishment of the national team in this mountainous country.

FIFA U-20 World Cup 30 May – 20 June 2015, New Zealand

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

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UNCOVERED

Start ‘em young A boy sings “You’ll never walk alone” before a Celtic home game.

Yesterday, today and tomorrow

Mark Runnacles / Euro Football / Getty Images

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lasgow has a long and proud heritage as a Scottish metropolis simultaneously united and divided by football.

The fault line runs between the city’s two leading clubs, Celtic and Rangers, and is largely reinforced by the differing denominational allegiances of their fans. Our writer Nicola Berger visited both clubs – top-flight giants Celtic, who lost to Maribor in Champions League qualifying earlier this week, and Rangers, gradually clawing their way back from financial collapse. Starting on page 7, his report also examines Scottish football as a whole and tells how it was still setting standards for the European game as ­recently as thirty years ago.

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lobal stars representing all of the world’s major religions will gather in Rome on Monday for a match organised

by Javier Zanetti and his PUPI Foundation charity at the behest of Pope Francis. On page 25, former Argentina international and long-term Inter Milan captain Zanetti recounts

the moment when the Pope expressed his wish to hold an interreligious game, discusses his foundation’s work with children in Buenos Aires and reveals the long list of legends who answered his call to gather at the Stadio Olimpico.

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t is difficult to imagine where professional football would be without the broad foundation provided by the amateur game. In his weekly column on page 23, FIFA President Blatter stresses the importance of national cup competitions, where professional players are pitted against part-timers, by saying: “Year after year, cup competitions yield epic stories of small against large, of David against Goliath. It is extremely important for the foundations of football that these competitions be fostered and nourished, not hustled to the fringes and abused as filler material to pad out the schedule.” Å Perikles Monioudis

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Team talk The Celtic squad at their training complex in Lennoxtown, near Glasgow.

ETERNAL RIVALS 6

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Ibrox crowd The teams run out ahead of Rangers’ game against Dumbarton on 23 August, which they won 4-1.

Celtic versus Rangers is a rivalry that lives on despite the clubs playing in different leagues.

Nicola Berger, Glasgow, (text), Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert (pictures)

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Jimmy Johnstone Academy Coach Kenny Butler at Cathkin Park, Mount Florida, near Glasgow.

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t is six o’clock on a Friday evening at Cathkin Park, where a few youngsters are warming up as dusk settles. The ground they tread is of historic interest; where decay has now set in once stood Hampden Park, the stage for numerous international fixtures around the turn of the 20th century.

Only the club house, which has been converted into a museum of sorts that is maintained by volunteers, stands as a memorial to past glories. It belongs to the Jimmy Johnstone Academy, named in honour of the eponymous former dribbler who died in 2006 from Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

The room is filled with messages of condolence to the right winger, who was voted as Celtic’s best-ever player in a worldwide poll.

Arsene Wenger and Joseph S. Blatter also expressed their sympathies.

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Kenny Butler is the coach in charge of training the children and teenagers who come from 22 different countries but have a common aim: to make it as a professional footballer and play for one of the city’s big clubs, C ­ eltic or Rangers.

Football in Glasgow could be about cultural understanding and tolerance, but it is not.

Too much blood has been spilled on the banks of the river Clyde for that. Nothing has a longer-lasting hold on the city’s 600,000 inhabitants than football and it seems that here people have to decide at birth whether they are green and white or blue and white, Celtic or Rangers.

Ibrox treasure chest There are always two ways of feeding an obsession; one good, the other bad. Anyone who opts for the former will need to pay eight

pounds, a fee for which Norman Redmond will take you on a journey through time at Ibrox, a listed building that is Rangers’ home and Redmond’s pride and joy. He worked for the club for 51 years and has countless tales to tell.

The tour passes through the simple, almost rustic cloakroom with two portraits of Queen Elizabeth and leads into the trophy room, where Rangers house the silverware gleaned over the club’s 144-year existence: cups, gifts and historical documents.

Yet the real highlight at Ibrox is hidden behind a nondescript door on the first floor. It is the manager’s office, where Bill Struth once sat in the 1920s. It is still used on matchdays and according to legend it was here that the transfer of defender Lee Wallace was concluded in 2011. The room itself exudes history: there is still a rotary dial telephone, an antique typewriter and a walking stick - remnants of the

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Rangers’ trophy room Visitors marvel at the collection of silverware at Ibrox.

work of coaches past. Overall Ibrox has the feel of a relic of a bygone era, and that is no bad thing. The ability to interweave tradition and modernity is more advanced in the United Kingdom than anywhere else. On the one hand that is down to nostalgic people like ­Norman Redmond; on the other it is due to economic necessity. The glorification of past heroes and the preservation of the club’s rich history has proven popular among the supporters and helps strengthen emotional ties to the club.

On Saturday afternoon it appears to be business as usual at Ibrox; the tingle of anticipation ahead of the game, the chants of “We are the people”, and a 4-1 victory for the hosts.

It is a scenario people have grown accustomed to here. But of course nothing is as it used to be, not since the club, so steeped in history, was forcibly demoted to the fourth division in 2012

Celtic surprisingly lost 1-0 but the defeat was not enough to seriously spoil the mood.

after going bankrupt. The 4-1 win was comfortable and there was a strong crowd to see it, but Rangers’ second division opponent, Dumbarton, are a team that only train twice a week.

That is nothing new for Rangers, who went unbeaten in the third tier in 2013/14. Yet the question must be asked: how proud can a club like this be of such a result?

Mutual suffering Similar questions are being asked at Rangers’ eternal rivals Celtic. On Saturday morning, fans for whom the away trip to Inverness - a city located in the mystical beauty of the Scottish highlands - was too far, meet in the Brazen Head pub. On the wall there is an oversized picture of Henrik Larsson, the retired Swedish striker who is still referred to as ’King Henrik’ among the Celtic faithful. Celtic surprisingly lost 1-0 but the defeat was not enough to seriously spoil the T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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The manager’s office at Ibrox The decor dates back to Bill Struth’s era (1920-1954).

mood. Opinion is unanimous that the club, deprived of any real competition, will win the championship for a fourth consecutive year.

Agreement is in fact so widespread that most bookmakers are only offering a return of 102 pounds on a 100 pound bet.

The Scottish title race has tended to be a two-team affair over the years, with Aberdeen the last side to break Glasgow’s grip on the trophy back in 1984. Yet the Old Firm rivalry always lent an element of suspense to the championship prior to Rangers’ downfall in 2012 and it is now one of the greatest ironies of the teams’ history that they actually miss each other, even if there are not many people around the city who would admit that.

One man who does speak openly about the current monotony is Rangers legend Ally McCoist. The former striker, now coach, stuck with the club even in the fourth division and he is now not far away from leading them back 10

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into the top flight. Sitting on an uncomfortable-looking chair at Murray Park, Rangers’ training ground, McCoist, who had just taken part in the Ice Bucket Challenge for charity, said: “Both clubs miss each other. At the moment Scottish football lacks competitiveness.”

Rangers are the only club that can change that if, as appears likely, they secure a third promotion in as many years next spring.

Yet not everyone is looking forward to the 400th Old Firm derby, as there are still too many open wounds - wounds that were ripped further apart in spring following incidents in an Under-17 match between the sides. The eternal conflict extends far beyond the confines of the playing field too: Celtic are traditionally a Catholic club, Rangers are Protestant. Fan groups have antagonised each other for years with discriminatory chants, with Celtic supporters glorifying the former Northern Irish terrorist organisation the IRA and Rangers

followers singing Loyalist hymns. As that has frequently led to clashes in the past, legislators were forced to take drastic action: anyone caught singing outlawed songs can be punished with up to five years in prison.

Jim Dick Clark, who has been attending Rangers’ matches for more than half a century, disagrees with such measures. “A song doesn’t hurt anyone, the punishments are absurd,” said the 62-year-old, before admitting: “The mutual disdain is currently at an unhealthy level. There’s always been a rivalry but the things that happen nowadays aren’t normal.”

Clark is not exaggerating. Back in 1989 emotions threatened to boil over when former Scotland striker Maurice ’Mo’ Johnston, a Roman Catholic, returned to his homeland from Nantes.

He did not join Celtic, where he had played previously, but instead signed for Rangers. Johnston, whose latest post was as director of

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Celtic heroes Statues outside Celtic Park stand in honour of Jimmy Johnstone (left) and Jock Stein (with the European Cup won in 1967).

f­ootball at Toronto FC, received death threats, while outraged Rangers fans formed a mob to demand a refund of their season tickets, claiming a Catholic had “no business” being at Ibrox.

