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WorldSoccer
Global football intelligence since 1960
Contents
THE WORLD THIS MONTH
People In the news on and off the pitch
•••
In pictures
4
8
From the editor
10
Luis Suarez elQl1t-game ban for UrugJayan
12
(arlo Ancelotti new coach of PSG
13
Jim Holden It's time football tlld the trum
14
Jack Warner WOOd Cup TV rights for il dollill"
15
Paul Gardner the myth about corners
16
Ins & OUts players ar.d coaches on the ITICM"
18
Brian Glanville tlypocrisy and racism
AFRICAN NATIONS CUP 2012
All 16 teams previewed
44
PLAYER BIOGRAPHY
64
22
Didier Orogba
Profile of the Chelsea and I'-«Y Coast Striker,
Playing the field
featuring a unIQue IJltde to hIS playmg career
Separating fact from fictiOn 00 whether sex
affects a player's performance Of) the pitch
FACE TO FACE
74
Die go
76
Gianluca Zambrona
TACTICS
78
Universidad de Chile's fluid approach
SOCCER CITIES
80
South of France
EURO 2012, ONES TO WATCH
82
Central defenders
THE INSlDER
86
Platini biding his time
Ke.r Radnedge looks at how the UEFA presKlent IS
making all the nght noises about the top JOb at FIFA
THE GREAT TEAMS
114
���
UQ
Manchester United 1968
the goOO and the bad of llillian football
Bayern lead at the Winter break
'
AJax in turl'lOil overJoIlan CruytI
. the Premier Le� �ftS in two
35 .
H
JI :
111,
Ludogoret5 beat the big bay's
. NIColas AneI'\a follows the money
Santos are t.l\9l1 a lesson
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I'oORlO SOCCER 3
THE WORLD THIS MONTH
The global game caught on camera
toremags
4 I'<QRlO SOCCER
v
,.
•i:If,fl·];l!-,THIS MONTH
-
\
'.i
-
JIdIA'LIIaYId Vila feels the
pam as hi breab " Ie<g doHIg
the (WI World Cup vrni-r.naI
� Barulona and AI SacId
6 I'<QRlO SOCCER
•
IN PICTURES
•
IZAfIWIY_�n ....h
.
-.- IIIar!.I ...... _ fIIarID
Gomtz (�) defmd .-;nrt
StuttsIort .. till! IkIndtiIiga
PICTURES OF THE MONTH QR (OOE
To r;ee more of the best photos from the month, §(an the QR code using 3IlY free QR
reitder that can be downloaded to your smartphone. YOIl tiln also §H the images by
fogIJing on to biUy/s80GWr
WOlIlO SOCCE R 1
FROM
THE
EDITOR
The African Nations Cup finals never cease to generate
excitement and interest in the international game. Any
tournament that incurs the wrath of the Premier League
has to be in the wider interests of footbalL This time
around, the failure of Nigeria, Cameroon and Egypt in
qualifying means that there's a greater chance of lesser
names making their mark on the tournament.
We have tried to provide as detailed a guide as possible
to the teams (page 44), but we
have not been helped by a late
legal challenge to Burkina
The irony of Sepp
Fasa's participatio:J. by their
Blatter's recent
qualifying group rivals
re-invention
as a
Namibia. Meanwhile, co-hosts
crusader against
Equatorial Guinea have been
allowed to bend the rules on
corruption has not
international eligibility, fielding
been lost on many
mercenaries from South
in Africa
America and else...
,here in
Africa (see page 5:).
The irony of Sepp Blatter's
recent re-invention as a
crusader against c::>rruption has not
been lost on many in Africa. For years,
the FIFA president has turned a blind eye
to corruption among his closest supporters
at FIFA, while many African federations
have been allowed to bend rules and
regulations, without fear of sanction.
Gavin Hamilton, Editor
.. Barcelona sweep past Santos to win
Club World Cup..................................................._..._. .._... Pages 28 and 94
go,. African Nations Cup kicks off ....._....._....._....._..._.....__..._....._..._. Page 44
.. UniYersidad de Chile win the Sudameritana Cup..__...__...__...Page103
� Carlo AnceIotti appointed as new PSG coach............_..._....._ . Page 12
.. Boca Juniors wi1 Argentina's apertura title _.....__..._....._..._. Page 9 6
� Jac:k Warn« alleges he bought World Cup rights
. ....
......
.
.
. _.....__...__...__...__._.._._.._.__...__..._ Page14
.._ ....... ...... ...... .
.. Bayern Mlric:h lead the Bundesliga atthe halfway
stage of the seasoo .........................................__..._....._....._....._...__Page 31
.
.. Ajax split by row over Van GaaI appointrnenL_..._....._....._...... Page 32
� Anelka transfer highlights Chinese football's
new �nancial power
_....._....._....._...__..._ ..._....._....._...... Page 36
19> liverpool and Suarez embroiled in racism row_ .... Pages to, 13 and 18
...............
B IYDIIlO SO(CER
McClaren back at Twente
Former England manager Steve McC aren has returned for a
S&ond spell as coach of Twente, follOWing the sack.ing of Co
Adnaanse
McClaren led Twente to the Dutch title in 2010 before less
successful spells at Wollsburg and Not tingham Fo rest
"I know the club very well: sar.; WcClaren. "I know the
peop le, I k.now the fans, I know the team and it's c om i ng back
into an environment which t know. 1 came back because of the
ambition of the people, the ambition ·)f the club.
"I was just waiting for an opporturlty with am biti ous people.
I know the pe ople I'm going to work with and I see a team that
I can develop:
.
• GERMANY
10 SIGNIFICANT EVENTS TlflS MONTH
for one doIlar
• HOLLAND
Reus chooses Dortmund
over Bayern
Germany internatiOnal Marco
Reus has opted to join Borussia
Dortmund instead of Bayern
Munich this summer after
Dortmund agreed to pay
his current club Borussl(l
��adbach the
£14.4miliiOn needed to tri gger
the release clause in his contract
The highly-rated 22-yearold said that he feared that his
opportunities in MunICh would
be limited, explaining:'1 decided
this way because I feel there IS
more potentJal [in Dortmund[ for
plaYing in Europe and measuring
myself against the best
"'n my eyes, Dortmund are the
better club.'
GLOBA1 FOOTBALL INTELLIGENCE
"Football is cash and corruption. It's
capitalism. And capitalism is death"
Twenty-four-year-old ex-Sporting Gijon central
defender Javi Poves stands by the dedslon he made
last summer to quit the game and go to university
HEROES
VILLAINS
RONNIE MCFALL
VLADIMIR ROMANOV
The se<:ond-Iongest serving manager in
Europe - behind Manchester United's Alex
Ferguson - celebrated 2S years In charge
of Portildown in N orthe rn Ireland.
The controversial Lithuaman owner of Hearts
said the ScottISh Premfer" League club would
no longer receive hiS � nancial backing,
prompting further concerns over the
BAS DOST
payment of players' wages.
The stnker scored ��e times for
Heerenveen In their $-0 pre-Christmas
win against Excelsior, and In so dOing
leapfrogged five players to the top of
the Eredivisle scoring charts.
• FIFA
Reporters refuse
FIFA invite to
join Blatter
FOlH InvestigatIVe jOlHnalists have turned
down ilJl/ltations to assi. st
Sepp BlaUer's reform prOject- f ollOWi ng
the earlier withdrawal from the process
of Transparency InternatIOnal and Football
Supporters Europe.
Transparency InternatioMI worked
With FIFA last summer on proposals for
s.ignlficant changes In admiJlistratrve
operation. It then stepped back after
clashll"19 over the terms of �pointment
of SWISS governance expert Mark Pieth
to lead a so-called 'solution committee',
The four journalists - Ergllshman
Andrew Jenmngs, Swiss Jeon-FrancOis
Tanda and Germans Thomas Kistner and
Jens WeinreiCh - said they believed the
reforms process to be flawed and had
been credted to protect Blatter rather
than to lay bare all the fault lines Within
the wor ld f ederation.
The four also questiOned the
Independence of the 'soluti:>ns committee'
and its memberYup. One particular target
was FrancoIS Monmere, direc tor gerlE'ral of
the French Amaury group. I! ol'ms L'Equipe
and France Football, whose long-running
Bailon d' O r award was swal'owed up by
FIFA in 2010.
NEUCHATEL XAMAX
JUPP HEYNCKES
Bayern MuniCh's 3-0 win over Cologne
kept them top of the table going in to
the winter recess and gave their boss a
record -b reaking 455th Bundesliga VICtory
as either player or CDa(h
ROBIN VAN PERSIE
The Outchman scored 35 league goals for
Arsenal In 2011.
The Chechen-owned Swiss club were
deducted four points for violating their
license and failing to pay players.
E�PT,
�
__
__
�
____
__
_
The nat ional side must play the ir first two
home 2014 World Cup qualifiers a t le a$t
100 kilometres from Cairo as punishment
for violence ahead of the World Cup play­
off against Algena in November 2009.
MOUCHARAFOU ANJORIN
The Benin FA chef was named on FIFA's
Under-20 World Cup committee, three
weeks alter his release from five m onths
on remand on embezzlement charges.
WORlD SOC(EII 9
in F
•i:It,tI'];J!.1
THIS MONTH
"The way Leonardo treated this guy makes my blood boil.
For a good six months he put him in an impossible
situation so he could eventually employ his friend"
Ex-Paris Saint-Germain coach Vahid Halilhodzic takes aim at tIM! PSG director
of sport for not keeping faith with Antoine Kombouare
• ENGLAND
Suarez and Liverpoo l
misjud ge the mood
over eight-mat ch ban
An FA inqUiry led to an independent
commission and the ban and a �ne. The
care With whiCh the panel had taken was
lal(l D are tly tne liS-page report. In tne
meantime, heat over the issue of raCIsm
in football had been exacerbated by the
Anton Ferdinand/John Terry incident
and by FIFA president Sepp Blatter's
crassly naive comments.
While all those involved in the Terry
incident clammed up after the iOitial
statements, lil'E'rpoollook a dltferent
approach. The team's T-shirt support of
Suarez before a Premier League game
The response Of Luis Suarez and
Liverpool to the eight-game ban
deal less is demanded in lifestyle and
lall9uage adjustment. But coming to
against Wigan appeared, Wi th the benefit
of hlndSlQht, signi�cantfy misjudged.
imposed for a racist comment to
northern Europe is very ditferent and
In the middle of it all Suarez revealed
Patrice E�ra raised a stong of questions.
agents and clubs do not always make
a little more of his character by incurnng
including the Uruguayan's expectation of
that clear either in advance of the deal
a one-game b.Jn lor a gesture to Fulham
the length of hiS stay al Anfl!ld.
or after its completion .
fans who had jeered him lor, in their
Down the years clubs, mcnagers
and agents have all acknowledged the
importance of a p layer dem)nstrating
View, going to ground too easily.
Suarez arrived on Merseyside
with "form" in terms of ungentl emanly
conduct over his match-turning handball
Then came the inQuiry, the
punishment and the report followed
by liverpool's grudging acceptance of
his commitment to his new ile, to hiS
against Ghana in the 2010 World Cup
new club and to hiS new team-mates
and then a shoulder-biting incident while
the ban. Liverpool responded that the
by learning about life and language in
playing for Ajax in Holland.
club had "supported Luis Suarez
a different country.
The success with which a succession
Alter the 1-1 Anfleld draw between
because we furldamentally do oot
believe that LUIS on that day - or frankly
any other - did or would engage in a
liverpool and Manchester United in
of foreign players have committed
themselves to liverpool is demonstrated
October, Evra complamed to re feree
Andre Marnner and then in an Interview
racist acLin its determination to prove
by the number who, having ong left
with a French TV channel that Suarez
its conclusions to the public through a
An�eld, still speak Ell9l1sh With a
had abused him. Evra said:"There are
clearly subjectr.e liS-page document.
proflOunced Scouse twang,
cameras. You can see him s.aying a
the FA panel has damaged the
foolballers Irom latin Amenca go to
certain word at least 10 times. There's
no place for that m 2011. The releree
Spain, Portugal or Ualy where a great
knows very well what he was saYing."
The vast majOnty of emigrant
111-;.tgod_.Uwrpaol
�(""")Ihow
....... ... .....
� ...It, with llml)
reputation of one of the Premier
league's best players, deciding he
should be punished and banned for
perhaps a quarter of a season"
Suarez Issued a statement in which
he protested: "Never, I repeat, never.
have I had any racial problem with a
team-mate or indiVidual who was of a
different race or colour to mine. Never.
'I'm very upset at feeling so polverless
whilst being accused of something which
I did fIOt, nor would fIOt, ever do. In my
country "negro" is a word we use
commonly, a w;)rd whiCh doesn't show
any lad of respect and is even less so
a form of raciSl abuse. Based on thiS,
everything which has been said so far is
totally false."
While the mDdern-day superstar may
be cocooned from daily interaction with
fans and the stresses and strains of their
dally lives, this does not mean players
10 WORLO SOCCER
GLOBAL FOOTBALL INTELLIGENCE
"Kroos already has done more than
Netzer and Overath when they were 21"
WINNERS
Not normally a fan of hyperbole, Bayem Munkh
ooachJupp HeylKkes favourably oompares two
of Germany's all-time midfield greats to his
side's young TonI Kroos (right)
EDUARDO
VARGAS
Set a canpetltion
record of 11 goals
as UnivHStdad
de Chlie won the
Sudamencana
Cup for the
first time
TIGRES UANL
1
Ended a 29-year
walt as they won
the Mexican title,
defeating Santos
laguna i1 the
Apertur� Fi nal.
GUAL8ERTO MOJICA
Oriente Petrolero
v Guabira
OliMPIA
The club from
Asuncion won
their first
Paraguavan
league !fie for
11 years when
they beat Rubio
Nu in the clausura
Final.
Plays a one-two and cushions the
ball on hiS cI1est before volleyu'l9
2
on the tum .
DIEGO MORALES
Tigre v Velez Sarsfield
Cuts in from the left fiank,
beats three defenders and curls
the ball into the far top comer.
3
NEYMAA
Santos v Kashiwa Aeysol
Checks back to beat
his marker, before curling a
left-footed shot into the top
4
5
DAVID DIMICHELE
le<ce v Parma
A stunning overhead
kick from 17 ya rds that leaves
the goalkeeper stranded,
6
T1MHOWARO
Everton v Bolton
W....�
A punt upfleld catches the wind
and beats the opposing keeper
.
BAYERN
MUNlat
Lost to BorusSia
Dortmund In the
race to SIgIl
Germal¥ starlet
Marco Ileus from
Mon che l"l9ladbach. L.!'_,",
corner of the net.
LIONEL MESSI
Barcelona v Santos
Neat passing as Barcelona
thread the ball to the Argentinian,
DAVIO VilLA
who calmly lifts it fJVer the
The Bar{elona
and Span forward
broke h� left leg
In the Club World
Cup, wh.:h may
put him out of
the Eurq>ean
Championship
this summer.
goalkeeper from close range,
OMAR
GONZALEZ
LA Galaxy
defender
damaged knee
li9amenlS shortty
after arrvlng in
Germall'l 'or a
sh ort-term loan
at Nuremberg.
GOALS WE'D LIKE TO SEE AGAIN
To see video footage of these goals and many more
we'�-Selected, S(an the QA CCMre using any free QA
reader that can be downloaded to your smilrtphone.
You tan also see the videos by togging on to:
biUy/vErfRA
LOSERS
\\QRlD SOCCER 11
•i:It,tI'];J!.1
THIS MONTH
''Was it a red card?
Not while I've got
a hole in my bum"
Wolverhampton Wanderers' manager lIIick McCarthy
disagrees with Nenad Milijas' sending off against Arsenal
• FRANCE
PSG look to
Ancelotti to turn
onthe charm
interestingly, speci�c targets include
French football's worst-kept seuet
was Mally made ol�ci<ll at the end
of Oe<ember when mega-rch Paris
next season, With 201 S fixed as the
SainI-Germain moved to boost their
year when the club must be 'playlng
worldwide reputation by bringing I n
a major role' in the competillon.
the highly respected Italian coach
Carlo Ancelotti.
The 52-year-old - who made hiS
managerial reputation with Parma,
Juventus and Milan - was sacked as
Champions League Qualihcation for
At least that sounds realistIC.
Because even with Ancelotti at the helm
and an open cheQ uebook to play with,
irs gOing to be hard to att ract world­
class players to the club immediately.
Chelsea boss last year. He arrived in
And even if the rumours are true that
the French capital to replace Antoine
the club·s failure to bring In David
Kombouare, a dignified mar who knew
B eckh am as a marQuee signing in
January had as much to do with
Ancelotti's lack of enth uSiasm for the
Englishman on a sporting level as with
the Beckham family's reluctance to
leave Callfornid, the truly big names
won't be swayed by money alone.
hiS job was on the line from the minute
the Oatar Sports Investmenl Group
bought a controlling stake in the club
last June.
Despite a respectable domesuc
season. which �w PSG on top of the
Ugu e 1 table going into the wimer
break, there was always the feeling that
Money will talk
Kombouare was Simply keeping the seat
It took time for Manchester City to bring
warm for someone deemed to ha�e
in the big stars. despite the advantage
more clout on the internatiooal stage.
of performing in one of the world's real
The club's limp exit from the Europa
glamour leagues. Ligue 1 sull has a way
League in D ec ember was the final nail
to go befor e it"s seen as a fitting stage
conditiOning guru, Giovanni Mauri, who
in his cofhn.
for the world's greatest players to display
he worked with at Milan and Chelsea.
PSG have paid a hefty price to hook
their man. Ancelot\l's two-Mld-a-halt
their talents, so talk of Thiago Silva and
The Italian·s reign as PSG coach
Marek Hamsik arrIVIng In Paris right now
began With an �arly January 1-0 defeat
year contract is worth a whopping
SA13,000 a month, which puts him
seems ridiculously lanclful. While there
appears to be more substance in the
in a mid-season fnendly In Dubai
against...Mllan. Somewhat ironkally, the
at number seven in the chart of the
rumours surrounding both Kaka and
Alexandre Pato, it would still be a majOr
shock were either player to sign for PSG.
winning goal W3S scored by Pato. The
Top 10 best-paid managers in football.
a month, so what does the extra cash
Sooner or later, though, money will talk.
buy? Doubtless the kind of international
Ancelotu's right-hand man in the
Kombouare was 'only' on 5. 115,000
result, of course, doesn't matter. But
the match doe, prove that Paris Salnt­
Germain are a�eady rubbing shoulders
With the clubs at football's top table.
pro�le and bulging contacts book that
new-look coaching team at PSG is the
It Will, of course. take time for PSG
Kombouare Simply couldn·t offer. Plus
a certain urbane charm thaI will appeal
to match them on the field, but as their
to traditionally conservative Middle
club·s former player Claude Makelele,
who only hung up his boots at the end
of the last campaign. It s eems a sensible
Eastern owners
move. despite the 3B-year-old's lack of
limitless resources will eventually bring
management experience, because of his
its rewards.
Sat alongside PSG sportng director
English bluepnnt M anchest er City have
proved, a good dollop of patience and
Leonardo after his appointment was
understanding of French culture, the
It will be interesting to see whether
announced, Ancelotti trotted out the
peculiarities of PSG as a club and the
Ancelotti will sull be at the helm when
usual platitudes about making PSG a
real force on th e European scene. More
demands of the Frenc h champion!;hip.
the trophy cuptlo."lrd starts to �II up.
12 WORlD SOCCER
AnceloUi is also bringing in his preferred
Howard JOhflSOI!
GLOBAL FOOTBALL INTELLIGENCE
"China, Dubai or pension"
Former Real Madrid and Spain midfielder
Guti succinctly sums up his options after
being released by Besiktas
"
Jim
HOLDEN
• OBITUARIES
Gary ABLETT
(1965-2012)
The former liverpool and Everton
oeleoc1er IS me only player 10 rlave won
the FA Cup WIth both Merseyside clubs.
AT THE HEART OF THE GAME
•
Image matters in football
- but so does the truth
It is a rare event when the vibrant and
decisions about the vital matter of its good
diverse British sporting media sings
name and its gl�bal image to non-experts.
unIVersally from the same hymn sheet.
It happe ned, though, in the case of the
But that's how � is so otten in football,
where the tradition IS for the manager
eight-match ban Imposed on luis 5uarez
to have vast authority and control.
after a thorough FA investigation into
One of the most highly respected
allegations of racial abuse against Patrice
Evra in a Premier league match versus
had recently been approached by a
Manchester United,
Pre mier league club to hea d their
There was complete agreement both
he thought he could do a valuable job, but
matter Wlm commendable moroughness,
he declined because he would not be
and that Suarez's club, Liverpool. had
guaranteed sc�e to make crucial
(1950-2011 )
awkward and outraged
response at every stage
A goalkeeper with Bologna, he was Italy's
of the process: the
aSSistant coach to Roberto Oonadoni
allegation, the charge, the
between 2006 and 2008,
hearing, the punishment,
and the fallout. There
CATE
was much talk, and well
(1973-2011)
justified, of the potential
damage to the repu tion
The former Sao Paulo and Sampdoria
stnker was killed when his car was
involved In a collision WIth a truck
in his native Brazil.
commUnications team. He loves the game,
that the FA had investigated a senSitIVe
blundered badly in its
Sergio BUSO
British �m PR experts told me that he
ta
The old way of
being economical
with the truth
looks increasingly
more absurd
decisions on crisis issues
such a s the Suarez aflair.
The problems manifest
themselW's on a smaller
scale too, In the modern
age of social media,
instant news and increased
media literacy, the old
lootball wi1'j of being
economical with the
of the g lobal brand of liverpool Fe
truth looks inc.reaslngly more absurd,
of the club through many weeks of the
cases involving Manchester United, but rt
case was led by men of football rather than
could be many (Iubs. They gave the false
Did this happen because the reaction
There have been a coupfe of recent
Hector NUNEZ
PR specialists? It is a valid Question to ask
reason of "a virus" lor the absence from the
(1936-2011 )
when by far the most vocal vOice from
team of midfielder Darren Fle her, which
One-time striker with Nacional and
Anfield was that of manager Kenny
led to unfounde::f speculation. Eventually,
Valenc.ia who coached Uru;jU3y to
Dalglish, who spoke with an indignant tone
the club revealed the pfayer was suffering
victory at the 1995 Copa America.
and fierce loyalty to the player.
from a debilltatng and potentially
Evgeni RUDAKOV
pattern in football 01 defending your own
career-threateong bowel condition.
Sympathy abounded for the pfayer,
(1942-2011 )
come what may and trying to fight a way
as it always wotid have. But there was
The former Dynamo Kiev goalkeeper,
out of a possible stern punishment to a
bewilderment am dismay that the club
who reached the 1972 European
Championship Final WIth the 50Yiet Union
star member 01 the squad. With an issue
as significant as racial abuse, when the
had !tIen out misleading information. Was
this a truth that needed suppressing?
and won the Cup-winners Cup in 1975.
matter in hand goes well beyond a mere
Dalglish was following the traditional
tc
On New Yecr's Eve the supporters of
were amazed to diSCover mat Wayne
game to a crUCial aspect of behaviour In
United
society, that is not necessarily a Wise policy.
Rooney was absent from the team to play
We can never knowwhether an Ins
tant
expression of regret and apology on the
day of the match, a SWift explanation by
Suarez that he genuinely believed that he
wasn't Delng offensive, could have avoided
all the subsequent pain of negative
headlines and an eight-match ban.
It is certainly
Blackburn RQ.oers, not least when there
were already 13 players injured. Alex
Ferguson said that the player hadn't trained
well that week �nd had a few "strains". In
lact, Rooney had been dropped and fined
a weeks' wages after a night out.
United lost 3-2 to Blackburn. and
I
considered i
of
There isn't
I
I
world apart from sport that would leave
WORlO SOCCER 13
•i:It,tI'];J!.1
THIS MONTH
"Mansour just wanted a toy. I think if he
doesn't win a big prize immediately, he'll
go out and buy another plaything"
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentis (right) pours KOfn
on Manchester City's mega-rkh (julf owners
• TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
VVarnerre-ennerges
to c lainn VVorld CUp
rights so ld for a do l lar
personally, was also wid the rights for
the 2002 and 2006 World Cups after
SlJpporting Blatter in an even more
DIIter re-etectlOll camp aig n III 2002,
and that he also bought rights for the
2010 and 2014 tournaments.
'You won't have Ni�on to kick around
anymore because, gentlemen, this IS my
last press conference' - famous words
intended opening up the case file in
the long- running ISLsaga, he knew
that FIFA was, Simultaneously, party to
He said thai he and Bin Hammam
had played "extremely critical roles In
IBlatter's 2002J re-election as well as in
preventing several members of the then
exe(lJtlv e committee from instituting
criminal charges against him",
The "criminal charges" note referred
to a complaint about Blatter's running of
FIFA which was submitted to the SWISS
authontles by the European m embers
of t he FIFA ExCo. They had acted on a
which come to mmd whene'ler Jack
a court action seeking to keep it closed.
dOSSier provided by the organisation's
Warner puts his head back above the
Warner - now Minister of Works in
then general secretary, Michel
football parapet
Tr inidad & Tobilgo - then claimed that,
Zen-Rufnnen. After Blatter's re-election
Richard Nixon's bnter sign-off was
delivered after hiS defeat by incumbent
Pat Brown in the (ali/ornla g ove rn o rship
through a Mexican company called
OTI, he h ad been awarded World Cup
televiSion rights in the territory for as
httle as S 1 i n return for helping Blatter
become FIFA pr eside nt in 1998.
Furthermore, Warner Silid he,
the complaint was withdrawn and
Zen-Ruffinen \lias saCked.
poll of 1962. one year afler his US
presidential election 105s to John F
Kenn ed y. Of course, NIXon did defy
his own prediction by achie'llf1g his
presidential ambitions Six years later.
He could not keep iNlay - and
Warner appears much the same
He qUit as president of CONCACAF,
as president 01 "his' C ar ib be an Football
��k...
W","" bas INIde
--..­
flfA ptWdent .Iolner
Gifts and contradktions
Warner's statement alw asserted that
the 2010 and 2014 World Cup TV
rights had been 'wld to me personally...
uSing the CFU as the vehiCle". He said
that the profits from t he various TV
deals had been used to fund grass-roots
football development in the Caribbean.
Further "deals' had been set up linking
Union, as consultant to the Trimdad &
Tobago Football Federation and as a
F IFA vICe-president last summer rather
than face a FIFA ethics hearing into
the 2011 FIFA presidential election with
World Cup rig�ts .
Warner sa id: "In 2011, in exchange
allegations 01 bribery at Mohamed Bin
the SlJpport of the CFU and the
Hammam's infamous CFU conferenc e
the previous May.
He threatened a ",ootba I tsunami",
Out his first attacks were little more than
damp SQu ib s. He then Insisted he would
CONCACAFJ in the FIFA pres ident ial
election, FIFA again offered me the Sille
of the World Cup rights for 2018 and
2022 as a 'gift' at a nominal fee:
FIFA had also agreed to give
CONCACAF a total of S l mi llion for
two Goal development project s.
Warner added: " N otWithst anding
the inducemerts offered, I...refused to
endorse Sepp Blatter for the 2011 FIFA
pre si dential election:
Back on May 30, Warner wrote to
all Caribbean delegates, telling them:
'At our last meeti ng we agreed as a
union 10 suppat the incumbent Joseph
Sepp Blatter ir hiS Quest to regalilthe
pre si dency. I Wish to assure you nothing
has changed - our mandate was set
then and despite it all w e must fulfil it:
Stili. that was last May. And if a week
is a long lime in footbilll and politics,
how does one categorise eight months?
hold fire until after Bin Hanmam, the
former AFC pre side nt and me-time
Sepp Blatter rival, had challenged his
FIFA life ban at the Court of Arbitration
for Sport.
But, of course, Warner could not
resist letting rip again after a conference
in Zurich just before Christmas in which
FIFA took over reorgani sing the CFU III
i t s own preferred image. Werner's timlllg
was perfect. He chose what had already
been a bad week fo r Blatter a nd FIFA to
open fire himself.
Blatter and FIFA were shown
up bildly by a statem ent from the
Supreme Cantonal Court In Zug. This
demonstrated that, while Blatter was
telling the world in October that he
14 WORlD SOCCER
for my support land by extenSion
Keir Rodnedge
GLOBAL FOOTBALL INTELLIGENCE
"I'm not one for pie in the sky
promises. We'll have trouble
winning anything this season"
Roma's Spanish coach Luis Enrique
makes a rod for his own back
"
Paul
GARDNER
• AWARDS
THE WORLDWIDE VIEW
Neymar takes
South America's
player prize
• With little chance of scoring,
why the fuss about corners?
Corner kiCks generate eX(ltement. No
needs 5B corn�s before a goal arrives,
doubt about that. The tension grows with
the imminent possibility of a goal. There
this means that the average scoring rate
Irom corne r kicks is one goal every si�
IS alway5 a roar from the fans when their
games A team playlflg in a 20-team
learn gets a corner, there is the mounting
league (such as in England or Spain) can
tension as the "big guys" go forward and,
therefore expect to take 380 corners
as the taker carefully positKms the ball in
during a season, with a slender yield of
the are, there is frantic pushing and
Six or seven goals.
So how come all thiS excitement for a
shoving in the penalty area - something
the referee may feel obliged to calm down
before the kick is taken. And then what?
Well. not much. That possibllity of a
I suspect things were different !>.:!ck then,
a pro!>.:!bility, IS a he. Of all the various
that the scoring rate was higher, that there
attacking plays in foot!>.:!lI, a corner kICk
was a real reason to get eXCited. That has
may be the least likely to result in a goal.
disappeared, bjt the reaction is stili in
Can I prove that:> I think so. T here are
last two World Cups that don't leave much
that they can delay the game by belting
the !>.:!11 deep into the crowd,
As to why corner kiCks are so
Dunng Germany 2006, FIFA recorded
Santos forward Neymar may have been a
kiCk" is the official term,
marginal �gure in the Club World Cup Final
Only 12, out of a total of
against Barcelona, but there was some
147 goals scored in the
consolation when he was \'Oted South Amencan
tournament"s 64 games,
While thiS is already not
conducted by the Urugua\a n daily EJ PaiS.
Chilean stnker Eduardo Vargas was second,
gets a Iot, lot worse.
while Neymar's Santos team-mate Paulo
Because dUring those
Henrique Ganso hnished third. Uruguay's
64 games, there was a
Oscar Ta!>.:!rez was voted (O<lch of the Year.
Yaya Toure, scorer of Manchester City's go<!l
grand total of 672
in the FA Cup Final viCtory over Stoke (ity, was
voted AfriCan Footballer of the Year by the
place, a soccer tnbal atavism similar to the
idea rugged defenders still seem to have
room for doubt.
that 12 goals were scored from corner
kICks - "after a corner
'
stats on corner kicks from the 1930s, but
goal, whICh the tenSion seems to turn Into
some pretty withering statistics from the
Footballer of the Year in the annual poll
set play that h�s a less than two per cent
chance of paying off? I don't have any
wildly encouraging, It
corner kiCks awarded.
Meaning that a "goal
ineffective, I C(f'l come up with three
reasons. First, Without
Combining
the past two
World Cups,
it has taken
58 comers
before one
goal is scored
any proof at all. I suspect
that teams nowadar.;
indulge in mass
defending to a much
greater extent than they
used to. it is not
uncommon. at corner
kicks, to see all 1 1
defending players In
their own penalty area.
Second, biased
referee calls. We know,
after a corner kick" happened only once
from masses of TV replay5, that defenders
Confederation of African Football. Seydou Keita,
the Mali and Barcelona mi:lhelder. was second,
every S6 corner kicks.
