The FIFA Weekly Issue #42

ISSUE 42/2015, 23 OCTOBER 2015

ENGLISH EDITION

Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Since 1904

CHILE 2015 FIFA COURSES FOR YOUTH COACHES ITALY ALL EYES ON FIORENTINA VIETNAM MARKO SIMIC A HIT WITH THE CHAMPIONS

Pavel Vrba’s successful team

CZECH COMEBACK W W W.FIFA.COM/ THEWEEKLY

THIS WEEK IN THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL

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Ecuador Emelec’s hopes of defending their Primera A title are still alive despite talismanic coach Gustavo Quinteros departing to lead the national side halfway through the season.

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Marko Simic The striker discusses his time in Vietnam’s V-League and explains why it will be difficult for him to break into the Croatian national team.

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South America 10 members www.conmebol.com

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F IFA Ballon d’Or 2015 With one of football’s most coveted accolades set to be presented on 11 January 2016, FIFA and France Football have announced their shortlists for the awards.

Czech comeback Our cover image of national team coach Pavel Vrba (l.) and his advisor Karel Bruckner was taken during the Czech Republic’s final training session in Prague on 9 October 2015, on the eve of their 2-0 UEFA EURO 2016 qualifier defeat to Turkey.

Stanislav Krupar

Italy Paulo Sousa is seeking to lead Fiorentina to their first Serie A title since 1969.

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U-17 World Cup National associations are taking full advantage of FIFA’s interesting programmes during the youth tournament in Chile. Pictured: Korea Republic’s Seungmo Lee (right) and Guinea’s Morlaye Sylla (left)

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

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FIFA U-17 World Cup

FIFA Club World Cup

17 October – 8 November 2015, Chile

10 – 20 December 2015, Japan

imago, Getty Images

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North and Central America 35 members www.concacaf.com

A new dawn in Prague After becoming the second nation to qualify for UEFA EURO 2016 after England, the Czech Republic are dreaming of success once more. Nineteen years after their runners-up finish at the continent’s biggest international tournament, head coach Pavel Vrba is at the forefront of a fresh start for the national team.

Alan Schweingruber visited Prague to find out more.

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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Sami Hyypia The Finn recalls the unforgettable 2005 UEFA Champions League final.

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Michael Regan / Getty Images, Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP

Jurgen Klopp The German’s arrival in Liverpool has generated excitement across England.

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UNCOVERED

A fresh start W

hen the Czech Republic made their international debut in Turkey 21 years ago, their 4-1 win hinted at a promising future. They have not missed out on a European Championship since, even progressing all the way to the final at the first attempt at UEFA EURO 1996 in England.

The Czechs were only vanquished by Oliver Bierhoff’s golden goal in extra time of that showpiece in London, but the loss signaled the start of a worrying and seemingly endless period of unfulfilled promise. Despite boasting an array of world-class players, the Czech Republic have only featured at one World Cup, in Germany back in 2006, and can boast just one other semi-final appearance, at UEFA EURO 2004.

How can a national team tap into its previous success? As Alan Schweingruber reports from Prague starting on page six, the Czech Republic have opted to focus on developing young players and integrating them into the country’s top flight, where improvement efforts are also underway. Å

Mario Wagner / 2Agenten

Perikles Monioudis

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Charles Bridge, Prague The city’s old coronation route is an oasis of calm at first light before the tourists arrive.

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A NEW DAWN IN PRAGUE The Czech Republic’s bold decision to make a fresh start under top coach Pavel Vrba helped them to qualify for UEFA EURO 2016 with two games to spare, writes Alan Schweingruber from Prague.

Photos by Stanislav Krupar.

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The world’s largest stadium While the overcast and increasingly dark skies mean it is almost certainly too late in the day to climb the famous Strahov Hill, its allure is simply too great to ignore. At its summit stands the largest arena in the world, where mass sporting events called Spartakiads were held in front of a 200,000-strong crowd during the Communist era. Today Sparta Prague use this colossal concrete structure as a youth training centre, making it an unmissable visit for anyone seeking to take the pulse of modern Czech football.

The Internet connection suddenly sparks into life just as a couple of sweaty tourists push their way onto an already packed tram.

After some hesitation the smartphone eventually plays a long-awaited short film from the 1970s showing a highlight reel from the Spartakiads. The sight of thousands of athletes running onto the field to perform a vast choreographed routine is amazing to behold.

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As has already been mentioned, football is now the order of the day at Strahov Stadium. An incredible nine pitches fit inside its stands and the entire structure stretches more than 3,000 metres in length. A large section of the stands has long since been closed off to the public, while much of the inside of the arena is unrecognisable compared to its socialist heyday. The complex includes a restaurant complete with children’s play area, new changing facilities and, under a canopy beside the stadium’s giant lawnmowers, the Communist vehicle of choice: the Trabant or ’Trabi’, as it was affectionately known. This one is even decked out in Sparta Prague’s colours.

A father stands by one corner flag watching his son train. “Very few of the boys know about the historical significance of this place,” he says. “They just come here to train and play their matches at the weekend.” It all sounds very practical. When asked whether he can remember the Strahov Stadium’s heyday himself, he lets out a loud guffaw: “Of course.”

“I took over the club because I have a dream. I want to be back at the top in five years time.”

Jiri Ryva, Viktoria Zizkov president Sparta Prague won 20 championships before Czechoslovakia was divided up in 1992 and have won a further 12 domestic titles since then. No other club in the Czech Republic has ever been more successful. While strolling proudly back to the dressing room after their training session, one youth player reflects on the first team’s prospects. “They’ve just got to get themselves back in the Champions League,” he says. “I want stars like Lionel Messi or Karim Benzema to come to Prague.”

Although the young Sparta trainee could just as easily have mentioned Petr Cech or Tomas Rosicky, who both play in London for Arsenal, the trend among the Czech Republic’s world-class players is quite different. Many of the current crop of international stars have already passed the peak of their careers, with UEFA EURO 2016 expected to be the final major tournament for the injury-plagued yet technically brilliant Rosicky at least. Football fans across the country are longing for new talents to emerge, perhaps even a young generation capable of taking on the world as Pavel Nedved and Jan Koller once did.

Longing for a golden generation Everyone in Prague knows at least something about Nedved’s ’Golden Generation’, including the waitress at the fashionable Cafe Slavia on the Vltava, where a man in a bow tie plays memorable film themes at a piano in the corner. According to the waitress, it is no coincidence that Nedved and Co. only really emerged after the Czechs finished runners-up at EURO 1996. Coming just four years after the country was carved up, their surprising run to the final spurred them on and ensured that no Czech team has been considered outsiders at a major tournament since.

Alan Schweingruber (1)

L

ight shines out from an upper-floor window at Viktoria Zizkov’s clubhouse. It appears to be coming from the boardroom. The restaurant on the ground floor is closed today, and its staff are busy sliding chairs under freshly cleaned tables. Thursday is not a matchday here, so much of the time is usually spent preparing for the next fixture, but on this particular day a crisis meeting is underway. All is not well at Viktoria Zizkov. The former Czech champions now play in the country’s third division, and their struggle to avoid numerous defeats even at this level has prompted heated debate among fans.

A staff member chooses this moment to open the restaurant window and let fresh air into the room. While the circulation of oxygen certainly makes sense in light of the events unfolding elsewhere in the building, it has the opposite effect for anyone standing outside as the lingering smell of beer and stale cigarette smoke drifts out into the cool evening air. It seems there have been plenty of celebrations here – or should that be ruminations?

Viktoria Zizkov enjoy a kind of cult status – not necessarily in Prague, where aficionados of the beautiful game tend to prefer watching Sparta or Slavia games, but among overseas fans from countries such as Scotland or Germany. The old stadium is nestled so snugly in a residential district that locals can follow the match from their kitchen table. The European nights that unfolded here in the early Noughties have since become the stuff of legend.

