Hall to play for! - fifa.com · Hall to play for! FIFA Futsal World Cup time. ... the Americans beat ... Brazil’s Jeferson da Conceição Gonçalves weaves his way through the French

Europe’s World Cup qualifi ers under way | Brazil 2014 mascot revealed | Volunteers set new record | Mexico and USA strike Olympic gold | England’s future focus | Game on in Madrid | Policing the game with INTERPOL | Ethics chiefs appointed | Kicking out discrimination

October 2012

Hall to play for!FIFA Futsal World Cup time

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3FIFA WORLD I OCTOBER 2012

EDITORIAL

“As well as being

successful as a sport in

its own right, futsal is

increasingly popular as

a way of teaching skill

and technique in the

11-a-side game.”

The great indoorsDear friends of football,

The game of football has grown tremendously since its early days as a sport played only by men on the grass fi elds of a few European countries, and FIFA’s willingness over the years to introduce new codes and competitions – from youth and women’s football to futsal and beach soccer – has certainly helped accelerate that growth.

As we now look ahead to the latest edition of the FIFA Futsal World Cup, I still remember clearly the fi rst game of futsal that I ever saw and the impression that was made on me by the close ball skills of the players and the noisy passion of the crowd as their cheers bounced around the arena walls. Convinced that the indoor version had much to complement the more traditional outdoor game, I was soon working together with then FIFA President João Havelange to bring this sporting product of South America to a wider audience.

Within just a few years we were able to hold the fi rst FIFA Futsal World Cup in 1989 in the Netherlands, one of the fi rst European countries to embrace this version of the game. Since then we have staged a further fi ve tournaments on four different continents – only returning to the game’s South American birthplace when Brazil hosted the most recent edition in 2008. As we head back to Asia for Thailand’s staging of the seventh edition, further growth is already guaranteed, with the record fi eld of 20 participating teams that took part in Brazil 2008 now set to increase once more to 24.

Having started with 16 established futsal-playing nations back in 1989, we have now welcomed a total of 43 teams to the seven fi nal tournaments – including 2012 newcomers Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Morocco, Kuwait and Serbia. As well as being successful as a sport in its own right, futsal’s growth in recent years certainly owes much to its increasing popularity among players and coaches in the traditional 11-a-side game, who are also catching on to the usefulness of futsal’s emphasis on skill and technique.

Perhaps the best proof of the game’s growing appeal around the world would be in seeing new champions crowned in Thailand this year. Brazil and Spain, the only two countries to have triumphed at the FIFA Futsal World Cup to date, will of course have something to say about that, but the tournament’s other contenders can certainly take inspiration from Russia’s surprise victory at last year’s FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, which ended Brazil’s dominant run of four straight titles in that code.

I would like to wish the very best of luck to all the participating teams and invite all football fans who have yet to witness the excitement of futsal to follow the action as the latest indoor fi reworks begin.

Joseph S. Blatter

4 FIFA WORLD I OCTOBER 2012

victory at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan. In a high-calibre final between two countries who had each won the tournament on two previous occasions, the Americans beat Germany by a single goal to become the event’s fi rst three-time winners. Hosts Japan enjoyed their best-ever run at the event – fi nishing in third place after a 2-1 win over fellow semi-fi nalists Nigeria. For more details, turn to page 48.

Mourning MahmoudEgyptian football lost one of its most successful coaches in September, following the death of Mahmoud El-Gohary at the age of 74. The only man to have won the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and a coach, El-Gohary was top scorer for the Pharaohs when they won their fi rst continental title in 1959, later coaching the team to victory at the 1998 fi nals in Burkina Faso. He also steered Egypt to the 1990 FIFA World Cup™ and enjoyed continental club success with both Al-Ahly and arch-rivals Zamalek, coaching them to African Champions Cup titles in 1982 and 1993 respectively.

Winning startWorld champions Spain got their qualifying campaign for the next FIFA World Cup™ off to a winning start in September, as Europe’s teams fi nally entered the race for Brazil 2014. Vicente del Bosque’s men found the going far from easy in their opening fi xture away to Georgia, however, eventually winning 1-0 thanks to an 86th-minute strike from Roberto Soldado. Former World Cup winners Germany and France and three-time runners-up the Netherlands also made perfect starts, each playing and winning two qualifying matches in September. For more on the latest qualifi ers, see our round-up starting on page 12.

Neighbours strike goldMexico’s men and the USA women’s team took top honours at the London 2012 Olympic Football Tournaments in August – the fi rst time that one confederation had won the gold medal at both the men’s and women’s events. Reaching the podium at all was a further fi rst for the Mexicans, who had never won an Olympic football medal in the 104-year-history of football at the Games, but saw off heavy favourites Brazil 2-1 in the men’s fi nal to secure the gold. Their US neighbours were no such strangers to Olympic glory in the women’s

Around the world

competition, with their own 2-1 win over Japan ensuring that the Americans have now won four of the fi ve Women’s Olympic Football Tournaments held to date. A full review of the Olympic Football Tournaments can be found starting on page 40.

Tokyo triumphThe USA were soon celebrating another triumph in women’s football, with the senior team’s Wembley heroics being followed almost exactly a month later by

5

12

16 486

FIFA WORLD I OCTOBER 2012

6London, Barranquilla, MálagaStriking images from the world of football

12Under wayEuropean teams join World Cup qualifying race

16Hard-shell heroMeet the face of Brazil 2014

22Tackling the fi xersINTERPOL and FIFA launch anti-corruption workshops

25Anti-discriminationKicking out intolerance in the game

30Thai fi ghtersBangkok welcomes futsal’s fi nest

40New World gold rushMexico and USA take Olympic honours

48Tokyo triumphRecord third title for America’s U-20 women

58AssociationsChelsea stumble and “The Moustache” returns

60Men’s rankingCalm before the storm

62Women’s rankingUS golden girls hold top spot

64ArchiveA historic traffi c jam

VIEW NEWS FOCUS SUMMARY

Inside this issue


VIEW

Golden pathBrazil’s Jeferson da Conceição Gonçalves weaves his way through the French defence during September’s fi ve-a-side gold medal match at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. The Brazilians won the encounter 2-0 to clinch their third successive Paralympic title in the event which is contested by blind or partially sighted players and uses a noise-emitting ball.

7 FIFA WORLD I VIEW

Olympic tributeAn earlier form of football took centre stage during

the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, as performers re-enacted the sport’s early days.


9 FIFA WORLD I VIEW

UpliftingA Colombia fan celebrates his country’s 4-0 victory over South American rivals Uruguay during September’s FIFA World Cup™ qualifi ers (left), while Málaga captain Duda and vice-captain Weligton do some serious weight-lifting (above) after beating English Premier League side Everton in a pre-season friendly.


Letters to FIFAA selection of comments from the FIFA World and FIFA.com mailbags

August/September issue

Let us hear your views, either on what you have read in FIFA World, or in regard to anything else in the world of international football. You can contact us via e-mail at feedback-fi faworld@fi fa.org or by writing to FIFA World, FIFA-Strasse 20, P.O. Box, CH-8044, Zurich, Switzerland.

Tech talkI am so pleased that goal-line technology will now be used in football. It is a very important issue as goals are what football is all about.

FIFA.com user (Pakistan)

At long last. All we want as viewers is a fair contest. Now I hope FIFA can do something about the diving cheats, whereby their actions are reviewed after the game and the guilty parties suspended.

Luisa (South Africa)

I am completely against goal-line technology. It should be up to the referee without the support of technology to decide if a goal has been scored or not. Wrong decisions make the game more exciting, compared to having some machine watching every metre of the pitch.

FIFA.com user (Germany)

We should not use goal-line technology because it will further remove the game from the sport that is played by the masses. The normal retort to this statement is that it is more important that decisions are correct at the higher level, because so much rests on the judgement (players’ wages, etc.) but this is exactly what is wrong with the modern game, in which commercialisation is more important than entertainment.

Thomas (United Kingdom)

As long as technology is limited for now to goal-line decisions, I think it will lead to more fairness in referees’ decisions as to whether or not a goal has been scored. As long as technology is not replacing the human factor in the game, I don’t think we have anything to fear.

FIFA.com user (DR Congo)

All-conquering SpainSpain’s latest EURO triumph was a real team effort. Besides the players, I want to really congratulate their coach Mr Del Bosque. He is a strategic and tactical team leader and has certainly coached Spain well!

Ian (Venezuela)

A well-deserved victory for a fabulous history-breaking team! They proved their doubters wrong with a so-called “boring” style, which in fact was majestic! I still fancy Argentina to provide them with a tough obstacle at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil though.

FIFA.com user (Spain)

Now that the EURO is over, it’s next stop World Cup 2014 – or the Confederations Cup in the case of the Spanish. I’m still a major Spain fan, but I think the Dutch fi nally deserve a world

Spain conquer Europe again | Celebrations in Central African Republic | Battling with Borgonovo | Cuba’s tough World Cup start | Football’s rst black professional | Teen queens ready to impress | Chile and Uruguay look to past and future | The problem with painkillers | Spreading grassroots

August/September 2012

Line callFootball’s lawmakers embrace goal-line technology

11 FIFA WORLD I VIEW

title after losing three times in the fi nal. Messi could also do with winning a World Cup, so that even his critics can accept that he’s the best of all time.

FIFA.com (USA)

Painkiller abusePlayers, coaches and trainers need to understand the dangers involved in misusing painkillers and heed the warnings. Not only does the abuse of painkillers mask serious problems, but it can also create additional ones, such as internal bleeding.

Wendy (USA)

This is serious stuff, and it’s good to see that FIFA is looking out for its players. All young footballers should read this article.

FIFA.com user (Germany)

Praise for a pioneerWharton is a legend. It is just a shame he has not had more credit before now.

FIFA.com user (England)

This was a lovely read, especially since I have just spent two years in Wharton’s homeland of Ghana and saw just how passionate Ghanaians

are about the great game. There are many academies now making sure that Ghana’s future football stars are trained in a way that I’m sure Wharton would have loved. Thanks, Arthur, for starting a great trend, and long may it continue.

FIFA.com user (Ghana)

The story of Arthur Wharton, football’s fi rst black professional, is truly an inspiration for players all over the world. It also shows how far the world’s game has come since Wharton’s day.

FIFA.com user (USA)

Roll over, ZakumiThe South Africa 2010 mascot can look forward to some well-deserved rest now that his Brazilian successor has been revealed. For more, see page 16.


NEWS

European sides join race to Brazil

reigning world and European champions, but coach Vicente del Bosque said he was more than satisfi ed.

“It was not an easy match and they made it diffi cult for us, but we won three important points,” Del Bosque said after the match in Tbilisi. “The differences in football are getting smaller every day. We

The qualifying race for the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ stepped up another gear in September as Europe’s teams fi nally entered the fray.

Exactly two years and two months after winning their fi rst FIFA World Cup™ title in Johannesburg, Spain fi nally got their title defence under way in September. A 1-0 win in Georgia, secured with a Roberto Soldado goal four minutes from the end, was perhaps not the swashbuckling start that some might have wished for the

Sergio Busquets attempts to tackle Jaba Kankava during Spain’s hard-fought 1-0 win over Georgia.

13 FIFA WORLD I NEWS

have to play a qualifi cation campaign and we can’t think about anything other than just qualifying.”

As Spain began their bid for a record fourth consecutive major title, plenty of other European sides were sending out their own signals of intent. Former world champions France and Germany and three-time runners-up the Netherlands were among the teams playing two matches in September, and winning both.

Beaten 2-0 by Spain in June’s UEFA EURO 2012 quarter-finals, and now reunited with the world champions in European qualifying Group I, the French managed a 1-0 away win over Finland in their opening match before beating Belarus 3-1 at home.

Germany saw off the Faroe Islands 3-0 at home and survived some tense fi nal moments before beating their Austrian neighbours 2-1 in Vienna to take an early lead in Group C, while the Dutch kicked their campaign off with a 2-0 home win against Turkey followed by an impressive 4-1 away victory over Hungary, who had themselves demolished Andorra 5-0 four days earlier.

Former world champions Italy and England both dropped points as their campaigns got under way, however. The Italians drew 2-2 in Bulgaria before rallying to beat Malta 2-0 at home, while England comfortably won their opener away to Moldova 5-0 but then had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Ukraine at Wembley – a late Frank Lampard equaliser from the penalty spot saving Roy Hodgson’s men from an even worse outcome.

Hodgson’s predecessor Fabio Capello enjoyed a better start with his new employers Russia, guiding the future hosts of the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ to opening wins over Northern Ireland (2-0) and Israel (4-0). The Russians’ strong start put them ahead of Portugal on goal difference in Group F’s early standings, after the Portuguese also managed two wins – in their case against Luxembourg and Azerbaijan.

In total there were nine perfect starts among the 43 European sides who played twice in September, with Romania,

State of play – UEFAEurope’s nine group winners will qualify automatically for Brazil 2014, with the eight best group runners-up contesting home-and-away play-offs to determine the confederation’s remaining four qualifi ers.

QUALIFIERS

Group A Played PointsSerbia 2 4Belgium 2 4Croatia 2 4Scotland 2 2FYR Macedonia 2 1Wales 2 0

Group B Played PointsItaly 2 4Bulgaria 2 4Armenia 2 3Czech Republic 1 1Denmark 1 1Malta 2 0

Group C Played PointsGermany 2 6Sweden 1 3Republic of Ireland 1 3Austria 1 0Kazakhstan 2 0Faroe Islands 1 0

Group D Played PointsRomania 2 6Netherlands 2 6Hungary 2 3Turkey 2 3Estonia 2 0Andorra 2 0

Group E Played PointsSwitzerland 2 6Iceland 2 3Albania 2 3Cyprus 2 3Norway 2 3Slovenia 2 0

Group F Played PointsRussia 2 6Portugal 2 6Luxembourg 2 1Northern Ireland 2 1Azerbaijan 2 1Israel 2 1

Group G Played PointsBosnia-Herzegovina 2 6Greece 2 6Slovakia 2 4Lithuania 2 1Latvia 2 0Liechtenstein 2 0

Group H Played PointsMontenegro 2 4England 2 4Poland 2 4Ukraine 1 1San Marino 1 0Moldova 1 0

Group I Played PointsFrance 2 6Spain 1 3Georgia 2 3Finland 1 0Belarus 2 0

Switzerland, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Greece also grabbing the maximum six points.

Japan in commandWhile the European sides were only just starting their qualifying campaigns, the race for Brazil has long been under way in the rest of the world, with Asian champions

Japan notching another win in September to inch ever closer to the 2014 fi nals.

Alberto Zaccheroni’s team overcame a late injury withdrawal by Manchester United star Shinji Kagawa to beat Iraq 1-0 and maintain their unbeaten start to Asia’s fi nal qualifying round.

The Japanese benefi ted from Australia’s surprise 2-1 defeat in Jordan to open up


a commanding eight-point lead in Group B over the third-placed Socceroos, with a top-two fi nish all that Japan need to make sure of their World Cup berth.

Korea Republic, who are bidding for an eighth successive appearance in the fi nals, could meanwhile only manage a 2-2 draw in Uzbekistan but were still able to extend their lead at the top of Group A to three points after second-placed Iran suffered a shock 1-0 loss away to fi nal-round debutants Lebanon.

Joy of MexOn the other side of the Pacifi c, meanwhile, the fi rst set of decisions were being cast in the penultimate round of CONCACAF qualifying, with in-form Mexico becoming the fi rst team to reach the fi nal round – and Cuba making their competition exit.

Back-to-back wins over Costa Rica made it four victories out of four games for the Mexicans, who secured safe passage from Group B with two matches to spare – leaving second-placed El Salvador and the third-placed Costa Ricans as the likeliest contenders for the remaining berth.

“We set out our objective from the start, and I feel that we have worked well to

achieve it,” said Mexico coach José Manuel de la Torre as his team’s progression to the confederation’s fi nal six-team round was confi rmed. “Every year, we brief the players on the objectives, we go through them step by step, match by match. Once this round is fi nished, we will also re-assess, brief the players again and focus on the fi nal phase.”

Cuba’s hopes of reaching their fi rst World Cup fi nals since 1938 fi zzled out for at least another four years as Honduras infl icted two defeats on the Caribbean islanders in the space of fi ve days. With Panama and Canada trading a win each in their two September meetings, the rest of Group C is nicely poised though, with the three remaining sides all still able to progress under their own steam.

Group A is an even tighter affair, with the USA, Guatemala and Jamaica all tied on seven points and even Antigua and Barbuda still mathematically in contention despite having taken just one point from their opening four games.

Having already been held to a 1-1 draw in Guatemala in June, the top-seeded Americans suffered an even bigger wobble in their fi rst September game – when they

squandered a fi rst-minute lead in Jamaica to lose 2-1. The defeat was the USA’s fi rst ever against the Reggae Boyz but Jürgen Klinsmann’s side were at least able to get their campaign back on track with a 1-0 home win against the Jamaicans four days later.

Sizzling down southWhen it comes to the South American qualifi ers, competition has been intense from the very start and September’s games were no exception. With no team yet able to pull away at the top, Argentina took over as new leaders after following up a 3-1 home win over Paraguay with a 1-1 draw in Peru.

Colombia were the clear team of the month, however, emphatically ending Uruguay’s 18-month unbeaten run with a 4-0 win over the reigning South American champions, before coming from behind to beat Chile 3-1 in a fi ery Santiago encounter that saw both teams reduced to ten men. As the only side in the region to win twice in September, the Colombians were rewarded with a climb of four places to go second in the standings, one point behind the Argentinians.

Not that even Argentina will be taking anything for granted just yet, with a mere three points separating the current leaders from sixth-placed Venezuela, who boosted their own hopes of a fi rst-ever FIFA World Cup appearance with a 2-0 win away to bottom side Paraguay.

Oceans apart? While no one team has yet been able to dominate in South America, New Zealand looked ready to reassert their superiority in Oceania as the region’s fi nal qualifying round got under way in September.

Needing to top the four-team fi nal group if they are to progress to next year’s play-off against CONCACAF’s fourth-best fi nishers, the All Whites got their campaign off to the perfect start as a 2-0 win in New Caledonia was followed by a 6-1 home win against the Solomon Islands.

The two wins brought some timely revenge for the New Zealanders following June’s disappointing OFC Nations Cup

State of play – AFCThe top two teams from each group will qualify automatically for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, with the two third-placed teams contesting a home-and-away series to determine Asia’s representative in the play-off against the fi fth-best team from South American qualifying.

