So Football Manics Magazine is now on its second issue. The first one, back at the start of the season, proved incredibly popular, and since then our website and social media presence has gone from strength to strength.
We at Football Manics are delighted with how things have developed in 2016, from the site's birth in January to the position we are at now, with over 10,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
And of course, we are aiming to put even more hard work in over the coming months to keep the ball rolling and make Football Manics one of the biggest and most inclusive football communities on the net.
In this magazine we look at how the Premier League table is shaping up, from the teams expected to challenge for the title to those who look in danger of slipping to the Championship next season We also look at how the British clubs in the Champions League are doing. We also cast an eye over who we think are the 10 brightest teenage footballers in world football, speak to fans about how their teams are doing, and even look at some more leftfield issues like non-FIFA football, the ultras culture, and life in the non-league.
There is plenty to keep all lovers of football interested, and this is just how we want Football Manics to operate - we want to inform, entertain and engage with fans of the beautiful game
I would like to express my gratitude to all the individuals who helped put the magazine together - Chris Buckley for his great design work, Mark Cotton for his top-notch project management skills, and all our writers and contributors - Aneesh Chandoke, Sam Fuller, Chris Crook, David Skelding and James Spring
We hope you enjoy issue 2 of Football Manics and, if you fancy knowing more about us, or even to work with or alongside us, just get in touch!
Many thanks,
Giuseppe Labellarte, Editor
Football Manics is an independent football fan site that aims to provide a platform for every football lover and supporter to discuss anything and everything about the beautiful game, regardless of which team they support
GiuseppeLabellarte
FOOTBALLMANICS
EDITOR
Fun Football Fact: Last seasonwasthefirst time West Hamrecordeda positivegoal difference inatop-flight season since1985/86.
editor@footballmanics.com
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Editor in Chief: GiuseppeLabellarte.
Web Development: ChrisBuckley.
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Writers: AneeshChandoke, Sam Fuller, ChrisCrook, DavidSkelding, James Spring, Giuseppe LabellarteandChris Buckley.
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Foot ball M an ics M agazin e Issue # 2 - Decem ber 2016
6-7 -Chapecoense: Forever in our hearts
8-14 -Premier League 2016-17: The season so far
16-17 -Champions League 2016-17: How the British teams are faring
18-22 -The Future of Football: The 10 brightest teenage prospects
23-Gareth Southgate: An unremarkable manager for an unremarkable England
24-27 -Meet the Fans: Interviews with supporters
28-29 -Home Sweet Home: 10 players who returned to their former clubs
30 -Transfer hits and misses from the 2016-17 Premier League season
32-33-Legends of Football: Pele
34-35-Through Thick and Thin: The Ultra Phenomenon
36 -Another Day in the Non-League: A Weymouth FC fan's story
37-38 -ConIFA: The unofficial World Cup for unrecognised territories
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We have voluntary writing positions where we can give your articles exposure and even nurture you and give you feedback To find out more contact editor@ footballmanics com
At Football Manicsweboast acommunity forumwhere supportersandfootball loversdiscussanalmost infinite variety of topics, fromtheir favouriteteamsandplayersto classicmatchesandtournaments Thereiseventhe opportunity todiscusstopicsnot relatedtofootball - if thereis interest inthesubject, peoplewill talk about it. It'sthat simple Sodon't hesitate- signuptoFootball Manics(it's free) andvisit theforumat http://footballmanics.com/forums/ today!
On the evening of November 28, 2016, a charter flight carrying the first team of Brazilian club Associação Chapecoense de Futebol, commonly known as Chapecoense, crashed as it approached José María Córdova International Airport near Medellín, Colombia
The Serie A team, whose swift rise through the leagues captured the imagination of the nation, was traveling to play the first leg of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana final against Atlético Nacional, a match that was seen as the biggest in the history of the club.
All but six of the 77 passengers died; only three Chapecoense players survived their injuries
The tragedy has shocked the world of football - a fairytale rise for a provincial club who achieved growth and success, and made itself the pillar of the small southeastern city of Chapecó, snuffed out in the blink of an eye.
While the investigation into what happened is ongoing, the game is mourning one of the most tragic losses in its history. Just like Torino in 1949, Manchester United in 1958 and Zambia in 1993, the tragedy of losing an entire football team is something which hurts for generations to come.
Heartfelt tributes have been paid all around the world, while in Brazil, teams have offered to loan players to Chapecoense and request that they be exempt from relegation for the next three seasons. Atletico Nacional, the other team contesting the Copa Sudamericana final, has requested for the trophy to be awarded to their opponents
It is difficult to express the emotions felt in the face of such a tragedy, but Chapecoense will always be in our thoughts as we mourn those whose lives were lost and wish the survivors, club and community all the best in their efforts to recover.
The Premier League 2016-17 season is just over a quarter of a way in, and it's certainly been a hell of a ride so far
Ahead of kickoff back in August, optimists were looking forward to a seven-way battle for the title, with big changes at a number of the top teams, while the more pessimistic types were expecting Manchester United and Manchester City to be miles ahead from the off.
Luckily (for neutrals anyway) it turns out that the optimists were right, because the title race is still wide open Virtually all of the Magnificent Seven have stumbled at one point or another, some more gravely than others, which sets the stage for more drama after the international break
In this article, Football Manics reviews the teams, in order of Premier League position
It's incredible to think just how badly Chelsea were doing 12 months ago, languishing in 15th place and suffering from a fractured squad under Jose Mourinho, and considering their triumph in the Premier League in 2014-15, but under Antonio Conte, the Blues are flying high.
After a reasonable start which consisted of wins over Watford and Burnley, it looked like the post-Mourinho blues would continue following a draw against Swansea City and defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal
Since October, however, everything clicked into gear for Chelsea as they stormed to a frankly ridiculous eight league wins on the trot, scoring 22 goals and conceding just two.
Conte has hardly put a foot wrong so far, revitalising a group of demoralised players, making shrewd signings like N'Golo Kante, and bringing in a 3-4-3system that has left opponents unable to deal with their play.
A side which has delighted and frustrated in equal measure in recent years, Arsenal just may be -and say this in hushed tonesreturning to the quality of the early to mid-noughties
Arsene Wenger's charges are a much tougher proposition than in recent years, with Shkodran Mustafi shoring up their defence, a centrally-deployed Alexis Sanchez much more incisive in attack, Theo Walcott's dangerous forays on the flank and Mesut Ozil's brilliance in midfield.
The Gunners, unbeaten in the league since the opening day of the season, even seem to be shaking off an age-old problem -the inability to kill off weaker teams and letting them back into the game
Sure, their goalless draw against Middlesbrough at the Emirates, or letting Tottenham Hotspur back into the game in the derby for a 1-1draw, show there is still work to be done, but they did team West Ham apart at the weekend in a manner befitting a side that would be challenging for honours
For a club of Liverpool's history and stature, it is frankly ridiculous that they have not won an English championship for over quarter of a century. Sure, there have been many trophies in that time, including the Champions League, but it's just that pesky league title that has eluded them for so long Until now?
Jurgen Klopp has, without a doubt, revived Liverpool Within a few months of his appointment he took the club to two cup finals, and now that he is in his first full season, the Reds are playing like a top team should be
In terms of star players, the attacking trio of Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, with Adam Lallana as the midfield engine behind them, are picking apart opposition defences for fun.
However, their defence remains an issue. It looked as if they had resolved a weak point with three consecutive clean sheets in all competitions, but their stunning 4-3capitulation at Bournemouth will force Klopp back to the drawing board.
With an almost limitless transfer kitty and the arrival of one of the most successful managers in world football, Manchester City were one of the two teams expected to be fighting for the Premier League title from the off
Indeed, they are up near the summit, but nobody can say that they have been playing to their full potential, with a number of surprise results derailing their title bid
The honeymoon period under Pep Guardiola saw the Citizens win their first six league games, but since then they have won just three in eight, leaving them four points behind Chelsea as of matchday 14.
As a side note, it remains to be seen whether Joe Hart's departure on loan to Torino and Claudio Bravo's arrival in goal will prove a shrewd, brave move or mere folly
Heartbroken not only at losing the title race to Leicester City last season, but falling behind Arsenal right at the death, Tottenham Hotspur have however maintained their momentum and are still in the running this time round -just about
Six draws out of 14 in the league and a defeat to Chelsea, plus a substandard Champions League campaign which saw them out at the first hurdle, show there is still work to be done
Part of the issue is injuries to key players -star striker Harry Kane missed about two months, and even though he returned to help Spurs to a 1-1draw at Arsenal, it was in a squad bereft of Dele Alli, who was subsequently rushed back into action, and Toby Alderweireld
In addition, new signing Moussa Sissoko has failed to impress in the centre of the park, but aside from him, there is little to mention about the rest of the team, who have all been performing well enough.
Considering Manchester United were one of the two teams, along with Manchester City, expected be head and shoulders above everyone else from the off, things have not been good at Old Trafford
Fans gave Jose Mourinho the benefit of the doubt when he took over at United after last season's troubles at Chelsea, but with three defeats and six draws in the league, plus a laboured Europa League campaign, it looks like the vultures are circling around the once-invincible club once again
It looks like Mourinho, a manager whose successes have been founded on a consistent team and tactics, is still trying to figure out what his best players and tactics are
In addition a series of brutal axings, such as Bastian Schweinsteiger and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, regular public criticism of players, inconsistency from the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba, and a number of injuries have all taken their toll on the dressing room
Will the Special One be given time to mould the squad in his own image, even if that means another potential season of turmoil to add to the David Moyes and Louis van Gaal campaigns, or will the search for Sir Alex Ferguson's successor carry on?Only time will tell
The season began negatively for West Bromwich Albion, with off-the-field issues surrounding the ownership of the club and the position of manager Tony Pulis leading to worries of how the team would do on the pitch
Three months in, however, things are more stable West Brom's new owners, led by Chinese businessman Guochuan Lai, have kept faith in Pulis, who in turn recently extended his contract until 2018, although Saido Berahino's future at the Hawthorns remains in doubt
On the pitch the Baggies have punched above their way to sit a very impressive seventh in the Premier League table after 14 games.