Back on the first floor, the president’s secretary makes coffee as an impromptu meeting gets underway. Jiri Ryva, who acquired the debt-laden club for the symbolic sum of one Czech koruna, sits at his desk. The cabinet behind him shows an array of souvenirs from some of the continent’s most famous clubs, from Chelsea and Sevilla to Glasgow Rangers, but only teams from the Czech provinces make the journey to Viktoria Stadium these days. Ryva sounds wistful as he reflects upon the bribery scandal that hit the club hard in 2002 and the debt that has since threatened to swallow it whole. “Then there was automatic relegation,” he says. “I took over the club because I have a dream. I want to be back at the top in five years time. It would be great if we could contribute something positive to Czech football again.”

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Crisis meeting Fans gather to meet the president in the dimly-lit clubhouse of Prague side Viktoria Zizkov.

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“PEOPLE WILL SHOW US RESPECT” He achieved great things at Viktoria Plzen and now Pavel Vrba wants to lead the Czech Republic to success. “We were in a similar situation when we won the Euros in 1976,” he says.

Mr Vrba, is it true that you like to make jokes in the dressing room?

Why did you hesitate for so long in 2013 when it was clear that the association wanted you as national team coach?

Pavel Vrba: Put it this way, I think it’s better to approach certain situations with a sense of humour. Particularly with young players, it’s important that the coach is not too heavy-handed when trying to resolve issues. The players respect me for that.

It’s not entirely true to say that I hesitated. I was under contract at Viktoria Plzen and had a successful time there. You don’t just walk away from that. In the end we were all able to agree and I signed a contract on 1st January 2014.

People say that man management is one of your strengths

It’s well documented that you prefer the day-to-day business of club management.

Do you think you’ll go back to that?

If other people say that then I’m happy (laughs). In all seriousness, I won’t be the judge of that. But it’s fun and exciting to work with young players and see how they develop.

I do like that day-to-day management and I can see myself coaching a club side again, but leading a national team is great.

There’s nothing better in football, really. You can’t turn down those sorts of offers.

Many Czechs long for the golden generation of Pavel Nedved and Jan Koller. Will we see another one like that soon?

You can never predict the future but what I’m seeing at the moment gives me hope. There is something happening in Czech football. We don’t have a team of superstars, with the obvious exception of Petr Cech and Tomas Rosicky, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Czechoslovakia team at the 1976 UEFA European Championships was in a similar situation, and they went on to win the tournament.

What was that like at the time?

Do you mean Antonin Panenka’s goal?

No, in general. (raises eyebrows) It was a great moment in my life. I was 13 years old and watched the final against Germany on TV – you don’t forget things like that. The 90 minutes, the extra time, the penalty shoot-out, the winning kick when Antonin Panenka lobbed Maier... I can’t put it into words.

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What’s the state of domestic football in the Czech Republic?

Pavel Vrba Czech Republic coach since January 2014.

You’ve guided Czech Republic comfortably to EURO 2016. Is your team a dark horse for the tournament in France?

That’s not for me to say, but we’re going into the tournament with good self-belief.

Our results in qualifying show what the team is capable of. I think people will show us respect next summer.

Will you also be leading the team at the FIFA World Cup in 2018?

I hope so, obviously, but nothing has been decided yet. My contract runs until the end of 2017 with the option of a two-year extension.

The fact that we have a successful national team consisting largely of players who play in the Czech Republic says a lot.

The level of quality is good. While we don’t have any teams in the UEFA Champions League, we’re well represented in the UEFA Europa League.

Pavel Vrba was speaking to Alan Schweingruber

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Current Czech international Borek Dockal was eight years old in the summer of 1996. “That second-place finish inspired me,” he recalls.

“I remember the mood in our country so well.” The Czechs took the lead against Germany before conceding two goals from Oliver Bierhoff, the second in extra time. A theory still swirls around Prague that the Czech Republic would have celebrated their second European Championship title after Czechoslovakia’s 1976 triumph had their latter bid not coincided with the short-lived era of the golden goal.

The present-day national team are staying in the city for the next few days and are accompanied by 75-year-old Karel Bruckner, the man responsible for coaching and moulding the Golden Generation between 2001 and 2008. Once dubbed ’The Professor’, Bruckner now serves as an advisor to head coach Pavel Vrba and no longer gives interviews. He appears to revel in this new-found freedom and now has about as much contact with journalists as Woody Allen does with the world of bodybuilding.

Karel Bruckner now serves as an advisor and no longer gives interviews. He appears to revel in this new-found freedom.

At the national team’s final training session before their UEFA EURO 2016 qualifier against Turkey, Bruckner strolls back and forth along the touchline observing proceedings, occasionally pausing to speak with Vrba before setting off once again.

There is a fleeting yet deceptive feeling of privilege to be able to watch him as he goes about his business given that the media, including photographers, were welcomed to this session well in advance. With such an invitation too good to pass up in an era when teams increasingly opt to train behind closed doors, members of the press corps have arrived on time despite jostling their way onto public transport with the frazzled tourists to make the trip up Strahov Hill.

Jumper story charms a nation Pavel Vrba seems relaxed and happy to respond to questions. He confirms that he was the one who wanted Karel Bruckner to work alongside him, a gesture that hints at a man open to other points of view. This approach can be extremely beneficial: for example, if Jogi Low had considered it beneath him to seek advice at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Germany may well have been eliminated by France in the quarter-final. “I’m happy to be influenced by good coaches,” Vrba says. “I find it inspiring to watch how my colleagues work. Besides, Karel Bruckner knows so much about football that there’s no way I could pass up the chance to work with him.”

With the Czech Republic failing to qualify for Brazil 2014, Vrba symbolises a fresh start for the national side, helping them to secure their place at UEFA EURO 2016 with two matches to spare.

Although the country’s football association courted the 51-year-old long before his appointment was confirmed, the fact that he refused to leave Viktoria Plzen high and dry in 2013 (see interview on page 10) offers further proof of his down-to-earth attitude. Vrba

Petr Cech The only star in the current national team apart from Tomas Rosicky.

New kids on the block Almost all of the Czech Republic’s starlets play for clubs in their homeland.

The Professor Karel Bruckner shaped Nedved’s ’Golden Generation’.

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Jiri Ryva The Zizkov president pictured at the club’s home ground, a venue that once hosted teams like Chelsea and Glasgow Rangers.

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led Plzen to their first two championship titles of all time, enabling them to qualify for the UEFA Champions League twice in the process.

The former Slovakia assistant coach is renowned for his ability to deal effectively with young players. In one memorable incident at Viktoria Plsen, a couple of new squad additions made fun of their coach’s old reindeer-patterned jumper. When the story unexpectedly went public, Vrba promised to bid the pullover farewell, prompting the players at the centre of the anecdote to present him with a replacement, complete with reindeer, at a club press conference. As the nation laughed, Vrba chuckled along with them.

Prague shows no signs of gloom the morning after the national team’s 2-0 defeat by Turkey. The sun is shining after several dreary days, and as the pale October light illuminates the streets it is difficult to imagine a more beautiful city anywhere in the world. Young skateboarders gather on the Letna plateau, flying through the air and landing challenging tricks with consummate ease. Their technically adept movements call to mind the unassuming Tomas Rosicky, who moved from Prague to Dortmund at the age of 20 and promptly captivated crowds in his new home. What would have become of these skateboarders if they had pulled on football shirts instead of plaid shirts ten years ago? Fifteen-year-old local Mikulas poses for a photo, the Charles Bridge resplendent behind him.

Strahov Stadium The world’s largest football stadium has space for nine pitches.

The skateboarders’ technically adept movements call to mind the unsassuming Tomas Rosicky, who once made the move from Prague to Dortmund.

An older gentleman sits on a bench not far from the skaters, reading a sports newspaper report about the renowned Letensky Pohar rock-androll dance competition. Each year hundreds of children and young people travel to Prague from across Eastern Europe to win glittering trophies in an unprepossessing sports hall. High-tempo music blasts out from every corner towards an illuminated dance floor in the centre of the room, creating an infernal din.

