The FIFA Weekly Issue #46

ISSUE 46/2015, 20 NOVEMBER 2015

ENGLISH EDITION

Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Since 1904

HUNGARY BACK IN BUSINESS HONDURAS LEADERS PROGRESO STUTTERING MOROCCO JOHN TOSHACK HAILED A HERO AT WYDAD

NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL TEAM

Step by step W W W.FIFA.COM/ THEWEEKLY

THIS WEEK IN THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL

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Honduras With the play-offs about to begin, can Club Deportivo Progreso make history and wrest the championship trophy from Olimpia and Motagua’s grasp?

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Thailand As Port FC slowly haul themselves up from the bottom of the table under coach Masahiro Wada, Buriram United hold a formidable lead at the top.

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North and Central America 35 members www.concacaf.com

New Zealand “I have a plan, I believe in my work and I believe in the players,” says Anthony Hudson after his first year as All Whites coach. In an interview with Annette Braun, he discusses the progress made in the country’s youth development, Oceania’s logistical challenges and the biggest goal of all: Russia 2018.

South America 10 members www.conmebol.com

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M aria Elena Valverde The Costa Rican followed her passion to ­establish the country’s first women’s team with friends in 1949.

Andre Schurrle “When push comes to shove, we’ll show once again that we’re capable of playing top-class football,” says the German international in an interview.

15 Step by step Our cover image shows an illustration of a kiwi, the bird from which New Zealanders take their national nickname.

Morocco There appears to be no stopping Wydad Casablanca in the league.

(Pictured: John Toshack)

Look and Learn / Bridgeman Images

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

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FIFA Club World Cup

FIFA Futsal World Cup

10 – 20 December 2015, Japan

10 September – 1 October 2016, Colombia

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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UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Gabor Kiraly, his jogging bottoms and Hungary’s return to football’s international stage.

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imago (2), AFP, Getty Images

Raul The Spanish legend brought his illustrious career to a fitting end.

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The rule of three E

ver since Australia left the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) to join their Asian counterparts at the AFC, New Zealand have been the team to beat in Oceania – particularly when it comes to securing a place in the play-offs for a berth at the world’s greatest football tournament.

The All Whites are now striving to reach another FIFA World Cup after making two previous appearances in the competition. The Kiwis suffered three group stage defeats at Spain 1982, scoring just two goals and conceding 12. In contrast, they remained unbeaten during the same stage of the tournament in South Africa in 2010.

That upward trend continues to this day thanks to the prudent policy of small, incremental steps implemented by New Zealand Football, the country’s national association founded back in 1891. In an interview with our reporter Annette Braun starting on page six, All Whites coach Anthony Hudson explains why he is confident that his team will make it to a third FIFA World Cup in the not-too-distant future. Å

Mario Wagner / 2Agenten

Perikles Monioudis

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Shane Wenzlick / phototek

“WE WANT TO MAKE

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HISTORY�

Anthony Hudson recently celebrated his first win as New Zealand coach in a friendly against Oman. In an interview with Annette Braun, the 34-year-old reveals his long-term ambition: to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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Mr Hudson, your years spent playing and coaching in England, the Netherlands, the USA and Bahrain have given you an insight into the different cultures and playing styles in each country. What sets New Zealand’s football apart from your previous experiences?

Anthony Hudson: It’s very different from any previous role, mainly down to the logistics of where we are, in relation to our players, and the impact that has on our programme.

The country’s number one national sport is rugby. How popular is football?

It’s very popular here. And we don’t need to compete with rugby, we just focus on improving football.

What arguments would you use to convince kids in New Zealand to take up football rather than rugby?

World Cup qualifying Fans cheer on the national team in their 2013 play-off against Mexico.

I would never argue or try and persuade kids to play one sport over another. Kids will only end up being good footballers if they love it and want to play. Junior football is very popular here and has the highest participation of all the major sports so that is a good sign for the future.

“It’s very popular here. And we don’t need to compete with rugby, we just focus on improving football.”

You celebrated your first year in charge of the All Whites in August. How would you sum up your time in New Zealand and your work as national coach so far?

I’m very proud, a lot of hard work has been put in. Not only do I manage the first team but I also coach the U23 team and oversee the U20 and U17s – and we have made big strides forward. With the first team, on the surface the results have been frustrating, but we are re-building the team, we play all our games away from home and don’t have the players in each window so progress will take time, but the signs are very evident that we are moving in the right direction and we are well on course for our next main target – the Nations Cup.

We’ve invested a lot of time implementing a style of play and identity through our younger teams. I’m proud of our U-20s making history at the World Cup with Darren Bazeley, and bringing good coaches like Danny Hay and Chris Zoricich into our U-17s. This is the first time in our history that both of our age group teams have qualified out of the group stage at World Cups in the same cycle.

We also won every game at the Olympic qualifiers, without conceding a goal, something that has never been done before also.

Football fever This year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup on home soil received immense public support.

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Despite this success, is it still too soon for these players to play an important role in the qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia?

Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images, imago

What role do the junior teams play in this context?

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Name Anthony Hudson Date and place of birth 11 March 1981, Seattle, USA Position Midfielder Clubs played for 2000 Luton Town 2001–2002 NEC Nijmegen 2006–2008 Wilmington Hammerheads

Photosport

Clubs coached 2008–2010 Real Maryland Monarchs 2011 Newport County 2012–2014 Bahrain U-23 2013–2014 Bahrain since 2014 New Zealand T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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THE GREATEST The mountaineer Edmund Hillary was New Zealand’s greatest idol.

The first person to climb Mount Everest, Hillary also helped to build schools in Nepal, while his two-month long search for the Yeti is also legendary.

Approaching the finish Hillary (l.) and Norgay on Mount Everest (28 May 1953).

Climbing Everest once is enough The beekeeper was not alone when he reached the snow-covered 8,840 meter summit, the highest point on earth. Accompanying Hillary was his Nepalese-Indian friend Tenzing Norgay, who posed at the summit with an oxygen mask as photographic evidence of their achievement.

There is no photo of Hillary himself because Tenzing had never taken a photo before. “Everest was not the right place to teach him,” said

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Hillary. The then 33 year-old was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, leading to a rather nonsensical public debate about who reached the top of the mountain first. Both became legends. Incidentally, Hillary’s son ­P eter climbed the mountain twice. “Once was enough for me – the ­m ountains do not change,” Hillary told the Suddeutsche Zeitung.

Immortalised on the five-dollar note Although Hillary was renowned for his cynicism, he was more famous for his tireless commitment to charitable and personal projects. He was part of a team that crossed the Antarctic and helped to build schools and hospitals in Nepal. The New Zealander was also involved in establishing the Sagarmatha National Park and in 1960 he went in search of the Yeti. Along with scientists and zooologists he spent two months in the high mountains but his trap camera only captured foxes and hares.

Hillary concluded afterwards that the Yeti does not exist.

The mountaineer’s chiselled face now adorns the New Zealand five-­ dollar note. “I thought that my fame would only last for a few years,” he said during his lifetime. Hillary died of a heart attack in January 2008 and was honoured in New Zealand with a state funeral.

Alan Schweingruber

Alfred Gregory / Keystone / Royal Geographical Society

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he beautiful South Pacific country of New Zealand loves sport. ­R ugby has a particularly important place in Kiwi hearts and the All Blacks have just won the World Cup again to make this nation proud. ­E qually compelling as the speed of the rugby players is their traditional pre-match Haka, with its parade of painted faces, stuck-out tongues and loud roars.