Maybe 2006 was a bad year for
and attackers blatantly foul and hold each
other all the tine on corner kicks.
ahead of Marseille and Ghana's Andre Ayew,
corner kicks? Seems not. The stats for
Sometimes, bLt not nearly often enough,
In other awardS, Guangzhou Evergrande's
Braz ilian forward Muriqui was named Chlna's
the 2010 World Cup were marginally
referees call a foul. LogiC says that 50 per
cent of those c�lIs should be penalty kiCks,
Player of the Year, while QPR striker Heidar
worse. The same number of games, 64,
produced 145 goals and 608 corner
Helguson was named IcelandiC Player of the
kicks; from those 608 corners. only
Year by the FA of Iceland. )uventus striker
1 0 goals were scored: one goal per
Can anyone, other than David Beckham,
Mirko VuciniC won Montenegro's Player of the
61 corner kicks.
take consistently accurate corners these
Year award and Borussia Dortmund's Robert
Combining the two World Cups, we get
12B games With 292 goals. From 1,280
days? I mean orner kICks that come down
near the penatty spot - not ones that go
Lewandowski won the eQlIvalent in Poland.
In RusSia , Seydou Doumbla of CSKA Moscow
was named Player of the Year. while Serbia's
Player of the Year was Aleksandar Kolarov of
Manchester City.
Serbian (oach of the Year was Ivan
JovanOVICh of APOEL NiCosia,
but most of them go the defenders' way.
Third. simply rank !>.:!d corner kicks,
corner kICks, 22 go<!ls were scored -
straight to the goalkeeper, or hit the �rst
whICh is one goat e�ery SB corners.
defender, or sail over everyone, or land on
There is another, equaHy giOOIT!Y,
top of the goal nel
way of looking a tthese stats Using bot�
Maybe I should be asking ttlis: does
tournaments, the average number of
corner kicks per game is 10. As a team
anyone bother to practise taking corner
kicks these daiS? WS
WORlO SOCCER 15
"Mourinho (far right) gave us the names of the guys
he wanted as his assistants. They included Pep
Guardiola (right) and Luis Enrique"
ld
Mart Ingla , formerly a Barcelona vke-pres ent puts the cat among the pigeons by
revealing details of Mourinho's candidacy for the Camp Mou hotseat In 2008
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
EUROPE
• THIERRY HENRY,
SOUTH AMERICA
• Former Argentina coach
wrKl reslgr.ea as manager
JIMENEZ replaced Javier
of Shamrock Rovers in the
returned to the Premier
RepubliC of Ireland at the
Zaragoza. who lost eight of
end of lilst season. succeeded
charge of Colombia after
League c,ub on a two-month
their last nine La lIga game5.
Nigel Worthington a� manager
Leonel Alvarez was sacked.
1000n from New York Red Bulls,
while 37-ye ar-old PAUL
• Caretaker coach HElkO
of Northern Ireland.
. Itillian coach GIOVANNI
• Former France and
deal with Basle after he
by Mancrester United.
gUided the Swiss club to the
contract to replace Josip Kuze
Plate, who are currently
IdSI 16 of the Champions
in charge of Albilma.
second In the Argentinian
and Lokornotiv Moscow coach
YURI KAASHOIHAN took
VOGEL signed a permanent
League With a 2-1 victory
over last season's beaten
DE BIASI signed a two-year
• Villarreal youth-team coach
finalists, Manchester United.
JOSE MOLINA was put in
Makhadi::ala.
• Palermo appointed
hrst learn until the end of the
• PASQUALE MARINO
BORTOLO MUTTI as ((}ach
season follOWing the dismissal
for the second time, replacing
of Juan Carlos Garrido.
Oevis Mal"lgia after a 2-0 loss
to Catania In Serle A.
• Forme r Nancy coach
charge of Russian side Anzhl
replaced Alberto Malesani
as coach of Sene A's Genoa
after they lost 6-1 to Napoli.
• Esklrsehirspor coach
• Former Hapoel Tel Aviv
coach Ell GUTMAN, who led
Juventus striker DAVID
TREIEGUfT joined River
second diviSion, from United
Arab Emirates Side Bani Vas.
charge of the Spanish club's
PABLO (ORREA replaced
Bernard Casonl in charge of
French club Evian.
MICHAEl SKIBBE left Turkey
the club into the group �tage
and returned to Germany to
replace Markus Babbel in
of the Champions League last
year. replaced Luis Fernandez
• Former Austria striker
charge of Hertha Berlin.
in charge of Israel.
Karl Daxbacher as the coach
of Austria Vienna, who had
• GERARDO MARTINO.
won only one of their last
2DlO Worid (up, turned down
IVI(A VASTlC, has replaced
nine matches. Vasllc had
(olo11bl.3 to take charge of
Argentina's Newell's Old Boys.
• lokomotlva Zagreb
coach ANTE CACIC replaced
goalKorer GABRiEl
BATISTUTA - who scored
56 gJals i n 7B matches for
Dinamo Zagreb.
hiS country, including
haHricks at two World (ups
- took up his first POSt since
succeeded Gilberta Madail as
retlrng as a player. in 2005,
president of the Portuguese
Footbilll Federation.
when h e joined Colon as
technical secretary.
• Former deputy chalrrnan
• Bolivia striker MARCElO
of Millwall, HEATHER
Former Argentina international DIEGO SIMEONE left Racing of Argentina
and replaced Gregorio Manzano as coach of Atletico Madrid after they
were knocked out of the Spanish Cup 3-1 on aggreg.ate by third-tier
Albacete.
Simeone had two spells as a player with Atletico in La Uga, from 1994
10 1997 and from 2003 10 200S.
Meanwhile, Racing replaced Simeone with former Argentina national
boss ALFIO BASILE.
• Argent ina's record
Krunoslav JurciC as boss of
• FERNANDO GOMES
Atletico turn to Simeone after sacking Manzano
who coached Paraguay at the
been working With the club's
amateur side.
16 WORlD SOCCER
NESTOR PfI(ERMAN took
SCHOLES. who retired last
summer, 'HaS re-registered
• Former Spartak Nalchik,
O'/lieill
• MICHAEL O'NEILL,
Atnens CO,ICr"i MANOlO
Agl.Jlrre I n charge of Real
Arsenal's record goalscorer,
ItrtioM bosso•.
• Former Sevilla and AEK
MARTINS joined Gremio of
RABBATTS became the first
Brazil from Ukrainian club
woman to serve on the FA
5hakhtar Donetsk.
board after being appointed
a non-executive director.
COHCACAF
• In Northern Ireland,
TED HOWARD was confirmed
DIXie Robinson ilS manager
as CONCACAF acllng general
secretary while the
of Dungannon Swifts, while
confederation seeks a
RODNEY MCAREf replaced
GARY HAMILTON took
permanent successor to
charge of Glenavon as
(huck Blazer, who stepped
player-manager.
down at Christmas.
GLOBAL FOOTBALL INTELLIGENCE
''Lots of players are calling me to ask
about playing in Russia You'd be surprised
by the big names who are interested"
Anzhi MakhiKhkala striker Samuel Eto'o claims
plenty of A·listers are ready to go to eastern Europe
Transfers, sackings and loans
• ANDREAS HERZOG,
wnose 103 caps IS a national
record for Austria, qUit as his
country's under-21 coach to
become assistant to USA boss
Jurgen Klimmann.
EUROPE
AFRICA
• Manchester United
• Tumsian club 5faXle"l sacked
Jose Earthquakes from
Anderle<ht 01 Belgium.
midflelder and Scotland
captain DARREN FLETCHER
will miss the rest 01 the season
and laces a battle to save his
career after the 27-year-old
was confir med to be suffenng
from ulcerative colitis. a
debilitating bowel condition
whICh can lead 10 severe
complications and potential
steroid treatment.
AFRICA
• NEIL WARNOCK was
• Honduras central defender
VICTOR BERMlADEZ, who
represented his country al the
2010 World Cup and has "Non
52 caps, joined MLS side San
• CAF ChamptOns league
sacked as manager of Premier
League side Queens Park
Rangers after leading the club
to promotion last summer.
holders bperance reappomted
MICHEl DECASTEl, nine
years after he first coocheo the
club, to replace Nabil Maaloul,
who qUit after leading the
Tunisian side to continental
glory and the domestic double.
• Danish champions
ASIA
the Swedish league title last
term - halfway through his first
season with the club.
• Former Japan coach
TAKESHI OKADA took
charge of Chinese Super
League side Hangzhou
G reentown.
Copenhagen paned
company with coach ROLAND
NILSSOH - who led Malmo to
• The Bundesliga's bonom
club Freiburg sacked coach
MARCUS SONG after the
team collected just 13 points
from 17 games this season.
• PSV Eindhoven coach FRED
RUTTEN will leave the Dutch
club at the end of the season,
explaining: 'In time PSV and I
let one another go.'
German coach REINHARD
STUMPf after just four
months In charge.
ASIA
• Vissel Kobe centre-back
and former Japan capcain
TSUNE'fASU MIYAMOTO
announced his retirerrent.
• Ge rman coach fAlKO
GOll was sacked by Vietnam
• Scodand striker KRIS
after the under-23 side failed
at the Southeast Asian Games.
BO,(D terminated his contract
WIth Turkish Side Eskisehirspor
after a row CM!r unpaid wages.
SOUTH AMERICA
• Palmeiras' former B razil
goalkeeper MARCOS, who
pla� in the 2002 World
Cup-WInni ng Side, has retired.
TRANSFER·WINDOW
ARRIVALS OR CODE
For alilhe latest signillgs,
scan the OR code using
any free OR readef IIlat
can be downloaded to your
smartphone. You can also
see ali lhe transfer-wildow
move$ by logging on to
biUy/Ah:wbk
Lazaroni sacked by Qatar
World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar
dismissed Brazilian coach
the group stage in December's Pan
SEBASTIAO LAZARONI after
lazaroni, who coached Brazil at
the 1990 World Cup, was Qatar's
third coach ()f 2011.
just four mooths in charge after the
team's failure to progress beyond
Arab Games.
• Georgia captain KAKHA
• Sanfre<ce Hiroshima coach
MIHAILO PETROVIC too�
charge of J.League rivals
Urawa Red Diamonds.
• Former Ipswich Town aro
QPR boss JIM MAGILTOM
was named as coach of
A-League Side Melbourne
VICtory until the end 01 the
current season.
KALADZE announced his
retirement from international
football. The 33-year-old
ex-Milan defender; who now
plays for Genoa in Sene A, won
84 caps for his country and
wore the skipper's armband
50 times.
• fRANCO fODA will leave
defending Austnan champions
Sturm Graz at the end of the
season. The German. who has
been coach at the club since
2006, also led the side to the
Austrian Cup in 2010.
WORlD SOCCER 11
"
Brian
GLANVILLE
THE VOICE OF FOOTBALL
•
1D111Y. SUARfZ
Americans at London airport at the time
of the 9/11 atrocity, urinating in a glass
in a London nightclub and demanding
large sums of Maney, hugely paid
though he be, lor showing fans round
the Cobham training ground. His bitter
relations with Wayne Bridge, with whose
former girlfriend he had an affair are,
perhaps, in a d,flerent category, given
that wQ(d 'former',
As fQ( Suarez, as an Ajax player
he once aClualy bit an opponent. He
punched the b.J1I off the Uruguay line in
the last WQ(ld Cup and then, duly sent
oft. exulted on the Sidelines when Ghana
missed the resulting penalty. He also
gave Fulham fans at Craven Cottage
a one-finger salute.
Yet over such cases, it seems to me,
hangs the noxious cloud of political
correctness, that essence of hypocriSy
and petty interference. M y long-time
friend Paul Davis, once SUCh a fine
playmaker With Arsenal, put things IIlto
perspective when, in print, he recalled
his experience as a young player there,
subject to constant racist jibes, even
from his own team-mates.
How well one remembers the
endemiC racism in English football
some years ago, when the bias against
black players ....as almost pathological.
Hypocrisy clouds Terry
and Suarez racism cases
him 'un negrito', meaning, alas, little
It's splendid that things ho3Ve greatly
negro. But does the consequent
changed, but could the pendulum have
pUn ishment M the crime) Rash and
irresponsible as it was for Kenny Oalghsh
conSider attitudes elsewhere, even
swung too far? Especially when you
to dress his players and himself in T-shirts
- or perhaps unsurpriSlngly - from the
Hard cases make bad law, it is said, and
the cases of lUIS Suarez and John Terry
supporting Suarez, there remains about
the sentence a whiff ol 'exemplary'
ineffable Sepp Blatter, who vacuously
declared that II'hen there was a racist
seem to fall into that category.
rather than measured justice. To their
confrontation between two players in a
game, they shculd simply shake hands
The Terry case drags on He has
been charged by the Metropohtan Police
rather than, in the instance 01 Suarez,
the FA. Whatever one may think of Terry,
credit, Chelsea refused to allow their
players to wear similar T-shirts in
support of Terry, though their impulSive
afterwards and forget about it.
All of a pie<:e, one supposes, with
and voluble young manager. Andre
FIFA's own negligent and duplicitous
with his chequered record as a person
Villas-Boas, hardly dislingUlshed himself
attitude to racism.
rather than a player, his ins�tence that
with hiS vehement defence 01 hiS player.
the torrent of racist abuse te confessed
Olf the field, Terry has ali too
abundant "form': mock.ing grievlI'lg
Emblematic for me, during the
2006 World CJp III Germany, was when
Uk raine and their opponents lined up
befQ(e a game to pledge their opposition
to racism. At the end of the Ukrainian
line, seemingly unembarrassed, stood
their manager and former star Oleg
Blokhin who, only some weeks earlier,
had emitted a torrent of bigotry against
18 WORlD SOCCER
black players hired by Ukrainian clubs.
And how to reconcile tne deeply
dubious award of the 2 0 1 8 World Cup
to Russia, whosefootball is permeated
With racism? Note the case of Nigerian
striker Peter Odemwingie, now shining
with West Bromwich AlbiOn after being
forced out of lokomotiv Moscow by
repellently bigoted lans who, when he
had gone, celebrated With a jeering
banner whICh Included the image of a
banana, with thanks expressed to Albion.
When Holland's Olck AdVlJCaa1 managed
Zemt SI Pelersourg, ne a(nuts ttlat ne
dared not sign a black pla\'er.
As I have mentioned in these pages
before. I was years ago the �rst lootbilll
correspondent to oppose racist
prejudice and had the great satisfaction
of seeing a short story I wrote, Blad:
MagK, sallrising such prejudICe, appear
not only In the old EVMingNews but in
the West Indian magazine The Voice. I
wouldn't have n. so he took the Gunners
was astonished to see an Aston Villa
even received a death threat from some
across the Thames from Plumstead to
Side, lying 12th in the table at the lime,
wretched little neo-fascistorganlsation.
Yet as again readers may recall,
Highbury. During the lean years of the
give away a first-half penalty goal then
proceed to take Chelsea apart.
when, in an interview with some tetchy
Great War, hiS money kept them aHoat.
When the war was over, in 1919,
old crustacean on Irish radio, I
Norris conhlved With 'Honest John"
Chelsea's defence was an utter
disaster, guiltf of errors which would
sympathised wnh those young black stars.
McKenna. Football league president
have shamed any schoolboy. Four times
sons of single-parent mothers, denied
and chairman of liverpool, to cheat
at least Villa had clear scoring chances
personal care as children, a torrent of
Tottenham Hotspur, who should have
presented to them by defenders
politiCal correctness rained on me. An
IriSh newspaper, which I described in
stayed in the enlarged First DiVision,
and have Arsenal promoted, though
conspiCUOUS by their absence. In the first
pnnt as a putrescent backwater, accused
they had finished only Mth In the last
gotlhem off the hook, bUl lhree laler
me of being in favour of corporal
pre-war Second DIVi!oion.
occasions they would be punished for
punishment and the death penalty ­
both of which I detest - and declared my
instance, onl\' a fine save by Petr Cech
Norris reduced his �rst Arsenal
their astoundngly slack marking.
manager leslie Knighton - a splendid
VOIce to be "both clipped cnd plummy".
Pretty nch for the son of a Dubliner
who never lost hiS strong brogue, and
Without Norris, the Arsenal as they
who, dUring The Troubles, hid people from
are today might never have existed,
the notorious Black and Tans. But so it
indeed might never have existed at all
g0e5 on and doubtless will In England.
Arsenal's debt to
Henry Norris
Blackburn Rovers, then bottom of the
table even though Rovers had just drawn
impressively at An�eld with liverpool.
Yes, United ....ere without several other
key players, t,ut Rovers, with nothing lif(e
Would that other countries took raCism
half as seriously, if not politically correctly.
More surpriSing still perhaps was
the surrender of Wayne Rooney-less
Manchester United al Old Trafford to
the same cornucopia of talent to draw
finder of talent - into glum silence
before sacking him and bringing in
on, were witl"out their £Smllhon-rated
the magistertal Herbert Chapman,
young Canad an attacf(er Junior Hoilett.
It ended in ignominy when, �ghting
Blackburn surpassed themselves
with a victory which seemed until so
an FA disqualihcation in court. it
emerged that Norris had sold the club's
near the end to have escaped them,
motor cooch for BOO (big money at the
It was pleasmg, watChing Af5enal's
time), signed Chaprnan's name on the
but what hap:>ened next? Defeat at
home by Stoke City, hardly the most
tastefully inventive celebfition of their
cheque and put il ln his Wife's accountl
potent of away teams, With Peter
12Sth anniversary before the recent
Everton game at The Emirates, to see
It would still be worth putung up at
least a bust of him at The Emirates, And
Crouch scoring twice, taking him to
a century of goals. W5
the name of Henry Norris circle the
also, surely, of Alex James, schemer
lower part of the stands, ....'ith that of
supreme, the most Significant player
other luminaries. Other than myself,
I wonder how many other� in the
in Arsenal's history and the fulcrum
of their pre-war success.
60,000 plus crowd had any idea of
who he was? Yet it is arguable that
Christmas produces
without Sir Henry Norris MP, as he
surprise gifts
became, Arsenal as they are today
might never have existed, Indeed
might never have existed at all.
�
In the �rst instance, Norris hlmse� ,
.
would have been to blame. The weamy
l
The charm of football or, il you prefer i ,
wanted to merge the old Woolwich
,,'"
Af5enal with Fulham, but the FA
examples. Thus, at Stamford Bridge, one
Fulham properly developer, actually
"
v.QRI.O SOCCER 19
'Y
..
�
'. . .
B
elare leaving for Germany
the crllies could really go to town on
case of "these are the opinions on which
to take part in '1e 1974
masturbation. and it was this matter
I base my facts'.
World (up. the Brazil squad
of the ·'oss of precious bodily fluids"
While mastlJ"batlon was being s o
spent nearly a nonth in
- the seed - that horrified them. The
frantkal'y condemned, coitus was being
the mountalfl5 outside RIO
onslaught on masturbation began
around 1780 and has endured to
de Janeiro, isolated from
some ever Since
their families and friends, and pretty
�II sealed off from the outSide world.
listen to these post-ejaculation
Occasional viSiting hours were
tidings. "In the morning you feel slack.
decked with im�glnary and fanciful
benefits. It was claimed to be much less
harmful than masturbation because the
loss of flUids was compensated by "the
absorption of an inviSible dew whkh
allowed to journalists, to whom
perhaps with a slight headache. That
escapes abundantly from the pores of
centre-bdck LUIS Perreira complained:
is because the seed comes from near
the beloved object". later, it was held
"ThiS IS supposed to make us world
the backbone" and the loss of this seed
leads to "finally paralYSIS and softening
that "during normal coition, a magnetic
champklns. Of what? Masturbation?"
WnlCn neatly sums up l0010all"5 "sex
problem", When teams are en the road,
or taking part in lengthy tournaments,
just what are these, super-hI active and
pretty randy young men supoosed to do
aoout sex?
Should the WAGS (wives and
girlfriends) travel WIth the teams? II not,
should players be allowed to bring 91rls
back to Ihe hotels or camps? If none
of that is permissible, will the team
authorrties be willing to turn a blind eye
to the ineliitable "escapes" from the
camp, and the curfew violations?
And if none of that is acceptable,
then is masturbation the answer for
�x-starved lootballers? (At least. as
the playwright said, you donl have to
look your best).
01 course, things have advanced
Since 1974. In that Silme World Cup.
Holland startled everyone by allowing
wives Imo their camp. A goo:l ldea?
Maybe not, they lost the Fin�1 to West
Germany, who were far more stiff­
necked about the Idea of conJug�1 Visits.
Behind �II this nervousness lies the
That old notion, that sex drains the
body of strength is still around and
retains a certain credibility in sports
compensation occurs between the man
and tne woman'.
One part of semen was alleged to
be worth 40 P<J"ts of blood - a piece
of hokum that prevailed for the best
part 01 two centuries.
Actually, the idea of semen as a
uniquely precioos liquid g:JeS back to
"It's not the sex the
night before, it's
the staying up all
night looking for it"
of the brain".
Those are not the words of a
suspiCion that sexual actiVity adversely
�ffects athletic performance. But it is
hre-and-brimstone preacher or a quack
nothing more than a suspkion because
trying to sell a cure. They come from
no convincing evidence has ever been
advanced to prove the pomt
a well-educated father writmg to his
Yet the suspkion lives Oil Even after
centuries of tangled discussions, the
Galen (129-200 AD), the Greek-born
Roman physiCIan whose theories
dominated the medical scene for an
incredible l,OOQ-year-plus period.
Galen has some claim to having been
young son in 1914: Arthur Waugh to
the first sports doctor - many 01 his
16-year-old Alec, the older brother of
patients were gladiators - but he was no
friend of athletes, wnting "their hie is thus
novelist Evelyn Waugh. There is more
arguments. purges, fears, Witch-hunts
of this medical p�udo-evidence m
like that of pigs- except that pigs do not
and, more lately, scientlhc research have
led us to believe - more or �s - that
the letter, all "absolutely true" says
over-exert or fcrce-feed themselves".
Waugh Senior, but all of it worthless
But the biggest problem with athletes,
sex IS good for you (and when I Sily 'us",
scaremongermg Without a shred of real
said Galen, was that they did the very
I mean so-called western society).
evidence to support it It really was a
oPPOSIte of what Hippocrates (the father
of modern mediCine) had advocated,
Don't be scared
At least we can now state that �x is
nothing to be afraid 01. Well, flOt quite.
That old notion, that having sex somehow
drains the body of strength, is still around
and retains a certain credibility in sports.
Perreira's quip about masturbation
lWeI tiaoItl.•.LI* I'IIr"reh
(IIIU hid .. ardour c,IIIIiId
t.,-� ....o. OR tile 11K
..wi WDrtd c.., �
,
•
••
-
back in 400BC for a healthy life:
"Moderation in all things - labour. food,
drink, sleep...and �x.'
It wasn't unUi the arrival of Freud
and the birth of the psych ological and
psychlatrk dlSClphnes in the late-19th
century that the widely held view of sex
is a good starling point becau�
as a harmful ac[ivity was first questioned
masturbation has born the D-unt of
on a large scale.
society'S assault on sexual activity.
Attacking the real sexu al act - I
shall call it "coitus', a
t
We now have scientists who
specifically study sexual activity, even
some who specalise in its relationship to
sports. A lot of tests have been done, on
all sorts of athletes. from footballers to
marathon runners. And most of the�
studieS - all of Ihe ones that I have read
- have failed to hnd an y evidence that
24 WORLD SOCCER
APPLIANCE OF S CIENCE:
EXPERTS FAIL TO AG REE
E
"Sexual activity does relax those who
mmanuele Jannini, professor of
negative effect on performance. Their
endocrillOlogy ilt the University
conclusion was that sex doesn't seem to
do it: he says. "But in sports which
of l'Aquila in Italy rejects the
exhaust physically, but then it doesn't
require particularly good concentration,
strengthen either.
a night of sex may not be advisable."
traditional idea that ejaculation dra�
testosterone out of the body. "This really
is the wrong idea," he �ys. Instead, sex
stimulates production of testosterone.
In 2006, New Sdffitlst magazine
psychological. Bruno Fabbri, head of the
Italian Olympic sports medicine centre
published an Italian survey which
counter-productive, claiming that it is
ill-advised to make sportsmen change
hormone, testosterone, rose markedly
their sexual habits.
form of natural doping.
But other scientists argue that sex
has no effect on performance.
Or Frank Sommer, a sports scientist
at Hamburg-Eppendorf University­
Clinic, says: "All the studies I've seen
show that even if a player has sex
Jean-Marcel Ferret, the former
doctor of France's national team,
believes it's all a matter of an individual
player's pre-match rituals. "If sex on the
eve of a game makes him feel better
about himself, let him go ahead,"
Dr Francesca Romana Tiberi, an
Italian expert on sexual practices, adds:
between four and six hours before
"Sex can work to reduce anxiety, both
kick-off, he should see no difference in
on a physical level and psychologically.
his performance on the field of play."
A team from the University of New
Sensible sexual activity helps the athlete
counter pre-competition stress and to
Orleans looked at the performance
approach his sporting commitments in
of marathon runners who had
a more lucld and functional w-ay."
been sexually active and found that
intercourse had neither a positive or
sex damages sporting performance. Ian
Shrier, sports medicine specialist at
McGill University in (anada, is adamant
on that point, stating: "The idea that sex
can make an athlete tired and weak the
be different, after aiL
in Padova, argues that sex bans are
concluded that levels of the male
after sex and that it was therefore a
Which suggests that goalkeepers may
The greater effect may be
Jannini believes that it all depends on
the sport played and the individual.
enhancing ef te<:1.
But if you think that all this S(ience
has ended the debate. think again.
For a start, most of the research has
inVOlved small groups 01 athletes, too
survJYes strongly. despite research that
claims to have shown that the average
sexual act belween husband and Wife
burns up only between 20 and 50
calories - the energy needed to climb
just two flights of stairs.
next day has been disproved."
small for any abiding conclusions to be
The chemi stI)' of coitus has been
analysed. It seems that, far from the act
drawn, or it has been performed on
animals, with results that may not apply
depriving the body of vital fluids. It
to humans. Furthermore. there are
BOXing, an activity in which strength,
actually increases the amount of
conflicllng results. For example, while
power and stamina are everything, has
testosterone in the blood. Testosterone
many studies claim to have shown a rise
a long history of anti-COital training
- the he-man anabolic sterOid that
in testosterone blood levels during sex,
methods. Both Rocky Graliano and
heightens aggressiveness. But as
testosterone is on the banned-drugs list.
Or (hris Goosens. doctor of the Belgian
that seems to make coitus a means of
auto-doping; an activity that enhances
performance. then, rather than
sabota� it.
Moments of euphoria
Box clever
Muhammad Ali abstained from sex
for up to two months before fights
A lot of tests have been done on
athletes and all have failed to fmd
any evidence that sex damages
sporting performance
In addition to testosterone, there are the
Manny Pacqliao, the current WBO
welterweight champion has stated
publicly that he separates himself from
his wife when he trains for a fight.
So although the scientific evidence
suggests that there really is no problem
to be laced up to, this still has not
endorphins. substances secreted into
club Beveren, gave treadmill tests to a
the brain during various twes of physical
dozen players, some who had just had
Anecdotal evidence is plentiful,
activity, including running and sex. They
se� and others who had abstained. He
most of it endorsing sewal activity as
produce euphoria, whiCh sounds right for
coitus, but are also believe:! to be a main
found no link between testosterone
levels and se�ual activity.
amplifies performance. But all of it is
Silenced the caubters.
harmless, some of it inSisting that it
contributor to an athletic phenomenon,
Above all, there does seem to be a
the state known as 'runner's high·. in
genuine fear among some athletes that
which a runner (or any attletel is able to
coitus is a peculiarly strength-sapping
"Sex was my pre-match training:
conllnue running beyond his normal
activity. (all it a superstition if you like,
said the former Scottish International
pain-threshold. Again, a performance-
but it IS a curiously persistent one. It
Frank McAvennie. His team-mate
suspe<:t. much of it Inevitably coming
over as the tall tales of sexual braggarts.
WOIIlD SOCCER 25
Graeme SOI.mess said: 'rve had
enjoyable nights and mornings before a
game and it never affected me:
Paolo Pulici who topped the Serie A
goals(oring (hart three limes while
playing for Torino In the 1970s, was
notorious lor bo<!sting to his team-mates
about his Sunday morning, pre-game
trysts, while Brazil striker Romarlo
seemed pretty sure 01 himself when he
CJ\ange of 1IeaI"t._
� tet.n:ed his
sex ban on thi!"1994
....... ....
"" ....
once proclaimed: "Good attackers score
more goals when they have made love
on the eve of a match:
Romano was a member or BraZIl'S
1994 World Cup-winning sde, but that
COACHES BEG
TO DIFFER
I
ncreasingly, coaches do not attempt to control their players' sex
lives. Republic of Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni remains of the
old school, though. "I've had my share of pre-match camps as both
a player and coach: he says. •, know how players think and in
delicate matters such as this, there has to be rules. •
In tontrnst, nt the 2010 World Cup in South AfriC;;!, Argentin;;!
coach Diego Maradona had no problem with his players having sex as
was a team that coach Carlos Alberto
long as they were in a ·stable relationship·. A s a player Maradona was
Parreira kept strictly confined to camp.
reported to need sex every day. Otherwise, he claimed, he would
ap.:lrt Irom organised excur5lons. Wives
suffer headaches.
were not allowed In, but players were
given time off to be with them outside
the camp: 'That was when I conceived
my son; claimed Branco. But there was
an iron I lpm evening curfew throughout
- even after the Final win.
When Parrelra returned as cO<!ch for
Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin attempted to use sex as a motivating
tool at the 2006 World Cup, promising the end of abstinence if his
side reached the semi-finals.
His policy, however, appears to have backfired. Ukraine went out
at the quarter-final stage, enabling the players to spend time with
their wives even eartier.
the 2006 World Cup, he brought a
"Women in football are a scourge.
They do not understand that men
have a hard job to do"
Josef Sabo. fonner Dynamo Kiev eoaeh
more relaxed approach... and Brazil
were knocked out in the Quarter-finals.
The change in Parreira·s approach
refiects changing attitudes in society.
Few 01 toctay·s coaches wo�d seek to
enforce a strict sex ban because not
many people now believe - or would be
Willing to admit that they believe - the
tales of Vital bodily ftuids ebbing away.
Roy Hodgson did announce a sex
ban for his Switzerland team for the
1994 World Cup, but by the time they
arrived in the USA for the competition
the order had been relaxed. Even Berti
V09ts, known as a hard-nosed defender,
has liberal views on the matter, \lOwing
that: 'The players can get up to whatever
they like. The only occasion I draw the
they can cope. They eat well and don't
line is at half-time:
The problem has another aspect,
make love mU{h:
one that baseball manager Casey
Stengel VOICed years ago: 'It's not the
an old-time authoritarian can still be
heard. After Dynamo Kiev got off to a
sex the night before that's the problem,
particularly awlul start to the 2007
And sometmes the strong voice of
it's the staying up all night looking for it.'
season, cO<!ch Josef Saba ordered hiS
Sut this might be expected to be solved
by the now common practICe of inviting
team to a remote training base, blaming
the WAGS for poor results. Said Sabo:
the WAGS into the camps. or at least
'We went to the base. because women
having them stay nearby.
in football are a scourge. They do not
Make goals, not love
they have a ha'd job to do:
However, the reports suggesting that
sex is not good for footbailers are slll1
when the science is inconclUSive, when
coming in. Somellmes they sound
the anecdotes are infantile and the
understand that men need to work, that
26 WORLD SOCCER
When the t,earies are unconvinCing,
almostapologetic. as when. in March
superstitions are unbelievable. It'S OK to
2011, coach Pedro Tr09llo explained
seek help from 2.400 years ago.
why his Argentinos Juniors were getting
Hippocrate,' 'moderatlon in all
good results: '" they do their homework,
things' still shines through brightly. WS
-
Exclusive reports from our worldwide
network of correspondents
RWANDA
The PremIer LeagJe takes a
winter break for the first time
I
BULGARIA
How little
I
How the national team became
a focal point for the regeneration
01 a naton.