They are capable of high-scoring wins, such as a 4-0 thrashing of Burnley and a 4-2 victory over West Ham United, plus solid victories over Leicester City and Watford, but then you have draws against Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Hull, plus the Bournemouth defeat
With Farhad Moshiri's arrival on the Everton board and Ronald Koeman taking the managerial reins from Roberto Martinez, the Toffees were hopeful of an improved season this time round, and so far, there cannot be too many complaints.
Even though John Stones has left, retaining Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley has been crucial as the duo have impressed for their side, and indeed they started the season with a draw and four wins to set tongues wagging about a possible top four finish come May
However the wheels have come off somewhat, with defeats to Bournemouth, Burnley and Southampton, plus a home draw against Crystal Palace all lowering expectations, although there were also draws against both Manchester City away and Manchester United at home
On the whole, it looks like Everton are a different proposition to last season and, providing they hang on to their better players in January, could easily claim a European spot come May.
It's been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride for Stoke City, who began the season with high hopes, slumped towards the foot of the table and then bounced back with conviction to edge themselves into the top ten after 14 games played
A reasonable 1-1draw at Middlesbrough was followed up by heavy defeats against Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace -plus a 1-0 loss at Everton -to leave the Potters in trouble
Since the Eagles defeat on September 18, however, Stoke have bounced back with five wins and three draws to climb to ninth in the table.
The likes of Geoff Cameron, Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic have all been crucial in this upturn in form, while teenager Ramadan Sobhi and veterans Jonathan Walters and Charlie Adam have also excelled to nullify the early-season woes.
Bournemouth's promotion to the Premier League as Championship champions was an amazing story, and they followed it up with top-flight survival playing exciting football. Now in their second Premier League season, they have continued the good work.
The loan signing of Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has proven one of the coups of the season as he has elevated the Cherries midfield to higher levels, and there is a realistic chance that he could join the club for good
Eddie Howe is undoubtedly one of the brightest young managers in English football and was considered for the England job, according to LMA chairman Howard Wilkinson.
As for the Cherries' league form, impressive results like the 1-0 win over Everton, the 6-1thrashing of Hull City and the heroic 4-3win over Liverpool are interspersed with meek defeats to the likes of Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
It's always great to see a recently promoted side impress in the top flight, and at this stage of the 2016-17 season that honour goes to Watford, who sit in 11th place and look like a fully-fledged Premier League outfit
Walter Mazzarri has transformed the Hornets' fortunes by playing a 3-5-2 formation and, even though it took a few games to click, the players are now familiar with it and are using it to their success, although their form is stumbling somewhat at present
This year, the mid-table teams seem to be claiming big scalps but undoing the work with defeats to poorer teams, and the Hornets are no different, beating Manchester United and Leicester City but losing to the likes of West Brom and Burnley
Mazzarri boasts several gems in the squad such as Troy Deeney, Etienne Capoue and Odion Ighalo, although the current off-the-pitch issues regarding allegations of falsified financial documents being given to the Football League may cause some anxiety at the club.
For a club whose best assets get repossessed on a regular basis, it's amazing just how well Southampton do year on year To think of the squad they could boast had they hung onto their best players for the last four or so years, they would probably challenging for the title, but as it is, they continue to punch above their weight
At the start of the season they lost manager Ronald Koeman and players Sadio Mane, Graziano Pelle and Victor Wanyama, but new gaffer Claude Puel has taken the team and continued from his predecessors' work in moulding a dominant, pressing and daring unit
Sure, there have been some slips, such as the Watford and Sunderland draws and the Hull loss, but on the whole they have been steady, punching at about the right weight.
Defeats against Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are hardly noteworthy, while draws against Manchester City and Liverpool, plus the home win against Inter Milan, show just what the Saints are capable of.
Newly promoted Middlesbrough, with marquee players at their disposal like Alvaro Negredo and Victor Valdes, began the Premier League season brightly enough, with a draw against stoke and a win at Sunderland, but soon they found themselves in trouble by failing to win in seven games.
The turning point was a Riverside defeat against Watford, but a draw at Arsenal in the next game looked like a potential season kickstarter, and indeed it has proved that way
Aitor Karanka changed a number of things round, like introducing Adama Traore to the starting XI, organising the defence more tightly and getting more bodies in the final third to support Alvaro Negredo, and the outcome was a 2-0 win against Bournemouth, a 1-1draw at Manchester City, a 2-2 draw against Leicester City and a 1-0 win over Hull City
Put simply, Boro overcame their early-season jitters to find form, and now they look nicely accustomed to the top flight, which will come as music to the ears of their fans, who can count their side as the best in the North East at this moment in time
After last season's run to the FA Cup final and a spate of bright signings in the summer, it looked like Crystal Palace looked set to build on and establish themselves as a top-ten side Ufortunately it hasn't quite panned out that way.
Following a poor start of two defeats in the first two games, a draw against Bournemouth went on to separate a three-game winning run, but another draw, this time at Everton, preceded six straight defeats.
Just as it seemed like they were freefalling into a relegation battle, they claimed a much-needed three points in a 3-0 hammering of Southampton to give them breathing space
Nonetheless the signings of Christian Benteke, Steve Mandanda, James Tomkins and Andros Townsend have not quite given the Eagles that extra edge, so Alan Pardew ought to dip into the January transfer market to strengthen his side and stop the rot.
Burnley have gone from strength to strength since their relegation from the Premier League in 2014-15, bouncing back at the first attempt and currently sitting in 15th place in the table with 14 points from 14 games
Retaining Sean Dyche when other boards may have ditched a manager with a relegation on his CV proved a very fruitful decision, and the 45-year-old now has two promotions under his belt as well as a better-than-expected points tally at this stage of the season
Despite losing midfield lynchpin Joey Barton in the off-season, Burnley continue to be a gritty, hard-working side and, buoyed by their raucous home support, have turned Turf Moor into a fortress, claiming 13points in seven games in front of their own fans.
Despite the away form needing a lot of improvement, the Clarets nonetheless claimed a very valuable point at Manchester United, thanks in no small part to Tom Heaton's goalkeeping heroics and defender Michael Keane's talent at the back
It still feels bizarre to describe Leicester City as the reigning Premier League champions, such was the fairytale season they had last year However, the perfect storm has now given way and the Foxes find themselves in a precarious position
Claudio Ranieri's boys have excelled in the Champions League, reaching the knockout stages as group winners with a game to spare, but domestically, they have struggled.
The season began badly with a 2-1loss at Hull City and, despite claiming a point against Arsenal and beating the likes of Swansea and Crystal Palace, they have otherwise been inconsistent against other smaller teams and have been humbled by Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea.
Perhaps it's the loss of N'Golo Kante, a focusing of resources in Europe, the realisation that a second title in a row would be nigh on impossible which has deflated the players, or a combination of all these and more, but it's a shame to see Leicester unable to keep the domestic momentum from last year
Arguably the most disappointing side in the Premier League so far, West Ham were expected to be in the upper echelons of the table, with Dimitri Payet the showpiece of the team and the club playing in a brand new stadium
Instead, things seem to have imploded for the Hammers Payet seems unsettled and appears open to leave the club. The team relies too much on the Frenchman. The defence is leaking goals -witness the last few minutes against Spurs and Alexis Sanchez's butchery when Arsenal came to town The attack has been decimated by injury, with the remaining players not up to scratch
And possibly the biggest bugbear is the London Stadium, which has not been accepted by the fans
Understandable, given the fact it's an athletic stadium rather than a bona fide football one, while the "no-standing" rule has bemused Hammers fans, who enjoyed a lot more freedom at Upton Park
Although the on-pitch troubles can be salvaged, the spectre of the stadium is one that may go on to cause friction with the fans for a long time to come.
Sunderland have not so much been treading water the last few seasons as sinking to the bottom and nearly drowning, were it not for a succession of lifeguards like Dick Advocaat and Sam Allardyce rescuing them But have the Black Cats extinguished their nine lives?
The Wearsiders lack quality on the pitch, with key players like Vito Mannone, Sebastian Larsson, Lee Cattermole, Jan Kirchhoff, Paddy McNair and Duncan Watmore all ruled out for varying periods of time, while Lamine Kone's attempt to leave the Stadium of Light in the summer wasn't successful, but his form has not been the same
That said, David Moyes overcame an awful start to claim three wins in his last four games -one against fallen champions Leicester -to climb up off the bottom and to within one point of safety, but he will need to strengthen his side during January because, with the amound of injuries they've suffered, they don't look as if they will last the distance
Of all the teams in the Premier League this season, none seemed more beleaguered from the off than Hull City With Steve Bruce leaving the club because of lack of investment and a playing squad down to the bare bones, many were tipping the Tigers to be not only relegated, but sent down with a record low points tally
However, Mike Phelan gave the fans an incredible August, shocking champions Leicester City and leaving Swansea City's ground with a win, before a narrow 1-0 defeat against Manchester United.
Things went downhill after the summer months were finished, however, with just a further five points obtained as of the start of December, and even though they've done better than expected, it looks like they will be consigned to fighting relegation this season.
Phelan himself has described the upcoming festive period as "a hard slog" and has publicly claimed that investment is needed, so whether his cries for help will be heeded by the owners or not, it remains to be seen
Things have been very, very bad for Swansea City this year, with the loss of Ashley Williams and the failure to recruit Joe Allen and Wilfried Bony causing problems early on in the season
On the pitch, the team lacks leadership, direction and quality Off the pitch, the change of ownership, the messy sacking of Francesco Guidolin and the souring of relations with the supporters' trust have left fans frustrated and angry
Bob Bradley, though experienced, has never managed in the Premier League, and will have a huge job on his hands trying to rally the team on the pitch, get the right players on board in January and win the fans over.