Cricket and netball are also ver y popular among the 4.5 million inhabitants of New Zealand, and ever y now and then the countr y ­f amous for sheep and kiwis produces a superstar in another sport. Take Valerie Adams, two-time Olympic champion and four-time world champion in the shot put. But New Zealand’s greater ever sporting hero to date was Sir Edmund Hillar y, who on 29 May 1953 became the first person to climb Mount Everest in the Himalayas.

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We are not solely relying on just these players to get to Russia. If that was the case I would say it would be unlikely. We have some very promising young players and blended with our senior players we have a real chance.

What attributes does a young player need to bring with him from youth football in order to succeed in the senior side?

The biggest things they need are bravery and hunger.

Bravery to embrace the step up and to express themselves.

Hunger to know that even though they have made the jump up, the hard work actually starts there, they haven’t made it yet!

You declared your intention to give the national team a more attacking identity and build a team around young players, but after the 1-1 friendly draw with Myanmar, the press and several former coaches suggested that your approach had failed. How do you deal with this kind of criticism?

I have a plan, I believe in my work and I believe in the players. The style of our approach is not the issue, and we can see that in most of our performances, not just with the first team but also our younger teams. We have challenges against us progressing the team quicker, mainly our ability to gain any consistency in our group.

Promising youngsters The Young All Whites at the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2015 in Chile.

“You have to work with passion and ­d edication. What excites me most is ­p reparing for the next game.”

Tom Dulat / Getty Images, Victor Decolongon / Getty Images, Marty Melville / AFP

How do you want to gain this consistency?

The number one factor you need as a coach is the same players together so that you are able to build and organise the team. As of today I don’t think we’ve been able to field the same team twice. So as we re-build, there will be bumps along the way but we will be ready by the time we get to our qualifiers next year. I have total confidence in what we are doing.

Showing the way U-17 national team coach Danny Hay.

So you see yourself as being on the right track with your strategy and the integration of young players?

100% I do. It’s taking time and it’s frustrating as we want to be further along right now, but without having regular contact time with the players it means moving forward will take a little bit longer.

In 2006 Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in order to face stronger World Cup qualifying opposition. Have you ever considered making a similar switch?

New Zealand is a key member of the Oceania Confederation and we have access to opportunities in this confederation that we wouldn’t have anywhere else. We are not seeking to move at all and in any case, that kind of decision and strategy would be taken by the whole organisation, not just myself.

One for the future Bill Tuiloma (right) at the FIFA U-20 World Cup on home soil.

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Football breaks down barriers Football builds bridges. It has a unique power to inspire friendship, respect and equality.

FIFA’s Say No To Racism campaign is part of our commitment to tackle all forms of discrimination in football.

Everyone should have the right to play and enjoy football without fear of discrimination. Say no to racism.

For more information visit FIFA.com

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What do you consider to be the main advantages of the Oceania group?

Over the recent years as part of the Oceania Confederation we have regularly qualified for FIFA events at agegroup level from U-17s to U-23. That experience on the world stage helps to prepare our players for the step-up at full senior level.

In search of a first World Cup win

As potential winners of the Oceania group, you would meet the fifth-placed side from South American qualifying – ­surely not an easy prospect.

Regardless of which countries contest the intercontinental playoff it will be a tough assignment. Getting to the World Cup should not and is not an easy prospect but one we believe we can achieve.

You grew up around football thanks to your father, former Chelsea and Stoke City midfielder Alan Hudson. Has the sport ever frustrated you?

Football can’t frustrate you. Challenges and personalities are what are testing but that’s what makes it an exciting job to be in.

You began your coaching career at the young age of 27. Was this a consequence of the high expectations placed on you as a player?

I actually started coaching at 23 as an assistant coach, I then got my first manager's job at 27. I fell into coaching at a young age and loved it.

What excites you most about coaching, and what do you think makes a good coach?

You have to work with passion and dedication.

What excites me most is preparing for the next game.

Harry Redknapp once dubbed you “the new Jose ­Mourinho”. How would you describe yourself?

I’m someone who is passionate about football, about building football teams and working with players.

And what goals have you set yourself for the next three years?

Get to the Confederations and the World Cup – and make history when we get there. Å

Geoff Robins / AFP Photo

NEW ZEALAND’S ROAD TO RUSSIA 2018 New Zealand only narrowly missed out on a place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in Brazil after losing the intercontinental play-off tie against Mexico. In order to reach the 2018 tournament in Russia, Anthony Hudson’s men will first have to contend with Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu in Round 2 of Oceania qualifying. The top two finishers will progress to the semi-finals, where they will face the two best sides from the other group, comprising Tahiti, New Caledonia, Samoa and Papua New Guinea, with the winners advancing to the final of the Nations Cup. The winner of that match will represent Oceania at the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017. The three best-placed teams from each of the two Round 2 groups will advance to Round 3.

The six sides will be placed into two round-robin, home-and-away groups of three teams each. The two group winners will advance to a single home-and-away series to determine who will contest the intercontinental play-off, to be held in November 2017 against the fifth-placed side in South American qualifying. The winner of that tie will qualify for Russia 2018.

In preparation The New Zealand squad training at the World Cup in Canada.

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he statistics say that when Hannah Wilkinson scores for the New Zealand women’s national team at a FIFA World Cup™, the team always take at least a point. This was first proved back in 2011, when the then 19-year-old came off the bench to score a 94-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw in a group game against Mexico. She then kept up that record in Canada this year, converting a headed flick-on from Amber Hearn to earn another 2-2 group stage draw, this time against China PR. Four tournaments, no wins Yet while Wilkinson has impressed on the world stage on a personal level, New Zealand have struggled. The Swans, as they are known, have participated at four World Cups (1991, 1997, 2011 and 2015) but despite dominating football in Oceania are still waiting for a maiden tournament victory. Their record reads played 12, lost nine and drawn three (alongside the two games in which Wilkinson found the net, there was also a goalless draw this year against host nation Canada). Nevertheless, performances have improved in recent years. In Canada, Tony Readings’ charges played markedly better football than in the Swans’ previous campaigns and were unfortunate not to be rewarded with that first win and a place in the knockout rounds.

Due to the country’s remote location, New Zealand are not always afforded the opportunity to compete against the top international teams. However, step by step, they are edging closer to the level of the leading nations in the women’s game.

New targets The objective for Readings’ ambitious group of players is to leave their mark on women’s football, not just in Oceania but also worldwide, and Wilkinson’s goals will enable that process.

Still only 23, the Whangarei native is the first and only New Zealand footballer – male or female – to score at two World Cups. If she can build on that remarkable feat, a first World Cup victory for the Swans will simply be a matter of time.

Annette Braun T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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Morocco: Botola Pro

John Toshack delights Casablanca Alan Schweingruber is a staff writer on The FIFA Weekly.

John Toshack has been a manager for a long time – since 1978 to be precise – and his heart does not belong to one club. Anyone who employs him knows they are taking on someone who does not mince his words.

When a Spanish journalist once asked him how long he would remain coach of Real Madrid, he angered the board with his reply: “I would like to know too”.

imago

In June 2014 the former Liverpool striker was appointed by Wydad Casablanca, Morocco’s most successful club. There was some scepticism in response to the appointment given that Toshack’s record had somewhat declined in recent years. A year and a half later, we can safely say that the Wydad/Toshack partner-

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ship works. The 66 year-old Welshman won the league in his first season, something that he had only previously achieved in 1990 during his career-defining time at Real Madrid.

