The FIFA Weekly Issue #50

ISSUE 50, 3 OCTOBER 2014

ENGLISH EDITION

Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Since 1904

CONGO DR TWO CLUBS MAKING WAVES POLAND THE HOUR OF THE OUTSIDER MEXICO RONALDINHO DELIGHTS THE FANS

MADE IN JAPAN

W W W.FIFA.COM/ THEWEEKLY

THIS WEEK IN THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL

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The Boom For Japanese players, establishing a career overseas takes more than just footballing talent. Hidetoshi Suzuki reports from Tokyo on how language and humour can influence a career and why transfers to Europe are currently booming.

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epp Blatter S The seventh UEFA-FIFA Challenge takes place in Zurich on Friday. “While the media like to accentuate the rivalry between these two organisations, this event paints a completely different picture,” the FIFA President says in this week’s column.

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unter Netzer G “Fans who visit matches should definitely have expectations,” our columnist says, “but purchasing a ticket does not automatically grant them universal rights.”

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elice Natalino F The Italian’s heart began to race while he was playing cards, and electric shocks ultimately saved his life. “It was like a horror film,” the former Inter Milan player recalls.

ISSUE 50, 3 OCTOBER 2014

North and Central America 35 members www.concacaf.com

South America 10 members www.conmebol.com

ENGLISH EDITION

Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Since 1904

CONGO DR TWO CLUBS MAKING WAVES POLAND THE HOUR OF THE OUTSIDER MEXICO RONALDINHO DELIGHTS THE FANS

MADE IN JAPAN

W W W.FIFA.COM/ THEWEEKLY

Made in Japan Our cover Illustration was created

by Heri Irawan of Vienna. It depicts ­Japanese players Shinji Kagawa, Maya Yoshida, Keisuke Honda and Eiji Kawashima.

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Ronaldinho Securing the Brazilian star’s signature was a fantastic move

by Mexican side Queretaro.

Getty Images

The FIFA Weekly Magazine App The FIFA Weekly, FIFA’s magazine, is available in four languages as an e-Magazine and on your tablet every Friday.

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T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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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Fernando Ricksen The 38-year-old Dutchman is fighting for his life, but explains: “I’d like to be the first person to overcome ALS.”

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Poland In the Ekstraklasa, outsiders Belchatow are taking things one match at a time.

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imago, AP, AFP

Congo DR Two of the country’s clubs have been causing a stir in the CAF Champions League. Can the national team now follow suit?

FIFA Club World Cup 10 – 20 December 2014, Morocco

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

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

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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UNCOVERED

Far from Japan “I

f the guys in the dressing room poke fun at you, you’ve got to be able to quickly fire back with a joke.” Japanese footballer Maya Yoshida plays in a country where no Asian centre-back has ever managed to establish himself: England. In his report starting on page 6, Hidetoshi Suzuki examines the significance of differing mentalities and cultures in the world of football and the qualities that set the Japanese apart as players.

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n 1974, Zaire’s national team qualified for their only World Cup. Although they lost every match, their participation was a major achievement for Africa. Today the country now named Congo DR is making a comeback after years of decline. From page 24, Mark Gleeson gets to the bottom of the latest developments in this Central African state. oday, on 3 October, teams from FIFA and UEFA will square up for their traditional challenge in Zurich. On page 23, Sepp Blatter underlines the importance of this annual event: “On this day the lines between the sporting institutions dissolve, and the focus turns to a comradely exchange of knowledge and views.” Å

Shaun Botterill / FIFA via Getty Images

Alan Schweingruber

Tokyo by night A rooftop plays host to an evening match.

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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THE BOOM Hidetoshi Suzuki, Tokyo, (words), Heri Irawan (illustrations)

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The top European clubs are clamouring for the combination of skill and work rate embodied by the likes of Keisuke Honda, Yuto Nagatomo and Shinji Kagawa.

We look into the success of the Japanese model footballer.

JAPAN

J

apan is an island nation in East Asia, but most of its star footballers currently ply their trade in Europe. In the Samurai Blue’s opening match against Côte d’Ivoire at this summer’s World Cup in Brazil, nine of the starting 11 were based in Europe, including the likes of AC Milan’s Keisuke Honda and Inter Milan’s Yuto Nagatomo.

By regularly turning out for major clubs in some of Europe’s top leagues, this contingent has significantly contributed to Japan’s recent dominance in Asia.

The current AFC Asian Cup champions have qualified for five consecutive World Cups and become a team to fear in Asian football circles.

The Japanese imports at European clubs all have lofty ambitions and are hungry to take their performances to a higher level. “So far, there hasn’t been an Asian centre-back who has genuinely succeeded in the Premier League,” says Southampton defender Maya Yoshida, for example. “I want to be the pioneer who achieves that.”

He may be ambitious, but Yoshida also faces a huge challenge. An automatic selection for the

national team, the 26-year-old faces stiff competition for game time in the Premier League.

Atsuto Uchida, a defender for Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga, is one of the few Japanese to have played in the UEFA Champions League.

His experiences on the European stage have provided him with useful insights and knowledge that have helped him develop as a player.

“The Spanish players are the best at slipping a marker before they receive a pass,” Uchida says. “They feint to move behind you, or in front of you, but then quickly step the other way. That all happens in a split-second, and suddenly they are one or two meters away from me. Trying to mark players who do that is so exhausting. When I was playing in Japan, I never really feared that my opponents would move like that.” By regularly competing at the top level in England, Germany and Italy, including making appearances in the Champions League and the Europa League for some, Japanese players have acquired experience that has improved their skills and mental strength much more than would have been the case had they stayed in Japan. This has been a key ingredient in the progress of the Samurai Blue.

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JAPAN

Trailblazer Okudera Several dozen Japanese footballers have played in Europe, but it has taken about four decades to reach the point where a Japanese signing for a European club is no longer considered unusual. The professional J.League was created in 1992, with its opening game staged the following year, but the first Japanese star to blaze a trail to the fields of Europe actually arrived many years earlier. Yasuhiko Okudera was the first Japanese to play professionally overseas. His stellar career abroad started in 1977 and included stints with German clubs Cologne, Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen. Okudera’s solid performances were vital in helping Cologne win the Bundesliga title, with his unflappable demeanour and ability to accurately and loyally perform any role earning him the nickname of “the Oriental computer”. The wealth of experience

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Okudera picked up during his nine years in Germany was invaluable after he returned to Japan, where football was nearing the end of its amateur era.

Two more Japanese pioneers played in Germany in the 1980s, but neither achieved anything like the success Okudera did. Europe also proved to be an unhappy hunting ground for Kazuyoshi Miura, the star striker for the Samurai Blue who became the first Japanese to play in Serie A when he joined Genoa while at the peak of his powers in 1994.

Miura, who is affectionately known as “King Kazu”, had first made a name for himself by travelling alone to Brazil as a teenager to play football and sign with powerhouse club Santos. In the J.League’s maiden season, Miura was named the league’s most valuable player and the AFC player of the year. Despite this compelling form, Miura lasted just one season

Trailblazer Yasuhiko Okudera in Cologne with coach Hennes Weisweiler in 1977.

Manga and football Although Japanese manga comics are based on a drawing style that dates back to the late 19th century, football-themed manga only began to emerge at around the same time as the sport gained widespread popularity in Japan at the end of the 1970s.

Perhaps the best known of these comics tells the story of Captain Tsubasa, who rises through the sport’s ranks while dreaming of one day being able to play abroad – an ambition he ultimately realises when he is signed by Barcelona. Most Japanese footballers are well aware of this particular character; in fact, his stories planted the seed of ambition in many young players who ultimately became professionals. One such example is Hidetoshi Nakata, who cites Tsubasa as his childhood inspiration. Several European players also grew up following the Captain’s exploits, including self-confessed fan Raul.

