The FIFA Weekly Issue #51

ISSUE 51, 10 OCTOBER 2014

ENGLISH EDITION

Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Since 1904

LEBANON COACH GIANNINI AIMING HIGH SEPP BLATTER THE AWAY GOALS RULE IS OUTDATED

ROBERTO DI MATTEO HOW ONE EARLY GOAL CHANGED HIS LIFE Seaman, Milla, Totti

Evergreen 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

Rolling back the years The emergence of talented young footballers always generates excitement, but there is no doubt they would be lost without their more experienced team-mates. Perikles Monioudis takes a look at some lengthy careers frequently marked by chance and good fortune.

South America 10 members www.conmebol.com

B olivia One strange night with four goals and a distinctly Argentinian flavour means Club Blooming now top the league in the South American nation.

S epp Blatter In his weekly column, the FIFA President argues that the away goals rule has fallen behind the times, saying: “In reality it favours the club that play away from home in the second leg. It is time to rethink the system.”

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Belgium At just 17 years old, everybody is already talking about rising star Youri Tielemans.

B rian Roy The former Dutch international expresses his concern for football in his home country: “It will be at least twelve years until the Netherlands can win a World Cup.”

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Eric Cantona The inimitable Frenchman inspired several English musicians during his time in Manchester.

Evergreen Our cover image shows David Seaman at the age of 40. The veteran England goalkeeper announced his retirement a few months after this photo was taken.

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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Getty Images (2), imago, AFP

Kevin Cummins / Getty Images

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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Lebanon Coach Giuseppe Giannini outlines his ambition to build a strong Lebanese national side.

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Roberto Di Matteo Schalke 04’s new coach discusses the 1997 FA Cup final goal that transformed his career.

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

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Football is a brotherhood. It’s peace.

© 2014 Visa. All rights reserved.

Oscar Arias Nobel Peace Laureate

UNCOVERED

Better with age

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rofessional footballers are said to reach their peak at around 26 or 27 years old, at which point their skills tend to deteriorate.

Nevertheless, there are players who continue to enrich matches as they get older and are perennially beloved by fans watching both at home on television and in the stands. Italian veteran Andrea Pirlo is one example of such a stalwart, while our cover star David Seaman was another. Starting overleaf, Perikles Monioudis examines some of these lengthy careers and the extent to which club loyalty and good fortune can contribute towards longevity.

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ast year, Giuseppe Giannini decided to become Lebanon’s national team coach – not an easy task when you consider that war is raging in neighbouring Syria. In an interview with The FIFA Weekly starting on page 24, the Italian coach discusses these difficult conditions and speaks highly of the football-mad country where he is seeking to nurture a new generation of players.

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he existing away goals rule appears to have become outdated in European football. In his weekly column on page 23, FIFA President Blatter says: “As well-established as the rule is, it can be viewed critically today. In reality it favours the club that play away from home in the second leg. It is time to rethink the system.” Å Alan Schweingruber

imago

35 years young Juventus legend Andrea Pirlo.

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LONG-LASTING CAREERS

Rolling back the years 38 F R AN C E SC O TOT TI

Forever Roma Francesco Totti is now the oldest goalscorer in the Champions League.

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imago

Date of birth 27 September 1976 Place of birth Rome, Italy Position Midfielder, striker Clubs played for Roma 1993–present National team Italy 1998–2006 58 caps, 9 goals

LONG-LASTING CAREERS

41 L ARB I BE N MBARE K Year of retirement 1955, aged 41 Date of birth 16 June 1914 (died 16 September 1992) Place of birth Casablanca, Morocco Position Midfielder Clubs played for Ideal Club Casablanca 1936 US Marocaine 1936–1938 Marseille 1938–1939 US Marocaine 1939–1945 Stade Francais 1945–1948 Atletico Madrid 1948–1953 Marseille 1953–1955 National team France 1938–1954 19 caps, 3 goals Near to retirement Larbi Ben Barek playing for Atletico Madrid in 1953.

A footballer’s career is not only judged by the number of titles he wins, but also by how long it lasts. We turn the spotlight on a select few who managed to fight back the years.

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Perikles Monioudis

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t was the end of September and Manchester City were leading AS Roma 1-0 at the City of Manchester stadium on Matchday 2 of the current Champions League campaign. Suddenly, visiting captain Francesco Totti latched on to a through-ball and without breaking stride equalised by dinking the ball into the far corner of the goal. That finish made the Rome native the oldest ever scorer in Europe’s elite club competition. The 38-year-old Totti had struck again. This was Totti the everlasting, Totti the world champion at his very best.

The King of Rome, as he is known, has an impressive goalscoring record in Serie A. From his position as a Trequartista, the playmaker tucked in behind the main striker and thus the team’s heartbeat, he has found the net 253 times in 564 league games. Totti made his Serie A debut aged just 16 and now, 22 years later, he still laces his boots for his boyhood club.

How has Totti managed it? How has a recipient of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic continued not only to turn out at the highest level, but to play a decisive role?

Larbi Ben Mbarek, born in the French Protctorate in Morocco in 1914, hung up his boots at the age of 41. Like Totti he was a midfielder with a keen eye for goal, and was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit. Ben Mbarek T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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LONG-LASTING CAREERS

How does a player become an artist, or a ‘God’ for that matter?

Pele once said, “If I am the king of football then Larbi Ben Mbarek is the God of football,” while Michel Platini commented that, “Totti is a footballing artist, a true number ten.”

So how does a player become an artist, or a ‘God’ for that matter?

Only few are able to achieve such an accolade in a single day. More often, a legend’s career is judged on the amount of time he spent on the pitch, on the titles he won, and on the perseverance with which he managed to play for possibly two decades or more.

moved to Olympique Marseille after scoring 56 times in 113 games for Atletico Madrid between 1948 and 1953, winning the league title in 1950 and 1951. Ben Mbarek earned 19 caps for the French national team between 1938 and 1954 but an injury sustained in a match against Germany in their ‘Miracle of Berne’ year in 1954 forced him to retire from the game.

He died in September 1992 in Casablanca.

Avoid injuries Let us start with luck, which in this context means not having an irate opponent slide into the back of you in the 93rd minute. It also means landing well after a header and therefore avoiding an ankle injury, and taking care of your knee following an unfortunate collision in training, and doing so time after time, game after game, season after season – and decade after decade.

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David Seaman A formidable presence in England’s goal for many years.