Johnston got off relatively lightly and the threats were never seen through. Others have not been as fortunate, however. The other, darker side of football’s huge pull in Glasgow is that people have been killed because of their choice of club. There have been beatings, stabbings and victims kicked to death for wearing the wrong shirt at the wrong time in the wrong place, such as 16-year-old Celtic fan Thomas McFadden, who was stabbed and killed after the Scottish Cup final in 1999.

Such bigotry and irrational hate among opposing fans is difficult to fathom. The Bishop of Motherwell is said to have remarked that he is amazed at religious songs being sung so fervently on the terraces on a Saturday afternoon, only for nobody to turn up at church the

following morning. His analysis was spot on and in everyday life the importance of religion has waned. In fact, countless fans of both clubs have intermarried.

Glasgow is a divided city and Scotland is presently a divided nation. On 18 September there will be a referendum to decide whether it should become an independent country after 707 years as part of the United Kingdom.

It is a contentious subject, with politicians involved in fierce discussions on television.

So much discord could soon herald in the era of pragmatists in Scotland. In this regard the street vendors hawking all manner of fan merchandise outside Ibrox are good role models. In a week’s time they will be offering the green and white version of their goods outside Celtic Park, and so it goes week after week.

“Protestants, Catholics, Muslims - they’re all the same to me,” said the seller with a smile.

“Everyone’s money is the same.” Å

Scottish Football Association Founded 13 March 1873 in Glasgow Founding clubs Third Lanark, Clydesdale, Dumbreck, Eastern, Granville, Kilmarnock, Queen’s Park, Vale of Leven FIFA Member since 1910 UEFA Member since 1954 President Campbell Ogilvie Homepage scottishfa.co.uk

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EVERY GASP EVERY SCREAM EVERY ROAR EVERY DIVE EVERY BALL E V E RY PAS S EVERY CHANCE EVERY STRIKE E V E R Y B E AU T I F U L D E TA I L SHALL BE SEEN SHALL BE HEARD S H A L L B E FE LT

Feel the Beauty

BE MOVED

THE NEW 4K LED TV

“SONY” and “make.believe” are trademarks of Sony Corporation.

FOOTBALL IN SCOTLAND

At the 1982 World Cup Gordon Strachan (left) and Kenny Dalglish (centre) helped Scotland to a 5-2 win over New Zealand.

Fading glories Manager Sir Alex Ferguson led Aberdeen to European Cup Winners’ Cup glory in 1983, with Glasgow clubs Celtic and Rangers also claiming continental silverware in 1967 and 1972 respectively. However, success has eluded Scottish clubs for a long time now.

Sven Goldmann

mauritius images / Alamy

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cottish football will be in the spotlight once more on 7 September, as fans from across the globe switch on their televisions to see what kind of challenge one of the sport’s founding nations can mount against its current world champions. Scotland are the team tasked with facing Germany in their first competitive match since the World Cup, and although few honestly believe the Scots can win the tie, their manager Gordon Strachan is still looking forward to making the trip to Dortmund as his side begin their campaign to qualify for EURO 2016 in France. “I’m a little nervous, but I’m looking forward to facing the Germans,” Strachan said.

“I admire the way they play.”

Strachan had more than a few admirers himself back when he was still playing for Scotland’s national team. Like Kenny Dalglish, Joe Jordan or Denis Law before him, midfield strategist Strachan represented a time when the quality emanating from Glasgow, Dundee or

Aberdeen was much sought after by clubs in Europe’s biggest leagues. Scottish players were highly regarded internationally even into the final years of the 20th century.

Where would Manchester United be without the influence of their Caledonian coaches? The artistry of Sir Matt Busby bestowed the club with its legendary status before his successor Sir Alex Ferguson transformed United into one of football’s most famous brands. At the start of his coaching career, Ferguson led Aberdeen to the 1983 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, a trophy Rangers previously won in 1972. In 1967, Rangers’ local rivals Celtic also won the European Cup, the forerunner to today’s UEFA Champions League, beating Inter Milan 2-1 in the final in Lisbon.

This triumph was made all the more special by the fact that all of Celtic’s players hailed from within 30 miles of Glasgow, and the ‘Lisbon Lions’ enjoy hero status in the city to this day.

Nevertheless, fame is fleeting, and although Celtic Park remains one of the most

striking and atmospheric stadiums in Britain, celebrations in the Scottish Premiership have become arbitrary. The Bhoys completely dominate the league and have lacked serious competition ever since the financial collapse of Rangers two years ago.

Looking at the bigger picture, the ever more lucrative business of football is struggling to take off north of the border, prompting the best Scottish players to seek their fortune in the English Premier League instead. Darren Fletcher is just one example: he moved to England as an 11-year-old and has played for Manchester United ever since, just like Gordon Strachan before him. A chronic bowel disease forced Fletcher to spend almost two years on the sidelines, but he is now among the club’s key players again as part of new manager Louis van Gaal’s rebuilding plans, and is exactly the kind of footballer national team manager Strachan will need to call upon in Dortmund on 7 September. Å T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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TALK ING POIN T S

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German Bundesliga

B aye r o n B aye r n ’s heels Andreas Jaros is a freelance writer based in Vienna.

The Bundesliga has the highest attendance figures among Europe’s top leagues and in Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund is also home to two Champions League heavyweights. Furthermore, the league posts sound financial results, with 65 per cent of all clubs in the top two divisions recording a profit last season, figures that have made the Bundesliga a major player in the global football business.

It has also recently acquired a new moniker as ‘the league of world champions’, although as German national team coach Joachim Low rightly stated on the opening round of ­Bundesliga fixtures last weekend, “it was already a great league before we won the World Cup.” Indeed, there are several factors that indicate the Bundesliga boom is to

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continue for some time yet. A new record was set on Matchday 1 in Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-0 coup away to Dortmund, where Karim Bellarabi netted the fastest goal in Bundesliga history after just nine seconds to put the visitors in front. Under new coach Roger Schmidt, Leverkusen could play a more prominent role at the top than ever before, with the key to success being the intense pressing high up the pitch that gave his previous club Red Bull Salzburg their wings. “It couldn’t have started any better,” said the smiling 47-year-old, who was nevertheless keen not to overstate the victory’s importance.

Schmidt’s longer term aim is to establish Leverkusen as a serious challenger to last season’s double winners Bayern, who are once again favourites for the title. Many observers had fantasised about Pep Guardiola’s team stumbling out of the blocks this term given the number of injuries in the squad and the disruption to pre-season training as a result of the World Cup winners’ delayed return to the fold.

Yet a Bayern side said to be tired and out of form still managed to collect maximum points in their first game back, a 2-1 home win over

Wolfsburg in front of 71,000 fans in a match that was televised in 207 countries. They were even able to hand a debut to highly-promising 17-year-old midfielder Gianluca Gaudino. The cruciate ligament injury sustained by Javi Martinez was a setback as he was to be part of a three-man back line, but Bayern have so much top-quality talent that the rest of the league can surely only hope to prevent them winning the title as early as they did last season, when the championship was wrapped up by the end of March.

Promoted club Cologne have rather different objectives of course; their primary aim is simply to avoid the drop. Peter Stoger, the Bundesliga’s first Austrian coach since Kurt Jara left Kaiserslautern in 2005, has brought the carnival city club back on track through calm and meticulous hard work, rather than through his Viennese charm. However, his players seem to have studied his efforts at shooting practice using a ’goal wall’ on ­German television channel ZDF rather too closely: After the 65-time former interna­ tional only managed to put one ball through the holes, his players subsequently put in an equally ineffective display during their goalless draw with Hamburg. Å

On target Leverkusen goalscorers Bellarabi and Kiessling (kneeling) celebrate the latter’s goal to make it 2-0 against Dortmund with Papadopoulos (left).

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Uwe Kraft / imago

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Tu r k i s h S u p e r L i g

I s t a nb u l d u o c h a s e 2 0 t h t it l e Roland Zorn is a Frankfurt-based football correspondent.

“All good things come in threes” has been the recipe for success in Turkish football ever since the Super Lig was first founded in 1959. It is also a motto that outlines the predictability of the domestic game in Turkey, with the Istanbul-based trio of Fenerbahce, Galatasaray (19 titles each) and Besiktas (13 titles) almost exclusively dominating proceedings. It is sometimes easy to forget that the Super Lig contains 18 clubs from 14 different cities rather than just the three sides based in the north-western metropolis of Istanbul.