Matthias Hangst / Getty Images, Sven Simon / imago

World Cup fever The team celebrates with goalscorer Keisuke Honda in June 2014.

Mike Powell / Allsport / Getty Images, Lieven Van Assche / Getty Images

JAPAN

The Italian job In 1994, Kazuyoshi Miura was Serie A's first Japanese player.

Multitalented Goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima has established himself as a player, not least because he can speak seven different languages.

with Genoa and scored only one goal. At that point it appeared the door to Europe opened

by Okudera and temporarily kept ajar by Miura might slam shut. However, these players were just the harbingers of a rush of Japanese who would transfer to clubs overseas. In 1998, Serie A was hogging headlines in Japan again.

This was the year Japan appeared at its first World Cup. Among the country’s most impressive performers at the tournament in France was Hidetoshi Nakata. He signed for Perugia for the 1998-99 season, and spearheaded a surge in overseas moves by his compatriots. Until he retired following the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Nakata carved out an impressive career for himself in Europe that encompassed spells with several Italian teams (including helping AS Roma win the Scudetto in 2000-1) and ended with a season at English club Bolton Wanderers.

While Okudera won acclaim in Europe predominantly as a defensive player, Nakata was an attack-minded midfielder who not only scored goals, but also set up team-mates with his precise passing and vision. In contrast to these two success stories, other Japanese who moved to Europe at around the same time as Nakata struggled. There were short-lived sojourns for Hiroshi Nanami at Venezia, Shoji Jo at Real Valladolid, and Akinori Nishizawa at Espanyol, for example.

Learning the language the key So what factors determine whether a Japanese player will fare well in Europe? According to Naohiro Takahara, a forward who spent several seasons with Hamburg a decade ago, the answer does not lie solely on the pitch. “I think Japanese players have always had the technical qualities needed to do well in Eu-

rope, but the biggest problems were cultural differences and language barriers with foreign team-mates,” says Takahara. “They need to think about how they can bridge these differences. Players overseas have completely different sensibilities and ways of doing things. Through my own experience, I learned it’s important to not have any preconceptions, accept that there will be differences, and try hard to understand my team-mates.”

Nakata reportedly started studying Italian well before he transferred to Perugia because he was determined to make his mark in Serie A. Honda also has refused to let language be an obstacle to his football career. Now playing for AC Milan after several seasons with CSKA Moscow, he has conducted interviews in English since his earlier years at VVV-Venlo in the Netherlands. Probably the most linguistically talented of the Samurai Blue is goalkeeper Eiji

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JAPAN

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Maya Yoshida “I want to be the pioneer.”

Father figure Shinji Kagawa with mentor Jurgen Klopp.

The majority of Japanese playing in Europe are with German teams.

Kagawa by Takahara, who himself had played in Germany, was impressed by the youngster’s obvious potential. Kagawa’s signing triggered a wave of Japanese players moving to Germany that has yet to recede.

Four years ago, Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp realised his club had hit the jackpot

with Kagawa. “We knew he was a great footballer, but we didn’t know he would adapt this quickly,” Klopp said. “The boy is 21, he’s left his family at home and his only companion is his translator. Now he has written his name into the history books.” Dortmund’s sporting director, Michael Zorc also sensed Kagawa

imago (2)

Kawashima. Japan’s uncompromising shotstopper at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups now plays in Belgium, and says studying languages is “a hobby”. Conversant in seven languages, Kawashima has even published a book giving instruction in how to learn a new language.

Breaking down language problems and cultural differences is the biggest challenge for many Japanese players when they shift overseas. Nakata, Kawashima and other players possessing strong language skills have made the transition much more easily. Courage and a sense of humour are also essential.

“If the guys in the dressing room poke fun at you, you’ve got to be able to quickly fire back with a joke,” says Yoshida. It has been a widely accepted theory that when Japanese players go abroad, they tend to lose their self-assertiveness, so it becomes difficult to express their individual traits. The Samurai Blue’s overseas contingent is steadily disproving this belief.

Putting the social aspect to one side, how are the skills and technique of Japanese players regarded overseas?

Shinji Kagawa is a shining recent example of someone who has tasted success since leaving his homeland. Although Kagawa was unable to cement a starting spot during two seasons with Manchester United, he was a major contributor to the consecutive Bundesliga titles won by Borussia Dortmund during his time there from 2010 to 2012. Kagawa has returned to Dortmund this season, where expectations are high he will pick up from where he left off. In 2010, Dortmund signed Kagawa from Cerezo Osaka for the token sum of 350,000 euros as compensation to reflect the Japanese club’s development of his talent. At the time, this seemed a reasonable amount. Kagawa was just 21, had been playing in the J.League’s top division for less than three months, and had played in the second tier until the previous season. A German scout who had been tipped off about

JAPAN

Sven Simon / imago

World champions Japan's women's national team will defend their World Cup crown next summer.

was something special when he arrived, and made sure the club provided an environment where he would flourish. “We knew right away Shinji had great potential. We have 17 players in his age group in our squad, which made it easier for him,” he said.

The majority of Japanese playing in Europe are with German teams. The 13 imports in the Bundesliga are Takashi Inui (Eintracht Frankfurt), Makoto Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt), Atsuto Uchida (Schalke 04), Yuya Osako (Cologne), Kazuki Nagasawa (Cologne), Shinji Okazaki (Mainz 05), Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund), Mitsuru Maruoka (Borussia Dortmund), Gotoku Sakai (VfB Stuttgart), Hiroki Sakai (Hannover 96), Hiroshi Kiyotake (Hannover 96), Genki Haraguchi (Hertha BSC) and Hajime Hosogai (Hertha BSC).

Yoshida is currently the lone Japanese in

England’s Premier League, while only Honda and Nagatomo are flying the flag in Italy.

Technically solid and relatively affordable compared with many players from South America and Africa, Japanese pros have established themselves as a reliable “brand” in German football circles. One secret to this success is the tactics employed in the Bundesliga, the league that developed the players who powered Germany to victory in this year’s World Cup. Over the past decade, clubs such as Dortmund and Bayern Munich have refined a high-octane brand of football that combines slick passing and continual movement off the ball with the players’ individual skills. This has been a neat fit for smaller players who are agile and highly skilled, such as Kagawa, and those with a high work rate and keen eye for goal, such as Okazaki.

Campaign to grow the game Inspired by the growing ranks of Japanese playing in Europe’s top leagues, football’s fan base is steadily growing in Japan. Japanese fans now feel an affinity for the Bundesliga, Premier League and Serie A, and many youngsters aspire to play for AC Milan, Inter Milan or Dortmund. In 2013, Japan’s population decreased by 239,000 from the previous year. The same year, the number of players registered with the Japan Football Association increased by 1 percent to 963,340. Given there were only 273,887 registered players in 1979 (when Okudera was playing in Germany and the year such stats were first compiled), the growth in the football playing population has been remarkable. The same trend has been evident in the women’s game. In 1979, Japan had 919 registered players, but this figure had jumped to 26,237 by 2011 (the year Japan won its first World Cup) and 30,243 in 2013. Emulating their male counterparts, a growing number of Japanese women are playing abroad, including Yuki Ogimi at Chelsea, Yukari Kinga and Shinobu Ono at Arsenal, and Saki Kumagai at Lyon. The number of Japanese women linking up with prestigious overseas clubs is expected to grow in the years ahead.

Whether Japan continues this impressive progress will largely hinge on the actions of the JFA. In 2005, it issued the “JFA 2005 Declaration,” which set out a long-term plan to develop Japanese football. The declaration set the targets of making Japan’s national side one of the world’s top 10 teams by 2015, hosting a World Cup in Japan by 2050, and for Japan to win that tournament.