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Geoff Martin / imago

Year of retirement 2004, aged 41 Date of birth 19 September 1963 Place of birth Rotherham, England Position Goalkeeper Clubs played for Peterborough United 1982–1984 Birmingham City 1984–1986 Queens Park Rangers 1986–1990 Arsenal 1990–2003 Manchester City 2003–2004 National team England 1988–2002 75 caps

LONG-LASTING CAREERS

41 PAOL O M ALDINI Year of retirement 2009, aged 41 Date of birth 26 June 1968 Place of birth Milan, Italy Position Defender Clubs played for AC Milan 1984–2009 National team Italy 1988–2002 126 caps, 7 goals

Daniel Dal Zennaro / EPA / Keyston

Kissing Milan goodbye Paolo Maldini at his last home game on 24 May 2009.

Luck also means that a striker keeps on scoring, that the ball flies into the net more often than it goes narrowly wide. It means a defender frequently makes a tackle just at the right moment, that he takes the ball rather than the opponent’s legs. In both cases he is likely to retain his place in the side and in both cases luck is not an insignificant factor.

A great number of players have been unlucky, forced to quit the game due to an injury and then to come to terms with their sporting invalidity. One such example is former Coventry defender David Busst, whose collision with Manchester United defender Denis Irwin in April 1996 was so terrible that he suffered an open leg fracture. His career quite literally ended on the spot.

But let us return to Francesco Totti. On 19 February 2006 he broke his fibula in a league game against Empoli, yet he was able to recover. A player not only requires luck in order to have a lengthy career, but he also needs to have good fortune in bad circumstances. So what else is needed for longevity?

All down to chance?

Donato Gama da Silva was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1962 and ended an impressive career 41 years later at Deportivo La Coruna, having played for the northern Spanish side in the ten years prior to his retirement.

Before then he was at Atletico Madrid from 1988-1993 after joining them

A player not only requires luck in order to have a lengthy career, but he needs to have good fortune in bad circumstances too. from Vasco da Gama, where he was under contract from 1984-1988. In 1990 he became a naturalised Spanish citizen and went on to make 12 appearances for La Roja. To sum up then, he was born in Brazil, played for two of Spain’s top sides for a long time and changed his nationality.

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LONG-LASTING CAREERS

Da Silva left Vasco da Gama, the club named after the Portuguese explorer, crossed the Atlantic and succeeded in becoming an international player in the Old World.

Chance was undoubtedly a factor here, even if Da Silva evidently chose his clubs well. It can only have been a question of timing, and therefore chance, as to whether or not a team needed a player exactly like Da Silva, or whether there was a place available in defensive midfield at that time, or whether Da Silva of all players was the right person to strengthen first Atletico and then La Coruna. It can only have been chance when you factor in all the calculations the people in charge at both the selling and the buying clubs must have undertaken, alongside the other parties involved such as player agents, financiers and sponsors.

It must have been coincidence, even if we are of course lacking a way of cross-checking to see how long Da Silva would have played had his career taken a completely different path, with entirely different clubs in a different country.

Every career is perceived individually and is also carved out individually.

Coincidences can also increase exponentially, for example when a player stays a professional for such a long time that he eventually plays against the son of one of his former team-mates. In the 1990s Colombian goalkeeper Carlos Fernando Navarro Montoya was a symbol of Boca Juniors, and he only hung up his gloves for good in 2009 at the age of 43. In

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DON AT O G AM A DA SILVA

Between two worlds Donato Gama da Silva was born in Rio and later played for the Spanish national team.

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Panoramic / imago

Year of retirement 2003, aged 40 Date of birth 30 December 1962 Place of birth Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Position Midfielder Clubs played for America FC (RJ) 1982–1984 Vasco da Gama 1984–1988 Atletico Madrid 1988–1993 Deportivo La Coruna 1993–2003 National team Spain 1994–1996 12 caps, 3 goals

LONG-LASTING CAREERS

44 RO G E R MILL A

Ullstein Bild

Year of retirement 1996, aged 44 Date and place of birth 20 May 1952 / Yaounde, Cameroon Position Striker Clubs played for Leopard de Douala 1971–1974 Tonnerre Yaounde 1974–1977 Valenciennes 1977–1979 Monaco 1979–1980 Bastia 1980–1984 Saint-Etienne 1984–1986 Montpellier 1986–1989 Saint-Pierroise 1989–1990 Sporting Toulon 1990 Tonnerre Yaounde 1990–1994 Pelita Jaya 1994–1996 National team Cameroon 1978–1994, 102 caps, 28 goals

1990, El Mono, as he was known, conceded a goal to River Plate’s Jorge Nicolas Higuain and was beaten 16 years later by his son, Gonzalo Higuain, who likewise played for River.

It is also chance that pits a team from a weaker league against a side from a stronger one in international competition, providing the opportunity for a player from the underdogs to shine and then be bought by the bigger club in the next transfer window. Such situations, or similar ones, happen over and over every season, throughout the world. Whether or not a player will come to the attention of a particular club always starts from the moment of the competition draw.

Yet there are also high-profile cases of players with great longevity that have not required ‘transfer coincidences’; indeed, some players never move clubs.

Paolo Maldini played for AC Milan from 1985 to 2009, making 647 appearances for the side and winning the Champions League five times.

On the fourth occasion, in 2003, Maldini hoisted the trophy aloft as captain exactly 40 years after his father Cesare had done so with the European Cup, likewise for Milan. Paolo, an outstanding defender and a key member of the unforgettable Milan defence of the late 1980s under Arrigo Sacchi, formed a great understanding with World Cup winner Franco Baresi, who also only ever played for Milan and retired aged 37, and Alessandro Costacurta, who stepped down at the age of 41 after 21

Calling it a day Roger Milla bids farewell to the national team in 1994.

years as a Milan player. The fourth member of the backline, Mauro Tassotti, gave 17 years of service to Milan and only retired when he was 37.

Plenty of endurance – loyalty almost – in a defensive line-up that was, and perhaps still is, without equal.

Consistent performances Chance and luck play their part but it also comes down to a question of sheer physical and technical ability as to whether a player can stay in the game so long. In other words, did that legendary Milan defence, moulded by Sacchi, stay together so long because they were successful, or were they successful because the players were loyal and could not conceive of a better club or city than the one they already had?

A few days ago Totti, an equally loyal Roma legend, spoke about his children discovering the wall murals of him in Rome’s Monti district.

Totti revealed to the Italian media that they had asked: “Dad, why is your picture on the walls?” He went on to tell the press that, “My children are my life. I would much prefer to see their pictures on the walls.”

But let us return to a player’s performance: it is not only judged by the number of titles he wins over the course of a long, or even very long, career, but is also valued by the context in which his career was played.

At the 1994 World Cup in the USA, Cameroon’s Roger Milla became the tournament’s oldest ever participant, aged 42. Four years earlier at Italia T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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THE INTERVIEW

“It’s difficult when your performances start to drop” He won the Champions League with Manchester United and was renowned for his fantastic turn of pace. Only at the age of 38 did Dwight Yorke finally hang up his boots. The former striker told the FIFA Weekly what he had to do to keep playing at the latter stage of his career.