Even though their 5-4 win over a freefalling Crystal Palace appeared to be a step in the right direction, their performance in the 5-0 defeat to Spurs was one of the most abject and inept by a top-flight side in recent years
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TheUEFAChampionsLeaguegroupstagehas cometoan end, and wenow know all theteams that havemadethelast 16, dropped intothe Europa League, and put their passportsback in thedrawer until thesummer
How havetheBritish teams- four from the Premier Leagueand onefrom theScottish Premiership- fared in Europe'selite tournament?Let'shavea look.
Arsenal, who qualified automatically for the Champions League after finishing second in the Premier League, were drawn in Group A along with Paris Saint-Germain, FC Basel and Ludogorets
Razgrad
Arsene Wenger have safely reached the last 16 of the tournament as group winners, although they were made to sweat for that special top-placed finish and seeding for the second round
The first group fixture saw the Gunners draw 1-1at PSG, which strangely prompted derision from many of their fans, but a 2-0 win over Basel and a 6-0 thrashing of Ludogorets saw them establish their credentials in the group
It was a tighter affair in the return leg in Bulgaria, ending 3-2, before another draw against PSG left the two top sides in the group with all to play for, but Arsenal leapfrogged the French giants -held to a 2-2 draw by Ludogorets -to first on the final matchday
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City had to contest a Champions League qualifying playoff by virtue of their fourth-placed Premier League finish, but this ended up being a formality as they trounced Steaua Bucharest 6-0 on aggregate
The Citizens then found themselves drawn in Group C along with Barcelona, Borussia Monchengladbach and fellow British side Celtic -arguably one of the hardest groupings in the competition.
Pep Guardiola's charges coasted to a 4-0 win over Gladbach in the first group game, but a 3-3draw against Celtic and a 4-0 defeat in Barcelona looked to put their second-round hopes in danger
They got their revenge against Barca by beating them 3-1at the Etihad, and a 1-1draw against Gladbach in Matchday 5saw them secure second place in the group -although they could not overtake the Catalan giants by virtue of their superior head-to-head record
Brendan Rodgers's Celtic were forced to go through three two-legged ties just to reach the Champions League group stages, but despite losing to Gibraltarian amateur Lincoln Red Imps in the first leg,
they managed to pull it together and get through before seeing off FC Astana and Hapoel Be'er Sheva.
Much to their dismay, they were then drawn in Group C, pitting them against two of the richest and most illustrious European sides in Barcelona and Manchester City, as well as a resilient Borussia Monchengladbach side
It was always going to be a big ask to qualify from such a difficult group and, following a 7-0 hammering at the hands of Barca, their prospects seemed virtually rock bottom
Although they were able to claim two draws against Man City, they only took one point from their two games with Gladbach and fell to a second defeat against Barca, leaving them bottom of the group and unable to climb any higher by the end of Matchday 5
However, Spurs did salvage a Europa League place after claiming a 3-1win over CSKA on the final matchday, so their passports will not be getting stashed away in the New Year after all
Last season's fairytale underdog has become this season's ultimate Jekyll-and-Hyde side as Leicester City, stranded in the bottom half of the Premier League, has come up trumps in the Champions League by qualifying for the last 16 as Group G winners with a game to spare
It's true that their group, containing Porto, Copenhagen and Club Brugge, was probably one of the weakest in this year's competition, but considering the magnitude of the task at hand for a team that had never qualified for Europe's premier competition, Claudio Ranieri's side grasped it with both hands in wonderful fashion
The only sour point of their European adventure was their final game of the group, which saw them thrashed 5-0 by Porto at the Estadio do Dragao
There were high hopes for Tottenham Hotspur to do well after being drawn in a balanced group alongside Bayer Leverkusen, ASMonaco and CSKA Moscow
As it turned out, however, Group E ended up proving troublesome for Mauricio Pochettino's side, who were knocked out of the competition after matchday five
Perhaps it was the move to Wembley for European games which unsettled Spurs players and fans, perhaps injuries played their part, and Pochettino said his side were unable to compete on two fronts, but losing three games out of five in European competition is not a statistic that will be looked back on with
Although they were assured of top spot and played a team composed of fringe players, it was disappointing and may risk lowering the players' confidence even more when it comes to domestic matters
ARSENAL' S POSSIBLE LAST- 16
OPPONENTS: Bayern Munich, Bayer
Leverkusen, Benfica, Porto, Real
Madrid, Sevilla
LEICESTER' S POSSIBLE LAST- 16
OPPONENTS: Bayern Munich, Bayer
Leverkusen, Benfica, Real Madrid, Paris
Saint- Germain, Sevilla
M AN CITY' S POSSIBLE LAST- 16
OPPONENTS: AtléticoMadrid, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Monaco, Napoli
There isalwaysexcitement in the air when a club or nation boastsan especiallytalented youngster among its academyranks Ishe a one-off or just one of many?
How much better will he get?And will he lead the team to gloryin the present and in the future?These are just some of the questionsthat arise when a prodigyemergesinto the game
In thisarticle,Football Manicslooksat some of the most talented teenage footballersin the world at this moment in time and assessesjust how far theycould go for club and country
Club: ACMilan
Dateof birth: 25/2/1999 (17 yearsold)
Consider the position of goalkeeper at ACMilan,one of the biggest,most historicand most famousfootball clubsin the world.Surelythiswould be the domain of a world-class veteran stopper?APetr Cech or Hugo Llorisperhaps?
The realityisnothing short of shocking asthe first-choice goalie position hasbeen monopolised byan academy product who isstill 17 yearsof age.
Step forward Gianluigi Donnarumma,a giant of a teenager who isalreadybeing touted asthe successor to Gianluigi Buffon in the Italynational team
Born in Castellammare di Stabia in Napleson the 25th February1999,Donnarumma wasfirst inducted into Milan?s youth system when he was14 yearsold and wasalwaysput in the age group above throughout hisentire time within the academy.
Former Rossoneri bossFilippo Inzaghi then placed him on the bench against Cesena at just 15 yearsof age during the 2014-15 season,and on 25th October 2015,he washanded hisdebut against Sassuolo
Donnarumma did not disappoint,finishing the season with 10 clean sheetsin 30 Serie Agames,a fantasticreturn for a keeper of anyage,let alone one still in histeens
He'sonlygone from strength to strength - he'sthe youngest goalkeeper to ever turn out in Serie A,he'sItaly'syoungest ever player,and at the end of October he wasEurope'sclean sheet leader,with five at that point of the season With his18th birthdaynot until February,it'sremarkable what Donnarumma hasachieved so far and what he could go on to achieve in future - if he fulfilshispotential,it would not be a surprise for Italy'snumber 1 jerseyto have been sealed off bya Gianluigi for 40 years
PROSPECTRATING: 10/10 Could verywell go on to become one of the best goalkeepersof hisgeneration
Club: ToulouseFC
Dateof birth: 23/1/1999 (17 yearsold)
Gianluigi Donnarumma hasbeen making headlinesasthe young goalkeeper of the moment,but just a month after his debut,Alban Lafont wasdrafted into Toulouse'sfirst team at 16 yearsand 10 monthsof age,becoming the youngest ever stopper in Ligue 1.
Initiallyan attacking midfielder,Lafont started hiscareer at amateur side ASLattoise.He played there until 2014,when he made the switch to Toulouse and worked hisway through the ranks.
Fifth choice at the start of the 2015-16 season,the Burkina Faso-born goalie benefited from a goalkeeping crisisat the relegation-threatened club and,with seeminglynothing to lose,the backroom staff decided to give him a chance
Toulouse conceded 28 goalsin the first 14 gamesof the 2015-16 season without him,and only27 goalsin 24 matcheswith Lafont between the posts,ultimatelysurviving relegation
Still only17 yearsof age,Lafont hasretained the number one spot for Toulouse thisseason and the club isgoing from strength to strength,sitting eighth in
Ligue 1 after 16 fixturesthanksin no small part to the youngster'ssafe handsand commanding presence in between the sticks
What liesahead for the 6'4"stopper?It remainsto be seen, but he hasalreadybeen capped at Under-18 level for France and continuesto rack up appearancesfor
Toulouse,while in termsof transfer talk,Arsenal have alreadybeen linked with him
PROSPECTRATING: 9/10 Surelywill not be long until he signsfor one of Europe'spremier clubsand isconsidered for the France senior team number 1 jersey.
Club: Inter Milan (on loan toEmpoli)
Dateof birth: 10/11/1997 (19 yearsold)
Atirelessleft-back with a thunderousshot,Federico
Dimarco will be known to followersof England youth football ashe scored a penaltyand a free-kick in a 2-1 semi-final win for Italyover the Young Lionsat the European Under-19 Championship.
The Inter academyproduct made hisdebut for the Serie A giantson 11 December 2014,a month after his17th birthday,when he came on for the last seven minutesof a goallessdraw awayto Qarabag in the UEFAEuropa League group stages
Dimarco wasthen used sparingly- he had to wait until the final dayof that season for a taste of top-flight action and, after no further appearances,wasloaned to Serie Boutfit Ascoli in January2016.
Aleft-footed full-back with a powerful and accurate shot, Dimarco iseffective at both endsof the pitch He hasan eye for goal too,asEngland found out to their cost Hisdouble in that semi-final took histallyfor the season to five,four of which were penalties
Dubbed 'the little David Alaba' bysome Italian pundits, Dimarco iscurrentlyback on loan,learning the ropesat Serie Aside Empoli.He hasseldom been used,however, clocking up just four appearancesthisseason,so there is talk of transferring him over to Udinese in January
On the international scene,Dimarco iscurrentlyturning out for the Under-20s,but Italyhead coach Giampiero Ventura is keeping a close eye on him for the future.