To achieve these ambitious goals, the JFA has launched a series of initiatives to boost the number of football players and fans. Since 2003, the JFA Uniqlo Soccer Kids programme has held events that encourage children to start playing football at 14 locations across Japan. The ever-widening base of the futsalplaying population is a vital component of

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“I dreamt of playing football abroad” 27-year-old Japan and Chelsea striker Yuki Ogimi discusses her career in football.

Ms Ogimi, what does it mean for you to be able to practise your profession overseas?

Yuki Ogimi: Even as a child, I dreamt of playing football abroad.

My greatest role model was veteran international Homare Sawa, who made her breakthrough in the USA and won the 2011 Ballon d’Or. She kindled my ambitions when I was just five years old.

Back then there was still no professional women’s football league in Japan.

Japan’s Saki Kumagai scored the decisive penalty in the 2011 World Cup Final against the USA, beating American goalkeeping legend Hope Solo in the process. The 23-year-old defender moved to Europe the same year to boost the ranks at 1. FFC Frankfurt.

She has been playing at Olympique Lyonnais since last season.

Ms Kumagai, much is expected of you at Lyon, isn’t it?

Saki Kumagai: No, I don’t feel that I’m under any additional pressure to succeed here. We win most of the time, which makes things easier. We put ourselves under pressure.

Did your parents support your decision to play football?

What was your parents’ reaction to your dream?

Yes, they were there for me.

They’ve always been there to help me become a professional footballer, and did everything they possibly could.

What happened in Japan after the 2011 World Cup triumph?

Even though there was no guarantee that you could make a living from your chosen career?

Winning the World Cup gave the sport an extra boost in our country and led to more and more girls signing up for football clubs. But attendances at top-flight matches still aren’t very high.

In Japan, men in football are still paid higher salaries than the women, but women have a greater hunger for success and take more pleasure in playing the game.

And enjoy greater success …

The 2011 World Cup triumph coincided with the aftermath of our nation's tsunami disaster. We wanted to give people something positive and bring them some good news that could restore confidence in our country. Later, many of our players visited the crisis-hit areas in a display of solidarity.

Was there increased public interest in the league as a result of the team’s success?

Of course women’s club football in Japan isn’t yet as developed as in Europe or the USA, which makes the World Cup win all the more incredible.

You’re now a global star in your own right.

I was surprised to be nominated for the 2013 Ballon d’Or. It’s good for Japanese football and for developing the league there.

NADESHIKO JAPAN Association Japan Football Association Coach Norio Sasaki Top scorer Homare Sawa (82 goals) Most caps Homare Sawa (197 caps) FIFA Ranking 3rd place (September 2014) World Cup appearances 6 (from 1991 onwards) Honours 2011 World Cup winners 2014 AFC Asian Cup winners

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JAPANESE LEAGUE Name J.League Division 1 (top tier of the Japan Professional Football League) Founded 1992 Number of clubs 18 teams in division 1 22 teams in division 2 Reigning champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Registered players in Japan 1,045,150 AFC Champions League (Asia) representation The top three sides in the J.League and the winners of the Emperor’s Cup qualify for the AFC Champions League.

Japanese AFC Champions League winners 2007 Urawa Red Diamonds 2008 Gamba Osaka

Most successful club Kashima Antlers (seven league titles)

imago

Uniqlo Soccer Kids Children are encouraged to take up football in Fukushima.

the JFA plan. Brazilian star Neymar is widely known for having developed his sublime skills as a youngster while playing futsal, and Kagawa also nurtured his dribbling and jinking runs on the smaller futsal court before he hit the big time. In a bid to increase the number of futsal players and the level of their performance, the JFA organised its first “JFA Enjoy 5” tournament in 2013. With a focus on fun and separate teams for men and women who wanted to enjoy the five-a-side game or just give it a try, the tournament attracted 1,400 teams and 10,500 participants. These grassroots projects to foster women’s football and futsal, and make football a sport for the whole family, are integral to the JFA’s campaign to grow the game. The association’s commitment to these efforts has been reflected in rising playing numbers even as Japan’s overall pop-

The ever-widening base of the futsal-playing population is vital to the JFA plan. ulation declines. There are high expectations these programs will lift the overall standard of Japanese football and turn out star players in the years ahead.

Attention is already turning to whether the Samurai Blue can break into the world’s top 10

and reach the quarter-finals, or even further, at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Perhaps a hitherto unheralded player whose rise begins at a JFA Enjoy 5 futsal tournament might emerge as a “Japanese Neymar” to lead Japan to the ultimate football prize. Å

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O N

T H E

Uganda Premier League

The long road back Nicola Berger is a journalist based in Zurich.

The new Uganda Premier League campaign kicked off on 19 September, two-and-ahalf weeks later than originally planned, after Maroons FC opted to contest the court decision that saw them left out of this season’s UPL. It was just the start of what seemed to an ill-fated start, with a death rocking the country’s football community practically before a ball had been kicked.

Fahad Musana, defender at military side FC Simba, passed away due to heart failure on 20 September, just a day after his team’s away victory over Entebbe on the opening day of the new campaign.

I N S I D E

league will also change their fortunes, with around a third of Serbian coach Milutin Sredojevic’s team currently plying their trade in the UPL. Uganda have not participated in the Africa Cup of Nations since their run to the final was ended by a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Ghana back in 1978, but their recent victory over Guinea and a draw on Ghanaian soil is gradually raising the prospect of qualification for the 2015 tournament in Morocco.

Meanwhile, the UPL’s clubs continue to battle for recognition and respect. SC Villa are currently embarking on a new journey, with

the chairman of the former championship-winning club banning dreadlocks and instructing those without short hair to leave the club. Chairman Immanuel Misagga said: “We want to give the impression that we’re a disciplined team.” After this new regime initially bore fruit in the form of back-to-back wins, Villa were defeated 2-1 by Uganda Police on Tuesday, and immediately made a managerial change. Former international Steven Bogere has been sent on a coaching course in South Africa for six months, to be replaced former Somalia coach Sam Ssimbwa, who has already had spells in charge of league rivals KCC and Express. Å

Aminah Babirye / Kawowo Sports

These negative headlines come at a bad time for the UPL, when it is aiming to rearrange the league structure and improve its image.

The league desperately wants to return to its glory days of the 90s, when football was a prosperous sport in the country, but has suffered years of hardship since that era. Fans once flooded into stadiums and held their breath as league giants and reigning champions Kampala City Council (KCC) vied for success with Express FC and Sports Club Villa some years ago.

But success is like a tender sapling that can only prosper if it is constantly nurtured, and this was not always the case in Uganda. A match between Express and SC Villa in 1997 descended into a riot inside the Wankulukuku Stadium with police firing shots into the air to disperse the crowds. Arguably the darkest day for Ugandan football came six years later as the championship race neared its end. With Express and Villa battling for the title, Akol FC fielded just nine players in their match against the latter and lost 22-1.

This controversy prompted spectators to turn away from domestic football towards their television sets, where they were enticed by the glitz and glamour of the English Premier League. The resulting deserted stadiums caused financial problems for the clubs.

The road to recovery for Ugandan football will be a rocky one if they are to relive the highs of the golden ages of the 90s. The national team hopes that a resurgence in the

A fresh approach SC Villa (playing in white) continue their challenge for the Ugandan championship title.

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Minnows no more Lukasz Wronski and his Belchatow team-mates are making waves in Poland.

B e l c h atow ’s stunning sta r t

charts in two respects: Belchatow are the only team with one solitary defeat, and also boast comfortably the best defensive record with just four goals conceded. They duly kept a clean sheet in their most recent home match, a 1-0 success against Pogon Szczecin.

Tim Pfeifer is an editor at FIFA.com and The FIFA Weekly.