BONAIRE
A lost CFU appliCaoon hasn't stopped the
(aribbean island from dreamulQ.
v.QIll[) SOCCER 27
that he does �t even want to cqmpare
ItM!
wood
Messi to anyone else in
'
"because it is not fair on 'hem"_
X.,...i is
t
biased, o f course, but he is also fight.
It is not that Neymar is a bad player
- he clearly is not. and Guardiola later
admitted to tailoring their approach to
preventing him getting possession - but
Messi appears untouchable nght now, As
do Barcelona, Neymar barely saw the
ball. When he did have a chance,
goalkeeper Victor Valdes snutled it out.
Guardiola had looked for a way 01
"preventing them Irom connecting with
Best of the
best - discuss
the striker" because, he said, "il they did
Just how good are Pep
Guardiola's Barcelona?
goals of such soltness of louch, such
T
that, I knew we would struggle". Once
again, they did not.
While Neymar was unable to make
an impact. Messi was astonishing. He
scored twice - the first and the last.
preciSion; goals that meant he has now
equalled Pedro's 2009 record by
sconng in all six competitions in a
hey say "If you can', beat them, jOin
calendar year. It was another goal in a
them", and there was no way that
Final, too, having scored in the last two
he could beat them. That. at least,
Champions Leagues and lhe Spanish
was the concluSion drawn in Japan.
Cup. plus the Spanish and UEFA Super
So, when the final whistle went on the
Cups, Although he did not score, a few
(Iub World CUP. Neymar approached
days before he had led Barcelona to a
the Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola,
3-1 win over Real Madrid.
congratulated him and then whispered in
his ea", like a seductive silver sueen
It's not just lIessi
heroine: "Take me with you:
The debate with Messi now IS not
Maybe one day - Out right now It
whether he is the best in the world but
would be tempting to reply: 'What lor1"
where he stands on a ranking of the best
Barcelona destroyed Santos In the
Final to claim their second world title In
three years. The game had been billed
not just as Santos versus Barcelona but
Neymar versus leo Messi. Pele had
in history. After this game, a Similar
debate was being held about Barcelona,
Alter all. it was not just aDDut MesSl, As
the Iront cover of Marco put it, playing
de<:lared the Brazilian better than the
on Barcelona's famous motto "roes que
un dub" (more than a club), Barcelona
Argentinian, and yet, perhaps
are "more than Messi".
predictably. there had been no
competition. Neymar had been eclipsed;
much as Cristiano Ronalda had been
eclipsed in the dosico days before.
We should have learnt not to take too
Barca have now won 1 3 of 16
possible trophies under Guardiola. But it
is notjust aDDut that. in Japan, It was not
even aDDut the 4-0 scoreline or the fact
- what stICks in the mind is not the
that they have now won two Club World
trophy, It is the play.
much notice of what Pele says by now:
Cups in three years, to go with two
instead we should have listened to Xal'i,
European Cups and three league titles, It
the B�rcelona midfielder who Insisted
w�s aDDut the w� that Barcelona did it
Inevitably, there were those that
insisted that Santos were not a good
side; that Barcelona had It easy, It was a
familiar argument - and, in a sense, that
IS the true measure 01 both Barce lona's
and Messi's success. Sure, the gigantic
goal talhes totted up can be questioned.
the quality of the OPPOSition picked at.
Sure. Santos Icoked like a DOOr team,
But so had Madrid, The team that one
coach described as 'alarmingly good", a
pack 01 'beasts' had been reduced to a
wreck, chasing the ball in vain. Madrid
looked like a poor team against
Barcelona, just as Santos did. just as
Manchesler United had done, Twice,
Guardiola has outfought Jose Mourinho.
Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson:
Messi has outplayed Ronalda and
Neymar. lt is not coincidence,
It can be herd to accept that but
sometimes there is no other choice.
"This was a les�n: Neymar said, "What
we have to do now is learn from thls ­
learn how to play football from them.
28 WORLD SOCCER
Barcelona are a machine, saw the best
players in the world today: Messi and
Xavi: Team-mate Ganso added: "You
can't play if you haven't got the ball and
getting it offthis lot IS almest impossible:
�New formation�
According to Santos coact Muricy
Ramalho, Guardiola had "Invented a new
formatioo", playing 3-7-0, noodlng the
midfield and keeping the ball. Ever,-one
attacked, everyone defended. Ever,-one
played. Barcelona scored four, hit the
woodwork tWICe and drew a series of
saves Irom Rafael Cabral. � the first half
they had 7S per cerll 01 the possession.
Seventy-five per cent. In the Final of the
Club World Cup.
Xavi's assist for the first was
preceded by a gorgeous piece 01 control
with his heel. He ended the match just
one club trophy behind Paeo Gento's
all-time record. That was filling; Xavi is
the ideologue and he had once again
dominated the game. Here was another
demonstration 01 what Guardiola had
been getting at With the wonderfully
Simplistic, almost hypnotiC phrase, he
had used alter the doSico days before: 'I
get the ball, I pass the ball: I get the ball,
I pass the ball; I get the ball. I pass the ball:
According to the sports newspaper
AS - proud of its pro-Real Madrid
stance - this was an 'exhibition 01
After the Final Neymar whispered to
Guardiola: "Take me with you." It would
be tempting to reply: "What for?"
tiqui-taca". Their froot cover led 011:
"esos locos bajltos' - those crazy Illtle
guys. As Santi Gimenez wrote,
Barcelona's authority was 'insulting".
There was, he noted, a moment when
a player went down and Santos players
formed a huddle. The question was
obvious: "How the hell do we stop
this lot?" The afl5wer was equally clear
- you don·t.
ThiS was Barcelona winrung the way
that Barcelona do; the culmination of
their work over the last three years
- and beyond. The Final of the Club
World Cup ended up being the perfect
embodiment of their philosophy - one
of these days Guardiola is going to send
out a team rrade up entirely of
midfielders - and that was reHected in
the starting XI: nine had come through
Barcelona's }outh system at one stage
of another. Few teams. if any. have had
such a clearly definable identity as this
Barcelona team. It is a philosophy that
EIPolS called 'counter-cultural" and "a
QUixotIC approach that captivates even
more than the trophy haul'.
CertalnlY,lew teams have been as
good. This victory alone may not have
meant much but in the context of the
previous three years, it did. This was the
game that drew comparisons with
Hungar,- at Wembley, Sacchi's Milan,
ShankJy's liverpool, and Pele's Brazil.
Barca seemed the natural successors to
Total FootbaU. ln Japan, they were
crowned the world's best team.
Some wanted to add a solitary word
to that title. Ever. WS
II'IlQLO SOCCER 29
Reasons to
be cheerful
Italian football has cause to be
optimistic, despite another scandal
W
�h all due fe5pect to Mark Twain,
one has to conclude that reports
01 the demise 01 Italian football
!'lave been greatly exaggerated.
As 2012 cranks into action, Italian
football presents a familiar round-up
01 the good, the bad and the ugly.
The good IS the fact that five Italian
clubs are still involved In European club
competition at the end 01 an autumn
which saw Italy quahfy more than
comfortably lor the Euro 2012 finals in
Furthermore, just to make the point
June. The bad and the ugly concern the
about their ambitions, Napoli landed
ongoing (olooscommesse, or so-called
one of the �rst major January-window
It had started almost by chance,
"Last Bet" betting scandal, whiCh first
prompted by concern that someone had
made headlines last summer and then
Signings when they spent i 10miliion
on 22-year-old Chilean striker Eduardo
resurlaced WIth a vengeance at the end
Vargas of Universidad de Chile.
In a lega Pro (third division) game
of Oecember when 17 people, including
On top of that, there is every reason
between Crernonese and Paganese in
to believe that both Udinese and Lazlo,
NO'iember 2010. The attempt failed, but
midhelder Cristiano DOni, were arrested.
currently �tt1ng on the heels of Serie A
it alerted police in Cremona, who later
In this age of English Prem�r league
domination, ftalian football goes into the
knockout stage of the UEFA Champions
League With three representatives,
namely Milan, IflternaziOnale and Napoli,
Italian football in 2012
presents a familiar
round-up of the good,
the bad and the ugly
initiated a widespread investigation
which led to 16 arrests, includrng that
of former Italy strike Beppe Signori.
The investigation inten�fied in late
December when Cremonese defender
Carlo Gervasoni. in a judicial interview,
pointed to at least 18 mainly Serie B
games between March 2009 and May
drawn respectively against Arsenal,
Marseille and Chelsea. What is more,
joint-leaders Milan and Juventus, will
no le�s authoritative a �gure than the
give a good account of themselves in the
new Pans Saint-Germain coach. Carlo
Europa league. even if their ties, against
reportedly was even able to reveal the
Anceiottl. suggests that the good times
might cOfltinue to roll.
PAOK and Atletlco Madrid respectively.
could not be described as easy.
sums of monel' involved. For example,
he claims that ive players received
"All three can make it to the
2011 where betting syndICates had
pulled 011 match-hlng coups. Gervasoni
a total of €90,OOO (£74,000) to fix
Salernltana's 4-2 home win against
quarter-finals, why not?" Ancelot\l told
GazzEtta dello Spott. "For a start. the
Last year ended. howe'ler. With a
Albinoleffe In April 2009. Gervasoni
Italian clubs can be relieved that they
reminder of oll-the-field problems. In
was an Albinolelle player at the time.
match-hing scandal, the "Last Bet"
prosecutors are Investigating at least
e�pose returned to spoil the party just
37 Serre A and Serie B players
mana�ed to avoid Barcelona and Real
Madrll. And then. realistically. I ask you,
are Arsenal, Chelsea and Marseille
better than our three] As an Italian,
I would be pretty conMent:
W1ate'ler one makes of Ancelotti's
pro-llali�n oPti
�J the{� is nodenying
Investigations and arrests
a manner similar to the 2006 Co/dopo/i
before Christmas. And as with Co/ciopoli,
the b<!SIC problem is the slow Italian
For the time being. public
(includrng such as liIzio's Stefano
Mauri and Genoa's Marco Rossi),
judicial system. While the football
relallve to charges of "sporting fraud"
federation's disciplinary bodies were
in an as yet un�nown number of games.
the �actJ!lat Itaiari
Jootb.1! ' �tarted the
able to deal with both situations fairly
new yejrln a positive moOd,
promptly. the state judiciary moves
wlth better
]0 WOIIID SOCCER
attempted to aug a number of players
the former Atalanta captain and Italy
Let us, however, begin with the good
news. Somewhat against expectations
sl
So it was tMt Doni and 16 others
were arrested n late December.
Clearly, this partICular investigation
ChalllliOns league representation than
much more slowly, and In the process
is far from over. One way or another, it
would seem that Italian football will be
any other of the European superpowers.
covers mUCh of the same ground.
making plenty of headlines in 2012. WS
Pole position
It's only half-time but Bayern
are well set to reclaim the title
A
utumn champiOns (Herbsfmeister)
for the first time in four years,
Bayern Munich headed for the
winter break with a sprmg in their
step. a song in their hearts and a
three-point lead over closest rivals
BorusSia Dortmund and Schalke.
Despite their share of off days
reinforcements last summer (S 18 mi llion
make or break their title challenge. Will it
for Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer
harm morale or will the lack 01 midweek
- succumbing at home to Borussia
and � 11 m on defender Jerome Boateng
action prove benehcial to a side not
Monchengladbach and Dortmund, and
from Manchester City) plus, of course,
exactly renowned for economy of effort?
losing in Hanover and Mainz - more
infiuenllal new coach Jupp Heynckes.
often than not Bayern have swatted the
OPPOSition aside. They have swept the
now In his third spell at the helm.
Tasked With restoring harmony to the
board in all the most meaningful
dreSSing room after the frequently stormy
(breached on only 10 occasions). best
maltsman in 16-goal MariO Gomez.
Bayern's sharp-elbowed push to
the head of the queue - in stark contrast
to their stuttenng third-place finish
Thanks to Heynckes'
common-sense
approach, Bayern have
become a unit again
last season - can be attributed to
a wi:le range of factors. These include
of squad depth, Schalke have done
remarkablywell. New boss Huub Stevens,
Bundesliga categories: tightest defence
attack (43 gwls) and most prolihc
Despite losing coach Rail Rangmck
through nervous exhaustion in late
September, ;:nd With little In the way
back in the Gelsenkirchen saddle alter
nine years, h.Js instilled greater solidity,
while the stri�e trio of Raul, Klaas-Jan
Huntelaar an:l Jefferson Farfan have
generally wreaked havoc. The bubble
may burst, but With St�s' ability to
forge spirit and togetherness, don't
stewardship of Louis Van Gaal. and
underestimate them.
world-Class talent in most areas, game
changers in the attacking third (Gomez,
shoring up a back line whiCh had turned
Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and
worthy on both counts. Thanks to his vast
experience and common-�nse approach.
the team away from the relegation
the Bavarians have become a unit again.
has them lYing fourth and on track for
Thomas Muller), big spending on
dysfunctional, Heynckes has proved
Gladbach have undoubtedly been the
surprise packet. SIX months after pulling
precipice. Swss coach lucien Favre
striking the right balance between
Europe, whiCh every Borussla-Park fan
defensive ngour and creative thrust.
would have deemed pure science hction
12 months ago. With an average age of
Arguably Heynckes' most vital asset is
his ability to dampen down the fires which
r�ularly break out in and around Bayern
At a club where every defeat is portrayed
work as their lightning counters. The only
in the media as a full-blown crisis. it's vital
the coach doesn·t pilniC. 'Uncle Jupp'
snag has been the speculation over the
future 01 stri�.e s rlet Marco Reus.
never does, always at pains to keep things
National champions in 2009,
Wallsburg c()Jld end up fighting for their
in perspective and to quietly correct
errors as and when they anse.
History says Bayem will take some
only 24, the current crop are fast
learners, as outstanding in defensive
ta
lives. Incredibly, coach Felix Magath
went through 30 players in the first half
dislodging: 14 times out of 16 they have
of the season and if this carousel does
translated pole position at Christmas Into
not stop soon the drop will loom large.
end-of-season triumph. Howebef, reqvng
No such wornes for Hamburg. Since
champions Dortmund will probably fancy
their chances of hauling in their
his autumn aJpointment ex-Basle boss
Thorsten Fink has yet to taste defeat.
southern foes.
And while no one in the northern port
After a sha�,start, the young guns
� 201
a'l
I�
predicts a return to the European glory
unbeaten in I I It1lmes. How theY cODe.
pays of the 1.9705 and 80s, .tney can
'�st be p'lease(l
e.. onc�stncke
with their early Champions League eXit
patient
from the Westfille,1sfudion e
- they finished last in their group - could
lha�tJl
tOne point from the first six
games) IS out of intensive care. WS
WOIIlO SOCCER 31
middle. It IS a tale of rom, egos,
Begiristain, and later Andoni Zubirarreta,
All the ingredients would make a brilliant
as di re<tor of football.
Cruylf's first victory came at the end
of 2010 when Ajax's head coach Martin
Jol quit in favour of Frank De Boer and
seven former �Iayers joined the board.
Shakespearian play, but it has been
more like a soap opera - and one thai
could run for many more years.
It all started on September 20 last
year when Cruylf used his column in
De Te/egraaf. the Amsterdam newspaper.
to sla m the club after a poor Champions
league display against Real Madrid.
Although the scorelme at the Bemabeu
was only 2-0, Ajax had been outplayed.
The club was making a complete fool of
itself m Europe, Cruytf de<lared, arguing
Civil war in
Amsterdam
"T
Ajax is split down the
middle. It is a tale of
rows, egos, betrayals and
secretly taped meetings
Wim Jonk and Oennis Bergkamp
'It is worse than the period before Rinus
form the technical heart of Ajax. Cruyff
Michels came in 1 965.'
also argued that academy director Jan
The column duty sparked a VICious
Olde Riekerlnk and several youth
coaches should be sacked.
Cruytf factions. His pet gripe has long
been that the club's famous youth
Turn for the worse
academy no longer produces skilled,
At this point, things began to turn nasty.
complete footballers. The last world­
The board refused to hre any youth
hey've gone mad; Johan (ruyff
class striker Ajax produced was Patrick
coaches and chairman Uri Coronel and
concluded when he heard the
Kluivert, Cruyff argues, more than 1 5
news. Without inlormlf'.g Holland's
years ago.
general director Rick Van den Boog
revealed that their meetings with Cruyff
greatest player of all time, his fellow
His plan is for former players to take
the key positions 01 coach, technical
Ajax t>oard members had appointed his
arch-rival. Louis Van Gaa!. as the next
dire<tor and head of the academy.
had taken plaCE' in complete animosity.
They leaked Cruyff's demands to the
press, including his call for assistant
CEO of his beloved club.
Barcelona, Cruyff's other darling, should
coach Danny Blind to depart.
It was the latest IWISI in a row which
has split the Amsterdam club down the
12 WOI!I.D SOCCER
In March, Cruylf proposed that Oe Boer,
for a fundamentaf overhaul.
'This isn't Ajax anymore,' he wrote.
trench war between pro- and anti­
A row over the future direction of
Ajax has split the club in two
of Joan Laport�, who appointed Txiki
betrayals and secretly taped meetings.
be the example. He was a member of
the group that supported the candidacy
Coronel also revealed that
conversations with the Dutch legend had
been �retly taped, but acknowledged
that there could only be one winner in
an argument with Cruyif. Coronel and
Van den Boog quit as directors, as did
Olde R iekerink
With his rivals gone, the calls for
Cruyff to take responsibility increased.
ANTI-CRUYFF
PRO-CRUYFF
However, the Barcelona-based Cruyf1
has never been keen on official jobs. In
fact, he hasn·t had one since resigning
as Barcelona coach In 1996.
Eventually he agreed to join a
"supervisory board", along with new
JOHAN CRUYFF
Ajax's greatest player. tlub
icon, with strong opinions
on how dub tan be revived
lOUIS VAN GAAl
Former coach and tec:hnkal
director, Cruyff's nemesis,
approached to be oewCEO
TSCHEU LA LING
Wanted by Croyll as Ajax's
new CEO
UU CORONEl
Quit as dub t!\airman .fter
fallout with Cruyff
WIMJONK
Brought in as academy
direc:tor at Cruyff's
suggestion
chairman Steven Ten Have, Paul Romer,
Marjan Oilers and ex-playff Edgar
Davids. The four were irlStolied to support
Cruyll on non-footballing matters
Ittumed out to be a fatal
combination. All four oppcsed his plan
DENNIS BERGKAMP
Brought in as academy
tooth at Cruyff's
suggestion
to appoint former Ajax player Tscheu
La lin g as CEO. Cruyl l brought ling to
the next meeting anyway, much to the
disgust of the others. who doubted his
bUSiness acumen and h is involvement
RICI( VAN OEN BOOG
Quit as CEO after fallout
with Cruyff
JAN OLOE RIEKERINK
Quit as academy director
after fallout with Cruyff
STEVEN TEN HAVE
Installed as thalrmiMl of
new supervisory board,
then stood doWn ahead of
new elections
with Slovakian club Trencln. ling
PAUL ROMER, MARJAN
OlFERS, EOGAR DAVIDS
Members 01 supetvWry
board, then stood doWn
ahead 01 new elections
subsequently threatened to sue Ten
Have over accusations that Trencin were
involved In bribery.
Marco Van Basten was then
considered as a compromse candidate,
DANNY BUNO
Appointed new technkal
director in a move designed
to provoke Cruyff
but Cruyff"s insistence tha� Van Basten
should be :;upported by a committee of
his own supporters prompted the former
nallOnal coach to decline the oller.
Co-operatiOn with CruJII, the four
de<:ided, would be i mpossl>le. So they
hatched a plan that they knew he would
reject. Davids contacted hiS old mentor
Van Gaal, on sabbatical sioce being
sacked by Bayern MuniCh, and, on
November 16, Ten Have cl1nounced
MARCO VAN
BASTEN
Former playet" and
(oach, dec:lined
oller to be new CEO
STAYING OUT OF IT
FRANK OE BOER
Head tO.3{h, has the
backing 01 Cruyff and
Van Gaal
that Van Gaal was to be the new CEO,
With Danny Blind as te<:hnlCal director.
The move was designed to provoke
Cruyff. eSpe1:lally as Van Gaal said last
year that he would never return to Ajax
following a negative exper ence as
te<:hnical dire<:tor, when tre board sided
against him in a dispute wth then-coach
Ronald Koeman.
Furthermore, under the terms of hiS
Cruylf had toid him "that he was only
on the board because he was black",
role. So far, Van Gaal has kept quiet.
Oilers said that Cruyll made a similar
but it is hard to see him will ing to work
alongside a man with whom he shares
a mutual aninosity that dates back to
statemem about her gender.
hiS lime as Bartelona teach when Cruylf
while female board member Marjan
Bayern contract, Van Gaal cannot take
up a new job until the sumner, making
a mockery of Ten Have·s daim that the
club was in danger and that he had to
act Immediately.
The aopointment of Bind was
another controversial choice as
Cruyff had labelled the former captain
unreliable and said he would never
gel lhe position of dire<:tOI of football
under him. Not surprisingl�, Cruyll was
perplexed by the news. "At first I thought
it was a joke: he said. "But they have set
the club on fire:
Ten Have countered that Cruylf
had been invited to the meeting that
confirmed Van Gaal's appointment
but had preferred to celebrate his
daughter's birthday in Barcelona.
From then on, war brol;e out
between the two camps. Davids
revealed that during a meeting
criutised him in the local press.
Coaching split
Meanwhile, academy dlfe<:tor Jonk
banned Davids from the club's youth
complex and declared that he and his
team of coathes would resign if the
appointment of Van Gaal went ahead.
Cruyff, Jonk, Bergkamp and 10
other youth coaches, Including Jaap
Stam and Marc O�ermars. now intend
to take the mailer to court. They claim
that the apPOintment is Illegal and
against Cruylf's blueprint for the Club.
All �ve superviSOry board members
have now been asked to step down
voluntarily while a new board is elected.
That is likely to happen at some point in
(.... at __�"!1
_
....... ...
,, _ a lYppy �
right_
Coach Fr,;nk de Boer has so lar
refused to take sides. "It's like choosing
between a SO'l and a daughter: he said
"I can't do that and don't want to. I get
along with both very well: Although.
when he was informed by Ten Have of
the decision to hire 'Jan Gaal, Oe Boer
replied: "Be .:ware that you are going
to create an earthquake:
The coach sa� he supports Cruylf's
philosophy that has been introduced at
the atademy and that 'Jan Gaal should
follow su�, ccmmentin g: "" the youth
coaches leavt' it will be a disaster:
But right now De Boer has other
things on hiS mind. Ajax began 2012 five
the coming momhs at an extraordinary
points behind leaders Al and were facing
meellng of club members.
a Europa League tie against Manchester
Whatever happens, it won·t be
the end of Cruyll al Ajax and he could
slill stay as an advisor - his favounte
United after being dumped out 01 the
Champions league. That, however, is the
subje<:t for another day. WS
WORLO SOCCER 33
top eight cl ubs will play each other
twice lor the 2011-2012 title and
European places, while the bottom eight
Anzhi challenge
the elite
The big spenders from Dagestan
have made the top eight
F
or the �rst time ever. the Russian
title was not decided in the autumn;
Instead, reigning champiOns Zenil SI
Petersburg were leading the table by
SIX ponts from CSKA Moscow when the
Cup-WUlner Roberto carlos, who has also
assumed a coachlflg role at the Club.
While they are yet to show the kind
teams baWe i t out to avOid rel�ation.
of consistency that would make them
Everything restarts on March 3, with
the highlight being CSKA's home clash
With Zenil.
As well as leading the way
domestically. the two main title­
challengers have also made it thro ugh
to the knockout stage of the Champions
league, where Zenit Will play Benhca
and CSKA face Real Madrid. And just
to reinforce Russia's growing status in
genuine title contenders. a 2-1 home
Europe, lokomotiv Moscow and Rubin
Kazan have Qualihed for the last 32 of
the Europa league
win against CSKA shortly before the
winter break !Jlowed that Anzhi's dream
of becoming "Russia's Manchester City·
may not be as fanCiful as many critics
suggested. Thill Silld, claiming a Europa
league berth nust be the team's
minimum targE'!.
Some still remain to be imp ressed
t hough. An oller 01 £ 160,000 a week
could not persuade Peter Odemwingie
to join the Makhachkala Side. The
JOining these fo ur in the eight team
-
domestic ehte are Moscow sides Olnamo
and Spartak. together with su rp rise
package Kuban Krasnodar - who only
rejOined the top Hight last season - and
big-spending Anzhi Makhachkala.
republic of Oagestan, are aiming to
become the biggest force in Russian
football and have already spent
RUSSian-Nigerian strike r. who is
reportedly earning a weekly wage of
ns,ooo at West Bromwkh Albion, said
he did not warn to return to his mother's
£60million on some impressive signings,
native country regardless of the salary.
most notably Cameroon international
Rumours 01 Guus Hlddink's Russian
return never came true, either. Instead,
Anzhi agreed a hve-year contract with
Yuri Kra5nozhan, the former lokomotiv
coach who is currently in charge of t he
Anzhi, the club from the southern
Samuel Eto'o from Internazionale.
Premer League stopped lor a unique
winter vacauon at the end of November.
The thre e-month break is pdf! of
a t ransitional IS-month season aimed
at bringing RusSian football in line With
After a relatively slow start. new
recruits Yuri Zhirro,. from Chelsea,
international Mbark Boussouta have all
started to impress alongside new club
national B team,
most other lOP European leagues. The
captain Eto'o and Brazihan WQrld
Moscow challenge
Hungary's Balazs DzsudZSilk and Morocco
Former liverpool striker Andriy Voronin
helped Inspire Dlnamo Moscow to a
top-three finish at the mid-term break.
Sidelined dunrg the regime of Miodrag
BOZO VIC, the 32-year-old Ukrainian
enjoyed a resurgence under the
attacking style of new coach Sergei
Silkin, !;Coring 1 1 goals and reigniting
hopes 01 a hrst league title since 1976
for the Moscow outfit.
Russia's mos! popular club Spartak
Moscow trailed their arch-rivals DlnaITIO
by only one point The form of Brazilian
striker Welliton dipped followi ng public
reaction to a clash with Igor Akinfeev
which sidelined the CSKA goalkeeper for
Six months - arod earned the league's top
goalscorer in 2009 and 2010 a six-game
ban. Fortunatet{. Nigeria international
Emmanuel Emenike filled the void.
scoring el!lht times in the last 11 games.
Over at CSt::A, Seydou Doumbia
topped the goc:lscoring charts. An
impreSSIVE! rewrn of 24 goals in 30
games put him eight ahead of his
nearest rival, Zenifs AlelCander
Kerzhakov, and the 23-year-old IIIOn.an
underlined his potential by netting hve
times in the Champions league.
Doumbla's countryman lacina
Traore. bought by Kuban from
Romania's CFR Cluj for lAm, scored 1 S
and was the key to the club reachUlg the
top eight. Ho�r, hiS explOits have not
gone unnoticed by the money men 01
Anzhi, who are reportedly ready to pay
for 5.25m for the 21-year-old. W5
14 WORLO SOCCER
Revolutionaries
from Razgrad
Winter champions Ludogorets are
shaking up the Bulgarian league
T
raditions run deep In Bulgarian
footbal" Sir.ce CSKA were founded
in 1948, they and fellow Sofia club
levski have dominated the league,
wlflning the title 52 times between
them. Other clubs have triumphed
on only 1 2 occa�ons.
The most �ccesslul team from the
prOI'lnces has Deen Lite� Lovech. First
promoted to the top Hight I n 1997, they
won the championship the following
sea�on and have Since won three more.
includlJ1g last season's litle.
Now Ludogorets, a club from the city
of Razgrad. are threatening to repeat
Borislav Mihaylov, before the game
against levski - and a 2-1 victory that
helped establish the new boys as a real
force to be reckoned With.
They went into the winter break in
dramatic style, recovering from 2-0
down against (SKA in Sofia to earn a
2-2 draw. Both Sides finished w�h 36
litex's feat. Promoted to the se<ond
points, but the team from Razgrad have
division in 2010, they went up again
to the top tier last year and have
now finished the halfway stage of the
2011-12 season as winter champions,
ahead 01 CSKA on 90<11 difference.
a better goal d iffe rence by four.
Few people took much notice when
ludogorets won their hrst few games of
the new campaign, especially as they
were forced to play matches in the
coastal city of Kavarrla because their
staCium in Razgrad was not ready. The
ludogorets Arena was eventually
opened by the prime minister, Boyko
Borissov, and the BFU president.
ludogorets owner Klril
Oomuschlev Is an ambitious
btlsinessman who has bten
dubbed "the Bulgarian
Abrarnovkh". The 42year-old made his money
In pharmaceuticals and also
has Investments In property
and construction.
". am glad that we afe
playing the best football in
Bulgaria; he says. "We have
a good youth 5(hool with
more than 160 children.
Some of them will go tothe
football school of Valen<la for
teaching. This is the future."
The coach of ludogorels IS Ivaylo
Petev, a former litex player who was
a champion In 1998 and 1999, and a
Bulgarian Cup winner in 2001. He has
little coaching experience but has built
a balanced team with strong tactical
disci pline and a fast passing game. They
play Without a typical centre-forward
and rely on the midfield for goals.
supervising council 01 CSKA and was
well-known as a fan of the Sofia club
However, after the game against CSKA
he left no one in any doubt about his
feelings, claiming: "The referees made
scandalous deciSions and cancelled a
good goal for our team. Unfortunately
there are still a lot 01 bandits In
Bulgarian football .'
The emergence of ludogorets has
transformed the landscape of Bulgarian
football. CSK'" may be level with them
at the top, but they are far from a !;tttied
side. Milen R�dukanov, the coach who
won the Cup and Super Cup last season,
was $ilcked despite eight victories in a
Plenty of experience
row a nd replaced by former player
Oimitar Penev.
levski are three points behind the
leaders, but sports director Georgi
Ivanov, a former fans' favOUriteas a
The ludogorets squad has plenty of
player, has struggled in thejob, He has
experience. Serbian goalkeeper U rosh
pinned hiS hopes on the appointment of
new coach Nlkolay Kostov, formerly with
Ukrainian side Metalurg Oonetsk, level
on points with levski are Chernomorets,
Golubovich (previously with lokomotiv
Sofia and litexl was a champion in
2010 and 2011, as was French central
defender Alexander Bart.
Defender Yordan Minev is a former
CSKA pl�r, as is Emil Gargorov. while
Miroslav Ivanov (ex-levsla). Svetoslav
Dyakov (lokomolN Sofia), Stanlslav
Genchev (litex and Vaslul of Romania)
and Todor KoIev (levsla and Siavia) are
others WIth top-flight experience.
There are also some decent imports
from Br.ml in defender Shako, midfielder
be i
I
Domuschiev. Before hiS i nvestment 10
luclogorets, he was a member of the
whose coach Oimitar Oimitrov has got
hiS team playlOg very pleasant football
on a tight budget_
What of current champions litex?