Dwight Yorke, when did you first realise your physical performance was on the decline?

Dwight Yorke: When I was at Birmingham City, aged around 34.

Yoga wasn’t really a thing during my time. Right at the end of my career, it became more prominent. I just tried to rest and recover well in between training sessions and games.

Yes. The multiple journeys from England to the Caribbean were stressful. On top of that, I had some issues with the management team at the time. But I returned to the team for the 2006 World Cup.

How exactly did you pass the time?

How does a player know when it’s time to retire?

Was it frustrating?

I would be lying if I said it was a comfortable feeling (laughs). It was tough. I could sense that certain exercises in training just weren’t working anymore, and I noticed how easy everything seemed for the younger players in the squad. It’s the passing of time.

You just have to accept it.

Your team-mate Ryan Giggs took up yoga to increase his flexibility in the latter stages of his career. What steps did you take?

As a young player you might do a bit of shopping or meet with some friends in town for coffee or a meal. In the latter stages of my career, I have fond memories of just looking forward to going home and putting my feet up. Plenty of rest was really important to me as an ageing professional footballer.

Is that why you first retired from the national team aged 30?

He shouldn’t ignore the signs. He should listen to his body and admit when he realises there’s not enough left. Another possible sign is when the manager starts to prefer other players. Being old in football does have its advantages though. Young players can learn a lot from your experience. If a player is clever, he can make up for his shortcomings by reading the game better.

Two years after your retirement from football you ran the London Marathon. What was the experience like?

Not a good one! I thought that five weeks training would be enough to run a marathon.

That wasn’t a smart idea. I cheated myself really and in the end I had to walk some of the course just to recover. I wanted a time under three hours, but it was three and a half when I crossed the finish line.

Dwight Yorke was speaking to Alan Schweingruber

Name Dwight Yorke Date of birth, Place of birth 3 November 1971, Canaan, Tobago Position Clubs Aston Villa, Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney, Sunderland Achievements Champions League winner, 3 Premier League titles, FA Cup, Top scorer in the Premier League and the Champions League 12

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Mark Metcalfe / Getty Images

Forward

LONG-LASTING CAREERS

37 F R AN C O BARE SI Year of retirement 1997, aged 37 Date of birth 8 May 1960 Place of birth Travagliato, Italy Position Defender Clubs played for AC Milan 1978–1997 National team Italy 1982–1994 82 caps, 1 goal

Buzzi / imago

The last few yards AC Milan’s Franco Baresi in October 1997.

1990 he had scored four goals to become a household name across the globe. The fact that he was twice named as African Player of the Year is also remarkable, especially given he first received the honour in 1976 and then again 14 years later in 1990. At Brazil 2014 his record as the World Cup’s most senior citizen was broken by 43-year-old Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon.

It may come as no surprise that goalkeepers appear to be in a more privileged position when it comes to career longevity. For one thing, they cover far fewer kilometres per game than their team-mates. Italy’s World Cup-winning custodian Dino Zoff played for the national team from 1968 to 1983 and featured in the Serie A until he was 41. Former England international keepers David Seaman and Peter Shilton only retired from the game aged 41 and 48 respectively.

Luck, chance, performance – whatever the factors may be that contribute to, or are favourable towards a prolonged career, every player’s career is perceived individually and is also carved out individually. That players are taken care of medically, mentally and in terms of nutrition are also decisive influences.

Yet it is down to every player to forge the path of their own career – and the length of it too. Å

Never too old “He’s the oldest, but you’d never notice. He gets better from one year to the next. Instead of ageing, he seems to be getting younger.”

(Former Inter president Massimo Moratti on Javier Zanetti)

“Lothar Matthaus will not be defeated by his body, Lothar Matthaus will decide his fate himself.”

(Lothar Matthaus)

“I’ve always thought of football as just one part of my life.

My career in football will last 15, 20 or perhaps even 25 years if I’m really lucky, and then I might still have another 60 years to live. Thinking about it that way gives you the right perspective in a world that comes to an end for all of us sooner or later.”

(Clarence Seedorf)

“There are no young and old players, just good and bad ones.”

(Otto Rehhagel)

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Belgian Jupiler Pro League

Tielema ns sh i nes Tim Pfeifer is a reporter for FIFA.com and The FIFA Weekly.

It looks increasingly likely that the Belgian championship title will once again go to RSC Anderlecht this season. Ten matches into the new campaign, the record-breaking champions and league winners for the last three seasons are the only unbeaten team in the Jupiler Pro League and currently sit four points clear of their nearest rivals. Amid this recent success, one particular player in Albanian coach Besnik Hasi’s squad has been garnering national and international headlines: Youri Tielemans.

imago

At just 17 years old, this exceptional young footballer is causing quite a stir. Whether playing in his domestic championship or the UEFA Champions League, the midfielder’s name is on everyone’s lips at the start of what looks likely to be a glittering career. He

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made his Champions League debut last season at the age of 16 years and 148 days, making him the third-youngest player in the history of Europe’s elite club competition. He was promoted straight from Anderlecht’s youth squad to their first team in the summer of 2013 and it seems he has been indispensable ever since. Tielemans is a midfield strategist whose awareness and precise passing have enabled him to shine. His understanding of the game and ability to anticipate play have astounded not only Belgian football fans but also several major European clubs who have already taken note of this incredible young talent with Congolese roots.

Spanish daily sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo have dubbed him the “new Yaya Toure” while England’s Metro newspaper compared him to Steven Gerrard. The promising youngster has also made a name for himself in Germany, where the coach of Anderlecht’s Champions League opponents Borussia Dortmund, Jurgen Klopp, recently said: “Of course I know Youri. You’d have to be blind not to sit up and take notice of him.”

Tielemans is not the only reason that RSCA have earned international respect, as the Belgian side’s quick attacking play has also received plenty of praise of late. “Anderlecht have been the most entertaining team in recent years; I often enjoy watching them,” Klopp revealed. Although Les Mauves et Blancs have won their national championship 33 times during their history, it has been many years since they last tasted glory at a continental level. Anderlecht lifted the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup twice, in 1976 and 1978, before triumphing in the UEFA Cup in 1983.

More recently though, Anderlecht have managed to progress out of the group stages in just one of their last six Champions League appearances.

The Belgian league leaders’ current ambitions are to maintain their domestic dominance and rediscover their former glories on the international stage. These hopes rest predominantly on the shoulders of Tielemans as he continues to tread in the illustrious footsteps of previous homegrown RSCA players such as Paul Van Himst, Enzo Scifo and Vincent Kompany. Å

Youri Tielemans An exciting young talent for Anderlecht at just 17 years of age.