PROSPECTRATING: 7/10.Hasn't had the same stratospheric instant impact assome of the other playerson thislist,but the potential to grow into a solid player and cement a first-team place at Inter or another big club,aswell asthe national team,isthere
Club: Bayern Munich
Dateof birth: 18/8/1997 (19 yearsold)
At just 19 yearsof age,Renato Sancheshasalreadynotched up numerousimportant career milestones.He hasa Primeira Liga and a Taca da Liga with Benfica alreadyto hisname,as well asthe small matter of a European Championship winner'smedal with Portugal.
Aswith manyof the Iberian nation'shome-grown talents, Sancheshasbeen snapped up bya European giant,in this case Bayern Munich,for an initial fee of £28m that could rise to £63m,and to top it off,he haspipped the likesof MarcusRashford and Gianluigi Donnarumma in winning the 2016 Golden BoyAward
Sanchesisan energeticbox-to-box midfielder known for his strength,passing abilityand composure on the ball.He'sa player who likesto tryand help dictate the tempo in midfield,with hisinfluence having earned him a regular starting role for Benfica last season,and isconsidered Portugal?smost exciting prospect since Cristiano Ronaldo Such ishisstanding among the nation'sfansthat hisfirst appearancesfor hiscountryin March,off the subs' bench, were greeted with deafening roarsbythe Portugal supporters.
For all the hype,however,he isenduring somewhat of a tough season at Bayern Injurysidelined him for a number of weeksand,since hisreturn,hastaken some time to adjust, with some alreadydismissing histalents.
However,it looksasthough he maybe turning a corner after putting in a man-of-the-match performance in hisside's1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the ChampionsLeague,a game in which he wasinvolved at everyopportunity,accurate in playing long balls,and did great in termsof positioning
PROSPECTRATING: 9/10 Hasachieved so much at such an earlyage and acknowledgeshe isstill learning Needsto properlyacclimatise to Bayern Munich but once bedded in will onlyget better and better
Club: ACMilan
Dateof birth: 8/1/1998 (18 yearsold)
One of two ACMilan playerson thislist,Manuel Locatelli wasnamed among the Rossoneri substitutesasearlyas March 2015 when Filippo Inzaghi included him against Fiorentina,but had to wait a further year to make hisdebut, against Carpi in April 2016.
Since then the 18-year-old hasquicklymade a name for himself,scoring hisfirst goal for Milan in a 4-3 comeback win over Sassuolo thisseason after he wasintroduced asa substitute.
Locatelli?ssecond goal for Milan then launched him into the headlines,a sweet strike from the edge of the box against Juventuswhich gave the Rossoneri their first win over the dominant Old Ladysince November 2012
The Lecco-born youngster hasalreadybeen compared to Andrea Pirlo,asboth boast a wonderful abilityto passthe ball and a vision to spot the best passing opportunitiesand surgicallyslice opposition defencesopen
However,Locatelli hasarguablygot more at hisdisposal - he can also playasa defensive midfielder ashe isa great tackler and,together with long legsand good speed,isoften able to reach the ball before hisopponents
Locatelli,who iscurrentlythe captain of the Italian U-19 team,hasrepresented hisnation at variousyouth levelsand wasa part of the Italian team that finished asrunners-up in the 2016 U-19 European championship
AlreadyEurope'stop clubsare said to be interested in him, with Arsenal particularlykeen,according to reports,but the Rossoneri have made it clear that he isone for the future.
PROSPECTRATING: 9/10.Although ACMilan are no longer the force theyused to be,expectationswill alwaysbe high at the San Siro and Locatelli hasthe perfect opportunityto gain game time,develop hisgame and help the Rossoneri back into the big time,aswell aspotentiallysupplement the Italian national team for the next decade or more
Dateof birth: 18/9/1997 (18 yearsold)
Like several of the other starslisted here,Christian Pulisicof Borussia Dortmund hasachieved a great deal despite being just 18 yearsold
The American became the youngest foreigner to score in the Bundesliga at just 17 back in April In May,he became the youngest scorer for the USnational team.In September,he became the youngest player to score twice in a Bundesliga game before also becoming Dortmund'syoungest ever player in the ChampionsLeague.
Aflamboyant attacking midfielder,Pulisiclikesto dribble at the oppositionsand take on defenders Quick feet,close control,confidence in the box and in one-on-ones,and natural flair make him an archetypal number 10 who thrives in a free role
Although not the strongest individual at thisstage in time, Pulisicisgifted with technical abilityand good vision, outfoxing defendersrather than battering through them Alreadya starter for Dortmund and the United States football team,Pulisichasbagsof potential at hisdisposal and could well go on to become a keyfigure for club and country
Asisoften the case,a player of Pulisic'scalibre will undoubtedlybe linked to the elite clubs.Rumourshave alreadysurfaced of Jurgen Klopp wanting to bring him to Liverpool,while Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are also said to have earmarked him asa potential future signing.
PROSPECTRATING: 8/10.Needsto bulk up so he can withstand the inevitable tacklesand bullying that he will undoubtedlyget in hisnumber 10 role,but hasall the makingsof a superstar.
Club: Manchester United
Dateof birth: 31/10/1997 (19 yearsold)
Unlessyou've been living under a rock for the past nine months,you will know that MarcusRashford isone of the most exciting young English strikerssince a teenage Wayne Rooneystruck that wonderful long-range goal past David Seaman all of 14 yearsago.
ManyManchester United fanswith an eye on the Academy had tipped the Wythenshawe-born forward asone of their best prospects,but few could have imagined just how stronglyhe would have exploded into the publiceye.
AnthonyMartial'sinjurymeant that Rashford wasdrafted into the United starting line-up for their Europa League match against Midtjylland in February2016,and he responded bybagging a brace The goalsmade him United's youngest ever scorer in European competition,beating a record previouslyheld bynone other than George Best
An exciting debut,but it wasagainst a relativelyweak team Could he do it against the big boys?Thisquestion was answered three dayslater when he once again scored twice and also provided an assist to register a 3-2 win over Arsenal,and so a star wasborn
Rashford then went on to deliver for England,scoring the opening goal of a 2?1 win against Australia after three minutes,becoming the youngest Englishman to score on his international debut,and the third youngest overall
PROSPECTRATING: 10/10 Hasset hisown bar incredibly high alreadyand isshowing no signsof slowing down.If he keepsdeveloping asplanned,he could well become another England striking legend alongside Alan Shearer,Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney.
Club: Schalke04
Dateof birth: 14/2/1997 (19 yearsold)
The last few generationshave seen Switzerland asof those decent international teamsthat reachesthe finalsof major tournamentsbut failsto make much of an impact Rewind back to the 1930sand 1950s,however,and the Alpine nation wasquite a dangerousproposition in football, reaching three World Cup quarter finals.
Now,Switzerland seem to be undergoing a football renaissance,churning out impressive playersthat are making an impact at some of the biggest clubsin the world One of the most highlyrated prospectsis19-year-old striker Breel Embolo,who hasalreadymade a step up in club from FCBasel to Bundesliga'sSchalke 04.
The Cameroon-born forward moved to Switzerland aged six and,seven yearslater,wasturning out for Basel,helping them win back-to-back youth titlesand becoming a first-team regular before long.
Embolo went on to make hisEuropa League and Swiss Super League debut within a space of four days He managed to score on hisleague debut within five minutes after coming on.
Apowerful,muscular powerhouse of a striker,Embolo is alreadycapable of using hisframe to fend off defenders, while also having dribbling,dictating playand heading in hisyoung repertoire.
PROSPECTRATING: 8/10 Prior to hisinjuryhe wasright on track,having moved to a big league club and showing his class,but with him being ruled out for a number of months, let'shope it doesnot prove a major setback
Club: Palmeiras(joiningManchester City in January)
Dateof birth: 3/4/1997 (19 yearsold))
Brazil isthe undisputed football capital of the world Historicallythe best and most famousteam in the international game,with five World Cups,eight Copa Americasand a host of other trophiesincluding the current Olympicmen'sfootball title,football isprettymuch a religion in Brazil and the conveyor belt of playersis plentiful
The latest prodigyisthe Sao Paulo-born Gabriel Jesus,a talented forward who wastipped for great thingswhen he scored 29 goalsfor amateur club Anhanguera in a local under-15 tournament
From then on he went from strength to strength,signing for Palmeirasand establishing himself asone of the historic club'skeyplayers.
Aversatile forward capable of playing all acrossthe attacking setup,the Olympicgold medallist ismost effective down the middle due to hisimpressive movement, positional awarenessand footwork.
Earlier thisyear he sealed a move to Manchester City,but in the meantime he remained with Palmeirasand ended his spell in Brazil on a high,scoring 12 goalsto help the club clinch the 2016 Campeonato Brasileiro - their first league title for 22 years- with a game to spare He hasgot rave reviewsfrom hishome nation,with international and soon-to-be club team mate Fernandinho saying: 'He isa special talent and a goal-scorer and I hope he can score a lot of goalsfor usand he'sgoing to be one of the best playersin the Premier League soon'
PROSPECTRATING: 9/10 Hisrecord in Brazil alreadyspeaks for itself,not to mention hisexploitsin the Selecao below senior level.Joining Man Citywill prove a veryintense learning curve,aswill the step up to established Brazil international,but hopesare high that he will reach the relevant heights.