Alter defeats by levski and (SKA, they
lar.guish in SEventh place, 11 points off
the top. However, owner Grisha Ganchev
began 2012 with a powerful counter to
aCCU$ill/(lns tnat he is being distracted
by hiS many other business interests with
i
targets for the ex-national
team captain and coach. WS
v.QRI.O SOCCER ]5
Anelka joins the
new money
French forward enjoys pay bonanza
financed by Chinese elite
ne �nal, monumental pay day
playing for a club little known
outSide a country that is awash
with new money: that is how
Nicolas Ar.elka's sWItch to Shanghai
Shenhua has been viewed by much
01 the lootbdll world.
Certainly his salary - an estimated
£8.9million lor each of the next two
years - makes the 32-year-old one of
the highest-paid players on the planet at
a time when most of the world is, at best,
facing a period of financial uncertainty.
BUI while Anelka has been uiti(lsed
in some Quarters lor effectively bringing
an end to his lop-class career by chasing
the rmney. in China the ex-Chelsea
striker's Signing 15 seen very differently,
W,th an economy that continues
to grew ill staggering levels, and With
incre�sed (onMence in its own natiOnal
O
16 1Y011lO SOCCEI!
iderltlty, the nation's new super rich ­
industrialists, property developers and
online billionaires among them - are
starting to flex their financial muscle.
Former France international Anelka
will jom another expensively acquired
recruit to the Chinese Super League,
Argentinian midfielder Dario Conca,
who signed for Guangzhou Evergrande
midway through last season for S 10m
from Fluminense.
li�e Anelka. the two-lime BraZilian
league's player of the year is on an
astronomICal salary. Conca's arrival
signalled the seriousness with which
Guangzhou owner Xu Jiayin intends to
pursue hiS goal of turning the southern
Chinese club into a major Asian force.
Xu. who owns the Evergrande real
estate company, took over following
a matCh-fixing scandal that saw
Guangzhou relegated at the end of the
2009 season. On doing so he promised
to not only rebUild the club but to take
it to levels never before WitneSSed.
National team striker Gao Lin was
the first to join the re-configured club,
signed from Shanghai Shenhua in early
2010 with Guangzhou still in Chinese
football's second tier. Others were soon
to follow. and with former Charlton
Athletic and Celtic midfielder Zheng Zhi
and Sun Xiang, once of PSV Eindhoven,
on ooard up by the end of the season
Guangzhou cantered to the title and
automatic promotion.
It was to be a Similar story in 201 1
as Xu gave South Korean coach Lee
Jung-soo - a veteran of Chinese football
who won the league title back in 2009
with 8eijlng Guoan - more ammunition
With which to claim the club's first tJtle,
Signing the likes of Yang Hao and former
Wigan Athletic midhelder Cho Won-hee
before the arrival of Conca and another
8razilian, Muriqui, in August.
As a reSUlt, Guangzhou had the
domestic championship sewn up by
the end of September and eventually
finished 1 5 points clear of 8eiJing to
qualify for the AFC Champions League
for the first time.
Meanwhile Anelka, along With
compatriot and new coach Jean Tigana,
will be expected to give Shenhua
a Significant boost after a hugely
disappointing showing last season. when
the former champions finished a lowly
11th in the 16-team league.
8ut, while Anelka and Conca are
unlikely to be the only high-prohle
foreign stars making their way to the
Chinese Super League, the growing
influx of money into Chinese football
is not only enhancing the clubs in their
purSUit of domestiC and regional glory.
Football in China is on the verge
of becoming much more than just a
rich man's plaything; it is increaSingly
a platform on whICh to hnd favour
with the country's political elite.
Meanwhile, China's struggles on the
international stage have not gone
unnoticed with n the upper echelon
of the nation's power structure and a
solution is belf"g sought to not only stop
the rot, but for the country to belatedly
join the international elite.
Right the wrongs
Comments attributed to the country's
vice-president Xi Jlnplng during a trip
to South Korea last year sparked a
renewed deSire to right the wrongs
within the courtry's lootball infrastructure.
Xi, widely tipped as the successor to
president Hu J.ntao, stated his desire
was to see China not only qualify for
the World Cup hnals, but to also win
it as well as hosting it in the future.
His comments sparked renewed
interest in the fortunes of Chinese
football and they were SWiftly followed
by the pledging of more than SSOm for
the de'lelopme"lt of the game in China
over the next three years by Wang
Jianlin, owner of the property
development g-oup Wanda.
Previously the owner of the Oalian
Wanda club w�en it dominated domestic
football, Wang IS seeking to play a role in
"The time was so limited
for Camacho and his
team" CfAd.putychiofYu Hongc:hon
people's passion for soccer. II we make
these changes In three years then we
embarked on a disastrous spell,
beginning WIth a 2-1 loss I n Jordan.
can talk about lurther co-operation, but
if there's no change I think � Will be
increasing the number cf youngsters
playing the game, whICh has fallen to
pitilul levels.
Corruption and match hing within
Negative light
Wan g s involve ment, though has already
been painted in a negative hght as China
once again failed to not only to quahfy
for Brazil 2014 but also to progress
to the final ohase of Asia's qualifying
Deleat at the hands of Iraq in
Shenzhen lelt China's quah�cation hopes
hanging by a thread and a loss in the
return match in Doha both defeats
coming courtesy of solitary goals by
Younus Mahmoud - torpedoed any
chance Camacho and his team had
01 maintairllf"lg their World Cup dream.
The Spaniard and his expenSively
assembled coaching team have so
far managed to avoid the worst of the
fallout, with most of that directed at
Wang and his insistence on replacing
Gao so soon tlefore a vital run of
matches. Canacho's fate, however,
done there."
-
the league. plus the natioral Side's DOOr
performance, has seen participation
in the sport drop markedl)·. Some
estimates claim as few as 7,000 players
under the age 01 1 8 are registered with
the Chinese Football Asso:latJon
"I have two standards to assess the
'
,
tournament for the World Cup finals
for a demoraliSing third time in a row.
That was despite the arrival of former
R eal Madrid and Spain coach Jose
Antonio Camacho, who replaced Gao
Hongbo at the helm just 1 0 days before
back-to-back qualifiers against
Singapore and Jordan.
Under Gao the team had gone on a
nine-game unbeaten run following their
elimination from January's 2011 Asian
result of our co-operation." said Wang
alter Signing the contract with the CFA.
"One is the P<lrticipatlon level of
teenagers In th e sport; If (h,na·s soccer
population increases to 700,000 or
800,000 in three years, tnen our
co-operation will be successful.
"The second standard is the
attendance rate at the domestIC league.
Cup in the group stages, but matters
�re soon to turn sour for Camacho.
Despite winning their opening game
of the new era - a ne rvous 2-1 VICtOry
I hope our cooperation wil reawaken
at home to Singapore - the team
remains in the balance.
"Objectively speaking, the time was
so limited for Camacho and hiS coaching
team." said CFA deputy chief Yu
Hongchen after the team's se<:ond
loss to the Zieo-coached Iraq.
"Any coadl in the world, deSpite his
fame and profesSionalism, needs at least
two years to build a team, tlefore the
players can comprehend and display his
strategy and philosophy on the pitch." WS
WOIILO SOCCER 31
Santos taught some
painful home truths
Defeat by Barcelona exposed the
gap between Europe and Brazil
H
igh-pmhle Sanl� president Luis
Alvaro Ribeiro built up his team's
Club World Cup FlIlal against
Barcelona as 'the classiC of the
cenlll')" and hinted that they might even
be favourites. But such considerations
were blown aside, joyfully and clinically,
in a 4-0 defeat. The hrst hall, especially.
was as one-skied as Barca's glorified
training e�ercise of a semi-final stroll
against Asian champiOns AI Sadd the only difference being that the size
scene, With four league tltJes In the last
of expectation left Santos feeling far
six years, normally with a game based on
they conslsten�y struggled against teams
sadder. And they were not the only ones.
tight defence, set-pieces and counter­
following the re<ent trend for three strikers.
disappointing. As m the Libertadores.
attack.s. "If you want to see a spectacle,·
As emblematic as the Barcelona­
Menezes declared his 'sadness lor the
he likes to say, "then go to the theatre:
undoubted superIOrity of a Spanish learn
over � Brazilian', but also hiS hope thaI
Santos game was Flamengo's 4-0
home defeat 11'/ Universidad de Chile.
Barcelona. BraZilian coaches have
No Brazilian club came close to the
argued over recent years tNt the
Chileans' attractive, collective. dynamic
and aggressive football.
BraZil's national tooch Mane
'exciLding the extremists, the defeat
Or see his team ta�en apart by
will lead to a deeper and more fruitful
physical evolution of the game demands
di!;cusslon aDout the real problems of
six-foot midflelders and makes extended
Braziian football",
Tre extremists he referred to are
p<!ssing moves outdated. Barcelona have
European and Brazilian football is
been refuting this on a weekly basis, and
narrowing, a chasm is openmg up
the Nrdlme nationalists who refuse to
did so in the most emphatic manner
And if the Mancial gap between
between Brazil and the rest of the
continent. It became clear last year that
the biggest prcblems in the BraZilian
game are not fnancial, "Brazilian football
has never been so rich in money and
poor in quality; wrote columnist
Benjamin Back in the sports daily Lance.
His colleague Eduardo Tirone
accept the spiritual home 01 the
against Ramalho's side. It was impoSSible
welcomed the defeat, commenting'
beautiful game has left BraZil. crossed
the A:iantlc and landed in Cataloflla. In
to belIeVe the coach had s.pent six months
preparing for this game. There was not
"A Santos wm would have hidden the
fact that our football is se<ond rate.
the wake of Santos' defeat their number
has been reduced. It is strikmg how
the Slightest evidence of a strategy
and, takE!n lar from his comfort zone,
stili be park.ed on the corner, thlnk.ing
quickly and widely the game has been
Ramalho looked utterly out of hiS depth.
that everythin� was fine:
understood as a 90-mmute scathing
Barcelona are clearly exceptional.
Jose LUIS Portella referred to the
comment on the direction Brazilian
The worrying aspect for Brazilians is that
game as "a blessed defeat" which "hils
football has taken in recent decades.
in 2011 their sides performed so poorly
opened our eyes and defiated our ego
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola
added motion to the wheel in his
against teams from their own continent.
Santos won the Ubertadores Cup, but
In time for us to put things right before
suffering anotrer Marocanazo" - a
post-match press conference. HIS team
passed the ball at speed, he said, "hke
they were the only Brazilians to reach
reference to the loss of the 19S0 World
the quarter-finals and could easily have
Cup on home ground.
my dad and my grandfather told me thilt
fallen with the rest m the second round.
Brazil did". But certainly not as teams
coached by Muricy Ramalho usually go
38 WORlD �CER
It was a similar story in the
about their business. The Santos boss IS
Sudamericana Cup. Even allowing for
the fact that not all the Brazilians clubs
the I<.l"Ig of the contemporary Brazilian
treated it as a top priority, they were
"Without this reahty shock. we would
An optimist might even argue thilt
December 18, 201 1 could turn out to
be the day Brazil started moving in the
right direction on the road to hosting
the tournamert in 2014. \iii
Winners and losers
Their CFU application may
have gone missing, but the
Caribbean island were spot
on in local competition
I
n the fallout from the bribery
scandal that has engulfed the
Caribbean Football Umon, the
CFU has managed to lose a
membership application from the
Dutch territory of BOndlre. formerly
part of the Netherlands Antilles.
In May 2011, Ludwig 8alentin,
the presidentof the Federashon
Futbol Bonaire {FFBl, wrote to the
then-CFU president, Jack Warner,
requesting membership of the
30-strong regional body. His letter
was given to representatives of the
Trimjad-b.3sed (FU by the president
of Curacao's federation, Jean Francisca,
but has since disappeared.
The letter, which World Soccer
has seen, is dated May 24 - a couple
Of weeks after the infamous meeting
In Trinidad when Warner allegedly
offered bribes to CFU members, along
With Mohamed Bin Hammam.
The CFU is now operating out
of Jamaica and general secretary
Ar.genie Kanhai has not seen Bonaire's
app'ication. Balentin sa�: ·We intend to
WHERE IN THE WORLO?
BONAIRE
� 1$ pat olIN'
Leeward Anlllle5. with
Curutao) and Aruba, n IhI'
cariblM>an and Is OJ special
�Iity 01 Holland.
PopW6on: 15,800
Si>:e: 113 SQ m
Capital: KratencbjX
L1nguage: Dua:h. Papwnen!U
Iletlglon: (aIhoic
join the CFU but we are still waiting for
an answer:
For the FFB, founded in 1960,
the problem is frustrating as footbilll
in Bonaire IS in stasis. When the
Netherlands Antilles was dissolved
politically, in October 2010, Curacao
took over FIFA membership from the
Nederlands Antilliaanse Voetbal Unie.
Meanwhile Bonaire, with more than 700
registered players and whICh runs several
'We intend to join the
ern but we are still
waiting for an answer"
FFB president LudwigBaIentin
jUnior competitions plus a nine-team
senior league, must go It alone.
Since Aruba split in the 1980s.
players from Curacao dominated
the Netherlands Antilles side, but the
likes of Errol Sint Jago, Riky Jansen,
Rllof Janga, Oanielo Trenidad, lgmar
GiJsbertha and RugenlO Josephia from
Bonaire have all featured.
All three islands play each other
and Ihe FFB now wants associate
membership of CONCACAF and
FIFA. As a special municipality of
Holland the latter may be difficult,
but Bonaire's footballers have
demonstrated their worth by winning
the latest ABCS Cup.
The compelltion features Aruba,
Bonaire, Curacao and Sunnam, and
when it was frst staged in 2010 Bonaire
finished last, falling to win a game.
With ArUM, Curacao and Surinam
falling early in the 2014 World Cup
qualifiers, the three FIFA members saw
the latest conpetition in December
2011 as an �portunity to blood new
players. Meanwhile, Bonaire's chances
were not helped by manager Albert
Sint Jo39o standing down after two
years in the job.
League champions SV Juventus,
aided by a haldful of guest players,
were dispatched to represent Bonaire. In
the opener they were 1-0 down at
half-time to Curacao, but SV Vespo's
Andre Piar, along with Kenneth Kunst
and Ivanny Calvenhoven, who both play
in Curacao fa SV Centro, all scored in
a shock 3-1 win.
In the Final against Aruba, Bonaire
raced into a 2-0 first-half lead with
goals from Rolando Jansen of Juventus
and Kunst, but Aruba had the belter 01
the second period and drew l evel. The
game went to penalties, and Ashar
Bernadus, Jansen, Calvenhoven and
Rhendeson Tomasa were on target
for Bonaire in a 4-3 Win.
"With conMence, good fighting spirit
and the will to win, Bonaire were Ihe big
surprise,· said Surinam manager Kenneth
Jaliens. "The\, had some smart and last
attackers With good individual strength:
Hopefully this could be the slart 01
good times for Bonaire. World Soccer has
forwarded the membership application
to Kanhai at the CFU - and the islanders
could prove Vlorthy members. W5
I'oQR\.O SOCCER 39
Wasps on
a rmSSlon
•
•
The national team have
become the focal point for
the regeneration of a nation
I
! takes a lot to Impress Mllutm
''lItho 5redojevic, the coach of
Rwanoa's national team. As the sun
sets over Kigali's Amahoro stadium,
with lush green hills riSing darkly on
the horizon. 500 Rwandans watch in
reverentiill Silence as their nauonill team
- theAm<MJbi (the wasps) - train lor an
upcoming 2014 World Cup Qualj�er
against Eritrea.
It is an Idyllic scene, more rehgious
festival than training match. Yel
Sredcjevic. stands in the centre circle
unmoved, his lace like granite, barking
orders at his players. A Serbian whO has
coached top AfriCan club sides in Sudan
and Ghana, and scouted in SO of Africa's
56 ((untries. he has only got to know
his players over the past few weeks.
BUI he has been hired precisely lor
his miitary style 01 management. Time,
after all, is a precious commodity when
trying achieve something that has never
been achieved before: take Rwanda to
the World Cup finals.
"Talent is talent no matter in what
country in the world; says Sredojevic.
"I"m happy we have the talent, but
that talent needs strong matches,
strong challenges.
"Tlis country had a very p.linful
experience in 1994. Football is a way to
heal those wOIJOds that 1994 made. I"m
counMg myself as a soldier on that rQild
40 WOIIlO SOCUR
'
'
to put the medICine mto the healmg:
Rwanda's "p.linful experience" is
an inescapable subtext every time the
country is mentioned. Most national
teams in Africa, like in the Middle East.
have had to overcome the political
and social realities of war, rellOlutlon,
instability or corruption to survive. But
no country provokes that same powerful
imagery quite like Rwanda.
In 1994, some 800,000 people
were butchered in just eijght months
during one 01 the most brutal orgies
of vkJlellCe �nce the Holocaust. The
Amahoro stadium became a focal
point during the Violence, an HQ for
the overrun UN forces in Rwanda.
Under the false mask of protection it had
turned into a makeshift refugee camp.
"We were up to 12,000 In here;
says Romeo Dallaire, the man in charge
of the UN peacekeeping mission in
Rwanda, when asked about the football
stadium in the documentary Shake
Hands With The DeVIl.
"All you see is people and clothes,
and so the place looks absolutely, totally
out of control. It became... sornething
like a concentration camp. We were
out there protecting them. but while we
were out there, they were inside dying:
When the film was released, its
premier was held at the Amahoro. In
such a small country the deaths had a
devastating impact on every aspect of
society. Most of Rwanda's footballers
were murdered or simply disappeared,
and its league destroyed.
The transformation 17 years on is
remarkable. On the surface Rwanda has
stability and the rule of law. PoliCeman
hand out parking tickets and the streets
are clean and tidy thanks to a law
banning the use of plastic bags,
designed to protect the country s
burgeoning tourism sector. But few talk
of the genocide except in euphemistic
terms, as if scared to reopen old
wounds. Today, large numbers of
amputees still move slowly and silently.
like ghosts, among the survivors. Under
the surface of normality, activists also
complain that president Paul Kagame
is becoming just another AfriCan leader
who can't tolerate dissent.
'
A new generation
But the rebuilding of a nation has also
involved the rebuilding of the national
football team. The Wasps qualified for
their first-ever African Nations Cup in
2004. More significant was Rwanda's
appearance at the Under-17 World
Cup m MeXICO in June last year. It was
a watershed moment as the team was
made up of players born during or after
the troubles - Rwanda's first genUinely
post-genocide team.
Celestine NtagUl)glra. presklent of
the Rwanda oo\�! FederatiOn, �
one of Alrica's- greatest refe{ees and
has tasted what It means to be part of
the biggest show on earth. He escaped
Rwanda before the genocide and
officiated at twn World Cup finals,
in 2006 and 2010, as well as two
African Natiom Cup finals. He now sees
qualificatiOn for the 2014 tournament
as the next log cal step in Rwanda's
sporting rehabilitation.
"For me, being p.lrt of the referee
team at the World CUD was the top of
my career: sa')s Ntaguogira. "You see
after the genocide we have built another
national team, another generatiOn of
footballers, CQilches, referees. Honestly
it's another nation. Everything was new.
You can see, football IS better than 1 0
years ago.
'If Rwanda play in the World Cup it's
a big achievement. The news won't talk
bad things about Rwanda. They will say
we have good players, a good team and
not mention .9Jr genocide. Football can
giVe: a good II1'\ilge of our co"l.l'ltr.,'i
.
But SredOiEjVIC's IT)paign diCln't pet
off to the Oest 1)f starts. It was a short
Journey to Eritrea but no one knew
anything about their national team. After
all, Eritrea is a country considered to be
one of the most isolated, repressive
regimes on the planet. Dozens of players
have fled while on internatonal duty to
avoid national service and pursue a
better hfe. Yet Rwanda stillwent behind
in the first half to Entrea - a team
ran�ed 190th by FIFA - before
equalislf'.g in the second hollf through
Elias Uzamu�unda, Rwand�'s only
lorelgn-based prolessional who plays
for Cannes In France.
Tentative steps
Four days later the Amahoro is almost
full for Ihe return malch. The vuvuzelas
and a lull military marching band can
be heard in the tunnel as the two teams
wait next to each other, nervously
anticipating their cue. Srecojevic gives
some last-minute instruction to his
captain Olivier Kare�ezi, before they
walk out into a riot of noise.
SredojevlC's advice wor�ed. Within
"After the genocide we have built
another team, another generation
of footballers, coaches, referees"
��Rwm:IonFoolbolJ. f�prw;Id.nt
three minutes Kare�ezi had bundled
the ball into the net. Two more !IOals
follow, and even a late consolation
for Eritrea and a blast of tropical rain
can't dampen the spints 01 the crOWd.
Rwanda had taken their first step
towards history and a new be9lnning lor
football in the country. After the game
hundreds 01 children crowded around
the team bus lor a chance to touch their
heroes, screaming excitedly as the
players touch them bac�. Everyone
is happy, except Sredojevic.
•, would rate our perlormance, given
the room for improvement, as two out of
10,' says the cooth of the 4-2 aggregate
Victory · " m entirely not happy:
Later he spas with any Rwandan
journalists who dare to question his
decisions in the post-match press
conference. ·You are a very talented
guy, give me your phone number so I
can send you on some coaching course
because it loo�s li�e you know this
material; he replies caustically to one
In Decerrber SredoJeviC proved he
knows what he is talking about. taking
Rwanda to the Final of the regional
CECAFA toumament, only lOSing to
Uganda on penalies.
t
He has Si� months
to prepare fer World Cup qualification
and has promised to scour professional
leagues in Europe and the Americas to
hunt for players from Rwanda's diaspora.
The Wasps tc�e on Algeria, Mah and
Benin in Group H and will be9in their
campaign with the toughest match of
all: away to Algeria, who qualified lor the
finals in South Alrica.
Maybe vi(\ory against one of the
continent's strongest sides might finally
put a smile on SredojevlC's face...but
don't bet on t ws
WOlU) SOCCER 41
.
(
.. ""< .1'
..
*
•
'(
t:
...
0
�
w
11\
t:
S
t:
�
I
�
f'i;Jttl':':0'i[.]:FJ,lj:llQ;J4914�'1
And now for
something
completely
different ...
The 2012 African Nations Cup finals
will feature a number of new teams
and has the potential for upsets.
Mark Gleeson sets the scene
T
here was WIdespread carnage
in the qualifiers for the 2012
African NatiOns Cup as some of
the continent's biggestnames
failed to make the cut rrt05! notably the
reigling champions Egypt who finished
bottom of their group.
With Algeria, Cameroon, Nigeria and
South Africa also miSsing out the 2012
tournament in Equatorial Guinea and
Gabon marks what could well herald a
sigf'lil'lcant shift in the balance of power
of African football
Ivory Coast Ghana, Morocco and
Senegal head the list of the 16 Qualihers
although the likes of Guinea, Mali and
Zambia will all fancy their chances of
upsetting the old order.
The lvorians will take an experienced
and i:I star-studded SQuad 10 the
three-week tournament in B�ta, Malabo,
Franceville and Ubreville, but they will
also arrive wrth the knowledge that their
golden generatIOn needs 10 deliver.
They are the highest placed nation
in the FIFA rankings (at 16th) and have
looked to be the team to beat at the
last three NatiOns Cups, yet a penalty
-
.
,
44 WORtO SOCCER
shoot-out defeat in the 2006 Final,
followed by two lack.lustre quarter-final5
points to a failure to deliver on the biggest
tournament 5tageS.
For players such as Didier Dl'O!lba,
Kolo and Y�a Toure. Didier Zokora and
Emmanuel Eboue time is running out and
thiS may be their last chance to fulfil their
potenMI at iflternauonal level,
Ghana are still on something of a high
after reaching the World Cup quarter­
finals in South Africa but will again be
going to a tournament without the
presence of the innuential Michael Essien
- and also face a battle to keep the
experienced John Mensah fully fit Their
key man IS likely to be Asamoah Gyan
although there are also big injury doubts
hanging over the mercurial striker in the
run-up to the tournament A5 a result,
much responsibility will lie on the young
shoulders of the Ayew brothers,
Senegal, who dismiSsively dispatched
Cameroon in their qualifying group,
have a forward line brisding with talent
Mamadou Nlang, Moussa Sow and PapiSS
Cisse all scored freely in the qualifiers and
have bounced the lions 01 Teranga fight
UnbridledJo'f _l'CStatk
" '9"" fans <�I�bnll� _
<1Hlntry'5 .hDdI 2 1 victory
OYN South Afrir.a
WOIIUI SOCUR 45
f'i;Jttl':':0'i[.]:FJ,ll:llQ;J4�14�'1
C O U P E DAFRI Q
D E S N AT IO N S ORAN G
G
46 I'oQR\.O SOCCER
0
-
E
GUlN E EQ UATORIALE 2012
-
back into the spotlight - drawing
comparisons with the 2002 !.ide who
made the World (up quarter-finals and
the Final of the African Nations Cup.
Sow was many pu ndits tip to be 2011
Afncan Footballer of the Year, yet did not
�n make the final trio of candidates.
However. he remains a real lhreat and
will be key to Senegal's hopes.
Morocco coach Eric: Gerets has
managed to mould together a very
competitIve line-up, Introducing a number
fourth during the 20005 and there is
� potential for them 10 at least go
as far this time around.
Tunisia are the only winners from the
previous nine ch ampiOnships to have
made it through qual�Ylng. �, their
recent form has been unconVIncing and
they only made it to the hnals courtesy
of Malawi conceding a 94th-minute
equaliSer to Chad.
Co-hosts Gabon will be backed by a
paSSIonate home support but a patchy
of second-generation European-born
recent record suggests they will do well
10 make it past
players. The days
of fights between
the goop stage.
home-based
Joining the
2012 could herald a shift
other co-hosts
stars and
in the balance ofpower
non-ArabIC
Equatorial Guinea
spealong
"Imports' are
of African football
now largely a
thing of the past and there is a growing
expectatIOn that thiS squad rn.ghtjust
have what it takes to land a se<ond
African Nations Cup.
0I 11le other contenders, the
unpredk:table Guinea have the potential
to go all the w� - it WIll just depend on
which team turns up on the day.
Twice ruf'lI'leI'S-up. Zambia been
consistent qualifier; for the final stageS
and, with coach Herve Renard back at the
helm. they will once again be aiming to
90 that one step further and ddlm a fir5t
African mle. Mali have also gone close
at previOus tournaments, twice finishing
as debutants in
the final stages
are Niger and
Botswana. Niger came through
a toU)h group whICh also
included Egypt and South Africa thanks
to a 100 per cent home record, although
their form � from Niamey has been
far less Impressive.
Botswana lost only once in their fIve­
team goop but have had their build-Up
disrupted by a threatened players' strike
CNer bonus payments.
Making up the hnaliSts are the 2010
hosts Angola, Burkina Faso and the two
runners-up in qualifying With the best
record: Sudan and Libya - who played
all but one g<I-ne aw"'l from home. WS
WOR\.O SOCCER 41
f'i;Jttl':':0'i[.]:FJ,ll:llQ;J4�14�'1
ANGOLA
Palancas Negras (The Sable Antelopes)
fiROUP B SCHEDULE
PREVIOUS BEST PERFORMANCE
22.01.12
26.01.12
30.01.12
Quarter-finalists 2008, 2010
Burkina Fa:iO
S"'�
Iwry (oMt
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
04.09.10 Uganda (al
0-,
09.10.10 Guinea-Bissau (hI 1-0
26.03.11 Kenya (al
,-,
05.06.11 Kenya (hI
,-.
,-.
04.09.11 Uganda (hI
08.10.11 Guinea-Bissau tal 2-0
t
GROUPJ
'"""
........
,,""
G-Bissa...
Angola's place in the finals was
four coaches since they hosted
only secured 00 the last day 01
the 2010 edition, but Uto Vidigal
stage frigtJI arid ceded the groop
After taking over in January
to the Polancas Negros, who are
2011 he took a team of home­
flOW in their fourth successive
based players to the Final of the
African Nations CtJp finals.
African Nations Championship,
Although the Angolan
6
2
11
2
4
4
8
S
2
8
3
POPULATION
18.5 million
TOP SCORER IN QUALIFYING
TACTICS
4 goals
Angola will play a tightly
controlled passing game,
with Manucho and Ffavia
Manucho
proven scorers at African level.
a tournameot for home-
football leder<ltion has perpetual
based players ooly. And that
flnandal wo«ies - despite the
state coffers being flush with
performance has proved the
catalyst for a series of improved
oil money - tittle expense will
displays. from the senior national
be spared ahead of this year's
side - although, ultimately, it
tournament, and the south
was Uganda's failure at the last
African side have a good chance
hurdle - when they needed
of fini5hing in the top two 01
to take only one point from
Groop B In Malabo and making
their last two games
- that opened !he
Angola have been through
6 3 2
6 2 2
0
6
Ilas now steadied the ship.
QualificatiOn wheo Uganda got
the last eight fOf a third time.
, W 0 , , , '"
6 4 0 , 7 S "
Lb._
iLi&&I
S
"
I
1
M!.II
door for Angola.
KEY PLAYERS
ANDRE MACANGA
Ncm 33 and pl;tyYJg for AI
Jahra in Kuwait, he remains
the steely centre of the
natIOnal We.
Q.JALMA
:
-cc
=
=
=­
COACH
Clmfldy Angola's rfghest­
profile export. he was sqled
LITO VIDIGAL
One Of �ve brothers who
played professionally in
Portugal after their farnly
rTlCI'>'ed from Anc}:lIa.
this season by Porto from
M.ylllmo but has made
A1thou9'1 he was with
few appearances for the
BeIeroenses, he chose to
Portug.Jese champions.
play at iflteHliltional 1evel
lor the country 01 his birth
and represented Arl£Pa at
the 1998 African Nations
Cup. HIS yoooger brother.
luis, wa5 a full-back lor
Portugal at the 2000
European ChaJTli)lOllShp.
48 WORlD WCCER
FLAVIO
GILBERTO
United striker has s\C9)ated
OverwelQht after a
long Iay-off, he lKent/y
TriCky left-SIded player wrth
bags of e�perieoce and
snce the realisatOn that he
was not 9Of1!I to make rt at
joined Lierse from AI
talent Also with l.Jerse.
Shabab of Saudi Arabia
and �ored on his BelgIan
tClP-HM1n debut
Old Trafford. Currently ....t., h
Ileal Vallado!id in Spain.
MANUCHO
The former Manchester
\tloI.Jg1 he has also had
loan spells 10 Turkey.
BOTSWANA
The Zebras
6ROUP D SCHEDULE
PREVIOUS BEST PERFORMANCE
24.01.12
28.01.12
01.02.12
Never qualified before
Gtkln;)
Guinea
Mali
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
,-.
01.07.10 Tunisia (a)
09.07.10 Chad (h)
11.08.10 Malawi (a)
04.09.10 Togo (h)
17.11.10 Tunisia (h)
26.03.11 Chad (a)
,-.
,-,
,-,
,-.
,-.
.-.
.-,
05.06.11 Malawi (h)
04.09.11 Togo (a)
t
-
6ROUPK
F
A
Po.
7
3
17
8 4 2 2 14 ,
8 2 , o 13 8
"
P W 0
8ot!wana
8
Tullisiil
""..
a shock 1-0 win in Tunisia a week
Botswana are one of the many
",go
'''''
5 2
l
before the 2010 World Cup Final
- a result that went almost
unnoticed amid the build-up
TOP SCORER IN QUALIFYIN6
to the Spain-Holland C}ame.
5 goals
BotswaM's self-belief grew
finalists Togo and Tunisia,
as the campaign �sed and
and 2010 African Nations
the results keep going their way.
(up qualifiers Malawi, the'! f'dd
Their post-qualification schedule
saw them play two friendlies in
already made sure 01 ther- place
in this year's finals by the halfway
stage, becomiog the first team 10
come through the preliminaries.
The former whipping boys
Botswana use the flanks to good
effe<:t and have plenty of piKe
in atta<k. They can, however, be
Jerome Ramatlkhwane
naive at times.