With only seven rounds of matches gone in the 2015/2016 season, it already looks like the title could be heading the way of Toshack’s side again; Casablanca are unbeaten in first place and also have a game in hand. On 21 November they face second-placed Ittihad Tanger in a crucial match at the top of the table.

Meanwhile, there have been some rather surprising moves at Raja Casablanca. Four months ago the club also appointed a foreign coach, Ruud Krol. However Raja never really warmed to the 66 year-old Dutchman, and after a mini crisis at the start of the season he was sacked and replaced by Rachid Taoussi in the dugout. The Moroccan had previously led the U20 national team to glory in the CAF Africa U20 Cup of Nations, but can he turn things around in Casablanca? Raja lost 3-2 at home to Moghreb Tetouan in their last match.

Taoussi faces a tough task. Awaiting him on 19 December is the pre-Christmas season highlight against city rivals Wydad Casa­ blanca. The match at the Stade Mohammed V, where both clubs play their home games, is legendary. Both sets of fans are renowned worldwide for their incredible choreographed displays.

And what about Toshack? In 2012 he left his post as Macedonia coach after only a year because he did not want to move to the country. His next stint at Khazar Lankaran in Azerbaijan lasted just eight months. For now at least, it seems that he is committed to Wydad.

In 1999 Toshack was dimissed by Real Madrid after nine months for a comment he made: “There is more chance of a pig flying over the Bernabeu Stadium than of me changing.” Å

The next success John Toshack (l.) is focused on a second title in his second year at the club.

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Honduras: Liga Nacional

Progreso keen to make history Sven Goldmann is a leading football correspondent at Tages­ spiegel newspaper in Berlin.

Are the league’s surprise leaders faltering a little, or are Club Deportivo Honduras Progreso merely giving themselves a brief break before the rigours of the Torneo Apertura play-offs?

Whatever the case, they could only manage a 1-1 draw against Club Deportivo Vida on the 18th and final day of matches in the Liga Nacional de Futbol Profesional. The setback was not reflected in the final standings, where Progreso still hold a proud four-point advantage over second-placed Club Deportivo Motagua. Nevertheless, their recent form may still unsettle coach Hector Castellon, whose team have managed just one win in their past four games.

Los Diablos could have suffered their fifth defeat of the campaign at the end of the Apertura’s double round of league matches as the Estadio Humberto Micheletti played host to a strange encounter on turf watered by hours of unrelenting rain that made technically adept play all but impossible. While Progreso were the better team, the opening goal was scored by Vida’s Maycol Montero midway through the second half after excellent build-up play from Marcelo Canales. Los Azules’s Jorge Zaldivar only netted the equaliser ten minutes from time – and had to do so from the penalty spot. Argentinian Leonardo Dominguez fouled Fredixon Elvir, leading to prolonged protests before the 31-year-old could finally convert the resulting penalty.

penchant for distinctive hairstyles and tattoos – kept his composure to slot the ball into the bottom left corner. He could have doubled his tally shortly before the final whistle when referee Nelson Salgado awarded another spot-kick to the home side. Although Zaldivar was once again ready and willing to step up, the decision was reversed after an intervention from the assistant referee kept the scores at 1-1.

Zaldivar – a tall, thin defender with a shock of blue and white hair who is known in Honduras as ‘Progreso’s Arturo Vidal’ thanks to his

Together with second-placed Motagua, Progreso have qualified directly for the play-off semi-finals and can enjoy a week of rest and recovery

On soft ground Progreso and captain Raimundo Calix found the going tough against Deportivo Vida, drawing the match 1-1.

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Up to now Honduran football has been exclusively dominated by the two biggest teams in the capital Tegucigalpa. Record champions Olimpia have lifted the championship trophy on 29 occasions while local rivals Motagua have bagged a further 13 titles, with the two sides contesting the country’s Clásico in the Torneo Clausura final last May. Hector Castellon has tasted success in this competition once before, winning with Olimpia while still a midfielder in 1977, and there is little doubt that he would love to shake things up this year as Progreso coach. Å

LNP Honduras

Progreso will need to call upon all their hidden reserves to secure the club’s greatest triumph.

while Vida and defending champions Olimpia battle it out against Marathon and Real Sociedad respectively in the last eight. Progreso will need to call upon all their hidden reserves to secure the greatest triumph in the club’s history and crown a remarkable season. Hailing from the north of the country, Los Diablos have never won the league title and were still playing in the second tier as recently as 2014 after enduring several challenging years both in sporting and financial terms.

Thailand: Thai Premier League

Unbeatable Buriram closing in on title Annette Braun is a staff writer on The FIFA Weekly.

Can Masahiro Wada rescue Port FC? The Bangkok-based club currently sit second bottom of the Thai Premier League, and recently appointed the Japanese tactician as their fifth coach of a turbulent season. His predecessors’ repeated failures to turn things around have left Wada quite the task with only five league games remaining.

Thananuwat Srirasant / Buriram United

There have, however, been signs of revival.

Port FC have begun the 50-year-old's tenure by recording back-to-back wins: a 2-1 victory at TOT-CAT was followed by a 3-1 home success against Sisaket FC on 14 November.

While still in the relegation zone, Wada’s troops have hauled themselves to within a point of safety. For the club, who have only

been relegated once in their history, survival is now within touching distance.

Although they bounced straight back up after going down in 2012, the temporary absence from the top flight was a reminder of how far Port FC have fallen. Around the turn of the century the club could regularly be found mixing it in the upper echelons of the league, although they never managed to get their hands on a coveted title. Since the early 2000s, however, the gap to the country’s leading sides has grown, consigning dreams of titles firmly to the past.

Over the last few years, it has instead been Buriram United setting the pace at the summit of the Thai Premier League. Hailing from the east of the country, the Thunder Castles won the league in 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2014 and at present sit seven points clear of closest pursuers Muang Thong United. Yet to taste defeat this season, seemingly nobody can stop Buriram’s march to a third straight title.

Take their most recent encounter, a home fixture with mid-table Chiangrai United.

Inspired by a hat-trick from Diogo, the champions-elect ran out 6-0 winners. The Brazilian forward’s 13-minute treble also lifted him to 27 goals so far this campaign, a new domestic record. No player in the Thai Premier League has ever scored so many goals in a single season.

Indeed, having missed two of his side’s 29 league games this term, Diogo, who has adapted seamlessly since joining from Brazilian side Palmeiras under a year ago, is averaging a goal a game. Given his current form, there is little doubt that he will add to his total before the season is out.

On the same day that Buriram put six past Chiangrai, second-placed Muang Thong struggled at home to Suphanburi. Two goals to the good and cruising, the hosts inexplicably threw away the lead to draw 2-2. With a 13-point cushion over third-placed Bangkok Glass, Muang Thong have long had the runners-up spot sewn up, but that will be of little consolation: their late push to wrest the title away from Buriram seems over before it has even begun. Å

Eye on the ball Buriram United’s top-scorer Diogo has been in fine form this season.

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THE INTERVIEW

“We must stay true to our playing style” By providing the assist for Mario Gotze’s winning goal in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final, Andre Schurrle played a key role in Germany’s first major title in 18 years and their first FIFA World Cup win since 1990.

Andre, what was the first World Cup you were aware of as a child?