QUALIFIERS

Group A Played PointsKorea Republic 3 7Iran 3 4Qatar 3 4Lebanon 4 4Uzbekistan 3 2

Group B Played PointsJapan 4 10Jordan 3 4Australia 3 2Iraq 3 2Oman 3 2

State of play – CONCACAFThe two top teams from each group will advance to the fi nal six-team qualifying round, from which three teams will qualify automatically for Brazil 2014, with the fourth going on to represent CONCACAF in an intercontinental play-off against Oceania’s top team.

Group A Played PointsGuatemala 4 7USA 4 7Jamaica 4 7Antigua & Barbuda 4 1

Group B Played PointsMexico 4 12El Salvador 4 5Costa Rica 4 4Guyana 4 1

Group C Played PointsPanama 4 9Honduras 4 7Canada 4 7Cuba 4 0


campaign in the Solomon Islands, where they suffered a shock 2-0 semi-fi nal defeat against the New Caledonians before eking out an unexpectedly close 4-3 win over the hosts in the match for third place.

Coach Ricki Herbert was understandably delighted after seeing his charges register the biggest win of his reign in what was also his 50th game in charge of the team.

“I’m very proud to have reached 50 games and it was a nice way to mark it tonight,” Herbert said. “But, more importantly, I think the three points were crucial. I thought we were very professional and went about our work very well right from the whistle. We dominated the game for long periods so I was very pleased.”

Roll on OctoberThere will be little time for any of September’s victors to rest on their laurels, however, with the next set of qualifying matches set to take place in mid-October.

In Asia, the matches scheduled for 16 October will mark the halfway point of the fi nal round, with the top-of-the-table clash between Group A rivals Korea Republic and Iran one of the obvious highlights.

South American qualifying will also move into its second half in October, with the

State of play – CONMEBOLThe top four teams will qualify automatically for Brazil 2014, with the fi fth-placed team advancing to an intercontinental play-off against the fi fth-placed Asian side.

Played PointsArgentina 7 14Colombia 7 13Ecuador 7 13Uruguay 7 12Chile 7 12Venezuela 8 11Peru 7 7Bolivia 7 4Paraguay 7 4

State of play – OFCThe top-placed team will progress to an intercontinental play-off against the fourth-best side from CONCACAF’s qualifying competition.

Played PointsNew Zealand 2 6New Caledonia 2 3Solomon Islands 2 3Tahiti 2 0

State of play – CAFAfrican qualifying is set to resume in March 2013, following the completion of next year’s Africa Cup of Nations, with 40 teams still in the hunt for the continent’s fi ve World Cup berths. The current African standings can be found at www.fi fa.com/worldcup.

QUALIFIERS

close grouping of the nine participants lending signifi cance to every single match. Uruguay’s attempt to get their campaign back on track with a tricky-looking visit to current leaders Argentina stands out in particular at the top end of the table, however, while Peru’s trips to Bolivia and Paraguay – the only teams below Peru in the current standings – could well provide a turning point for at least one of those struggling sides.

The five teams joining Mexico in CONCACAF’s fi nal round – as well as the fi ve teams missing out – will also be determined in October, while New Zealand could theoretically secure an early place in the Oceania-CONCACAF play-off, though a March 2013 conclusion to their qualifying group seems more likely.

Back in Europe, there will obviously still be plenty to play for, although a number of October games could already start to give clearer shape to the early group standings. Certainly some of September’s perfect starters will see an end to their winning runs, with a number of tantalising top-of-the-table clashes scheduled – including Russia against Portugal, Romania against the Netherlands and the much-anticipated next meeting between Spain and France…

Colombia star Radamel Falcao was in top form against Chile – scoring one goal and setting up another to fi re his team up to second in the South American standings.


Brazil rolls out blue-shelled ambassador

Launched on weekly Brazilian talk show Fantástico on 16 September, the as-yet unnamed armadillo is set to become a familiar face across the host country in the months leading up to the June 2014 kick-off, with a regular cartoon strip in top Brazilian kids’ magazine Recreio just one example of the many appearances that the character will be making in the lead-up to next year’s FIFA Confederations Cup and the main event itself in 2014.

While September’s launch marked the offi cial start of the mascot’s adventures, the creation phase began nearly 18 months ago in April 2011 when FIFA and Brazil’s Local Organising Committee (LOC) invited six Brazilian agencies to pitch design ideas.

The agencies responded with 47 different proposals, which FIFA and the LOC then whittled down to a shortlist of six – taking into account factors such as brand recognition, intellectual property, the feasibility of the mascot as a live costume and the results of in-depth focus

groups involving Brazilian children – before fi nally opting for the armadillo concept created by São Paulo-based agency 100% Design.

The animal kingdom was clearly a common source of inspiration for the designs, with the shortlisted mascots including other native Brazilian species such as the golden lion monkey, the alligator and the toucan. The armadillo’s shape lent itself more easily to a broad range of applications, however, with the chosen species (the three-banded Tolypeutes tricinctus) renowned for its ability to roll up into a ball.

Moreover, the vulnerable and previously endangered status of this species also encapsulates the need to preserve Brazil’s striking natural beauty for future generations.

“The Offi cial Mascot is an extremely important character in the months leading up to the FIFA World Cup,” said FIFA’s Marketing Director Thierry Weil on the day of the launch. “It really helps to personify the tournament and remind people just how close we’re getting now – and we couldn’t be happier with the winning design.

“It really ticks all the boxes, because the animal itself is native to Brazil, while the character plays on the colourful nature of

the country and the fun-loving side of the Brazilian people.”

Twenty-fi rst century armadillo As well as developing the visuals, the agency worked with FIFA and the LOC to create a strong and engaging life story for the mascot that could be used to build close links with the FIFA World Cup’s younger fans.

The armadillo was therefore revealed to be a Brazilian-born male whose main passions are football and dancing. He is described as being the fi rst of his species to be born in the new millennium and will be 14 years old when the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ kicks off.

“Demographically, our primary focus with the mascot is on fi ve to 12-year-old kids and their parents, so it was important that we invented a character that could slot easily into children’s culture,” explains Weil. “As we move into the fi nal phase of preparations for the tournament itself, the mascot gives us the opportunity to build anticipation and excitement surrounding the event among the youngest members of our target audience.”

Of course, no mascot is complete without a name and a judging panel has whittled down an original list of around 400 names to a fi nal three (Amijubi,

One of the most anticipated events in the build-up to any FIFA World Cup™ took place in September, when a fun-loving blue-shelled armadillo was unveiled as the Offi cial Mascot of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™.



Fuleco and Zuzeco), which will now go to a vote among the Brazilian public, with the successful name due to be announced at the end of November.

Commercial cloutAs well as generating excitement in the host country and lending a friendly face to the event, the mascot is of course a cornerstone of FIFA’s commercial activities for the World Cup.

It acts as a powerful catalyst for numerous licensing and merchandising opportunities and provides an attractive brand asset that can be embraced by the tournament’s stakeholders, from FIFA and the LOC to the broadcasters, sponsors, host cities and government.

“All of these stakeholders have the right to use the mascot in their promotional work and at their events, supporting FIFA and the LOC in establishing the mascot as one of the key ‘faces’ of the event,” explains Weil.

”We work hard to have clarity and consistency across all platforms and users of the mascot brand, so that the mascot can deliver the best value possible in each marketing activity that it is involved in, whether that is promoting the tournament or the host country. This is why it was crucial for us that the 2014 mascot is seen as a true ambassador of the World Cup in Brazil, delivering the values of the event and representing the legacy that we want to extend to the country.”

As well as being used alongside slogans, logos and typefaces to make the tournament distinct, the mascot will appear live at events such as the offi cial draw, on television and digital platforms and as part of sponsors’ advertising campaigns.

“Initially, we’re focusing on Brazil and then we’ll move on to the rest of the world, aiming to ensure local popularity fi rst and then build further adoption and expansion worldwide,” adds Weil.

The 2014 mascot also has its own section on FIFA.com, aimed at giving kids the opportunity to learn more about the mascot while engaging further through games and following its activities through photos, videos and its calendar.

It has long been said in show business that you should never work with children or animals, but one glance at the 12 Offi cial Mascots used prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ suggest that their designers took a different view.

The most popular motifs have been animals native to the region where the tournament is taking place or human fi gures who represent the cultural heritage of the host country, with these mascots also typically wearing costumes in the colours of the host country’s national fl ag.

The fi rst time world football’s premier tournament showcased itself with a mascot designed specifi cally for the event was 1966, when “World Cup Willie”, a cartoon lion sporting a Union Jack football shirt, became the secret star of the tournament in England. Created by children’s book illustrator Reg Hoye, Willie was used on everything from tea towels to bedspreads and mugs, and kick-started the merchandise boom that now accompanies most international sporting events.

There then followed the decade of the little boys, with Juanito, a rather plump child sporting a sombrero, becoming the face of the 1970 FIFA World Cup™ in Mexico, and Tip and Tap welcoming the world to West Germany (1974) with their rosy cheeks and buck teeth. In 1978, meanwhile, the blue and white of Argentina was worn by cattle drover Gauchito.

A somewhat surreal period then followed, in which tournament organisers apparently went nuts for fruit and veg – with a grinning orange named Naranjito symbolising the 1982 FIFA World Cup™ in Spain and a moustachioed chilli pepper called Señor Pique lending his face to the 1986 edition in Mexico. Harder to categorise but no less visually striking was Ciao, the abstract stick man sporting the national colours of Italy who stole the show at the 1990 tournament.

Animals came back into fashion in the 1990s, with the 1994 mascot Striker proving that every dog has his day and Footix the Gallic cockerel shaking his feathers around the stadiums at France 1998.

Korea and Japan then literally took the mascot idea to a new dimension in 2002 when they unveiled Kaz and Nik – an alien duo collectively known as the Spheriks, who travelled from a distant planet to introduce earthlings to their favourite sport of “Atmoball”.

The next two tournaments saw a return to the animal kingdom, with Germany 2006 revisiting the lion motif to create Goleo VI – whose lack of trousers prompted a strange media frenzy in the host nation – and his talking football Pille. South Africa 2010 also favoured a four-legged hero, with the eye-catching green and yellow leopard Zakumi proving a highly popular fi gure both in his homeland and around the world.

Forty-six years since World Cup Willie got the ball rolling, and a dozen mascots later, Brazil’s colourful armadillo is now set to become the latest addition to this loveable – if somewhat eclectic – family of creatures.

Lions, oranges and aliens

Germany 2006Goleo VI

South Africa 2010Zakumi


Brazil briefs

Volunteer rushThe launch of the 2014 FIFA World Cup volunteer programme in August attracted unprecedented levels of interest, with a record 109,366 people applying for volunteer positions within the opening two weeks. The high number of applications far exceeded the number of places available, with around 7,000 volunteers being sought for next year’s FIFA Confederations Cup, and another 15,000 required for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Applications came in from a total of 130 countries – with the host country’s 104,038 applicants leading the way – and far outnumbered the number of applications made for Germany 2006 (around 48,000) and South Africa 2010 (70,000). “I’m delighted to see the people of Brazil responding so well,” said LOC chairman José Maria Marin. “They’ve taken the programme to their hearts and broken all records.”

Stadiums on trackFIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke reported that all of the stadiums earmarked for use at the 2014 FIFA World Cup were on track, following his latest inspection visit to Brazil at the end of August. “That could change at any time, and there are still challenges,” Valcke warned, “but these are normal with any host nation 22 months before the event.” The Secretary General also explained that a fi nal decision on the number of host cities for next year’s FIFA Confederations Cup would be taken in early November, with Recife on a very tight schedule despite progress having been made in recent weeks.

A ball called BrazucaFans still have some time to wait before the launch of the Offi cial Match Ball for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but they at least now know what it will be called. Following a public vote by over one million Brazilian supporters, it was revealed in September that the ball will be named the “adidas Brazuca”. An informal term used by Brazilians to describe national pride in the Brazilian way of life, Brazuca beat off rival names Bossa Nova and Carnavalesca in the fi rst-ever such poll to be conducted.

England 1966World Cup Willie

Mexico 1970Juanito

USA 1994Striker

France 1998Footix

Korea/Japan 2002Nik and Kaz

Germany 1974Tip and Tap

Argentina 1978Gauchito

Spain 1982Naranjito

Mexico 1986Pique

Italy 1990Ciao


The 17 July meeting of the FIFA Executive Committee marked another major milestone on FIFA’s road map for improved governance, with the committee members not only approving the organisation’s expanded ethics code, but also appointing the two men who will be tasked with ensuring adherence to the code.

With the newly structured Ethics Committee now divided into two chambers – one investigatory and one adjudicatory – a separate chairman had to be selected for each chamber. Heading up the investigatory chamber will be Michael J. Garcia, a leading US attorney with the international law fi rm Kirkland & Ellis LLP, who has led a wide range of prosecutions,

FIFA’s governance reform process took another important step forward in July with the adoption of a new Code of Ethics and the naming of two leading lawyers to chair the two chambers of the Ethics Committ ee.

Ethics chairmen appointed

including investigations into white-collar fraud and money laundering.

Garcia will report his chamber’s fi ndings to Hans-Joachim Eckert, the German judge chosen to preside over the adjudicatory chamber. Currently serving as the Presiding Judge of Munich’s Penal Court, Eckert can point to 30 years’ judiciary experience, specialising in corruption, tax fraud and economic crime.

“There was a unanimous decision on all three points: the content of the Code of Ethics, the two chairmen and fi nally also the members of the two chambers,” FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter told a media conference after the Executive Committee meeting.

Blatter also made clear that the investigatory chamber would be free to investigate all allegations of wrongdoing, including those related to past incidents, with no statute of limitations being imposed upon the investigators.

“Now we have these two independent bodies and we have to work with them and we have to follow what they are going to fi nd out when they open cases,” Blatter added. “But this is a matter for them. The decisions of these committees will be accepted – there is no doubt.”

Entering the codeThe changes to the FIFA Code of Ethics, which arose from the recommendations


made to the FIFA Executive Committee by Professor Mark Pieth’s Independent Governance Committee (IGC) and the Task Force Ethics Committee, have resulted in a more precise and systematic structure aimed at covering a greater range of potential situations, as refl ected in the fact that the number of articles has increased fourfold over the previous (2009) version of the code.

As well as dividing the Ethics Committee into an investigatory and an adjudicatory organ, the new code sets out detailed organisational and procedural rules for dealing with cases, rather than referring to the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

In a change from the previous code, for example, the new version states that the Ethics Committee can investigate and judge the conduct of all persons bound by the code even if the alleged misconduct occurs outside the sphere of their football-related duties.

Moreover, the new provisions specify that Garcia’s investigatory chamber will have the power to conduct investigations into cases involving individuals bound by

the code even after they have ceased to serve their function, effectively preventing football offi cials from avoiding FIFA sanctions simply by quitting their footballing post.

The independence of the two new chambers is further underlined by a clause stating that the investigatory chamber is entitled to appeal any decision taken by the adjudicatory chamber to the Appeal Committee and to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Based on a further recommendation of the IGC, and the FIFA Task Force Revision

EXCO BRIEFS

Lady’s fi rst The Executive Committee’s July session also witnessed another important landmark, with IOC member and Burundi FA President Lydia Nsekera becoming the fi rst woman to take her seat at FIFA’s top table. Nsekera’s appointment as the Executive Committee’s first Representative of Women’s Football was approved by May’s FIFA Congress in Budapest.

Webb presenceThe Executive Committee also assigned additional duties to another relative newcomer, with recently installed CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb becoming a member of the FIFA Finance Committee and FIFA Emergency Committee in addition to his ex offi cio role as an Executive Committee Vice-President.

“We’ll use all the tools that are available

to determine what happened and whether the rules were broken.”

Michael J. Garcia, chairman of the FIFA Ethics Committee investigatory chamber

of Statutes, the members of the Ethics Committee and FIFA’s two other judicial bodies (the Disciplinary Committee and the Appeal Committee) will be elected for the fi rst time by the FIFA Congress in 2013.

Fact-fi nding missionTen days after their appointment, Eckert and Garcia held their own media conference at FIFA’s Zurich headquarters and gave their thoughts on the work that lies ahead.

Describing the division of the Ethics Committee into two distinct chambers as a “milestone” for FIFA, Garcia said that his chamber would primarily be tasked with examining the facts and circumstances of any potential violations of the Code of Ethics, and then determining whether or not there were grounds for an investigation.

“If there are, we’ll go forward and open a full investigation, using all the tools that are available to determine what happened and whether the rules were broken,” he said. “We’ll submit a fi nal report to the adjudicatory chamber to say, ‘Here’s what we found, here are the facts, here are the violations and here’s our recommendation.’ Then it’s up to the adjudicatory chamber to determine what they’re going to do with the specifi c case.”

The task of passing verdict on the evidence gathered by Garcia’s investigatory chamber will fall to Hans-Joachim Eckert and his adjudicatory chamber.

“My job as an independent judge is to determine whether the evidence is suffi cient, and whether one can also conclusively support certain penalties for the next judicial instance,” explained Eckert.

“It’s very important that FIFA has taken this step, because transparency is demanded elsewhere as well, not only at FIFA. We repeatedly hear complaints that companies lack transparency about money. If we can now show we have FIFA’s fi nancial resources under control, and also recognise lapses where they exist, we can also show the general public that we’re doing everything to keep our house in order.”


Waking up to match-fi xing

Football associations around the world are receiving detailed training on how to recognise and tackle the threats of match-fi xing and corruption, thanks to a series of touring workshops organised by INTERPOL with the support of FIFA.By Mark Gleeson in Johannesburg

It may be thousands of years old, but the concept of needing to “know your enemy” in order to beat him still holds true, even in the modern-day fi ght against highly advanced and globally active match-fi xing syndicates.

With that in mind, INTERPOL recently launched a series of regional workshops with the cooperation of FIFA, aimed at educating football offi cials and police offi cers from around the world about the dangers of match-fi xing and corruption

– and the tools that are available to help them combat these threats.

“I’m afraid the magnitude of the problem is not recognised by everyone,” FIFA’s new Director of Security Ralf Mutschke told delegates from seven Southern African associations at the opening of the latest two-day workshop held in Johannesburg at the end of August.

“This is a global evil that is perpetuated regardless of whether countries are rich or poor,” Mutschke added. “The problem of

corruption and match-fi xing has spread to all corners of the globe.”

It is this global nature of the threat that led to the concept of regional workshops, with FIFA and INTERPOL keen to ensure that the key fi ndings in their ongoing fi ght against match-fi xing do not just stay with specialist offi cials and police investigators, but are shared with the people who run football on a day-to-day basis all over the world.