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Each season, clubs such as Trabzonspor (6 titles) and Bursaspor (1 title) represent a genuine threat to the hegemony of Turkey’s top three. In fact, the above two are the only sides in the history of the Super Lig to have – albeit briefly – broken Istanbul’s stranglehold on the domestic championship. And with the new season having kicked off last Friday, they are once again firmly focused on toppling Turkey’s triumvirate, as are Anatolian side Sivasspor. The latter finished last season in fifth behind Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, Besiktas and Trabzonspor. Just like champions “Fener” and cup finalists Eskisehirspor, Sivasspor have been denied their place in European competition this season though, after being involved in the 2011 match-fixing scandal which temporarily threatened to undermine the credibility of Turkish football. Restoring the Super Lig’s damaged reputation – as well as putting a stop to the regular episodes of violence which break out at the country’s biggest clashes and have so often marred the atmosphere at the Istanbul derbies – must now be one of the main priorities for the powers that be in the Turkish domestic game.

The overall development of the Super Lig, which is listed in 10th place in the UEFA rankings, has displayed tendencies which have prompted hopes that the Turkish top flight could become more competitive and make further sporting progress. Recent transfers have certainly provided the league with greater quality, with Brazilian playmaker Diego com-

20th title at stake Galatasaray (Selcuk Inan, left) and Fenerbahce (Raul Meireles) are battling it out for supremacy.

pleting a switch from Atletico Madrid to Fenerbahce and Senegalese striker Demba Ba joining Besiktas from English side Chelsea.

Furthermore, two renowned former international coaches have arrived in Turkey this summer: Cesare Prandelli, who steered Italy to

No other league experiences such dramatic highs and crushing lows. second place at the 2012 European Championships and has now replaced countryman Roberto Mancini at Galatasaray, and Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic, who led Algeria to a surprise second round finish at this year’s World Cup and is now at the helm of six-time champions Trabzonspor. The Super Lig certainly does not lack financial muscle and appeal when it comes to attracting big names of the global game, with an annual income of almost 450 million from television rights helping the clubs to fulfil their ambitions. However, Turkish clubs are not

known for investing their financial resources overly wisely, which goes some way to explaining why the country’s “big three” are saddled with such large debts despite their various sporting successes.

No other league experiences such dramatic highs and crushing lows. On the one hand, there have been fraud scandals, violations of the financial fair play regulations and ill-advised changes such as the hastily introduced e-ticketing system which has led to lower attendances on matchdays. On the upside, though, the Turks boast an almost unparalleled passion for the game, remain devoted to their clubs and the future of the domestic game looks bright, with an economic upswing prompting the game to develop further outside of Istanbul in recent times. Bursaspor are proof of this, having lifted the championship in 2010 against all odds.

However, the possibility of a surprise challenge from the provinces is low in the run-up to the 57th edition of the Super Lig. Instead, all eyes are on Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, with both looking to cement their position as Turkey’s number one club by winning a record-breaking 20th title next May. Å T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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China and Peru triumph Despite Venezuela’s loss to hosts China PR in the girls’ final, Peru’s hard-earned victory against favourites Korea Republic in the Boys’ Youth Olympic Football Tournament Nanjing 2014 served up a second successive Olympic gold for South America, following Bolivia’s title triumph four years ago.

runs, as did Icelandic starlet Kolbeinn Finnsson with his all-round vision and incisive early passing. Indeed, the blonde-haired teenager fashioned numerous opportunities out of nothing thanks to his confident, probing play and eye for an opening. Despite falling short of a podium place, Cape Verde Islands provided moments of magic through players such as Andradino, whose excellent awareness, lightning speed and scoring touch earned him a total of three goals.

competition. In particular, hat-trick hero Helgi Gudjonsson became the darling of fans and media with his virtuoso performance in the opener against Honduras. African dark horses Cape Verde Islands also punched above their weight for a nation of just 500,000 people, bouncing back from a 5-0 loss to Korea Republic by routing Vanuatu 7-1. Ricardo impressed both at the back and also as a winger – bagging a treble in the latter victory, while jet-heeled forward Andradino struck twice.

Tim Pfeifer, Nanjing

Nordic surprise Iceland burst onto the scene in style, defying most pundits’ pre-tournament predictions by clinching the bronze medal in their first FIFA

Chinese Golden Girls After 13 days and 11 hotly-contested matches, the Girls’ Youth Olympic Football Tournament Nanjing 2014 is over and the final positions of the six participating teams have been determined. Following Chile’s crowning at the inaugural Girls’ YOFT four years ago in Singapore, hosts China PR vanquished Venezuela in this year’s final to dash the visitors’ dream of a second successive gold for South America.

With Trinidad and Tobago having finished fifth in Singapore, fellow CONCACAF representatives Mexico improved on their predecessors’ performance during their own tournament bow in Nanjing, clinching bronze through Daniela Garcia’s last-minute header in a 3-1 victory over Slovakia. Under the stewardship of former Tricolores defender Monica Vergara, the highly skilled and well-drilled Mexicans had earlier held favourites Venezuela to a 1-1 stalemate in the semi-finals, only to lose in a penalty shoot-out. Å

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orea Republic and Peru more than earned their place in the final through some scintillating football, albeit with contrasting styles. While CONMEBOL U-15 champions Peru displayed individual technical brilliance, the ability to read the game astutely and plenty of neat interplay, the South Koreans relied on their tight organisation, rigorous tactical discipline, and superior fitness and speed. The sides each conceded three goals to share the honour of jointbest defensive record, although Korea Republic were the tournament’s top scorers with 16 goals over four games, whereas Peru boasted a 100 per cent win rate.

Wizards mesmerise viewers The Olympic showcase offered up a dizzying array of young talent that at times left the spectators spellbound. Peruvian pair Christopher Olivares and Gerald Tavara caught the eye with some close ball control and mazy 16

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Youth Olympic Football Tournament Nanjing 2014 Ranking. Boys: 1. Peru, 2. Korea Republic, 3. Iceland, 4. Cape Verde Islands, 5. Honduras, 6. Vanuatu. Girls: 1. China, 2. Venezuela, 3. Mexico, 4. Slovakia, 5. Papua New Guinea, 6. Namibia.

Host city and stadiums. Boys: Jiangning Sports Centre (Nanjing). Girls: Wutaishan Stadium (Nanjing), Jiangning Sports Centre.

Goals scored. Boys: 52 (4.73 per game).

Girls: 56 (5.09 per game).

FIFA Fair Play Trophy. Boys: Korea Republic.

Girls: Mexico.

Number of spectators. Boys: 116,572 (an average of 10,597 per game). Girls: 67,190 (an average of 6,108 per game).

Top scorers. Boys: Kim Gyuhyeong (KOR): 5 goals, 3 assists. Girls: Deyna Castellanos (VEN): 7 goals, 1 assist.

FREE KICK

F I F A ’ S 11

The largest crowds at FIFA competitions

Philosophers, presidents and professors Thomas Renggli

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t a recent Barcelona press conference, Luiz Suarez stared innocently at the assembled media and vowed never to bite another opponent again. The striker’s misdemeanours on the pitch have earned him all sorts of monikers from the press – “Cannibal” and “Dracula” chief among them – but if the 27-year-old keeps his word, journalists may have to change their tune.

It’s certainly not uncommon for footballers who leave their mark on the game, or indeed on opposition players, to be given a nickname by the written press, whose imagination holds no bounds when it comes to rechristening some of the game’s biggest stars.

Former France defender Lilian Thuram’s horn-rimmed spectacles earned him the moniker “le Philosophe”, while his compatriot Laurent Blanc was branded as “le President” for orchestrating Les Bleus’ rearguard during their successful 1998 World Cup campaign. Former Germany international Olaf Thon, meanwhile, was known as the “Professor” without ever having set foot inside a university. Thon has certainly dished out many words of wisdom during his career, including “we don’t let ourselves be intimidated, but we won’t admit to that” and “as bad as it was, we mustn’t talk the game down.”

The old adage that football is played with the head is especially true in the case of Horst Hrubesch, whose outstanding heading ability earned him the nicknames “Aerial Powerhouse” and “Skull”. Romania midfielder Catalin Munteanu, who was blessed with similar qualities, was known as “Dragon Head”.

Animals often enter into the equation.

Dutchman Frank Rijkaard became “the Llama” after spitting at Germany’s Rudi Voller, widely known as “Auntie Katie”, during the 1990 World Cup. Jurgen Klinsmann’s ball control earned him the tag “Diver”, while Bertie Vogts acquired the name “Terrier” after his all-action performances for Germany at the tournament in Italy. Of die Nationalelf ’s ­c urrent crop of World Cup winners, Bastian Schweinsteiger’s nickname (“Schweini”) is perhaps the least imaginative.