The state of play in the Polish Ekstraklasa is the cause of much eye-rubbing disbelief to most observers. The fact that reigning champions Legia Warsaw top the table after ten games is hardly a bombshell, but the real surprise is the sight of promoted outfit GKS Belchatow lying just a point off the leaders in second.

The minnows from a town of just 60,000 inhabitants some 45km south of Lodz are the undisputed surprise package so far after an exceptional start to the season in the Polish top flight, where they currently lie above big names such as record-holding champions Gornik Zabzre, Wisla Krakow and Lech Poznan. Coach Kamil Kieres’ men top the 16

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

Defence was Belchatow’s biggest asset in winning promotion.

Rock-solid defence was the key to last term’s successful promotion campaign for the club founded as Gorniczy Klub Sportowy back in 1977. And even at a higher level, collective

spirit is arguably the team’s biggest asset.

GKS have almost no foreign stars in their ranks and concentrate on home-grown players. The balance in the squad is reflected in the internal scoring chart with Bartosz Slusarski leading the way on three goals, followed by Pawiel Komolow and Michal Mak on two apiece.

Belchatow play their home games at the GKS Stadium, the second smallest ground in the Ekstraklasa with a capacity of just 5,200.

After a rollercoaster ride over the last few years, the home faithful are again dreaming of glory. In 2007, Belchatow finished as runners-up and won a place in the UEFA Europa League, where they were knocked out in the second qualifying round by Ukrainian side Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. The foray into continental competition still rates as the biggest success in the club’s history.

A return to European football looks on the cards if the early-season evidence is anything to go by. GKS still have a long way to go, but all the signs point to a successful future for Belchatow. Å

Lukasz Laskowski / Pressfocus

Polish Ekstraklasa

Mexican Liga MX

Ro n a l d i n h o t h e t a l k o f t h e tow n Sven Goldmann is a leading football correspondent at Tagesspiegel newspaper in Berlin.

Yuri Cortez / AFP

As the artist left the stage, the audience rose to their feet as one, bowed in reverence and cheered with the kind of ferocity and persistence found only in football stadiums. Ronaldo de Assis Moreira’s virtuoso performance in his second home game for Queretaro Futbol Club may have ended quarter of an hour before the final whistle blew, but it left the assembled fans feeling he had finally settled into his new adopted homeland of Mexico. Although the former World Player of the Year’s new club may only have mustered a 1-1 draw against Deportivo Toluca on the tenth matchday of the Liga MX’s Torneo Apertura, the crowd cheered the 34-year-old’s every touch and applauded him so enthusiastically

as he left the field that you could have been forgiven for thinking that the Gallos Blancos had already won the title.

Ronaldinho has come to Mexico to win the league, as he declared during his unveiling, and although the top of the table is some distance away – a full eight points separate Queretaro from frontrunners Club de Futbol America – the Mexican championship is not settled by a simple league format. Only once the 18 teams have played each other once in the preliminary round do things begin to get serious, with the top eight qualifying for the play-offs, known as the Liguilla in Mexico. So far the Brazilian has done all he can to lift his new team to sixth place and keep them on track to qualify for the next phase.

It is easy to forget that Ronaldinho did not enjoy the smoothest of starts to his Mexican adventure. He fired a spot-kick into the stands during his debut in a cup match against UANL Tigres. Things began to improve just three days later when the global superstar delivered a much more assured performance from the penalty spot

to give his side a 1-0 lead in an eventual 4-1 league win in Guadalajara. Some 38,000 curious spectators packed into the sold-out Estadio La Corregidora to see the master at work in last weekend’s match against Toluca, a game in which the 2005 Ballon d’Or winner was given completely free rein by coach Ignacio Ambriz. Although the former Gremio, Barcelona and AC Milan player does not run as much as he used to, nor maintain the high tempo characteristic of his golden years, he did show off a few neat tricks, took all of his team’s free-kicks and was involved in almost every one of Queretaro’s attacking moves.

Ronaldinho also played a key part in the White Roosters’ equaliser just before halftime. He played a ball into the path of Brazilian striker Camilo da Silva Sanvezzo. The Brazilian striker broke into the box and stumbled, prompting the referee to award a penalty. This time, however, it was not Ronaldinho but the recently felled Sanvezzo who stepped up to coolly convert the spotkick. His world-renowned compatriot was the first player on hand to congratulate him. Å

Ronaldinho The veteran star is a new face in Mexico.

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THE INTERVIEW

“I’d like to be the first person to overcome ALS” Fernando Ricksen is facing the toughest opponent of his life, but quitting is not an option for the 38-year-old. Instead, the former Netherlands international is leading the fight against the disease.

In September 2013 you were diagnosed with the terminal nerve disease ALS and you went public with your condition a month later. How are you doing today?

Fernando Ricksen: As is to be expected given the circumstances. Of course I was shocked at first and I initially tried to block it out, but that only made things worse. Now I’ve adapted to the illness much better.

How have you done that?

I found a way of coping with it all much better. For example, I spent the last three months in Turkey and that has done me a lot of good. Prior to that I was tired all the time and had the first symptoms of the disease – difficulties speaking, swallowing and breathing. I gradually lost control of my muscles. But after spending a while close to the sea I feel much better. I’ve got my voice back and have also regained control of my hands. I can move myself around virtually without any problems.

How have you managed to achieve that?

It might have something to do with the adjustment to my medication. I consulted a Russian doctor my wife recommended to me. I certainly feel better and I have more energy again now. I’d be very thankful if things were to stay like this, or at least if they didn’t get much worse.

girl. I’m relishing my new role and there’s nothing better than building sand castles on the beach with my daughter Isabella. My wife and my daughter have brought me back down to earth.

Your autobiography ‘Fighting Spirit’ became a bestseller in the Netherlands and England at the start of 2014.

Does your popularity help you cope with ALS? I enjoy the attention – it gives me strength. That said, I have to be very careful with how I dispense my energy.

As good as all the support does me, it’s also very emotionally draining. I needed three days to recover from the inauguration of the Ricksen Stand in Sittard recently.

You are the face of the fight against ALS and the football community has declared its solidarity and willingness to help. What can be done to combat the disease?

Researchers need to work together across the globe.

We’re only just at the beginning. The Ice Bucket Challenge was an important step in raising awareness and football can help do that too. I’m convinced we can make the impossible possible and overcome the illness one day.

Somebody somewhere is going to defeat this monster and I’d like that person to be me. I’d like to be the first person to overcome ALS. Å Fernando Ricksen was speaking to Bernd Fisa

ALS is considered incurable and is largely under-researched, while the average life expectancy of ALS sufferers is a maximum of three years. Do you fear what the future holds?

No I don’t. What would be the point? I live in the here and now. I’d go crazy if I thought too much about the disease, so I prefer not to.

The average age of ALS patients in the Netherlands in 55 years, yet you are only 38.

But I will reach 55 at least, you’ll see. There’s no way I’m giving up. I’m not going to just roll over in the face of the disease. I’m a fighter by nature and always have been.

That’s what I was like as a player and am even more so now.

You were renowned for your fighting spirit. However, your unsettled lifestyle off the pitch often hit the headlines. Has something in your outlook changed?

I’ve become a different person since meeting my wife Veronika two years ago. Yes, I used to be a party animal and I liked to drink. There were many times when I’d go straight from the bar into training but that’s all in the past. Now I’m a family man and a father to a two-year-old 18

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AL S Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease and motor n ­ eurone disease, is a degenerative illness that affects the motor nervous system. Its cause is unknown. The degeneration leads to progressive muscle weakness and muscular atrophy, causing difficulties walking, speaking and swallowing, as well as restricting coordination and weakening the arm and hand muscles. ALS is considered incurable at present.