“The objective of our overall cooperation with FIFA is global training and education,” Michaela Ragg, head of INTERPOL’s Integrity in Sport unit, told FIFA World at the Johannesburg gathering.

“These workshops bring together key stakeholders and allow us to all speak together about what the problems are. We explain how match-fi xers operate and then we look to identify the best ways of tackling their activities. Sharing this kind of information is essential because it allows

The INTERPOL/FIFA workshop in Johannesburg will be followed by similar events around the world.


us to help individual countries in the fi ght against match-fi xing.”

The workshop in South Africa involved association presidents and general secretaries from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe, along with national executive committee members and security offi cials from each association. Each delegation was also accompanied by police offi cers who were able to provide detailed knowledge of the situation in their own country regarding potential crime and corruption in sport.

Innocence and experienceFor some participants, this was a fi ght they had been waging for years, while others were aghast at the magnitude of the potential problem.

Zimbabwe was clearly in the former camp, having been dogged by the “Asiagate” scandal which involved players and offi cials from its national team competing in rigged “friendly” matches held in Asia at the behest of criminal gamblers. On the second day of the Johannesburg workshop, offi cials from the country’s parliamentary Sports & Recreation Commission delivered a presentation to their neighbouring associations, explaining the affair in stark detail and chronological order, before setting out the obstacles that they had faced – and subsequently overcome – in order to bring those involved to justice.

Other countries freely admitted that their awareness of match-fi xing was negligible but said they were grateful to learn from the experiences of others.

“It is not wise to say that because you have no sick people, you are not going to build a hospital,” was how National Football Association of Swaziland President Adam “Bomber” Mthethwa summed up the situation. “We might not be faced with these concerns now, but with the knowledge gained we will be ready if it ever happens to us.”

International cooperationWhile raised awareness within individual countries is certainly an important fi rst step, a recurring theme of the Johannesburg

workshop was the additional need for football authorities and national police bodies to work across national borders in pooling their knowledge and investigative fi ndings.

The importance of international cooperation was further underlined as specialists in the global gambling markets presented fi gures revealing the vast scale of the industry and the speed at which it operates.

“Online gambling and live betting has created endless opportunity for ways that a match can be fi xed, and it only requires one player to be involved,” pointed out Ellen White from the INTERPOL Integrity in Sport unit.

Detlev Zenglein, general manager of the FIFA subsidiary Early Warning System which monitors the sports betting market for patterns suggestive of suspicious activity, told the workshop that sports betting was now estimated to involve an annual total outlay of around USD 400-600 billion, with around USD 150 billion of that being placed in illegal markets.

“Match-fi xing is a cross-border, multi-national problem and it needs a wide range of measures in order to tackle the problem,” Zenglein concluded.

Corruption concernsWhile match-fi xing scandals have garnered plenty of media headlines in recent months, the Johannesburg workshop also gave plenty of time to the over-reaching topic of corruption in sport as a whole, with a focus on the best ways of promoting good governance.

“We would like to strengthen the defences of the member associations,” said Mutschke, explaining that FIFA was on hand to help the associations, not only with match-fi xing investigations but also by putting in place codes of ethics, disciplinary bodies and other structural processes to help identify and sanction misbehaviour.

“We are not in charge at national level, but we are always ready to assist our members and the confederations,” Mutschke reminded the delegates.

Following on from a pilot workshop in Finland earlier this year and another

regional event held in Guatemala a few weeks before the South Africa gathering, FIFA and INTERPOL are now hoping to stage similar events all over the world.

“We will roll out as many of these workshops as we can,” said Ragg, as the Johannesburg delegates said their farewells. “This can only be done with the consent of the member associations, but we would like to cover the whole world with workshops so that we can warn football leaders of the threats that they face, while also offering them help and solutions.”

Joint effortThe regional workshops that took place in Guatemala and South Africa in August were the latest concrete measures to have emerged from the joint anti-corruption training initiative launched by FIFA and INTERPOL in May 2011.

Planned as a ten-year joint project and funded by FIFA to the tune of EUR 20 million, the initiative has two main goals: to educate and train key stakeholders in football on how to recognise, resist and report attempts to corrupt or fi x matches, and to better prepare police bodies on how to investigate and cooperate in corruption or match-fi xing cases.

After identifying training, education and prevention as the three main pillars required to reach these goals, INTERPOL set up a dedicated Integrity in Sport unit in 2011, based at the General Secretariat in Lyon, France. The main task of this unit will be to further develop and implement the anti-corruption training initiative. The team members will also form the basis of a planned training wing within the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore, which is due to open in 2014.

While the regional workshops have focused so far on football leaders and national police and security representatives, the initiative as a whole will also concentrate on key target groups for match-fi xers, including referees and young players. By raising awareness and building strong partnerships, the stated aim of the initiative is to prevent corruption in football before it can even begin.

Fall in love with the beauty. Stay together for the brains.

With such beautiful design, it would be easy to think the Hyundai i40 is just another pretty face. But with impressive build quality, the latest technology and an unforgettable driving experience the i40 is just as beautiful on the inside as the outside. Take a test drive today.

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Hyundai i40. Think Again.


“Most of the time [abuse on the fi eld] is driven by ignorance, hatred and bigotry and there is still much to be done if we are to eradicate racism and other forms of discrimination from our game.”

Presidential pledgeFIFA President Joseph S. Blatter was next to take the stage, and immediately pledged a desire to adopt the “Kick It Out” slogan, and help spread the message of anti-discrimination around the world.

“There is racism and discrimination in our game, and this is wrong,” said Blatter. “We want to work alongside Lord Ouseley and his team to teach people that discipline, fair play and respect should be not only on the fi eld where there is a referee, but in everyday life too. We want to see people treated fairly, irrespective of their religion, culture or colour.”

Kicking out against discrimination

FIFA came together with leading fi gures in English football during the London 2012 Olympic Games to issue a joint pledge against racism and discrimination in the game.

Gathering at Wembley Stadium a few hours before Great Britain’s showdown with Brazil in the group stage of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, senior representatives from FIFA and the English game met to discuss the progress that has already been made in the fi ght against intolerance – and the amount of work still to be done.

The two-hour conference was jointly organised by FIFA and football education campaigners Kick It Out, who will next year mark 20 years of campaigning against racism and discrimination in football.

“Football authorities have worked tirelessly over the past two decades, and those in charge, both domestically and globally, have the power to make a change,” Kick It Out chairman Lord Herman Ouseley told the 150 conference participants.

While English football has long been a leading light in its efforts to promote greater tolerance and equality in the game, several negative incidents in high-profi le matches last season served as a stark reminder that the battle has not yet been won.

“If last season showed us anything, it is that we cannot become complacent,” FA chairman David Bernstein told an audience which included a myriad of representatives from social inclusion and anti-discrimination organisations, along with executives from England’s League Managers Association and Professional Footballers’ Association. “It is a privilege to play football, and with privilege comes responsibility. Players have a social responsibility as role models, and I want to use this opportunity to remind everyone of the role they have to play.”

While a two-hour meeting cannot in itself cause a radical improvement in race relations, former Chelsea captain and Kick It Out trustee Paul Elliott emphasised the helpfulness of the conference within the wider context of the anti-discrimination movement.

“The purpose of this event is to provide a serious focus on how organisations like FIFA and Kick It Out can pool resources and expertise for a sustained programme of anti-discrimination and inclusion work in football, both here in England and in other parts of the world.”

English football has made great strides in the fi ght against racism – but campaigners insist the battle is not yet over.


Madrid to stage Interactive showdown

extended to the virtual game, with 23-year-old Real Madrid fan Alfonso Ramos becoming the fi rst gamer to win the FIFA Interactive World Cup for a second time.

Having followed up his 2008 victory in Berlin with last year’s penalty shoot-out

victory in Dubai against the 2009 champion Bruce Grannec, Ramos will now have home-soil advantage as he bids for a record third title.

The choice of Madrid to stage the Grand Final of the tournament’s ninth edition came as the result of another fi rst: an online poll conducted on FIFA.com in August to determine the fi nal venue. The Spanish capital had been neck and neck with London until the fi nal days of voting, eventually winning through with 40.59 per cent of the votes cast. London came in second, with 37.24 per cent, followed

The Spanish capital of Madrid has been chosen as the setting for next year’s FIFA Interactive World Cup Grand Final following an online vote by FIFA.com users.By Marco Monteiro Silva, Vancouver

Spain’s national football team have exerted a strong grip on the global game in recent years, emerging as undisputed world leaders off the back of their 2010 FIFA World Cup™ win and back-to-back European titles. Last year, that dominance


by Rome with 22.17 per cent. “I really want to try and win my third title in my homeland. I’ve already discussed it with all my friends and they have promised to come to Madrid to support me,” a delighted Ramos told FIFA World after the results of the poll were announced. “Having qualifi ed automatically as the reigning champion, being at home, not having to travel, having all those supporters, it all makes for a big advantage.”

First touchIn September, Ramos also had the chance to get his fi rst impressions of the EA SPORTS FIFA 13 game ahead of the new FIWC season start. Along with Grannec and former fellow champions Francisco Cruz and Nenad Stojkovic, Ramos was fl own to the Vancouver headquarters of developers EA Sports to test out the new game and participate in a Champion of Champions tournament – the fi rst of its kind.

“Of course, I will have to train a lot because FIFA 13 is a new game with new features, but it looks really good,” Ramos said after his fi rst few plays. “It might be too soon to say, but I think Barcelona will be the best team in the new game. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw them in the FIWC13 fi nal … even if I don’t like the idea of that as a Real Madrid fan!”

As the Champion of Champions tournament kicked off, it was Grannec, however, who laid down an early marker for

the new season – the Frenchman winning all three of his matches in the opening round-robin stage before avenging last year’s Dubai loss with a 2-0 win over Ramos in the fi nal.

Afterwards, Grannec insisted that he would not be taking anything for granted though, especially as, unlike Ramos, he still has to come through the qualifying competitions, which are due to run from October 2012 to April 2013.

“The rest of us will have to train really hard and try our best to qualify and meet Alfonso in Madrid,” the 2009 winner acknowledged.

Last year’s qualifying competition – made up of online “seasons” as well as live events held in a number of locations around the world – set a world record for video game participation with over 1.3

million players competing for a place in the 2012 Grand Final.

“The FIWC community is growing at an incredible pace,” FIFA’s Head of Strategy & Brand Management, Ralph Straus, told FIFA World as the Vancouver event came to a close. “The passion that has driven over one million players to participate and help make the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2012 the largest gaming tournament in the world has inspired us and our Presenting Partners, EA SPORTS and Sony PlayStation, to engage with the community even more and take the event to new heights in 2013.”

Visit FIFA.com/FIWC for all the latest news, feature articles and videos surrounding the world’s largest gaming tournament.

All-star line-up: the four champions pose in the centre circle at EA Sports Vancouver headquarters.


President’s tournament celebrates 15th anniversary

Over a thousand people – fi ve times the population of the village – turned out for the event which, despite a wet and windy start, produced plenty of sizzling action on the pitch. The tournament was further lit up by the presence of the legendary Franz Beckenbauer and Swiss national team coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, among other prominent guests.

Another highlight was the high-calibre celebrity match in which a Swiss Legends team played against a FIFA Selection of past international players coached by Gilbert Gress, himself a former coach of the Swiss national team. This produced an impressive line-up on both sides featuring Switzerland’s Thomas Bickel, Erni Maissen, Roger Wehrli, Murat Yakin and Pascal Zuberbühler, as well as Petar Aleksandrov (Bulgaria), Mikhail Kavelashvili (Georgia), Mirko Pavlicevic (Croatia) and Gabriel Calderón (Argentina).

In the main four-team competition, fi rst-time participants GC Biaschesi from Switzerland’s Italian-speaking south-east took top honours ahead of FC Visp, FC Oberwallis Naters and the FIFA Team.

As usual, the results were of only secondary importance, however, with the tournament’s festive and charitable nature forming the main focus. This year, the Sepp Blatter Foundation made a donation of CHF 20,000 to two local communities, Kippel and Wiler, whose football pitches were extensively damaged last year by fl oods.

“It is always a great personal honour for me of course to have this tournament named after me by the people of my home region,” Blatter said as the crowds and special guests bade their farewells for another year. “Best of all though is the

way it gives me a chance to give something back and also promote football right here where I grew up.

“We had a lot a wind and rain this year, but also plenty of sun and lots and lots of emotion – all in all it was fantastic!”

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter enjoyed a special homecoming celebration at the end of August as the Swiss village of Ulrichen staged the 15th edition of the Sepp Blatter Football Tournament – an event that has been held in the President’s honour every year since his election to the FIFA presidency in 1998.By Aloïs Hug, Ulrichen

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter addresses the crowd in the picturesque setting of Ulrichen.


FOCUS

31 FIFA WORLD I FOCUS

Quality and quantity are expected to combine at November’s FIFA Futsal World Cup in Thailand, with the largest-ever fi eld expected to provide a stiffer test than ever for perennial champions Brazil and Spain.By Thomas Schanze, Bangkok

Unsurprisingly, given their masterful records in the tournament, Brazil and Spain once again start this year’s seventh edition of the FIFA Futsal World Cup, taking place in Thailand from 1-18 November, as fi rm favourites.

The Brazilians have appeared in fi ve of the six fi nals held to date, following up their triumph against hosts the Netherlands in the tournament’s fi rst edition in 1989 with a further three victories in 1992, 1996 and 2008.

Spain, meanwhile, are the only team to date who’ve been able to loosen Brazil’s stranglehold on futsal’s world crown. The Furia Roja ended the Seleção’s unbroken reign as champions in 2000 by defeating them 4-3 in the fi nal in Guatemala, before also coming out on top in Chinese Taipei four years later, knocking the Brazilians out on penalties in the semi-fi nal before clinching their second successive world crown with a fi nal victory over Italy.

Futsal’s two most successful nations then faced off for a third World Cup in a row in 2008, with Brazilian superstar Falcão and his team-mates gaining revenge for the 2000 and 2004 defeats thanks to a thrilling 4-3 victory on penalties in the fi nal of their home tournament.

Despite their status as reigning world champions, however, Brazil stuttered slightly during the South American qualifying tournament, finishing a

Hall set for Thailand showdown


Futsal – a beginner’s guideThe most obvious difference between futsal and its more established “big brother” football is that one is played indoors between two teams of fi ve, and the other outside between two teams of eleven. However, there are a number of subtler variations in the respective Laws of the Game for the two sports that new fans wishing to follow the FIFA Futsal World Cup should be aware of:

• Headers could hurt: A futsal ball is heavier than a standard football, weighing between 400-440g, and its “bounce” is strictly controlled to ensure that it rises no higher than 65cm on the fi rst rebound when dropped from a height of two metres.

• Kick, don’t throw: When the ball goes out of play, you must place it on the line where it went out and kick it back in, and you only have four seconds to do so. If you haven’t kicked it back in by then, the other team gains possession. Throw-ins are not permitted.

• Busy benches: While futsal teams consist of fi ve players, up to nine substitutes may be used in any match played in a FIFA competition, and the number of substitutions that may be made is unlimited. Subs can be brought on at any time, whether the ball is in play or not.

• No timewasting: A futsal match lasts two equal periods of 20 minutes, with both teams entitled to a one-minute time-out in each period. A timekeeper ensures that the clock is stopped for any interruption in play in order to ensure that the total net playing time is 40 minutes.

• … and no walls: In futsal, if a team commits more than fi ve fouls in one period of play, a direct free kick is awarded as of the sixth accumulated foul. The defending team may not form a wall to defend this free kick.

disappointing third following a semi-fi nal defeat to Paraguay. Nevertheless, their coach Marcos “Pipoca” Sorato is confi dent that his team will be fi ring on all cylinders when his team kick off their Group C campaign against Japan on 1 November.

“We’ve always said that our top priority was to win the World Cup preliminary competition, and then to set our sights on the title,” explained Sorato following that continental set-back in April. “Although we failed to reach the fi rst goal, we’re travelling to the World Cup in good shape.”

While the world champions were given a rude awakening during qualifying, their long-term rivals Spain, led by coach José Venancio López, continued their imperious form of recent years and can now look back on a record of more than 100 matches without defeat in normal playing time – an incredible run which dates all the way back to a 3-1 reverse to Italy in the qualifi ers for the UEFA Futsal EURO in February 2005.

Indeed, since winning the second of their world titles in 2004, the Spaniards have gone on to win four European Futsal Championships on the trot, the last of these coming in February when they edged out Russia 3-1 after extra time in the fi nal.

Stiff challengeWhile the two previous winners of the Futsal World Cup are once again expected to fi gure prominently at the business end of the tournament, Paraguay’s shock victory over Brazil in qualifying was a reminder that neither can afford to take anything for granted when the action gets under way across three venues in Bangkok and another in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Both teams have been handed tough opening draws, with Spain pitted against highly regarded Iran, who held them to a draw at the opening stage of the last Futsal World Cup, as well as Panama and Morocco in Group B, and the Brazilians facing Asian champions Japan, Libya and Portugal in Group C.

Portugal, seeking to at least emulate their third-place fi nish at Guatemala 2000 , are expected to pose a particularly stiff challenge to the Brazilians. “Our squad has lots of potential,” explained Portugal’s


coach Jorge Braz. “Some of our players are among the best in the world, so the key now is for us to use their strengths effectively and take the team to the next level.”

After fi nishing second and third at the last two World Cups, Italy will also be looking to challenge the game’s leading duo for the title in Thailand. The Azzurri have been drawn against Australia, Argentina and Mexico in Group D.

“It’s not an easy group, if you also consider the way the tournament might develop,” insisted coach Roberto Menichelli at the Bangkok draw. “Looking at the match schedule, you can see that it will be important for us to fi nish Group D as winners.”

As well as facing a challenge from European rivals Portugal and Italy, the game’s leading duo would also be well advised to beware the challenge from

Eastern Europe, with both Russia and the Ukraine expected to mount strong challenges for the title.

The tournament draw appears to have been kind to Russia, with none of their three group opponents, the Solomon Islands, Guatemala or Colombia, ever previously having progressed beyond the tournament’s fi rst stage, and having come within 34 seconds of defeating Spain in February’s EURO fi nal, the Sbornaja will

Brazil will be chasing their fi fth FIFA Futsal World Cup title in Thailand, after winning the 2008 edition as tournament hosts.


Breeding groundThe quickness of movement and excellent ball control required in futsal have made it an excellent “school” for many of football’s top stars, with three-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi among the many top players, including Pelé, Zico, Cristiano Ronaldo and Xavi, who attribute their success in the eleven-a-side game to the skills they picked up on the futsal court. Here’s what some of game’s leading players, past and present, have had to say about the role futsal played in furthering their footballing talent.