'
:r:tl
m
;
,1
.
1
",,
)My,uI.JlH!!.!
'
:
1.!i
i
i
.
west Africa in November, against
i.li
Niger and Nigeria, in which they
managed huge confidence­
boosting draws.
have converted good YO\.Ith
TACTICS
, 3 4 , 10 ,
8 0 3 5 7 20 3
8
campaign, rompiog through
guup with past World (up
2 million
14
shock packages of the 2012
quali!katiOn in contrast to pa5t
performances. In a five-team
POPULATION
G
H
D
W
t
!l\1
i•h
iI W
it
,,
:
,i!II!Ii
The Zebras are now set
development into success and in
the eod they lost just one game
to play in their first finals
in Group K. They took momentum
excitiog time in their
from their first qualifier, recording
football history.
in what is the most
COACH
Modiri MARUMO
StanleyJSHOSANE
bit-part player lor Orlando
Pirates as they won last
Experienced goalkeeper who
plays for Bay United in South
season's South African Me.
Has already written hiS
legacy in Botswana's
Africa's second tier.
Jerome
RAMATLKHWANE
sporting hlstOl)' by taking
Phenyo MONGALA
the team to the finals,
despite contractual
problems. A former army
A pacy wi'lger who was a
FI\Ie goals In the qualifiers,
but has hardly played iIrrf
officer. he has been a long­
term fixture in Botswana
football but thiS is hiS first
intemauooal tournament.
club football �r the last
three seasons because of
KEY PLAYERS
a contrac.t dispute. Currently
with Vasco da Gama In
Mogogi
GABONAMON6
South Africa's second tier:
Dipsy SELOLWANE_
Problems a.-er bonuses
me...,t he Il"ISSed the fw"st
Also With SuperSport lJr1Ited,
he remains vital to the team
with Vejle of Denmark,
Plays for SuperSport l.Inited
before a couple of)'edfS
in MLS inthe USA.
half of the campaigl, but
in South Afnca.
he played br�fIy n Europe
WORl.D SOC{£R 49
BURKINA FASO
Les Eta/ons (The Stallions)
fiROUP B SCHEDULE
PREVIOUS BEST PERFORMANCE
22,01.12
26.01.12
30.01.12
Fourth place 1998
Ango�
Ivory Coast
Sudan
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
09.10.10 Gambia (h)
3-1
26.03.11 Namibia (h)
4-0
04.06.11 Namibia (a)
4-1
08.11.11
1-1
Gambia (a)
GROUP f
,
S'klna Faso •
Gambia
•
Namibia
•
W D
,
F
A
'"
, , ", ,
, , 2 5 6
, 0 3 3 11
"
•
•
1
t
POPULATION
TOP SCORERS IN gUALIFYING
4 goals
Alain Traore
2 goals
Aristide Bance
15.7 million
TACTICS
Burkina Faso are quick on the
IJobeaten in qualilyiog and (lear
winners 01 their" goup, Burkina
Faso's participation in the flilais
finishers in the two unrelated
After he played in the retum game
Traores, Abdou Razack and Alain.
will ooly be confirmed by the
in Windhoek, Namibia protested
Court for Arbitration in Sport
against his eligibility. Although
shortly before the tournament
gets under way, following a legal
challenge by Namibia.
they have lost two legal challenges,
For the past two years coach
counter-anack and have good
federation arod government, who
arranged for the requisite passport
the situation is only likely to be
resolved on the eve 01 the finals.
AtxIov Razack Traore has also
Paulo Duarte has been trying out
switched nationalities in recent
uncapped Africans that he knew
months. He joins a squad with
from their club careers in his
00 shortage of strike power,
native Portugal. One was
camerooo-boro delemler Herve
with Moumouni Dagaoo and
formf!f Bundesfiga forward
Zengoe, who made his deoo t
Aristide Bance also
against Namibia in March 2010,
battling for a place
with the backing of the Burkinabe
in the line-up.
KEY PLAYERS
Charles KABORE
A talented utility player
with Marseille in France.
;
;;M
i
l!i1.
o:::m,
4
'l
."
tl
ilII
i
i
Mahamoudou KERE
nailed ris rok:u's to the
mast after making ris
&nina Faso debut ag<!lIlSt
Jlemibia in the qualifiers
The Bu"ki"labe (aptain
played lor a decacIe in
8elgiool beforeJOining
Turkish club I<onyaspor
Plays for Ledla Gdansk
in Poland.
Alain TRAORE
S:riker with French club
Auxerre, he is a gaduate
0: the PfillE'te ChampOO
COACH
Paulo DUARTE
The 42-year-old played
and then coa(hecl at Uniao
leiria before taking the
Burkina Faso job. In 2009
he tried to combine his
national job with waching
French (Iub Le Mans, but
as they struggled in the
relegatiOn zone and the
2010 Nations Cup neared
he was given an ultimatum
- and he chose the
Burkinabe pos�ion,
50-.nSOCUR
academy in �,
in 2010. Played in the 2004
and 2010 AfriCan NatiOns
Cup finals.
Jonathan PITROIPA
Plays out WIde lor French
club Rennes. who he joined
in 2011 from Hamburg Of
Germarr;, but has also been
used in the centre of
midfield by his country.
Abdou Razack TRAORE
Born Ifl I\.Qry Coast. he
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
GROUP A SCHEDULE
PREVIOUS BEST PERfORMANCE
21.01.12
Never qualified before
25.01.12
Nzalang Nacional
29.01.12
in November'S World Cup
qualifiers they fielded an ex­
Cameroon International from
former African champioos TP
Mazembe who had never before
had anything to do with
Equatorial Guinea.
The Confederation of African
100(1)0311 haS turne(l a 0110(1 eye to
nationality issues for years, but
CAF could hnd this tournament
overshadowed by controversy if
Equatorial Guinea achieve decent
results and other nations oDject
to their cheating. However, even
with home support and a line-up
of mercenaries, do not expe<:t
them to make much of an impact.
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
Qualified for 2012 as co-hosts
The competition's CO-hOSIS, and
Doe of three newcomers \0 the
finals stage. Equalorial Guinea's
preparations 10f" this year's
African Nations (up were not
helped when French (oacn Henri
Michel walked out two wEeks
before the tournament began.
A country with a clear
polilY of importing foreign­
born players to strengthen
the national side, il is noll' down
to a Brazilian, Gilson Paulo, to
COACH
GILSON PAULO
A former academi dffi:tor
at Rio de Janero club Vasco
da Gama, the Brazilian was
called n to re�ace Henri
MiChel when the frenctvnan
Quit as national team coach
during the build-up to the
finals. The 62-�ar-old has
al!oO v.orked at Dlal<!. Bangu
and Por\ug.Jesd Jl Brazil,
Gilson Paulo took. chcYge of
the Nz(J/CIlfJ Nociona for the
first ttme onJanuary 5, for ()
friendly match against South
Africa in Bata, justsix days
before having to name his
final SQUad. t.tchel - who
led Ivory Coast to the 2006
Final, where they lost on
penalties to Egfll! - W<]lked
out on Equatorial Gufnea
after complanng about the
poor working Wndltions and
outside i"lHueoces.
p,
, O"p
"""L.,.
"',
O,
'"
A. '
_
_
_
_
_
_
0.7 million.
TACTICS
The first priority will be to find
consistency in an ever-Changing
team. Tiley field a lone striker
and thrte central midflelders.
assemble a team from the
assortment of South Americans,
Cameroonians, Senegalese and
Nigerians who have been given
cash and handed passports to
play in competitive matches
over the years without any
consequences. despite clear
violations 01 FIFA statutes.
In October they fielded
three Colombians in
a friendly against
CamerOOfl, and
KEY PLAYERS
'
J_aVjet.. B�LB
_ OA
_
,-
-,-and
Former Real Madrid
Benflca player who had
been left out of the side
followllg an arg.Jmem
O'.'er corrmitmem to the
Equatorial Gunea cause.
May make a retllll to action
under the new coach.
lawrence DOE
JUVENAL
Uberia-oorn central
defender who was
naturalised after two years
of club football in ECJJatorial
GIIf1ea but now plays in
Oman lor AI Shabab.
Spain-born, alt/"lol.Jgl tis
fathef originally carne from
Equatorial GUll1E!a, he has
played for 14 seasons n
Spanish football and IS
currently with Sabadell.
Narcisse EKANGA
RANDY
v.oJ!lD SOCCER 51
f'i;Jttl':':0'i[.]:FJ,ll:llQ;J4�14�'1
GABON
fiROUP C SCHEDULE
27.01.12
Ni'}t<
Moroc(o
31.01.12
Tuni�
HOU2
The Panthers
PREVIOUS BEST PERFORMANCE
Quarter-finalists 1996
automatically as hosts for the
2012 finals and playing a steady
diet of friendlies over the last
22 months. A series of mediocre
performances brought about
a minH:risis in recent months
and coach GefllOt Rohr was
threatened with the sack before
ne weamered me stonn.
There has been unexpected
success for Gabon's under·23
team in qualifying for this year's
Olympics, but this has beeo a
double--edge sword be<ause it
ramps up already unreasooable
eXpec!.iltion on a national team
with limited potential.
HOW THEY QUALIfiED
Qualified for 2012 as co--hosts
The cO-hosts were at the last
African Nations Cup in ArIgoIa
and thought they had gone
through to the last eight after
a draw with Cameroon in their
last group game in Benguela.
Iiowevef, it turned out they had
misunderstood the rules. Alter
finishing in a three-way tie at the
top 01 Group ( they suffered the
embarlCl5sment 01 celebrating
blissfully only 10 be hit with the
cruel reality that they had been
eliminated on head-to-head
results once they got back to
the dressing room.
Gaboo have not played
any competitiVe �
sioc€', having
QUalified
-
t
POPULATION
1.5 million
TACTICS
The pace of Aubameyang feeds
off the ¥I'Ofk of the bullying
frame of Meye up front, but the
defence is prone to mistakes.
P,erro Emerick Aub<tmoynn!l"
KEY PLAYERS
Pierre-Emerick
AUBAMEYANG
COACH
Gernot ROHR
Born In Germany 001
schooled in French football,
he coached Nantes before
takJlg the Gabon job in May
2010. He has also worked at
TuniSian dub Etoile Sahel,
was n charge of Bordeaux
and Nice in France, and
enja,'ed a playmg career
at Bordeaux and Bayern
MlJlich among others.
52 I'IORlD SOCCEII
permanently lrom Milan
before the fIlals. HiS father
IS a lormer capL'lrJ of Gabon.
lailed to make the !POe,
Il1(Mng on to Angel; and
now Lorient
Bruno MANGA
Eric MQUlQUNGUI
Beefy defender who was
once with Boroeaux but
Has been conYeTted from a
striker to a midhelder. where
hi! now plays for French
club NiCe.
Didier aVaNa
(oal�who has often
come 10 Gabon·s rescue.
W�h Le Mans in France.
GHANA
The Black Stars
GROUP D SCHEDULE
PREVIOUS BEST PERfORMANCE
24.01.12
8otsw�na
Winners 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982
28.01.12
M��
01.02.12
Guinea
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
,-.
.-.
,-.
,-,
,-a
,-<>
05.09.10 Swaziland (a)
10.10.10 Sudan (h)
27.03.11
03.06.11
(ongo (a)
Congo (h)
02.09.11 Swaziland (h)
08.10.11
GROUP I
, w . , ,
,
�,
o B ,
16
8
,
B
'-'
6 5
6 4
6 ,
4 5
10
6
Swaziland
6
0 0 6 ,
14
0
,....
5...."
POPULATION
24.2 million
tournament and both are
3 goals
Prince Tagoe
Ghana nave an edge in their
currently with Marseille the team their father won the
2 goals
Emmanuel Agyemang.
conditioning and squad depth,
footbdll proud at the last \VOfld
(up by reaching the quart1!r­
European (up with in 1993.
Missing will be the injured
Nations (up despite two changes
Michael Essieo and Germany­
of coach.
born Kevin-Prince Boateng, who
Althou� they did stumble
was happy to play lor Ghana at
early on in their qualifying group.
the Work! (up but has n()Yi retired
from International football - the
they re(!:wered to finish top and
qualify with aplomb, winnng
away in Sudan in the decisive tie.
0
TACTICS
Jordan Ayew will play in this
qualifying for the 2012 African
1
t
'"
TOP SCORERS INQUALIFYING
The Black Stars made African
finals, aod they have steered a
steady course since Sooth Africa,
Sudan (a)
Asamoah Gyan
and their confidence will be
boosted by recent achieYements.
prospect 01 missing Sefie A action
for Milan seeming unpalatable.
Ghana were rUMers-up at the
The Black Stars have won
last African Nations (up but have
four African Nations (ups and
not won the tOll"oament 5ince a
17-year-old Abedi Pel e emerged
if they take a fifth they will
90 se(OO(i on the list of
as a new star al the 1982 finals in
all-time winners
Tripoli. His two sons Andrn aod
behind Egypt.
KEY PLAYERS
Kwadwo ASAMOAH
Udmese midfielder who
plays a clever role behind
the lead striker.
(OACH
good for keeping him sharp_
Goran STEVANOVIC
John MENSAH
Took over In February 2011
and is the third successive
coach from Serbia at the
helm. Former Yugoslavia
internaljonal who spent
most of his playing career
at Partizan Belgrade before
spells in Spain. Portugal
and Greece. He has also
!.eIIeral useful utility roles.
coac.hed Parljzan.
Plays for Marseille.
AI Aln in the United Ara
Emirates will not have Deen
Powerlul centre- back wrth
Hoflenheim in Germany.
WOIIlD SO{CER 53
f'i;Jttl':':0'i[.]:'I<I):JQ;J:W14�"
GUINEA
Syli national (National Elephants)
fiROUP D SCHEDULE
PREVIOUS BEST PERFORMANCE
24.01.12
M31i
Runners-up 1976
28.01.12
8ot�niI
01.02.12
Ghan.J
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
05.09.10 Ethiopia (a)
4-1
1-0
10.10.10
Nigeria (h)
27.01.11 Madagascar (a)
05.06.11 Madagascar (h)
04.09.11 Ethiopia (h)
08.10.11 Nigeria (a)
GROUP B
,
1-1
4-1
1-0
2-2
I I
• �,
,
W 0
,
Guinea
6
4
2
0 " 5
..
Nigeria
6
3
2
1 12 5
11
Ethiopia
6
2
3 8
7
....""'" 6
0
5 4 t4
t3
POPULATION
10 million
TOP SCORERS INQUALIFYING
2 goals
UstKping Nigeria in their
qualifying groop suggests
that Guinea could be potential
spoilers at this African Natioos
(up. They afe usually a tricky,
unpredictable outfit who have
made a habit of punching abO\le
their weighl, reaching three of
the last four tournament
quarter-finals.
A last-minute goal from
Ibrahima Traore in their final
qualifier, away to Nigeria in
Abufa. ensured they lopped
Bobo Balde, Ismael
Bangoura, Oumar
Kalabane
TACTICS
Guinea's trump card is their
ability to swiftly move to
the counter-attack.
the group and put their hosts
out with a rip-roaring 2-2 draw.
With four wins and a draw, they
are one of only a handful of
sides to finish the 2012
qualifying campaign unbeaten.
The current squad is drawn
almost exclusively from
European clubs, which gives
them a competitive edge,
but their preparatioos
are often shamoolic
because of a lack
of resources.
COACH
KEY PLAYERS
Michel DUSSUYER
Alhassane BANGOURA
After being fired for fail ing
to tal:e Benin into the
quarter-hnals at the last
Afncan NatOns Cup, he
returned to the Guinea Job
in May 2010. havlI'lg been
in charge in 2004 when
they reached the last
eight of the tournament in
Tun�. He was assistant 10
fellow Frenchman Henri
MiChel when Ivory (oos!
were runners-up in 2006.
t
_
_
_
A new teenage talent
who has broken into the
hrst team WIth Spain's
Rayo Vallecano.
Ismael BANGOURA
Had his best spell at
Dynamo KieV in Ukraine,
but has now gone for petro
dollars in the United Arab
Emirates w�h AI Nasr.
Kevin C�NSTANT
__
Temperamental France­
born midfielder who plays
for Genoa in Italy and is a
regular in the national leilm.
Sadio OIALlO
Has taken up a role in the
centre of midfield of late.
Set to join Rennes from
Bastla in the European
winter transfer window.
54-.nSOCUR
Ibrahima TRAORE
France-born WInger v.tIo has
Jilyed in the Bundesliga for
the past four seasons. WIth
Hertha Berlin, Augsburg and
row Stuttgart.
IVORY COAST
The Elephants
6ROUP a SCHEDULE
PREVIOUS BEST PERFORMANCE
Winl1('fS 1992
22,01.12
Sudan
26.01.12
Burkina Faso
]0.01.12
Angola
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
04.09.10 Rwanda (h)
3-0
1-0
09.10.10 Burundi (a)
27.03.11
Benin (h)"
2-1
05.06.11 Benin (a)
03.09.11
Rwanda (a)
6-2
5-0
09.10.11
Burundi (h)
2-1
"ptoye<l al a neutral V('fl(J('
GROUP H
p W D
A
Pts
IYOIY (oast
6
6
D D 19 •
18
R�'"
6
, 0 • 5 15
6
Burundi
6
, 1 7
,
5
"0"
6
,
n
5
,
F
1
,
I I
POPULATION
20.6 million
TACTICS
TOP SCORERS IN QUALIFYING
Ivory Coast's star-studded squad
will be hoping to capitalise on
they have changed coach and
won nine games. with one draw
their quality and experience this
and a loss, in a run that included
time, having been the form team
beating Italy ifflay in a friendly.
at the last three Alriciln Nations
The only loss came in Poland in
(ups only to Hounder at the
November 2010, while they were
crudal rTlOffiefIt.
Eliminated at the flrSI hurdle
held io Port Elilabeth by South
- admittedly in tough gooups - in
The draw appears to have
The lvorians strength is a tight
Oidier Drogba
Wilfried Bony,
Gervinho
defem/!, a surging midfield and
Ihe finishing ability of Drogba
up front.
I1
.
Africa in November.
the last two World (ups, there is
handed Didier Drogba and his
tittle doubt about their ablity bot
learn-males an easy group in
the consistency needed during
their 13th finals and they will
three weeks of rigorous activity
looks to have been missing in
be looking to match the
achievement 011992
past tOUfnarJ1('flts.
and 2006: reaching
Since the 2010 World Cup
4 goals
3 goals
t
!iii
. ..
the Fioal.
KEY PLAYERS
_
_
_
Seydou_ DOUMBIA
__
FClI"\\Ml WIth CSKA MoscON
who WIll be expected 10
make an instant impact
when he comes off the
substitutes' bench.
Didier DROGBA
The Iong-servng Chelsea
striker is stili key to the
team WIth a phenomenal
COACH
Francis ZAHOUI
Holds the distinction of
goaIs-lJJ-9'lme ratio for
hIS CCU"ltry.
GERVINHO
being the firS! black African
These days the Arsenal
10 play io Serie A, al\:hour,11
he spent most of his career
striker's artistry and speed
in the French league. He
Elephants' hopes turrt
succeeded � Goran
Eriksson after the 2010
World (up and led the
Iwrians throuoJ"l ltleJ"
is the �t on which the
�aTOURE
Didier ZOKORA
NcM> with TrabzorlSpor io
The younger 01 Manchester
Turkey, the captain has
City'S TOIJe brothers is a
switched from mKlfIeId to
qualtfying goup with a
powerhouse who provides
centre-back and could �
100 per cem record.
the muscle In midfield.
100 caps dlJ"iog the finals.
I'.()I!I.D <;o{CER 55
f'i;Jttl':':0'i[.]:FJ,ll:llQ;J4�14�'1
LIBYA
The Mediterranean Knights
fiROUP A SCHEDULE
PREVIOUS BEST PERFORMANCE
21.01.12 Equatorial Guinea
25.01.12 Zambia
29.02.12 Senegal
Runners-up 1982
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
05.09.10 Mozambique (a)
10.10.10 Zambia (h)
28.01.11 Comoros (h)'
05.06.11 Comoros (a)
03.09.11 Mozambique (II)"
08.1011 Zambia (a)
• ployetJ at a neutral venue
0-0
1-0
]-0
1-1
1-0
0-0
GROUP C
Zambia
p W D
L
F
A p"
, 4
1 11 ,
, , , 0 ,
MoLlmblque 6 , 1 , 4 ,
libya-
The achievement 01 qualifyilg for
the finals will ultimately be hailed
as a remarkable triumph for a
country whose civil strife forced
them to play five of their six
games away lrom home. Alter
beating liJmbia in Tripoli at the
start 01 the campaign, their
remaining "home" matches were
played in Mali and Egypt
multiple personality chiJnges
- celebrating a vic!Of)' over
Comoros in the preliminaries in
5.7 million
,
TACTICS
The revolution to rid the
another had relatives killed in the
, o 1
TOP SCORERS IN QUALIfYING
1 goal
POPULATION
"
"
5 2 14 1
•• qualified as best runners-up
'_M
t
six different players
Zuway is the team's target man,
backed up by quick wide men
in Cheri and Kahatroushi, while
Mahamat is the creative midfield
supply line.
March with chants in lavour 01
Gaddafl and his regime, to the
emotive wearing 01 the colours
of the libyan revolution when
they played their last two games.
Two of the players even
fought with the rebels, while
country 01 Muammaf Gaddafl
NATO air raids. Yet despite all
splintered the squad ami left
libya having to rebuild their team
this Ubya went throu!tl the
by the time they finished their
reach the finals for
campaign. The side went tlvou{jl
the third time.
W
i
!,gI
lt
M!;'!i.
E'!I!Iiiliim�
QUalifiers unbeaten to
KEY PLAYERS
Samir ABOUD
The 39-�ar-old goailreeper
was the hero of the last
qualifier WIth saves that
kept the country on track
lor the fflaiS.
COACH
Marcos PAQUETA
The Brazilian was Saudi
Alabia's coach at the 2006
World Cup fflals before
siglng a fOU""-�ar deal with
tibviJ in mid-20l0. He was
not paid for some 5e\IeJ1
months because of the
f9l1lng. Ouing this tme
he stayed in Rio deJaneIro.
but paid tis own W<fj to
jom up WIth the team for
the QUalffiers.
56 WORlD SOCCER
Walid KAHATROUSH!
FoughtWIth the rebels
dIKing the anti-Gaddafi
reYOIutJon but roow back
to playing football.
Djamal MAHAMAT
Tre
pnt'I pl<J'te!"
a
Emipean chAl, 1]e IS"\
midfield playmaker WIth
Portug.;ese siOe Beira Mar.
Ahmed SAAD
Now in TI,I"VSIiJ WIth
Club Africain, the veteran
pI� tvs countr(s last
Afncan Nations Cup finals
appearance in 2006.
AhmedlUWAY
Tall striker who isO
aC;;
"""'
O
;;;
"
,w
for defenders and IS another
\\"110 appeared at the 2006
African Nattons Cup. Plays
lIith BilertJl in Tunisia.
MALI
Les Aig/es (The Eagles)
GROUP D SCHEDULE
PREVIOUS BEST PERFORMANCE
24.01.12 Guinea
28.01.12 Ghana
01.02.12 Botswana
Runners-up 1972
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
04.09.10 Cape Verde (a)
09.10.10 Liberia (h)
26.03.11 Zimbabwe (h)
OS.06.11 Zimbabwe (a)
03.09.11 Cape Verde (h)
08.10.11 Liberia (a)
GROUP A
0-'
2-'
,-.
'-2
3-'
2-2
,
,
• '"
, 3
2
(ape Verde , 3
2
Zimbabwe , 2 2 2
Libefi/l
,
2 3
9
7
7
7
, ...
.
7 ,.
5 8
12 5
,
.."
W 0
• Mali had a berterhead-CO-head
recordagainst Cape Verde
Given the number of gentine
stars such as Mohamed Sissoko
top-class players in Mali's ;quad,
and Mahamadou Diana, arK!
the country has promised much
CHer the paSI few years but
refuses to gel excited abool
the return to the squad after 18
months of self-imposed exile of
delivered very little.
(up, in Angola, they fouod
old." says Giresse, who was at
themselves in a modest group
the la5t African Nations (up
yet maoaged to lose at the first
hurdle, throwing away a four-goal
with Gabon afld took oYer
from Stephen Keshi after Mali's
lead in the opening match il9'lil'lSl
spectacular cr.lsh in Luanda.
wins afld three losses, with the
(ape Verde Islands, and there
vic.tories coming in key Afric.an
is a feeling they could yet crack
Nations (up qualifiers aod
the defeats in friendlies
Frl'fIch coach Alain Girtsse
TACTICS
Mali play with a single striker,
TOP SCORER IN QUALIFYING
4 goals
Chekk Diabate
Mali's record in 2011 was fOUl"
the hosts. To qualify this time
they edged past Zimbabwe and
has written off Iong-staodilg
14.S million
usually Maiga, and then tuck the
key components of their attack
just behifld him.
Seydou !Ceita. "They are all too
At the last African Natioos
under real presSIJre.
POPULATION
. .1,
ill
1
:
!l!
n
M
"
III'
and in a qualifier
in Zimbabwe.
KEY PLAYERS
Adama COULIBALY
Veteran centre-l>ack who IS
the captain of the team and
now at Auxerre.
Modibo MAIGA
now on loan ilt Nice
from BordeiIUX.
The Sochaux striker's
£7million Il1IM! to Newcastle
United fell IIYoI.q1 .,
Kali,ou TRAORE
Imposr,g figJre in the
December after concern
r:Ner his knees.
midfield who has played
club football in Morocco,
Croatia afld now Denmark.
with Odense.
COACH
Alain GIRESSE
Played in the WOrld Cup
finals wrth France and was
a mem ber of their El.I'(lpean
Championship winning
SIde in 1984. HIS coaching
«lreef hils been much 1es5
distilgJlShed, with spel15
at Toulouse .nI Pc.is
$aillt-Germain in ligJe 1,
Seydou KEITA
The Barcelona midftelder
ended a long exile from the
and CNerSeaS asSlgllments
natjonaI team in O<tober.
at Royal Armed Forces in
Morocco and the national
teams ol �, Gabon
bdou
A
TRAORE
Has come thfOlJljl the jQJtt1
ir1d now Mali.
raf\I!:s of Mali football and IS
WORlD SOCCER 57
f'i;Jttl':':0'i[.]:FJ,ll:llQ;J4�14�'1
MOROCCO
Atlas Lions
GROUP C SCHEDULE
PREVIOUS BEST PERFORMANCE
23.01.12
27.01.12
31.01.12
Winnm 1976
Tunisia
Gabon
Niger
HOW THEY QUALIfiED
04.09.10 Cen African Rep (h) 0-0
09.10.10 Tanzania (a)
1-0
27.0].11
Algeria (a)
0-1
04.06.11 Algeria (h)
4-0
04.09.11 (en African Rep (a) 0-0
09.10.'1
]-1
Tanzania (h)
GROUPO
w , ,
,
,
�,
3 2
8
2
"
(en AIr Rep 6
2 2 2 5
5
8
Algeria
2 2 2 5
8
8
,
,
Moroc(o
,
,
Taozania
,
2 3
, ,
POPULATION
32.2 million
5
TACTICS
TOP SCORER IN QUALIFYING
2 goals
Defensive-minded midflelders will
protect the back loor and allow
Marouane (halTMlkh
8oussoufa and Taarabt to display
their talents.
Morocco have been to four
absence of big guns such as
World Cups, stretching back to
Cameroon, Egypt and Nigeria.
1970, and qualified lor 14 African
The age-old problem of
Nations (up tOllrrwmeots, which
trying to integrate Europe-born
makes them one of the
immigant children with local
continent's most successful
leams. But although they wJI
players in the natiOnal side flnaHy
be among the favourites thi. year,
appears to be CI'JeI", mainly because
most of the current squad hails
it is 36 years since they have
from the diaspora. Young players
African champions.
and elsewhere in western
been able to call themselvei
Abdolhrun.id £1 Kaoutnrl
I
.
H
.I
born in Belgium, Fiance. Holland
After miSSing the last
tOUfnament, and play.-.g poorly
Europe to Moroccan parents
now provide a sleacty
in Ghana in 2008, this year is a
stream of quality
golden opportunity due 10 the
talent
lJla'-:tI
I#!IIII!1.
1..
1!!.I"
3
Mehdi BENATIA
Born in France, plays roc
Udir.ese in Italy and
apparentJy on the radar of
several lOp English clubs.
Mbark BOUSSOUFA
Holland-born, he was \()ted
the best player in Belgum
(OACH
Eric GERETS
Took rNer late last iWI" and
steernd Morocco to top
place in their qualifying
goup. The former Belgum
defender played in two
World Cups and has
I
KEY PLAYERS
nauonal team strateg,-.
MakhachJ<.1la in RUSSia.
Adel TAARABT
before being lured to Anlh
Ismail AISSATI
I
during ris lime at Anderlecht
was
Marouane CHAMAKH
jOb as a natiOoal team boss.
S8-.nSOCUR
Does not play req.Jlarly for
ris club !.ide, Arsenal, buI. is
still a key component of the
Queens Pan: R;ngers
forward who is bac.k in the
s(Ie after storlTlllQ out of
the squad in June, ooty to
be Iorgven by Gerets.
Mena Stars
GROUP C SCHEDULE
PREVIOUS BEST PERFORMANCE
23.01.12 Gabon
27.01.12 Tunisia
31.01.12 Moroc:co
Never qualified before
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
04.09.10 South Africa (a)
10.10.10 Egypt (h)
27.03.11 Sierra Leone (h)
04.06.11 Sierra Leone (a)
04.09.11 South Africa (h)
08.10.11 Egypt (a)
0-2
'-0
3-'
0-'
2-'
0-3
GROUP G
, w , , , • '"
6 3 0 3 6 8 "
South Africa 6 2 3
4 2 "
Sierra leone 6 2 3
S 5 g'
2 3 5 5 5
Egypt
6
• Nk;w beot South Afrlco and Sierro
ll"OOf' "" 0 three-wr,y Mod-to-/IeQd
15.7 million
TOP SCORER IN QUALIfYING
01 all Niger's play as they look
,..,
POPULATION
TACTICS
Maazou proves the centre piece
Determine,LDan Kowa (In white) halts South AIriY's leIoo IIIodise in Niamey
There have been fewer weaker
teams at past African Nations
Cup finals thall the Mena �,
whose Illckname comes lrom
the 10CiI1 WOfd lor a gazelle.
Despite entering every
tournament sinCe 2000 they
\Wre not even on the rad...
whellthe preliminaries!>egall
ill September 2010, alld h1Kl just
11 wins ill 42 qualifying games
stretching back intermittently
to 1970. Drawn with defeoJillg
champions Egypt aM 2010 World
Cup hoSIS South Africa, Nil}E'r
were looked UPOIl as nothing but
cannon fodder ill their groop. 50
it was arguably the biggest shock
in the history of the qualifiers
when they finished top - albeit
because of the stupidity of
South Africa, as Niger won on
a thn!e-way head-to-head when
Sooth Africa settled for a dfaw
because they thought that
goal difference would see
them through.
Niger did well at home in the
qualifiers but were hopeless
on the road arld these
finals could prove
CM'rwhelming.
2 goals
Moussa Maalou
AmadouJ CADER
__
Part of a colony of players
from Niger at Cameroon
.. ..�
�
.
-
the only Asia-based player,
outside the Middle East.
at the 2012 frlals.