The greatest players past and present have even been elevated to royal status, such as Pele (“O Rei”), Franz Beckenbauer (“der Kaiser”) and Colombian superstar James Rodriguez (“King”). Often, players’ mere physical appearance is enough to inspire reporters.

Robert Huth has become “the Berlin Wall” during his time in England, while Hans-Peter Briegel was “the Steamroller from the Palatinate” and striker Ailton was referred to as “Ball Lightning”, although the Brazilian is more ball than lightning nowadays.

When his suspension is finally lifted, the still fleet-footed Suarez will be desperate to show the world he is ready to turn over a new leaf. Last week, his gleaming white smile was much in evidence as he debuted his number nine shirt in Barcelona. If Suarez starts to let his feet do the talking, the tags of “Cannibal” and “Dracula” will soon be consigned to the history books. Å The weekly column by our staff writers

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173,850 spectators World Cup final round 1950 Uruguay 2-1 Brazil Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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98,943 spectators U-17 World Cup final 2011 Uruguay 0-2 Mexico Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico

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80,203 spectators Women’s Olympic Football Tournament final 2012 USA 2-1 Japan Wembley Stadium, London, England

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75,000 spectators Women’s World Cup qualifying 2003 Mexico 2-2 Japan Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico

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73,000 spectators Club World Cup 2000 Manchester United 1-3 Vasco da Gama Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

170,000 spectators World Cup qualifying 1954 Brazil 4-1 Paraguay Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 127,000 spectators U-20 World Cup final 1991 Portugal 0-0 Brazil (4-2 on penalties) Stadium of Light, Lisbon, Portugal 110,000 spectators Confederations Cup final 1999 Mexico 4-3 Brazil Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico 105,000 spectators Bronze Medal Match, Men’s Olympic Football Tournament 1968 Japan 2-0 Mexico Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico

90,185 spectators * Women’s World Cup final 1999 USA 0-0 China PR (5-4 on penalties) Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles, USA 90,185 spectators * Play-off for Third Place Women’s World Cup 1999 Brazil 0-0 Norway (5-4 on penalties) Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles, USA

73,000 spectators Club World Championship 2000 Corinthians 0-0 Vasco da Gama (4-3 on penalties) Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

* One ticket gave entry to two back-to-back matches on the same day in the same stadium.

Source: FIFA (FIFA Fact-Sheet, FIFA Competitions Biggest Crowds Ever, 26.08.2014) T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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WOMEN’S U -20 WORLD CUP IN C AN ADA

Germany seal title hat-trick

We won the Cup! The Germany U-20 Women’s team after winning the final in Montreal.

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hese are heady days for German football: every mission undertaken by the country’s national teams seems to end in success at the moment and the U-20 Women’s World Cup 2014 in Canada was no exception. The closing images of players in white shirts celebrating a triumph come across as strikingly familiar, but Maren Meinert’s team won their title in a completely different way from the German men at Brazil 2014 and the U-19 youths at the UEFA European Championship. “We all got behind the men’s team over the summer and their success spurred us on,” said Meinert after the trophy presentation. “We didn’t think we could do it too but we’re very proud, particularly in view of the quality of the teams we beat on our way to winning the title.”

That is certainly a fair point, as the German women did not take the easiest route to winning the tournament. It all started with the draw that allocated Germany to an incredibly tough group with Brazil, China and holders USA. After finishing top of the pool Germany faced no less arduous encounters with hosts Canada, France and finally Nigeria. Meinert’s 18

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team had their problems in the knockout rounds and were not always the better side. European champions France clearly had the upper hand in the semi-final with 22 shots on goal while the eventual winners managed only five.

It was a not dissimilar story in the final with Nigeria playing like champions-in-waiting, creating more and better goalscoring ­opportunities.

The African champions always came onto the pitch singing and dancing and adopted a boisterous approach that produced plenty of early goals including two of the fastest in the history of the tournament. The Nigeria team included the outstanding player of Canada 2014 in Asisat Oshoala who went on to win the adidas Golden Ball and Golden Boot. Oshoala produced her best performance of the tournament in the semi-final against North Korea when she scored four times.

France played the best football and also caught the eye due to the sheer number of outstanding individuals. Claire Lavogez became a crowd favourite with her evident quality and spectacular goals. Defender Griedge Mbock Bathy, who won the Golden Ball at the U-17 World Cup in 2012, again underlined her status as a rising star.

All in all the tournament was a great advertisement for next year’s Women’s World Cup, with Canada proving the perfect hosts as expected. Å

U - 20 Wo m en’s Wo r l d C u p C a na d a: F a c t s a n d f ig u r e s Teams: Brazil, China PR, Costa Rica, Germany, England, Finland, France, Ghana, Canada (hosts), Korea DPR, Korea Republic, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Paraguay, USA Final rankings: 1. Germany, 2. Nigeria, 3. France, 4. Korea DPR Venues and stadiums: National Soccer Stadium (Toronto), Olympic Stadium (Montreal), Commonwealth Stadium (Edmonton), Moncton Stadium (Moncton) Total attendance: 288,558 (average: 9,017)

Alex Grimm / FIFA via Getty Images

Stephen Sullivan, Montreal

C E L E B R AT I N G 10 0 Y E A R S O F F C V I S P

Going back to his roots The FIFA Weekly accompanied FIFA President Sepp Blatter back to his hometown to congratulate his first club FC Visp on their centenary.

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isp witnessed a true festival and an authentic ’Game of the Century’ as FIFA President Blatter summoned Ronaldo, George Weah, Jean-Marie Pfaff, Stephane Chapuisat and many other stars to represent world football’s governing body in a match against an FC Sion “Cup Legends” side in front of 3,500 spectators at the Muhleya Sports Complex.

“It’s unbelievable and very emotional,” said a delighted Blatter. “It really gets under your skin. This celebration has done me a lot of good; it’s great to switch off from day-to-day business every once in a while.” Å To see more pictures from the event, visit: www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/photos/galleries

Still got it George Weah in full flight.

foto-net/Kurt Schorrer

nomen d “O Fe ident an p. is The Pres V to o Ronald welcomes

o” Sepp

Blatter

Inaugurating the new dressing rooms The minister leads proceedings in a FIFA football shirt.

Father and

daughter Se

pp and Corin

ne.

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First Love

Place: Zandvoor t, Netherlands Date: 6 May 2007 Time: 12.22 p.m.

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Richard Kalvar/Magnum Photos

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Developing football everywhere and for all

Organising inspiring tournaments

Caring about society and the environment

For the Game. For the World.

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

Touch the world FIFA’s aim is to touch the world through its international football competitions and events, uniting and inspiring people everywhere.

FIFA.com

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

T HE DEBAT E

PRESIDENTIAL NOTE

FIFA.com users share their views on cup competitions: Cup competitions can be a great adventure for small clubs, although for me as a spectator, things only get interesting at the quarter-final stage.

Roar29, England

Competing in cups really helps smaller leagues - clubs use them to get the match practice they need to keep improving.

Shahridge, India

When it comes to these contests, I definitely side with the Italians: cup competitions are of little interest to anyone nowadays.

Campione06, Switzerland

The English should consider getting rid of a couple of their 50 cups, otherwise they’ll always have too many matches to play and will never succeed at World Cups.

Honeycat17, France

For me, competing in cups means an opportunity to see all the clubs from one country in the same sporting event. It’s very important for discovering new talent! “Smaller” clubs are also always extremely motivated to hold their own against the “big” clubs, and this produces some very entertaining matches that the whole country can enjoy.

In the MLS, for example, you never know what’s going to happen – it’s incredibly exciting. And in Mexico the top teams from the Ascenso MX have the chance to be promoted to the Liga MX. This is the essence of football!

DSanchez09, USA

“They produce some very entertaining matches for the whole country to enjoy.”

I’ve been an amateur footballer for countless years and always really enjoy watching these matches – I just can’t get enough of this sport! Nevertheless, I have to use my football time wisely so I’m usually not particularly interested in most cup competitions.

Lowres55, Switzerland

RomyMT, DR Congo

Every season, the cups show that lower league clubs have the chance to cause a major upset and prove themselves against major opponents. These surprises are what make cup competitions fascinating for me.

Moses277, England

“This is the essence of football.”

Don’t neglect the cups

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othing else in football embodies the values of history, tradition and romance better than the national cup competitions.

Knockout cup competitions are associated with a wonderful interaction which can occasionally be neglected in the ever more global and spectacular world of football. They take the stars back to where they started, simultaneously offering fans and the broad base of football the opportunity to experience the big names close up, often in an idyllic and homely atmosphere. Cup competitions build the bridge between elite clubs and the grass roots and ­ensure that the sport develops in the same direction at every level, even if the goals and interests of professional and amateur clubs tend to diverge.