Lionel Messi (Argentina)“When I was a young boy in Argentina, I played futsal in the street and in a club. It was great fun and helped me to become the player I am today.”

Pelé (Brazil)“In futsal, you have to be able to think and play quickly. That makes it easier later when you switch to football.”

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)“During my childhood in Portugal, we only played futsal. The small pitch helped me to improve my footwork and whenever I played futsal, I felt free. If it weren’t for futsal, I wouldn’t be the player I am today.”

Ronaldinho (Brazil)“Lots of my tricks and moves come from playing futsal. To this day, my ball control is similar to that of a futsal player.”

David Villa (Spain)“Futsal demands more technique than football. You also need different physiological attributes because although the playing time is shorter in futsal, you’re constantly having to dart around.”

Micah Richards (England)“I improved my technique playing futsal. It helped me to feel comfortable on the ball and to go looking for it, which is the only way you learn to use it effectively.”

Landon Donovan (USA)“Futsal is great because when you’re young, you need to have the ball at your feet as often as possible to develop a feeling for what you can do with it. You can learn the tactical side of the game later.”

Ronaldo (Brazil)“I joined a futsal league when I was 12 years old. My footwork had to be very good as futsal constantly requires you to evade opponents in the tightest of spaces. I loved the challenge of playing on such a small pitch.”

Juninho (Brazil)“Futsal requires quickness of thought, speedy passing exchanges, excellent positioning and a great deal of physical stamina. Players who start out playing futsal are a step ahead of their opponents.”


start the tournament as arguably the team most widely fancied to break the Spanish and Brazilian hegemony.

Making up groundWhile South America and Europe have dominated the latter stages of the last six World Cups, the improving standards of futsal worldwide suggest that teams from other continents could also mount a stiffer challenge for the title this time round.

Asian heavyweights Iran, for one, will be looking to build on their impressive showing at the last World Cup, a campaign which saw them hold Spain and Italy to draws and only narrowly lose out to Brazil (1-0) in the second group stage.

The Iranians recently had Asia’s continental title prised from their grasp (for only the second time in 12 editions) by Japan, but coach Ali Sanei remains confi dent that his team can reach new heights in Thailand, despite being drawn against Spain once again this time out. “There are certainly some issues we

When Asia’s qualifying tournament for the FIFA Futsal World Cup got under way in the United Arab Emirates in May, Kuwait were not widely fancied as potential qualifi ers for the fi nal competition in Thailand.

Not only was the tiny Gulf state a relative newcomer to the sport, having introduced futsal only 11 years ago, but they had also suffered several heavy defeats and failed to pick up a single point in either of the two previous editions of the Asian championship.

Their eventual fi fth-place fi nish, secured despite losing 3-2 to Australia in a hard-fought quarter-fi nal, and their resulting qualifi cation for the Thai showpiece, was therefore one of the biggest surprises across any of the six continental qualifying competitions – and marks only their second-ever participation in a FIFA fi nal competition after a gap of almost 30 years.

Kuwait’s only other shot at fi nals glory, the 1982 FIFA World Cup™ in Spain, ended with a fi rst-round exit following a draw against Czechoslovakia (1-1) and defeats to France (4-1) and England (1-0). This time out, however, the Middle Eastern team are confi dent that they will be able to prolong their stay at futsal’s top table, even if the team’s qualifi cation for the fi nal competition came as something of a surprise for their Spanish coach, Luis Fonseca.

“Of course, it was our dream to qualify for the Futsal World Cup, but our performances surpassed even our own expectations,“ explains the 47-year-old coach, whose greatest success to date was winning the Spanish futsal league with Reale Cartagena FS.

Fonseca, who had only taken over at the helm shortly before the Asian championship kicked off, managed within a few short weeks to mould

a successful collective with an energetic playing style based on tireless running and commitment.

“When I began working with these players, I could immediately see that they were a talented bunch, so I knew the potential existed to turn Kuwait into a strong futsal nation,“ explained the renowned tactician, who extended his contract with the Kuwait Football Association after qualifi cation.

Fonseca’s faith was rewarded with several outstanding performances in the UAE. After opening with a 1-1 draw against a widely fancied Uzbekistan team, Kuwait clinched group victory with emphatic triumphs over Indonesia (9-3) and China PR (5-0), both of whom had themselves been expected to swat aside the tiny desert state.

“It means a great deal to us to be the only Arab team to qualify for the World Cup,” explains Fonseca. “Our qualifi cation is very important for the future of futsal in Kuwait.”

The Kuwaitis are now focusing on ensuring that they can hold their own with the world’s elite. In the weeks leading up to the tournament, the team will gather for training camps in Madrid and Barcelona before taking part in an international tournament in Vietnam at the end of October.

“The two main areas we have to work on are our defence and our ball retention,” explains Fonseca. “But we’ll also focus on the mental aspects, because a World Cup demands a lot from each player in terms of character.

“Ideally, we’ll be able to play to the same level as our opponents in Thailand. If we’re able to achieve this, we’ll be worthy representatives of Kuwaiti football on the world stage. And who knows, perhaps we’ll even manage the odd victory or two.”

Narrowing the gulf

Guatemala will be making their third fi nals appearance, after forming a national team specifi cally to host the FIFA Futsal World Cup’s 2000 edition.


have to address ahead of the World Cup,“ said Sanei, “but this team can fi nish as one of the best four teams in the world.“

Japan’s continental triumph means they too will make the journey south bursting with confidence, and coach Miguel Rodrigo appeared cautiously optimistic despite being drawn in what he described as the “group of death” alongside Brazil, Libya and Portugal.

“We’re playing in a really diffi cult group, but I have hope and I trust in my team to move on to the second round,” said the Spanish coach. “The latest results against Portugal and Brazil and our win in the Asian Championship this year make me optimistic.”

While Libya will have their work cut out to progress from such a tough group, their Saharan rivals Egypt have arguably been handed a more manageable task, lining up against Eastern European duo Serbia and the Czech Republic as well as Kuwait in Group E. The Pharaohs, two-time African futsal champions, have participated in every edition of the FIFA Futsal World Cup since 1996, achieving their greatest success in 2000 when they made it to the quarter-fi nals.

Among the North, Central American and Caribbean (CONCACAF) representatives are two teams with Futsal World Cup experience in the shape of Guatemala and continental champions Costa Rica,

with the latter making a return to futsal’s top table after a 12-year absence.

Another team lining up for a repeat shot at World Cup glory are Oceanian champions the Solomon Islands, who featured at Brazil 2008 but exited the tournament early on after four straight defeats. The South Pacifi c nation can, however, take encouragement from the words of Spain coach José Venancio López, who visited the islands earlier this year to offer coaching advice. ”The Solomons are playing to just as good a standard as many of the other teams. They have what it takes to win a game and qualify for the second round,” said López.

Thai bowWith the fi eld size having grown from 20 teams in 2008 to 24 teams this time round, six teams have taken advantage of the increased opportunity to take their seat at futsal’s top table for the fi rst time.

Newcomers Mexico and Panama underlined the Hispanic dominance of this year’s CONCACAF preliminary competition, leaving bigger nations such as the USA and Canada trailing in their wake, while Colombia and Morocco can look forward to their World Cup premieres

Tactics, technique and passion are all part of the futsal mix.


Match schedule

Group A01.11 17.00 Ukraine v. Paraguay01.11 19.00 Thailand v. Costa Rica04.11 17.00 Paraguay v. Costa Rica04.11 19.00 Thailand v. Ukraine07.11 19.00 Costa Rica v. Ukraine07.11 19.00 Paraguay v. Thailand

Group B02.11 19.00 Panama v. Morocco02.11 21.00 Spain v. Iran05.11 19.00 Morocco v. Iran05.11 21.00 Spain v. Panama08.11 19.00 Iran v. Panama08.11 19.00 Morocco v. Spain

Group C01.11 19.00 Libya v. Portugal01.11 21.00 Brazil v. Japan04.11 19.00 Portugal v. Japan04.11 21.00 Brazil v. Libya07.11 17.00 Japan v. Libya07.11 17.00 Portugal v. Brazil

Group D02.11 17.00 Italy v. Australia02.11 19.00 Argentina v. Mexico05.11 17.00 Australia v. Mexico05.11 19.00 Argentina v. Italy08.11 17.00 Mexico v. Italy08.11 17.00 Australia v. Argentina

Group E03.11 19.00 Czech Republic v. Kuwait03.11 21.00 Egypt v. Serbia06.11 19.00 Kuwait v. Serbia06.11 21.00 Egypt v. Czech Republic09.11 19.00 Serbia v. Czech Republic09.11 19.00 Kuwait v. Egypt

Group F03.11 17.00 Guatemala v. Colombia03.11 19.00 Russia v. Solomon Islands06.11 17.00 Colombia v. Solomon Islands06.11 19.00 Russia v. Guatemala09.11 17.00 Solomon Islands v. Guatemala09.11 17.00 Colombia v. Russia

Round of 1611.11 16.00 2A v. 2C11.11 18.30 1A v. 3CDE11.11 18.30 1B v. 3ACD11.11 21.00 2B v. 2F12.11 16.00 1D v. 3BEF12.11 18.30 1C v. 3ABF12.11 18.30 1F v. 2E12.11 21.00 1E v. 2D

Quarter-fi nals14.11 16:0014.11 18.3014.11 18.3014.11 21.00

Semi-fi nals16.11 17.0016.11 19.30

Match for third place18.11 17.00

Final18.11 19.30

“Our squad has lots of potential. Some of our players are among the

best in the world.”Portugal coach Jorge Braz

with confidence following excellent showings in the South American and African qualifi ers.

Kuwait and Serbia, who will meet in Group E, complete the list of debutants, with the tiny Gulf state having caused something of a sensation by qualifying thanks to their fifth-place finish in the Asian Futsal Championship (see “Narrowing the gulf”).

Hosts Thailand are making their fourth appearance at this level but have never progressed beyond the fi rst round in their fi rst three attempts. However, their semi-fi nal triumph over Iran en route to fi nishing second in the Asian championship signalled their good form and determination to impress in front of their own fans.

Coached by Dutchman Vic Hermans, who was singled out as the Player of the

Tournament at the fi rst FIFA Futsal World Cup in the Netherlands 23 years ago (see May/June issue of FIFA World), the Chanksuk are in good spirits ahead of their home tournament, and after the draw Hermans expressed his confi dence in his side’s ability to reach the knockout stage.

“I think my team has a very good chance of reaching the quarter-fi nals,” Hermans told FIFA World. ”When you look at Ukraine, Paraguay and Costa Rica, the fi rst reaction is, ‘That’s tough’. But we have a good young team and we beat Iran at the AFC Championship in Dubai, which was not expected of us. Based on our performances there, I’m 100 per cent confi dent we can progress to the second round.”

August’s draw handed the Thai hosts a tricky opener against CONCACAF champions

Costa Rica.


Interview with Falcão and Kike

Indoor kingsFIFA World: What are your feelings ahead of your fourth finals appearance?Falcão: Mine are the obvious feelings of someone who, at the age of 35, is about to play in his last World Cup. I feel great, but I’m preparing as thoroughly as possible because the tournament will be more competitive than ever, and I want to be 100 per cent ready, both physically and technically, when it kicks off.Kike: I’m feeling a variety of things, but above all I can’t wait to get to Thailand and fi nd out what the tournament holds in store for us. My overriding feeling is one of excitement, both about playing in another World Cup and about showing that Spain is a true powerhouse in the game. On a personal level, I’m looking forward to my last challenge at a World Cup.

How do your feelings now differ from those you felt in 2000?Falcão: Back then it was all new to me, and I didn’t have the responsibility I have today. That changed in 2004 when, fortunately for me, I had a great World Cup, but unfortunately our team lost on penalties in the fi nal. The most diffi cult lead-up to a World Cup was in 2008, when the tournament was held in Brazil and I felt a huge responsibility.Kike: It’s diffi cult for me to make that comparison because in 2000 I didn’t know I was going to be playing in that year’s World Cup until shortly before. I was only 22 at the time and I wasn’t one of the established players in the team, so I couldn’t imagine that I’d soon be experiencing one of the most important occasions in Spanish futsal history. That helped me stay relaxed!

Interview by Diego Zandrino

Even to the most diehard of futsal fans, the names Alessandro Rosa Vieira and Enrique Boned Guillot might not mean a lot. Refer to the 35-year-old Brazilian and the 34-year-old Spaniard by their nicknames Falcão and Kike, however, and it quickly becomes clear that we’re talking about two of the biggest stars in the game’s history.

Between them, the pair have made 45 appearances in Futsal World Cup fi nal competitions and racked up three titles. Two of these belong to Kike, who took the title with Spain in Guatemala in 2000 and

again in Chinese Taipei in 2004. Falcão, one of the top scorers and most award-laden players in the history of the competition, fi nally got his hands on the indoor game’s highest prize when he and his Brazil team-mates lived up to the expectations of their home crowd in 2008.

Having both made their World Cup debut in Guatemala in 2000, these two megastars of the court have lined up against each other in each of the past three tournaments and are now preparing to take part in their fourth World Cup. FIFA World spoke to them to hear their thoughts on the upcoming fi nals and discuss the growth of the sport they love.

Brazil star Falcão will be hoping to defend his country’s 2008 title…

39 FIFA WORLD I FOCUS FIFA WORLD

You faced each other in the 2008 final. What do you remember about the match?Falcão: What stands out most for me is the fi nal penalty save by our goalkeeper Franklin, which allowed us to win the title at home. It was a reward for the way our team had dealt with the pressure. We had reached our goal through hard work and sacrifi ce.Kike: I remember the sense of pride in

what we had achieved, but also the sense of missed opportunity at letting a deserved third successive title slip through our grasp. At the same time, I was able to see my friends in the other team achieve their dream.

How are your teams shaping up ahead of the World Cup in Thailand?Falcão: We’re going to spend 15 days together beforehand, although the core of the team is familiar because it’s largely the same group of players who won the title in 2008. By the time we arrive in Thailand, we’ll be strong and united and ready for another shot at the title.Kike: Spain will be competitive, that’s for sure. And whatever the outcome of the tournament, I’ve no doubt the team’s displays will contribute to the growing popularity of the game.

Do you think this will be the most evenly balanced World Cup?Falcão: Undoubtedly. To some extent, the 2008 World Cup in Brazil came down to two games for us, the semi-fi nal and the fi nal, whereas nowadays even the group matches, never mind the knockout matches, are diffi cult. If you don’t prepare properly, you get knocked out! Similarly, I don’t believe we’ll see as many teams suffering thrashings as we did in 2000.Kike: Yes, it will be the closest World Cup yet. Of course, there will be teams who may not have much chance of winning the title, but they’ll still be hard to beat. A tournament like this is very diffi cult, it depends on who you get drawn against and the circumstances on the day – there are lots of variables.

Who are the main candidates for the title and who could cause an upset?Falcão: Brazil and Spain will certainly be among the best teams and will perhaps be two of the semi-fi nalists. But watch out for Russia, who also have what it takes to be world champions

in Thailand. As for the others, Iran, Portugal and Paraguay could cause a stir.Kike: Looking at the history of the tournament, Brazil and Spain have to be mentioned among the favourites. Looking beyond them, there are a number of teams that will be diffi cult to beat. Russia could turn out to be the strongest team, but on top of that, you’ve also got Italy and Portugal, and Argentina and Japan could also have a good tournament.

The game’s competitiveness is a sign of its growth. What have been the key developments over the past 12 years and how do you see the game’s future?Falcão: Greater tactical awareness. Today, countries that want to improve recruit a Brazilian or a Spanish coach, organise themselves well and equip themselves with the tools to grow. My only concern amid all of this is that, as the game has grown, some of the technical skill has gone out of it. But there’s no turning back – you can’t stem the game’s growth.Kike: The professionalism of the game has increased. Futsal is now a mainstream sport. The seed was sown [at the fi rst FIFA Futsal World Cup in the Netherlands] in 1989, but the turning point was the 2000 edition in Guatemala, when the game entered people’s consciousness for the fi rst time. Since then it has grown rapidly. And I’m sure that in four years’ time it will be even bigger than it is today.

Finally, how would you sum each other up?Falcão: For me, Kike is an outstanding leader. He’s an intelligent player who knows when to defend and when to switch to attack. His experience will be absolutely crucial for Spain.Kike: Falcão is a living legend. A true inspiration not only because of the spectacular manner in which he plays the game but also because of all the work he’s done to ensure that futsal continues to grow as a sport.

… while Kike is aiming for his third World Cup victory with Spain.


Golden days for Mexico and USA


From Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt to record-breaking swimmers Michael Phelps of the USA and Chinese teenager Ye Shiwen, the London 2012 Olympics once again made sporting heroes out of athletes from all over the world. When it came to the Olympic Football Tournaments, however, one region shone far brighter than the rest, with North American sides Mexico and the USA each striking gold in their respective men’s and women’s events.

The twin triumphs marked the fi rst time that one confederation had claimed both Olympic titles since the introduction of women’s football into the Olympic programme in 1996. And while the US women’s victory was far from unexpected – earning the Stars and Stripes a staggering fourth gold medal from fi ve Games – Mexico’s conquest of heavy favourites Brazil certainly was, with the Wembley win securing them their fi rst Olympic football medal of any colour.

Although not widely tipped for Olympic glory before the Games, the Mexicans were far from rank outsiders, however, with their London coronation capping an

A surprise victory over Brazil for the Mexican men’s team and a third consecutive gold medal for the US women were the main highlights of the London 2012 Olympic Football Tournaments – with record crowds also helping to cement football’s position within the Games as a whole.By Michael Lewis, London

Final whistle: Mexico celebrate their Olympic gold medal win over the Brazilian favourites.


astonishing 14-month period in which El Tri have picked up trophies at a rate of which even Bolt would be proud. In 2011, the country won its second FIFA U-17 World Cup, fi nished third at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, secured the Pan-American Games title and captured the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the second successive time.

For Brazil in the men’s tournament and Canada in the women’s, the goal is now the same: learn from the lessons of the 2012 Olympics and try to do even better on home soil.

Brazil came to London all too aware of the fact that Olympic gold was the only major prize yet to have eluded their male footballers. After suffering heartache once again in the fi nal against Mexico, the Brazilians can at least console themselves with the fact that they will have home advantage on their side when they next bid to end their hoodoo at the Rio 2016 Games.