Moussa MAAZOU
Boubacar ISSOUFOU
dlamptOllS Coton Sport
p "
'·ffl!!!I§'iifltll\'i
Confederation Cup with FUS
Rabat of Morocco last year
but was recelltly sqled by
Raja Casablanca
KEY PLAYERS
I
,'
I
:
!!l!I
It;!.I!!l
'
to feed the burly striker with
plenty of opportunities.
Midltelder who plays club
football in Thailand with
Ptluket and is likely to be
L'"
'
.-
The big strikef has struggled
ilt dub ieYel liitely while OIl
loan to Zulte Waregem of
BeI<)lI1l from CSKA Moscow.
-
COACH
Harouna Doula GABDE
A former international
full-back, he took OIl
the job in 2009 but has no
experience outside the arid
west African country and
his ()I,Vrl federation are now
begming to doubt whether
he will be able to cope WItt1
the tournament pressure.
French coach Rolland
Courbis has been brought
in to help him.
Kassaly:DAOUDA
Goalkeeper who competed
n the 2008 CAF Champions
League Fnal for Coton Sport
0' """""'"
Alhassane ISSOUFOU
won the AfriCan
WOIII.D SOCCER 59
f'i;Jttl':':0'i[.]:FJ,lj:llQ;J4?14't'l
SENEGAL
Uons of Teranga
GROUP A SCHEDULE
PREVIOUS BEST PERFORMANCE
21.01.12 zambia
2S.01.12 Equatorial Guinea
29.01.12 Libya
Runntm-up 2002
HOW THEY QUALlFIEO
05.09.10 Congo OR (a)
09.10.10 Mauritius (h)
26.03.11 Cameroon (h)
04.06.11 Cameroon (a)
03.09.11 Congo DR (h)
09.10.11 Mauritius (a)
4-2
7-0
1-0
0-0
'-0
'-0
GROUP E
,
So_
(��
(ongo OR
Mauritius
,
,
,
,
w ,
5 1
, 2
2
0 0
,
'"
' " 2
' " 5
3 10 11
G 2 22
"
11
7
0
,
,
I -I
POPULATION
13.7 million
TACTICS
TOP SCORERS INQUALIFYING
A three-man attack is key,
A decade after exploding 0010
top scorer in France's Ugue 1 last
the African football scene ....ith
seasOfl, while (isse came second
in the Bundesliga goalscorM'lg
a team that were only denied
victory in the 2002 African
S goGls
4 goals
Mamadou Niang
supplemented by a strong
Papiss Cisse,
tackling and a physically
Moussa Sow
imposing midfield.
charts, and their credentials at
Nations Cup Flnal by penalties
international level were firmly
and reached the World Cup
displayed in the toughest of
quarter-finals the same year,
qualifying !Toups in whkh they
Seoegal have prodoced another
exciting side 01 similar potential.
romped past former continental
champions Cameroon and the
In Papiss (isse. Moussa Sow
Democratic Republic of Congo.
and Mamadou Niang they have
as any previously seen at the
In the 10 months leading up
to the end of 2011, Senegal won
11 games, drew one and lost
tOUfnament and have a legi:imate
just once - in a friendly
a strike force which is as lethal
claim to be regarcled among the
favourites in 2012. Sow was the
against Morocco
in August.
KEY PLAYERS
Paf:l'iss (ISSE
5<ored 22 goals for Freiburg
in the Bundeshga last
season. the second best
retum of the camPd91.
Alncan Nations Cup Mals.
Mohamed DIAME
Plays lor AI Sadd III Qatar.
WlQ<ln Athletic defensive
midflelcler whose past
performances have attracted
Moussa SOW
interest from Premier
Scored the s'
goa "CC
",
=
,=
,
ook
and SpaIn's Sevilla.
Ffance last season.
league rivals Arsenal
Ule to the leagJe IJtIe III
COACH
Amara TRAORE
Regarded as the elder
statesman of the 2002
team when he W4S COOlIlQ
to the end 01 his playing
days in France, where
M clubs inCluded Bastia,
Souleymane DIAWARA
Marseille centre-bock
GlJeU!1IOIl and MeIZ. Coach
who made hrs debut for the
since December 2009.
national t
he has just been offered
a COfltract extension by
the fede!atlon.
60 WORlD WCCER
10 yelfl a�
Mamadou NIANG
Will compete in his fOLI1h
SUDAN
Falcons ofJediane
GROUP B SCHEDULE
PREVIOUS BEST PERFORMANCE
22.01.12 Ivory Coast
26.01.12 Angola
30.01.12 Burkina Faso
Winners 1970
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
04.09.10 Coogo (h)
10.10.10 Ghana (a)
27.01.11
Swaziland (h)
05.06.11 Swaziland (a)
04.09.11 (oogo (a)
08.10.11 Ghana (h)
2-0
0-0
]·0
2-'
'-0
0-2
GROUP '
G_
"""'"
CO""
Sw;uilalld
, w , , , . '"
, 5
' " , "
, •
, 8 , "
, 2 0 4 5 10 ,
, 0 0 G 2 14 0
POPULATION
31 million
• quoIi(led as secOtid-/ltu fUtlflff'-IIp
TACTICS
TOP SCORERS IN QUALIFYING
an entirely home-based
members of the (oofederatlon
01 African Football, Sudan are
SQUad, with almost all the
player; comiog from the two
among the five past winner;
big Khartoum clubs. AI Hilal and
of the trophy in the 2012 field.
AI Merreikh. The two clubs have
Their title success came in
emerged as serious contenders
1970, but their appeafiloce at
for African titles in recent years
the 2008 finals in Ghana was
and the increased exposure
a first successful Qualification lor
to top competitioo has been
positive for the natiooal team
32 years. Although a lot more
competitive of late, they a'most
Abdallah says he would like 10
losing at home 10 Ghana 00 the
see more of his squad play for
�nal day of the qualifiers, only
dubs abroad, he accepts it is
to sneak in as ooe of the toYO
also a bonus having a
best runners-up,
home-based squad
situation in African footbaH with
2 goals
Mohammed 8i5ha,
conlidence in 'root of goal and
Muhamed Tahil
strength in defence.
too. While coach Mohamed
missed out this time round when
Sudan are in an unusual
Technically proficient with plenty
01 ability. However, they lack both
One of the four founder
':t:!I!:!:lllm:n
l:m:mM12''':ua
which allows time
I,
!\,;!M
itU
for extra work.
Mahjoub El M0
';i
''
' Z,=
:.
COACH
Loog-standing g;:>alkeeper of
a settled side with more than
Mohamed ABDALLAH
led SUdan to their !I"St
African Nations Cup
60 '''''
appearance in 32 years
in 2008. but was replaced
Haitham MOSTAFA
afterwards - only 10 return
engine belies his 34 years.
Veteran captain whose
a ye?L later for a secood
spell n charge. He was first
apponted national team
coach n September 2004
and as a player he was a
Sudan internaoonal.
key international �
Omar BAKHEIT
Attackilg full-back who
Khalifa AHMED
Has emerged in the last ye?L
as vital delensi'o'e cog.
IS one of seYefal who also
played In the 2008 African
Nations Cup finals.
WOIII.D SOCCER 61
f'i;Jttl':':0'i[.]:FJ,lj:llQ;J4?14't'l
TUNISIA
The Eagles of Carthage
GROUP C SCHEDULE
PREVIOUS BEST PERFORMANCE
23.01.12 Morocco
27.01.12 Niger
31.01.12 Gabon
Winnm 2004
HOW THEY QUALlFIEO
0-'
,-,
,-,
,-,
0-'
5-0
0-0
'-0
01.07.10 Botswana (h)
11.08.10 Chad (a)
04.09.10 Malawi (h)
10.10.10 Togo (a)
17.11.10 Botswana (a)
05.06.11 Chad (h)
03.09.11 Malawi (al
08.10.11 Togo (h)
GROUP K
• W 0
8olswallil'
8
Tunisia'
8
l
5 2
F
A
7
,
• 2 2 " ,
2 6 0 13 8
POPULATION
."
11.2 million
17
"
Malawi
"
8
8 , , 4 6 10 ,
....
8 0 , 5 7 20 ,
'''''
• top two in Group K qualified
Despite a tumultuous 12 months
for the country - dlXM1g wtich
side Esperance ellded a 17-year
drought in the (AF Champions
TOP SCORER IN QUALIFYING
the people's revolution toppled
the regime of Zioedine Ben Ali
CIIld sparked winds of change
league Final in November.
6 goals
The national side did, howevef;
TACTICS
Tunisia are a strong side, with
plenty 01 enterprise, but may
lack con�dence aher struggling
to qualify.
IssamJemaa
leave It late. lying third behind
throughout the Middle East ­
lUMia's national team have
qualifted IOf a 10th soccessr,oe
African Nations (up finals.
In a season in which the
unstuck in
domestic league was suspended
had no problem in seeflg off
be<:ClU5e of the violence, Tunisia
Togo, it all seemed irrelevant
still managed to win the African
as Malawi led in Ndjamena
Nations Championship (for
- until Chad mal'lilged
international teams made up of
an equaliser deep in
home-based players) aod cub
added time.
I!
'
hi
MI.
'Ijf!'-
KEY PLAYERS
disciplinary record with
Sami ALL�GUJ
_
'c---c
Germany-born striker WIth
to be desired.
Mamz who made tu debut
in 2008 but has only
recently become a regJlat:
Karim HAGGUI
Esperance leaves rruch
HanoYef delender who
made his international debut
at 19 iI'ld is now captaJl of
COACH
Sami TRABElSI
TUOISIa have been t/Yt:x.q1
lOll'" coaches sn:e the last
African Nations (up. but the
1998 World (up defender
has brought stabilityafter ris
appointment inJanuary. He
had success at the CHAN
Champior'5tVp WIth the
home-based team and
Yassine CHIKHAOUI
Tall utility player who has
batUed his way tlYour,tl
�I i'junes back II'lto
cootentton. Plays lor ZuriCh
in Switzerland.
has managed to Int�te
them WIth the country�
fore9l-Dased stc."S.
62-.nSOCUR
Oussama DARRAGI
Clever midfJelder whose
the side. some 60 caps and
� years later.
Hocine RAGUEO
Defensive mdflelder who
p ays lor K.Yabukspor in
Turkey and stabilises the
national side.
ZAMBIA
Chip% p%
(The Copper Bullets)
GROUP A SCHEDULE
PREVIOUS BEST PERFORMANCE
21.01.12 Senegal
25.01.12 libya
29.01.12 Equatorial Guinea
Runners-up 1974, 1994
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
OS.09.10 Comoros (h)
10.01.11 Libya (a)
27.01.11 Mozambique (a)
04.06.11 Mozambique (h)
04.09.11 Comoros (a)
08.10.11 Libya (h)
4-0
0-1
2-0
1-0
2-1
0-0
GROUP C
,
w ,
,
,
• '"
""'''''
6
• ,
,
"
2
"",
6
Moumbique6
3 3 o 6
2
3 •
,,�
0
6
B
12
6
7
POPULATION
13 million
5 2 ..
TACTICS
TOP SCORERS INQUALIFYING
Chansa controls the game and
1 goals
Chris Katoogo,
Emmanuel Mayuka
Zambia have reached 11 of the
he had led them to the top 01
last 12 Afrkan Nations (up finals
- a I'&ord spoilt only by missing
out in 2004 following defeat in
their lJUup. The Italian had been
imposed on the cash-strapped
football association by the
government, who paid his salary.
with Booetti sourced by the SOIl
Beoin amid allegations of
manipulation of the game by
match ofocials - and they will
have ambitions of making the
final four after finishing runners­
up twice.
After fmishing ahead of Libya
in their QUalifying groop. the pair
are drawn together. It was the
0-0 home draw with Libya in
October that led to Dario Sooetti
being fired as coach, even though
runs the show from midfield.
Sut while there is a lot of speed
and strength ahead of him, the
defence is a little Immobile.
01 preident Rupiah Banda, who
worked in the embassy in Rome,
When Baoda 1051 a re­
election bid in September, the
association moved to get rid of
the Italian, who they had never
beeo happy with but were
prepared to tolerate
as they were nol
paying for him.
Kennedy MWEENE
This will be a fOlXth
SUCCessM? AfriCan Nations
(up for the penalty-taking
keeper who plays for South
Africa's Free State Stars.
COACH
Herve RENARD
The Frenchman has
adfTlltted he W<lS geed)' and
made a fTlIstilke in leaving
Zamoo to take up a job olle­
from Anglla after the last
AfriCan Nations CUp He
lasted just six months and
dk! not hesnate to return
when Zambia asked him
back in October.
Emmanuel MAY
_ UKA
The jQI.I"lgeSI player at the
2007 Under-20 '...vor\d (up
and 2008 African Nations
(up. Now 21 he plays for
Swiss Side YO.lr,g Bc:rts.
Collins MBESUMA
Now with Golden ArroNS
in South Africa, he flopped
during spell� In England,
Portugal and Turlley.
WORl.O SOC{£R 61
, PLAYER l�.
Blogra:QI1Y
_
_
_
Didier
Drogba
The big Ivory Coast striker has made his mark both on and
off the pitch for the land of his birth. By Nick Bidwell
A
proven marksman with Brest,
Angouleme, Ounkerque, Besancon
and Abbeville in the French second
division for much of the 19805,
and an Ivory Coast internallonal
on 30 occasions. Michel GODa was
by no means a shabby player.
His greatest achievement in the
game, however, is surely the part mat he
has played in the upbringing and football
education of a nephew who spent a
large proportion of hiS formative years
under hiS uncle's root.
Influenced by economic malaise
in the Ivory Coast and the conviction
that France offered more in the w;o,y
of prospects. Didier Orogba's parents,
AiDer! (a bank employee) and Ciotilde (a
ta� office worker), twice packed their son
oft for lengthy SOjourns with his uncle
Michel. The boy was just five when he
�rst left home and certainty had his
problems adjusting to a new life far
from the famity cocoon in the Yopougon
district 01 the cap�al Abidjan. But hiS
"Chez Goba" period undeniably helped
shape his destiny and laid the building
blocks for what has turned out to be
a stunning career on the world stage.
Having a footballer for a legal
guardian not only sparked Orogw's
IQlle of the game but also a burning
desire to emulate hiS father figure.
With Goba there to advise and correct.
he had the ideal mentor and. without
realising it at the time, every day
was a lesson in how to make it as a
professional sportsman, with a unique
TIMELlNE: EVERY MATCH,
EVERY MINUTE, EVERY GOAL
w(
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Wtf Worla (up final!;
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In a 0-0 � dr.rw with South Atrka
in Ihe Atrican Nations Cup qualifiers.
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20112-2003
I'IOIIIlI SOCCER 65
FACT FILE
De a long and rocky one. He had to willi
until the relatively advanced age of 23
Dklier Yves
Drogba Tebily
to �nally have a shot in the French top
flight. with Guingamp in Brittany, and
before that all-important breakthrough
there were several setbacks to endure.
In 1991, shortly after his parents
emigrated to France in order to
reullile the family, they reacted to
their 13-year-old son's poor results
at sthool and I';pical teenage mischief
by not allowing him to play the game
for 1 2 months. Then, on jOining the
youth set-up at Greater Paris minor
league out�t Levallols-Perret III 1993,
he expenenced four decidedly mixed
seasons, alternating between the
excellent - goals galore for the juniors
had the club's le<:hnical director
Srebrenko Repeic conMently prediCtmg
bountiful tomorrows for him - and the
galling, which featured repeated injunes
and little �rst-{eam retognition.
However, convinced of his potential,
second diVision le Mans appeared on
MatioBality
""'"
'"
33 (11.03.78)
Piau 01 birth
Abidjan, I\/OI'Y coast
Keighl
6ft 21'.in (189m)
Position
F�"
Tums
le llans
t998-2002 (72
games/IS goals)
(juingatr'lp
2002-2003 (SO
games!24 goals)
Mar�lIIe
2003-2004 (SS
gamesl32 goals)
Chelsea
2004-pment (320
gamesl149 ooals)"
1'101')' Coast
2002-presI!flt (76
oames!SO�
Ho�"
Chelsea
Prnnier l@agui'
2005. 2006, 2010;
fA (UII20(17. 2009.
2010; English League
(lip 2005, 2007;
English COOYl'Ulity
SlW!ld 2005, 2Q09
•
Uf' to/mJ'
insigrt into all thejob entailed,
Goba, who after each of his matches
would make a point of handing Orogba
a swaJped shirt, was also respon!olble for
the youngster's predilection for leading
the line. In his hrst taste 01 organised
football, aged 1 1 at OunkerQue, Orogba
initialt-j lined up at right-back, only for
his uncle to tell him 10 assume the
centre-forward position. His rationale
was the unforgel1able phrase, ·Attackers
are the only ones noticed in this game:
Drogba dutifully complied and,
consoously or not, hiS playing style
would soon come to closely resemble
that 01 his uncle_ Although the Chelsea
and I\'ory Clhlst striker clearly has the
edge in terms of speed, phySICal power
and mObility, the pair do share many
similar characteristiCs, not least their
durabihty, �ghting spint, strength in the
air and a reliance on instinct.
The right option
Life is all about the dir&tion taken
at a pc!rticular set 01 crossrO<!ds and
Drogba certainly took the right option
in thiS instance, No adolescent switch
to the Iront line would have meant
no development into a 21st-century
phenomenon, the r&ipient of a treasure
tllest of trophies in his seven-and-a-haU
seasons with Chelsea, plus two AfriCan
Footballer of the Year awards (in 2006
and 2009), and wall-to-wall praise for
the way he has helped transform the
Ivory (oast into an international force.
Despite the knowledge bequeathed
to him by his uncle, Drogba's path to the
top of his chosen profess-on would still
May 19, 2004 - haYing .cored crucial goals in
prMous OllI.l'ICh, Orogba cannot lind the net In
the UEFA CUp FInal as MarseIlle lose 2-0.
Aug 2, 2003 - alterjoining Man.ellie from Guklgamp
in \he st.rnmer 01 2003, Dtogba makes his debuI
for his new dub.__� Guklgamp_
" .
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the scene in 1997 to oHer Drogba,
who was by now 21, a contract. Yet
once again his luck would I)e out. I n
his three-and-a-half seasons in the
first team he scored just 15 times
and, frustrated by hiS repeated spells
on the treatment table and an alleged
love of nightlife, the management lost
patience Wlttl tllm.
"HIS behiIVJour wasn't as profesSional
as it should have been; recalls Le Mans
recruitment chief Alain Pa;calou. "The
thought that he was wasting his talent
used to drive me crazy. In spite of all his
silliness, his ability was plan to see."
Turning point
Agent and close friend Thierno Seydi
claims Drogba was close to Quitting the
professional game at Le Mans and that
he needed a lot of persuading to keep
gOing. But persist he did, ancl in January
2002 his move to Guingamp proved to
be a turning point.
It is fair to say coach Guy Lacombe
was the only figure at the club who
thought it a good idea to tring in a
back-up striker from the second tier, but
there was something about Drogba that
he liked. At long last. feeling that he had
a boss who trusted and understood him,
the lvorian suddenly began to nourish,
and he forged a wonderful attacking
partnership With future France winger
and later Chelsea team-mate Florent
Malouda. who remains his best friend
in the game. and he ;core-=! 17 goals in
the 2002-03 lIgue 1 season.
What a difference a lew months
maKes. On a viSit to AbidjiWl early in his
$Ie., up-;ife with
French 0KIIIId divioion
dub I.e llano IIr"ought
tru.trnion lor Drogboo
Feb 27. 2005 - ",OO!Slhe wimer IG sean his tnt
piece 01si� at Chelsea as they defe.al l..iverpool
3-2 Mlef exn-time In lhelNQoe Cup F"m!.
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WOfILD SOCCER 67
Guingamp car�r, most of the people he
met did not bElieve him when he told
them that he was playlOg in the French
elite and, in exasperallOn, he had to flng
his friend Djibril Cisse, who was then with
Auxerre, for conhrmation.
Stili dted in France as the man
responsible for the emergence of
Drogba, lacombe InSists it was only
a matter of applying common sense,
claiming: "The important thlOg with
Didier was to make him realise there
were no limits to what he could achieve.
At first, when I demanded more from
him, he (ll(]n·t get It. Then the penny
dropped. GOlOg that extra yard. making
that extra effort. became second nature.
"Because he'd had his share of
disappointments before coming to
Guingamp he �new he had no margin
for error. He \'oas ready to grasp his
opportunity. t made it plain to him that
his conduct oil the pitch had to be right.
"That said. it is hard to walk on the
wild Side 10 Glingamp, the monastery
of football!"
Marseille fan
It soon be<:ame obvious that GUlngamp
- a small-town, corner shop of a club
in a sea of supermarkets - would have
to cash in, and in the summer of 2003
Lyon and Mar�ille were at daggers
drawn for Drogba·s Signature. lyon, the
dominant French skfe of the moment,
were sure their greater competitiveness.
plus the extra {30,OOO they were
offering in salary, would s� them home
and dry. But Orogba, who had been
a Marseille fan from an early age, was
more than happy to let hiS heart rule his
head and was absolutely overjoyed to
complete an (8million move to the
Stade Velodrome.
While man1 players sink Without
trace at Marseille, unable to cope with
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MIr"IOIIt . 01....
alYory (o..st
- scom both goals
itS Cl1IlI:s.ea beat Alsena1 2-1
in lhe league CUp F"NI.
Feb 25. 2007
the huge expectation and fans who turn
on a passenger-performer in an Instam,
Orogba was unfazed. The fervour and
passion spilhng down from the stands
brought the best out of him from the
word go, and in a wonderful 200304 season he could not stop scoring,
amasSing 19 goals in Ligue 1 and 1 1
more in Europe as OM reached the
Fmal of the UEFA Cup.
Sadly for the fans at ·Stade Vel·
their idol was not to stay 10ilg. Now
established among the leading strikers in
Europe, he was hot property, and when
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich put a
Jose Mourinho would wring even more
line-leading effe<tiveness and hunger
for goals out of him.
Lapses of diKipline
With his penchantfor simulation and
lapses of discipline - particularly his red
card In the Champions League Final loss
to Manchester United in 2008, and
a year later his foul-mouthed tirade
to the cameras following his team's
semi-final defi!at by Barcelona in the
same competition - criticism has been
a constant companion. Still, no one
can deny his massive contribution to
bid on the table i n July 2004,
OM preSident Christophe Bouchet
simply could not say no to the oligarch
windfall. Orogba was not best pleased
when told to pack up and leave what
he regarded as his spiritual home.
Reluctamly, to the poim of hOping
to fail his mediCal, he made tracks for
south-west London, where Blues cO<!ch
"'<ly 2t 2008 - _1 off n the (�
....
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L
loston po!IJaIties alter a 1-1 draw.
� 19, 2007 -another (up-wming gooll fOf
(�. thb; tme n the FA (up 1O <Ieny
Mancheste< l.IniIed the doutlIe.
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wow. 011 is
Chelsea. For years he has been the local
point 01 their attack and he will take
some replacing when he leaves.
Because of DrogOO's many years
as a resident of France, lacombe once
claimed that if the French lederaUon had
been QuiCker oil the mark. the big striker
would now be playing for Les Bleus.
Such an assertiOn hOllever, fails to
take into account the immense pride
Drogba has in his lvorian [lots. His most
vivid childhood memories are all AfriCan:
the three-a-side games he used to
take part in as a youngster In Yopougon
- usually weanng hiS favounte Argentma
shirt - and swimming in lake Banko
when VISiting his grandmother. Helene.
To his compatriots, he is just 'Tilo·. the
pet name given to him by hiS mother in
honour of the former YugOSlav leader
MalJhal Tlto , admired Tijo's �ghting
spint and wanted Didier to have some
too: she explains.
And don't the Ivorians ,ust adore him;
the evidence leaping to the eye every
place you look, with DrogN frescos
to be found on the external walls of
tluildings up and down the land. Then
,
. •
there are the massed ranks 01 kids
in Noll shirts and the Beatlemania­
like eXCitement whICh erupts whenever
he IS back in the country. It ordering an
extra-large beer, you don't ask for the
brand and the glass size. all you have
do is ask for ·a Drogba·.
Since making his lull debut for
Ivory Coast back in 2002 against
South AfriCa, Dragoo has proved the
cornerstone of hiS country's international
efforts, providing both goals and
teadershlp in helping them to Qualify for
the World Cups of 2006 and 2010. But
it is not only on the pilCh that he has
brought inHuence to bear. One 01 a
growing bandof sportsmen who believe
in the greater good, who stnve to make a
better societ�. the Ivorian skipper has felt
suffiCiently ergaged and empowered to
act as peacemaker In the long-running
civil war in hiS homeland.
Peace process
Alter Ivory Coast had booked their tICket
to the World Cup �nals for the �rst time,
in 2006, Drogba famously went down
on his knees in Iront of the TV cameras
to call for an end to the bloodshed. And,
thanks to his universal appeal, his plea
for talks not guns was heeded. Withm a
week a peaCE process had begun, and to
keep ewryone onside he put forward the
suggestion that an African Nations Cup
Qualifier against Madagascar should be
moved from Abidjan to Bouake, the
rebel stronghold in the north. Unifying
words plus urifying gesture equals
unl�ed countly.
This commitment to a world beyond
cheap celebrly continues to be part 01
his life. He has been appointed to the
Ivory Coast's 'ruth Clnd ReconCiliation
commiSSion. and in 2007 he set up the
Didier Drogba Foundation, which has
achieved some remarkable results,
particularly in its work with the Abidjan
Red Cross an:l fund-ralsing lor hospitals
and orphanages in his home land.
More power to him. W5
\\QRI.O SOCCER 71
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Facetoface
DIEGO
"For a Brazilian, to play in
Europe is still the dream"
The midnelder has spent the last seven-and-a-half years in European club
football and cost more than €50million in transfer fees
"
You have played in
Portugal, Germany, Italy
and now Spain. What
brought you to Atletico
Madrid, on loan from Wolfsburg?
'
I have joined one of the most popular
teams in Europe. one of the biggest in
Spdin, and one 01 the strongest leagues.
When you put those things together it s
a very attractive propositiOn, the perfect
combination. The decisions you take
always depend 0' the moment. the timing.
This is the second time thaI I have had the
chance to come to Atletko. The �rst time
the opportunity arose I had a problem
with Werder Bremen, who didn't want me
to leave for what was being offered. They
asked for more money, and it went back
and forth the usual thing last year [when
at Wallsburgl we spoke again and this
time it was immediate. I wanted to come.
The chance to play in Spain was very
important - and at a big dub too.
,
Does constantly changing teams make
it difflcult for you as a player?
It can be hard, but it depends on which
team you play for. If they have a system
that facilitates yoor play, In whICh things
come naturally and in which everyone
plays a style thatthey are comfortable
with. then it is easier. That did not happen
at Juventus. They had built a team based
on a speci�c Idea and then, with the
change of coach, everything changed. We
played well some games, badly in others,
but II just didn't quile work.. II was hard
for me. The other thing in Italy was that
when you're trying to play a neat, paSSing
game, based on ,kill, and you �nd that the
pitches are bad...
.
Really? In what way are they bad?
They're dry and jJSI, well, bad. Some
pitches are very bad. The ball bobbles
it doesn't roll. The Pitch isn't Hat or even,
whICh maf(es it hard to play the ball. Also,
Italian teams defend very well and mak.e it
74 WORlD SOCtER
hard for you. But that doesn't change
the fact Ihat as an experience it was
spectacular. I had a great relationship
with the fans and rTrJ team-mates. It
was also a great experience 10 play for
one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Does it sometimes feel like your
role, that of the playmaker, is
being squeezed out of football?
I hope not. There are nol many players
in that role now, bul you do see big teams
play with number lOs, so I don't think. it's
a problem. The role has changed a bit,
though. In modern football the number
10 has had to adapt, but there are still
players whose functiOn is to organise the
play. At Atletico we play a 4-3-3 and I
play in the middle. but there are other
obligations. At Barcelona. there's [Andres]
Iniesta who organises the play and has
Ireedom when he has the ball, but when
he doesn't have it he has to drop back.
into the middle. Then you have a player
lIk.e Xavi who plays deeper. closer to the
defence, but does it With the ball - It is
his role to organise the team.
Why do you think you have moved
around. from country to country,
so much during your career?
Every time I have moved It has been
because I had a better opportunity. It
happened when I was in Portugal and
I had the chance to move to Werder
Bremen. It happened from there to
Juventus. Maybe you could say that it was
different when it came to the next step.
Alter a year at Juventus a new coach
came in and a new sporting director too.
They had ddferent ideas and that led us
into a situation i n whICh they were looking
for a solution 10 the problem The solution
was a very good one - whic.h was lhe
chance for me to return to Germany,
where I had played well and I had really
enjoyed myself. The German league is
one that I really lik.e.
You left your homeland at 19. Are
Brnilians forced to leave too soon
because of the economic weakness
of the league?
I think that's changing. In recent years, the
Brazilian league has not been forced 10
sell players for financial reasons as much
as In the past. II there are great players
emerging now, like Neymar lor example,
irs not a question 01 money Brazilian
clubs can't k.eep an entire team together,
but they can k.eep two or three players.
The thing is that, for the player, the chance
to play in Europe in the Champions
League, at a big club, with the best players
i n the world, is still the dream. That's still
an objective
,
Your old Santos team-mate Robinho
went through a similar process to you,
but he was ultimately unpopular in
England. Do you thl�k the I:ng1ish
treated him unfajrly�
It's hard. You need patience and people
don'l always have thaI. Players always try
to do their best and when things don't go
well that player has his responsibility lor
it, Out those [the coac�esl that are trying
to use that player's talent also have
responsibihty. They ha\� to bring that
lalenl OUI; that's Iheir job. Robinho played
for a Manchester City learn that did not
SUit hiS style 01 play. I think. that was the
reason why he did not play well. But for
me he is still a spectacular player.
I:ngland is the one big I:uropean
league mining in your [ollection.
Would you go there?
It's one 01 the strongest leagues in the
world and the most competitive. There
are three or four teams that can Win the
league and that is attr�ctive. But I have
only just arrived in Spatn and I am happy
here. It's been everything I
wanted it to be; the st)1e is
good, the experience too.
Inte,-yiew by Diego ltibas
"
Facetoface
GIANLUCAZAMBROTIA
" A tackle is still a tackle no matter
which country you are playing in"
Milan's 34-year-old defender, who has won the World Cup and played for three of
the biggest dub sides in Europe, reRects on his career and reveals his future plans
"
You've played at the top
level In European dub
football with Juventus,
Barcelona and Milan.
What are the differences between
these great clubs?
I think that a big club is a big club even if
it is In a different country and these are
three 01 the most important teams In the
world. ' can genuine ly SiYf that there are
no distinctive or obviOus differences
between them - apart from at Barcelona,
who tactica11v ha'ie a different, clearly
defined style of play and a contrasting.
more attacking appro.:!(h to the game.
You played at Barcelona before
Pep Guardiola turned them Into the
all-conquering side they are today.
What was your impression of the
Barca side you played in?
I played in Catalonia between 2006 and
2008 and it was a pleasure. The �rst year
we ended on the same points as Real
Madrid but lost La liga be<:ause of the
results of our he�d to head matthes. The
�cond �ason \Ie reached the Champions
league semi-�nals and lost against the
eventual winners. Mar.chester United.
But, sadly, two seasons without winning
important trophies are two unsuccessful
years for a club like 8arcelona. These
were Frank Rijkaard's final days as
coach, but even then I had an idea
that something so-ecial was growing
with that grou p of players.
--
,
You joined Milan in the summer of
2008. What were the tacticaf changes
that you had to get used to?
For me, personally almost nothing was
ddferent when I arrived i n Italy fro m Spain.
It is true that the style of play wasn't the
same, but my job was identicaL I have
always played in a defensive � lour,
either at left-bad or at flght�bad;, so I
did not find it dlficult to adJUSt. A tackle
is still a tackle no matter which country
76 'M>PtD SOCCER
or league you are playing in.