Club: AIK Stockholm
Dateof birth: 21/9/1999 (17 yearsold)
Born in the Solna district of the greater Stockholm area in 1999,Alexander Isak hasbeen with AIKsince the age of six and hasrisen rapidlythrough the ranks,training with the senior squad for the first time two yearsago
He onlysigned hisfirst professional contract in Mayof this year but waskeyin helping AIKto a second-place finish in Sweden?sAllsvenskan league last season,with ten goalsin 24 appearances,leading him to be christened the "new Ibrahimovic"byteammate Chinedu Obasi amid reportsof scoutsfrom 90 clubswatching him in action
Standing over six feet tall,good with both feet and boasting incredible pace,he islooking to build muscle massover the coming yearsashe maturesboth from a physical and a footballing perspective,which would make him a dominating figure up front
Thisyear alone,Isak hasrepresented Sweden at Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 level,hisdebut for the latter in the most recent international break,and isreported to have a famousfan in Sweden'sgolden player of the last generation, Zlatan Ibrahimovichimself
Aftonbladet journalist Kristoffer Bergstrom told ESPN: "Alexander isan exciting prospect,because he isveryclever. He knowshow to receive the ball and bring it forward with just one touch He just should get stronger physically Give him a few monthsin a gym,and he'll be readyto playfor the national team"
PROSPECTRATING: 7/10 Still hassome wayto go in terms of development but he ison the right path Best off remaining at AIKfor the next few seasonsand breaking into the senior Sweden team before trying hisluck at a bigger club
The bastion of stability that is the England national team now finds itself on its third manager this year. After Roy Hodgson's disastrous Euro 2016 campaign, where the Three Lions got knocked out by Iceland, a team that was 131st in the world just four years ago, and Sam Allardyce's one-match tenure that was brought to an end by a cynical media sting, here we are with Gareth Southgate
Sure, it may just work. After all, he has been indoctrinated in the ways of the FA with a view to the international game as opposed to having to switch from club setup to country, which is more difficult than it seems -witness Fabio Capello's failure at international level.
Maybe by having a manager who is young, honed for the international game, and has his bar set relatively lowlet's face it, nobody's going to think we've got the World Cup in the bag at least, although that ship sailed long ago, unless you're a tabloid -we might actually be pleasantly surprised
But let's face it -Southgate is very much the preferred option of the FA He's so white bread, so vanilla, so uncharismatic, so unremarkable He will not ruffle feathers like Allardyce did, and even though Big Sam's position was untenable after the sting, it should have never come to that.
Why did The Telegraph go through all the trouble of that sting, which really only claimed one notable scalp -that of Allardyce?After the Iceland defeat, it really did turn England into a laughing stock, as Alan Shearer said And now, here we are, with Gareth Southgate, who went through an apparently rigorous interview before landing the England job -talk about the world's worst-kept secret.
Brian Clough he ain't, but best of luck to Mr White Bread anyway. Looking forward to England's win-and-two-draws group stage in Russia 18 months from now before a meek second-round defeat to Ecuador Same old England.
Bunch of melts:England lost to Iceland at Euro 2016
How long have you supported Manchester City?
Since 2002, when I was 14 years old and we'd just been promoted into the Premiership
What wasit like supporting the club before the arrival of the current owners?
City had been bouncing up and down the divisions for a number of years, with the now-famous stint in the Second Division where Captain Fantastic Andy Morrison dragged us back up "kicking and screaming" Although we've remained in the top flight since 2002, we were just an average club and, Manchester-wise, firmly in the shadow of United
transformed the club
Favourite player at the moment?
Sergio Aguero. He's simply sensational - no need to go into detail.
Favourite memory?
Pretty much everything from 2010 onwards! Although one clearly stands above the rest doesn't it? AgueroooooOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
Where will you finish this season?
Champions And we'll win the FA Cup and Champions League too! The treble's coming back to Manchester and it'll be on the blue side!
Where do you see the club in five years' time?
As Manchester's first club! United who?
Favourite player and favourite manager of all time?
How did you feel when Abu Dhabi United Group took over?
Well, there was the whole Thaksin Shinawatra story and that looked like it was going to pot after his assets were frozen, so we were sceptical at first, but it's been incredible since then - they've
Again, I have to nominate Aguero. The amount of goals he's scored over the years is top class, and he also scored THAT goal in the final game of the 2011-12 season However I also want to nominate Richard Dunne, a sheer rock at the back for many years As for favourite manager, even though it's before my time, I'm going to name the one whose exploits tower over our recent managers -Joe Mercer
What have you made of Leeds United's season so far?
I think it's been quite solid, we've given a good manager more than 2 months and it's paying off, what a surprise!
What did you make of the Garry Monk appointment and how do you think he has done since taking on the job?
I'm excited about Monk but wary as to how long he will get He's done a great job and really has the fans on his side, hopefully he can continue this good streak.
How would you describe the last decade as a Leeds fan?
Painful, a big fish stuck in a small pond.
Who is your best player currently?
Pontus Jansson seems to be a real gem, he 'gets' Leeds United, and hopefully we can sign him permanently
What is your best memory asa Leedsfan?
I'm only 20 so I missed the glory years! Hopefully we'll see new memories being made!
Do you w an t M assim o Cellin o t o sell up an d go, or st ay?
Sell up! The only time we're proud of our club is when he isn't in the spotlight and that speaks volumes He's proved on past occasions that he isn't fit enough as a person or as a chairman to run this club
Who do you rate asthe best player and also the best manager you've seen at the club?
Lewis Cook is THE best player I've seen, for his age he has bags of talent England international one day for sure. As for managers, Simon Grayson brought us some great memories and started our road to recovery, he deserves credit
Where do you think you'll finish thisseason?
If Cellino continues to stay out of the spotlight we may nick 6th, if not then its 10th place for us.
How long have you been supporting MK Dons?
I've been supporting the Dons since 2006, so 10 years
MK Dons were famously formed by moving Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes - what are your thoughtson this?
The age old question that I get asked at least once a week do I agree with the move?
Probably not, but the Wimbledon fans had a chance to save the club and refused. Fair play to Pete Winkleman for keeping a football club alive
Do you consider AFC Wimbledon to be your club'smain rivals?
Nope They don't appear to like us, but they're not even on our radar A one-sided rivalry if ever there was one
Do you think Pete Winkleman does a good job at running the club?
He might not spend the amount of money on players we would all like, but we've got a world class stadium and a state of the art training ground on the way plus we aren't in any debt, you can't say about many football clubs can you?
Who is your key player this season?
Darren Potter He does a great job of marshalling the back four, orchestrating play, and his tackles, leadership and ball retention are crucial for us.
What's your finest memory asa MK Donsfan?
Getting promoted to the Championship on the final day of the 2014/15season.
Who do you consider to be the greatest Dons player, and also the greatest Dons manager, of all time?
My favourite player is Aaron Wilbraham A top quality striker with 50 goals in 178 games for us, and helped us to a Football League Trophy and the League Two title in 2008
My favourite manager, meanwhile, is Karl Robinson Spent six years with us and helped us into the
In terms of the club's progress, how do you feel you'll do this season, and where do you see the Dons in five years' time?
This season? Mid-table, but I'm confident that the Dons will be in the Premier League in five years' time. We feel we are building towards, and the infrastructure is coming together nicely
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How long have you supported NottsCounty?
I've properly supported Notts for 10 years, but I've followed them ever since I was taken to my first game in 2001 I think, Notts against Reading, and we won - how the mighty have fallen
Notts fans were famously top of a list of the most stressed out football supporters. Why is it so hard to support the club?
Put it this way, if Notts was a partner, you'd have dumped her a long time ago Always messing you around, disappointment after disappointment, arguments, bad vibes and no future. Sadly, you're stuck with your club, aren't you?
Favourite player at the moment?
Jon Stead. He plays his heart out and delivers where it counts - on the scoresheet. His absence has been sorely missed
Where will you finish this season?
I really can't say, but at the moment it looks grim Probably 20th.
Where do you see County in five years' time?
Depends whether there's a change upstairs or not If yes, maybe in League One. If not, I honestly see the club going bust and a phoenix club rising from the ashes. Maybe that would be the best thing in all honesty
Favourite player and manager of all time?
Alan Judge. He was a demon of a player, always making things happen The Irish Messi, we called him. As for managers, Jimmy Sirrel is obviously the one who achieved the most, but I'll name one that I've actually seen at the helmSteve Cotterill.
What are the County directors like at running the club?
All I can say is they saved us in 2010 after the Munto situation risked sending the club into admin or even liquidation Since then, no comment!
Over the years, our cup games have been our pride and joy Neal Bishop's goal against Manchester City, where it really looked like we would beat one of the biggest clubs in the country, has to be right up there with them, or Adam Coombes' goal against Liverpool to make it 2-2
Football Manics wants to provide a chance for aspiring sports journalists and devoted football fans to learn the sports media industry ropes, get some great stories on their portfolio or CV, or simply air their views on their beloved club
With both newsoutletsand social media dominated byPaul Pogba?sworld record £89m return to Manchester United earlier thisyear,Football Manicswriter Sam Fuller hastaken the time to put together a list of other playerswho have,successfullyor not, made the move back to their former club.
10 Mario Gotze (BORUSSIA DORTMUND)
First on the list isMario Gotze,who swapped Bayern Munich for Borussia Dortmund thissummer after 3 yearsaway from the ?black and yellows?
Gotze wasadored byfansin hisfirst spell in Dortmund,where he wasregarded asa top qualityprospect for the future,a standard he lived up to in hisearlyBayern Munich career.
After scoring the onlygoal in Germany?s World Cup final win in 2014,Gotze has failed to make much of an impact for the Bundesliga champions,making just 16 startsin all competitionslast season.