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Bolivian Liga de Futbol Profesional

A r ge nt i n i a n n i g ht i n S a nt a C r u z Sven Goldmann is a leading football correspondent at Tagesspiegel newspaper in Berlin.

The fact that he was sent off just minutes after being brought on in the Opening Match against Germany that year has long since been forgiven and forgotten. Etcheverry remains one of the greatest players Bolivia has ever produced, and since he ended his career at Club Blooming some ten years ago, his successors have struggled in the Liga de Futbol Profesional Boliviano. The team have no silverware to show for the past ten seasons, although there are signs that they may be able to end this drought in the current Apertura. On the tenth matchday of the current season, Santa Cruz’s top club climbed to the top of the table, unseating their opponents and previous league leaders Club San Jose in the process. It was an unpleasant trip for the 2014 Clausura runners-up, who ultimately lost the match 3-1 along with their grip on the league and even striker Cristian Diaz.

There was a distinct Argentinian theme to proceedings at the Estadio Tahuichi. First Sergio Almiron converted a penalty to give Blooming a 1-0 lead after half an hour – already the fifth goal of the campaign for the 29-year-old – before compatriot Cristian Diaz found the net with an elegant header to level the scores just before the break. San Jose had the edge in an open start to the second half, only for Didi Torrico to put the hosts ahead once more and ensure some Bolivian impact 16

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Didí Torrico Blooming’s only Bolivian goalscorer against San Jose.

The league will take a two-week break before Club Blooming begin the defence of their lead in the Apertura. on the match. The Argentinians continued to contribute thereafter, albeit in extremely contrasting ways. First, Diaz protested for a penalty so angrily and loudly that referee Luis Mancilla took offence and gave the San Jose striker his marching orders. The oneman advantage made matters much simpler for Blooming, who wrapped up the three points shortly before the final whistle when yet another Argentinian, Matias Manzano, struck to make it 3-1 just after being introduced as a substitute.

For Blooming, leading the Apertura makes a pleasant change after several difficult

years. The club has not managed to finish in the top three since winning the last of their five championship trophies, the 2005 Torneo Apertura, making victory against San Jose the perfect note on which to finish before the international break.

Appropriately enough, Bolivia’s national side met up at Blooming’s ground to prepare for friendlies against Brazil’s Olympic team and Chile. The league will take a two-week break before Marco Antonio Etcheverry’s Academy descendants begin the defence of their lead in the Apertura with a visit to the capital to face 18-time champions Club Bolivar. Å

Late!

In Bolivia they speak simply of “the Academy” when it comes to Club Blooming. The country’s renowned footballing school, Academia de Futbol Tahuichi, has shaped the club and with it the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

This high plateau some 500 kilometres south-east of the capital La Paz was the place where a generation of footballers were trained before going on to serve their homeland admirably. The core of the team that represented Bolivia at the 1994 World Cup in the USA learned their craft at Tahuichi, led

by Marco Antonio Etcheverry, who they call El Diablo – ‘the devil’.

New Caledonia Super League

F r e n c h C u p d ate on the hor izon Nicola Berger writes about football and lives in Zurich.

Alain Vartane

It had not been a good week for New Caledonia side AS Lossi. The club from the capital Noumea not only registered their first defeat of the season, going down 3-2 at Mont-Dore on matchday 19, they also had to watch on as Magenta rose to the top of the standings without even kicking a ball. Lossi’s rivals were awarded two forfeited victories by the New Caledonia Football Association due to opponents Gaitcha and Agjp both being punished for excesses of violence. Given each win is worth four points, and a draw only two, this ruling was sufficient for Magenta to edge ahead of Lossi in the standings, opening up a three-point advantage with three matches of the season to go.

Lossi’s fortunes changed last Saturday, however. In the Numa Daly national stadium Les Oranges defeated AS Grand-Nord 3-1 to reach the final of the New Caledonia Cup, which will be staged at the same venue on 1 November against Magenta. The record champions won their semi-final with an identical scoreline against the faltering defending champions Gaitcha.

It will be a final with more at stake than just domestic glory: the cup winners also qualify for the seventh round of the Coupe de France.

New Caledonia, one of nature’s gems, may lie in the South Pacific, more than a 20-hour flight away from France, but the influence of the former colonial power can still to this day be felt in the nation’s football.

Anybody keen on taking the step from New Caledonia into the wider world of football almost always goes via France. That was the case for 1998 World Cup-winner Christian Karembeu and Antoine Kombouare, for

example. Both hail from the Kanak community and the latter, formerly coach of Paris Saint-Germain and now in charge at RC Lens, had this to say about the quality of New Caledonian football: “There are some players who have what it takes for a professional football career, but the problem is often acclimatisation. It’s not so easy to find your feet in a foreign country when 22,000 kilometres separate you from your family.”

The stars of either Lossi or Magenta will get the opportunity at the start of November to put themselves in the shop window against French opposition. Should they pull off a surprise, their reward in the eighth round would be a trip to France. There has been a precedent: in 2010/11, Magenta got the better of USL Dunkerque in a penalty shootout.

Furthermore, the New Caledonian champions also earn the opportunity of measuring themselves on an international stage: the champions take part in the OFC Champions League, a competition traditionally dominated by New Zealand clubs. Å

Cup semi-final Olivier Dokunengo of AS Magenta (in yellow) during his side's 3-1 win over Gaitcha.

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IN BRIEF

Unconventional preparation Hypnotist Olimar Tesser (standing) has been drafted in to help the players at Brazilian club Portuguesa.

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hen it comes to battling against relegation, clubs across the globe exhaust every means available to them to scramble together the points necessary for survival. In that sense, Brazilian outfit Portuguesa are no different to any other side. Yet the long-standing club based in the metropolis of Sao Paulo have recently resorted to a rather unconventional strategy in light of being second bottom of the Serie B standings.