They will also be highly experienced hosts by then, with the 2016 Games coming at the end of a momentous four-year period in which Brazil is also set to host next year’s FIFA Confederations Cup and, of course, the 2014 FIFA World Cup™.

Given what’s still to come, Brazil coach Mano Menezes was understandably keen to see the Olympic team’s performance not as a failure, but rather as something to build upon.

“Yet again we came close but didn’t quite get it,” Menezes acknowledged. “I’m forced to conclude that we’re missing something in our under-23 structure, but we will continue on our path towards the next World Cup and can now call upon the main Brazil team. The World Cup in 2014 remains our goal.”

Whether or not Menezes will still be leading the team by then remains to be seen. Brazil have sacked coaches before in the wake of Olympic disappointments, and even prior to the tournament, Menezes admitted that

he was taking a risk by personally overseeing the London 2012 campaign.“Any coach must be ready to suffer the consequences of results,” he

accepted after the 2-1 defeat to Mexico at Wembley. “Even when teams win tournaments, people [in Brazil] don’t always praise the coach, so imagine what it is like when you lose.

“But defeat in one match should not have a decisive infl uence. Had we won the fi nal, we would not have solved all of our problems either. Lessons must be learned from every match.”

While Brazil looked back on a campaign that began strongly only to end in the relative disappointment of winning silver, the Canadian women’s team suffered an agonising defeat against their US neighbours in the semi-fi nals before bouncing back to win bronze – and earn their country its fi rst-ever medal in Olympic football history.

Despite fi nishing on a high, team coach John Herdman echoed the sentiment of the Brazilians by insisting his side were aiming to go even further, in their case when Canada hosts the next edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 2015.

“We have fi nished third in the world, it is a massive achievement, but now the job is to stay there and go higher,” the English coach insisted after the bronze medal match. “The aim is to get closer to the USA, to get to the World Cup fi nal against them in three years’ time and try to win it. So let’s set the bar high and make sure 2015 is even more memorable than this.”

Future hosts aiming higher

“Our youngsters … have left behind the old complexes and are looking towards the future,” Mexico Olympic men’s team coach Luis Fernando Tena declared following his team’s 2-1 fi nal win over the Brazilians. “We have a better selection of young players, and our coaches are better trained and paid.”

Slow startThere was little sign of what was to come when the Mexicans kicked off their campaign on 26 July with a goalless draw against eventual bronze medallists Korea Republic. Following that slow start, though, the team quickly picked up steam. Beating Gabon 2-0 and Switzerland 1-0 to fi nish

The US women’s team embrace after winning their third consecutive Olympic gold medal; British fans in Cardiff show their colours ahead of the opening match against New Zealand.


top of Group B, they then saw off a stiff challenge from Senegal in the quarter-fi nals, surrendering a two-goal lead late in the second half before recovering in extra time to win 4-2.

Even more resilience was required in the semi-fi nals against Japan, as a fi erce 12th minute drive from Yūki Ōtsu saw the Mexicans trailing for the fi rst time at the Games. Undaunted, Tena’s men proceeded to dominate the rest of the match, with goals from Marco Fabián, Oribe Peralta and Javier Cortés breaching the Japanese defence for the fi rst time at the tournament and ensuring Mexico’s fi rst-ever place in an Olympic fi nal.

Standing in their way of gold medal glory, however, was a young Brazil team eager to end their country’s longstanding Olympic hoodoo. Looking to go one better than their two silver-medal winning campaigns of 1984 and 1988, and coached by senior team trainer Mano Menezes, the Brazilians had more than lived up to their status as favourites in the build-up to the fi nal – winning all fi ve of their matches on the way to Wembley, and scoring three goals every time.

Fast-scoring fi nalPlaying without senior-team star Giovani dos Santos, who had picked up a muscle injury during the Japan game, Mexico needed just 29 seconds to shake off their underdog mantle. With some spectators still heading for their seats, Javier Aquino pounced on a misplaced pass by Brazil defender Rafael, putting the ball through for overage pick Oribe Peralta to fi re the Mexicans into a dream start.

Seemingly stunned by that early lapse, Brazil only started to fi nd their rhythm during the second half. But as they pressed in search of an equaliser – with senior-team star Neymar missing three good opportunities shortly after the restart – Peralta struck again. Benefi ting once more from some wayward defending, the 28-year-old Santos Laguna striker raced unmarked inside the area to head a Fabián free kick past Brazil’s teenage goalkeeper Gabriel.

Hopes of a Brazil fi ght-back fl ickered briefl y when fi rst-half substitute Hulk

made it 2-1 with a powerful run and fi nish seconds into injury time, but it turned out to be a mere consolation goal for the favourites, who will at least have home advantage at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Games as they look once more to end their long Olympic gold medal drought (see “Future hosts aiming higher”).

“Everybody knows that it’s the little details that win finals, and Mexico today were better than us,” Neymar acknowledged afterwards. “Losing like this is very tough to take, but at least we can draw on the experience of playing at an Olympics, and learn from this fi nal, even in defeat.”

Spain stunnedWhile Brazil could at least take some pride in their status as runners-up, there was no such silver medal lining for Spain. Arriving at the Olympics as reigning European Under-21 champions and further bolstered by three members of the country’s successful Euro 2012 senior team (Juan Mata, Jordi Alba, Javier Martínez), the Spanish ended up as shock group-stage casualties after securing just one point – from a goalless draw with Morocco.

“Our fi nishing wasn’t sharp enough, and that’s defi nitely one thing we need to

improve upon,” said Mata at the end of the unexpectedly brief campaign in which Spain failed to score a single goal. “But this setback is going to help us mature in our careers, because it will teach us that we can’t always win. It’s situations like this that show you just how hard it is to come out on top.”

Boosted by the presence of star overage players Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani and led by senior team coach Óscar Tabárez, Uruguay were another team who were expected to be among the medal contenders only to end up among the early fallers. Starting well enough with a 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates, the South Americans suffered a shock 2-0 defeat against ten-man Senegal before bowing out with a 1-0 defeat to their British hosts in their decisive third match.

Senegal, a fi rst-time Summer Games participant, weren’t fancied by many to make much of an impact, but reached that quarter-fi nal showdown with Mexico thanks to the win over Uruguay and a similarly surprising 1-1 draw against Great Britain on the opening day of the tournament.

There were also some heroic efforts in defeat, with Honduras standing out in particular. Having already stunned Spain 1-0 in their second group-stage

Brazil star Neymar shows his frustration after missing a chance against Mexico in the men’s fi nal.


game, the Central Americans suffered the narrowest of 3-2 defeats against Brazil in the quarter-fi nals, despite playing most of the match with ten men, and fi nishing it with nine.

Korea pathThe British hosts also bowed out at the quarter-fi nal stage, their hopes of adding to Team GB’s impressive overall medal tally quashed by a fast and powerful Korea Republic side. Coached by former England international Stuart Pearce, Great Britain were held to a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes before losing 5-4 in the all-too-familiar setting of a penalty shoot-out.

“I think that’s only our sixth game together maybe,” said captain and Manchester United veteran Ryan Giggs of the British team which had been assembled specifi cally for the London Games. “The Korean lads had played something like 18 games unbeaten, so that’s the sort of preparation they’ve had compared to our preparation. We got better each game but it was always going to be diffi cult for us.”

Though brushed aside 3-0 by the Brazilians in the subsequent semi-fi nal, the Koreans were another side who exceeded most people’s expectations. Inspired by the slick link-up play of captain Koo Jacheol and fellow midfi elder Ki Sungyueng throughout the two-week tournament, the team went on to defeat fellow Asian rivals Japan 2-0 in the bronze medal match – earning the continent its fi rst Olympic men’s football medal since the Japanese themselves won bronze at the 1968 Games in Mexico.

“Today we made history and showed that Asian football is becoming increasingly strong in the international game,” Koo Jacheol, scorer of Korea Republic’s second goal, said after the match. “In my opinion, both South Korean and Japanese football will get stronger in the future and that will go a long way to help develop the game in Asia.”

Female favourites shineIn the women’s tournament, meanwhile, world champions Japan were strongly expected to make the Olympic fi nal along with the US team who they dramatically

beat in the thrilling climax of last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup™. For once the predictions proved spot on although, in a further sign of the growing competitiveness

of women’s football, there were plenty of occasions when the two teams’ march to the fi nal looked far from inevitable.

Japan in particular had to dig deep in the group stage, managing a 2-1 win over Canada in their opening match but then fi nishing the group in second place after goalless draws with eventual group winners Sweden and debutants South Africa.

Norio Sasaki’s team got back to winning ways in the knockout section, but were hard pressed by both Brazil in the quarter-fi nals (eventually winning 2-0) and France

in the semis (2-1) with their opponents dominating possession for large spells of both games.

The Americans’ route to the fi nal was, on the surface, a little more straightforward, with Pia Sundhage’s team winning every match that they played. Again though, the statistics told only half the story. In their opening game against the French, the US women were trailing 2-0 after just 14 minutes, before recovering to win 4-2. Securing their place in the quarter-fi nals with a 3-0 win over Olympic newcomers Colombia, the Americans then wrapped up the group stage with a surprisingly tight 1-0 win over a Korea DPR side which had spent the last ten minutes of the match reduced to ten women.

After also being well-tested during their 2-0 quarter-fi nal win over New Zealand, Sundhage’s charges then met their stiffest challenge of all when they came up against northern neighbours Canada in the last four.

Three times the Canadians led – with captain Christine Sinclair scoring an impressive hat-trick– only for the Americans to draw level each time and then fi nally snatch victory with a dramatic Alex Morgan header scored with just 30 seconds of extra-time stoppage time remaining.

“Our youngsters … have left behind the

old complexes and are looking towards the

future.” Mexico Olympic team coach

Luis Fernando Tena

Korea Republic’s Bokyung Kim fi res in a shot during the bronze medal match against Japan.


The USA’s latest gold medal triumph also turned out to be the team’s last title under the leadership of Pia Sundhage. Less than four weeks after celebrating the side’s Wembley victory, the Swede announced her decision to head home and take charge of her own country’s national team.

“For a long time I’ve dreamt of being coach of Sweden and now I’m so happy,” said the 52-year-old coach. “Although it is time to move

on, I’d like to thank U.S. Soccer for this wonderful opportunity and I wish this team and the players all the best in the future. Before I took this job, I always admired the spirit and character of the US team, but to experience that fi rst-hand on the training fi eld and from the bench as their coach was truly special and something I will treasure for the rest of my life.”

Sundhage was praised by U.S. Soccer offi cials for having taken over an American squad blighted by internal discord after a disappointing third-place

fi nish at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2007™. In a dramatic fi ve-year turnaround, the Swede steered the team to back-to-back Olympic gold medals and a runners-up spot at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in Germany.

“Pia deserves a tremendous amount of credit for the amazing success the US women’s national team has had during the past fi ve years,” said U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati following confi rmation of Sundhage’s decision. “When we fi rst had Pia come aboard … it was short-term chaos. She stabilised the situation to win gold and we came very close to winning three gold medals in three tournaments.”

As a player, Sundhage turned out 146 times for Sweden in a staggering 21-year international career. Highlights included a third-place fi nish at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 1991™ and victory in the inaugural UEFA Women’s EURO tournament in 1984 – with Sundhage converting the decisive kick of the penalty shoot-out in the fi nal against England.

Her next task will be to try to emulate that European success, this time as coach and on home soil, with Sweden set to host next year’s edition of the Women’s Euro.

Stars earn stripesThe all-North American clash would have made a worthy tournament fi nal, but instead the USA had to re-gather their focus and energy for the real end game with Japan three days later.

Fortunately, the fi nal did not disappoint. Bringing together the world’s top two women’s teams, and with the added spice of the USA’s hunger to avenge last year’s World Cup defeat, the match saw fast-fl owing, end-to-end football with plenty of chances for both sides.

Somewhat surprisingly, it was veteran midfi elder Carli Lloyd rather than US striking stars Abby Wambach or Alex Morgan who made the difference in the end. Already an Olympic heroine in her homeland after scoring the only goal against Brazil in the Beijing gold medal match four years ago, Lloyd proved herself the player for the big occasion once again in London, scoring twice as the Americans beat their Asian rivals 2-1.

Lloyd’s performance was all the more remarkable given that she began the tournament on the subs’ bench. Not originally part of Sundhage’s fi rst-team plans, she forced her way back into the coach’s reckoning after replacing the injured Shannon Boxx during the Americans’ opening game against France and remained in the starting line-up from then on.

“I was on a mission to prove everybody wrong and that’s what I did,” Lloyd said after picking up her second Olympic gold medal. “I knew I had a big job, but when someone tells me I’m not good enough to start I’m going to prove them wrong.”

A sense of proving their critics wrong also seemed to have guided the entire US team as they bounced back in style from last year’s World Cup anguish.

“The idea was to believe in ourselves when nobody else did,” said Wambach. ”Last summer we lost in heartbreaking fashion, on penalty kicks. After something like that, your team can go one way or the other – and our team chose the right path.”

Japan’s disappointment was meanwhile tempered by the considerable consolation of their silver medal, securing the country its highest-ever honour in either men’s or women’s Olympic football just a year after the team won Japan’s fi rst-ever world title.

“I have to say that the joy last year was greater than the disappointment this year – after all, we’ve won an Olympic silver medal here in London,” said Saki Kumagai, the Japanese defender who scored the decisive penalty at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. “We’ve been getting increasingly more attention over the last 13 months, and the fact that after winning the World Cup we’ve now got a medal is unbelievably

important for the popularity of women’s football in Japan.”

Canadian comfortFollowing the anguish of their semi-fi nal defeat, Canada picked themselves up admirably to beat France in the bronze medal match, a stoppage time strike from Diana Matheson providing the game’s only goal. The third-place fi nish also marked an impressive turnaround in comparison to last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign, in which the Canadians lost all three of their matches, including a 4-0 thrashing by the French.

“We weren’t expected to do so well, but we ran the United States close and just beat one of the best sides in the world,” said goalkeeper Erin McLeod after she and her team-mates had collected their country’s fi rst-ever Olympic football medal. “We’ve changed coaches since last year, with John Herdman coming in and really outdoing himself with us. We’ve got players who are at the peak of their careers and an excellent atmosphere in the squad, all of which has made the difference in this competition.”

Canada’s third-place fi nish consigned France to fourth place for a second year running, with Bruno Bini’s side having also lost out (to Sweden) in the match for third place at Germany 2011. As was the case a year ago, the French

Sundhage signs off


showed plenty of technical fl air and often dominated possession, but failed to make the most of their goalscoring opportunities, allowing their opponents to pick them apart on the break.

While France were at least able to match last year’s World Cup achievement, several other established women’s teams seemed in danger of losing ground. Brazil, who were silver medallists at the last two Olympics and semi-fi nalists at the two before that, suffered their earliest-ever exit with their quarter-fi nal defeat against Japan. Sweden, meanwhile, were unable to build on their third-place fi nish at Germany 2011, this time losing out to the French in the quarter-fi nals. Korea DPR, whose strong recent showings in lower age categories had seen them touted as possible medal contenders, also fell short – missing the knockout stage altogether following group-stage defeats at the hands of France and the USA.

Catching upThe struggles faced by many of the game’s “bigger names” allowed several supposedly lesser lights to shine, however. New Zealand, in particular, showed that they had adapted well following John Herdman’s move to Canada, as his

successor Tony Readings steered the Football Ferns to the second round of a FIFA competition for the fi rst time in the country’s footballing history (men’s or women’s) as one of the tournament’s two best third-place fi nishers.

African representatives South Africa and Cameroon and South American participants Colombia showed they still have room for improvement if they are to be competitive at international level. Results such as South Africa’s goalless draw with Japan and Colombia’s narrow 1-0 defeat to France suggested, however, that progress is already being made.

The British hosts, comprised mainly of players from the England squad which reached the World Cup quarter-fi nals for a second consecutive time at Germany 2011, were once again among the top eight teams. Starting strongly, the hosts won all three of their group-stage games (including an impressive 1-0 win against the Brazilians) before being outplayed 2-0 by the Canadians in their fi rst knockout game.

Though clearly disappointed with the result, the British players were delighted with the support they received, with the Brazil game in particular drawing 70,584 spectators to Wembley and shattering the previous attendance record for women’s

football in the UK. It was a record which would not stand for long, however, with a massive 80,203 supporters later turning out to watch the women’s fi nal.

“In terms of the Olympics as a whole, people are now recognising that women’s football is great football, beautiful football,” said GB striker Eniola Aluko as the vanquished hosts left the pitch to appreciative applause after the Canada defeat. “That to me is a legacy, and we’re part of that legacy. I’m proud that 70,000 people turned up to a game, when only three or four years ago people might have laughed at that prospect.”

Football coming homeAs well as helping to further grow the women’s game, the London 2012 Olympic Football Tournaments also demonstrated how successfully football can be integrated within the overall framework of the Games.The only Olympic discipline to be played at venues spread throughout the United Kingdom (with Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Coventry and Cardiff joining London in hosting games), football clearly benefi ted from the existing passion for the game in Britain, with combined attendance fi gures for both tournaments setting a new record of 2,186,930. As well as surpassing

Britain’s Kelly Smith tries her luck during the hosts’ historic group-stage win over Brazil.


Results: Men’s Olympic Football Tournament

Group A26.7 United Arab Emirates v. Uruguay 1-226.7 Great Britain v. Senegal 1-129.7 Senegal v. Uruguay 2-029.7 Great Britain v. UAE 3-11.8 Senegal v. UAE 1-11.8 Great Britain v. Uruguay 1-0

Group B26.7 Mexico v. Korea Republic 0-026.7 Gabon v. Switzerland 1-129.7 Mexico v. Gabon 2-029.7 Korea Republic v. Switzerland 2-11.8 Mexico v. Switzerland 1-01.8 Korea Republic v. Gabon 0-0

Group C26.7 Belarus v. New Zealand 1-026.7 Brazil v. Egypt 3-229.7 Brazil v. Belarus 3-129.7 Egypt v. New Zealand 1-11.8 Brazil v. New Zealand 3-01.8 Egypt v. Belarus 3-1

Group D26.7 Spain v. Japan 0-126.7 Honduras v. Morocco 2-2 29.7 Spain v. Honduras 0-129.7 Japan v. Morocco 1-01.8 Japan v. Honduras 0-01.8 Spain v. Morocco 0-0

Quarter-fi nals4.8 Japan v. Egypt 3-04.8 Mexico v. Senegal 4-2 a.e.t.4.8 Brazil v. Honduras 3-24.8 Great Britain v. Korea Rep. 1-1 a.e.t. 4-5 PSO

Semi-fi nals7.8 Mexico v. Japan 3-17.8 Korea Republic v. Brazil 0-3

Bronze medal match10.8 Korea Republic v. Japan 2-0

Gold medal match11.8 Brazil v. Mexico 1-2

Results: Women’s Olympic Football Tournament

Group E25.7 Great Britain v. New Zealand 1-025.7 Cameroon v. Brazil 0-528.7 New Zealand v. Brazil 0-128.7 Great Britain v. Cameroon 3-031.7 New Zealand v. Cameroon 3-131.7 Great Britain v. Brazil 1-0

Group F25.7 Japan v. Canada 2-125.7 Sweden v. South Africa 4-128.7 Japan v. Sweden 0-028.7 Canada v. South Africa 3-031.7 Japan v. South Africa 0-031.7 Canada v.Sweden 2-2

Group G25.7 USA v. France 4-225.7 Colombia v. Korea DPR 0-228.7 USA v. Colombia 3-028.7 France v. Korea DPR 5-031.7 USA v. Korea DPR 1-031.7 France v. Colombia 1-0

Quarter-fi nals3.8 Sweden v. France 1-23.8 USA v. New Zealand 2-03.8 Brazil v. Japan 0-23.8 Great Britain v. Canada 0-2

Semi-fi nals6.8 France v. Japan 1-26.8 Canada v. USA 3-4 a.e.t.