The report briefly brings to mind memories of the clubhouse at Viktoria Zizkov, where the sound of raised voices and fists angrily slammed down on tables floats from the windows when fans take issue with President Ryva. The building is being demolished in a couple of weeks, and while nobody knows exactly what this might mean for the club, hopes are high for the kind of successful fresh start the national team has just enjoyed. With any luck, the president’s dream will come true at last. Å

Cult status A Sparta ’Trabi’ sits beside the lawnmowers at Strahov Stadium.

C z ech R epublic

Population: 10.5 million Neighbours: Germany, Poland, Austria, Slovakia Czechoslovakia (1918-1992): Dissolved on 1 January 1993.

The separated states are named the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.

2014/2015 league champions: Viktoria Plzen Record champions: Slavia Prague (12 titles) 2015/2016 Europa League: Viktoria Plzen, Sparta Prague, Slovan Liberec Antonin, 15 Prague’s stakeboarders meet on the historic Letna plateau.

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Italy: Serie A

F io r e nt i n a d a r i n g to d r e a m Sven Goldmann is a leading football correspondent at Tages­spiegel newspaper in Berlin.

For the last 13 years, every Serie A champion has hailed from either Milan or Turin. This geographical monopoly of domestic glory is not unique to Italy. A similar situation exists in England with the cities of London and Manchester; in Spain it is Barcelona and Madrid, and in Scotland, you need to go back as far as 1986 to find a champion from outside Glasgow.

In Italy, however, change could well be afoot, and a new force could be on the rise in Florence. AC Fiorentina suffered a setback on week eight of the season – a 2-1 defeat at

I N S I D E

Napoli – but they remain top of Serie A thanks to Inter Milan’s goalless draw against out-of-sorts Juventus, winners of the last four championships.

The mood at Stadio Artemio Franchi is understandably buoyant, if only because the current outlook of the table is a major surprise for La Viola, as the club is affectionately called. For while Fiorentina have been an established top-half side for many years now, few supporters have even contemplated their side winning the league. Before this season, Fiorentina last topped the table back in 1999, three decades after they became champions.

While the present side’s hold on top spot hangs somewhat in the balance, their predecessors barely wavered in marching to the title in 1968-69. Under Bruno Pesaola, Fiorentina lost just once in the entire season, also achieving the feat of being undefeated away from home, a feat unmatched until Juventus went the entire 2011/12 campaign unbeaten.

Can Paulo Sousa – who was not even born when the club were last champions – become the next Pesaola and lead Fiorentina to only a third Scudetto in their almost 90-year history? The Portuguese tactician certainly knows what it takes to win championships – he won the league in each of the last two seasons before pitching up in Florence, firstly with Israeli outfit Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2014 and then Swiss side FC Basel in 2015.

Nevertheless, he does not quite enjoy universal support from the fans on account of his past associations in Italian football. The 45-year-old had a successful stint as a player at Juve, Fiorentina’s biggest rival, and his appointment as coach in the summer was a highly controversial affair. That ill feeling has largely died down of late, however, with sporting director Daniele Prade describing Sousa as “our best transfer”.

Like Pesaola in the late Sixties, Sousa has been put in charge of an impressive array of talent. Despite important figures such as Mario Gomez, Stefan Savic and Alberto Aquilani leaving the clu b in the summer, the squad has been replenished with new arrivals Nikola Kalinic from Dnipro and Polish utility man Jakub Blaszczykowski, on loan from Borussia Dortmund, complementing the likes of Borja Valero and Josip Ilicic. The players have also adapted seamlessly to Sousa’s style of high pressing, best evidenced by a ruthless 4-1 win away at Inter in late September.

Carlos Hermann / AFP

Sousa’s side might also have withstood the Napoli onslaught and taken something from the game on their last outing. Kalinic’s fifth goal of the season in the 73rd minute cancelled out the opener from the hosts’ Lorenzo Insigne but the joy was short-lived – Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain struck the winner two minutes later. La Viola remain top of the Serie A pile though, and this season may still turn out to be third time lucky for Fiorentina. Å

Setback Fiorentina coach Paulo Sousa, flanked by Borja Valero (l.) and Nikola Kalinic (r.), leaves the pitch after the 2-1 loss at Napoli.

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On target Lao Toyota’s Kazuo Honma is the Premier League’s top goalscorer.

N e c k-a n d -n e c k f i n ish i n Laos Emanuele Giulianelli is a freelance football correspondent based in Milan.

It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the Lao Premier League will be decided on goal difference this year. Ahead of the final round of fixtures, Lao Toyota and Lanexang United sit joint top of the table on 45 points apiece. Third-placed SHB Vientiane are currently on 40 points with a game in hand, but their chances of beating both their rivals to the title are slim at best.

Lao Toyota host fourth-placed Lao Police, who are ten points behind the leaders, on 16

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the final day of the season, while Lanexang United travel to reigning champions Hoang Anh Attapeu, now languishing in fifth with no hope of repeating last season’s triumph.

Should both title contenders win their final match, the regulations stipulate that goal difference is the first criterion used to separate the two teams. Lanexang’s goal difference of +49 puts them in a stronger position than Lao Toyota, who are only on +42.

Neither Lanexang nor Lao Toyota have won the league before. The traditional hierarchies in Laotian football have been turned upside down in recent seasons, and it would hardly be surprising if that trend continues. After all, the league was only founded in 1990, and many clubs have either changed their name or merged with other teams in the intervening period.

Lao Toyota, who were only founded in 2013, are managed by former Laos national team coach David Booth. Arguably the Englishman’s most prized asset is Japan’s Kazuo Honma, the division’s leading scorer.

Lanexang, meanwhile, boast Uruguay’s Diego Emilio Silva, home-grown talent Soukaphone Vongchiengkham, Japanese import Kosuke Huchida and Australian Kaz Patafta in their ranks. The team is managed by 37-year-old Portuguese Eduardo Almeida, who previously worked in Tanzania. Å

Lao Toyota / Deesler

Laos: Premier League

Ecuador Primera A

Emelec a nd the Q u i nte r o s l e g a c y Jordi Punti is a novelist and a prolific football features writer in the Spanish media.

Ecuador made the perfect start to their 2018 World Cup Russia qualifying campaign a few days ago by beating Argentina 2-0 in Buenos Aires, a result described by the nation’s press as “historic”. Though Lionel Messi was missing from the Albiceleste line-up through injury, his absence took none of the gloss from a victory achieved by a solid, well-drilled unit that looks to have a bright future ahead of it.

Juan Cevallos / API Photos

No one took more satisfaction or delight from the win than Ecuador’s Argentinian-born coach Gustavo Quinteros, who spent

part of his playing career in Bolivia and took out Bolivian nationality in order to play for La Verde. After moving into coaching, he went to Ecuador in 2012 to take on the Emelec job, promptly guiding the Guayaquil side to back-to-back league titles in 2013 and 2014. An intense character and a good communicator with his players, Quinteros became the man of the moment in Ecuadorian football and was invited in March this year to take charge of the national side and steer it through the Copa America and on to the next World Cup. Quinteros’ mid-season departure had Emelec fans fearing the worst, though continuity arrived in the shape of another Argentinian coach, Omar de Felippe, a proponent of the same style as his predecessor. Emelec currently lie fifth in the table, six points behind leaders Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito, but they do have two games in hand, and the fans are confident they can keep their chances of reaching the championship play-off final

intact. Those hopes were boosted by victory over arch cross-town rivals Barcelona Sporting Club in the Clásico del Astillero (Shipyard Derby), though last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Nacional momentarily dampened optimism in the Emelec ranks.

The reigning champions are facing a stiff challenge in their bid to retain the title, with several teams still in the running for this season’s honours. Frontrunners Liga have already secured their place in the final by virtue of having ended the first stage of the season on top, while Universidad Catolica, Independiente and SD Aucas are all vying with Emelec to join them there. With only six points separating the top five and eight matchdays remaining, it promises to be quite a finale. Å

Unstoppable Emelec’s Esteban de la Cruz hurdles Nacional centre-back Eduardo Morante.

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THE INTERVIEW

“I play football in 90 per cent humidity” After spells in Moscow, Budapest, Warsaw and Venice, Croatian striker Marko Simic headed to Vietnam, where he immediately won a league and cup double.