In an effort to avoid a second successive relegation, coach Vagner Benazzi has recruited the services of a hypnotist. Olimar Tesser, who has previously worked successfully with other clubs, has been given the task of recovering the Portuguesa players’ former prowess. “I never like to miss out on a good opportunity,” Benazzi said of the club’s new beacon of hope. “I know what he’s done elsewhere and I want him to work with my players before our games. I made the decision given the situation we’re currently in.” Following the side’s recent 1-0 home defeat to Vasco da Gama, Tesser appears to have plenty of work ahead of him. Å Tim Pfeifer

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C Siena no longer exists under its original name after mounting debts caused the club to lose its licence and file for bankruptcy. As a result, the newly-named Robur Siena are now making a fresh start in Serie D. On Sunday, a handful of the defunct team’s most loyal fans strode through the city wearing their club’s traditional black-and-white shirts, waving flags, drinking beer and singing familiar songs. They wove their way through the crowds, in good spirits despite this difficult new beginning. The tourists were unfazed by their hustling and bustling as they strolled in the narrow backstreets, unwinding with a good meal and stopping to appreciate their surroundings in the piazza outside the city’s almost entirely marble cathedral. In a small bar nearby, some locals were gathered around a television set. They were transfixed, not by their hometown side but

by Inter Milan versus Cagliari in the current Serie A. The Sardinian team eventually emerged impressive 4-1 victors, forcing the Italian treble-winners to continue their slow slide down the table. Some tourists cast a brief glance at the TV before continuing to admire the medieval architecture. It was just another normal Sunday afternoon in this small Italian city where art and fan culture collide. Who knows?

Perhaps Robur will even play in Serie A again one day. Å Dominik Petermann

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n today’s high-speed brand of football, the art of nutmegging has been somewhat overlooked as too fussy and with too little practical use. The last great master of this discipline is considered to be Boca Juniors midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme, who flicked the ball backwards through the legs of River Plate’s Mario Yepes in the Superclasico thirteen years ago. It appears the Argentinian now has a worthy successor in Hungary’s top flight. Austrian Emir Dilaver plays for Budapest side Ferencvaros, and the masterpiece he unveiled against Szombathelyi Haladas has since become a YouTube sensation. Dilaver deftly slides the ball from the sole of his right foot onto his left while simultaneously turning on the spot, leaving his opponent Szabolcs Schimmer desperately and vainly attempting to close his legs. This moment alone was worth the price of admission for fans, especially as there were few other highlights on offer in what was ultimately a drab 0-0 draw. Å Sven Goldmann

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Samuel Aranda / Panos Pictures

First Love Place: Bukhara, Uzbekistan Date: 22 April 2012 Time: 3.54 p.m.

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Years of phenomenal growth FIFA decided to stage the first FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 1991 (China PR) to give the best female players in world football the opportunity to play on a world stage, thus marking a milestone for the growth of women’s football all around the globe. Around half a million spectators attended the matches. Since then, the women’s game has taken huge strides forward in every aspect, whether in terms of the players’ technique, physical fitness and tactics, or the media coverage, TV viewers and sponsorship interest.

One of the pillars of FIFA’s mission is to touch the world through our tournaments. We take great pride in staging these entertaining and unique festivals of football across the globe.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup™ is a shining example of our commitment to ensuring that women’s football goes from strength to strength in the future.

FULECO

PRESIDENTIAL NOTE

A new game for Fuleco

Does the away goals rule still make sense?

T Zurich Children’s Hospital The girls and boys pose for a photo with surprise guest Sepp Blatter.

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ncore for Fuleco! The mascot of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ may have completed the vast majority of his work this summer, but it is not quite time for the armadillo to retire just yet. On Wednesday 1 October, Fuleco was moved from the Home of FIFA to Zurich Children’s Hospital, whose 100,000 patients per year make it the largest medical institution for children in Switzerland. FIFA President Joseph Blatter was on hand to personally oversee the safe delivery of the South American armadillo to its new home.

The FIFA President’s visit to the hospital was a source of genuine surprise for many of the young patients, whose smiling faces clearly moved their visitor: “Our visit can help to spread happiness and generate hope. It’s here that the most important matches of all are decided,” he said.

Director Markus Malagoli led the president of world football’s governing body on a tour of the hospital, which included the emergency ward and the intensive care unit. “This visit is not only a major event for the patients and the hospital staff, but also a sign of recognition for the work that is being done here,” said Malagoli.

Fuleco has now taken up his new position in the emergency ward, thus continuing a relatively recent tradition which has seen the mas-

cots of South Africa 2010 (Zakumi the leopard) and the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™ (Karla Kick the cat) relocate to the children’s hospital after the respective tournaments. After all, it is an arena that plays host to a game of far greater importance than football: the game of life. Å

he away goals rule has been used in the knockout stages of European competition since 1965. If both teams have scored the same number of goals at the end of a two-legged tie, the side that scored more away from home will progress to the next round. The idea dates back to a time when away games were often an adventure, involving journeys that could be long and arduous - and the playing conditions would vary considerably.

As well-established as the rule is, it can be viewed critically today. In reality it favours the club that play away from home in the second leg. Where the scores are tied, that team has 30 minutes more than their opponent to score a valuable away goal. After all, in the first leg there is no extra time.

Such an imbalance has already been disposed of in various competitions. The away goals rule is no longer used in the semi-finals of the promotion play-offs in English football.

The system employed in the Major League Soccer play-offs in the USA and in the CONCACAF Champions League also contributes to the debate. There, away goals only count ‘double’ until the end of normal time in the second leg. If the sides are level at that stage, and have each scored the same number of away goals, the away goals rule does not apply in extra time. Either way, it is time to rethink the system. Football has progressed since the 1960s, so the away goals rule may now be questioned.

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

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LEBANON

“I’m here to train a new generation of players.”

Ambitious Giuseppe Giannini, head coach of the Lebanese national team.

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LEBANON

“The Lebanese people stand united behind their team” Giuseppe Giannini’s job is not a simple one. The 50-year-old Italian has been tasked with building a strong national football team in Lebanon, a country often preoccupied with very different matters.

Mr Giannini, despite missing out on qualification for the 2014 World Cup and the Asian Cup, the recent 2-2 draw with Brazil’s Olympic team means there is a spirit of enthusiasm in Lebanese football. How do you personally rate the first 15 months of your tenure as coach of the country’s national side?

Giuseppe Giannini: Good, very good. You’ve got to look at the team’s development as a whole. In 2011, the country was 178th in FIFA’s world rankings. That was a low point. When I took over on 1 July 2013, Lebanon was in 132nd place. Now we’re 121st in the world. From that perspective you can certainly say we’re on an upward trend.

Karim Jaafar / Al-Watan-Doha / AFP

Giuseppe Giannini Born in Rome on 20 August 1964, Giannini played for Roma from 1981 until 1996. During this time, his elegant playing style and 75 goals in 436 appearances earned him the nickname Il Principe – ‘The Prince’. The former midfield maestro helped the Azzurri to finish third at their home World Cup in 1990 and scored six times in 47 games for his country, including the ­decisive strike in a 1-0 win over the USA. Giannini moved to Austria’s Sturm Graz in 1997 and ended his career in Lecce after a brief spell at Napoli.

Since then, the Rome-born coach has managed Foggia, Sambenedettese, Romanian side Arges, Massese, Gallipoli, Verona and Grosseto. He has been the Lebanon head coach since 1 July 2013.