Name Fernando Ricksen Date and place of birth 27 July 1976, Heerlen (Netherlands) Position Defence, midfield

Goffe Strulksma / P&I

Clubs played for 1994 – 1997, 2010 – 2013 Fortuna Sittard 1997 – 2000 AZ Alkmaar 2000 – 2006 Glasgow Rangers 2006 – 2009 Zenit St. Petersburg Dutch national team 12 appearances

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First Love

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P l a c e : L a k e P l e a s a n t , N e w Yo r k , U S A Date: 13 July 2013 T i m e : 7. 3 1 p . m .

LUZPhoto

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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.

F I F A 15

PRESIDENTIAL NOTE

FIWC 2015 starts now!

T

he 11th edition of the FIFA Interactive World Cup – the world’s largest gaming tournament since 2010 – kicked off with the first of six online qualification seasons. The opening season of online qualification for the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2015 runs from 1 October to 1 November and marks the beginning of the journey to the FIWC 2015 Grand Final.

From October 2014 to April 2015, millions of gamers will try to claim one of the available qualification seats for the Grand Final. At the Grand Final, reigning champion August Rosenmeier, 16 online qualifiers and 3 Live Event winners will try to become the world champion of EA Sports FIFA 15. The FIWC 2015 champion will walk away with a trip to the FIFA Ballon d’Or and USD 20,000 in prize money.

The coveted trophy Millions of gamers are competing in the 11th FIFA Interactive World Cup.

Some exciting changes have been introduced to the qualification format for FIWC 2015. Here’s what you need to know at a glance: Online Qualification There are six online seasons and 16 available qualification spots through online qualification for FIWC 2015. Every online season, the two players that finish at the top of the season’s leaderboard will earn a qualification seat. Additionally, the four best third-place finishers across the six online seasons will also receive a Grand Final seat.

FIFA.com

Live Qualification Events There will be three live qualification events for FIWC 2015. These are: two PS4 Showcase Live Events and one Host Country Live Qualification Event. All live qualifiers will be played with EA Sports FIFA 15 on the Playstation 4.

90-match maximum One of the most exciting changes to the FIWC format is that players can now only play a maximum of 90 matches in a single online qualification season. Once you reach the maximum amount of games, you will be unable to compete for the remainder of the season. Once a new season begins, players that reached the cap in the previous season will be able to resume playing.

The UEFA-FIFA Challenge

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lobal sport includes epic intercontinental contests: the Ryder Cup in golf, the America’s Cup in yachting and the battle for the Ashes between the best cricketers in England and Australia.

And then there’s the annual showdown between football teams representing UEFA and FIFA, the UEFA-FIFA Challenge. The event is not (yet) as traditional as the Ryder Cup, which was contested by the American and European golfing elite for the 40th time last weekend, but in terms of international significance the clash of footballing powers certainly takes place at the highest level. And just like the golf, home advantage alternates from year to year. The seventh edition of the prestigious get-together takes place this Friday in Zurich.

The media like to portray FIFA and UEFA as rivals, but an entirely different picture emerges from the event itself. The lines between the sporting institutions dissolve, especially in the legendary “third half” after the match, and the focus turns to a comradely exchange of views. It is an uncomplicated and authentic meeting at the summit of football.

However, the social element is hard-earned.

The effort in training in the build-up to the match approaches the levels of the pros, and anyone conspicuous by their absence from the workouts will be demoted to the role of super sub. Any objections are automatically overruled. “This isn’t a matter of life and death. It’s more than that,” former US golf pro Dave Marr said of the Ryder Cup. The UEFA-FIFA Challenge is not as earnestly competitive as that, although not an inch will be given or asked out on the field – even if the prospect of the evening barbeque is arguably more appealing than the winners’ trophy.

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

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CONGO DR

Reclaiming lost glories Having had two clubs chasing the top prize in Africa, 2014 has been a breakthrough year for club football in Congo DR. Can the national team now follow suit?

Mark Gleeson

Off to the match Zaire took part in their only World Cup in 1974.

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CONGO DR

A

S Vita Club and Tout Puissant Mazembe Englebert came close to setting up an all-Congolese final for the African Champions League crown, and with it a guaranteed berth for a Congo DR side at the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco in December. As it turned out, Mazembe failed at the penultimate hurdle, losing on the away goals rule in their semi-final tie on September 28, while Vita beat Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien and now play Entente Setif of Algeria instead in the final.

It would have been a first for African football to have two clubs from the same country contest the Champions League decider in what would have been a remarkable achievement in a competition that was first played in 1964. Vita are from the capital Kinshasa where they regularly play before crowds of up to 90,000, while Mazembe hail from the southern city of Lubumbashi in the copper-rich province of Katanga, which once sought to split from the rest of the country.

distant memory. It has been decades since they enjoyed almost complete dominance over continental competition.

Back in business It is 40 years now since the then Zaire went to the World Cup in Germany and won the CAF Africa Cup of Nations in the same year. AS Vita Club won the old-style Champions Cup 1973 and were beaten finalists in 1981 but have not featured since. Mazembe were continental champions in 1967 and 1968 and runners up in 1969 and 1970, in a record run of four successive finals appearances only equalled by Egypt’s Al Ahly in 2008.

But it was not until the turn of the century that something of a revival was engineered, on the back of Mazembe suddenly emerging as a force in Africa once again. The club can thank the largesse of their charismatic president, the Katanga governor Moise Katumbi, who has sought to turn his club into a veritable force on the continent.

imago, Ph. John Bompengo / Radio Okapi, Issouf Sanogo / AFP

Mazambe were eliminated in the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League.

Loyalty AS Vita Club’s games regularly attract 90,000 fans.

AS Vita have made it all the way to the final of the CAF Champions League.

The two clubs have been vying for decades for the mantle of the ‘best in the land’ and the CAF Champions League contest has only added to a long-standing rivalry. The clubs shared the same group where they both finished on 11 points from their six matches. The achievement of the pair has shone a bright spotlight on Congo DR and its footballing prowess but it also raises more questions than answers. Such as, where has the former Zaire been all these years? Why the sudden revival? Can they live up to their obvious potential?

One of the biggest countries in Africa, rich in resources both mineral and human, Congo DR have underperformed on the continental stage over the last decades. Indeed, their halcyon days as the first sub-Saharan African country to qualify for the World Cup are but a

Mazembe have steadily progressed over the last decade since Katumbi took over the running of the team, coming through the group stage of the Champions League to reach the semi-finals in 2002 and then winning backto-back titles in 2009 and 2010. In the process Mazembe became the first African side to reach the final of the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup, causing consternation in South America when they beat Internacional of Brazil in the semi-final in Abu Dhabi before finishing runners-up behind Inter Milan.

The image of the Mazembe goalkeeper Robert Kidiaba, who ties his hair in a single braided ponytail like an ancient Manchurian warrior, bouncing on his posterior as he celebrated their goals, won him international notoriety. TP Mazembe have become a model club, emphasising the potential of the African game if resources and funding are T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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CONGO DR

used constructively. They now have their own 25,000-seater stadium in Lubumbashi with artificial turf, which the Congolese national team used for the first time in a competitive qualifier in September.