Despite hispoor form,we can? t forget that famoussaying,?form istemporary,classis permanent?,which iswhyDortmund snapped up the 24-year-old in Julythisyear for a fee of £18m,a bargain for a player of hisquality
9 Thierry Henry (ARSENAL)
ThierryHenrywould have been placed higher on thislist due to hislegendary statusat the Gunnersin the Premier League,were hisreturn more than just a short loan spell during the MLSwinter break Despite this,it wasa successasfar as Arsenal were concerned,asit gave their fanspossiblythe best moment at the EmiratesStadium to date
With the Gunnersbeing held to a 0-0 draw byLeedsin an FACup 3rd round clash, Henrycame off the bench to score the winner in typical Thierryfashion,sending the Arsenal faithful into pandemonium ? and even the opposition fansstood to
applaud.
Hisonlyother goal during the two-month loan spell came against Sunderland in stoppage time which won the match for the North London side,a fitting send off
8 Teddy Sheringham (TOTTENHAM)
TeddySheringham wasa fan favourite at Spurs,even winning the Golden Boot in the first ever Premier League season with 22 goals
Despite being loved,he wasbecoming increasinglyfrustrated at the lack of trophiesat Tottenham,and thisresulted in him moving to the red side of Manchester in a deal worth roughly£3.5m.
After a 4-year-spell at Manchester United, Sheringham made the move back to North London,where he couldn? t quite reach the heightsthat he had during hisfirst stayat the club,but he still goesdown in the Tottenham historybooksfor hisgoalscoring record
7 Kaka (ACMILAN)
Kaka wasexceptional at Milan There?sno other wayto put it.Costing them just £7m, Kaka won the ChampionsLeague,Serie A and the Club World Cup in hissix-year stay in Italy.The Brazilian also picked up the 2007 Ballon D?Or,which labelled him asthe world?sbest,and it wasn? t hard to see why He made a world record,at the time,£56m move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009,but in all honesty,Kaka?scareer went downhill at the Bernabeu,with injury problemshindering hisprogress,and he handed in histransfer request in 2013.
After interest from England,it was announced that Kaka wasrejoining AC Milan on a free transfer,and hissecond stint at the club helped him reach landmarkssuch asscoring his100th goal for Milan,aswell asplaying his300th match in Italy.
6
After emerging at West Ham side earlyin hiscareer, Jermain Defoe moved acrossLondon to Tottenham in 2004 for a fee of £6m,but he wasoverlooked for a starting place following the arrival of Darren Bent in the summer of 2007
After a short loan spell at Portsmouth,the move was quicklymade permanent,which saw Spursrecoup the £6m theypaid for hisservices,but after continued hassle from Tottenham fans,the club resigned the forward from Portsmouth just a year later in a deal believed to be worth more than double what Pompeypaid for him.
Defoe kept hold of a starting place for most of the 5 years that he stayed,with hisbest moment coming in a 9-1 win against Wigan,in which he scored 5
5
Not manyknew of Nemanja Maticduring hisfirst spell at Chelsea,ashe made just two appearancesin his one-and-a-half year stay,but the Bluesended up paying Benfica £21m for hisreturn
He waspivotal in Chelsea?stitle winning campaign of 2014/15,even getting named asone of the midfieldersin the PFATeam of the Season from that season.
Currently,Maticisstill plying histrade for the Blues,and at the age of 28,he certainlystill hasa number of years left under hisbelt
4
Starting hisfootball career at Liverpool at the age of 8, Fowler came up through the rankson Merseyside,and made a name for himself at Anfield
In a professional career at Liverpool that lasted for 8 years, the forward wasmuch loved byfans,until hisstarting place up front wastaken over bythe prolificMichael Owen.
Fowler wassold to Leedsfor £12m in 2001,and had a spell at Manchester Citybefore returning to Liverpool on a free transfer in the winter of 2006 Hisreturn wasmet with much praise from Redsfans,however it?sfair to say that he didn? t enjoymuch success,due to Rafa Benitez?s hesitation to playhim,through fearsof fitnessconcerns
Despite this,Liverpool still regard Fowler asa legend,and no one can denythat he wasunstoppable on hisday.
After parting companywith Chelsea in 2012,winning them the ChampionsLeague final with the deciding spot kick, Didier Drogba made the move to the money-fuelled Chinese Super League
After a short stint with Galatasaray,the IvoryCoast man found himself with without a team,but Jose Mourinho took Drogba in once again
Although Drogba?sreturn to Stamford Bridge onlylasted
for a season,the reason he hasbeen placed so high on thislist isdue to the success that he wasa part of over the year.
Graeme Le Saux (CHELSEA)
)
Joe Cole (WEST HAM UNITED)
AsChelsea won the Premier League and the Capital One Cup,he mainly played asa back-up striker to Diego Costa but showed hintsof the world classstriker that we saw in hisfirst spell in West London.
2.
Mark Hughes?emergence into the Manchester United squad waswelcomed at the young age of 17,after,like Fowler,moving up through the ranks
After a mildlysuccessful opening to hiscareer at Old Trafford,Hugheswassold to Barcelona,where he endured a tough year,before going out on loan to Bayern Munich. Manchester United,with Sir Alex Ferguson now in charge, paid a club record £1 8m fee to bring him back Hissecond spell brought much success,ashe waspart of a revolution under Ferguson.
He won 2 Premier League titles,2 FACups,and the UEFA Super Cup,aswell aspicking up 2 Players?Player of the Season awardsafter hisreturn Agreat successasfar as Manchester United and Mark Hughesare concerned
1 Ian Rush (LIVERPOOL)
There isnot a strong enough superlative to describe Ian Rush?ssuccessat Liverpool.After winning the European Cup twice and 4 league titleswith the club,he set out for pasturesnew in Italywith Juventus
Hismove wasshort-lived however,ashe returned to Liverpool on loan for a season,and then moved back to Anfield on a permanent basisafter a season in Turin. He spent a further 8 yearsthere,where he secured his statusasa Liverpool legend,winning another league title, 2 FACupsand a League Cup,aswell asbecoming Liverpool?sall time record scorer with 346 goals.
Defenderssimplycouldn? t handle the Welshman who was alwaysin top form,and hisachievementson Merseyside see him top thislist
Jermain Defoe (TOTTENHAM) Nemanja Matic (CHELSEA) Robbie Fowler (LIVERPOOL)The Premier League is known globally as one of the best leagues in the world, if not the best World class players, superb backing from fans across the world and thrills aplenty makeit somethingtruly special.
However, when it comesto transfers, Premier Leaguefanshaveseen their fair shareof the ?worst?transfersaswell asthe?best?. Especially thisseason.
Thecurrent campaign hasleft many fansbaffled aswell asthrilled at someof thetransfers that havebeenmadeby their clubsafter only 10gamesplayed.
Chants of ?why have we signed him, he?s awful", or "he?s a great player, what a signing? ringacrossthegroundsafter only ashort of gamesplayed.
So, who have been the best signings and worst signings so far this season? Judging them from around a dozen games is always difficult, but we can see that an image has built up already of who'simpressingandwho'sfloundering
Zlatan Ibrahimovic arrived at Manchester United among much fanfare, but despiteabright start at Old Trafford, his form has been patchy The reality is that, at 35, his best years are past him, and Mario Balotelli's upturn in form in Francecompared to theSwede'sinconsistency in England are testament to the much higher difficulty of the Premier League.
Likewise, Paul Pogba's transfer back to the Red Devils has had so much hypethat anything short of Cristiano Ronaldo-likeplay would have been seen as disappointing Indeed, he too has not quite justified his world-record fee at this stage, but like Jose Mourinho said, heneedsto acclimatiseback to thePremier Leagueand, unlikeZlatan, time isonPogba'sside
If theaboveplayersareindifferent, then MoussaSissoko'smoveto Tottenham Hotspur has to go down as a disaster, at least at this stage of the season Not only did he antagonise former club Newcastlewith snidecommentslikedescribing Spursas"thebiggest club he's ever known", but he also annoyed Everton fans by seemingly pulling the plug at the last minuteandoptingfor WhiteHart Laneinstead
It may bedown to alack of pre-season, but asit standsSissoko hasplayed just four games for Tottenham, failed to register asinglegoal or assist, and displayed poor form - not really goodenoughfor £30m.
On a positive note, former Leicester City player and French international N?golo Kante has proved worth his value after signing for Chelsea Kanteand NemanjaMatic in central midfield arethemotor which makes theBlues rival Liverpool as themost improvedteamof theyear sofar.
Another player who's been an unexpected success is Sadio Mane for Liverpool. Another transfer from Southampton to Anfield, there have been many who have made the move to Merseyside with mixed success, but theSenegalesehasbeen excellent Hisspeed, dribbling, technique and eyefor goal haveled to six goalsand two assists, putting hisnew sideat thetop of the table
We look forward to more Premier League ?stand out performers?and ?absolute shockers?, after all, this is what makes the thrills and spills of the Premier League and our beautiful game, football.
Football isby far theworld'smost popular sport, thisisfor sure. Sincethebirthof the sport around150yearsago, it'ssafetosay that billionsof peopleacrosstheerashave playedfootball onaregular basis
That number getswhittleddownconsiderably whenyoucount only individualswho haveplayedeither professional football or haveotherwiserepresentedateaminthe upper tiersof thegame- let'scall it acoupleof hundredmillions.
Whenit comesdowntotheoutright greatest playersof all time, however, thiscanbe narroweddowntoabout fiveor six individualsat most
Thisisopenedtodiscussion, but theconsensusisthat thebiggest namesinthisupper pantheonarethefollowing: GeorgeBest, Lionel Messi, JohanCruyff, Cristiano Ronaldo, DiegoMaradona, andEdsonArantesDoNascimento, alsoknownasPele
BornonOctober 23, 1940, inTresCoracoes, Brazil, Pelegrew upinanextremely poor neighborhood, whereoneof theonly sourcesof entertainment for apoor boy wasto play football, barefoot andwithamakeshift ball.