You won a lot of Serle A titles with
Marcello Lippi and Fabio Capello at
Juventus. After more than five years,
what is your opinion today about the
Cakiopoli scandal of 2006?
I am quite bored with (oldopoli. There has
been far too much talking. I say every time
that I have won �ve Scudetti in my career:
four with Juve and one in Milan.
Why are so many veterans playing at
Milan? What is the secret of players
such as Clarence Seedorf, Filippo
Inzaghi and, before them, Paolo
Maldinl and Franco Baresi?
There are no particular secrets, but the
management at Milan is excellent and
they know perfectly how to look after
prolessionalfootballers. Every aspect,
both on and off the pitch, is considered
with great detail. As a player at Milan
all you have to do is think a bout football,
and that is a kind 01 heaven lor fNery
player. You also need to be very
professional by looking alter yourself
and those lootb<lllers you mentiOned
are highly dedicated.
Who are the best full·backs in the
world at the moment?
On the right I like Dani Alves or
8arcelona, and the other special full­
back is his fellow Brazilian, Maicon, who
has now had several excellent seasons
with InternaziOnale. I would also mention
Ignalio Abate, who is one of the most
promising youngsters at Mildn. On the
lelt-hand side I have liked Ashley Cole
in recent years, but since his emerger.ce
there have been no other players who
have truly excelled at left-back. I think
that Gareth Bale of Tottenham Hotspur
is � good but he is maybe more of a
fTlIdfielder tnan a defende[.
Would you prefer to win another
Scudetto with the Rossotff!ri or bring
home the Champions league trophy?
The Champions league, definitely. I have
never won the European (up. I lost a Final
in Manchester, when I :�Iayed with Juve
against the RoS5Oflf'n'. on penalties in
2003, Since winning the World Cup,
the one I want most to get my hands on
Defore retirement is thIS most important
ot club trophies. I think the C hampions
league is important for Milan too because
they can earn more money from it. That
said. last year we were very happy about
winning the Srudetro a'ter hve years of
Inter dominance,
What are your plans for your life after
you retire from playing?
I have already opened a sporting
complex in my home town 01 Como. I
have always maintained a strong bond
with my birthplace and that will continue.
I remember that in the summer of 2006
I organised a party on the lakeside during
which I showed the World Cup trophy to
the people of Como. I think that I will
work With youngsters in my sports centre,
where we have many football pitches, a
swimming pool and a gym. That is rTri plan,
You have had a glittering career, but
which game do you tonsider to be
your best-ever performance?
We have to go back to the World Cup in
Germany, in 2006, and more precisely to
Hamburg, where we played our quarter­
final match against Ukraine. I scored the
first goal and I made all assist lor Luca
Toni, who netted the second. We won
3-0, we reached the �mi-ftnal and I
was extremely proud of my performance
that day. I also played a good match last
season in the derby game against Inter
in April. when we won 3-0, but I think the
World Cup quarter-hllal was
definitely my best ever, I
still smile when I think 01 it.
I"terview byLuca Fe"ato
.
"
I'IQR\.O SOCCEll 77
------------------Tactlcs
•
Winning ways
Jonathan Wilson explains how Sudamericana Cup-winners
Universidad de Chile have developed a distinctive style
You wonder what Marcelo elels.a must
think of it all. In 2011 the two most
successful club sides in the r;orld have
t>een Barcelona and Universidad de
(hile. Both play hard pressing. attacking
football, often golllg with three at the
bade In other words, they b)lh play
8Je!S/sta football - which raises the
question of why the man himself is
leading Athletic Bilbao to upper mid­
table in Sp;lin rather than managing
one of the continent s giants
It is probably that he is tOO idealistIC
and unable to deal with the politicking
and compromises necessary for those
in charge of the biggest organisations '
something he perhaps demonstrated
by his troubled handling of Juan Roman
Rlquelme when in charge of Argentina s
natiOnal team. His theories, however,
have taken rOOI and are starting to
dominate the .....orld game.
Although Pep Guardiola s Barcelona
remain a side !"lat draws its baSIC
principles from Rinus Michels. Johan
Cruyff and the Dutch school of the early
1970s, the radicalism of late is derNed
from a fuSion of the BieiSista and
rotaalvoetbal models.
The use of a midfielder, in Sergio
Busquets, in the defensive line to inillate
attacks is a dassic Bielsa ploy - he is
doing the same with Javi Martinez at
AthletIC - as is the principle that the key
battles should, as far as possible, be
conducted in the opponent's territory.
'
.
'
FLAMENGO 0 0 4 0 UNIV DE CHILE, SUDAMERICANA, 19.04.11
•
•
Varied and effective
Universidad de Chile coach Jorge
Sampaoli is an out-ancl-out disciple 01
Bielsa HIS basic model is a 3-4-3, With
striker Eduardo Vargas (now With Napoli)
cutting in fromthe right. Where Sampaoli
stands out, though. is In hiS tweaks for
individual games, which have been
extraordinanly varied and hiQhly effective.
Perhaps the most strikmg was the
away game at Flamengo in the last 16
of the Sudamerkana Cup La U lined
up with a back four. with two highly
.
Dlsdple
• •• 5am1MOll
•
•
.
•
78 WOIIIlH()(CEII
LDU QUITO . 0
1 0 UNI DE CHILE, SUDAMERICANA, 08.12.11
o
""
0
0
•
attacking full-backs in Matias Rodriguez
and Jose Rojas, and the holding
midhelder, Marcelo Diaz, Sitting deep
to cover. Vargas' habit of orifting in from
the right Hank placed him n exactly the
area to exploit a 4-2-2-2 such as that
played by the Brazilian side, making the
most 01 the SPdCe, in the area behind
the attacking full-back Junior Cesar,
who is forced to get forward to provide
Width in what is otherwise a very
narrow system.
Seemingly petrihed of Vargas' pace,
Flamengo Sill deep, which gave GUSliIVO
Lorenzetti, the Chilean side's playmaker,
time and space, somethlflg augmented
•
0
0
V�"'"
0
0
•
i
•
foaz
0
t: Cion;za/",,;z
� MUJa
ifaJ�;JU�:Z •
'!I
0
HCev,.dc
0
La Uwon the continental title in
what is becoming recognised as
the characteristic Chilean style
by the fact that. WIth Eugenio
Mena and Charles Aranguiz to
support him, La U had an extra man
in central mklfleld.
With lull-back Rojas so attacking
- he scored the opening goal from
an attack channelled through Vargas'
exploitation of the space behind Junior
Cesar - there was perhaps a risk that
Thlago Neves would be insuf�ciently
looked after, but that's one of the
subskllary advantages 01 the high
press: the game Simply took place in
another part of the pitch. restricted
almost entirely to Flamengo territory.
La U won 4-0, but their domination
was even more complete Ihan that.
The same personnel started the
Quarter-�nal away to ArseMI de Sarandl,
but Rojas was used as a tnrd centre­
back, With Mena taking on the wing­
back role on the left ftank. That meant
the shape was effectively a 3-4-1-2,
but With Oiaz dropping deep to pick
up Arsenal's EmiliO Zelaya
Away to Vasco da Gama in the
�rst I� of the semi-final. Lo U used
a lopsided 3-413, but lost cootrol of
me midfield. Sampaon was preparing
a change as Vasco took the lead after
0
c
'!I
•
.f"�.i<i$
Jot 6onUIIl'!.:Z
33 minutes, but his switch, taking
off lorenzetti, who had looked lost
in a deeper midfield role, to bring on
Rodriguez and shift the more naturally
deep-lYing Aranguiz into the middle,
turned the game, and his side found
an equaliser 1 1 minutes from time.
Before the first leg of the Final. away
to lDU Quito, the suggestion was that
Sampaoli would opt for a comparatively
defensive approach and playa 4-4-2.
When hiS line-up was confirmed an hour
before kick-off the assumptIOn still was
that Lo Uwould be playing 4-4-2. On
the pitch, though. it soon became
apP<lrent that Albert Acevedo, who
replaced the forward Francisco Castro,
was playing not as a centre-back but
just in front of the back three.
That may not sound like much.
biJt it gave Sampaoli's side two clear
adVantages. For one thing, it meant
Acevedo could pick up Ezequiel
'!I
..
o Gonu.l :z
Gonzalez, lOU's playmaker. lt also
meant that La U's two wing-backs,
Rodriguez an:! Rojas, could play higher
up the pitch and so engage LDU's
wmg-backs In their own hall, again
conducting ttle battle in OPPOSition
territory. Ln Uweren't as emphatic as
they had been in earlier rounds, but their
1-0 Win - secured as Vargas, cutting in
from the fight, latched on to a Dlaz
through ball - was comfortable enough.
They completed the job With a
comfortable 3-0 win at home, becoming
the first Chilean side to win a continental
competition ifl 20 years. More than that,
though, they did it in what is t>ecomlng
recogflised as the characteristic Chlleafl
style. Bielsa's time as flaliOflal coach
brought some fine performances and
made Chile a Side neutrals wanted to
watch, but It also implanted a philosophy.
It is lhat harvest that La U and SamP<loli
are reaping. W5
WORLO SOCCER 19
Soccer Cities South of France
Peterjon Cresswell visits a region that
plays host to some of France's most
passionate supporters
H
orne to Mar5eille - the only French side to ever be
crowned champions of Europe - the Stade Velodrome
remains one of the continent's most atmospheriC
arenas. And as winners of five consecutive ligue 1
championships - before the fifth in 1993 was later withdrawn after
a match fixing scandal - the club have also fielded some of the
country's biggest names.
Jean-Pierre Papin, Mar(el Desailly and Didier Deschamps, along
with foreign imports ChriS Waddle, Rudl Voller and Klaus Allals. all
represented COM in the late 19805 and early 19905 as flamboya nt
president Bernard Taple brought some footbalhng glitz and glamour
to the south coast
But Marseille are not the region's only top-night outfl!. with
Montpellier - who went In:o the winter break second In the table
this season - and Mice, who were the dominant team of the 19S0s,
also making their mark
Seven-times league champions Mona(o, who were UEFA
Champions league runners up In 2004, have fallen from grace
recently and now languish at the foot of Ugue 2. Meanwhile Mimes
and Cannes have both been in the top tier but are currently even
further down the league pyramid.
-
.
-
,
LOCAL HEROES
Some 01 French footb;>ll's
most falTlOl.lS names st;Jfte(i
their C¥eers down on lhe
south coast linedine Zid�e
and Palrick Vreira (bolt!
Cannes), Eric Cantona and
Jean Trgana (Caitlolais) and
Lar.rent Blanc (Montpellier)
all started down by the
Mediterranean.
In lacl, Canlona must
have really enjoyed pl<lyillQ
there as he also
DIARY DATES
ltaly\ Internationale visit
the Stade Velodmme on
February 22 IOf the first leg
01 their UEFA Champions
leagJl:' round of 16 (lash
with Mar�,eme.
The stadium stages
a mae local affair when
Moolpellier visit on Marc:h
31, I'ofHie L'OM travel to Nice
a week earlier (Marc:h 24/.
These days Monaco,
NilTli's and Cannes play in
levell two, three and IOU"
respectively, with matches
normally played on Friday5
Of S;lturdays.
80 WOIIlD SOCUR
DES
DE LA
STADE PIERRE DE
COUBERTIN
I
so mile
. '
.
The area of Franc:e bordeoog the
Atlafltic Oteal'l is known � Ie M
idi.
WOQU) socaR 81
CENTRAL DEFENDERS
Standard-bearers: big-name campaigners
Reigning world and European
champions Spain do not solely owe
their dominance to their attacking
panache and brilliant Barcelona­
inspired short-passing game.
As well as the aesthetiCally pleasing,
La R% have substance and desire in
abundance, and no player in their ranks
has more of the gladiatorial about him
than shaggy-haired Barca stalwart
CARLES DUYOl. Although somellmes
switched to right-back lor club and
country, he is much more effective
in the middle of the action and
Cup semi-�nal against Germany.
It is incredible to think that Puyol was
contemplatmg international retirement
alter the South African World Cup. AI
the age of 33, hiS competitive fire burns
as bright as ever.
For most 01 his lengthy fun - etght
,.ears and 78 caps - as a stopper
for Holland, JORIS MATHIJSEN has
rarely enjoyed universal approval, some
believing he is too ponderous, others
asserting that he is simply the best of
a bad crop. But survive he has, and
the fact that he performs far better on
grass than on paper speaks volumes for
I
the
hiS cnto. He and fellow central
JOHN HEITINGA have a �ne
working relatiooship, each one able to
\ill·�I�'
82 I'oQRlO SOCCER
In the second of our series on the potential stars of Euro 2012, Nick Bidwell
looks at the centre-backs who are likely to star in Poland and Ukraine
nullity the weaker points 01 the other.
About to embark on hi, sixth major
internallOnal tournament for Sweden,
34-year-old OLOF MELLBERG
represents the very essence 01 his
national team's stock-In-trade; muscular
presence, aerial ability, extensive
know-how and a dash of obduracy. An
EURD2012
old chestnut is his lack of speed, but
as he proved with Olympiakos in this
season's Champions Le<lgue, he has
the know-how to avoid exposure.
Similarly uncomplicated is RepubliC
Ol lrelan(I'S RICHARD DUNNE. who
currently plays for Mellberg's former
club ASlon Villa. Under coach Giovanni
Trilpattoni. the Irish have pulled down
a steel curtain and Dunne �ts the bill
of no-nonsense gatekeeper perfectly.
RUSSia'S experienced axis of
SERGEI IGNASHEVICH aod VASILI
BERElUTSKY are cut from an identICal
hard-wearing cloth.
With vastlyexperienced stopper
R icardo Car\'alho falling out with
Portugal coach Paulo Bento last year,
BRUNO ALVES now has even more
responsibihty on his shoulders. The Zenit
5t Petersburg man is fearless both In
the air and when making challenges, but
can be undermined by his all-or-nothing
Instincts and a suspect temperament
In Q ualification the Czech Republic
had their own firewall in 27-year-old
ROMAN HUBNIK of Hertha Berlin.
while hosts Poland will be banking on
the solklity of ARKADIU5 GLOWACKI
from Trabzonspor.
.
WOIIUI SOCUR Bl
Work in progress: tough decisions needed
more problems. Early on in hiS reign, he
had every reas�n to be satisfied with the
combination of PHILIPPE MEXES as
sweeper alongside stopper ADll RAMI,
but In the last mne months the threads
have started to unravel. Mexes snapped
crudilte ligalTl€nts in the spring and
Rami spectacularly went off the boil in
the final Qualifier, the 1-1 draw at home
to Bosl1la. Wnat was once a certainty IS
Most NOuld aswme that a team whICh
COrl(eded just two goals In 10 qualifYing
matches had all the central defenSIVe
Insurance necessary. Yet the truth of the
matter for Italy coach Ce�re Praodelli
is that he still has more questions than
answer; in this department Although
an automatic piCk at the heart of the
Alzum rearguard, JU\'entus' indomitable
GIORGIO (HIELLINI has been plaYing
lefl-back for much 01 the current Serie
A sea>Oll, while the two youngsters
Prandelli has often turned to­
LEONARDO BONUeCi of Juve and
Interrazlonale's ANDREA RANO(CHIA
- are showing plenty of signs of faillbihty.
R�nocchia blotted his wpybook In
November by giving away an extremely
soft penalty in the 2-0 fnendly win
over Poland fortunately for him, 1\
was missed - and, like Bonucei, he
does have a tendenq to make errors
of judgement. which is a cardinal sin
In a tournament of such importance.
Wnen push comes to shove, Prandelli
may plump foranother Juventus man in
the shape of ANDREA BARZAGU. a
veteran of Italy's World Cup-WInning
campaign of 2006. Glad to be back
In his homeland follOWing a spell In
the Bundesliga with Wollsburg, the
3 0-vear-Old may not have the skills
of Bonucci and Ranocchia but. on
the evidence of thiS season, he is
undoubtedlv more reliable. Tonno's
ANGElO OGBONNA, an Italian of
Niger an descent who earned his first
full (CP last autumn, is making ground
-
84 I'oQR\.O SOCCER
on the rails but, talented as he IS, the
fact that he plays in Sene B With Torino
probably Will count against him.
Germany's status as one of the
filVQurites is. with all due respect, not
based on the world-class Qualities of
their central defenSive senonels. More
and more media pundits are of the
Opil1lon that long-standing first-choice
PER MERTESACKER is past hiS prime
and have real fears that his slowness
on the turn, and increasingly jittery
demeanour, could drag them down in
Poland and Ukraine. While Germany
coach Joachim low is a huge admirer
of his trilck record with the national
Side. hiS application, his discipline
and character, all products have
their shell-life and the Arsenal man
is perilously close to hiS expiry date.
Mertesacker's uSUilI national team
parmer, HOlGER BADSTUBER of
Bayern Munich, who has established
himself in the side since the last World
Cup, is not a riSk-free choice either
Aged just 21 he still has much to learn
and can be caught out of position on
occasion. The time is fast approaching
when Borussia Dortmund's MATS
HUMMElS be1:omes an automatic
selection and SChalke youngster
BENEDIKT HOWEDES is knocking
eQually forcefullv on the door. Bv way of
contrast, World Cup 2010 regular ARNE
FRIEDRICH of Wollsburg looks to have
reached the end of the Interlliltlonal ltne,
plagued by knee trouble.
France boss Laurent Blanc has even
.
now a multi-h2nded scrum for the two
slots. Barcelon�'s ERIC ABIOAl,
YOUNES KABDUl 01 Tottenham
Hotspur, MAMADOU SAKHO 01 Pans
Saint-Germain and Laurent Koscielny
(right) all are If with a fighting chance.
Uncertaint\' also abounds elsewhere,
with England coach Filbio Capello
seemingly uncertain of who to pair with
skipper JOHN TERRY: the olHnjured
RIO FERDINAND, JOlEON lESCOTT,
PHil JAGIElKA or the much In­
demand GARY CAHill?
With Denm�rk stJll to perm two
from Roma's SIMON KJAER, DANiEl
AGGER of Liverpool or NordSjaelland's
ANDREAS BJEllAND, and hosts
Poland and Ukraine continuing to
expenment, some tough decisions
will have to be made soon.
On the up: the rising stars
Whi'e no wide-eyed innocent - he is
already 26 - Arsenal's LAURENT
KOSCIElNY is very much at the dawn
of h s international career and could,
with a fair wind at his back, end up on
guard for France at the finals. With al
lea� SIX individuals in competition lor
the two spots in the centre of Les Bleus'
defence. he can, 01 course, take nothing
tor granteCl, Sut ttlere afe several
reasons lor him to be optimistic. nOI
leaSi hiS hoe club form this season and
the experience he has gained from
particlp;ltlng in the Champions League
for the lasl two years.
Eighteen months after switching
from Ugue 1 Side Lorient for the
Premier League, he is maturing very
nicely and long gone are the disastrous
days 01 last termwhen he Dilen looked
dazed and confused. The new and
Improved Koscielny is far more resolute
and switched on thiS season and,
follOWIng four non-plaYing selections for
Blanc's squad, he �nally made his debut
in a 1-0 friendly win over the USA at the
Stade de France in November,
Ukraine coach Oleg Blohkln has
been keen to run the rule over every
possible candidate for a spot in his Euro
2012 squad and one player unlikely to
miss out is young Shakhtar Donetsk star
YAROSlAV RAKlTSKIY, a highly­
talented 22-year-old who is said to be
interesting Juventus and a number of
Premier league outMs. Excellent for
the Ukraine under-2ls at last year's
European Championship - so much so
that he was picked for the "team of the
tournament - he is versatile enough to
look the part at left-back or as a mklfield
ball-winner. But he IS even more
profiCient holding the back-line together
"
��
�
EURD2012
--
With his intellgent reading of the
game, uncompromiSing phYSICality and
technical expertise. A full international
for the pdst two years, he also boasts
a strong left-foot shot and could well
cause damage from free-kICks. In a
Ukraine side arguably over-reliant on
fading idols such as Andny Shev<henko
and Andriy Voronin. ambitious colts such
as Rakitskiy will have to step forward.
As in their remarkable Euro 2004
triumph, Greece based their quali�cation
for these �na:s on a miserly defence,
ConCeding Just five goals in IOtal, and
no one in their current back-line was
impressive as 23-year-old SOKRATIS
PAPASTATHOPOUlOS, who together
with AVRAAM PAPAOOPOUlOS
formed a tough central defenSive uOil.
On a season-long loan at Werder
Bremen from Genoa, Papastatoopoulos'
footballing intelligence, tenacity and
incredible natural authority for someone
so young have been there for all to see
ever since he broke into the AEK Athens
first-team fiw years ago. After being cut
from Greece's Euro 2008 squad
at the eleventh hour - he was the
unfortunate 24th man - he will be
doubly determined to make the most
of the forthcoming main even\.
Another in the coming-of-age
category is Croatia's OEJAN lOVREN.
Bought by lyon from Oinamo Zagreb
two years ago, he took some time to
settle in but now looks a class act and
is set for a big future. WS
WORLD SOCCER as
Keir Radnedge
THE INSIDER
The expert view on
events off the pitch
Platini warms to diplomatic role
UEFA president makes all the right noises on future FIFA position
Star Quality can be a wonderful weapon.
Not everyone can adjust to the demands
of celebmy status. Entertainment,
politics and sport are all spheres
whICh bring the best and worst out
of its celebrities in achingly publiC wiY"fS.
One man whO has used his fame
to hiS advantage is Michel Platini. The
UEFA president's own footballing fame
means that when he talks, people listen.
And that is Significant In an era when
football has been forced to confront an
unprecedented invasion of the evils of
corruption, match fiXing, doping, racism
and ongoing hooligan violence
'Evils" IS a little word wh.ch FIFA
president Sepp Blatter has �Imost made
his own. The "evils of society" pop up
In all his homilies about football's role
i n the Wider world. Platini steers clear
of the phrase, but he is forthright In
attacking negative innuences whenever
his fame prOVides a passport to address
the political and legal decision-makers.
In meetings With the European
Union'S Council of Ministers and Sports
Ministers, he informed the politicians
that 'match fixing. developing in line With
the conSiderable online betting activity.
represents one of the most serious
threats fa<:ing sport today".
He said: "The growing number of
86 WOIIlO SOCUR
fixed matches linked to betting is
alarming; the more so because this
scourge affects every discipline and
no country is exempt from II.
"UEFA and the sports movement
have doubled our efforts and Initiative
and courage to try to curb match fixing.
But thiS scourge goes beyond our own
abilities because it is a major field for
organised crime. We cannot crusade
against this on our own:
In seeking legislative and political
support, however, Platini has taken a
different route to his UEFA predecessor,
lennart Johansson.
The Swede believed that sport should
be able to run its own affairs entirely free
of the restraints of the taws whiCh govern
dally life. With the support of Blatter's
FIFA, he led a movement to seek an
exemptIOn for sport Within the European
Union treaties.
Johansson, notoriously, was the
UEFA pre�ent - and FIFA vice­
president - whO allowed the
be ambushed by
1995. Some
i i,
Platini as a hugely talented footballer
lacking the intellect to score political
E,eo on the prtH._
PIitini 15 !he man
everyone _ts to
--
goals 10 the corridors 01 power.
Platlnl, In rllS earlier oaY5. tnougtlt
that the Champions League should be
turned back into a knockout competition;
when he ran lor UEFA president he
learned about the commercial realities
ot professional sport. Similarly. unlike
Johansson, he has learned that sport
must work With the law and within the
law if it is reSist Blatter's 'evils',
The wir'f In which Platini has taken
on board the Inportance 01 diplomacy
has been evid�t in his latest comments
about FIFA and speculation over the
presidency it Blatter steps down in 2015.
Plauni pointed out that both he and
Blatter have three more years in their
present roles. He says: ·We can talk
more calmly aOOul these things at the
end of my marxlate. For now, I have
not taken this decisiOn.'
Platlni always sidesteps inVitatiOns
to (omment on some of Blatter's more
outlandISh corrments, While cautioning
that, In a "da�rous" politICal and
financial wider ..orld, "we need people
who protect football". GoocI relations
With the European Union were Important
for UEFA - '1 ¥11 not above the law"
- but less important for FIFA as "they
represent only 27 countries out of 20S·.
And while Platinl is forthright when
talking about corruption assaults on
football by outsiders, he is more guarded
on the issue of corruption in high places.
"Here lat UEFA]. there's none of it
[corruption]: says Platini. "And there
are people from here in FIFA and people
who are not. There is a difference in
terms of moral ty among people who
come from different worlds: something
which is forbidden here may, perhaps.
be acceptable in other countries.
"However. if any members of the
executive committee have abused their
roles withm FIFA then. if they are caught.
very quickly'
Ricardo Teixeira
say or even hint;
01 his own. of course.
with Financial Fairplay to implement. WS
����l���£E�
Constantin
against the
rest ofthe
world
Angry Sian president Christian
(onstantin is threatening to sue the
Swiss federation for "millons 01 francs·
and take his battle with the football
authorities into as many more courts
as his lawyers can find.
Constantin appears to have no
intention 01 ceasing to wage war on
FIFA and the Swiss FA, despite his club
having been penalised 36 league points
- on FIFA orders - in the loog-rurming
transfer-ban saga.
His preference for acton in the cMI
(Durts, contrary to world federation
statutes, stems Irom a belief thaI the
Court of Arbitration for Sport is biased
in favour of sports federations.
Constantin says: "It doesn't take
much to understand how the system
works. They want to lake decisions
which force you go 10 (AS - and lose
there. CAS insists it's independent but
no one is fooled,"
The millionaire architect says he
has the !oUpport of Europe's big clubs
against a points punishment 'which is
more than clubs getfor match �xing·.
He plans to!oUe European members
of the FIFA executive committee in the
Zurich coons and members of the
Swiss federation in Berne.
Constantin adds: 'I have the backing
oftne biggest clubs including Karl­
Heinz Rummenigge, president of the
European Club Association.
'They have encouraged to fight on
because they are unable to do so. No
On � mIssIon... thi!
s;oo pmIdtrot SlIVS Ill!
Is I\gIrtIng forjustke
Spotlight could turn on Spain's Villar
Just supposing that Michel Platil'll does
fancy a run at the FIFA presidency in
2015, one poSSible successor In the
European hot seat might be his fellow
FIFA vice-president Angel Maria Villar
The 61 -year-old former Athletic
Bilbao and Spain mid fielder is about to be
re-elected, unopposed, for a further four
years at the head of the Spanish federallOn.
a position he has held since 1988.
Villar IS often underrated by ootsiders
despite having astutely bdlanced himself
between the different centres 01 power
within the Spanish game represented by
Barcelona, Real Madrid and the rest.
Within FIFA. he has proved a loyal
supporter of Sepp Blatter. At FIFA
Congress in Zurich last June Villar
m<lde a characteristically personal, If
one should forget that it is the clubs
who develop the players, who pay
them and who SlJpport the livelihoods
of all these associations' officials.
'These people enforce their diktats
even though some of them are mired
in corruption issues of their own.
'They Should look around
themselves: their days are numbered,"
somewhat rambling. speech of SlJpport.
Villar scored 1 1 goals in 361 games
for Bllbdo, his only senior club. with whom
he won the Spanish Cup in 1973 and was
UEFA runner-up in 1977. He went on to
make 22 appearances lor the national
team, scoring three times.
In 1978 he was one of the founders
of the Spanish players' union. Three years
later he retired and rose swiftly up the
administrative and political ladder. He
was elected president of the Biscay
football aSsocia'.iOn and then of the
Spanish federation a mere seven years
after having retred from playing.
Villar has been a vice-president of
UEFA Since 1992 and of FIFA since 2000;
- both of whICh are a solid foundation for
whatever step he m<ly wish to take next.
WORUl SOCCER 87
-
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NEW LOOK!
NEW FEATURES! NEW WRITERS !
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COMPREHENSIVE NEW RESULTS SERVICE 95 domestic leagues, (rom Argentina to the USA
PLUS TWICE-WEEKLY columns (rom Brian Glanville and Keir Radnedge
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88 WORlD WC(ER
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BT42 2RS
I
90 WClRLD SOCCER
WoridSoccer
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INTfRNATIONALS
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92
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93
93
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SAff CtmJpionship
Pan-Arab Games
ABCS Tournament
Friendlies
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2013 AfriccYI Nations CUp
DIGEST
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Club World Cup
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Chile
98
99
Colombia
100 ',"""oc
101
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World
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CHILi:
CAMEROON
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Five are banned
Eto'o pays the price
National Cdptain Samuel
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Football Federation for hIS
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celebration of 100 years of
football on the island wrth
.Jorge Valdivia arldJean
role in the team's deosion
to boycott NoYember's
friendly In Algeria.
Beausejour were suspended
from the national team
lor 10 games after they
a 1-1 draw against Costa
R:ca althe Estadio Pedro
Marrero In Havana.
Cuba. who had never
the country's president,
from time off prior to a
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UrugJay in �mber:
when Kenny Cunningham
Reporu claim that
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1991
After twice coming from
behind in the CECAFA Cup
Final to draw 2-2. Uganda
beat Rwanda on penalties.
AndreN Mwesigw<! scored
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80. S SOIQII 90'51
A/gIlanisIlI� 0
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s.rnr Qfr:__ jI1� 1Ibi!
just a week before they
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in the hrst leg of their
preliminary round clash.
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for their withdrawal. they
now face the possibihty
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the 201S tournament.
SWAtILANO
" � SIrlum
,
,
to the competition. was
the tournament's top scorer
With seven goals.
o.cZI • � SouIPI,w",
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_ Sl!ul!AM:o qwI/Iy 101_ &'1mU1iGofJ'
\\OIlIll SOCCER 93
World
ServIce
CWB WORLD CUP
Imperious Barcelona sweep Santos aside
suffocate the supply to Neymar,
Alves threaded the ball through to
him. He danced round Cabral and
who we k.now is a dangerous
walked the ball in.
player: said Guardiola.
Instead it was Messi who shone the
The Final was watched by
a sell- ou t 68,166 crowd and
Japanese FA president Junji
Ogura was qUick to point out
bri(lhtest. The Argenllnian had the
first proper effort on goal. forcing
that attendances were up on
last year's event.
peripheral �gure. 'We wanted to
Messi steals the show
a save from Santos gwlkeeper
"More than 300,000 people
Rafael Cabral alter 1 3 minutes.
attended this year's tournament:
Four minutes later, Barcelona took
he s.Jid. "It attracted 200,000 to
the UAE last yea r "
Japan will host the competition
In 2012 before it heads to
Morocco for 2013 and 2014, but
the lead - inevitably through Messi,
who colle<:ted an angled pass from
Xavi and delicately chipped the ball
over (abrill from close range.
The early momentum was
Inthe long run .lI ew 1.lgl
nl 9I't5 h
te b<!tlu of N eymar in the Club World Cup final
201 S. "I want to work hard to help
bring the event back to Japan:
mostly on the right wing, cut inSide
clubs are"
formation, he replied: "I don't think
Barcelona are the best side on the
planet was provided in Yokctlama
we were playing 3-7-0; that's just
as the European champions swept
past Santos of BraZil to claim the
Club World Cup lor a second time.
midfield and exploit space "
was gracious in defeat, saying:
Goals Irom WorkJ Soccer.; World
"Barcelona have played various
Player of the Year lionel Messi
how we play. We try to control the
Santos coach Muricy Ramalho
(two), XilVl and Cesc Fabreg�s gave
teams around the world and
nobody can beat them. Eventually
Barcelona an imperiOus 4-0
some team may, but I don't thUlk
victory over Santos in the FrnaL
it's pos!oible now.