Is this trend reflected on the pitch as well as in the statistics?

It’s most apparent in the attitude of our players, who now view themselves in an entirely new light. For me, our match preparations have already been crucial. For example, we’ve done a huge amount of work in the areas of tactics, sports medicine and nutrition. We have scrutinised and analysed our movement, carried out lactate tests during matches and have banned certain soft drinks. The players weren’t used to that kind of approach at that intensity.

Despite these efforts, Lebanon won’t be going to the Asian Cup in 2015.

We just fell short by a goal here or a few minutes there, depending on how you look at it. In our final match we led 5-1 against Thailand after former Bundesliga player Roda Antar scored what we thought was the decisive goal. But then we conceded shortly before the final whistle to end the match 5-2, and China sealed their place in Australia thanks to their superior goal difference. Nevertheless, I thanked all my players. They’ve achieved great things and deserve my respect.

In what sense?

You’ve got to consider the situation in which we’re working. Football in Lebanon does not take the same high-tech approach I was used to in Serie A and Europe. The reality here is somewhat different.

Sometimes we have to train in the searing heat at 1pm, and we’re also keen to respect the fasting month of Ramadan. You’ve got to allow for things like that when training and preparing for matches, but at the same time you’ve got to stay focused and act professionally. That requires some talent for improvisation.

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LEBANON

By the sea in Saida The spectacularly located Saida International Stadium plays host to the national team’s games.

War is currently raging in neighbouring Syria. In light of this situation, how do you manage to concentrate on football at all?

I don’t want to comment on the political situation as that’s not my job, but I certainly can’t always keep such issues away from my players and me.

Could you explain that a little further?

Just over a month ago, a bomb went off less than 500 metres from my hotel in Beirut. I could see the smoke from my window, and you could hear the boom from miles away. That was terrible. In that situation, you can’t just carry on with business as usual and go to training saying: “Come on lads, let’s practise pressing high up the pitch again today.” It stays with you and with the players too, of course.

How do you react to that situation as a coach?

I try to keep a cool head and focus on my job, but it doesn’t always work.

Presumably football quickly loses its importance in that environment.

Mentally, it’s not easy to cope with something like that. We’ve also played three of our four home games in Beirut behind closed doors for security reasons, so we often switch to playing in Doha instead.

Naturally we miss the fans – their vocal support can certainly make a difference.

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Manjunath Kiran / AFP, Thananuwat Srirasant / Getty Images, Ullstein

Highs and lows The Lebanese team, pictured here against Thailand, are continually improving.

LEBANON

To what extent does football provide a welcome distraction?

For many outsiders, the reality of life here is difficult to understand, with its unrest, instability and countless religious groups. And to blithely play football in the midst of all that – how is that supposed to work? And yet it does – most of the time, at least. When it comes to football the Lebanese people stand united behind us. Football offers them a rare opportunity to feel like one nation, and that really is something.

What has been your experience of football in everyday life there?

The Lebanese are very interested in football. Matches are constantly being shown in bars and cafés, mostly from La Liga in Spain but from the English and Italian leagues too. I feel a huge amount of enthusiasm for football even when watching league matches on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Above all, there is such a buzz around the national team. Our draw against Brazil was celebrated by thousands of fans who had travelled with us to Doha and by even more upon our return.

We haven’t yet lost a match in 2014.

qualification for the 2016 Olympic football tournament should be a realistic target.

What is needed to ensure further growth?

Lebanon are a technically adept and quick team. We’ve got potential and one or two players such as Hassan Maatouk who can break through overseas. Our biggest weakness is a lack of tactical experience. I’m here to help the players develop their tactical awareness, so that means spending a lot of time speaking with each and every player. It’s important to work on formations and set pieces as well as training ground moves. That’s what I’ve been coaching again and again from the very beginning until it paid off when we took a 2-1 lead against Brazil. Å Giuseppe Giannini was speaking to Bernd Fisa

There is now talk of a golden generation springing up in Lebanon. You have signed a two-year contract. What are your main targets?

I’m here to train a new generation of players and build a foundation for a better future. As well as the senior side, I was recently made responsible for the U-23 national team too. I also go into schools and watch women’s football matches. Although the revival is taking shape, it also takes time and patience to form a team and to establish youth development structures. These things don’t happen overnight, but

Fans Football enjoys a huge following in Lebanon.

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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.

FREE KICK

F I F A ’ S 11

Most goals scored by a team in a single World Cup

All for love Tim Pfeifer

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hings have not been going entirely to plan at Manchester United recently, but England’s most successful club can still be assured of their fans’ unshakeable love, even if it does occasionally take on bizarre proportions.

A diehard Red Devils supporter in Bulgaria not only had the club emblem tattooed on his forehead, he also changed his name in tribute. After years of legal wrangling with the relevant authorities, 51-year-old Zdravkov Levidzhov is now officially called Manchester Zdravkov Levidzhov-United. “If anyone asks me my name, I point to my forehead and grin. It makes me stand out and it proves my devotion to United,” commented Zdravkov, who shares an apartment in Svishtov with his mother and David Beckham, his cat.

Meanwhile, in Kenya a bridal couple dedicated their wedding to Manchester United. The groom strode to the altar stylishly clad in a red home shirt bearing the legend “Just Married”, and the wedding cake was entirely in the club’s red and white, decorated with the shirt sponsor’s logo. After the ceremony the newly-married couple set off on their honeymoon in a car draped in a United flag.

The wedding of a Pakistani fan a few years ago was also rather spoiled by his fierce passion for football. The young man travelled to London to celebrate his stag night with friends. However, on the day of the wedding itself he was not back in Lahore as planned but actually in Seville, watching the UEFA Cup Final between Porto and his beloved Celtic. He conveyed a message to the 1,500 expectant wedding guests and furious family members that he simply could not miss such a historic occasion.

In the light of these declarations of love for a favourite club it can surely only be a matter of time before the first female fan has the name Real Madrid inscribed in her ID documents and takes a dog by the name of Sergio Ramos out for walks. The lady in question would have at least one major advantage: she could marry in traditional white – provided the men from the Spanish capital are not contesting the Champions League final that day. Å

The weekly column by our staff writers

1

27 goals Hungary Switzerland 1954

2

25 goals West Germany Switzerland 1954

3

23 goals France Sweden 1958

4

22 goals Brazil Brazil 1950

5

19 goals Brazil Mexico 1970

6

18 goals Argentina Uruguay 1930

18 goals Brazil Korea / Japan 2002

18 goals Germany Brazil 2014

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17 goals Austria Switzerland 1954

17 goals Portugal England 1966

17 goals West Germany Mexico 1970

Source: FIFA (FIFA World Cup, Milestones & Superlatives, Statistical Kit, 09/10/14) T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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Name Brian Roy Date and place of birth 12 February 1970, Amsterdam Position Striker Clubs as a player Ajax, Foggia, Nottingham Forest, Hertha Berlin, NAC Breda Clubs as a coach Ajax youth team Dutch national team

imago

32 appearances, 9 goals

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THE INTERVIEW

“A World Cup win is at least twelve years away” Bryan Roy was a product of the famous Ajax academy. In an interview, the former Netherlands international criticised the development of football in his homeland.