Andre Schurrle: (laughs) That was Korea/ Japan 2002. I can still remember watching the Final between Germany and Brazil at home on the couch with my parents that day – and how upset I was after we lost.

Back then, did you dream of playing at a World Cup yourself one day – perhaps even in a World Cup Final?

You dream of all kinds of things as a kid, particularly when you see your idols on TV and imagine everything you could achieve.

My biggest role model back then was Michael Ballack. My dream was always to first make football my career and perhaps even play for the national team, but I certainly didn’t go so far as to imagine that I’d set up the winning goal in a World Cup Final.

Although you have long been a well-established star of the game in Germany, most people abroad know you first and foremost as the man who provided the assist for Mario Gotze’s goal at the Maracana. Do you often think back to that moment?

Of course! Without a shadow of a doubt, that moment and our subsequent World Cup victory were the biggest success of my career so far. The goal and assist are shown on TV quite often, so I certainly get reminded about it frequently. I’ll never forget those few seconds.

How has your life changed since 13 July 2014?

There’s been a great deal more interest in me, including worldwide. People now recognise me immediately wherever I am, whether that’s in Germany or overseas. That’s definitely the biggest change I’ve noticed.

Nevertheless, not everything has gone exactly to plan in your career since then. How do you deal with experiencing lows again after such a major highlight?

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The period after the World Cup certainly didn’t pan out the way I’d hoped. Although I had a very good start to the season with Chelsea, things weren’t 100 per cent after that. By that winter I wanted to return to Germany and took that step by joining Wolfsburg. While it hasn’t been easy mentally, I still know my strengths and I know that if I can demonstrate them consistently out on the pitch, everything else will come back too.

What are your targets over the medium term?

I noticed that I was only being used as an impact sub at Chelsea, so I took the opportunity to move to an extremely ambitious Bundesliga side in Wolfsburg. Now we want to try to be at the forefront of the league and play Champions League football every season.

Although I think we’re on the right track, we still have plenty of work to do.

Germany managed to secure qualification for UEFA EURO 2016 but not necessarily in the dominant way you might expect from the world champions. What improvements are still required before France 2016?

We’ve just got to ensure that our key performers stay fit and that everyone finds good form on the way to France. If we can do that I’m sure we’ll find our true strengths again. We also lost three pillars of the team after the World Cup in Philipp Lahm, Per Mertesacker and Miroslav Klose, so there was a bit of rebuilding to be done first. That’s why it’s so important for us to stay true to our playing style now.

How does the character of the current team differ from the side that won in Brazil?

We still have plenty of players with big personalities – I’m thinking primarily of Manuel Neuer and Bastian Schweinsteiger, who have already been playing at this top level for ages, as well as Thomas Muller, who’s an incredible guy. Then we’ve got a whole array of other world-class players such as

Mats Hummels and Toni Kroos. I’m absolutely certain that when push comes to shove, we’ll show once again that we’re capable of playing top-class football.

How would you assess your individual role within the Germany squad?

I’m confident that Joachim Low trusts me because he knows what I can do. Right now I sometimes start matches and sometimes come on as an impact sub, but I feel very comfortable with that and will always be there when the coach needs me.

What further developments, both in terms of play and tactics, do you envisage for the national team?

We need fresh impetus, as our opponents are constantly getting better at adapting to our style of play. Every team is extremely motivated and ready to play their best football when they come up against the world champions. During European qualifying we noticed that all of our opponents stayed very deep. We had 70 to 75 per cent possession in every game and had to find ways of getting through to goal. First and foremost, we’ve got to work on using our scoring chances more efficiently. Once we spend a longer period of time together and refine our moves and set-pieces over three- or four-week training camps, we’ll recapture our success against deep-lying opposition.

Do you have the EURO 2016 title in your sights?

Of course! We’re world champions and we’ve got an excellent team. Winning the EURO title is realistic, not least because I don’t know many sides who can match our mental strength. Å Andre Schurrle was talking to Andreas Alf

Name Andre Horst Schurrle Date and place of birth 6 November 1990, Ludwigshafen, Germany Position Striker, midfielder Clubs played for 2009–2011 Mainz 05 2011–2013 Bayer Leverkusen 2013–2015 Chelsea since 2015 VfL Wolfsburg

Thomas Rapsch / laif

Major honours 2014 FIFA World Cup winner 2015 English Premier League champion 2015 German Cup winner Germany national team 49 caps, 20 goals

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Magnum Photos

First Love P l a c e : O m o Va l l e y, E t h i o p i a Date: 8 August 2013 T i m e : 9. 5 2 a . m .

Photog rapher: Steve McCurr y

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Lucky charm Gabor Kiraly never steps onto the pitch without his trademark grey jogging bottoms.

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Laszlo Balogh / Reuters

U E F A E U R O 2016 Q UA L I F Y I N G

U E F A E U R O 2016 Q UA L I F Y I N G

Renaissance for former giants coach Andreas Moller, who was specifically brought onto the coaching staff to help steer Hungary through the play-offs.

are still shown frequently on television in Hungary, even after all these years.

Nevertheless, while the national team celebrated its greatest successes, the country’s football development stagnated. As other teams adapted their playing style, the highly acclaimed wizardry championed by the Hungarians remained unchanged. Before long, the rest of the footballing world first caught up and then overtook the once Mighty Magyars, who made their most recent European Championship appearance in 1972 in Belgium, where they were eliminated by the Soviet Union in the semi-finals. Despite qualifying for another FIFA World Cup at Mexico 1986, they finished third in their group behind the Soviet Union and France to consign themselves to an early exit. The former giants have not contested a major international tournament since, reaching a historic low in 2013 by being thrashed 8-1 by the Netherlands in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. The result offered a further reminder of just how far Hungary had fallen from the upper echelons of international football.

The difficult legacy of the 1950s Hungarian football fans are a nostalgic bunch still fond of recalling the glorious period in the 1950s when their national team dominated the beautiful game. With legends such as Ferenc Puskas, Sandor Kocsis, Nandor Hidegkuti, Gyula Grosics and Zoltan Czibor among their ranks, the Golden Team were celebrated for their pioneering brand of attacking football and remained unbeaten for 31 consecutive games from 14 May 1950 until the FIFA World Cup Final against Germany in Bern on 4 July 1954. The highlight reels from this magical era

Tracksuit trousers and lofty ambitions What a difference two years makes. By defeating Norway in this week’s play-off matches, Hungary have repositioned themselves on the European footballing map – and not by chance.

The country’s government has been investing in the sport’s development since 2010, building and renovating stadiums and providing clubs with major financial support. These comprehensive efforts began to bear fruit earlier this year as the team finished third in their UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying group behind Northern Ireland and Romania to earn themselves a play-

Although Hungary dominated the international footballing stage in the 1950s, they have shown no hint of those past glory days in recent decades – until now. After years of frustration, the team have finally qualified for another European Championship, writes Annette Braun.

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rguably the most famous tracksuit trousers in world football are grey, fastened around the legs with rubber bands and always a size too big for the person who wears them. They have seen action on pitches across Europe, repeatedly suffering over a full 90 minutes for their wearer’s cause only to emerge spotless from the dressing room for the following match. Next year these very same jogging bottoms will travel to France for UEFA EURO 2016 in the suitcase of Hungary goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly, who has been shunning the customary shorts in favour of this more relaxed look since the 1990s.

“It’s like a little footballing miracle.”