Many playersontheBrazilianfieldsgainednicknamesthat hadnoapparent meaning. Hisfather, aminor leagueplayer, wasdubbed"Dondinho"
Edsonwasoriginally nicknamed"Dico" by hisfamily, but, accordingtoreports, he receivedthenickname"Pele" duringhisschool days, whenit isclaimedhewasgivenit becauseof hispronunciationof thenameof hisfavoriteplayer, local VascodaGama goalkeeper Bilewhichhemispronounced.
Theyoungster wascoachedby hisfather andthehardwork soonpaidoff ashewas pickedfor BauruAtleticoClube, thelocal teamandtheclubfor whichDondinhohad alsoplayed
PeleledBauruAthleticClubjuniors, coachedby Waldemar deBrito, tothree consecutiveSão Paulostateyouthchampionshipsbetween1954and1956
In1956, deBritotook PeletoSantos, anindustrial andport city locatednear São Paulo, totry out for professional clubSantosFC, tellingthedirectorsat Santosthat the 15-year-oldwouldbe"thegreatest football player intheworld."
PeleimpressedSantoscoachLuladuringhistrial at theEstádio VilaBelmiro, andhesigneda professional contract withtheclubinJuneof that year
Hemadehissenior teamdebut on7September at theageof 15against CorinthiansSantoAndreandhad animpressiveperformanceina7?1victory, scoringthefirst of hisrecord1281goalsinfootball during thematch
Whenthe1957seasonstarted, Pelewasgivenastartingplaceinthefirst teamand, at theageof 16, becamethetopscorer intheleague
Tenmonthsafter signingprofessionally, theteenager wascalleduptotheBrazil national teamandin 1958hewonhisfirst major titlewithSantos, theCampeonatoPaulista
Peleendedupstayingvirtually all hiscareer withSantos, savefor atwo-year stint withtheNew York CosmosintheUnitedStates, andwonevery trophy that couldbewon, including10Campeonato Paulistas, six SerieA championships, andtwoCopaLibertadores.
After the1962WorldCup, someof thebiggest clubsinEurope, suchasReal Madrid, Juventusand Manchester Unitedtriedtosignhim, but thegovernment of Brazil declaredPelean"official national treasure" toprevent himfrombeingtransferredout of thecountry
Despitenever playingfor ateamoutsideof theAmericas, Pelebecameaglobal householdnamein football thankstohisexploitsintheWorldCup Aged17, hehelpedBrazil winthe1958trophy before doingthesamefour yearslater
Inthe1966WorldCuphefoundhimself onthereceivingendof somebrutal tacklesandwaseffectively fouledout of thegameastheSelecaolimpedout inthefirst round Followingtheir final gameagainst Portugal, hevowedhewouldnever againplay intheWorldCup, adecisionhewouldlater change.
The1970WorldCupendedupbeingarguably Brazil'sfinest hour asthey coastedtothetrophy playing football consideredby many tobethebest inasingletournament, andPelewasarguably thejewel inthe crown
After the1974season(his19thwithSantos), PeleretiredfromBrazilianclubfootball althoughhe continuedtooccasionally play for Santosinofficial competitivematches
Twoyearslater, hecameout of semi-retirement tosignwiththeNew York Cosmosof theNorth AmericanSoccer League(NASL) for the1975season, althoughhestayedfor afurther twoyears
Pelesparkedafrenzy of interest inUnitedStatesfootball andwent ontoleadtheCosmostothe1977 NASL championship, inhisthirdandfinal seasonwiththeclub
On1October 1977, Peleclosedout hiscareer inanexhibitionmatchbetweentheCosmosandSantos, whereheplayedfor bothsides, oneineachhalf.
Arguably thefirst global superstar footballer, Pelewill berememberedfor generationstocome Tosum uphisfame, thisiswhat former UnitedStatespresident RonaldReagansaidabout him:
"My nameisRonaldReagan, I'mthePresident of theUnitedStatesof America But youdon't needto introduceyourself, becauseeveryoneknowswhoPeleis."
When I started watching football in Germany, I noticed many differences to the game in England, some big, some small Culinary staples such as pies are notable by their absence, replaced by sausages and fish rolls I could stand to watch the match, even at the biggest clubs, with a pint ? well, a watered-down half-litre ?in my hand
But what made the biggest impression on me were the supporters behind the goal, who spent the entire match singing and chanting in unison and waving giant banners, directed by a man with a loudspeaker stood on a precarious-looking scaffold I had encountered the ultras.
Although groups similar to ultras existed in Brazil and Yugoslavia from 1939 onwards, the ultras movement itself emerged in Italy, where the first groups were founded in 1951 The term ultras was used for the first time by Sampdoria and Torino fans in 1969, and is believed to have originated in an Italian newspaper, which coined the word for Torino fans who chased the referee to the airport following a 3-2 defeat.
Today, ultras are a common sight in most European stadiums. Every German club in the top three divisions, plus many below, have their own ultras, while in Poland the groups exist all the way down to the seventh level.
Giant banners and choreographies are part of this ultra-fanatical style of support. At many clubs fans are let into the ground during the week to create a banner proclaiming their love for the club, or that takes a dig at the opposition. Alternatively, supporters spend the week tearing up
bin liners in their club?s colours to hand out on the day of the match. Smoke bombs can also form part of the displays, albeit without the club?s consent Ultras often create their own fanzines and merchandise, the proceeds of which are used to finance the often expensive displays
In other words, ultras?involvement with their clubs extends beyond match days This creates a sense of shared identity and strengthens the bond of young supporters to their club.
On the day of the match, they assemble in a particular block (which is often organised in coordination with the club) and spend the whole 90 minutes singing or chanting, coordinated by a capo (?leader?) who spends the match stood on a scaffold, typically with his back to the game. Banners with slogans are sometimes written and displayed while the match is going on, which can be digs at the opposition supporters, messages aimed at injured players or seriously ill fans, angry proclamations aimed at the respective football association or TV companies, or even political messages
This all helps create an excellent atmosphere The support is usually overwhelmingly positive and sustained ?a stark contrast to many Premier League matches, which often sound like they are being played out in front of a theatre audience
On the other hand, the spectacle can come across as rather stage-managed and tends to lack the wit and spontaneity that is such a feature of English football.
Indeed, some ultras are criticised for going through their repertoires game in game out, regardless of what is happening on the pitch and without really trying to get the rest of the ground involved If done badly, this can deaden the atmosphere and actually deter people from vocally supporting their team Furthermore, some ultras have been accused of being obsessed with their image over and above that of the club.
Ultras are also vocal when it comes to the politics of football. ?Against modern football? is a frequently used slogan in ?fan blocks? across Germany ?indeed the growth of the movement can be seen as a response to the increasingly corporate, passionless nature of match days
This season, numerous ultras groups have protested against Red Bull-backed RB Leipzig due to the threat the club poses to the country?s 50+1rule, which guarantees club members a say in the running of clubs In addition, when the German Football League announced its new security concept including full-body scanners in late 2012, fans of 50 clubs responded by falling silent for the first 12 minutes and 12 seconds of matches Security measures in Italy and stadium bans have also been met with silent protests.
Things get more contentious when ultras get involved in politics beyond football For instance, the ultras at Lazio and both Madrid clubs are well-known for their far-right leanings, while the Green Brigade at Celtic (who are currently described on Wikipedia as ?a bunch of daft wee boys that think they?re mental cos they wear
North Face jaikits and visited Belfast once?) have been criticised for singing pro-IRA songs and displaying banners in memory of Bobby Sands.
As some groups align themselves with the political right or left, this can create animosity where previously none existed and in some cases spark riots Ultras have also participated in major protests, and were particularly active in popular uprisings in Egypt and Turkey in 2011and 2013 respectively
The organisation of football fans in an increasingly commercialised sport is in itself no bad thing As ultras are predominantly young people in their teens and early 20s, they represent a different layer of football supporters than supporters?trusts and the FSF, for example Furthermore, they are primarily interested in the match day experience and atmosphere ?a vital part of the game we love that is sadly often overlooked in favour of economic interests.
Although very low-key in comparison with our European neighbours, the ultras phenomenon has also made inroads into English football One of the best-known groups is the Holmesdale Fanatics at Crystal Palace, who have
notably improved the atmosphere at Selhurst Park and encouraged other fans to vocally get behind the team, but have also polarised other sections of the support: the group held a silent protest after the club banned two of its members for crowd surfing, an action met with the derision of other supporters, some of whom chanted ?can you shut up every week?.
This feeling that ultras demand special treatment alienates many The growth of the movement in the UK has been hindered by two factors: the perception of ultras as being prone to violence, fuelled by incidents in Poland and Italy as well as the media?s habit of using the words ?ultras? and ?hooligans? interchangeably; and a general aversion to a regimented, organised form of support
One of the main stumbling blocks for the growth of the ultras movement in Britain is its association with violence In particular, the theft of rival groups?banners or scarves can trigger violence, as the loss of a banner represents a symbolic defeat On top of this, ultras frequently accuse clubs and authorities of heavy-handedness, often putting otherwise cooperative clubs in an awkward position when their ultras use smoke bombs, obliging clubs to act.
These antics make it easy to blame ultras for violence at football; indeed, journalists and functionaries often do so. Bans on ultras or even standing at football have been floated after violent incidents. However, the logic behind this argument is simplistic. While some ultras groups have unquestionably
attracted aggressive, extremist elements, the raison d?être of ultras is to create atmosphere within grounds, not to organise punch-ups outside them.