Bryan Roy, you’re currently working as a youth team coach at Ajax. How is Dutch football progressing at the moment?

Bryan Roy: Not so well, unfortunately.

We’re lagging behind in Europe. There are dozens of clubs in England, Germany or Spain with far greater pulling power than Ajax when it comes to signing good players. And the World Cup prompted another bunch of talented players to leave for foreign clubs too.

But isn’t finishing third at the World Cup an encouraging sign?

Not for me. I was actually quite disappointed with what I saw from the Dutch national team in Brazil. We’ve always stood for attacking and entertaining play, but Louis Van Gaal had them playing some rather unattractive football. We’ve still got a long way to go.

basically, we’re all students of Johann Cruyff.

Ronald Koeman, Louis Van Gaal, Pep Guardiola. I’ve often wondered what Pep Guardiola does differently, but then during the night of 31 August 2014 I had a truly eye-opening experience. I stayed up until 3am watching YouTube videos of Guardiola’s training sessions, and it finally dawned on me how a team can win a midfield battle against any other team in the world. I don’t want to give anything more away, but it’ll certainly be worth putting this into practice at Ajax.

Will you become the head coach at Ajax one day?

No. I don’t want to manage the first team.

My role as a coach will always be that of an

instructor, supervising and nurturing the young players in the background. That’s what I like doing most and that’s what I do the best.

You never refrained from making critical comments in your playing days. How do you react nowadays when one of your players launches a verbal tirade?

I had a big mouth, that’s true. But what I was saying was often wrong. I have a few players in my team that I have to rein in from time to time, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. We’re all learning. Å Bryan Roy was talking to Alan Schweingruber

When will the Netherlands win a first World Cup? Perhaps in twelve years’ time. It’ll be a while yet before we can compete at the very top. We need to return to our roots and try to entertain people by playing spectacular football. Spain and Germany have set a precedent, with both countries boasting great domestic leagues. Their success is no coincidence; it’s the result of good structures and positive development.

Can German football maintain this high level?

Yes, I have no doubt about that. I spent three years of my career playing for Hertha Berlin in Germany and my two children still live in the city now, so I know the German mentality very well. They’ll do everything in their power to take full advantage of all this success and euphoria. The Germans are ambitious, they think and learn quickly. I think the Bundesliga and the Primera Division will dominate for years to come.

“Basically, we’re all students of Cruyff. I’ve often wondered what Pep Guardiola does differently.”

What do you make of Pep Guardiola’s work at Bayern Munich?

He has some outstanding qualities. It’s actually quite strange if you think about it: T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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MIRROR IMAGE

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Luneburg, Germany

1930

fotogloria

Balancing act: A German football enthusiast performs a trick for a small group of onlookers.

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MIRROR IMAGE

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Paris, France

2014

Ludovic Marin / AFP

Power and poise: Freestyler Iya Traore from Guinea captivates passers-by in Montmartre.

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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

THE SOUND OF FOOTBALL

THE OBJEC T

Perikles Monioudis

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Inspired by Cantona Hanspeter Kuenzler

Eric Cantona woke Manchester United from a lengthy slumber, and became a muse for songwriters in the process.

Sion Ap Tomos, FIFA Sammlung

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he delicacy of singer Mireille Mathieu, the gravity of M. Mitterrand, the charm of Maurice Chevalier, the poetry of Charles Baudelaire, the vaulted breast of Gérard Depardieu – and quicker than Alain Prost. That at least is the view espoused by Raymond Bizarre: “Thank you France for Eric Cantona!” the comedian sings in a tone as if he entirely means it, for once.

The jaunty ditty complete with chirruping clarinet and Gallic accordion was composed by Ian Gomm, the erstwhile guitar player of English pub rock pioneers Brinsley Schwarz. It can be found on “Cantona – The Album”, released in 1995 by cult label Exotica Records. The man behind the label, which still exists today, is graphic artist Jim Phelan, designer of countless sleeves for indie records since the 80s. At a time when football-related discs were used at best as beer mats he began to collect and compile them.

“Flair ‘89” was his first selection, followed by the legendary “Bend It” series and “The Red Album”, dedicated to Phelan’s lifelong favourite club Manchester United.

The idea behind “Cantona – the Album” can be traced back to Pete Boyle. Boyle, a very English

eccentric, has spent three decades furnishing pop hits with texts relating to the Red Devils, teaching them to his choir of fans before matches in a pub near Old Trafford and then ‘performing’ them from the terraces.

In 1993 and 1994, largely due to Eric Cantona’s skills and tricks, the Red Devils won their first championship titles since 1967. It goes without saying that this caused Pete Boyle’s creative juices to flow abundantly. With help from friends and to the accompaniment of samples, synths and other rinky-dink plips and plops, he seized the chance by the scruff of the Cantona-collared neck to bawl his tunes into a proper microphone.

Other members of the cast of characters include Captain Sensible, guitarist with punk rockers the Damned, and a certain Louis Philippe, a chansonnier renowned for his elegant singer/songwriter albums, who contributes the cheeky “(Be Like Eric) Do the Frog”. M. Philippe’s real name is Philippe Auclair, author of the excellent Cantona biography “Cantona – the Rebel Who Would Be King”. Æ

ow did football arrive in Italy? Vibrantly and colourfully. Of course you can always ask where something comes from, who invented what and who was responsible for bringing a thing of beauty into the world. Yet the greater the achievement, the less the general need to determine a clearly defined providence.

Once something becomes commonplace, questioning its origins becomes a futile exercise. Just imagine if Italians constantly wanted to prove to themselves and to the world that they had, in fact, invented the pizza. Did they really do so? If not the Italians, then who else did…?

That is not the case in football. Credit here goes to the British for changing the game from a sport where using your hands was allowed to one where playing with your feet was compulsory, and their set of rules quickly spread around Europe. Football began to take root on the continent around the end of the 19th century, becoming a vibrant and colourful presence in Italy, often due to the heraldry of the local area - the city’s colours, so to speak.

In 1908, British artist Chris Jennings painted a scene from a match between Milan and Turin, played on the Campo di Via Goldoni 61 near Milan, where an international-standard football pitch was later developed.