What does football represent to you?

Marko Simic: It’s a dream come true.

Since I was a child, I’d always wanted to become a professional footballer. I started playing very young and I’ve never changed my mind about what I want to do. Football is my life. My career has been plagued by various injuries and at times I was on the verge of hanging up my boots. I’ve overcome many difficulties, but now I’m back and in the most unexpected of places: in Vietnam. I’ve played in Poland, Russia, Hungary, Croatia and Italy and everyone predicted a bright future for me, including in the Croatian national team, before the injuries started to take their toll. But now I’ve found happiness here.

can reach 90 per cent, sometimes it’s really terrible. So that’s another reason to be proud of what I’ve done.

How does it feel to play for such a prestigious club?

Our team is the best in the country, so much so that it’s known as the Chelsea of Vietnam. Some people even call it the “little national team”: 70-80 per cent of the top Vietnamese players play here at Becamex BD, and we have a squad of 20 players. To give you an idea of the quality in our team, 15 players have been capped at least once by the national side and five are established internationals. Our main rivals in the race for the league title are T&T Hanoi and Thanh Hoa.

So how did you end up in Vietnam?

It is indeed a really unusual destination for a footballer. I was contacted by an agent who has links in South East Asia and, subsequently, the Becamex Binh Duong club contacted me at a difficult time, while I was still out through injury. Then I talked to my friend Nastja Ceh, who plays at Club Brugge. He played in Vietnam and advised me to accept the offer, saying that I would be fine there.

And? He was right. It’s been a great year, we won the league and cup, I’ve done the double in my first posting here, and in the space of just four months! It’s a fantastic result, I feel really happy and proud at the same time, because I’m the first European player to achieve it. Playing in Vietnam is tough for those coming from European football like myself, because it takes a long time to adapt because it’s so different. It feels like you’re playing football in a sauna.

The temperatures are high and humidity 18

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Is football popular in the country?

The state of the stadiums and training infrastructure isn’t good, to be honest. They need to improve a lot to reach the same level as Thailand, which is the top league in South East Asia, or Malaysia, which is an emerging footballing power. Even so, the fans are really passionate and noisy! They’re so devoted to the team and I can say that they always let us know how much they love us, their heroes. There are so many fans who follow our sport and particularly our club.

Will you stay in Vietnam next year?

Life here is really interesting for me.

I can safely say that I’m doing better here than any other place in the world where I’ve played. And I can say that I’ve been a footballer and have lived in Moscow, Budapest, Warsaw and near to Venice! After every game I have obligations such as interviews, participating in TV shows and public events, all of which is so fun and interesting to me. The culture is different from that of

Europe, as is the food, but even in Ho Chi Minh City, where I live, I have a blast in my free time. I love everything about Vietnam.

Lately there are also lots of tourists who come to these parts to discover unfamiliar but really beautiful locations. The city never sleeps, all the bars and most stores stay open all night, there’s lots to do if you want to have fun. I’m about to sign a new contract, so I’ll be here next year too.

And the national team? Is it a dream, having worked your way through the national youth ranks?

It will be really tough to get back into the Croatia team because if you play in Asia you don’t get considered, even if you’re good and even if you are a big name in Vietnamese football. So I don’t think about it, although, if I’m honest, it’s always at the back of my thoughts.

Do you think that football in Vietnam can grow? And what role is FIFA playing?

For sure, the whole setup has plenty of room for improvement. As I said, there’s still lots to be done in terms of infrastructure and stadiums, but I also believe that Vietnam could do more if it allowed clubs to register more foreign players. Currently there can only be two of us per team, so coming to play here is like winning the lottery. I think that FIFA, with its grassroots projects, is doing lots of good work for the growth and development of football in this country. Å Marko Simic was speaking to Emanuele Giulianelli

Name Marko Simic Date and place of birth 23 January 1988, Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia Position Striker

Šime Eškinja

Clubs played for 2007–2009 FC Khimki 2008 Daugava Daugavpils (loan) 2009–2011 Lokomotiva 2011 Radnik Sesvete (loan) 2011–2012 Vasas SC 2012 Ferencvarosi TC 2013 Mura 05 2013–2015 NK Inter Zapresic 2015 Pordenone since 2015 Becamex Binh Duong Croatia U-21s 3 caps, 1 goal

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First Love Place: Carcavelos Beach, Portugal Date: 20 Febr ua r y 2015 Time: 16.57 p.m.

Photog rapher: Francisco Seco

Keystone/AP

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F IFA SUS TAIN ABILI T Y PROGR AMME S

Vina del Mar Youth coaches at the workshop on 21 October.

Youth coaches further their education in Chile During the FIFA U-17 World Cup, national associations are benefitting from interesting sustainability programmes. The Youth Football Course, for instance, is designed for youth coaches the world over.

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IFA is not only renowned for its ability to organise top-quality tournaments across the globe, but also for the sustainable legacy these competitions leave behind. FIFA’s investments are thus doubly beneficial.

The best U-17 national teams on the planet are currently in Chile, battling to be crowned world champions. Running parallel to the colourful tournament which has already provided fascinating on-field spectacles, FIFA is staging additional sustainability programmes: The Youth Football Course, taking place from 16-24 October in Vina del Mar, and the Grassroots Festival on 30 October in Santiago.

Acting FIFA Secretary General Markus Kattner said of the Youth Football Course: 22

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“The objective of the seminar is to improve specialist knowledge and the ability of youth coaches. It has been organised during the FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015 in order to offer the youth coaches in the CONMEBOL zone the opportunity to attend, observe and learn from this world-class youth tournament.”

Nibaldo Jaque, secretary general of the Chilean football association, added: “We believe that the best way to share knowledge is through the unique experience of participating at a World Cup. That is why we invited the youth coaches of the continent’s U-17 and U-20 national teams to this event as a way of establishing a legacy in the technical development of the game.”

The Youth Football Course’s topics have included ‘Playing concepts’ and ‘General aspects of playing styles’, and in total the programme will stage over 30 sessions between 16 and 24 October.

The Youth Football Course has been well received and even the national associations whose teams are not represented at the current U-17 World Cup such as Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela are benefitting from the FIFA programmes. Å tfw

For all the latest on the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile and the Youth Football Course visit: http://tinyurl.com/2d5j9dz

F IFA SUS TAIN ABILI T Y PROGR AMME S

“We have to keep learning” Arriving early, making notes, chatting to classmates and listening to teacher, the routine of school is an inevitable fact of life for children. But at the FIFA U-17 World Cup currently being held in Chile, it is not the youngsters who are filing into classrooms.

Martin Rose / Getty Images

Fabian Coito Coach of Uruguay’s U-20 team.

In addition to a Grassroot s festival, the FIFA U -17 World Cup’s Leg ac y Programme has brought 27 of South A mer ica’s leading youth coaches, several of whom are based locally, together in a classroom for a coaching course. “I’m absolutely thrilled about it. It ’s fantastic to have oppor tunities like this, especially at such a big tournament,” said Uruguay ’s U -20 coach Fabian Coito in V ina del Mar. The 48 -year old Ur uguayan has ex tensive exper ience of coaching youngs ter s, having spent the las t eight year s over seeing his countr y ’s youth teams, enjoying spells with the Celeste U -15 and U -17 sides and taking the lat ter to a notable runners - up spot at the 2011 World Cup for the age group in Mexico.

Past achievement s confer no special status here, however. Coito ris es early ever y day to play a willing par t in the various tasks featured in the coaching programme. Joining him are colleagues such as Ro gerio Micale – a former U -20 world champion with Brazil – and Car los Restrepo of Colombia, to name but t wo. Super vising proceedings are Jorge Diaz - Cidoncha, FIFA Head of Grassroot s and Youth Football, and Daniel Banales, FIFA’s Technical Development Of f icer for the CONMEBOL region. E xplaining the content of the course, Coito said: “ We take par t in a range of on - pitch ac tivities, working on both physical and tac tical preparation in training. T here are also pres entations and discussions on the games being played here in Chile.”