Mazembe have also sought to entice to their ranks some top African talent, in effect competing with the superior financial muscle and pull of the European clubs for quality players. Their squad in recent years has been enhanced by the addition of Ghanaians, Malians, Senegalese, Ugandans, Zambians and Zimbabweans, along with a succession of French coaches, the latest of whom is Patrice Carteron, a former St Etienne defender, who they tempted away from the Mali national team post last year. Mazembe have, in a sense, brought the rest of the country along with them and their success has infected their rivals with a heightened sense of ambition. AS Vita Club have now joined them at the pinnacle of the club game in Africa, breaking a long-standing north African dominance and holding out hopes that Congo will soon be a force again at all levels.

expectations, with veteran coach Claude Le Roy in charge and striker Dieumerci Mbokani leading the attack. The early exit meant the end of Le Roy’s long-standing run which saw him reach at least the quarter-final at each of a record six previous tournaments in which he had coached teams. That included the Congolese on their previous trip to the tournament in 2008. Mbokani’s form in front of goal, which included a few horror misses, was also disappointing. At the time he had become the first Congolese to win Belgium’s Player of the Year award in some 40 years of its existence and despite decades of exports to the league from the former colonial power.

Congolese players still head regularly to Belgium and the second generation of immigrants who have been born and/or brought up in Belgium is now a growing source of talent for the Leopards. That said, they missed out on some of the best ones. Romelu Lukaku is the son of former Zaire international Roger Lukaku and Vincent Kompany’s

Time for the Leopards to pounce Success at club level has put pressure on the Congo DR national team to start achieving again. The Leopards were African champions in 1968 and 1974 but appeared in just one of the last four Nations Cup tournaments. It would be something of an irony if, given the performances of Mazembe and Vita Club in this year’s Champions League, Congo DR fail to make it to next year’s Nations Cup finals in Morocco. They have the burden of a tough qualifying group, needing to finish ahead of one of either Cameroon or Cote d’Ivoire, both fresh from playing at the World Cup in Brazil, if they are to qualify. Early last year in South Africa, the Congolese flattered to deceive and went home at the end of the first round after drawing all three of their matches. There had been higher 26

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Tout Puissant Mazembe Englebert have become a model club. dad, Pierre, is also from Kinshasa. Both Lukaku and Kompany featured for Belgium at the recent World Cup but could have played for Congo DR instead.

Rebecca Blackwell / AP

Innovative Congo DR’s national team celebrate a goal at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with a dance routine.

CONGO DR

The national team draws from clubs in nine different countries.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s footballing links with the European nation go back a long way. Belgian missionaries brought the game to the giant colony and Mazembe was founded by Benedictian monks in 1939. Even today, the Congolese people still applaud the priests’ role in spreading the ’football gospel’.

the Congolese and when they became independent changed the name of the King Baudoin Stadium, built in 1953, to the Tata Raphael Stadium.

The club he founded, Daring Club Motema Pembe is the other major team in the capital. Their rivalry with Vita is as explosive as any in the world game. It was just two months ago that AS Vita Club’s coach Florent Ibenge was appointed to handle the national team as well. He no longer has Mbokani available but identified some 100 players from Europe that he would like to consider.

His latest squad – for crucial home and away qualifiers against Cote d’Ivoire – draws from clubs in nine different countries. There are players from the Premier League in England, La Liga, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 in France, plus two from Belgian champions Anderlecht. But there is still clearly a lag in comparison with the international achievements at club level. Å

Issouf Sanogo / AFP

Man of action Mazembe president Moise Katumbi.

Tata Raphael’s legacy In Kinshasa almost everyone knows the Tata Raphael Stadium, the older and smaller of the football-crazy city’s two primary venues. But Tata (Father) Raphael himself is less known. Raphael de la Kethulle was a Scheutist priest who set up the first football structures in the Belgian Congo. He made sure football was available to as many locals as possible and at the school he founded he made students play the game during their leisure. He continually harangued colonial officials to improve facilities and in 1931 oversaw the construction of the first stadium in Kinshasa. Five years later he saw to the building of another stadium, this time in the indigenous areas, taking facilities to the general populace. Tata Raphael is still affectionately remembered by

FIFA in Congo DR

Between 2008 and 2011 FIFA invested US$2.7 million to install a number of ar tificial tur f pitches in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi with the aim of improving and expanding the conditions for training and playing.

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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.

IN BRIEF

Wired for sound Philadelphia Union’s Maurice Edu.

E

xperience teaches us that stadium visits have a liberating effect on mind and soul alike. They offer us an opportunity to cast aside our everyday worries with just a pint and a pie, or inspire us to take up exercise again. Despite these benefits, certain areas of the body can also be placed under stress while up in the stands. For example, the sight of the opposing team’s star player climbing the fence to triumphantly stick out his tattooed chest can turn the stomach. Eardrums can be pushed to their limits when the overenthusiastic fan in the next seat greets every cross, successful or otherwise, with a blast of his air horn. Although a gesture like that often goes unnoticed by the players, little about the main protagonists passes the average football fan by on match day, and in some places, even the players’ on-pitch communications are no longer confidential. In the USA, for ­example, some clubs now equip their players with microphones. Fans will ultimately be able to follow these ‘Mic’d Up’ broadcasts online, with even the sounds of breathing and spitting audible on the recordings. For now, though, fans will still be able to keep their pre-match snacks down. Å Alan Schweingruber

Drew Hallowell / Getty Images

B

razilians have only a few fond recollections of their national team’s performances at this summer’s World Cup: Neymar’s mazy dribbling, Julio Cesar’s penalty save - and David Luiz’s free-kick goal. That terrific curling shot from 30 metres out was scored in Brazil’s 2-1 quarter-final win over Colombia and was one of the most spectacular goals of the tournament. Just a couple of months later, Lucas Piazon plagiarised this masterpiece. This versatile attacking player is also Brazilian, 20 years old and plays for Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt. He was brought on as a substitute in the closing minutes of his team’s match in Hamburg, moments before a free-kick was awarded – from David Luiz range. Piazon struck his shot with exactly the same power and finesse as the PSG defender, and into the top right-hand corner too, just like his compatriot did on home soil this summer. Coincidence? Not a bit of it! The young pretender proudly explained that he had been practising these free-kicks with no less than David Luiz himself, while the pair were both still contracted by Chelsea. Å Sven Goldmann

T

he selfie is undoubtedly one of the biggest trends of 2014. These self-portraits, snapped quickly on a smartphone or digital camera, have been popularised by prominent figures across the globe and even infiltrated the world of football. For many popular international stars, selfies have become an easy way to give their fans a peek into their everyday lives. A new variant of this snapshot technique was recently invented by the players of Saudi Arabian club Al Shoala during their 2-0 win over Al Faysali in the Crown Prince Cup. After scoring to give his team the lead, Youness Elewi Al Enezi sprinted to the corner flag with his teammates and took a group selfie on a smartphone. In Latvia, players at FK Ventspils have defied this sweeping trend. After Simonas Paulius found the net to put the side 1-0 up in a league match against Liepaja (the match ended 1-1), the team lined up in front of midfielder Jurijs Zigajevs, who promptly removed one of his boots and used it as an imaginary camera to snap his colleagues in an altogether more traditional manner.

It remains to be seen whether there was a more profound message behind their gesture, but it certainly kept the fans entertained. Å Tim Pfeifer T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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F I F A ’ S 11

Goalkeeper records: World Cup minutes played without conceding

Easy on the eye

1

5 17 minutes Walter Zenga, Italy 1990 World Cup

2

501 minutes Peter Shilton, England 1982 and 1986 World Cups

3

486 minutes Sergio Romero, Argentina 2014 World Cup

4

477 minutes Iker Casillas, Spain 2010 and 2014 World Cups

5

475 minutes Sepp Maier, West Germany 1974 and 1978 World Cups

6

460 minutes Gianluigi Buffon, Italy 2006 World Cup

7

458 minutes Leao, Brazil 1978 World Cup

8

442 minutes Gordon Banks, England 1966 World Cup

9

427 minutes Oliver Kahn, Germany 2002 World Cup

10

4 17 minutes Manuel Neuer, Germany 2014 World Cup

11

410 minutes Justo Villar, Paraguay 2010 World Cup

Alan Schweingruber

D

uring their first week of military training, new army recruits learn very quickly that the colour green is easy on the eye. Specifically, they should glance round at their natural surroundings now and again, rather than constantly stare at the black and white shooting target in front of them. If you focus at something too fixedly for too long, it eventually becomes blurred. Just a quick peek at the leaves of a nearby birch tree will suffice.