Bronze medal match9.8 Canada v. France 1-0

Gold medal match9.8 USA v. Japan 2-1

the previous mark of 2,137,462 for Beijing 2008, football’s popularity saw total ticket sales accounting for a quarter of all the tickets sold at the Games as a whole.Despite a long history of Olympic participation, dating all the way back to the fi rst London Games in 1908, football has not always been viewed by everyone as a “true” Olympic sport, with critics arguing that the age limits in the men’s tournament and the pre-eminence of the FIFA World Cup™ as the sport’s leading event puts Olympic football at a disadvantage to those sports where an Olympic gold medal represents the sporting pinnacle.

Giving his thoughts on the tournaments after the two fi nals, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter said that the impressive crowds had confi rmed the attractiveness of football as an Olympic spectacle and provided a fi rm rebuke to those who have in the past questioned the sport’s “suitability” for the Games.

“Seeing big arenas such as Wembley and Old Trafford full for an Olympic competition has been brilliant for the game,” Blatter said, “and the matches have been played with the right spirit: respect for your opponents, self-discipline in how the players have conducted themselves on the fi eld but always competitive and determined to win.

“I believe we have struck the right balance in the men’s tournament by giving a showcase to some of the most talented young players in the world and allowing a few overage players to bring gravitas and maturity to the teams.

“As well as the huge crowds, it was fantastic to see how the women’s game has become such a major attraction. Having 80,000 spectators for the women’s fi nal is not something that happens by accident. It happens because supporters know they are going to see a quality game of football, played with enthusiasm and skill.”

Following two weeks of thrilling action in front of large and appreciative crowds, it is certainly clear that the bar has been set extremely high for in four years’ time, when the Olympic Torch passes from one football-crazed nation to another ahead of the Rio 2016 Games.

K

onze me8 Korea Re

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Great Britain v. Korea Rep. 1-1 a.e.t.4-5 PSO Gold medal match

9 8 USA v Japan 2 1mi-fi nals

Mexico v. Japan 3-1

9.8 USA v. Japan 2-1

pKorea Republic v. Brazil 0-3

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Third time plucky for USA


On the surface it may appear as if the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Japan 2012 followed a well-worn narrative, with the USA and Germany once again emerging as the two top teams after three weeks of action. The USA’s victory – secured by a single goal in a high-intensity showdown between the two giants of the women’s game – means that the Americans and Germans have now shared fi ve of the six U-20 titles awarded to date.

But even if the identity of the fi nalists was no great surprise, Japan 2012 turned out to be an evenly balanced tournament on the whole, with most of the quarter-fi nalists possessing realistic championship credentials. A sign of the game’s growing competitiveness at this level could also be seen in the fact that four confederations were represented in the last eight, with only New Zealand’s surprise 4-0 capitulation to Mexico in their fi nal group-stage match preventing it from being fi ve.

The nature of the USA’s route to the title was also indicative of the increased equality among the teams, with the Americans struggling early on to even make the quarter-fi nals –eventually scraping through on goal difference at the expense of China PR. Indeed, goals proved relatively hard to come by this time around, with the USA scoring only ten in their six matches, compared to 12 when they won the title in 2008 and a whopping 26 when they fi rst lifted the trophy ten years ago.

If Chile 2008 was all about the arrival of strike sensations Alex Morgan

The USA celebrated a record third FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup title in September, beating fellow heavyweights Germany 1-0 in the tournament fi nal in a fi ttingly tight fi nish to a closely fought competition.By Peter Smith, Tokyo

© 2012 Visa Inc. All Rights Reserved.


and Sydney Leroux, Japan 2012 saw the Americans having to rely much more on resilience and mental fortitude. Their best player at Japan 2012 was adidas Bronze Boot winner Julie Johnston, a determined central defender with a strong positional sense. Along with her fellow back-four members, Johnston could take much of the credit for her team’s fi nal victory, with

the quartet having to soak up countless crosses and corners to repel Germany’s powerful attacks.

“We faced some adversity in the group phase, and the players learned from that,” was how US coach Steve Swanson summed up his team’s tough journey. “My players are good students, and they learned from each opponent.”

That assessment seemed hard to argue with, particularly when comparing the USA’s performance in the fi nal with their earlier meeting with the Germans in the tournament’s group stage – a one-sided affair that ended 3-0 in favour of the Europeans. Despite that demoralising defeat, the Stars and Stripes bounced back to see off three group winners in their fi nal three matches. In that sense alone, they were deserving of top position on the podium.

Strong in defeatGermany, for their part, will be ruing their inability to score in the fi nal after having looked by far the strongest of the teams going into the deciding game. Their eventual defeat ended a record run in the competition of 12 straight victories dating back to 2008, a streak which usurped USA as the record-holder. Kealia Ohai’s 44th-minute winner for the USA also ended a German run of 610 minutes without

Results: FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Japan 2012

Group A19.8 New Zealand v. Switzerland 2-119.8 Japan v. Mexico 4-122.8 Mexico v. Switzerland 2-022.8 Japan v. New Zealand 2-226.8 Mexico v. New Zealand 4-026.8 Switzerland v. Japan 0-4

Group B19.8 Brazil v. Italy 1-119.8 Nigeria v. Korea Republic 2-022.8 Brazil v. Nigeria 1-122.8 Italy v. Korea Republic 0-226.8 Italy v. Nigeria 0-426.8 Korea Republic v. Brazil 2-0

Group C20.8 Korea DPR v. Norway 4-220.8 Argentina v. Canada 0-623.8 Korea DPR v. Argentina 9-023.8 Norway v. Canada 2-127.8 Norway v. Argentina 4-127.8 Canada v. Korea DPR 1-2

Group D20.8 Ghana v. USA 0-420.8 Germany v. China PR 4-023.8 Ghana v. Germany 0-123.8 USA v. China PR 1-127.8 USA v. Germany 0-327.8 China PR v. Ghana 1-0

Quarter-fi nals30.8 Nigeria v. Mexico 1-0 a.e.t.30.8 Japan v. Korea Republic 3-131.8 Germany v. Norway 4-031.8 Korea DPR v. USA 1-2 a.e.t.

Semi-fi nals4.9 Nigeria v. USA 0-24.9 Japan v. Germany 0-3

Match for third place8.9 Nigeria v. Japan 1-2

Final8.9 USA v. Germany 1-0

Awards:

adidas Golden Ball – Dzsenifer Marozsán (GER)adidas Silver Ball – Hanae Shibata (JPN)adidas Bronze Ball – Julie Johnston (USA)

adidas Golden Boot – Kim Un Hwa (PRK)adidas Silver Boot – Yoko Tanaka (JPN)adidas Bronze Boot – Lena Lotzen (GER)

adidas Golden Glove – Laura Benkarth (GER)

FIFA Fair Play Award – Japan

Golden Glove winner Laura Benkarth conceded just one goal at the tournament.

“Japan had very little time to organise this tournament but what

they have done is great.”

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter

conceding a goal, cruelly dashing the defending champions’ bid to become the fi rst team to keep a clean sheet throughout the tournament.

There was some consolation for Maren Meinert’s team in the post-tournament awards list, however, with Laura Benkarth deservedly being crowned as the competition’s best goalkeeper and striker Dzsenifer Marozsán collecting the coveted adidas Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.

With Germany’s goals coming from six different players in a powerful all-round display, the class of 2012 already looks certain to provide numerous contenders

for the country’s senior team, following the examples set by FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2010 winners Alexandra Popp and Kim Kulig.

Understandably, given all that she had seen in the build-up to the fi nal, Meinert insisted that she was not too concerned by the unfavourable result at the fi nish.

“We played a great tournament, and we can’t break all that we built just because of one defeat,” said Meinert, the only female coach among the 16 who took part in Japan 2012. “We have to keep on seeing the light we’ve seen before, rather than the shadow of defeat from the fi nal.”


disparity. From now on, such skills are a key factor for the Young Nadeshiko as well as for the senior team.”

Although falling short of their impressive run to the fi nal of the 2010 edition in Germany, fourth-placed Nigeria were again able to disprove the argument that the top women’s football teams can be found exclusively in the three northern-most confederations. Although they ran out of steam against the Americans in the semi-fi nals, the Falconets proved too strong for the likes of Mexico, Italy and Korea Republic in the earlier stages, and argued that their fi nal placing should not be seen as a step backwards compared to two years ago.

“We’re not going backwards,” insisted team captain Gloria Ofoegbu after the 2-0 defeat against the USA. “We managed to become one of the top teams in the world two years ago, and making it to the semi-fi nals this year proves that we’ve maintained our level. We’ve made progress … but we just didn’t have luck at the right time.”

Rising daughtersJapan 2012 may also mark something of a watershed for the host nation, who proved that last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup™ triumph was no mere stroke of luck. Finishing in third place – their best-ever showing at the U-20 event – after a fi nal day 2-1 win over fellow semi-fi nalists Nigeria, the Young Nadeshiko never wavered from their skilful brand of possession-based football, sticking relentlessly to their favoured playing style regardless of the scoreline.

Perhaps the most glowing tribute to the home team was the one paid by last year’s Women’s World Cup-winning coach Norio Sasaki, who insisted that the U-20 side had even better overall technique than his all-conquering senior squad.

“Especially for Asian teams like Japan and Korea Republic, certain tactics suit us more than spectacular football based on power and speed,” Sasaki added. “European teams often have better physical attributes than us, which means we must continually work on our technical skills to combat that

Koreas impressOf the teams going out at the quarter-fi nal stage, Korea DPR were perhaps the most impressive, displaying typically high levels of energy and organisation before losing 2-1 in extra time to the Americans. Their neighbours from Korea Republic also seem to have a bright future ahead of them, having followed up their victory at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2010 with a creditable performance in Japan. Bouncing back from their opening 2-0 loss to the Nigerians, the South Koreans saw off Italy and Brazil to make sure of a place in the last eight, before fi nally succumbing 3-1 to their Japanese hosts in Tokyo.

Mexico’s U-20 side, meanwhile, displayed much of the confi dence that is currently surging through the country’s various national teams in both the men’s and women’s game, taking second place in their group behind the Japanese before being eliminated after an epic extra-time clash with the Nigerians. Former women’s football heavyweights Norway also showed that their production line is still running strong, with Caroline Hansen and Hegerberg sisters Ada and Andrine standing out in particular during a solid campaign which was ended abruptly by a 4-0 quarter-fi nal defeat against the rampant Germans.

Even in the group stage, competitive matches were the norm, with only Argentina suffering consistently heavy defeats. Among those heading home

Highs and lows: Ghana’s Elizabeth Addo leaps for the ball during a group stage meeting with China PR; Germany’s players show their dejection after their defeat in the fi nal.


Leaving a legacy

before the quarter-fi nals, New Zealand, China PR and Canada all showed plenty of promise – something that should cheer the Canadians in particular as they prepare to host the next FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2014, ahead of their staging of the senior-team event one year later.

Happy situation“We are in a very happy situation with women’s football,” insisted FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter as organisers reviewed the tournament on the eve of the fi nal. “We had an incredibly successful World Cup last year in Germany, when we saw what was perhaps, for some, a surprising victory at the time for Japan, though we have of course since seen confi rmation of the values held by the Nadeshiko, and recently saw over 70,000 at Wembley as Japan met the USA in the women’s Olympic fi nal.”

The FIFA President also singled out Japan for their efforts off the pitch, reminding reporters that the country had only stepped in to host the U-20 event after planned hosts Uzbekistan were forced to withdraw.

“We have only heard compliments from the delegations from all the continents, so I have to thank Japan for the hospitality that all the visiting teams have received,”

said Blatter. “Japan had very little time to organise this tournament but what they have done is great.”

Asked about the possibility of Japan going on to stage the senior FIFA Women’s World Cup, the FIFA President said he believed the country would be “a very good candidate” for the 2019 tournament, following on from Canada’s hosting of the 2015 edition. “Following Europe and North America, coming back to Asia would be good,” agreed Blatter.

Should that eventually turn out to be the case, the evidence of the latest FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup would suggest that fans of the women’s game would be in for quite a treat, as the Asian nation’s famed hospitality would certainly provide a fantastic platform for the world’s best players in seven years’ time, including many of those who caught the eye in Japan in 2012.

“We played a great tournament, and we

can’t break all that we built just because of one

defeat.” Germany coach Maren Meinert

Arguably the most enduring memory of last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup was the way in which eventual champions Japan used their partici-pation and eventual victory as a contribution to the country’s long and painful healing process in the wake of last year’s devastating earthquake and tsunami.

The massive loss of life has, of course, not been forgotten, but as the country prepared to stage this year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, the emphasis was placed much more upon the desire to look forward with optimism, as was indeed encapsulated in the tournament slogan, “Hope Leads”.

As part of the ongoing efforts to help the country’s most stricken regions, six of the tournament’s matches were staged in Miyagi, a region which suffered heavily in March last year, with Japan themselves playing twice at the stadium in the regional capital Sendai.

While taking to the fi eld in Sendai was an emotional moment for all of the Japanese players, many of whom had spent a signifi cant amount of time at the Japan Football Association’s nearby Fukushima Academy, few would have found it as moving as Nadeshiko defender and former Sendai schoolgirl Aya Sameshima.

“It was the fi rst FIFA tournament for women’s football to be hosted in Japan, and many people visited the stadium, as well as supporting the event through TV and other media,” said Sameshima, who unusually prefers to ply her trade in the country’s second division, such is the pull of her home town. “I’m sure Japan 2012 gave people a sense of unity through football.”

The sense of unity was further demonstrated by the inclusion of Miyagi as one of the 20 sites that staged Live Your Goals women’s football events across Japan as part of the U-20 tournament’s legacy programme.

Around 50 youngsters from the region were invited to the event which took part on the tournament’s opening day, with 15 coach-educators also taking part with the aim of helping them to develop their own football programmes and festivals in the future.

A few days later, another 70 children and parents from the devastated cities of Söma and Fukushima were invited to the Sendai stadium by FIFA and the Japanese Local Organising Committee to watch Japan kick off their campaign with a nail-biting 2-2 draw with New Zealand. Among them was Yonefumi Sato, who lives in Söma with her 12-year-old daughter Madoka.

“The support of the football community has been incredible,” Sato said. “I think that has made our passion for football even stronger, and I hope watching this game will somehow inspire my daughter. In that sense, this event will do so much to help the recovery.”


The Lions’ new den

The opening of a new centre of excellence in England’s heartlands shows that, on the eve of its 150th anniversary celebrations, The Football Association continues to have its sights trained fi rmly on the future.By Andrew Warshaw, Burton upon Trent

For the best part of three generations, ever since England won the 1966 FIFA World Cup™, the same old question has beset English football: how can the country that invented the game have fallen far so behind its rivals from a technical standpoint?

Ousted from FIFA World Cups™ and UEFA European Championships in recent years by Portugal, Germany and Italy, the Three Lions have had to watch from the sidelines as these teams and other European rivals such as France and Spain have contested the latter stages of tournaments, with team captain Steven

Gerrard among those citing an inability to control the ball as well as their opponents as a reason for England’s early exits.

One explanation for such technical shortcomings is that there has never been a proper fi nishing school for coaches to deliver the best possible education for players coming through the system. While France has Clairefontaine, Italy Coverciano and Spain the Ciudad del Fútbol, England, by contrast, has had no elite national training hub. Until now.

The St. George’s Park National Football Centre, a multifaceted 330-acre complex surrounded by lakes, trees and walks

in England’s West Midlands, has fi nally opened its doors with the aim of creating a conveyor belt of highly qualifi ed coaches who, in turn, will produce better and more skilful England footballers from grassroots level up to the senior team.

The idea of a national centre was fi rst mooted in 1975 but was plagued by planning delays and budgetary constraints, with funds being directed towards other projects such as the construction of the new Wembley. However, when England’s football administrators realised that the concept of a national football centre was in danger of being remembered as the project that never was, something was fi nally done about it and St. George’s Park received the green light in 2008.

“Our 24 teams have always been on the road and have never had the benefi t of having their own academy,” says David Sheepshanks, the St. George’s Park chairman. “It would be unthinkable for, say, Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea to achieve what they have without their own home training ground to generate their own excellence.”

State-of-the-artOne look around St. George’s Park and you quickly realise how much effort and determination has gone into delivering


the coaches and players of the future. Built over just 17 months at a cost of GBP 100 million, the training centre oozes modern footballing sophistication. It is fi tted out with 12 full-size pitches, fi ve with undersoil heating and fl oodlighting, an altitude chamber, a hydrotherapy unit, a whole fl oor dedicated to sports medicine and sports science, an Olympic-size swimming pool, fi ve gymnasiums, a full-size futsal arena, a 60-metre running hill, and

even its own library, where aspiring coaches can pore through the written theses of some of their illustrious predecessors.

Sheepshanks, who used to run the English Football League, wants the groundbreaking centre, where roughly 70 Football Association staff will be based, to become “a dynamic Mecca for the English game”. A former chairman of Ipswich Town, he has travelled the world picking up tips on how to produce the best educational and training facilities, including visiting the aforementioned venues in France, Italy and Spain as well as the Aspire complex in the Qatari capital Doha and the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. The research has certainly paid off: even the refectory is designed to be a place to swap ideas and stories.