T he task is straight for ward, with the coaches being split into groups to analyse each team, as was the case on the opening day of the competition at the Estadio Centenario, where Nigeria took on USA and Chile faced Croatia. “ T he following day we analysed dif ferent aspec t s of the match,” explained Coito. “It was ver y interesting be cause we all spoke about the same things, like playing the ball out from the back, but we all saw them and assessed them in dif ferent ways.” T his intensive course also includes a wide range of presenta tions, some given by the par ticipant s themselves.

Youth coaches in South America face a number of challenges, one of them being the constant stream of players par ting for Europe while they are still in the process of learning their trade, while another is the temptations youngsters face at increasingly early ages.

Discussing the issue, Coito, whose playing career took him from Uru guay to Chile, Peru and Honduras, said: “A lot of kids get distrac ted by things around them, which means we have to s tay abreas t of what ’s going on and help them get interested again. I came here with that challenge in mind and I’m really rising to it.”

Teaching is an integral par t of a coach’s job and requires a good deal of patience. “ We work with kids who are developing as players and as people too,” said Coito. “ T hey get distrac ted a lot and we have to be ready to deal with that.” How exac tly? “Reaching out to them and making a convincing case is not easy, which is why it ’s impor tant to keep up with development s and take courses like this with colleagues of all ages, some of whom are just star ting out. It ’s all good.”

Providing plent y of debate, analysis and training - ground work as well as an oppor tunit y to exchange ideas and experiences, the course has ensured that Chile 2015 is a rewarding occasion both for the players providing the enter tainment on the pitch and the coache s honing their skills and knowledge of f it. “ We need to remember, though, that we have to keep on learning the whole time,” warned Coito. “ The only way we can maintain the standards required at these age groups is by continually adapting and keeping up with development s.”

Alejandro Varsky, Chile

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C H I L E 2015

A great day Germany’s U-17s pay a visit to the Francisco Reinisch children’s home in Chillan.

Visit of a lifetime

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urrently competing in Group C of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015, the German squad are based in the city of Chillan and they paid a visit to the Hogar Residencial de Niños y Adolescentes Francisco Reinisch (Francisco Reinisch Residential Home for Children and Youths) where Nicolas is living along with nine other boys and girls at risk of social exclusion.

“The children were really excited when I told them the German players were coming,” said the home’s director Maria Antonieta, who leads the group of monitors that live and work with the children on a daily basis. “We try and make this centre more like a family home than an institution. The kids go to school, get medical treatment and we try 24

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to give them the chance to take part in extracurricular activities.”

First steps Nicolas, for example, trains with other children at local club Nublense, in sessions designed to provide a stepping stone towards – hopefully – a place in the club’s youth setup. “I’ve been playing with them for ten months now and we train three times a week.

I play at left-back!” The youngster was barely able to contain his enthusiasm.

Once the Germany squad arrives, though, the centre, only the size of a modest family home, starts to feel a touch cramped. So after a few slightly tentative opening exchanges between the players and children, both groups find the ideal way of breaking the ice:

an improvised kickaround on the dirt pitch in the yard behind the home. Nicolas and another of the boys from the shelter pick the teams, and away they go.

“Every time we visit other countries, when time permits we try to organise other activities away from football,” said Germany coach Christian Wuck, smiling as he surveyed the scene. So far on this trip, his charges have combined their training, preparation and match schedule at the U-17 World Cup with a friendly clash against Nublense’s U-18 team and a visit to a German school in the city.

Lessons for football and life “If we didn’t show them, a lot of my players wouldn’t be aware there are a lot of children

Victor Orellana Navarrete

“I’m mad keen on football,” said 11-year-old Nicolas, grinning broadly.

The shirt on his back – that of his hero, Chile attacker Alexis Sanchez – backs that up. So too does his tangible excitement ahead of a very special visit from Germany’s U-17 squad.

C H I L E 2015

Goalscoring romantic With a goal and an assist, Andy Reyes played a key part in Costa Rica’s victory over South Africa in the opening game at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015.

Appetite for goals Costa Rica’s Andy Reyes.

Alex Grimm / Getty Images

A who aren’t as fortunate as they are, and it’s a good thing for them to find out,” continued Wuck, on the trip to the children’s shelter.

“This visit is good for the kids but also for my players, because this World Cup’s not just about football. At this age, you have to teach them about life too. A lot of them might not make it into the pro game, and they need to know what real life is like.”

In the meantime, Nicolas is busy giving his all during the kickabout, before challenging Germany defender Dominik Franke to show off his considerable ball skills. The visit then concludes with presents for the children and a financial donation in order for the centre to carry out some improvement work on the schoolyard. Å Elisa Revuelta

first look at Andy Reyes and you wonder why his team-mates jokingly label the slender striker ‘el comelón’. After all, the affectionate nickname roughly translates as "the eater", or someone who enjoys their food. Yet after watching him bounce off the challenges of the South African defenders, remaining upright with balance and poise, Reyes' explanation makes sense. The frontman says it’s all down to building his strength. “I’m not overweight because I’m always playing football,” Reyes said. “But I do eat a lot. I guess it’s so that during practice I don’t have problems with tackles.”

Reyes is certainly hungry for success on the global stage, saying he has a desire to follow other famous Costa Rican exports, including 2014 FIFA World Cup™ heroes Keylor Navas, Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell in going to Europe to play. Despite his lofty future plans, he is also humble, saying he wants to become professional not for the riches, fame and fortune, but so he can buy a house for his mother.

driven. His tone changes when he is asked about his ambitions as he states resolutely: “I want to be a world champion.”

Reyes was dropped from the Costa Rica squad before the CONCACAF qualifying tournament, only to return and prove his importance to coach Marcelo Herrera with five strikes during the preliminary competition in Honduras. If he continues with the inspirational performances throughout Chile 2015, he has a good chance of his dream coming true at the tender age of 16.

A World Cup winner?

A university degree is potentially on the cards for Reyes too, and all the joking and nicknames aside, the young Tico is clearly

Steve Feekins

Romantic at heart “I am really romantic,” the confident forward said when asked about his qualities. Despite his goalscoring instincts and desire to get on the ball, he is unselfish and was more than happy to lay on an assist for the side’s opening goal of the tournament, scored by Kevin Masis. “My relationship with him is very good,” Reyes said of Masis. “We're really good friends, we enjoy our moments together and we always support each other. That’s why we can celebrate these three points together.” Å

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F IFA BALL ON D’OR 2015

Shortlists for FIFA Ballon d’Or 2015 revealed

FIFA and France Football have announced the names of the nominees for football's most prestigious awards.

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On 30 November, FIFA and France Football will announce in a web show the names of the three women and three men, as well as the three coaches for women’s football and three coaches for men’s football, who have received the most votes. The three nominees for the FIFA Puskás Award, honouring the most beautiful goal of the year, will be also unveiled. Å tfw

“The final decisions will be made by the captains and head coaches of the men’s and women’s national teams as well as by selected media representatives.”

FIFA Ballon d’Or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/FIFABallonDor

Stuart Franklin / FIFA via Getty Images

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he various awards recognise the best in each category, without distinction of championship, for their respective achievements between 22 November 2014 and 20 November 2015 inclusive.

The final decisions for the men's award will be made by the captains and head coaches of the men’s national teams as well as by international media representatives selected by France Football, while the women's vote will be decided by the captains and head coaches of the women's national teams together with media representatives selected by FIFA. The winners of all of the awards will be announced at the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala in Zurich on 11 January 2016.

The shortlists for the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year and FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women's Football awards, each containing ten candidates, were announced on 19 October, while the 23-man shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d'Or and the ten contenders for FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men's Football were made public the following day.

The voting period for the awards commences on 26 October 2015 and closes on 20 November 2015. In the event that insufficient votes (less than two-thirds of all jury members) are cast during the voting period, FIFA and France Football may, at their discretion, extend the voting period by one week to allow only those participating jury members who have not yet cast their vote by 20 November 2015 to do so.