Those who are too lazy or insolent to heed this well-intended advice may well find themselves confined to barracks in the evening, scrubbing the floors and cleaning fellow soldiers’ boots instead of swigging beer with their mates. They’ll probably have to put up with an ear-bashing as well. After all, the whims of an individual squaddie have no place in a corps training for mortal combat. “You need to get your eyes tested, Finnigan!”

Though hitting the target is also a big part of football, the stakes are not quite as high (not to mention that football clubs employ people to clean players’ boots and scrub the changing room floors). Players rarely ignore the instructions of their coach – unless they happen to be standing at the other end of the pitch and simply can’t hear him shouting from the dugout. In any case they have enough green at their feet if their eyes needed a rest.

Even a Johnny-head-in-the-air is bound to glimpse a flash of green if the opposition happens to be Nigeria, a team that has played in green for 50 years, or if a particularly old-fashioned referee brandishes the green card.

Speaking of which, the FIFA Weekly was last week sent an email by a disgruntled reader. Although he appreciated the original yellow and red cards enclosed in the latest issue, he had the following comment to make:

“The article fails to mention that there also used to be a green card. The referee would show it to signal to the club doctor or physio that they were allowed to enter the field of play.” We’re happy to set the record straight. Å

The weekly column by our staff writers

Source: FIFA (FIFA World Cup, Milestones & Superlatives, Statistical Kit, 1.10.2014) T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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MIRROR IMAGE

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H

E

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Buenos Aires, Argentina

1980

Getty Images / Allsport

Diego Maradona at home.

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MIRROR IMAGE

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Les Rives du Ter hotel, L’Armor Plage, France

Bernard Le Bars / Presse Sports

2011 Lorient players Bruno Ecuele Manga (left) and Alaixys Romao a few hours prior to a league fixture.

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FIFA WORLD R ANKING Rank Team

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 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 34 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 48 48 48 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 73 75 76 76

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

Change in ranking Points

Germany Argentina Colombia Netherlands Belgium Brazil Uruguay Spain France Switzerland

0 0 1 -1 0 1 -1 -1 1 -1

1765 1631 1488 1456 1444 1291 1243 1228 1202 1175

Portugal Chile Italy Greece Costa Rica Mexico USA England Croatia Algeria Ecuador Côte d’Ivoire Russia Ukraine Bosnia and Herzegovina Romania Denmark Czech Republic Scotland Wales Tunisia Sweden Ghana Serbia Iceland Senegal Nigeria Turkey Austria Slovakia Cape Verde Islands Cameroon Montenegro Iran Albania Bulgaria Peru Guinea Japan Burkina Faso Congo Armenia Slovenia Hungary Panama Honduras Guatemala Uzbekistan Mali Paraguay Egypt Republic of Ireland Korea Republic Israel Finland Venezuela South Africa Libya Jordan Poland Northern Ireland El Salvador Congo DR United Arab Emirates Sierra Leone Oman Norway

0 0 1 -1 0 1 1 2 -3 4 0 3 0 -2 -6 1 -1 7 -1 12 11 -3 3 -3 12 23 -4 -6 1 5 33 12 6 4 25 26 5 16 -4 10 30 -16 -14 -20 8 -13 77 -7 1 -13 -23 4 -6 4 -10 -37 2 -6 -13 -9 24 55 20 -8 -25 -9 -23

1150 1100 1068 1052 988 963 936 935 928 926 889 879 875 855 851 837 833 812 714 714 701 662 661 646 646 645 642 637 622 616 604 601 591 572 571 570 563 557 557 557 557 556 555 548 540 535 534 530 526 514 513 506 501 498 491 476 458 455 450 436 435 431 430 430 424 421 421

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

Ranking 04 / 2014

05 / 2014

06 / 2014

07 / 2014

08 / 2014

09 / 2014

1 -41 -83 -125 -167 -209

78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 107 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 115 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 127 129 130 130 132 133 134 135 136 137 137 137 140 141 142 143 144

Top spot

Biggest climber

Benin Uganda Antigua and Barbuda Estonia Saudi Arabia Gabon Australia Cyprus Trinidad and Tobago Morocco Zambia Belarus Iraq Botswana Zimbabwe Rwanda Bolivia Azerbaijan Qatar China PR Malawi Latvia Jamaica Angola Palestine Lithuania Bahrain Moldova St Vincent and the Grenadines Dominican Republic Niger Mozambique Georgia Kenya FYR Macedonia Namibia Equatorial Guinea Tanzania Lesotho St Kitts and Nevis New Zealand Haiti Canada Lebanon Cuba St Lucia Kuwait Togo Liberia Luxembourg Kazakhstan Aruba Guinea-Bissau Burundi Ethiopia Sudan Philippines Afghanistan Tajikistan Grenada New Caledonia Central African Republic Mauritania Turkmenistan Vietnam Myanmar Chad

-1 2 69 12 1 19 -5 55 -6 -6 -4 -1 1 -5 -2 8 -23 -22 -4 0 8 1 -15 -26 -14 0 3 -6 28 19 11 -2 -15 -7 -36 1 -1 -5 -10 42 -20 -2 2 -6 2 15 -13 -38 -7 -18 4 -5 -7 -1 -20 -18 -6 -6 -16 5 -1 -17 -7 -4 -3 17 -4

Biggest faller

420 418 411 403 402 392 390 388 374 371 365 364 357 356 353 349 346 344 342 341 340 333 321 312 311 309 305 302 301 295 295 294 290 288 286 284 280 277 277 276 274 266 265 264 257 256 250 245 241 239 239 233 226 226 222 221 218 214 213 209 209 209 198 197 194 193 185

145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 158 160 161 162 163 164 164 166 167 168 169 170 170 172 172 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 193 193 193 193 198 199 199 199 202 203 204 205 205 207 208 208

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

0 -3 -16 34 3 -4 -7 -5 0 1 -5 -3 -2 -8 -1 -2 8 9 -1 -1 -3 -18 1 -3 3 3 5 -5 8 1 -11 2 0 1 4 1 -11 -9 -17 0 0 0 4 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 0 0 0 5 0 -1 2 2 1 1 -4 0 0 1 0 0 0

183 180 175 164 163 160 158 154 148 134 133 130 126 116 116 114 112 106 103 102 102 101 89 86 84 83 83 81 81 80 77 76 72 70 67 66 65 64 62 58 43 41 37 33 32 30 29 28 26 26 26 26 26 23 13 13 13 11 9 8 6 6 1 0 0

NET ZER KNOWS!

THE OBJEC T

How tolerant should fans be when their club is in crisis?

Question from Burak Gok, Istanbul, Turkey

Perikles Monioudis

F

October 1966 22-year-old Gunter Netzer in training.

imago

F

ans who attends a stadium in person should definitely have expectations. They pay money to watch a match and should get something out of it in return. One thing that is important to note, however, is that purchasing an admission ticket does not automatically grant a fan universal rights.

Although I have every sympathy for the fans, I cannot understand it when the mood on the terraces becomes so heated it spirals out of control. Whistling is fine, but there are people who hurl objects onto the pitch, not to mention those that utter the sort of curses that usually constitute criticism.

It’s a matter of striking the right balance.

Professional footballers have a duty to make spectators happy by showing what they can do on the field of play. That’s their job and it’s what they’re paid for. Of course, fans are also expected to support their team, even during

the bad times. A certain degree of frustration is understandable when a match does not go according to plan – even supporters are not always in the right mood –, but what’s important is that this emotional state does not bubble over into anger or hate. I’ve seen instances where tolerance can even play a decisive role when a team is in crisis.