Trond Tandberg / Getty Images

Hungary assistant coach Andreas Moller

First European Championship berth in 43 years Forty-three years after they last appeared at the UEFA European Championship in 1972, Hungary defeated Norway in the play-offs to qualify for next summer’s continental showdown. Coach Bernd Storck’s side defeated their Scandinavian opponents 1-0 in Oslo in the first leg before emerging from the return leg in Budapest with a 2-1 win. Their success marks a historic return to European football’s biggest stage and brings to an end a lengthy barren spell filled with doubt and bewilderment. “It’s like a little football miracle,” said assistant

Mission accomplished! Hungary have qualified for their first European Championship since 1972.

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U E F A E U R O 2016 Q UA L I F Y I N G

“These are the nights you live for” I

n their long career, synth-pop pioneers Depeche Mode have penned songs both prettier and more melodic than “Just Can’t Get Enough”, but surely none as anthemic. When the simple yet catchy beats of the 1981 hit are blared from a loudspeaker these days, it is usually in a stadium and it usually means something triumphant has been achieved. Everybody joins in, even those with the least musical talent in singing that they “just can’t seem to get enough”. The tune is basic, and the lyrics are easy enough to master.

The evening of 16 November in Dublin’s national stadium was one such occasion when the crowd sang along to the Essex pop outfit’s tune. Some 50,000 Republic of Ireland supporters had crammed into the national stadium to cheer the team on against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their EURO 2016 play-off, and at the end of a dramatic evening, the majority were overcome with delirium and joy. Ireland’s 2-0 win (3-1 on aggregate) had not been pretty – the first goal was a penalty given after a contentious hand-ball, the second a scrappy finish from a set-piece – but over the two legs, Martin O’Neill’s men had deserved to qualify for a third European Championship.

The visitors, for their part, simply put too little pressure on the Irish goal.

Debacle in 2012 Their ticket to the tournament in France booked, Ireland will hope for a performance at a European Championship that is comparable the successes they have enjoyed at the FIFA World Cup™. The Irish have qualified for three World Cups, reaching the knockout rounds in two of them, including in 1990 when they were edged out 1-0 by hosts Italy at the quarter-final stage.

Yet at the Euros, a tournament whose group stages have become even more difficult than in previous years according to many pundits, the picture is far less rosy for the Boys in Green. In their last tilt at the competition back in 2012, the Republic found it tough, losing all three group matches – including a 4-0 humbling to eventual champions Spain in their second game –, conceding nine and scoring just once. The tournament in Poland and Ukraine was a disaster for Giovanni Trapattoni’s men, but with a group of players whose strength lies in the collective rather than individuals, they hope to set the record straight next summer.

Jonathan Walters was Ireland’s hero in the play-off second leg against Bosnia, returning from suspension to score both goals and send the fans into raptures. Yet arguably even more manic were the celebrations by the manager. Back in 2013, O’Neill was deemed not qualified to take on the Ireland job as he was fighting a Premier League relegation battle with Sunderland at the time, but he has made a mockery of any former misgivings. O’Neill has given the Irish Football Association a team that fights for each other and one that is bound for France next summer, along with thousands of proud supporters from the Emerald Isle.

“I’m not Shakespeare” Ably assisted by former Manchester United midfield hard man Roy Keane, O’Neill continues to cement his reputation as one of the game’s best coaches, someone who consistently gets the very best out of the players of his disposal. Yet as good a communicator as he may be, even the man himself struggled to grasp the enormity of the team’s achievement when pressed for his reaction after beating Bosnia and Herzegovina. “These are the nights you live for. I’m sorry, I’m not William Wordsworth or William Shakespeare, so I can’t find another word at the moment.”

Alan Schweingruber

Celebrating long into the night Ireland sealed qualification for Euro 2016 by beating Bosnia and Herzegovina in Dublin.

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David Maher / SPORTSFILE

Martin O’Neill’s tight-knit Ireland side have reached a third European championship.

U E F A E U R O 2016 Q UA L I F Y I N G

Play-offs 12 / 15 November 2015 Norway Hungary

0 1 1 1 2 3

13 / 16 November 2015 Bosnia and Herzegovina Ireland

1 0 1 1 2 3

14 / 17 November 2015 Ukraine Slovenia

2 1 3 0 1 1

Sweden Denmark

2 2 4 1 2 3

The 24 qualified teams (in alphabetical order) High flyers Goalkeeper Gyula Grosics and Hungary’s Golden Team contest the semi-final of the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland.

Popperfoto

off against the Scandinavians. Despite going into their tie with Norway as rank outsiders, each and every one of Hungary’s players appreciated the enormity of the opportunity in front of them.

Led by Bernd Storck, who took over the national team reins from Pal Dardai in the summer, the team seized their chance by emerging from the encounter with two wins under their belts. After being given the nod to start the return leg ahead of Hoffenheim’s Adam Szalai, striker Tamas Priskin gave Hungary the lead in front of a rain-soaked crowd of 26,186 after 14 minutes before an 83rd-minute own goal from Markus Henriksen sealed

qualification. A late Norwegian consolation goal by Henriksen did nothing to prevent wild celebrations in Budapest.

Winning his 101st cap for his country, ­Gabor Kiraly made a decisive save in the 76th minute to help secure victory. The goalkeeper will be 40 years old by the time he arrives in France with his trademark jogging bottoms stashed in his hand luggage next summer. The Szombathelyi Haladas custodian and his teammates will be keen to deliver several more strong performances to honour their nation’s past footballing achievements – and call those famous tracksuit trousers into action once again. Å

By defeating Norway in this week’s play-off ­matches, Hungary have repositioned themselves on the European footballing map.

Albania Austria Belgium Croatia Czech Republic England France Germany Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Northern Ireland Poland Portugal Romania Russia Sweden Switzerland Slovakia Spain Turkey Ukraine Wales

The UEFA EURO 2016 group draw will take place in Paris from 6 p.m. CET on Saturday 12 December 2015.

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GRASSROOTS

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

For more information visit FIFA.com

F IFA IN T E R AC T I V E WORLD C U P 2016

PRESIDENTIAL NOTE

First ten Season 1 winners ­announced

United for peace

I Consoles at the ready Qualification for the 2016 Grand Final is underway.

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he first 10 FIWC players to secure a seat alongside defending champion ­Abdulaziz Alshehri at the FIWC 2016 Grand Final in New York have been confirmed, and seven nations are already represented. The 10 available seats for Season 1 were split evenly between Playstation®4 (PS4) and Xbox One. FIWC 2016 is unique in that it’s the first time in the 13-year history of the world’s largest gaming tournament that fans can qualify on their choice of the world’s two leading gaming consoles.

Congratulations to the following qualified players from Online Season 1.

Alexander Hassenstein / FIFA via Getty Images

Playstation®4 • SP__FIFA (USA) • Nalla_Otcapmi (Brazil) • epsilon_sigma_ (Burkina Faso) • DimFifa (England) • codASW96 (England)

n a world where division and conflict destroy so many innocent lives, it is vital that we all play whatever part we can in building bridges between people of all nationalities, cultures and creeds.

Football could never pretend to offer solutions to the world’s political problems, but – as the world’s most popular sport – it does have a unique duty to society to act where it can.

First and foremost, we must ensure that the safety of fans and players is always our top priority. No football game is worth more than a life, and we support any decision t­ aken by authorities in the interests of security.