The painting, from the FIFA Collection, is acrylic on canvas and measures 122 x 183 cm.

Today it hangs in the National Football Museum in Manchester and in its own way it depicts the new game, showing the huge power and captivating qualities that have always been a part of football. Å

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

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Hello Tomorrow

TURNING POINT

Name Roberto Di Matteo Date and place of birth 29 May 1970, Schaffhausen (SUI) Position Midfield Clubs Schaffhausen, Zurich, Aarau, Lazio, Chelsea Clubs coached MK Dons, West Bromwich Albion, Chelsea, Schalke Italian national team 34 appearances, 2 goals

“That goal changed my career” Back in business Roberto Di Matteo during his unveiling as Schalke 04’s new head coach

Juergen Schwarz / Bongarts / Getty Images

In 1997 Roberto Di Matteo scored what at that stage was the f­ astest goal in FA Cup ­history while p ­ laying for ­Chelsea. The experience would provide the newly installed Schalke coach with far more than merely a place in the ­record books.

I

was an Italy international when I moved to Chelsea from Lazio for £4.9m in summer 1996. Chelsea had never paid such a large fee for a player before. Their coach Ruud Gullit was determined to sign me and that was enough for me to leave Italy, even if it was viewed as a kind of treason by fans when a member of the national team no longer played in the Serie A. In my first season at the club I reached the FA Cup final against Middlesbrough. During the whole week leading up to the game the tension and sense of anticipation grew in a way I

had never experienced in my career. We were given special suits. I’ll never forget the match in the old Wembley stadium. I got goosebumps when the crowd of almost 80,000 spectators sang the national anthem before the game started. The atmosphere was magical.

Jut 42 seconds after kick-off I experienced another highly-emotional situation. I received the ball in our own half and ran about 40 metres forwards. About 25 metres out I saw a gap to shoot and I scored the opening goal with a strike that went in off the underside of the crossbar. It was completely unexpected because I was a midfielder and wasn’t known as a goalscorer, but it paved the way to a 2-0 victory. Until 2009 it was the fastest goal ever scored in an FA Cup final, and I was voted as Man of the Match.

That goal changed my career in many ways.

It helped Chelsea to their first title in 26 years and heralded in the era in which the club would win another 15 domestic and international trophies. It was also Gullit’s first piece of silverware as a coach. I was able to repay both his faith in me and the investment the club had made in me, while it also improved my self-confidence and my standing. At the same time it also relieved the pressure that had come with such a large transfer fee.

My achievements as a Chelsea player and doubtless that goal helped me during my time as Chelsea coach because I was respected by the players. In summer 2011 Andre Villas-Boas was very keen to have me as his assistant and although I’d already been working as a head coach in England for several years, I agreed and was willing to take a step down for my ’home’ club. In March 2012 I was surprisingly named as Villas-Boas’ successor. Winning the Champions League in Munich against Bayern in May 2012 has been my biggest achievement to date. Yet the feeling of receiving the trophy wasn’t the same as it was after that FA Cup final in 1997. If you’ve contributed to the victory as a player then it has a completely different feeling to it. Å As told to Peter Eggenberger

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

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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 disappearing Final and a postponed one? Test your knowledge!

1

One club brought in three centre-backs in quick succession for practically nothing before selling them for around 82 million euros. Which player was not part of this world-class trio?

President: Joseph S. Blatter Secretary General: Jérôme Valcke Director of Communications and Public Affairs: Walter De Gregorio

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Chief Editor: Perikles Monioudis Staff Writers: Alan Schweingruber, Sarah Steiner, Tim Pfeifer

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The television rights for the 1954 World Cup are said to have cost 15,000 Swiss francs, but how many minutes of the Final broadcast survive today?

Art Direction: Catharina Clajus

A E O U

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

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44 mins 22 mins 11 mins 0 mins

One World Cup Final did not take place at the weekend but on a …

Proof Reader: Nena Morf, Kristina Rotach Contributors: Sérgio Xavier Filho, Luigi Garlando, Sven Goldmann, Hanspeter Kuenzler, Jordi Punti, Thomas Renggli, David Winner, Roland Zorn

L Tuesday P Wednesday R Thursday S Friday

Contributors to this Issue: Nicola Berger, Peter Eggenberger, Alissa Rosskopf, Andreas Wilhelm Editorial Assistant: Honey Thaljieh Project Management: Bernd Fisa, Christian Schaub Translation: Sportstranslations Limited www.sportstranslations.com

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What is printed on this bottle?

A 20 sec P White & Gone E Referemedy S 9.15

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

Send your answer by 15 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 Which of the following pacesetters in the top five European leagues have impressed you the most so far?

28+24+211710 10%

T HIS WEEK’S POLL

Which of these South American goalkeepers in Europe have impressed you the most so far?

28%

17%

21%

≠ ≠ ≠ ≠ ≠

24%

Barcelona (Esp) Chelsea (Eng)

Marseille (Fra)

Bayern Munich (Ger)

Choose from the following: · Claudio Bravo (Chi/Barcelona) · Diego Alves (Bra/Valencia) · Fernando Muslera (Uru/Galatasaray) · Rafael (Bra/Napoli)

Cast your votes at: Fifa.com/newscentre

Juventus (Ita)

“I have won 23 team titles but the one that is missing is the Champions League. At PSG we are trying to win it.

But even if we don’t, the 23 I have already won, coming from where I did, are incredible. I’ve had an amazing adventure.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

matches unbeaten against Arsene Wenger is the run now being protected by Jose ­Mourinho after the Chelsea manager maintained his supremacy.

7 1

games played, 0 goals conceded: that is the remarkable start to the season that has secured a new La Liga record for Barcelona. The Catalan giants and No1 Claudio Bravo made history in

goal, scored in the 93rd minute of their final game

Saturday’s 2-0 win over

of the season, was enough to secure Stjarnan their

Rayo Vallecano, surpassing

seven and drawn five of their

first-ever Icelandic league title. In a fairytale finale

the previous record of 560

meetings with Wenger’s

to the season, ten-man Stjarnan – a team previously

minutes set in 1977/78 by

Arsenal after Chelsea main-

best known for their choreographed goal celebra-

former Barça keeper Pedro

tained their unbeaten start to

tions – snatched the most dramatic of winners as

Artola. Bravo’s tally now

the Premier League season

Olafur Karl Finsen stroked home a last-gasp penalty

stands at 630 minutes and

with a 2-0 victory.

away to title rivals FH.

counting.

Mourinho’s sides have now won

Manuel Queimadelos Alonso / Getty Images, imago (2), Getty Images

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WEEK IN NUMBERS