Do not assume that players deliberately hold back from giving their all – they are more than aware of what’s at stake. Å

ootball in Japan is booming when you consider the success of its players. There have never been so many Japanese professionals, female or male, on the books of clubs in major foreign leagues as there have been in recent years.

Football began to enjoy widespread popularity in the Land of the Rising Sun long ago, helped in part by the success of a men’s team that now qualify consistently for the World Cup finals, but also by the triumphs of a women’s side who became world champions in Germany in 2011 after defeating the USA in a penalty shootout.

The picture above is a reproduction of a painting originally created in watercolours on silk in the 19th century and is now part of the FIFA Collection. It depicts kemari, a ceremonial football game that found its way to Japan from ancient China.

Much like football in Europe at that time, participants in this venerated sport primarily impressed their team-mates with their ability to kick the ball as high into the air as they could. The higher the ball soared, the greater the admiration for the man or woman who helped it to reach such heights. Even then, football also had a vertical component, with teams all playing in the same league while seeking to climb as far up the table as possible. Å

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

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TURNING POINT

“My heart was beating 300 times per minute” Felice Natalino was just 18 when made his Serie A and Champions League debuts for Inter Milan, but a heart defect soon forced him to hang up his boots for good.

Fabio Itri / fotogloria

I

t all started on a Wednesday evening in February 2013, when I was playing cards with friends in my hometown of Lamezia Terme.

I had plenty of time on my hands back then.

One year earlier, in the spring of 2012, I’d been temporarily banned by the Italian Football Federation after the doctors had discovered a heart defect which can cause heart rate disturbances.

I was 20 years old and had a tough time accepting the ban, especially as my career had got off to such a flying start. I’d made my Serie A and Champions League debuts for Inter Milan at the age of 18 and I still felt physically fit after the diagnosis.

However, while we were playing cards that evening, my heart suddenly started racing. I went straight to the emergency department at the local hospital, but they just tried to send me back home. “Get the defibrillators ready!” I screamed at them. Ultimately, it was my knowledge of my heart condition that saved my life that night. Over the course of the next three hours, the doctors gave me dozens of electric shocks because my heart wouldn’t stop beating at a rate of up to 300 times per minute. After three electric shocks, the doctors administered an anaesthetic. When I came to, I found myself lying in a larger clinic with a pacemaker in my chest. But I was still scared. When the next attack occurred just days later, the pacemaker had to give me six shocks in the space of 10 minutes before my heart responded. It was like a horror film. The first real improvement came when I underwent a procedure in Milan, which involved inserting a tube into one of my femoral arteries and burning the parts of my heart that had caused the heart rate disturbances.

The heart attacks certainly helped to put my career into perspective. I was soon completely

banned from playing in Italy and announced my retirement on 30 October 2013. I had no desire to risk playing abroad, where some leagues still allow footballers with heart defects to play.

My ambition may have faded, but my passion for the game is as strong as ever. So it was a relief when I was told that I could still enjoy a game of football with my friends. I also want to continue to be involved in football professionally. I’ve already started working at my father’s football academy and I study law during the daytime. One day I hope to negotiate contracts with clubs as an agent, or coach a professional team.

I’ve also stayed in close contact with Inter Milan and my former team-mates, and I’m still a Nerazzurri fan too, of course. The picture of me kicking a ball as a four-year-old fan decked out in the blue and black strip has now been joined on the kitchen wall at home by one of me as a real Inter defender. When I look at it,

I sometimes feel nostalgic. But life goes on, and for that I’m truly grateful. Å As told to Elio Stamm

Name Felice Natalino Date and place of birth 24 March 1992, Lamezia Terme Position Defender Clubs 2010–2012 Inter Milan 2011–2012 Verona (loan) 2012 Crotone (loan) Italian national team 43 appearances at U16, U17, U18 and U19 level

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

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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Football is a brotherhood. It’s peace.

© 2014 Visa. All rights reserved.

Oscar Arias Nobel Peace Laureate

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

Brazil’s record, a Barcelona clone and a dinosaur on the ball – Test your knowledge!

1

The World Cup has witnessed some stunning matches between Brazilians and Germans.

What’s the overall record in World Cup matches between Brazil and Germany?

President: Joseph S. Blatter

F R L G

Secretary General: Jérôme Valcke Director of Communications and Public Affairs: Walter De Gregorio Chief Editor: Perikles Monioudis Staff Writers: Alan Schweingruber, Sarah Steiner, Tim Pfeifer

2

Art Direction: Catharina Clajus

Brazil lost more often The record is tied Brazil won more often The teams have never played

Hello, I’m a mascot and my name is…

A Athleticon I Gunnersaurus Rex E Monaco Monster O Jurassic Pork

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

3

It looks like it should be Barcelona, but in fact it’s the emblem of a club by the name of…

Proof Reader: Nena Morf, Kristina Rotach

G Barcelona M Buenos Aires L Basel S Bangkok

Contributors: Sérgio Xavier Filho, Luigi Garlando, Sven Goldmann, Hanspeter Kuenzler, Jordi Punti, David Winner, Roland Zorn Contributors to this Issue: Nicola Berger, Mark Gleeson, Alissa Rosskopf, Elio Stamm, Hidetoshi Suzuki, Andreas Wilhelm Editorial Assistant: Honey Thaljieh

4

According to FIFA directives for the technical area at World Cup matches, who sits on the half-way line in position “2”, i.e. between the dugouts?

Project Management: Bernd Fisa, Christian Schaub

A H G O

Translation: Sportstranslations Limited www.sportstranslations.com

The fourth official The TV director The team doctors The timekeeper

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 TURF Detailed answers on www.fifa.com/theweekly Inspiration and implementation: cus

Send your answer by 8 October 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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L A S T W E E K’S P O L L R E S U LT S Who of the following forwards will impress most at the FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2014?

64+15+1164 6% 4%

11%

15%

64%

≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠

T HIS WEEK’S POLL

Which of the following pacesetters in the top five European leagues have impressed you the most so far?

Choose from the following: · Barcelona · Bayern Munich · Chelsea · Juventus · Marseille (Pictured: Abdelaziz Barrada) Cast your votes at: Fifa.com/newscentre

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) Mariano Pavone (Cruz Azul) Mauro Matos (San Lorenzo) Emiliano Tade (Auckland City)

Mouhcine Iajour (Moghreb Tetouan)

“We’re top but that doesn’t matter to me.

What matters is the way we play.”

FC Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola

passed the finish-

to an end for Hamburg (goal

400

ing line with three

scorer: Nicolai Muller). Josef

reached, and then passed,

games to spare and

Zinnbauer’s side had failed to

by Lionel Messi on Satur-

continued their domi-

score in any of their first five

day. The first of the Barcelona star’s two goals in a

nance of a champion-

matches of the campaign, and

6-0 win over Granada was his 400th for club and

ship that, before 2012,

while they finally got off the mark

country. The breakdown of his tally – which rose to

no-one had ever won

against Eintracht Frankfurt, it

401 on Saturday and 402 in Paris midweek – in-

more than three times

was only after surpassing Bo-

cludes 360 for Barça, 42 for Argentina, 332 with his

in succession (pictured

chum’s erstwhile record of

left foot, 53 with his right, 15 headers, one with his

Nicolai Jörgensen).

475 minutes – set in 1979/80.

body and one with his hand.

successive Finnish titles have now been won by HJK Helsinki after their current streak, already a record, was extended. The capital club

508 minutes without a Bundesliga goal was the record streak that finally came

goals was the landmark

Bertrand Langlois / AFP, imago (3)

6

WEEK IN NUMBERS