But we have also seen that our sport has the power to bring people together in the most difficult of times. On Tuesday night, at Wembley stadium, English fans and players joined hands with their French counterparts following last week’s terrible massacre in Paris. Football stood up in a spirit of peace: the fans of two footballing rivals together in solidarity. It was a remarkable sight, a gesture of hope in the face of brutality.

FIFA is not a political body, and it is vital that we remain neutral, but I know I speak on behalf of everyone in football when I say that we stand with all of our brothers and sisters around the world against violence, no matter where it takes place and no matter who commits it.

Football is a sport of friendship and an expression of the human spirit. It always has been and it will always ­remain so. That is the message we must continue to send to the world.

Our thoughts and deep affection go out to the families of the many victims of violence around the world, including those conflicts which do not make international headlines.

Xbox One • xXThe RoyalXx (Saudi Arabia) • TheSchaeferhund (Germany) • D1g0 Fifeiro (Brazil) • Voncita20 (Costa Rica) • Miracle Raseck (Germany) Qualification format Each season five players qualify from the PS4 Leaderboard and five players qualify from the Xbox One leaderboard. The five seats for each leaderboard are awarded as follows: first-place and runner-up (Europe), first-place (North, Central America and Caribbean), first-place (South America), and first-place (Africa, Asia and Oceania). Season 2 is now underway and runs from 1 November to 1 December 2015. Å tfw

Best wishes, Issa Hayatou

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Resolute pioneer

I

t all began at a wake, nine days of prayer that ended with a conversation about football between a young woman and the sons of the deceased, Fernando and Manuel Emilio Bonilla. They wanted to set up a women’s team but could not find the players. She wanted to play but could not find a team.

“We were seven women and we left there determined to find friends and family who would help us put a team together,” said Maria Elena Valverde, the central character in our story. The date was 27 February 1949 and within just three weeks she and her comrades in arms had assembled a squad of 30 players.

They formed what was the first women’s team in the whole of the CONCACAF region, Deportivo Femenino Costa Rica. And on 19 March, the feast day of St Joseph – the patron saint of the Costa Rican capital San Jose – they held their first training session at a farm known as Las Delicias.

“The first thing we had to do before we started training was to clear away all the cow pats because there were cattle grazing there.

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It helped us warm up,” recalled the pioneering Maria Elena, who as a young girl had dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer. “A lot of the girls told their families they were going to play basketball because their parents wouldn’t have let them play football. I never had any problems, though.

“My mum even went in goal whenever we had a kickabout in the square with my cousins and aunts. She was pretty small too. She set an example for my five brothers and me.”

Now 87, and speaking slowly but with genuine sense of enthusiasm in her voice, Maria Elena cast her mind back to those early days: “I never imagined all the things I would experience thanks to that, all because of football.”

What began as a near-clandestine gathering of friends ultimately led to her becoming an ambassador of Costa Rican women’s football and to receiving the FIFA Order of Merit in 2014 for her contribution to the development of the game.

Wherever she goes she proudly takes with her a bulging photo album containing snaps of her football travels, which have taken in

the Opening Match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ and the Final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™ and on which she has met legends such as Just Fontaine and Franz Beckenbauer.

Returning to the black and white days of Las Delicias, Maria Elena spent a year there honing her skills as an inside-right before the project took on a whole new dimension on 27 March 1950. It was on that day that the local men’s’ fixtures were suspended to allow their intrepid female counterparts to show what they could do with the ball, with the members of Deportivo Femenino Costa Rica splitting into two teams – one wearing white and the other sky blue.

“The Bonilla boys went from house to house asking for permission from the players’ families, and they got it,” said Maria Elena.

“In La Nación the next day they said that we played even better than the men.”

Such an impression did she and her fellow female footballers make that within a week they embarked on an international tour that took them to Panama, Colombia, Curacao,

FIFA

Maria Elena Valverde laid the foundations for women’s football in Costa Rica after following her heart and founding the country’s first women’s team with a group of friends.

HISTORY

“I never imagined all the things I would ­experience... and all because of football.”

Maria Elena Valverde

HO (3)

Trailblazers The women’s team Deportivo Femenino Costa Rica.

Memories Pictures from Valverde’s photo album.

Historic debut The team’s first match was in San Jose in March 1950.

Honduras and Guatemala for a series of exhibition matches. “We couldn’t play in Bogota because the Liga de la Decencia (a movement that sought to uphold what it saw as moral decency) said that our shorts were too short,” an indignant Maria Elena recalled. “They were formed by women too!”

A staunch defender of women’s rights, she had this to say about her efforts to put the women’s game on the map: “When I want something I achieve it. You can’t be weak in mind and get left behind. Everything hinges on how determined you are to fight.”

Her determination to play the game she loved led her to leave her husband, who disapproved of her passion for football. “I couldn’t be there giving in to everything he wanted. It wasn’t as if I was doing something I shouldn’t, something scandalous. It was right for me, and it was what I wanted to do,” she explained.

“My family were right behind me and I told him where to go,” she added, happy in the knowledge that she has made the most of the opportunities life has had to offer her. “That’s the way I am. I have a lot of character. If I’d

just bowed my head, none of this would have happened.”

Supporting the biggest act in football Valverde finally hung up her boots on 15 August 1961, and did so in style. “When Real ­Madrid came to Costa Rica for the first time to play Deportivo Saprissa they asked us to play another women’s team – of which there were a few by that time – in a curtain-raiser for their match. They’d seen us in Colombia and really liked us.”

The game was to be played at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose, the stadium where she first fell in love with football as a fan and where she saw the player who, in her expert opinion, was the finest Costa Rica ever produced: Alejandro Morera Soto.

As she revealed, however, Maria Elena barely slept before the final match of her career, and not because she would be sharing the spotlight with the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and Paco Gento. “The coach asked me to play in midfield, something I’d never done before. They said that I did re-

ally well, though, and they chaired me off the pitch at the end. It was my last game and my best one too.”

A mother of four, a grandmother of 13, a great-grandmother of 14 and a great­-greatgrandmother of three, Maria Elena has maintained strong ties with Costa Rican women’s football, which went through some hard times in the 1970s and 80s. Its renaissance came in 2014, when the country played host to the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. “It was a very special time,” said the woman who laid the foundations for Tica football over 60 years earlier. “It was lovely to see all those girls. Who would have thought it?” Å Tamara Castro

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GENER AL INFORMATION

Raul – a legend bids farewell Annette Braun

Mario Wagner / 2Agenten

F

ittingly enough, Raul Gonzales Blanco marked his departure from football’s global stage with a title, lifting the American NASL trophy with New York Cosmos after defeating Ottawa 3-2. Although this was not the most significant triumph for the striker in a 21-year career that has included six Spanish championships and three UEFA Champions League titles with Real Madrid, that has never been the 38-year-old's main motivation.

There is no doubt that this international star has loved every moment spent on a football pitch. He has only ever been interested in stepping into the limelight if it helps his team, while the idea of self-promotion appears to be completely alien to him. Having started out by kicking a ball around on sand, Raul has never forgotten where he came from and where his roots lie, and has always been known for a ­modesty and normality rarely found in the footballing circus of the modern era.

He was the kind of player who would have been forgiven for making the most of his fame, having scored an incredible 323 goals in 16 years with his beloved Madrid – a record only surpassed by Cristiano Ronaldo. As if that was not enough, the Spaniard also pulled on the captain’s armband for both club and country, but was no longer part of the national side when they triumphed in 2008, 2010 and 2012.