Are ultras the answer to the stagnant atmosphere that prevails in English grounds today?Currently most clubs have ?singing? sections in all but name, with chants being initiated by the same people in the same section of the ground Ultra-style support may seem rather regimented, but is it really such a departure from how we have supported our teams for decades?The extra organisation feels foreign to British grounds, but surely organised support is better than a complete lack of atmosphere? When done right, ultra-style support can encourage others to sing and vocally support their team, spreading the atmosphere around the ground But when done badly, you can find yourself with a corner of the ground droning its own song to the tune of ?Big Big Girl? for 90 minutes to the complete indifference of the rest of the crowd, or one team having two hostile ultras groups separated by a line of police and drowning out each other?s songs (yes, I have actually witnessed both)
Could the ultras movement make bigger inroads into English football grounds? Certainly, it has to be better than the listless match atmosphere that is all too common nowadays But let?s give it our own unique flavour instead of copying the Italians or Germans wholesale And let?s leave the preening and the aggro on the other side of the Channel too.
Fansof my local non-leagueclubWeymouthFChavecertainly beentohell andback over thelast few years
Someof youmay remember how theclubcameintothespotlight barely adecadeagowhenSteveClaridge cameinasplayer-manager, attemptingtotaketheclubintotheFootball League
Crowdsoftennumberedinexcessof 2,500, theplayerswerefull-timeandthey werepaidassuch, andthere wasareal buzzabout thetown.
Sadly thosedaysarenow longgone
Oneboardroomsoapoperaafter another hasseentheclubtumbledown intotheSouthernPremier League. They havestabilisedsomewhat, andcontinuetojust about functionthanks tothethanklesshardwork of unpaidvolunteerswhojust want towatchtheir teamplay onaSaturday
Come3pmonaSaturday, theanticipationandexcitement isjust thesameasthat at OldTrafford. For thenext coupleof hoursat least everyonecanforget about lifeandindulgeintheir passion
It?sthesamefamiliar facessayinghelloasyouheadthroughtheturnstilesandbegintheusual matchday routine Thesmell of deepheat andBovril fillstheair asthefanscongregateat theoldspeedway endof the ground, despitetheinevitability that theTerraswill attack thecar park endinthefirst half andwe?ll all haveto walk around. But it wouldjust seemwrongtogostraight tothat end!
Theterracesarehalf empty andtheonly noisethroughthefirst half comesfromtheshoutsonthepitchandon thetouchline. Theoldboysintheaffectionately nicknamed?BabsWindsor?standgivethelinesmansome stick asever, andtheoccasional shout of ?holdtheline?, ?keepupref?and?wakeupWeymouth!?fill theair
Halftimecomes Someonewinsajoint of topsideonthemeat raffle, thefanschangeendsandnewsarrivesthat City leadUnitedinthebiglocal derby Nobody expectedCambridgetoturnover Redditch! A half hearted cheer goesupasfurther newsarrivesthat oldfoesYeovil trail at thebreak.
Intothesecondhalf eventsonthepitchfinally get interesting Asthesunsetsbehindthemainstandandthe floodlightstakeover, thehomecrowdroar theTerrasforwards. Theoldboysberatethelinesman, whilst the youngstersbehindthegoal singtheir heartsout for their hometownteam
For just whenit lookslikeit?sgoingtobeanother frustratingday theTerraswinonelast corner. Despitethe previous47all beingclearedby thefirst maneveryonestill believes, still holdstheir breath, weall still pray for onelast chance Andsoit provesthistime
After agameof pinball intheareatheball cannonsoff of adefender intothestomachof aWeymouthbody and bouncesintothenet. Herunsoff incelebrationpretendingheknew somethingabout it, andismobbedby the youngstersbehindthegoal
Hisnameandfacemay not beonthefront cover of FIFA 17andontheback of every shirt inthesportsshops inthetown, but for the500or sohardcorewhocontinuetoturnout tocheer ontheir local club, heisthehero of thehour
Come5pmit?sback intotheclubhousefor acelebratory pint andapost-matchchat withtheday?smatch winner Theyounglocal boy getsapat ontheback for hiseffortsoff thebench, andthegoalkeeper getssome stick for thegoal helet in, but all ingoodhumour of course.
ComeMonday morningthey?ll beback totheir day jobsjust liketherest of us, but comethefollowing Saturday we?ll betravellingtosometownthat nobody whoisn?t fromtherehasever heardof toseeif they can follow uponthiswin, safeintheknowledgethat, comethesametimenext Saturday, we?ll probably be wonderingwhy webothered.
But that?sfootball That?sthejoysof supportingyour hometownclub Moreoftenthannot they driveyouup thewall, but youput upwithall thedisappointment, frustrationanddespair just for that onemoment of pure elationwhentheball hitstheback of thenet, your teamhasdonethebusiness, andinthat onemoment, all is well intheworld
On e of t h e f in est aspect s of f oot ball is t h e con cept of sh ared iden t it y Bein g a support er of a t eam in st ils a sen se of pride an d com m un it y in people, an d w h en it com es t o t h e in t ern at ion al gam e, t h is is m agn if ied t en f old.
It ' s alw ays a spect acle w h en a t eam qualif ies f or a m ajor t ourn am en t or perf orm s adm irably in on e, part icularly if it ' s a n at ion t h at doesn ' t of t en get t h at f ar - w it n ess t h e scen es of jubilat ion w h en Icelan d reach ed t h e quart er- f in als of Euro 2016.
Wh at h appen s, h ow ever, w h en t h e " n at ion " in volved is n ot in t ern at ion ally recogn ised an d n ot part of a con t in en t al f ederat ion or FIFA?
Dozen s of region s an d t errit ories across t h e w orld are in t h is posit ion - t h ey are of t en part of a great er n at ion but w ish t o assert pride as it s ow n en t it y, but do n ot h ave t h e m ean s t o do so on t h e great est st age
St ep f orw ard t h e Con f ederat ion of In depen den t Foot ball Associat ion s
Form ed in 2013, Con IFA is a f ederat ion of f oot ball associat ion s m ade up of t eam s t h at represen t n at ion s, depen den cies, un recogn ized st at es, m in orit ies an d st at eless peoples n ot af f iliat ed t o FIFA
Con IFA is t h e successor t o t h e New Foot ball Federat ion s- Board, w h ich w as est ablish ed in Decem ber 2003 an d becam e def un ct in Jan uary 2013. Bot h served t h e sam e purpose - t o give n on - FIFA m em bers t h e ch an ce t o represen t t h eir iden t it y via f oot ball.
Th e NF- Board adm in ist ered t h e Viva World Cup, t h eir ow n version of t h e FIFA sh ow piece, an d ran f or f ive t ourn am en t s bet w een 2006 an d 2012, but t h ey w ere beset by problem s f rom t h e st art .
It s in augural cup w as sch eduled t o t ak e place in t h e Turk ish Republic of Nort h ern Cyprus, but t h e Board m oved t h e t ourn am en t af t er a polit ical disput e w it h t h e local govern m en t .
Accordin g t o Con IFA h eads, m an y of t h e t eam s t h at h ad part icipat ed in Viva World Cups st ill w an t ed t o h ave an in t ern at ion al t ourn am en t t o play in af t er t h e NF- Board disban ded, so t h ey t urn ed t o Sw eden ' s Per- An ders Blin d f or leadersh ip
Blin d, n ow t h e curren t presiden t of Con IFA, h ad been a ref eree in f our Viva World Cups, an d h ad h elped organ ize t h e t ourn am en t s He t eam ed w it h a Germ an part n er, Sasch a Duerk op, an d by M ay of 2013 creat ed Con IFA an d est ablish ed it as a n on - prof it in Sw eden .
Th e organ izers say t h at t eam s h ave t o pay t h eir expen ses t o arrive at t h e sit e an d t h at t h ere is n o m on et ary prize t o be gain ed In st ead, t h ey say ? t eam s sim ply play f or t h e joy of f oot ball an d t h e pride t o represen t t h eir n at ion in t ern at ion ally.?
Given t h e sen sit ive polit ical sit uat ion s of m an y of t h e t eam s in volved, Con IFA declares it self polit ically n eut ral, in st ead let t in g t h e f oot ball do t h e t alk in g.
So f ar t h ere h ave been t w o 2014 Con IFA World Foot ball Cups, t h e f irst on e of w h ich t ook place in Sapm i, w h ich en com passes part s of f ar n ort h ern Norw ay, Sw eden , Fin lan d, an d t h e Kola Pen in sula of Russia.
Th is t ourn am en t w as w on by t h e Coun t y of Nice, w h o beat Ellan Van n in (t h e Isle of M an ) on pen alt ies in t h e f in al, but w h en it cam e t o def en din g t h eir t it le in 2016, t h ey w it h drew because of securit y con cern s aroun d t h e h ost t errit ory - Abk h azia.
Th e reason t h e t ourn am en t w as aw arded t o Abk h azia - a region w it h in Georgia t h at is recogn ised on ly by Russia, Nicaragua, Ven ezuela an d Nauru - w as in respon se t o t h e k in d of diplom at ic issues t h at af f ect un recogn ised st at es
Follow in g t h e 2015 Con IFA European Foot ball Cup, in w h ich t h e t eam s f rom Abk h azia an d Sout h Osset ia w ere ref used visas by t h e Hun garian govern m en t , Con IFA an n oun ced t h at it s Execut ive Com m it t ee h ad un an im ously vot ed t o aw ard t h e 2016 World Foot ball Cup t o Abk h azia
It st at ed t h at , in addit ion t o t h e qualit y of t h e bid, t h e decision w ould sen d out t h e m essage t h at Con IFA w ould st an d by all of it s m em bers
Abk h azia w en t on t o w in t h e com pet it ion on h om e soil, vin dicat in g
Con IFA' s decision t o h ave t h e t ourn am en t in t h e region an d givin g it s people t h e ch an ce t o f eel proud about t h eir iden t it y
Con IFA' s m ot t o is " f reedom t o play f oot ball" , an d t h an k s t o t h em , dozen s of en t it ies w h o f eel un represen t ed in in t ern at ion al relat ion s are given t h e ch an ce t o, quit e sim ply, exist