The centre’s work will be coordinated by whoever is appointed The FA’s technical director. At the time of going to press, the identity of the director had not been revealed but Sheepshanks made it clear how important the role would be in terms of putting in place the

“In football we too often send the least qualifi ed

coaches to coach the kids. That has to change and the only way it can

is to create a career path.”

David Sheepshanks, chairman of the St. George’s Park National Football Centre

England’s new state-of-the-art training centre has been more than 30 years in the planning.


coaches’ training programme and appointing coach-education staff.

“It’s almost as important, when you consider the future development of the game, as the England manager,” he said. “The teacher has a defi ning infl uence. In football we too often send the least qualifi ed coaches to coach the kids. That has to change and the only way it can is to create a career path.”

Will all the teachers have to be British? Absolutely not. “We will certainly cast the net wide because we have the opportunity to bring the best in the world here to assist our cause,” says Sheepshanks.

“We have some outstanding coach-educators in this country, however, if we want to be best-in-class, we should not necessarily think all our coach-educators have to be home-grown. Then again, you shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater – we have great strengths in English football as well and we should look to combine both.”

Scarcity of coachesSheepshanks is convinced that English football, at senior level at least, is far weaker than it should be. The Premier League may be massively popular globally

but its success is often attributed more to the infl uence of its glittering array of international “imports” than to the skills of the players born and bred in Britain.

“We have all seen how the Euro played out and how the superior techniques of the Spanish helped them retain the title,” said Sheepshanks. “We are now starting the hard work to achieve the success we crave. We have to increase the number of technically adept players.”

Nevertheless, FA offi cials are keen to point out that the centre will not have overnight results and that it could take another decade before England can produce title-contending teams at various levels. “France opened Clairefontaine in 1988 and won the World Cup ten years later,” Sheepshanks pointed out. “But fi rst we have to increase the number of qualifi ed coaches in this country.”

It’s easy to see why. For while the recent appointment of the highly respected Roy Hodgson as England manager was a

“Better coaches produce better players.”

David Sheepshanks, chairman of the St. George’s Park National Football Centre

England’s U-17 team were the fi rst to try out the new facilities in August.


Big fun on small pitches

deliberate move away from the reliance on foreign coaches, there is a marked dearth of Englishmen with the necessary training to follow in Hodgson’s footsteps.

According to the latest fi gures available, only 2,769 English coaches held UEFA’s B, A and Pro badges fi ve years ago, compared to 23,995 in Spain, 29,420 in Italy, 34,970 in Germany and 17,588 in France. But if all goes according to plan, 800 coaches will be trained and qualifi ed per year at St. George’s Park.

“We have seven million players in this country, with a coaching ratio of one to 69,” said Sheepshanks. “If we do it right and hit our target of having 250,000 coaches by 2018, the ratio will be one to 25. Better coaches produce better players.”

Elite focusWhile other sports will be able to hire facilities at St. George’s Park, the main focus is on elite training both for coaches

and the 24 national representative sides under The FA’s umbrella. The fi rst squad to use St. George’s Park were England’s U-17 team in August, with the senior squad due to move in before their World Cup qualifi ers in October against San Marino and Poland.

“We need to use our collective energies to make this all gel but if we get this right, The FA should never need to appoint overseas and that will be a success measure going forward,” said Sheepshanks. “Premier League teams are appointing foreign coaches because in their belief that is where they fi nd the best talent. I don’t necessarily concur with that – we have some very talented coaches in this country but we don’t have enough. We need to develop more and more here so that they actually don’t go looking, in ten years’ time, overseas all the time.”

Officials recognise that the huge expense that has gone into the complex

is somewhat of a gamble but are confi dent the money will ultimately be well spent, representing a long-term commitment to improve standards – not necessarily in Hodgson’s era but certainly down the road.

“People talk about team effort in sport, well this was certainly one of them,” says Sheepshanks. “At one point, about 3,800 people were working on the project. It was a bold decision when money was tight but I think it will pay off handsomely.”

Indeed, Sheepshanks is already planning a more festive use for the new facilities in the not-too-distant future.

“We shouldn’t be under any illusions, this is a long-term plan. We are looking at the 2020s and anything that happens sooner is a bonus. But when, and not if, we win the next big championship – be it the Euro or the World Cup – we can put a marquee up inside and have a big bash!”

As well as constructing the National Football Centre at St. George’s Park to produce better coaches to drive the game forward, equally important parallel initiatives are taking place to improve the quality of grassroots football throughout England.

Six months after the England senior team’s round-of-16 exit at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, The Football Association decided to produce a long-term plan to ensure that future generations of players are more comfortable in possession across the pitch. It carried out a youth development review which led to 25 recommendations calling, among other things, for young players to receive more touches on the ball and better proportioned pitches.

The recommendations, made after two and a half years of research, were voted in by an 87 per cent majority and will be phased in from the 2013-2014 season. They focus on a modern approach to youth football, challenging the win-at-all-costs mentality that is now thought to stifl e development. It is hoped that the new programme will transform the landscape of English football in a similar way to the overhaul which the German Football Association made to its own youth development system following Germany’s group-stage exit from UEFA EURO 2000.

“The research that we did showed that that we had been putting children on pitches that were too big for them too early,” Nick Levett, The FA’s national development manager and the man driving the new directive, explained. “We were imposing an adult format of football on young people. What they wanted from the game was different to what we had been giving them.”

From 2013-14, under-7 and under-8 kids will play fi ve versus fi ve, under-9s and under-10s seven versus seven and under-11s and under-12s nine against nine, all on mini-pitches.

“We know this will increase participation,” said Levett. “Among the feedback we have been getting, one kid said to me, ‘why have I got to defend a goal so big that adults must use a stepladder to get the nets down.’ We are putting kids on the same size pitches as adults and they are saying it’s not about skill and technique any more, it’s about who can kick it the furthest.

“Small formats of the game clearly support more touches, more dribbles, more shots and more one-to-ones,” he said. “Seeing a little kid on an adult-sized pitch just looks stupid. It’s no coincidence that the Dutch have played four-versus-four for a long time. The Spanish have just increased the age at which they start eleven versus eleven.”

With parents sometimes losing sight of the fact that football is meant to be fun, as well as competitive, The FA has also launched a free guide to encourage parents to provide appropriate support, highlighting examples of poor behaviour, such as criticism of referees or aggression towards other players, and how it can be improved. Another part of the process is a new competitions strategy, taking away league tables at primary school level in order to reduce the win-at-all-costs mentality.

Levett and his team recognise that a vast majority of kids who play the game for fun are never going to get near a professional team. In fact, the research shows there is a 0.0017 per cent chance of securing a professional contract at the age of 21. Nevertheless, The FA is confi dent that the new approach can benefi t the senior team as well as the masses, for whom the sport will remain simply a hobby.

“The point is that making these changes makes the game better for a vast majority of young people that come into football. If we know it starts to create better players at grassroots level, by association it creates better players who also move through the professional game.”


SUMMARY

www.the-afc.com www.cafonline.com www.concacaf.com

Asia Africa North & Central America and Caribbean

Member associations

Member associations wishing to submit news items to FIFA World can send e-mails to feedback-fi faworld@fi fa.org. Please bear in mind that items should be submitted more than a month in advance of the issue in question.

Asian football was mourning one of its former leaders in September following the death at the age of 88 of long-time Asian Football Confederation President Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah. A Malaysian national, Hamzah headed the confederation from 1978 until 1983 and was a FIFA Vice-President from 1982 until 1990. He also served as a member of the International Olympic Committee for more than a quarter of a century, while holding several other key posts in his home country – including the presidency of the Football Association of Malaysia and of the country’s National Olympic Committee. “It’s a very sad day for Asian football as we have lost one of our biggest heroes,” said AFC Acting President Zhang Jilong. “Tan Sri Hamzah was a visionary football leader who played a major role in shaping the confederation’s future, and it was during his presidency that this confederation learnt to embrace ambitious plans to define the future of the game in the continent.“

The AFC’s mission to develop and enhance football education took another step forward in September following the launch of “AFC On the Field” – an interactive online platform which will host learning tools for coaches, referees and other sports officials. The platform also features a “webinar” function which enables live forums and scheduled learning sessions to be held over the internet. The platform’s first phase will involve the uploading of educational and support material for Asia’s potential 2014 FIFA World Cup™ referees.

Defending CAF Champions League holders Ésperance of Tunisia eased into the semi-finals of this year’s competition with a 1-0 home win over Nigeria’s Sunshine Stars in September. The victory extended the Tunis-based side’s undefeated run in the competition to 19 games, a sequence dating back to the first round of last year’s edition. Ésperance will be joined in the semi-finals by Sunshine Stars – who finished second in their group behind the Tunisians – along with record six-time Champions League winners Al Ahly of Egypt and four-time continental champions TP Mazembe of DR Congo. The eventual winners of the competition will go on to represent Africa at this year’s FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

Côte d’Ivoire’s Séwé Sport have booked a place in next year’s CAF Champions League after winning their first domestic league title and ending decades of dominance by clubs from the country’s capital. The San Pedro-based side won the league with a round to spare in September to snap an extraordinary run of 35 years in which the title has been shared among just three Abidjan clubs: ASEC, Africa Sports and Stella Club d’Adjamé.

The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has given external auditors additional time to complete the extensive audit of the confederation’s finances under its previous leadership. New CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb had planned to hold an extraordinary congress in October to update the region’s member associations on the auditors’ findings, but said in September that the Congress would now take place in the first quarter of 2013. “This audit is a massive undertaking that will set our financial house straight, inspired by the new CONCACAF’s commitment to full accountability and transparency, and it is essential that we get this right,” said Webb.

Former England star David Beckham grabbed another slice of history in August, when he scored the CONCACAF Champions League’s 1,000th goal. Beckham, who holds the all-time record for England appearances (115) by an outfield player and was the first British player to play 100 European Champions League matches, put himself in the CONCACAF record books when he scored directly from a corner during LA Galaxy’s 5-2 group stage win over El Salvador’s Isidro Metapán.

59

South America

www.oceaniafootball.com

Oceania

www.conmebol.com www.uefa.com

Europe

FIFA WORLD I SUMMARY

Bolivia have put former coach Xabier Azkargorta back in charge of their national team nearly two decades after he successfully led them to the 1994 FIFA World Cup™. The 58-year-old Spaniard, known affectionately as “The Moustache”, was the last man to steer Bolivia to a World Cup finals, and will now be charged with reviving the country’s 2014 FIFA World Cup hopes after a disappointing start under previous coach Gustavo Quinteros, in which La Verde took just four points from their opening six qualifying matches. Bolivia are the third South American side to have changed coaches since the qualifiers began, with Colombia and Paraguay having also made early switches.

Boca Juniors have completed one of the most protracted title defences in footballing history by winning the relaunched Copa Argentina competition 43 years after their triumph in the maiden edition. Boca beat Atlanta 2-0 when the nationwide knockout tournament was first staged in 1969, only for the competition to be abandoned before the completion of the 1970 edition. In August of this year, the Buenos Aires side were able to pick up where they left off, however, after beating local rivals Racing Club 2-1 in the final of the revamped tournament. The Copa Argentina is modelled on European domestic knock-out cup competitions such as Spain’s Copa del Rey and England’s FA Cup, with the 2012 edition featuring 186 teams from the top seven tiers of Argentinian football.

New Caledonia striker Bertrand Kaï was named 2011 OFC Men’s Player of the Year in July, becoming the first Pacific Islander to earn the male award since Tahiti’s Marama Vahirua in 2005. Kaï, 29, broke New Zealand’s recent stranglehold on the trophy after an impressive season in which he also struck gold with his team-mates at the 2011 Pacific Games and picked up the same tournament’s Golden Boot award. New Zealand took the honours once more in the female category, with Football Ferns captain Rebecca Smith being named OFC Women’s Player of the Year. Smith, 31, was honoured largely in recognition of her impressive showing at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011™ where she was picked out by the FIFA Technical Study Group as one of the tournament’s outstanding players.

Oceania’s growing reputation as a source of international footballing talent was further underlined in August when New Zealand pair James Musa and Ian Hogg both completed major overseas moves. Musa, a 20-year-old defender who featured in New Zealand’s London 2012 Olympic campaign, has signed a trial deal with English Premier League side Fulham. Fellow Olympian Hogg, 22, who has already played for the All Whites’ senior team, was meanwhile heading to the United States after joining MLS club Portland Timbers. In domestic action, Solomon Warriors completed a league and championship series double in the Solomon Islands, while Ba won Fiji’s Battle of the Giants tournament. Central United and Three Kings United were meanwhile crowned as the respective champions of New Zealand’s national men’s and women’s knockout cups.

Atlético Madrid were surprisingly comfortable winners of the 2012 UEFA Super Cup at the end of August, beating European champions Chelsea 4-1 in UEFA’s traditional season-opener, which pits the winners of the previous season’s UEFA Champions League against the winners of UEFA’s second-tier Europa League competition. Atlético’s latest triumph, secured with the help of a first-half hat-trick by former Chelsea target Radamel Falcao, restored the overall lead in the competition to the Europa League representatives, who have now won seven of the 13 meetings held under the current format. The 2012 edition also marked the last time that the event will be held at Monaco’s Stade Louis II stadium, with future editions set to be held in different locations across Europe, starting with Prague (2013), Cardiff (2014) and Tbilisi (2015). Barcelona midfielder Andrés Iniesta also had something to celebrate in Monaco after being named UEFA Best Player in Europe at an awards ceremony held on the eve of the Super Cup match. The Spanish star, who was also selected as player of the tournament following his country’s successful UEFA EURO 2012 campaign, finished ahead of club-mate Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo in the poll carried out by sports journalists from each of UEFA’s member associations.


Rank Team +/- RanksAug.-

Sept. 12

PointsSept.

12

+/- PointsAug.-

Sept. 12

1 Spain 0 1617 122 Germany 0 1437 -373 England 0 1274 -204 Portugal 1 1232 195 Uruguay -1 1217 -196 Italy 0 1174 -187 Argentina 0 1121 238 Netherlands 0 1044 -99 Croatia 0 1020 -30

10 Denmark 0 1006 -1111 Greece 1 1001 -212 Brazil 1 996 513 Russia -2 990 -2614 Chile 1 984 3115 France -1 965 -1516 Côte d‘Ivoire 0 912 -2717 Ecuador 3 890 5418 Sweden -1 875 -3419 Czech Republic 0 869 1520 Switzerland 3 847 1921 Mexico -3 845 -1722 Colombia -1 843 823 Japan -1 793 -3624 Slovenia 9 784 78


Sept. 12

PointsSept.

12

+/- PointsAug.-

Sept. 12

25 Australia -1 778 -2926 Republic of Ireland 0 768 -1127 Korea Republic 2 763 2328 Algeria 6 734 4129 Paraguay -2 728 -1930 Bosnia-Herzegovina 1 717 -1231 Ghana 1 714 732 Mali 7 710 6033 USA 3 697 2534 Norway -9 682 -9835 Turkey -5 678 -5736 Libya 2 666 1137 Hungary -9 663 -8338 Egypt 2 634 -339 Ukraine 6 628 740 Belgium 13 626 6241 Tunisia 0 625 -242 Serbia -7 624 -51

Zambia 2 624 144 Gabon -1 617 -745 Slovakia -3 616 -10

Wales -8 616 -4247 Scotland -1 610 -148 Montenegro 2 606 25


Sept. 12

PointsSept.

12

+/- PointsAug.-

Sept. 12

49 Austria 11 598 8150 Panama 4 591 3151 Peru -4 587 -2052 Venezuela 0 584 1453 Armenia 3 575 1654 Iran -6 573 -1755 Estonia -6 572 -1556 Poland -2 547 -1357 Romania -6 542 -3858 Nigeria 0 523 -259 Sierra Leone -2 518 -1160 Jamaica 6 515 3661 Cameroon -2 510 -1062 Senegal -1 508 263 Bolivia 10 501 5264 Central African Republic 7 492 3065 Cape Verde Islands 13 490 4966 Costa Rica -4 487 -1467 El Salvador -3 481 -968 Morocco 0 478 569 Guinea 5 472 2470 Uzbekistan -7 470 -2371 Benin 6 468 2272 Honduras -7 460 -26

FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking

Spain still top heading into 2014 campaign

night, have meanwhile narrowed the gap slightly on the Germans, who were beaten 3-1 at home by Argentina.

The only change among the top ten teams involved Portugal (4th, up 1) swapping places with South American champions Uruguay (5th, down 1) to ensure a European stranglehold on the top four positions for the fi rst time since August of last year. Portugal benefi ted from a 2-0 friendly home win over Panama on the same day that Uruguay were held to a goalless draw against France in Le Havre.

There was more movement further down the ranking, as Switzerland (20th, up 3) extended Europe’s ranking predominance – with no less than 14 teams from the continent now represented in the world’s top 20. Mexico (21st, down 3), whose gold medal victory at the London 2012 Men’s Olympic Football Tournament is not included in the ranking, were meanwhile heading the other way, falling out of the top 20 for the fi rst time since March.

Jesús Navas congratulates Cesc Fàbregas following his winning strike in August’s friendly win against Puerto Rico

The October edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking is due out on 3 October and can be accessed from that date via the links section of the FIFA World web page www.fi fa.com/fi faworld

World champions Spain head up an almost unchanged top ten in the latest edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, with the September standings representing something of a calm before the storm of Europe’s fi rst qualifying matches on the road to the 2014 FIFA World Cup™.

With September’s World Cup qualifi ers only due to be taken into account in the October ranking, the reigning world and European champions remain comfortably clear of second-placed Germany and an England side who have maintained their best-ever placing of third from the previous month’s ranking.

Spain, who will be bidding for a fourth consecutive major title in 2014, warmed up for their latest qualifying campaign with a 2-1 friendly win in Puerto Rico on 15 August to further extend their points lead over the chasing pack. England, who came from behind to beat UEFA EURO 2012 runners-up Italy in the Swiss capital Berne on the same

61 FIFA WORLD I SUMMARY FIFA WORLD I SUMMARY


Sept. 12

PointsSept.