Titles are not the reason why Raul will live long in the memories of so many football fans.

He will be remembered not for the big, glamorous moments but for his soft-spoken nature and likeability.

Whether playing for Real Madrid, Schalke 04, Al Sadd or in New York, he went about his work with passion, dedication and honesty. ­A fter the whistle sounded to bring his final match to a close, he admitted to feeling a mixture of joy and sadness but acknowledged that the time was right to say goodbye.

With that, he was cheered from the stands for the last time as his team-mates carried him around on his shoulders. After one final ­moment in the flashbulbs of the international media’s attention, one of the sport’s true greats finally left the stage with a wistful smile. Å

Country: Chile FIFA Trigramme: CHI Confederation: CONMEBOL Continent: South America Capital: Santiago

GEOGR APHIC INFORMATION Surface area: 756,950 km² Highest point: Ojos del Salado 6,893 m Neighbouring seas and oceans: Pacific Ocean

MEN’S FOOTBALL FIFA Ranking: 5th World Cup: 9 appearances Best performance: 3rd place, 1962

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL FIFA Ranking: 42nd World Cup: No Appearances

L ATES T RESULTS Men’s: Uruguay - Chile 3:0 17 November 2015 Women’s: Paraguay - Chile 3:2 20 September 2014

FIFA INVES TMENTS The weekly column by our staff writers

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MIRROR IMAGE

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Chorzow, Poland

1989

Bob Thomas / Getty Images

Tony Dorigo, Tony Adams, Dave Beasant and Mike Newell (from left to right) during England’s 0-0 draw with Poland in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match.

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MIRROR IMAGE

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Ian Horrocks / Newcastle United via Getty Images

Newcastle United’s substitutes keep warm during their team’s 0-0 Europa League draw with Anzhi Makhachkala at the Luzhniki Stadium.

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Everywhere You Want To Be

Where do you want to be?

With 3 world titles, 3 goals in the final of the FIFA Women’s World CupTM and a ticket to Brazil, she’s just getting started.

Visa is proud to support Carli Lloyd and her dreams.

To be at the top of the world.

©2015 Visa. All rights reserved.

NET ZER KNOWS!

What makes a good stadium experience?

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“I wanted Arsenal to be Hussein’s middle name, but Tania wasn’t having it.”

Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah after the birth of his first son

“In these cases, you can only do two things: throw in the towel or give your all to show that the others are wrong.

I chose the second path and I hope that Van Persie does the same. But I know that when you go through a moment like this, you feel like you’re in hell.”

Wesley Sneijder on Robin van Persie getting dropped from the Netherlands team

Former Germany international Gunter Netzer in February 1974

imgao

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e were lucky enough to host the FIFA World Cup™ in 1974. The tournament, and the European Championships in 1988, gave stadium culture – which had become somewhat out-dated – an important shot in the arm. Experiencing football live at a stadium became more attractive because it was planned with the fans’ comfort in mind.

Let’s not forget what it was like in the stands in the years before. At Borussia Mönchen­ gladbach, where I spent a large part of my career, the fans stood on soft clay, and if it rained, they’d all slip down the slope. During the 90 minutes, the fans need to be entertained. That’s the key. The worst way to do that is to give them a game that’s tired, boring and goalless; the best way is a match that’s quick, exciting and full of drama. The middle ground between those two – and this is where the planning of modern stadia comes in – is the average, run-of-the-mill match that somehow still feels like a good game because everything else is of a high standard. The roof, the wind-protected stands, live music, a hotdog around the

c­ orner, a short walk to the toilets – there are lots of little touches that make a difference.

You have things in proportion, although ­obviously, the game itself should be the main attraction. I generally go to ten to 15 matches a year, most of them in Germany, and I a lways observe the value that the event ­ ­offers the fan. Loyal supporters, families, young people, businessmen – sure, they come to see star players perform, win games and score fantastic goals. But they also come to be together, to be a community. For two hours, three hours. Sometimes even a whole day. Å

What have you always wanted to know about football?

Ask Gunter Netzer: feedback-theweekly@fifa.org

“Marton was a most beautiful man who brought nothing but joy and a big, radiant smile into the Sunderland dressing room. The news is so tragic.

He has a beautiful family as well, and I echo the sentiments of all the players and ex-players, ex-colleagues and people who knew him. His care for others was noticeable. Every day, he was anxious and eager to assist young players. Anyone who ever came into contact with him will feel terrible.”

Niall Quinn on the passing of Hungary and Sunderland goalkeeper Marton Fulop

“That is outstanding, that’s a really great gesture and gave me goosebumps.”

Bayern Munich defender Holger Badstuber moved by the crowd’s standing ovation on his return from injury

“To speak seriously, it is not easy.

I know 50 per cent [of the women] approach just for [celebrity] interest…

It’s normal, not just me. All the famous people have these kind of problems. But I think I am a confident guy. I’m tall, have all my teeth, have a nice body.”

Cristiano Ronaldo on consistently being pursued by women T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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FIFA PARTNER

TURNING POINT

“I wouldn’t swap my time in the Gulf for anything.”

Former Bundesliga player Wolfgang Sidka became a successful coach in the Arabian Gulf thanks to an unusual turn of events.

imago

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n 2000, after I was released by Bundesliga club Werder Bremen and following a brief stint at VfL Osnabruck, I was driving on the motorway from Bremen to Berlin when I got a phone call out of the blue from a journalist in Munich. He asked whether I could envisage coaching the Bahrain national team. I was quite taken aback initially but asked to be filled in on the details nevertheless. The outbound national team coach had been given one final task of finding a successor. He met the aforementioned journalist, who suggested a couple of candidates – one of whom was me.

I put the decision on the back burner for the time being until I received an invitation directly from Bahrain. As I had nothing to lose, I accepted. I spent about a week there and was impressed by the way they went to so much effort to get me, so I agreed to take the job.

I looked through the contract I was sent very carefully. I went over to the island to sign it, but once I was in the metropolis of Manama, surrounded by the country’s media and sitting alongside some members of the national association, I realised an additional paragraph had been added. It was a sevenmonth contract with a one-day notice of termination in the first three months. I paused for a minute but then thought, “it’ll either work out or it won’t,” and I signed.

Seven months turned into seven years in the Gulf, spent in the Kingdom of Bahrain and their neighbours the Emirate of Qatar –

without a one-day notice period. In my experience Bahrainis are a proud and above all football-crazy people who are extremely open and possess many talents. Back then we climbed from 138th to 50th in the world ranking. Football was popular and the stadiums were full. In 2003 we finished as runners-up at the GCC tournament in the Arabian Peninsula and in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup we only got knocked out in the play-offs.