F IFA BALL ON D’OR 2015

Shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2015 FIFA Ballon d’Or Sergio Aguero (Argentina/Manchester City) Gareth Bale (Wales/Real Madrid) Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid) Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid) Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City) Eden Hazard (Belgium/Chelsea) Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden/Paris Saint-Germain) Andres Iniesta (Spain/FC Barcelona) Toni Kroos (Germany/Real Madrid) Robert Lewandowski (Poland/FC Bayern Munich) Javier Mascherano (Argentina/FC Barcelona) Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona) Thomas Muller (Germany/FC Bayern Munich) Manuel Neuer (Germany/FC Bayern Munich) Neymar (Brazil/FC Barcelona) Paul Pogba (France/Juventus) Ivan Rakitic (Croatia/FC Barcelona) Arjen Robben (Netherlands/FC Bayern Munich) James Rodriguez (Colombia/Real Madrid) Alexis Sanchez (Chile/Arsenal) Luis Suarez (Uruguay/FC Barcelona) Yaya Toure (Côte d’Ivoire/Manchester City) Arturo Vidal (Chile/FC Bayern Munich)

Sophie Stieger/13 Photo, Stuart Franklin / FIFA via Getty Images, Valeriano Di Domenico / EQ Images

FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year Nadine Angerer (Germany/Portland Thorns) Ramona Bachmann (Switzerland/FC Rosengard) Kadeisha Buchanan (Canada/West Virginia University) Amandine Henry (France/Olympique Lyon) Eugenie Le Sommer (France/Olympique Lyon) Carli Lloyd (USA/Houston Dash) Aya Miyama (Japan/Okayama Yunogo Belle) Megan Rapinoe (USA/Seattle Reign) Celia Sasic (Germany/1. FFC Frankfurt) Hope Solo (USA/Seattle Reign) FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football Massimiliano Allegri (Italy/Juventus) Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Real Madrid) Laurent Blanc (France/Paris Saint-Germain) Unai Emery (Spain/FC Sevilla) Pep Guardiola (Spain/FC Bayern Munich) Luis Enrique Martinez (Spain/FC Barcelona) Jose Mourinho (Portugal/Chelsea) Jorge Sampaoli (Argentina/Chile national team) Diego Simeone (Argentina/Atletico Madrid) Arsene Wenger (France/Arsenal) FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football Calle Barrling (Sweden/Sweden U-19 national team) Colin Bell (England/1. FFC Frankfurt) Farid Benstiti (France/Paris Saint-Germain) Jill Ellis (USA/USA national team) Laura Harvey (England/Seattle Reign) John Herdman (England/Canada national team) Gerard Precheur (France/Olympique Lyon) Mark Sampson (Wales/England national team) Norio Sasaki (Japan/Japan national team) Thomas Worle (Germany/FC Bayern Munich)

Zurich in the Ballon d'Or spotlight Each year the city welcomes fans and stars of the beautiful game.

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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

FIFA EXECUTIVE COMMITEE

PRESIDENTIAL NOTE

Further strengthening of the reform process At the extraordinary session of the FIFA Execuitve Committee the date of the elective extraordinary congress in Zurich was confirmed as 26 February 2016.

Simon Bruty

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t its extraordinary session in Zurich on 20 October, the FIFA Executive Committee approved a set of important measures to further strengthen its governance and increase the transparency of Ethics Committee proceedings while reiterating its commitment to necessary reforms already underway. The Executive Committee also confirmed 26 February 2016 as the date for the elective extraordinary congress.

The committee agreed to an important change to the rules governing investigations and decisions made by the independent Ethics Committee. Article 36 of FIFA’s Code of Ethics will be amended to allow the Ethics Committee, at its discretion, to publish more information about its ongoing proceedings. The independent chairmen of the committee’s two chambers, Hans-Joachim Eckert and Cornel Borbély, had strongly advocated such an amendment, which will increase the transparency and understanding of their work.

Domenico Scala, in his capacity as chairman of the FIFA Ad-hoc Electoral Committee, provided information to the Executive Committee regarding the ongoing process for the FIFA presidential election. He explained that candidacies for the FIFA Presidency that are submitted in due time and form, but which relate to candidates who are subject to a (provisional or definite) ban from taking part in any football-related activity, will not be processed by the Ad-hoc Electoral Committee as long as such ban is valid and in force. The chairman also told the Executive Committee that, should such a ban be lifted or expire before the FIFA presidential election, scheduled for 26 February 2016, the Ad-hoc Electoral Committee would decide, depending on the respective exact point in time, on how to proceed with the candidacy concerned. Furthermore, Domenico Scala explained that the Appeal Committee Chairman Larry Mussenden has withdrawn from his position on the Ad-hoc Electoral Committee to avoid any appearance of a potential conflict of interest. Larry Mussenden’s deputy, Fernando Mitjans, will assume the role.

The Executive Committee also welcomed the preliminary recommendations

developed by the 2016 FIFA Reform Committee and presented by its chairman, François Carrard, in an interim report. The Reform Committee will submit the final set of reform proposals to the FIFA Executive Committee at its next session in December 2015. The final proposals will be submitted to the FIFA Congress for consideration at the extraordinary congress in February 2016.

The Executive Committee stated its commitment to working on a roadmap to rebuild FIFA’s reputation and trust with a key focus on implementing the reforms.

“I was pleased to see unity among the Executive Committee members during our discussions of reform and its critical importance to our organisation and world football. Increasing the transparency of ethics investigations is just one example of our firm commitment to change,” said Acting FIFA President Issa Hayatou. “It was also significant that we set the course for the upcoming presidential election.”

Other decisions taken include: • Ángel María Villar Llona has been appointed as acting chairman of the Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup. • Acting President Issa Hayatou has assumed the position of acting chairman of the FIFA Emergency Committee while Ángel María Villar Llona has been appointed as the UEFA representative and Hany Abo Rida as the CAF representative on the committee • Due to the frequency and the high volume of qualifying matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup (851), the committee agreed to establish a specific bureau and an emergency bureau for the preliminary competition.

The bureaus will be chaired by Sheik Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.

• The Executive Committee ratified the decision of the FIFA Emergency Commitee to set up a normalisation committee for the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) with functions which will include revising the FAT electoral code and conducting the election of a new FAT executive committee by 15 February 2016 at the latest.

The next meeting of the FIFA Executive Committee will be on 2/3 December in Zurich. Å

On the road to recovery

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his week, FIFA took a big step forward on the long and difficult journey back to stability.

It will not be easy, and there may be more problems ahead, but we are now firmly on the road to recovery. By agreeing to keep the date of the Extraordinary Congress on Feb. 26, the members of the Executive Committee showed that they are serious about moving quickly to open a new chapter for the governing body of football.

By supporting draft reform proposals from Dr. Carrard and the 2016 Reform Committee, we have shown that we understand the severity of the current situation and that we are prepared to do whatever it takes to restore credibility.

Throughout my time as Acting President, I will work hard to ensure that FIFA and those who govern football around the world fully embrace this new wave of reforms – both in spirit and in action.

I expect all of our member associations to support the proposed reforms at the Extraordinary Congress in February. This is the only way forward for football: reform at all levels of the game, not just at the top. The election next year gives us all the opportunity to press the reset button and to change the way we work for the better. We must seize that opportunity with both hands, for the benefit of global football, and the hundreds of millions of players and fans who love the game. Before then, we must do everything necessary to support the ongoing investigations, both external and internal, so that those guilty of wrongdoing are identified and punished.

This will send a strong message that those who govern football must be worthy of the task.

It is our duty to give the new leader of FIFA every chance of success in rebuilding trust and restoring FIFA’s image.

Thanks to the popularity of the FIFA World Cup, we have been able to do so much for global football development.