The success of cup competitions lies in the simplicity of the format. Every team has the right to enter, and every club has a chance of lifting the trophy. The luck of the draw determines the fixtures and home advantage.

It is therefore no coincidence that the oldest competition in football is the English FA Cup. It was contested for the first time in 1871, 18 years before the first league championship.

The Cup was also the first national competition in Spain. The Copa del Rey was launched in 1902, 26 years before the first race for the championship title.

Year after year, cup competitions yield epic stories of small against large, of David against Goliath. It is extremely important for the foundations of football that these competitions be fostered and nourished, not hustled to the fringes and abused as filler material to pad out the schedule.

Correction The story on page 27 of the issue dated 22 August 2014 unfortunately contained an error. FIFA has not made a profit of 1.9 billion Swiss francs from the 2014 World Cup. The correct information is that FIFA is currently preparing its financial report for the four-year period from 2011 to 2014. The report will be completed in spring 2015. We regret the error.

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

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© 2014 Visa. All rights reserved. Shrek © 2014 DreamWorks Animation L.L.C. All Rights Reserved.

The FIFA World Cup™ is where all of us want to be.

IN T ERRELIGIOUS M AT CH FOR PE ACE

A private audience Javier Zanetti and Pope Francis swap pennants.

By order of the Pope On 1 September 2014, some of football’s biggest stars from different religions will come together in Rome to play for world peace in an initiative launched by Pope Francis and Inter Milan’s former captain and current vice president Javier Zanetti.

Osservatore Romano/AFP

Javier Zanetti, what prompted you to organise the Interreligious Match for Peace?

Javier Zanetti: The idea came about during a personal conversation with Pope Francis. I was telling him about my foundation, the PUPI Foundation, our activities and our commitment to socially disadvantaged children, and Pope Francis expressed his wish to send out a strong signal in this area. He believed it must be possible to unite all of the world’s religions in one stadium and use football to transmit a

clear message about peace and the future of the world, and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing next Monday. It will be incredible to see all those world-class players representing different faiths at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.

As an Argentinian, it must have been difficult to refuse such a request from an Argentinian Pope…

Impossible in fact! Firstly he’s the Pope, but most importantly he’s an ordinary man

with a big heart. The pontiff believes that sport is a tool that can be used to promote values and improve people’s wellbeing. He also says that sport helps to create a more peaceful and brotherly society, as it encourages loyalty, perseverance, friendship, generosity and solidarity.

Rome’s Stadio Olimpico was chosen as the venue for this historic event rather than your old home, the San Siro in Milan. Did the T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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IN T ERRELIGIOUS M AT CH FOR PE ACE

proximity of the Vatican play a role in this decision?

Of course, but it wasn’t the only reason.

My PUPI Foundation is organising the Match for Peace together with Scholas Occurrentes, an organisation that forms part of a foundation working for the Vatican under the supervision of the Pope, so it quickly became clear that it would be best to hold the match in Rome.

What can football fans expect from Monday’s game, and how difficult was it to muster this group of stars?

I didn’t have to persuade anyone; all the players agreed to take part straight away.

There were also others who would love to have played but cannot get to Rome on Monday.

The players are one part of the event, and as I’ve already mentioned, the other part is to make the Pope’s wish come true and send a powerful message to the world.

Whose acceptance excited you the most?

I was happy about every player who agreed to play, irrespective of whether they were a former opponent or team-mate of mine. What’s important is that every athlete believes in the cause and enjoys playing in the game on Monday. You’ll see greats such as Paolo Maldini, Roberto Baggio, Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo, Ivan Zamorano, Gabriel Batistuta, Abel Balbo and some of my former team-mates from Inter, such as Hernanes, Mauro Icardi and Osvaldo. Some of my colleagues will be travelling great distances to take part and are just pleased to be involved with this project, and even Arsene Wenger will be there to support us. It’ll be a fantastic celebration with a strong global message at its heart.

foundation. I’ll continue to give my all for Inter and represent the club’s great name across the globe. I played for the Neroazzurri for 20 years and it’s a great honour for me to continue working for them.

So you don’t regret hanging up your boots...

To be completely honest, I’ve been so busy for the club over the past few weeks that I haven’t really thought about that yet.

My everyday life is no less busy now that I’ve ended my playing career – quite the opposite in fact. There are so many things I

The PUPI Foundation is best known in Argentina and Italy. How would you describe your foundation to the rest of the world?

In 2001, my wife Paula and I decided to start the PUPI Foundation to enable us to do something for our homeland. Argentina was experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its history that year, and people – particularly children – in our part of Buenos Aires were suffering a great deal as a result of this challenging and precarious situation. When we set up the foundation we created an organisation that

It feels good to help people. need to dedicate myself to for Inter that, as I said, I haven’t had time to consider whether I miss playing. I’m sure I’ll want to be out there with the team again once the new season is properly underway, but life goes on. I’ll carry on training to make sure I stay fit and ensure I can enjoy playing football again from time to time. Monday’s match at the Stadio Olimpico will give me another chance to play 90 minutes. I’m very happy with everything I’m doing at the moment.

­ nables us to help socially disadvantaged e and disabled children by making sure they receive the right care and education in their early years and throughout their lives.

We began in 2001 with 34 children and, 13 years later, we’re providing regular support to 250 kids. If you take into account our involvement with the children’s families, we support around 1,000 people in total.

I’m proud that we chose to take on this responsibility and help so many people.

What kind of message do you want to transmit to football fans and the wider world on Monday?

Above all, we want people to come to the first Interreligious Match for Peace with an open mind. This is the first game of its kind, and we hope it will be the start of a tradition that can make the world a better place in its own small way.

All these tasks are equally important. It’s an honour for me to continue to be part of the Inter family even though I’m no longer playing. Being entrusted with responsibility for this great club as its vice president fills me with pride. The senior figures at Inter Milan are also pleased that I can also commit to projects like this and look after my 26

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Name Javier Adelmar Zanetti Date and place of birth 10 August 1973, Buenos Aires Position Defender / midfielder Clubs played for Talleres de Remedios de Escalada, Banfield, Inter Milan Argentina national team 145 caps, 5 goals

Chico De Luigi

Will the organisation of matches like this and the activities of your PUPI Foundation now form part of your new life alongside your duties as vice president of Inter Milan?

IN T ERRELIGIOUS M AT CH FOR PE ACE

The Interreligious Match for Peace

Making kids smile Zanetti and his wife Paula with children from the PUPI project.

Whenever I go back to Buenos Aires I realise how happy and grateful these ­c hildren are, and that makes me extremely happy.

What are the next major projects for the PUPI Foundation?

Fondacion PUPI, Getty Images (2)

We have acquired a new building that will enable us to embed our activities within a bigger infrastructure. We’ll have more space to ensure that every child has a chance to thrive with their development. We’ll also be starting the ’Mamma amor’ project, a scheme that is particularly close to my heart, as it will enable us to support women during both pregnancy and the first three years of their child’s life. It’s an important time when both mother and child should have everything they need.

Who helps you and looks after your foundation when you’re in Italy?

My wife, my father and my parents-in-law, but I can also count on the help of many friends both in Argentina and Italy. Above all I’ve got to thank the Italian people. Whenever I organise an event on behalf of the foundation, they turn out in great numbers and respond with such great generosity.

Can anything else be done for these children?

There’s always more that can be done, and we should all be prepared to help. All of us have the capacity to shoulder some responsibility for our society. There is no gesture more wonderful than helping somebody who is suffering and in need of help. I hope I always have this impetus within me. It feels good to help people. Å Javier Zanetti was speaking to Giovanni Marti

The game will be played on Monday, September 1st, 2014 at 8.45 p.m. at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The exhibition match involves a worldwide selection of the best soccer players of today and past years, representing different cultures and religions: Buddhist, Christian (Catholic, Protestant, Evangelic), Jewish, Hindu, Muslim and Shinto. The Stadio Olimpico will be broadcast live on TV, webcasts, via radio and all the media of the five continents. All the proceedings from the event – personally inspired by Pope Francis and organized by Scholas Occurrentes and Fondazione PUPI (www.fondazionepupi.org) – will go to the project “Un’Alternativa di Vita”, which will provide the children of Buenos Aires with concrete, structured and continuous support and will promote the development of the Net of the Schools for the Meeting.