12

+/- PointsAug.-

Sept. 12

73 Canada 6 454 1574 South Africa -7 448 -2675 Israel 7 446 1976 Belarus 0 443 -477 Haiti 3 439 478 China PR -9 437 -33

Iraq 6 437 1780 Angola 5 433 2681 Korea DPR 10 429 3782 Trinidad and Tobago -2 420 -1583 Congo 9 413 3884 Albania -10 410 -3885 Burkina Faso 2 406 186 Georgia 11 405 4887 Jordan -4 402 -2388 Uganda 0 401 289 Bulgaria 5 388 1590 Malawi 0 385 -1291 Guatemala -3 384 -1592 Qatar 6 380 2693 Oman -1 376 194 Latvia -24 375 -8895 New Zealand 0 366 096 Finland -24 365 -8697 FYR Macedonia 5 364 3398 Zimbabwe 8 358 3099 Togo 0 356 14

100 Kuwait -4 348 -11101 Antigua and Barbuda -1 340 3102 Bermuda 18 333 52103 Dominican Republic 15 332 48

Sudan 1 332 3105 Saudi Arabia -1 328 -1106 Luxembourg 4 326 23107 Azerbaijan 1 324 16

Equatorial Guinea 4 324 22109 Mozambique -2 312 -4110 Congo DR 5 311 20111 Liberia 6 310 23112 Bahrain -10 308 -23113 St Kitts and Nevis 0 306 8114 Ethiopia 8 303 30115 Namibia -2 299 1116 Chad 2 290 6

Lithuania -31 290 -117118 Iceland 12 283 33119 Tahiti 17 282 68120 Rwanda 5 278 14


Sept. 12

PointsSept.

12

+/- PointsAug.-

Sept. 12

120 United Arab Emirates 1 278 -1122 Guyana -13 276 -31123 Botswana -11 275 -26124 Lebanon 3 271 17125 Kenya 1 268 9126 Niger -11 267 -24127 Turkmenistan -4 266 0128 New Caledonia 13 261 61129 Gambia 0 257 6

Northern Ireland -28 257 -79131 Thailand 2 244 10132 Tanzania -4 243 -10133 São Tomé e Príncipe -2 240 0134 Burundi -1 238 4135 Cyprus -12 232 -34136 St Vincent and the Grenadines 7 225 29137 Puerto Rico 1 210 0138 Suriname -3 207 -22139 Grenada 3 206 8

Malta 4 206 10141 Moldova -4 204 -9142 Kazakhstan 3 196 1

Tajikistan -2 196 -6144 Nicaragua -5 195 -8145 Belize -13 188 -48146 Vietnam 0 183 0147 Cuba 2 175 4148 Syria -1 170 -10149 Liechtenstein -1 168 -9150 Philippines 0 167 0151 Palestine 1 161 8152 Yemen -1 154 0153 Solomon Islands 6 150 22154 Faroe Islands -1 147 -2155 Fiji 0 146 0156 Malaysia 1 136 2157 Lesotho 10 135 26158 Aruba -1 134 0159 Hong Kong -5 133 -14

Maldives 2 133 7161 Curaçao 4 129 15

Singapore 1 129 4163 Madagascar 2 127 13164 Samoa 9 124 31165 Afghanistan -1 122 0166 Nepal -4 121 -4167 Vanuatu -11 113 -29168 Indonesia -9 111 -17


Sept. 12

PointsSept.

12

+/- PointsAug.-

Sept. 12

169 India -1 105 -1170 Bangladesh -1 103 0171 Guinea-Bissau -2 98 -5172 Tonga 2 87 0173 American Samoa 9 85 24174 Dominica -2 84 -11175 Barbados -4 81 -19176 Chinese Taipei -1 79 -4177 Pakistan -1 72 0178 US Virgin Islands 0 70 0179 Sri Lanka 0 68 0180 Bahamas 0 66 0181 Cayman Islands -5 65 -7182 Mongolia 1 55 0183 Myanmar 1 52 2184 St Lucia 3 50 5185 Eritrea 2 45 0

Guam -1 45 -5187 Somalia 3 43 0188 Cambodia 3 42 2189 British Virgin Islands 2 40 0190 Comoros 3 39 0

Seychelles -1 39 -5Swaziland -9 39 -25

193 Laos 1 38 0Papua New Guinea -7 38 -8

195 Cook Islands 1 28 3196 Djibouti 2 24 0197 Kyrgyzstan -1 20 -5

South Sudan 2 20 0199 Andorra 1 15 0200 Macau 1 13 0

Mauritius -6 13 -25202 Brunei Darussalam 0 5 0203 Anguilla 0 4 0204 Mauritania -1 3 -1205 Timor-Leste 0 2 0206 Bhutan 0 0 0

Montserrat 0 0 0San Marino 0 0 0Turks and Caicos Islands 0 0 0

Note: Teams inactive for more than four years do not appear in the table.

The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking has always been a conversation-starter among football fans, and England’s rise to third in August’s edition of the standings proved no exception with many supporters bombarding the web to ask how a team could achieve such a lofty position after failing to progress beyond the last 16 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and the quarter-fi nals of UEFA EURO 2012.The short and simple answer is that England have been a model of consisency during the rolling four-year period on which the ranking is based. During that time, England have played 45 matches, won 29 and lost just six. Indeed, during their qualifying campaigns for the past FIFA World Cup and the EUROs, they have been beaten just once, on 10 October 2009 in Ukraine. Over the past two years, England have also emerged victorious against high-ranked nations such as Spain, Denmark, Sweden and Norway

(with recent wins over higher-ranked teams counting considerably more than older wins over lower-ranked sides) and only suffered one defeat, in a friendly against France at Wembley. While their recent quarter-fi nal defeat to Italy in Poland/Ukraine may have been symptomatic of the team’s fortunes at major tournaments, it came as a result of a penalty shoot-out, which the Ranking counts as a draw.

It is worth bearing in mind that all rankings are relative to the performances of other national teams, and England’s rise was also attributable in part to Uruguay having lost points due to the devaluation of matches in last year’s Copa América.

More detailed information on how the world ranking is calculated can be found at www.fi fa.com/worldranking

Consistency lifts England’s Lions


FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking

Olympic win keeps USA on top

The US women’s football team have strengthened their grip on the number one spot in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking following their latest gold medal triumph at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The USA’s third consecutive gold medal win in the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament formed part of an impressive 11-match winning streak, the last nine games of which counted towards the latest ranking. As a result, Pia Sundhage’s side are now on 2,221 points – just 12 points short of their all-time high of 2,233 points set in May 2010 and 13 shy of the overall record of 2,234 points registered by Germany in 2005.

The Americans head an unchanged top three, with Germany still in second place ahead of Olympic silver medallists Japan. Although the Germans failed to qualify for London 2012, Japan’s mixed results en route to the Wembley fi nal (including unexpected group-stage draws with Sweden and Olympic debutants South Africa) meant that the Nadeshiko were unable to take full advantage of their rivals’ absence.

Brazil (4th, up 1) and France (5th, up 1) were among the climbers with both teams benefiting from Les Bleues’ defeat of

Sweden (6th, down 2) during the Olympic quarter-fi nals. France’s return to the top fi ve matches their highest-ever placing in the ranking, fi rst achieved in 2006. Italy, meanwhile, re-entered the top ten at the expense of Korea DPR (11th, down 3) who dropped points as a result of their Olympic group-stage exit.

Further down the ranking, South Africa were rewarded for that goalless draw with Japan, climbing fi ve places to 56th. Wales (37th, up 6) were also among the big climbers, entering the top 40 for the fi rst time thanks

to recent EURO 2013 qualifying wins over Israel and the Republic of Ireland.

The latest edition of the ranking took 98 international matches into account, the majority of them European qualifi ers or London 2012 matches. The total number of teams in the ranking now stands at 127 with three teams (Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan) having dropped out after being inactive for over 18 months, while Antigua and Barbuda have re-entered in 126th position.

The ranking’s next edition will be published on 7 December.

Rank Team+/-

Ranks Points+/-

Rating

1 USA 0 2221 432 Germany 0 2168 03 Japan 0 2110 -104 Brazil 1 2044 -165 France 1 2021 06 Sweden -2 2019 -477 Canada 0 2006 258 England 1 1970 49 Australia 1 1948 -8

10 Italy 1 1947 011 Korea DPR -3 1943 -2712 Denmark 0 1923 013 Norway 0 1907 -114 Netherlands 0 1895 815 Korea Republic 0 1843 016 Iceland 1 1842 7

Rank Team+/-

Ranks Points+/-

Rating

17 Spain -1 1831 -1018 Finland 1 1819 1619 China PR -1 1818 -1020 Russia -1 1801 -221 New Zealand 2 1787 1522 Scotland -1 1785 823 Ukraine -1 1769 -424 Mexico 0 1768 025 Switzerland 1 1722 -426 Czech Republic -1 1712 -1927 Nigeria 0 1675 -1128 Belgium 2 1650 6

Colombia 0 1650 -130 Thailand -1 1645 031 Vietn am 0 1641 032 Poland 1 1626 3

Rank Team+/-

Ranks Points+/-

Rating

33 Argentina 1 1609 034 Republic of Ireland -2 1608 -2635 Austria 2 1605 1936 Romania 0 1598 1137 Belarus 1 1581 2

Wales 6 1581 3539 Hungary -4 1578 -1740 Costa Rica 0 1568 041 Uzbekistan 0 1565 042 Slovakia -3 1564 -1043 Chinese Taipei -1 1556 044 Serbia 1 1548 545 Chile -1 1544 046 Portugal 0 1542 047 Myanmar 0 1523 048 Trinidad and Tobago 0 1500 0

Golden girls: The USA celebrate

the fi rst of Carli Lloyd’s two goals

in the Olympic fi nal.


* team provisionally listed in ranking** team inactive for more than 18 months and therefore not ranked

Rank Team+/-

Ranks Points+/-

Rating

49 Papua New Guinea 0 1476 050 Cameroon 0 1470 051 Ghana 0 1459 -352 India 0 1438 053 Northern Ireland 0 1433 -454 Iran 0 1431 055 Bulgaria 0 1417 -556 South Africa 5 1412 3557 Jordan -1 1404 058 Haiti -1 1397 059 Slovenia -1 1387 -160 Greece -1 1385 -161 Israel -1 1374 -662 Equatorial Guinea 1 1371 063 Croatia -1 1364 -1164 Turkey 0 1355 065 Hong Kong 2 1348 666 Indonesia -1 1346 067 Uruguay -1 1344 068 Côte d‘Ivoire -1 1343 169 Bahrain 0 1340 070 Morocco 0 1330 -171 Kazakhstan 0 1329 072 Estonia 0 1328 173 Tunisia 0 1325 074 Algeria 0 1320 075 Faroe Islands 0 1318 076 Tonga 0 1316 077 Guatemala 0 1310 078 Fiji 0 1306 079 Senegal 2 1295 080 Guam -1 1294 -6

Lithuania -1 1294 -682 Laos 0 1292 083 Egypt 0 1289 084 Bosnia-Herzegovina 0 1267 -185 Philippines 0 1264 086 Malaysia 0 1256 087 Tahiti 0 1238 088 Dominican Republic 0 1226 089 Latvia 0 1218 -290 Mali 0 1204 091 Cuba 0 1201 092 Singapore 0 1195 0

Rank Team+/-

Ranks Points+/-

Rating

Solomon Islands 0 1195 094 Zimbabwe 2 1191 495 Palestine -1 1189 096 New Caledonia -1 1188 097 El Salvador 0 1181 098 Luxembourg 0 1179 099 Cook Islands 0 1170 0

100 Suriname 0 1159 0101 Ethiopia 1 1158 7102 Honduras -1 1157 0103 Vanuatu 0 1139 0104 Angola 0 1134 0105 Malta 0 1120 0106 Congo DR 0 1113 0107 Samoa 0 1110 0108 Armenia 0 1103 0109 Nicaragua 0 1094 0110 FYR Macedonia 1 1079 0111 American Samoa 1 1075 0112 Georgia 1 1071 0113 Guinea 1 1063 0114 Namibia 1 1017 0115 Bangladesh 1 992 0116 Maldives 2 954 0117 Bermuda 2 950 0118 Lebanon 2 944 0119 Zambia 3 941 -1

Tanzania 1 941 -3121 Syria 3 927 0122 Dominica 3 906 -2123 Iraq 3 882 0124 Mozambique 3 873 -1125 Malawi 3 840 0126 Antigua and Barbuda 757 1127 Botswana 2 708 0

United Arab Emirates ** 1729 0Ecuador ** 1484 0Peru ** 1450 0Paraguay ** 1430 0Panama ** 1379 0Azerbaijan ** 1341 0Jamaica ** 1339 0Venezuela ** 1338 0Guyana ** 1256 0

Rank Team+/-

Ranks Points+/-

Rating

Congo ** 1238 0Bolivia ** 1236 0Benin ** 1187 0Moldova ** 1177 0Barbados ** 1173 0Kyrgyzstan ** 1143 0Sierra Leone ** 1132 0Bahamas ** 1111 0Puerto Rico ** 1108 0Nepal ** 1080 0St. Lucia ** 1061 0Eritrea ** 1060 0Gabon ** 1031 0Grenada ** 1029 0Cyprus ** 1023 0St. Vincent and the Grenadines ** 0Burkina Faso ** 1003 0St. Kitts and Nevis ** 974 0Sri Lanka ** 965 0Turks and Caicos Islands ** 963 0Pakistan ** 934 0Guinea-Bissau ** 927 0Bhutan ** 889 0Kenya ** 879 0Swaziland ** 863 0Cayman Islands ** 847 0Curaçao ** 831 0Belize ** 814 0Comoros ** 534 0Albania * 1424 0Montenegro * 1154 0Qatar * 1046 0Uganda * 965 0US Virgin Islands * 885 0Liberia * 877 0British Virgin Islands * 867 0Lesotho * 858 0Aruba * 803 0Afghanistan * 750 0

FIFA Calendar October-November 201212-16 October International matchdays13 October FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup fi nal, Baku1-18 November FIFA Futsal World Cup, Thailand 2-4 November CAF Champions League fi nal, fi rst leg

9-11 November CAF Champions League fi nal, second leg9/10 November AFC Champions League fi nal14 November International friendly matchday

Elections The following member associations have elected presidents since the last issue of FIFA World:

Serbia: Tomislav KARADZIC (re-elected)Botswana: Tebogo SEBEGOFYR Macedonia: Ilcho GJORGJIOSKIWales: Trefor LLOYD-HUGHESUkraine: Anatoliy KONKOVRussia: Nikolai TOLSTYKH


FIFA Archive Wembley Stadium, London, England23 July 1966

The German Football Association mourned the passing of one of its greatest referees at the end of July, following the death at the age of 92 of internationally renowned match offi cial Rudolf Kreitlein. Born in the Bavarian town of Fürth in 1919, Kreitlein was a tailor by profession but an accomplished referee in his spare time, whose hobby was to take him to the very pinnacle of world football.

Offi ciating matches at the national level by 1954, Kreitlein fi rst came to international attention in 1963 when he took part in that year’s UEFA Youth Championship in England. The German’s strong performance during the fi nal between the English hosts and Northern Ireland stood him in good stead when it came to the selection of offi cials for the 1966 FIFA World Cup™, also held in England.

It was at the 1966 tournament that Kreitlein was to referee arguably his most famous match, the dramatic quarter-fi nal game between England and Argentina. There was an aggressive tinge to the match right from the kick-off, and Kreitlein had already cautioned three Argentinians as well as England brothers Bobby and Jack Charlton (both of whom only learned of their cautions from reading the following day’s newspapers) when what later became known as “the Kreitlein-Rattín incident” fl ared up in the 35th minute.

The affair revolved around Kreitlein’s decision to send off Argentina captain Antonio Rattín after the player had run up behind the referee and shouted at him. Speaking after the match (won 1-0 by England), Kreitlein said he had interpreted this as abusive language although he also admitted that he did not understand a word of Spanish. Rattín, who insisted he had only been trying to speak to Kreitlein, refused to leave the pitch. The photo depicts the bewilderment of the giant Argentinian (left) and the storm that was brewing. The game

was stopped for nearly ten minutes before Rattín fi nally allowed himself to be escorted off the pitch by police offi cers to the dressing room. Kreitlein himself also needed police protection when he left the fi eld at full-time.

As well as causing outrage at the time, these unsavoury scenes were to have a profound infl uence on the future of the game thanks to Kreitlein and his supervisor that day, Englishman Ken Aston.

Watching from the sidelines in his capacity as FIFA’s chief referee instructor, Aston was himself a former referee and had overseen the infamous “Battle of Santiago” between Chile and Italy at the 1962 FIFA World Cup™, where police had also been required to escort players from the pitch. Following the events at Wembley four years later, Aston became convinced that verbal cautions were proving ineffective and began to think that some form of visual warning was required.

Speaking to Kreitlein the next day, Aston told him how he had been held up by a series of traffi c lights while driving home from the match, and the two men then hit upon the idea of adapting the colour sequence of traffi c lights for use in football. “Yellow, take it easy; red, stop, you’re off,” was how Aston described the principle which he then presented to FIFA’s supportive Executive Committee.

Helping to minimise the uncertainties that can arise when players and referees speak different languages, red and yellow cards soon became part and parcel of the game. They were introduced at the 1970 FIFA World Cup™, although the fi rst red card was not shown until the 1974 edition in West Germany, when the Chilean Carlos Caszely was sent off in a match against the hosts.

By then, Kreitlein had retired from international football, overseeing his last game in December 1967 – at Wembley, appropriately enough, as England played

out a 2-2 draw against the Soviet Union. Because of his profession and his courageous Wembley performance in 1966, he had become known as the “Valiant Little Tailor” (after the Grimms’ fairy tale of the same name), with his other high-profi le matches including the 1963 German Cup Final between Borussia Dortmund and Hamburg and the 1966 European Cup fi nal between Real Madrid and Partizan Belgrade.

July also saw the passing of another history-making referee, with England’s Jack Taylor OBE dying at his home in Shropshire at the age of 82. Widely regarded as one of the best referees of all time, Taylor took charge of more than 100 international matches in a career spanning over 30 years. His highest-profi le match was the fi nal of the 1974 FIFA World Cup™ between the West German hosts and the Netherlands, a game in which Taylor also awarded the fi rst-ever penalty in a World Cup fi nal. The decision came only a minute into the match, with Taylor pointing to the spot after a foul by Uli Hoeness on Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens stepping up to fi re the Dutch in front. Taylor then awarded a second penalty, this time allowing West Germany to equalise, before Gerd Müller scored a second German goal to turn the match around. “Jack Taylor was one of the great fi gures of refereeing of his time thanks to his authority and the bravery of his decision-making, and was also an important role model for top offi cials in today’s football,” FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter wrote in a letter of condolence sent to The Football Association following the news of Taylor’s passing.

Card or no card: Rudolf Kreitlein gives Argentina captain Antonio Rattín (left) his

marching orders during the 1966 FIFA World Cup quarter-fi nal match which inspired the later introduction of red and yellow cards.


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