Encountering different mindsets, getting to know foreign countries and people, seeing unity between people of different origins and making friendships that have lasted to this day, I wouldn’t swap my time in the Gulf for anything. Å Wolfgang Sidka was speaking to Rainer Hennies

Name Wolfgang Sidka Date and place of birth 26 May 1954, Lengerich, Germany Position Midfielder Clubs played for 1971–1980 Hertha Berlin 1980–1982 TSV 1860 Munich 1982–1987 Werder Bremen 1987–1989 Tennis Borussia Berlin 1989–1992 VfB Oldenburg Clubs coached (selected) 1997–1998 Werder Bremen 1999–2000 VfL Osnabruck 2000–2003, 2005 Bahrain 2003–2005 Al Arabi Doha

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

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MEN’S WORLD R ANKING

Belgium (up 2) Austria (10th, up 1) Wales (15th, down 7) 172 Ethiopia (5 matches) Turkey (up 224 points) Chad (up 39 ranks) Wales (down 163 points) Sudan (down 44 ranks)

Leader Moves into top ten Moves out of top ten Matches played in total Most matches played Biggest move by points Biggest move by ranks Biggest drop by points Biggest drop by ranks Rank Team

+/- Points

Rank Team

Last updated: 5 November 2015 +/- Points

Rank Team

1 Belgium

2 1440

55 Congo DR

5

587

109 Zimbabwe

2 Germany

0 1388

56 Finland

8

586

3 Argentina

-2 1383

57 Egypt

-6

4 Portugal

0 1364

57 Peru

5 Chile

4 1288

59 Nigeria

6 Spain

0 1287

60 Australia

7 Colombia

-2 1233

61 Jamaica

8 Brazil

-1 1208

61 Israel

-14

559

115 Azerbaijan

9 England

1 1179

63 Mali

-1

552

117 Belize

10 Austria

1 1130

64 Slovenia

-18

547

11 Switzerland

1 1073

65 Panama

0

12 Uruguay

8 1051

66 Bulgaria

12

+/- Points

Rank Team

+/- Points

0

305

163 Liechtenstein

-7

110 Central African Republic

16

302

164 Samoa

-2

152

583

111 Georgia

-1

301

165 American Samoa

-1

145

-7

583

112 Aruba

3

299

166 Maldives

10

141

-7

582

113 Libya

-8

297

167 Grenada

-8

137

-2

573

114 Ethiopia

-6

294

168 Gambia

-7

135

-4

559

115 Bahrain

8

293

169 Cook Islands

-3

132

-10

293

170 Puerto Rico

-5

129

1

292

171 Malaysia

0

127

118 Madagascar

9

290

172 India

-5

122

515

118 Namibia

7

290

173 Mauritius

-5

117

497

120 Korea DPR

9

288

174 Indonesia

-3

108

154

13 Italy

4 1040

67 United Arab Emirates

3

495

121 Sierra Leone

0

281

175 Dominica

-1

104

14 Romania

-1 1039

68 Uganda

7

491

121 Turkmenistan

34

281

176 Laos

3

90

15 Wales

-7 1032

69 Equatorial Guinea

-2

487

123 Lithuania

-7

279

177 Comoros

16 Netherlands

-2

70 Belarus

28

479

124 Kyrgyzstan

22

277

6 -18

976

17 Czech Republic

-2

974

71 Uzbekistan

3

477

125 Kenya

18 Turkey

19

941

71 Zambia

0

477

125 Mozambique

16

89

178 US Virgin Islands

0

88

274

179 Yemen

1

81

274

180 Bangladesh

2

80

19 Croatia

-3

924

73 Haiti

4

470

127 Armenia

-36

271

180 New Caledonia

-11

80

20 Bosnia and Herzegovina

10

923

73 Gabon

-8

470

128 Sudan

-44

267

180 Bhutan

-7

80

21 Ecuador

10

921

75 South Africa

-2

461

129 St Vincent and the Grenadines

-7

262

183 Cambodia

3

78

22 Côte d’Ivoire

-1

890

76 Cyprus

38

444

130 Swaziland

5

258

184 Suriname

-3

77 76

23 Russia

3

885

77 Bolivia

-10

442

131 Kazakhstan

11

256

185 Pakistan

-8

24 Mexico

3

881

78 Montenegro

-6

426

132 Syria

-9

254

186 Brunei Darussalam

1

74

24 France

-2

881

79 Morocco

1

422

133 Kuwait

-5

252

187 Chinese Taipei

-4

71

26 Algeria

-7

872

80 Saudi Arabia

8

417

134 South Sudan

10

246

188 Montserrat

-4

67

27 Slovakia

-9

857

80 Antigua and Barbuda

3

417

135 Tanzania

1

245

189 Seychelles

-5

60

28 Ukraine

-4

806

82 Jordan

17

411

136 Chad

39

240

190 Fiji

-1

59

29 Northern Ireland

6

797

83 Venezuela

-14

408

137 Philippines

-3

236

191 Tahiti

-3

56

30 Ghana

-5

793

84 China PR

-3

403

138 Palestine

-8

233

192 Nepal

-2

51

31 Iceland

-8

792

85 Qatar

7

397

139 FYR Macedonia

-7

230

193 Cayman Islands

-2

49

32 Cape Verde Islands

9

762

86 Liberia

9

394

140 Lebanon

0

228

194 Sri Lanka

-3

45

33 Hungary

0

759

87 Iraq

-2

392

141 Guinea-Bissau

6

216

195 Macau

-2

44

33 USA

-4

759

88 Togo

-9

386

142 Barbados

12

206

196 San Marino

0

35

35 Denmark

-7

743

89 Faroe Islands

-4

385

143 St Lucia

-4

204

197 Turks and Caicos Islands

0

33

36 Albania

-4

723

90 Estonia

-3

370

144 Thailand

1

202

198 British Virgin Islands

1

27

37 Greece

7

718

91 Guatemala

-9

367

145 Hong Kong

8

199

199 Solomon Islands

-2

26

38 Poland

5

712

92 Oman

10

365

146 Luxembourg

-4

197

200 Tonga

0

17

39 Senegal

-1

678

93 Burkina Faso

-17

363

147 Vietnam

2

193

201 Vanuatu

0

13

40 Costa Rica

2

671

94 El Salvador

0

361

147 Lesotho

41 Tunisia

-5

668

95 Honduras

-6

359

149 Dominican Republic

42 Republic of Ireland

12

659

96 Rwanda

-3

356

43 Iran

-4

651

97 Malawi

4

44 Scotland

-4

649

98 Angola

45 Sweden

0

647

99 Latvia

46 Norway

-12

637

47 Paraguay

14 5

48 Korea Republic

-7

193

202 Eritrea

0

8

-30

187

203 Mongolia

0

6

150 Curaçao

2

182

203 Somalia

0

6

351

151 Bermuda

-13

181

205 Andorra

0

5

-1

344

152 Guyana

-15

179

206 Papua New Guinea

0

4

4

342

152 Singapore

5

179

207 Anguilla

1

0

100 Nicaragua

-5

341

154 Moldova

-22

177

207 Bahamas

1

0

610

101 St Kitts and Nevis

11

340

155 Guam

-5

170

207 Djibouti

-1

0

606

102 Canada

2

335

156 Afghanistan

-6

168

49 Serbia

14

605

103 Benin

-3

333

157 São Tomé e Príncipe

36

165

50 Japan

5

603

104 Mauritania

-15

328

158 Malta

-1

164

51 Cameroon

-3

597

105 Niger

15

327

159 New Zealand

-11

163

52 Congo

-3

593

105 Botswana

6

327

160 Tajikistan

0

159

53 Guinea

2

589

107 Burundi

6

321

161 Myanmar

2

157

54 Trinidad and Tobago

5

588

108 Cuba

9

312

162 Timor-Leste

8

155

38

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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

PUZZLE

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

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EASY

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Translation www.sportstranslations.com

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Project Management Bernd Fisa, Christian Schaub

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Puzzles courtesy: opensky.ca/sudoku

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39

FOOTBALL FOR HOPE

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