The illustrious participants include the new coach of Argentina, Gerardo “Tata” Martino and the Arsenal manager Emre Belozoglu Arsene Wenger, who have been asked to select two teams, choosing from a selection of more then 50 stars, among them: Andrea Pirlo, Andrey Shevchenko, Antonio Mohamed, Marcos Antonio Senna Da Silva, Arturo Vidal, Carlos Valderrama, Yossi Benayoun, Tomer Hemed, Damiano TommaYossi Benayoun si, David Trezeguet, captain of Ethiopia football team Degu Debebe Gebreyes, Diego Lugano, Fredy Guarìn, Diego Simeone, Emil Hallfreðsson, Esteban Cambiasso, Fernando Tissone, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Juan Pablo Carrizo, Juan Iturbe, Ricky Alvarez, Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano, Maxi Rodríguez, and Cristian Ledesma. Also attending will be Fernando Muslera, the new Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi, Yuto Nagatomo, Gabriel Heinze, Jose Chamot, Luca Toni, Lukas Podolski Mesut Özil, Nicola Legrottaglie, Radja Nainggolan, Roberto Baggio, Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, Sulley Muntari, Belozoglu Emre, Ivan Zamorano and Ivan Córdoba. The teams will bear the name of the promoters of the event, PUPI and SCHOLAS, and will be guided by two exceptional champions: Javier Zanetti and Gianluigi Buffon, both former captains of their national sides

This match is sponsored by FIFA and other associations.

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Š 2014 adidas AG. adidas, the 3-Bars logo and the 3-Stripes mark are registered trademarks of the adidas Group.

instinct takes over

#predatorinstinct

adidas.com/predator

IN BRIEF

Match winner Goalscorer Javier Lara and his team-mates celebrate SD Eibar’s first-ever strike in La Liga.

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ociedad Deportiva Eibar may hail from the smallest town to have a La Liga side, as well as having the smallest stadium and budget in the ­competition’s history, but they are entirely free of debt. Devoid of both big-name stars and foreign players, they provide the ultimate contrast to the rarefied atmosphere that surrounds the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. From the Basque region of Spain, Eibar sensationally gained promotion to the top flight last season, yet their success brought with it a new dilemma as league regulations require the d ­ eposit of a €1.72m security bond. However, the requisite sum was eventually raised via a solidarity drive and a €50-apiece share issue with the club now boasting thousands of small shareholders from no fewer than 38 countries as a result. In this town of 27,000 nestled between San Sebastian and Bilbao the only nod to the footballing super elite is the club colours: Eibar play in the blue and red of Barcelona, the Basque football association having provided the club with a set of the Catalan giants’ kit to assist their development back in the 1940s. Much more recently, recycling played a role in the club’s promotion party too: the confetti shot into the air at the moment of triumph originally belonged to Barça but remained unused when Messi and Co came up short in the title race the previous spring. Even so, the newcomers clearly need no such hand-outs out the pitch, kicking off their La Liga campaign with a 1-0 victory over fellow Basque outfit Real Sociedad.

Thomas Renggli

Juan Manuel Serrano Arce / Getty Images

N

ot all adjectives have a superlative form, although the commonly used word ‘good’ can readily be upgraded using the words ‘better’ and ‘best’. But what about words such as ‘fair’ or ‘honest? Can you say that a player is ‘more honest’ if he reports one or two of his own offences to the referee without being asked, and does this also make him ‘fairer’? After Liverpool’s 1-3 defeat by Manchester City in their second Premier League match of this campaign, midfielder Joe Allen said: “We can be too honest and too fair at times. At this level you sometimes need to be clever.” That is to treat fairness as a quantifiable commodity and not simply a basic professional requirement. Allen then elaborated by saying: “At times we can maybe stop things at source and save ourselves a lot of trouble.” This suggests that tactical fouls are acceptable and eschews lofty superlatives or sober comparisons in favour of one simple claim that, in football, cleverness lies somewhere between fair and unfair – for Joe Allen at least. Å Perikles Monioudis

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ast season Karim Bellarabi played on loan for Eintracht Braunschweig. It was not a particularly positive year for the club and ended with their relegation from the Bundesliga. Bellarabi’s return to Bayer Leverkusen would probably have gone unnoticed if not for the remarkable feat he produced on the first day of the new season. Nine seconds into his team’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund, the 24-year-old striker netted the fastest goal in Bundesliga history – a record that had not been broken in 51 years. Four Leverkusen players touched the ball a total of five times before it fell to Bellarabi, who allowed himself two further touches before slotting the ball into the bottom-left corner. Nevertheless, the world record is a different matter ­ ­entirely. Two years ago, a Serbian youth player named Vuk Bakic scored from the centre spot after just two seconds. Å Sven Goldmann

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FOR THE WORLD

THE N AN M R E B O LES FI 4 PA R T 3

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Majestic onlooker Youths play within sight of the peaks of Annapurna.

Football in the Himalayas In the early 1990s, Holger Obermann helped Nepal to develop young players and rebuild their national team, and his efforts proved to be extremely fruitful.

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ou have to scramble up three storeys to reach Hubert’s Terrace Café in Thamel, but your reward is a view over the city of Kathmandu. On a clear day after the monsoon season, you can even see the magnificent backdrop of the Himalayan mountain range, crowned by the 8,848m-tall Mount Everest.

I first contemplated the idea of football in Nepal when one of the sport’s German experts – a former Hamburg youth player – told me that although the game’s infrastructure in the country had completely collapsed, children and young people continued to play undaunted in any free space they could find, often with an ancient ball at their bare feet.

In the space of just a few weeks, I wanted to try and herald a new start for some of their football association’s remaining members. I knew it would be a difficult mission and that I would need plenty of courage and energy to tackle the challenge, particularly when it came to youth development. Before the years of civil unrest, the people of Nepal – 30

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particularly those in the larger cities of Kathmandu, Pokhara, Nepalgunj or Birgunj – were truly passionate about football and would flock to stadiums in their hundreds to watch club matches. I was astonished by the large number of monks who made the journey on foot from Boudha at one end of the Nepalese capital to the stadium on the other side. They also enjoyed playing football at home, and it was incredible to see how skilfully they moved the ball around, chasing down their next goal on sandy pitches littered with stones near the monastery as their chestnut brown habits fluttered in the breeze.

Police launch football revival I wanted to help bring a little hope back to the people after the unrest and particularly to the youngsters, who were just as happy playing on stony ground in the mountains back then as they are on FIFA’s artificial pitches today. Despite this enthusiasm, their spirits were frequently

FOR THE WORLD

broken, as minor earthquakes in the east of the country or storm surges during monsoon season forced them to abandon their beloved sport for weeks at a time. This was the case in the small village of Palung, 60 kilometres south of Kathmandu, where we renovated a playing field that was seriously damaged in flash flooding, thanks to funding from the Franz Beckenbauer Foundation.

After conducting discussions about the project with representatives from Nepal’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and former club officials during the first few weeks of my assignment, I received some welcome news.

The Nepalese police, headquartered in Kathmandu, had announced new footballing activities and asked me to act as head coach on an extensive plot just outside the city gates. It sounded good to me, and with one eye on the fate of the capital’s other clubs, I trained with the young police cadets each morning and with around 22 senior players in the afternoons. It went well, and police chief Pradham gave me free rein to ­organise training and matches.

Holger Obermann

A new national team In the months that followed, word spread quickly around Kathmandu that the police were looking for teams to play against. Enquiries came in thick and fast as the army and other clubs from Annapurna to Kathmandu began to establish new teams with gusto. With young people keen to play league matches once more after the recent bloody riots, it was not long before six sides registered an interest and suggested playing a championship. Just a year after the uprising, the beautiful game was being played in every district of Kathmandu.

I had the idea of creating a national youth team that could participate in Asian competitions once more. There were also calls for a senior Nepalese national side, and before long Thapa, Basnet and Mulmi, three coaches who worked with the national team before the civil war, were back in demand once more. In particular, Bim Thapa had amassed enough experience and expertise to take charge of this new squad. I integrated them into my first coaching course and gave them special assignments on team management, tactics, conditioning and motivation – all crucial after months away from the sport. A major brewery offered to sponsor the league, and although it wasn’t easy for me to reconcile alcohol with football, I remembered the old saying that ’the end justifies the means’, especially in such a challenging situation. Remarkably, the brewery was so keen to help promote the sport in Nepal that they agreed to forego advertising, and I was extremely grateful to the three Amatya brothers for that.