It is vital, for this work to continue, that we take tough decisions now and begin to lay stronger foundations to guarantee a better future for FIFA, and football. Å

Best wishes, Issa Hayatou

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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

FREE KICK

SPOTLIGHT ON

GENER AL INFORMATION Country: Canada FIFA Trigramme: CAN Confederation: CONCACAF Continent: North America Capital: Ottawa

The King of the Kop Sarah Steiner

Mario Wagner / 2Agenten

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fter weeks of speculation, Jurgen Klopp was officially unveiled as Liverpool’s new manager on 9 October. Anfield has been in a frenzy ever since. Klopp-adorned merchandise has hit the market in the form of mugs, mouse mats, t-shirts, not forgetting the full-on Klopp kit, complete with glasses, cap and beard. A chant has already been coined for him too: “The new king of the Kop” will be belted out from the stand behind the south-western goal at Anfield, where the club’s most die-hard supporters congregate.

Klopp’s first game in charge was not at home, but away to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. The match ended 0-0, but the German strategist declared himself satisfied with his side’s performance: “There was an enormous amount of pressure but that was a good first step,” he said. Klopp’s famous brand of pressing-based football was evident, even if his players did not yet appear to be physically able to cope with the demands. That is soon set to change, though, with three training sessions per day reportedly planned. And to ensure the players’ concentration levels remain at a maximum, Klopp has banned their partners from visiting them at the training ground. Clearly, tough times lie ahead for the Liverpool squad.

For Klopp this is a case of adhering to the German maxim of business before pleasure.

After all, Liverpool fans have been waiting for

a league title for the last 25 years, a drought Klopp is hoping to end. To that end, the new man has encouraged fans to “Stop doubting and start believing”. The German is already a cult figure in England and highly regarded among many of the Liverpool faithful.

He has also received countless messages from well-wishers back home since joining the club. For example, Borussia Dortmund’s Ilkay Gundogan congratulated his former boss on Twitter and even expressed his hope for a reunion with him in the Europa League. That could very well happen, as both clubs are aiming to progress from their respective groups, although one would need to finish top of their pool and the other as runner-up. If the draw were then to pit them together, ’Kloppo’ would doubtless be given a warm reception in Dortmund. The only question would then be, who would be cheering on whom? Å

GEOGR APHIC INFORMATION Surface area: 9,984,670 km² Highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m Neighbouring seas and oceans: Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean

MEN’S FOOTBALL FIFA Ranking: 104th World Cup: 1 appearance, 1986

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL FIFA Ranking: 11th World Cup: 6 appearances 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 Best performance: 4th place, 2003

L ATES T RESULTS Men’s: Canada - Ghana 1:1 13 October 2015 Women’s: England - Canada 2:1 27 June 2015

FIFA INVES TMENTS The weekly column by our staff writers

Since 2003: $ 3,800,000 T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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Students at elite English school Harrow watch under the cover of umbrellas from the sidelines.

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Albania fans shelter from the rain in ponchos.

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THE ART OF FOOTBALL

Panenka’s Renaissance Ronald Düker

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“This team has united Albanians.

This is a great chance for the team to show everyone about Albania because football is such a big magnet. We never thought this would be possible – it doesn’t happen every day. The whole country is proud of them.”

Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania, after his nation’s qualification for UEFA EURO 2016

“I’ve always liked our fans.

What I find funniest of all is when fans take off their clothes even when it’s ten degrees below zero. You die of cold out there on the pitch, and these guys stand there naked from the waist up, and they couldn’t care less.”

Pontus Wernbloom about his time playing for CSKA Moscow in Russia

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he dome of the Florence cathedral is to renaissance art what the Panenka is to football. Designed by the architect Filippo Brunelleschi in 1417, it is an enormous curved structure with a height of 107 metres and a circumference of 45 metres; measurements that approximately equate to the length and width of a football pitch. The dome still towers over Florence to this day.

Considered a radical innovation, it was built on top of the existing church walls without the use of interior support scaffolding – a tremendously daring structural feat at the time, and an architecturally audacious one.

Nevertheless, the construction was still subject to criticism. Inside, when standing in the church’s nave, the detail in Giorgio Vasari’s wonderful frescoes on the cupola is barely visible. Paradoxically, the images of heaven and hell lead to another, equally undesired effect: they make the dome appear smaller and less imposing than intended when viewed from the inside.

Unaltered for centuries, the Florence cathedral stands as an artistic masterpiece, representing insolence, illusion, heaven and hell. The Panenka combines those very characteristics within the space of a few seconds out on a football pitch, converting them from a fixed architectural form into a dynamic movement. The penalty taker places the ball on the spot, eyes the goalkeeper, starts his run-up and shapes as if to fire a powerful shot goalwards. What happens

next is magic. His foot delicately clips the underside of the ball, dinking it tantalisingly slowly into the middle of the goal. For a goalkeeper there is no greater humiliation.

If he had stood still he would have caught the ball with both hands, but instead he dived the wrong way, expecting a firm and well-placed shot into the corner. And as the ball hangs in the air, it becomes a hellish moment played out in slow motion for the custodian unable to change direction.

The trick is named after Czech midfielder Antonin Panenka, who was the first to perform it in a crucial moment. His spotkick deceived German goalkeeper Sepp Maier in a penalty shoot-out in a European Championship final and proved to be the decisive goal. Since then the Panenka has become the hallmark of footballing artists: Andrea Pirlo, Francesco Totti, Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have all decided matches with it. Is the intention always to humiliate the goalkeeper?

It is more agreeable to assume that like Brunelleschi before them, they simply want to create a work of art – and that always requires daring. If indeed the goalkeeper stays on his feet and plucks the ball out of the air, then the sense of shame is reversed and falls on the penalty taker. One can only imagine how they are able to sleep afterwards. That is one of the many mysteries surrounding Pirlo, who has experienced it first-hand. Å

“Yesterday I was at dinner with my two assistants and someone asked for a photo. I had to say no. Every photo ends up on Twitter. Twitter is used more than in Germany. It looks like I’m always in restaurants and bars!”

Jurgen Klopp, Coach Liverpool FC

“It has been an awful two weeks because before the last international break we lost against Swansea. It’s not only the players, it’s the staff, and my cook, Mike, because he has a big influence on the atmosphere in the canteen.”

Louis van Gaal, Coach Manchester United

“I’m not here to be liked. I’m trying to do a good job. And I’m privileged to have that role and represent the U.S. soccer programme. It’s a privilege for me and I do my best to my capabilities and leave the judgement out there for your guys or for people that want to express themselves. That’s fine.”

US Coach Jurgen Klinsmann after the USA’s 3-2 extra time defeat to Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup T H E F I FA W E E K LY

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FIFA PARTNER

TURNING POINT

“You could have heard a pin drop” Sami Hyypia lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2005 when Liverpool beat AC Milan. That final, known as the ’Miracle of Istanbul’, taught the Finn never to give up.

Martin Godwin / The Guardian

E

very footballer wants to win the Champions League at least once in their career. I was one of the lucky ones: I did, and in a crazy game in front of brilliant fans at that. It was an unbelievable final. There were 70,000 in attendance at the sold-out Ataturk Stadium and a large proportion of them had made the journey from Liverpool to support us.

The game could hardly have got off to a worse start from our point of view, however, when Paolo Maldini opened the scoring after only 52 seconds. Going behind against an Italian team in any match, let alone one of that magnitude, usually means game over.

Indeed, when Hernan Crespo scored twice in quick succession just before the break, we’d more or less given up any remaining hope.

After all, who could have predicted what would happen in the second half?

Even though ten years have passed, rumours still abound about what our coach Rafael Benitez supposedly said in the dressing room at half-time. The truth is that it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Nobody said a word. All you could hear were our fans singing their hearts out at a deafening volume. Benitez turned to us and said: “Can you hear that? They’re your fans singing out there. They’ve come all this way to watch you play. You owe it to them to give it everything.

Forget the first half, get out there and switch on!” That was exactly what we did.

Shortly afterwards, Steven Gerrard scored our first goal. Vladimir Smicer found the net two minutes later to make it 3-2 and by then we knew that we could turn things around. On the hour mark, Xabi Alonso equalised by converting the rebound after Dida saved his penalty.

I must admit that before that game I always thought football was the sort of sport in which match-changing moments didn’t just happen

like that in a short space of time. Fortunately, that final showed me the error of my ways!