Triumph at the South Asian Cup Before long, news of this sporting revival had reached provincial cities, and with the help of the then German Olympic Committee and private sponsors, I was able to realise my dream of creating youth centres in 12 Nepalese provinces. To implement these plans, several coaching courses were required over the next three months to train up the instructors and some of the teachers, and to equip them with the resources they needed to stage matches. I travelled continuously across the country to visit these centres and the immensely motivated 14 to 18-year-olds they supported.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) invited Nepalese coaches to attend training courses in Malaysia that, along with the careful development of a new national team, helped the country to finally emerge from the crisis altogether and practically reach its previous standard. My longterm project, lasting from 1991 to 1994, reached its zenith in 1993 after three years of intensive preparations when the reborn national side emerged triumphant in the final of the South Asian Games in Dhaka, Bangladesh, after a penalty shoot-out – sparking exuberant celebrations across the country.

We also held an annual youth festival, bringing 500 young footballers from all of the country’s youth centres to the stadium in Kathmandu.

They competed in a football pentathlon made up of sprints with the ball,

shooting from 20 metres, keepy-ups, crossing the ball towards a long row of trucks in the centre of the pitch and, finally, small three or four-a-side matches. A jury comprised of representatives from the various provinces selected the best competitors in three age categories. The first overall winner – a young player named Rajiv Nepali – won a trip to a German football academy, a prize also awarded to later winners. Nepali performed so well in Germany that he spent two years playing for SV Wehen while also completing a commercial apprenticeship. He then returned to Nepal and played for the national team. Å

F I F A I N N E PA L In September 2012, FIFA financed a new headquarters, academy and artificial pitch for the Nepalese Football Fssociation ANFA in Kathmandu, donating a total of $500,000. At the end of 2005, their head office was renovated at a cost of $400,000. In 2001, regional training centres totalling $500,000 were built in Kathmandu, Dharan and Butwal, while in 2010 FIFA provided $400,000 to construct football academies in Lalitpur, Dharan and Butwal to support 180 young players in the U-12 to U-16 age groups.

Nepal’s next generation Holger Obermann meets some of the local kids.

Born in 1936 in Kassel, Germany, Holger Obermann has worked in football for many years and on four continents. In a four-part FIFA Weekly series we exclusively present excerpts from the German overseas coach’s manuscript “Mein Fussball hatte Flügel” (My football had wings).

PART FOUR ON GAMBIA WILL BE PUBLISHED IN OUR 12 SEP TEMBER ISSUE. T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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A party on wheels after the World Cup hosts defeated Belgium in the group stage.

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Mexican fans hail their team following the group stage victory over Croatia at the World Cup in Brazil.

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Connecting every fan of the game Make new friends and discover shared passions in the Emirates A380 Onboard Lounge.

#AllTimeGreats youtube.com/emirates

Hello Tomorrow

THE SOUND OF FOOTBALL

THE OBJEC T

Perikles Monioudis

W The loneliness of the football widow Hanspeter Kuenzler

Behind every player there is a football widow. It was no different in Elvis’s day.

Sion Ap Tomos, FIFA Sammlung

C

ordell Jackson was of course not referring to the variant of football so beloved of readers of this journal when she released the charmingly quirky single “Football Widow”. But let us not split hairs. The feelings she relates are universal. “I’m a football widow / Alone on the season’s first day,” she offers for starters. We have the strong suspicion she is about to burst into tears, but she soon recovers her composure and declares with stoic resignation: “No need to fight / It’s out of hand”. When the single was re-released in 1983 she was sixty and her career was undergoing a renaissance. Born in Pontotoc, Mississippi, she revealed a rebellious streak at a very young age. When she was informed the guitar was no instrument for a girl, she shot back: “Well it is for me.” She was twelve. She moved to Memphis in the forties and wrote innumerable songs in a style combining elements of folk, blues and a nascent rockabilly. Just like Elvis Presley she passed through Sun Studio, but no-one was willing to release her records.

No less a figure than Chet Atkins advised her to do the whole thing herself. She founded Moon Records, becoming the first woman to head up a rock’n’roll label, and simultaneously filled the roles of producer, sound engineer, arranger and promoter. It was all a modest success at best. In all likelihood her vocals, far from clean at times, were just too idiosyncratic.

However, in the early eighties a young corps of Memphis-based musicians recognized her as a true original. Tav Falco, Alex Chilton and Colonel Robert Morris recorded new discs with her, David Letterman invited her onto his show, and she appeared in a TV commercial alongside Brian Setzer before her death in Memphis on 14 October 2004. Curiously “Football Widow”, a folksy blues number, sounds so laid back you might be tempted to think the “widow” is perfectly happy without her football-obsessed hubby. But it is only a temporary separation.

“When the football season ends / I’m his old lady again” the “Rock’n’Roll Granny” intones before breaking out into a euphoric, whooping yodel. Æ

hat could be more fitting than a card game illustrated with a selection of football players? After all, the beautiful game has much in common with this particular pastime.

Just as there are only a very limited number of stars and superstars available to sign in the transfer market, only a very limited number of jokers, kings and queens can be found in a typical deck. The players (or cards) each club (or card player) can make use of, and how well they can use them, is also a matter of luck; a key footballer may pick up an injury while a card player may be dealt a bad hand.

The game pictured above was produced in England about a century ago and forms part of the FIFA Collection. It is not known whether any famous footballers might have amused themselves with it in days gone by, but we do know with reasonable certainty that playing cards on long bus journeys to away matches was so popular for so long that players often selected their seat on the team bus based on which of their team-mates they wanted to challenge to a game of cards.

Footballers must have reached intuitively for the pack, perhaps vaguely aware of the parallels between their activities on the pitch and the cards played from their hands. Given that the difference between triumph and despair in football is often a matter of fractions of a second or a few centimetres, it can be difficult to process this reliance on uncertainties and thus on chance. One game of cards, and the world makes sense again. Å

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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FIFA WORLD R ANKING Rank Team

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 29 31 32 33 34 35 36 36 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77

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Germany Argentina Netherlands Colombia Belgium Uruguay Spain Brazil Switzerland France Portugal Chile Greece Italy Costa Rica Croatia Mexico USA Bosnia and Herzegovina England Ecuador Ukraine Russia Algeria Côte d'Ivoire Denmark Romania Scotland Venezuela Sweden Serbia Turkey Nigeria Hungary Czech Republic Ghana Armenia Egypt Slovenia Austria Wales Tunisia Honduras Japan Slovakia Iceland Paraguay Iran Montenegro Sierra Leone Uzbekistan Peru Norway Cameroon Finland Jordan Korea Republic Burkina Faso Senegal Mali Poland Libya Panama Guinea United Arab Emirates Republic of Ireland Oman Israel South Africa Albania Bolivia Bulgaria Azerbaijan Cape Verde Islands Angola FYR Macedonia Benin

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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

Change in ranking Points

0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

1736 1604 1507 1495 1407 1316 1241 1241 1218 1212

0 0 0 0 1 1 1 -3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 -1 1 0 0 0 1 4 0 2 5 -2 -2 3 3 0 -3 1 1 1 1 1 1 14 1 7 0 -1 0 1 -1 0 3 0 0 1 -30 -13 0 4 2 -1 -3 -3 0 0 0 1 4 -2 14

1152 1100 1092 1069 1023 964 942 937 925 915 910 901 899 880 840 818 740 738 724 724 723 711 673 656 650 648 648 645 643 624 623 617 596 593 584 573 564 563 553 533 528 522 512 507 502 500 499 493 491 488 482 475 474 471 464 448 447 439 438 437 434 429 413 411 408 407 405

Ranking 03 / 2014

04 / 2014

05 / 2014

06 / 2014

07 / 2014

08 / 2014

1 -41 -83 -125 -167 -209

78 79 80 81 81 83 84 85 86 87 88 88 90 91 92 93 93 95 95 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 107 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 115 117 118 119 120 120 122 123 124 124 126 127 128 129 129 131 131 133 134 134 136 137 138 139 140 140 142 143 144

Top spot

Biggest climber

Congo Australia Trinidad and Tobago Morocco Uganda Saudi Arabia Zambia Jamaica Botswana Togo Palestine Belarus Zimbabwe Iraq Qatar Estonia Congo DR Northern Ireland Georgia China PR New Zealand Moldova Latvia Rwanda Gabon Lithuania Kenya Lesotho Malawi Bahrain Mozambique Luxembourg Tanzania Kuwait Ethiopia Equatorial Guinea Namibia Lebanon Sudan Haiti Niger Liberia Tajikistan Central African Republic Canada Guinea-Bissau Cuba Aruba Dominican Republic El Salvador Philippines Burundi Afghanistan Kazakhstan Suriname Mauritania Guatemala St Vincent and the Grenadines New Caledonia Turkmenistan St Lucia Vietnam Cyprus Chad Grenada Madagascar Kyrgyzstan

4 -3 4 -2 6 -5 -7 -2 13 1 -3 -7 8 -2 -6 -1 3 -6 1 -3 3 3 3 8 -9 1 -9 26 15 -2 7 -1 -4 -4 -2 -2 -2 4 0 -4 -19 -4 4 -3 -4 13 -4 -1 -1 -6 0 -3 0 -4 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 -10 -1 0 0 0 0

Biggest faller

395 391 384 381 381 377 375 373 371 365 363 363 358 357 348 344 344 341 341 334 330 325 324 318 311 306 305 302 295 289 289 288 285 280 275 270 269 263 263 262 261 260 252 252 250 242 233 233 230 223 221 217 217 213 213 204 203 203 199 197 195 192 184 184 182 179 176

145 146 147 148 149 150 150 152 153 153 155 155 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 173 175 175 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 186 188 189 190 191 191 193 193 193 193 197 198 199 200 201 201 203 204 205 206 207 208 208

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

0 1 -1 0 0 1 0 2 2 0 1 -4 0 1 -1 0 1 -1 11 1 1 -2 0 -1 0 -7 0 -2 2 0 0 -3 0 0 -1 2 0 1 1 -4 1 18 1 -3 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 0 0 0 0 0

174 167 161 157 156 143 143 140 136 136 134 134 126 125 124 121 118 117 102 100 99 95 94 93 92 87 85 84 83 83 78 78 72 71 70 68 66 63 61 59 43 41 41 37 31 29 28 28 26 26 26 26 21 18 16 14 13 13 11 8 6 5 1 0 0

TURNING POINT

“I had to prove myself by showing off” Champions League winner ­Camille Abily often played ­football as a child with the boys.

The banter from her opponents made the Olympique Lyon ­midfielder a tough customer.

Mareike Foecking

M

y father played football, my brother played football, and when we watched television together, football was always on. For example, I have great memories of the Champions League final with Olympique Marseille at the start of the 90’s. That meant that early on I developed a real fascination for the sport.

I grew up in a small town in Bretagne, and football really wasn’t big there. At the time there was no such thing as the internet, so I didn’t even know that women’s football existed. I had more boys as friends than girls as a kid and that was why it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to go out on the pitch and play football with the boys from the village at FC Bruz. That’s when I was six years old. There was never an issue with me being a girl. Our opponents sometimes saw it differently though!

The thing I heard most often was, “they’ve got a girl on their team, we can’t lose!” And of course I was also confronted with prejudice. I never understood why you would run another person down, just because they’re doing something that gives them great pleasure. That made me angry, but I never let it show. I just let my performances on the pitch do the talking.

Those insults and comments were what helped shape my career. They made me stronger and helped me build my character. My time

Name Camille Abily Date and place of birth 5 December 1984, Rennes Position Midfield Clubs Stade Briochin, La Roche-sur-Yon, CNFE Clairefontaine, Montpellier, Los Angeles Sol, Paris SG, FC Gold Pride, Lyon (current) France national team 120 appearances (23 goals)

in youth football was incredibly educational, both mentally and physically.

Because I didn’t have the physique to power my way past the boys in my age group, I had to show off with different tricks and flicks to help myself out. I still do that to this very day, and I also learnt how to use my elbows!

At the age of 14 I had to switch to women’s football. That was the first real chance I had to find out about it. It was clear to me as soon as I realised there was a French national team: one day I would play for it! In 1999 I had the privilege of being able to go to Clairefontaine – a national football centre near Paris. I was able to train there every day, which was not always a given. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I could make a living

out of football. M ­ oney was never the motivation for me, I was playing for the love of the game. The feeling when I turned professional at Los Angeles was overwhelming!

I’ve never forgotten where I come from.

FC Bruz is still my club. I go there to watch a match whenever my diary allows it! Å Camille Abily was speaking to Nicola Berger

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

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

37

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The FIFA Weekly Published weekly by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Internet: www.fifa.com/theweekly Publisher: FIFA, FIFA-Strasse 20, PO box, CH-8044 Zurich Tel. +41-(0)43-222 7777 Fax +41-(0)43-222 7878

FIFA QUIZ CUP

A point for the loser, a mysterious flag and an unusual country test your knowledge!

1

Which of these players has contested four World Cup finals?

President: Joseph S. Blatter Secretary General: Jérôme Valcke Director of Communications and Public Affairs: Walter De Gregorio Chief Editor: Perikles Monioudis Staff Writers: Thomas Renggli (Author), Alan Schweingruber, Sarah Steiner

C

2

H

W

Where are the winners of a penalty shoot-out given two points while the losers receive one point?

Art Direction: Catharina Clajus

A E I O

Picture Editor: Peggy Knotz Production: Hans-Peter Frei Layout: Richie Krönert (Lead), Marianne Bolliger-Crittin, Susanne Egli, Tobias Benz

3

Y

FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking Japanese J-League Futsal World Cup Confederations Cup

Which was once a member of FIFA?

Proof Reader: Nena Morf, Kristina Rotach Contributors: Sérgio Xavier Filho, Luigi Garlando, Sven Goldmann, Hanspeter Kuenzler, Jordi Punti, David Winner, Roland Zorn Contributors to this Issue: Nicola Berger, Andreas Jaros, Giovanni Marti, Tim Pfeifer, Alissa Rosskopf, Stephen Sullivan, Andreas Wilhelm Editorial Assistant: Honey Thaljieh

E Hawaii K Vatican City L Great Britain R Bohemia

4

Which World Cup poster featured a solitary flag for a country that didn’t even take part in the tournament?

Project Management: Bernd Fisa, Christian Schaub Translation: Sportstranslations Limited www.sportstranslations.com

D

E

N

S

Printer: Zofinger Tagblatt AG www.ztonline.ch 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.

The answer to last week’s Quiz Cup was REAL Detailed answers on www.fifa.com/theweekly Inspiration and implementation: cus

Send your answer by 3 September 2014 to feedback-theweekly@fifa.org.

Correct solutions to all quizzes published from 13 June 2014 onwards will go into a draw in January 2015 for a trip for two to the FIFA Ballon d’Or on 12 January 2015.

Before sending in answers, all participants must read and accept the competition terms and conditions and the rules, which can be found at: http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/af-magazine/fifaweekly/02/20/51/99/en_rules_20140613_english_neutral.pdf T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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A S K T H E W E E K LY

T HIS WEEK’S POLL

After last week’s interesting debate over head injuries, I’d like to know what the rules are governing headgear in football.

Silvio Agnucio, Alicante

Who will win the AFC Champions League in 2014?

The interpretation of the Laws of the Game was recently expanded by a clarification in the “Special equipment” clause. The following conditions must be respected: Make your choice from: • Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates • Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia • Western Sydney Wanderers, Australia • FC Seoul, Korea Republic

The head cover must · be black or of the same colour as the jersey · be in keeping with the professional appearance of the player’s equipment · not be attached to the jersey · not pose any danger to the player wearing it or any other player · not incorporate any part (e.g. opening/closing mechanism around neck) protruding from the surface.

Cast your votes at: www.fifa.com/newscentre

L A S T W E E K’S P O L L R E S U LT S Which of the following new signings in Spain’s Primera Division will have the greatest impact?

The two key factors are that there is no longer any difference between the rules for men and women, and that there is no danger of injury either to the wearer or any other player. (thr)

31% � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � James Rodriguez (Real Madrid) 28% � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) 22% � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Luis Suarez (Barcelona) 6% � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Guillermo Ochoa (Malaga) 5% � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) 4% � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona) 4% � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Mario Mandzukic (Atlético Madrid)

WEEK IN NUMBERS

Bradley Wright-Phillips is up to 20 goals for the season, a new record for

48

6

After six years without a win at the Amsterdam

Arena, PSV Eindhoven

Tottenham Hotspur set a new

finally reversed the trend

Premier League record with

last Saturday. PSV won 3-1

the 48-pass move leading to

away to Ajax, who are

their second goal, scored by

chasing a fifth straight Dutch

Nacer Chadli, in a 4-0 victory

league title but conceded three

over Queens Park Rangers. All 11

goals at home for the first time

Spurs players including keeper

since 2007. So far this term, nine

Angel – and there are ten games of the

Hugo Lloris were involved in

of PSV’s 11 shots at goal have

regular season still to go.

the move.

gone in.

a New York Red Bulls player in Major League Soccer. The 29-yearold former Manchester City hitman grabbed a brace in his team’s 4-2 victory over Montreal Impact last Saturday to overtake previous record-holder Juan Pablo

imago (2), Brett Hemmings / Getty Images

20