I remember extra time well, and in particular Jerzy Dudek’s extraordinary double save. My heart was in my mouth and I don’t think even Andriy Shevchenko himself knows to this day how our keeper managed to deny him. Dudek didn’t just keep us in the game but went on to become the hero in the penalty shoot-out. He saved two of their spotkicks, including one from Shevchenko.

They call it the ’Miracle of Istanbul’ and I’ll certainly never forget it. Moments like that you remember your whole life. Å

Name Sami Tuomas Hyypia Date and place of birth 7 October 1973, Porvoo, Finland Position Defender Clubs as player 1990–1991 Kumu 1992–1995 MyPa 1995–1999 Willem II 1999–2009 Liverpool 2009–2011 Bayer Leverkusen Clubs coached 2011–2012 Finland (assistant) 2012–2014 Bayer Leverkusen 2014 Brighton and Hove Albion Since 2015 FC Zurich Finland national team

Sami Hyypia was speaking to Sarah Steiner.

105 caps, 5 goals

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

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

37

MEN’S WORLD R ANKING

Argentina (unchanged) Spain (6th, up 5) Romania (13th, down 6) 149 American Samoa, Cook Islands, Gabon, Samoa, Tonga (3 matches each) Norway (up 243 points) Liberia (up 65 ranks) Romania (down 134 points) Cyprus, FYR Macedonia (down 28 ranks each)

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

+/- Points

Rank Team

+/- Points

Last updated: 1 October 2015 Rank Team

+/- Points

1 Argentina

0 1419

55 Guinea

8

582

109 Zimbabwe

-1

313

163 Myanmar

-1

147

2 Germany

1 1401

55 Japan

3

582

110 Georgia

37

308

164 American Samoa

35

145

3 Belgium

-1 1387

57 Jamaica

-5

576

111 Botswana

7

305

165 Puerto Rico

-13

134

4 Portugal

2 1235

58 Australia

3

567

112 St Kitts and Nevis

7

303

166 Cook Islands

39

132

5 Colombia

-1 1228

59 Trinidad and Tobago

-5

564

113 Burundi

21

302

167 India

-12

128

6 Spain

5 1223

60 Congo DR

5

563

114 Cyprus

-28

300

168 Mauritius

17

123

7 Brazil

-2 1204

61 Paraguay

-6

552

115 Aruba

22

299

169 New Caledonia

-3

120

8 Wales

1 1195

62 Mali

-2

546

116 Lithuania

-7

298

170 Timor-Leste

-7

118

9 Chile

-1 1177

63 Serbia

3

538

117 Cuba

-4

294

171 Malaysia

-2

111

10 England

0 1161

64 Finland

28

534

118 Belize

10

292

171 Indonesia

-6

111

11 Austria

2 1100

65 Gabon

-2

529

119 Dominican Republic

4

290

173 Bhutan

-9

106

12 Switzerland

5 1044

65 Panama

-6

529

120 Niger

-19

287

174 Dominica

-2

102

13 Romania

-6 1042

67 Equatorial Guinea

-5

510

121 Sierra Leone

-16

286

175 Chad

-4

100

14 Netherlands

-2 1004

96

15 Czech Republic

5

983

69 Venezuela

16 Croatia

-2

965

67 Bolivia

0

510

122 St Vincent and the Grenadines

-6

284

176 Maldives

1

-19

501

123 Syria

-2

283

177 Pakistan

-7

89

70 United Arab Emirates

0

491

123 Bahrain

-11

283

178 US Virgin Islands

-2

88

17 Italy

-1

962

71 Zambia

3

487

125 Namibia

-14

274

179 Laos

-5

85

18 Slovakia

-3

936

72 Montenegro

5

470

126 Central African Republic

42

271

180 Yemen

-5

82

19 Algeria

0

927

73 South Africa

-1

465

127 Madagascar

-6

262

181 Suriname

20 Uruguay

-2

919

74 Uzbekistan

2

464

128 Kuwait

-1

260

-15

79

182 Bangladesh

-9

77 69

21 Côte d’Ivoire

0

916

75 Uganda

-4

455

129 Korea DPR

-3

252

183 Chinese Taipei

-4

22 France

2

899

76 Burkina Faso

-3

427

130 Palestine

-11

246

184 Seychelles

8

67

23 Iceland

0

882

77 Haiti

10

418

131 Kenya

-15

245

184 Montserrat

-6

67

24 Ukraine

5

874

78 Bulgaria

-10

414

132 FYR Macedonia

-28

239

186 Cambodia

-6

66

25 Ghana

2

849

79 Togo

0

411

132 Moldova

-8

239

187 Brunei Darussalam

-5

61

26 Russia

6

845

80 Morocco

5

407

134 Philippines

-9

238

188 Tahiti

-6

60 59

27 Mexico

-1

842

81 China PR

3

405

135 Swaziland

0

224

189 Fiji

-8

28 Denmark

-6

835

82 Guatemala

16

401

136 Tanzania

4

218

190 Nepal

-5

51

29 USA

-1

807

83 Antigua and Barbuda

22

400

137 Guyana

17

210

191 Sri Lanka

-7

49

30 Bosnia and Herzegovina

0

787

84 Sudan

5

399

138 Bermuda

-6

209

191 Cayman Islands

-4

49

31 Ecuador

3

765

85 Iraq

-3

396

139 St Lucia

-8

208

193 Comoros

-3

48

-10

396

140 Lebanon

-7

201

193 Macau

-6

48

-7

388

140 Lesotho

-12

201

193 São Tomé e Príncipe

-3

48

32 Albania

-7

755

85 Faroe Islands

33 Hungary

4

741

87 Estonia

34 Norway

35

739

88 Saudi Arabia

5

384

142 Kazakhstan

3

199

196 San Marino

-3

35

35 Northern Ireland

6

724

89 Mauritania

25

379

142 Luxembourg

-1

199

197 Turks and Caicos Islands

-3

33

36 Tunisia

-3

722

89 Honduras

-8

379

144 South Sudan

54

198

197 Solomon Islands

-10

33

37 Turkey

9

717

91 Armenia

-8

377

145 Thailand

-8

196

199 British Virgin Islands

-4

27

38 Senegal

0

713

92 Qatar

2

365

146 Kyrgyzstan

9

195

200 Tonga

-1

17

39 Iran

1

703

93 Rwanda

-15

364

147 Guinea-Bissau

-5

193

201 Vanuatu

-4

13

40 Scotland

-9

702

94 El Salvador

13

363

148 New Zealand

-12

188

202 Eritrea

-1

8

41 Cape Verde Islands

15

701

95 Liberia

65

360

149 Vietnam

3

187

203 Mongolia

-1

6

42 Costa Rica

-3

691

95 Nicaragua

44

360

150 Afghanistan

-20

183

203 Somalia

-1

6

43 Poland

-9

680

97 Angola

-9

353

150 Guam

-4

183

205 Andorra

-3

5

44 Greece

0

676

98 Belarus

-1

350

152 Curaçao

-4

181

206 Djibouti

-1

4

45 Sweden

-9

672

99 Jordan

-8

348

153 Hong Kong

-2

180

206 Papua New Guinea

-1

4

46 Slovenia

-1

662

100 Benin

15

341

154 Barbados

-10

175

208 Anguilla

0

0

47 Israel

-1

659

101 Malawi

-5

339

155 Turkmenistan

-6

172

208 Bahamas

0

0

48 Cameroon

-6

640

102 Oman

-2

338

156 Liechtenstein

-6

170

49 Congo

-7

636

103 Latvia

-13

335

157 Singapore

0

164

50 Peru

-2

623

104 Canada

-2

333

157 Malta

3

164

51 Egypt

-2

620

105 Azerbaijan

5

328

159 Grenada

-1

159

52 Nigeria

1

600

105 Libya

-7

328

160 Tajikistan

-2

156

53 Korea Republic

4

590

107 Mozambique

-12

327

161 Gambia

-18

154

54 Republic of Ireland

-3

587

108 Ethiopia

-5

315

162 Samoa

34

152

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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Translation www.sportstranslations.com

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