Santos had made the
"ThiS was not embarraSSing and
added Ogura. "I want to let people
in Japan ;ee how the world's top
clnd played the billl !O Xavl, who
The presence of J.League
shot past Cabral.
Fabregas, the mldfielder signed
from Arsenal in the summer. was
champiOns Kashiwa Reysol
helped te boost crowds in the
early rounds, when games were
increasinglv innuential and scored
again held as double headers.
the third goal on the stroke of
Proof. if any were needed, that
they hope to be hosts again in
WIth auack-minded Barca and
Xavi extended the European
champions' lead seven minutes
laler. Full-back Dani Alves, plilying
hall-time. Minutes earlier, he
Kashl\\'a comfortably beat
Auckland City 2-0 in the
"We need to be humble - we were beaten
by the best team in the world"
San".os coach Murley R:unaJho
struck a post when played
through by XilVl.
Neymar's inHuence was
restricted throughout the first half,
but the teenager had a chance to
tournament's opening match
to set up a quarter-final against
CDNCACAF club champiOns
Monterrey. The Mexicans proved
to be a much tou9her propo!oition
than the New Zealanders and the
competilion therr priority Sirce
it was not a blow to us. We need to
score on the hour when played
winnrng the Libertadores CLP in
be humble - we were beaten by
clean through on QO<!I, Victor
quarter-fnal went to penalties
June, and there were high hopes
that their young talents Neymar
and Paulo Henrique Ganso could
prOVide Barcelona with meaningful
the best team in the world."
Valdes s.Jving well with his legs.
Ramalt"ID acknowledged that
Messi was the world's best player,
but clung to hiS belief that Santos
capped a memorable performance
with his second goal, and
alter extra-time could not break
the 1-1 stalemate.
Both SKIes had missed chances
in the first half, With Humberto
intercontinental oppo!oition as the
teenager Neymar could overtake
Barcelona's fourth, when Dani
Suazo spurning an opportunity for
tournament returned to Japan
..Iter two ye..r� in the United Ar<lb
Emi rates . Ultimately, though,
him one day.
Ncym.:l' ..Iso ..dmitted S..ntos
Santos were overwhelmed by
Barcelona's attacking brilliance.
imposSible to stop Barcelona. They
"Thev were like artists: s.Jid
had been outplayed, adding: " It's
are the best team in the world with
fantastic players. But we are the
Barcelona coach Pep Guarciola
second-best team in the world and
afterwards in tribute to his �Iayers,
for us that is a great reward "
although he refused to Single out
any of his Side for specific praise.
"There is no speCial secret to our
The Final in Yokohama's
International Stadium had been
billed as a clash between Messi
success. I've tried to gel the
and Neymar but the mercurial
players to work together as a team
p��
lIl1ec!f t to
19-year-old BraZilian failed to
and use the strengths they have.
riSe JO the occa!oion.
Our players have beeo
NevmM had scored a wor.derf
90al \\Ilten SiIQ,tos beat Kashrwa
l
very we l, but It'S
keep that ievel going:
When asked about hiS
94 WOI!LO SOCUR
Reyso
l in the semi-final. 001
against Barcelona he was a
Eight minutes from time, Messi
Monterrey and Junya Tanaka
heading wide for Kashlwa.
Tanaka made amends early in
the second half when he crossed
for Leandro Domingues to score
the opening goal, but Monterrey
replied �ve minutes later through
Suazo. That was it as far as
chances went. but in the shoot-oll!
Kashiwa keeper Takanori Sugeno
saved Monterrey's opening
spot-kICk before Ryohei Hayashi
smashed home the winning kick
to set up a semi-final meeting
With Santos. Earlier in the >ame
stadium, Asian club champions AI
Sadd produced something of an
upset when they beat African
champions Esperance.
Taking their chances
The Qalaris were second best
for much of the game as they
struggled to deal w�h Esperance's
best player, Youssef Msakni, but
they took theirchances as the
Tunisians squandered theirs.
First. Khalfan Ibrahim took
.ldv.lnt.lge 01 Moe� Ben (herifl.l·S
failure to hold on to a shot from
Kader Keita to put AI Sadd ahead
after 34 minutes.
Then Af Sadd doubled their lead
early In the sewnd half. when
Abdulla Obaid Koni turned in lee
Jung-soo's header from Nadir
Belhadj"S free-kick.
Esperance pulled a goal back
through Ousama Darragi but
struggled 10 find the equaliser,
even though Yannick NdJeng had
an effort disallowed for offside.
In the semi-�nals, Barcelona
brushed aside AI Sadd With a 4-0
victOl)' In which all the go.:ls were
scored by defensive-minded
players. Adriano hit two with
Maxwell and Seydou Ke�a also
on target However, the wm was
overshadowed by the injUry
suffered by David Villa. The
30-year-old Spain stri�er bro�e a
shin bone after landing awkwardly
in the 37th minute and now faces
a race to be fit for the Euro 2012
�nals in June.
Santos. meanwhile. outclassed
Kashiwa in the olher semi-�nal,
with goals from Neymar. Borges
and Oanilo. For the opening goal,
Neymar curled a wonderful shot
into the top corner. Borges drove
home a second from the edge of
the area in the 24th minute, but
Hiroki Sakai galle Reysol a lifeline
with a powerful header early In
the second half.
Oanilo bent a brilliant free­
kICk around the wall in the 63rd
mmute. and sub$tJlUte Ibson
almost added a fourth. his effort
rattling the crossbar. Kashiwa
coach Nelsinho, who was sacked
by Santos in 2005. said: ·We·ve
played three matches in eight da)'S.
We created chances but paid for
not taking them."
The nature of Santos' victory
heightened expectations that they
could �at Barca in the Final. But.
with Messl at his brilliant best.
those fanCiful notions were soon
blown iNlay,
John Ho/mesda/e
\\OIlIll SOCCER 95
World
ServIce
ARGENTINA
Boca back to winning ways
"If they don't like how we play. they
can change the channel; �id Boca
JUOior; coach Julio FalciOni, who
was In r.o mood to expl ain himself
the day before his Side wrapped up
the apertura \0 end three years
without !oilvetwilre at the club.
It is sometimes hard to find
anything but footbilll on Argcntini.ln
teleY1S101l the result of the current
TV deal, where the !JClWrnment
owns the rights, is that up to four
channels often show the sarre
-
game - but Faldofll oonetheless
made his point He was here to win.
and nobody was forced 10 wctch
If peop le dkln'! like what they were
seeing, they could always turn over
to the re/f'f'KM'Ia.
Boca promptly commanded
a 20.1 per cent share 01 the TV
ratings during thelr title-<linct1lng
match against Banfield, Sut for
all the fireworks, the smiles, the
medals and the scantlly clad
96 WOI!LO SOCUR
ddocers parading around the
situation was greeted with disgust
Bombonera to celebrate the title.
in Argentina, The sight of the
promoted teams performing
there was little hiding the fact that
it was a far from vintage season.
Boca's 24th leclgl.Je title was
strongly offered the proof, or so
particularly sweet for their
little difference between the �ond
and hrst division,
Only a late slump in form
removed Atlctico n"f;)Cl" from the
�or.d place they had occupied
up until matchday 13. Belg'ano,
supporters with the s;ght 01 River
Plate in the �ood divi!Jon, but
elsewhere there w;JS little to cheer
about And it wasn't just Boca's
utilitarianism that was under review
went the argument, that there IS
as the next tedms in the league all
meanwhile, who swapped dIVISions
ended the season 12 points behind
the leader.; deprIVing the campaign
of a serious title challenge. Pre­
season favourites stumbled early
on, while the exodus of pl�r.;
continued and 11 coaches - some
with River Plate after last season's
,
of whom only started rmlway
through the season - lost their jobs.
Where Levante's early rise
to the top of the table In Spain
was greeted as a plucky odds­
defying David to Real Madrid
and Barcelona's Goliath, a !olmilar
relegation play-off, enjOyed a late
surge that pushed them up to fourth,
Amid this perceived mediOCrity
there was no time 10 argue CNer
aesthetics at Boca, Having steered
Banheld 10 their hrst trtIe In 2009,
Falcloni was the no-nonsense
coach handed the task 01 rebuilding
a champiOnshlp-wlIYJing Side,
In came g>alkeepef A!}JStin
Orion, who had already won tides
With San lorenzo and Estudiantes,
while Rolando Schiavi, desprte his
advanced age of 38, defied the
sceptics .Ild was Installed as the
DIGEST
defensive leader. Facundo Roncaglia
returned from Iwn and ser.led in at
r91t-bac.k. while Clemente RodrJgJez
redlSCoYered hiS form. working
eff� witt1Juan Roman Riquelme
on his escapades up the left flank.
Juan Manuel lnsaufralde completed
the back line in a record-breaking
defence that was the bedrc-ck 01 a
championship side.
Clean sheets
Boca ended the season untlealen,
Conceding just SIX goals in 19 games
wrth 14 clean sheets, and ended i:I
record 12 points ahead 01 second­
placed Racill9- Yet in dOing so they
managed to score only a modest
2S goals_ After losing lucas Via{rj to
Injury. Dario Cvitanich was the side's
top scorer WIth five goals, IX'inting to
a trend across the leag...e.
The apertura averaged less than
two goals a game, compared to 2.6
in Brazil and a fraction under three
in Chile - the two countries that
PflMded the Sooth American
champions 01 2011 (Santos in the
libertaclores and Universidad in the
SuclamencanaJ. Just as Boca pulled
iNlay from the chasing pacl al the
top of the table. so too did Ruben
Ramirez of Godoy Cruz as lOp
scorer, With 12. The nearest
challengers were Santiag:l Salcedo
(ArgentJrlOS Juniors), Mauro Matos
(All Boys) ar.d Cesar Pereyra
(Belgrano) all on seven.
Much had been eKj)eCted
of Racing ur.der Diego Simeone,
PLAYER OF THE EASON
SEBASTIAN SAJA
(Racing)
Fellow keeper Agustil Orion may
have broken the record for the
� !JiIiIls (t\Il(PfI@.t1 al Boca. hut
Sata was considerably busier and
just as I� after rewrring to
ArgentN from AEk Mhens.
eo eH OF HE SEASON
JUUO FALCIONI
(BocaJIriors)
Serious and superstitious. he
especially WIth their Colombian
double act of Teo ar.d GIO. Yet
while Teo GUherrez ended the
previous season as joint-top scorer
on 11. in the apertura he managed
just Six. And GiO Moreno is still
some diStance from recaptunng
the inspir.ltlon ar.d dnve he showed
before rupturing knee ligaments.
an infury that kept him out of the
Copa America.
Oespjte one of the Strongest
SQUads in the country. Racing's
Il1Id-season dip. with eight draws in
10 matches. allO'Ned Boca to pull
iM<!.y. Wrth goalkeeper Sebastian
Saja returning from Greece and In
fine form, they conceded only two
more than Boca. But sconng juSt
1 6 goals in 19 matches meant they
failed to qualify for the Ubertadores
Cup. Days after the close of the
tournament Simeone departed
deVeloped a fomidable unit at
Boca as he W'JfI Iis sec()O(l tille
as a coach.
R OF THE SeASON
FRANCO VAZQUEZ
(Belgano)
The e� 22-year-old
attaddog midflelder insisted on
� an eKtril Six months to
fulfli lis dream of playing top­
fIiglt football for his club, with
whom he won promotioo. before
moving to Palermo � Italy.
amid rumours of a rift with the
board - not to mention a job offer
wllh AtletK:o Madrid in Spain.
Having sold the attacking trio
of Santiago Silva, Maxi Moralez
ar.d RiCky Alvarez in pre-season.
reigning champions Velez also
suffered a poor mid-season.
distracted by a run In the
Sudamericana Cup which ended
at the hands of LOU QUito at the
semi-final stage.
punc� on centre-back Jonathan
BotinellL the club are in the
relegation play-off zone. They need
an impeccable 2012 clausura
campaign - a ta ll orderfor coach
Leo Madelon - to cMlid following
River Plate Into the play-offs ar.d
posSibly becOITIIng the second
grande k:I go down in as many years.
While San lorenzo fret OYer
Veron playing on
Estudiantes' only solace. meanwhile.
came at the end of the campaign
when Juan Sebastian Veron
announced he was delaying hiS
retirement by six months_ The news
was celebrated as if the club had
W'JfI the championship itself. the
SQuad donning "gracias Brujo"
T-shirts on the hnal day of the
season. After a miserable few
months. whiCh included sper.ding
two weeks bottom of the table, it
was the best possible news.
Simeone was one of 11
coaches to lose their jobs, with
Mi�el Angel Russo (Estudiames),
Om..r De Felipe (Olimpo), Om..r
Asad (San Lorenzo). Sebastian
Mendez ( Banfield). Pedro Troglio
(Argentinas Juniors). Javier Torrente
(Newell's) and AntoniO Mohamed
(lr.depeodlente) JOined by Jorge Oa
Silva (Godoy Cruzl. Oiego Cago<!
(Newell's) ar.d Ricardo lavoIpe
(Banfleld) after the season ended_
While the cases of (ag'.a - in
charge forjust nine games - and
lavoIpe (14) are alarITllng. the Wider
situation at San Lorenzo is even
more so. Firishing 17th after 10
defeats. With no money ar.d a
supporter btirstlng into the dressing
room after a tr.llning sesSIOn to land
points a.oerages. 2012 offers Boca
a return to the libert:Klores after a
two-yea absence. Velez, Lanus and
Arsenal de Sar.lr.di will join them in
the corrpetltion
As cubs prepare for the 2012
clausur", there are again whispers
of changes around the corner: The
apertura began with the plOlX)Sal to
merge \I"Ie first and second diviSions,
ar.d ended with rumours that the
"long season' format WIll return as
of 2012-13. Whether changing the
format makes more fans turn on
the TV remains to be seen.
Joel Richards
For �nal league rable. see page III
__0 SOCCER 97
World
SerVlCe
I
Jorge Sampaol!'s exciting tactio
and the 9O<'IS of strike sensatiOn
Eduardo Vargas gave Umversidad
de Chile a year to remember, as
they scooped a Chilean record of
three titles in one season.
The pinnacle, naturally. was
winning the Sudamericana Cup,
their first-ever International trophy
and only the second to be v.on by
a Chilean club Side, coming 20
years after Colo Colo picked up
the libertadores Cup.
But while the 1 1 goals scored
by Vargas In the Sudamerjc�na
may have been the best-ever
haul by a player in a single edition
of the tournament, he was not the
top scorer in the domestic league.
HIS team-mate Francisco Castro
mao<lged two more th.ln V<Yg.lS
to lead the charts with eight
La UWOfl both domestic
championships in 2011. clinching
the apertura at the end of a tight
race With Universidad CalOlica,
who had dominated the PfE!'liOus
year. They then made a reco rd­
breaking start to the clausura,
WInning their first nine matches,
scoring 24 goals and conceding
only three. Oespite their form
falling away, they were still only
beaten once - 2-1 by Catol�ca in
the second leg of their semi-final
- as they marched on to the Final.
That loss to Catolica marked
98 WOI!LD SOCUR
the end of a 36-match unbeaten
run that followed a 2-0 defeat in
July by Primera a side Magallanes
in the Chile Cup - a competlllon
eventually won by Catolica who
beat Magallanes In the Final.
In the clausura title decider, La
U drew 0-0 in the hrst leg against
Cobreloa with Vargas absent from
the line-up against hiS former club
through suspension. Back lor
the return, the star striker was on
target in a 3-0 victory In hiS last
match before a move to Napoli.
It was the Santiago club's 15th
league title, consolidating their
place behind Colo Colo (With 29)
as the second-most successlul
team in Chilean lootball history.
Sampaoli's side were
ch<ir<icterised by their d¥ong form
away from home, particularly in the
Sudamericana Cup. A 4-0 win
over Ronaldinho's Flamengo In
Rio de Janeiro earned them many
plaudits, including one from
the Madrid daily EI Pois who
proclaimed them the 'Barcelona
01 the Americas'. In the Final they
beat 2009 Sudamericana winners
LOU QUitO, earning a highly
creditable 1-0 first leg win In the
high alt�ude of the Ecuadoran
capital, before coasting to a 3-0
viCtory back in Santiago.
Sampaoli put his team's
success down to the capacity for
work of his young SQuad and their
self-belief. But he faced the reality
as soon as the season was over
that he might lose several of his
players in the transfer market
and that he may have to start
building a team Irom scratch for
the 2012 apertura.
"Although thiS was a very good
year, in the next we hope to count
on a grolp of players Similar to the
one we h3ve today,' he said. "Now
everythirg we did starts again.
'There'll be a group of players
that will �ave to start from zero, for
whICh it 11'111 be \lery important to
be well prepared:
Rex Gowor
For �nal loogue fable, s.ee page III
EDUARDO VARGAS
(Univenidad de Chile)
The 22-year-old Kored a record 11 IJO'Ils
in the Sudamerican.J Cup before signing
for Italian side Napoli. SampaoW had
successfully moYed him up fronl from
a deeper role behind GustaYo Canales
and Francisc:o Caslro.
FELIPE MORA IAudax Italiano)
The18-year-01d Kheinef llelped his side
finish fOUl"th in !he clausura and lie was
called up by Chile coach Claudio Borghi
to a squad of home-based players for a
friendly against Paraguay in DKember.
JORGE SAMPAOLI
IUniYenidad de Chile)
A big fan of fellow Argentinian Martelo
8ie11oJ - Chile's former national coach
- he won OYer an initially K�tical
media and gained many illlmirers wilh
an attacking game based on possession
and quick passing.
DIGEST
COLOMBIA
Junior triumph as America go down
•
Bogota derby with a last-minute
header from goalkeeper (amilo
Vargas, but their exploits in the
Sudamericana (up earlier in the
campaign, where they made it to
the qlJa'"ter-finals. had a draining
effect iIld they �nished poorly.
Apertura winners Nadooal will
joinJunor and Once Caldas III the
2012 libel"ladores, and thelr coach,
Santi<J9) Escobar, has threatened a
major reshufne in a bid to prepare
the team to chililenge on both
Ie� and cominental fronts.
Bog;:>ta's third team, Equldad,
wt10 emured a miserable ciausura
enter the SUdamericana Cup after
reachll19 the apertura Final.
Independiente, Atletico HUlla
and Real Cartagena all had poor
campaigns, while crisis club Cucuta
were lu cky to firush the season at
all after �nancial woes continued 10
dog the 2007 Ubertadores semi­
For a second successive season
the Colombian �tle was de-:ided
on penalties, with Junior crowned
champions after victory Mr Once
Caldas in the knockout stage Final.
Goalkeeper Sebastian Viera
wasJunior's hero, saving GJillermo
Beltran'S spot lUck to give hiS Side a
5-3 Win after the Sides had drawn
4-4 <Nef the tv«I legs.
Junior's dramatic triumph was,
however. partially IM!fshado\.\<ed by
the relegatIOn of the country's most
successful team.
Four-times Ubertadores Cup
�nalists America of Cah I'Io'e'l! once
one of South America's most feared
cubs. But nel(t season, for the �rst
time In their 84-year hiS{ory, the
Red Oevils "";l1 endure the ignomi ny
of plavlng in the second division.
A promotion-relegation plav-off
defeat - again on penalties - by
second-tier Patriotas may 'laVe
sig'oililed the darkest dav in the
13-time champions' hIStory, but
many had seen the demise coming.
During the 1980s and 90s the
Cali drug cartel washed its dirty
money in the football club. And
while the funds helped secure
America's oowning glories, lhey
also played a �ilicant role
in the club's subsequent downfall.
The 1995 Clinton US{ - a
blacklist of organisations suspected
of peddling In the international drug
trade - made the cali cartel ItS
No 1 target The team s assets were
frozen, sponsorship deals dried up
'
and the club plunged into debt
A5 fans rioted following the
meteoric demise of their team,
America's name was stili on the
list Uke a cancer, AmeriCa's pariah
stalus had been eating ifflifoj at the
club for 16 years.
Former national coach Eduardo
Lara has now been handed the
reigns of restoring AmerICa'S pnde,
but unless the club's cripphng
off-the-pitch problems can be
resolved he will have an almost
impossible job on his hands.
Tough going
America's replacements, Patriotas,
will also find it tough going next
season. Formed just nine years ago,
they coped admirably wnh one of
the smallest budgets In the second
tier: A strong home support will
help, but 2012 will be very much
about survival.
AcCompanying the Boyaca club
into the top flfght are Oeportivo
Pasto, who secured a return alter
an absence of tv«I years. The team
from the Andean mountalflS will
replace DeportrJO Pereira who
finished bonom and were therefore
relegated automatically.
Millonanos, the only club to
match the 13 chamPIOOShip stars
on America's badge, 'M)n their first
Sliverwdre in 10 years alter lilting
the Colombian Cup. Ricardo Paez's
men beat 80yaca Chico home and
awav in the Final after an exhausting
18-game campaign.
City rNals Santa Fe defeated
Millonarios in the late-season
.
finalists. They were twice rescued at
the ele'l'ef11h hour loIlo.ving threats
01 playa strikes OYer uflP<lid wages.
N� boys ltagui Dlares did
just enough to avoid becoming
embroiled in serious relegation
strife, bJt keeping hold of the
le�'s �ond-top goalscorer
lionard Pajoy will De key as tt'ley
seek to consolidate in their second
season of top-flight football.
Carl Worswick
For �naI /eogue rabie, see page 112
.
CARLOS SACCA (JlIlior)
Le<9Je top goalscorer for the
second time, and leadingstriker In
the Cup, he playeod a deming role
In JlIlior's rtI"I to a seventh title,
RICARDO PAEZ (Millonarios)
The ex-Ve-nezuela maoager !JJided
Millos to their ti�t trophy in 10
years. They were a whisker �
from the doIA:lie after going out
on penalties toJJoior in the 1e<9Je
knockout semi-�nals.
.
.
PEDRO FRANCO (Millonarios)
captain of the Colombia youth side
that won the Toulon tournament
and � in this summer's
l.hder-20 World Cup, he haS"
� hi place asa n!9Mr
starter in Mlilonarios' defence.
v.oRlD SOCCEil 99
World
ServIce
ECUADOR
Consistent Deportivo claim fifth crown
record in the championship. but
his learn lacked the thrust down
the llank:5 of the club's recent skles.
They also suffered an injury crisis
and a late loss of form from
centre-forward I"ternan Barcos,
who had I)een enjoYing a spjendid
camoalgn Then there was the
problem of competing on two fronts.
Preparing for the Fioal 01 the
Suclamercana (up, they fielded a
resetVe Side fO( the first leg against
EI NaciOn�l, lost 2-1 and were
unable to make up the difference
In the return. Mario Saralegui's EI
NaClonal always looked full Of goals.
wrth the prompting 01 Marvin Pita
setting up chances for the strength
of Juan LUIS Anangono and the
subtlety cf Edison Preciado.
A strong rally by Guayaquil
Qlants Barl:elona was almost
enotJ!Il to snatch a place In the
third/fourth play-off, marking a �ar
in which Ecuadorian football was
dominatecl by the bg teams from
the two major dUes.
Only twice has the title been
won by learns outside the QUito,!
Guayaquil axis, the last ome in
2004 by Deportivo Cuenca. They
were the tlest pJ'CMIlcial team in
2011. finIShing a solid sixth and
showcasing an interesting striker In
burly 20-year-old Juan Jose Govea.
Imtlat1.lra and Espoli were
relegated and will be replaced
thIS year by Tecnico UniverSltariO
and Mac�ra.
DeporllVO QUitO won the
Ecuadorian championship for the
fifth time - and the third In the last
four years - beating Emelec by a
single goal in both legs of the Final,
first In GlJaY<]Qull and then in front
of their own fans.
Both games were saapPr
affairs. and the championship
prob.:Ibty deSCl'Ved better, but
they were won by the better
side. DeporlM) won the <NIil'f leg
With a goal from Fidel Martinez,
while Emelec rarely threatened
in the return and a late strike
from substitute Matias Alusbza
clinched viCtory
DeportivO always looked the
season's best tip. They were the
form side, consistent throughout the
year, and they found an extra gear
after the appoijntrnent i n May of
Argentinian coach carlos Ischia. He
Introduced the promising Mao nez,
whose pace - along with that of
Juan Carlos Paredes - opened up
l00WOllLDSOCCER
the �eld fOf the passing of captain
and playmaker luiS Fernando
Saritama. And though the goals
dried up towards the end fOf striker
Maxi Bevacqua. he s@finishedthe
year as the tournament's se<:ond­
top scorer.
Emelec made it to the Final
after Winning the first stage of the
competition in the opening h.llf
of the year. Then they lost coach
Omar Asad and entered a period
of turbulence, with Uruguayan
replacementJuan Ramon Carrasco
ousted at the end of November and
veteran centre-back Marcelo Fleitas
stePPIng up to take over. They
�OIShed the se<:ond phase of the
campaig'l in fifth place and carried
their mediocre fOfm into the Final.
The play-off fOf thud place
and a spot in the Qualifying round
of the libertadores Cup - was won
by EI NaciOnal, who beat local rivals
lOU Quito 3-2 on ac}1'e9ate.
Given LOU's recent success in
-
international competitions. this may
seem a surprise. Edgardo Bauza's
side also had the best defensive
MARVIN PITA (EI HacionaO
The two-looted midfield passing of
the EI National captain was a delight
to watch.
FIDEL MARTINEZ
(Deportiw Quito)
A lithe and skWful left-fooled
support striker, the 21-year-old
made a big impression. A 2007
Pan-American Games champion
wllose career slilled after a move
to Cruzeiro in Brazil.
lUIS ZUBElDIA (Barcelona)
The Argentinian millie a huge
im!)aC1. awaking Ille sleeping giant
and carrying them YerY close to the
Ubenadores play-off.
Tim Vickery
For #001 WJgue table. see page 112
DIGEST
4�. PERU
Aurich take title out of Lima
•
•
WISTEJADA
(Juan ALric.h)
The bt..ty Panamanian striker m.l(Ie
little Impression in the Frnal, when
whose career is flOW on a roll was a
champion in his homeland last year
withJUI'ior, and in only tv!; sec:ood
stint abroad led AlKich to their
unpre<edef'lted trilA'llph.
he was \oWn IT\<IrkP.d hy Crisfi;!n
Ramos, but he ca-ried the side
ttvoogh the campaign ..w.h his
pace and physical pre;ence.
fI'istWlg as IO!A'llaITlent top SCort'f.
COACH OF THE SEASON
DIEGO UMANA
(Juan Al.rich)
The tqlly-strung Colombian
Juan Aurich's success saw the \ltte,
known as the Descentralizado, leave
the capllal fOf only the fourth time:
Union HU<lral, who are based in the
same state as Uma, WInning it twice
(in 1976 and 1989) and MElgar of
AreqUipa once (in 1981 ), before
Aurich took it north to Chidayo.
That outcome looked �ty
unlikely eight seconds after
half-time in the first leg of the
play-off Final when Ahanza Lima
took a two-goal lead through wide
menJoazhiflO Arroe andJorge
Bazan on AurICh's synthetic PItch.
A1thou!tl Yeteran striker Ysrael
Zuniga pulled a goal back. it wasn't
enough to prevent Aurich's hrst
. .
ANDY POLO
(lhWefsitario)
The stocky, quick 17-year-old
support striker macIe a big
Impression and Is one of a
prorrisilg t;1OUp of youngsters
who are likely to be sold to ease
the club's fIlancial crisis,
home defeat In � a year and ff'!N
were not paid for six months and
gave them any chance in the return.
in protest they stopped SI!1Jlng the
However, theytook the initiative
team sl"eets, thus automatically
forfeiting the DOInts.
Their criSis also had a comic
side as they forget their shirts on
an away trip and took to the pitch
In lima, with i'O'Ilng right-back
Roberto Guizasola setting up
another close-range Zuniga �n lsh
to level the aggregate scores and
force a third game.
With four players sent off
and others suspended for an
accumulation of yellow cards,
both teams were depleted for
In training tops wah the numbers
drawn 00 with lelt pen. On another
OCcaSion they travelled late to
Cuzco to face Cienciano and had
to start With only nine players, all of
the deoding game which, as it
them reserves who had Just played
WdS played in the capital's NallOnal
(and lost) against their opponents'
Stadium, was as good as a home
tie fOf Allanza.
But this time Aurich were happy
to sit back and play on the break.
Goalkeeper OK!go Penny WdS their
hero as the game ended goalless,
and he then saved two penalties In
the shoot-out as hiS Side won 3-1.
second string.
Security concerns
Securrty concerns meant that
authoriSation to go ahead with
the third game only carne some
90 minutes before the scheduled
kick-Qff - which was an appropnate
clilTl<lx for ;) competition whose
organisation left a lot to be desired.
RE'9.llallOns encourage clubs
to make complaints against their
nvals in the hope of being awarded
three points by Uibunal. Inti Gas
of Ayacucho were one of those
who suffered, lOSing their pl ace
in the Sudamericana Cup a day
after the season ended when
they were OYertaken in the table
lollowing a complaint In fa'>QUr
of Union Comercio.
The team who lost most points
'oWre Uma giants Uni'.«sitario,
whose financlill woes are far worse
than any of their rivals. Their players
There was <llso a tlOgiC side
when, if the big Uma derby,
some home fans attacked Alianza
supporters in the executive boxes,
thll1Ning one fan to I1s de<lth.
Universitario's !,mUnd WdS closed
as a result
Universitario lost so many points
they almost fell into the second
division. But they survived in the
end, and Alianza AtJeoco and (NI
of IqUItOS were relegated. Jose
Galvez 01 (I1mbote came straight
back to the top flight and Real
G;)rcil;)so of (UlCO, only founded in
2009, were promoted as Peru (up
winners after beating Pacifico 4-3
on aggregate in the Final.
Aurich and Alianz<l Uma both
Qualified for the Ubertadores Cup,
with Sport Huancayo �ng into
the Quaifying round for their first
appearne in the competition their joy tempered bythe loss of
striker lIVen Avila to capital club
Sporting CrIStat.
So even in the year of AuriCh,
almost all roads still lead to lima.
r
im Vickery
For �nal league rabie, see page 112
__0 SO{([JI 101
World
ServIce
� URUGUAY
Veteran leads the way for Nacional
Former Internaziooale mkl�elder
Alvaro Recoba scored the only
goal of the game as National beat
liverpool 1-0 at the (entenario
Stadium in Montevideo on the final
day of the Uruguayan season to
WIn the apertura.
'The way we won the apertura
W.lS cute: admitted Rccoba, who
had rejOined theclub he lett 14
years ago from Oanubio ear1ier in
the year. "But jf we are a blS team,
as we have now demonstrated.
we have to think. ahead, in the
knowledge we must try to �n
the championship.
The 35-year-old veteran had
already edged Nacional towards
the opening-championship crown
two week5 earHer. appearing as a
late substitute to score the winner
from the penalty �t against
arch-rivals Denaro!.
"The most Important thu'\g was
\0 beat Denarol and then see what
'
102 W011LDSOCCER
could happen: he added.
Recoba's former side Danubio
�nishecl just a POlOt behind
National with Penarol a further
point adrift in third. One of the
most poignant statistics of the
season was the fact that 1 0 of
the 1 6 top-Hight sides had
ch<lr.ged their co.Jch between
the start of the season in August
and the end of December.
Veteran striker Marcelo
Zalayeta of Penarol was top scorer
in the apertura, The 33-year-old
scored eight goals, one ahead 01
liverpool's Emihano Alfaro who
capped a �ne season by making hiS
international debut for Uruguay
against Italy in November.
Nacional president Ricardo
Alarcon was reported to be in
diSCUSSions over a move for Alfaro,
but he may face competitIOn for
the 23-year-old from Itahan Side
Catania. Ben�ca mid�elder Pablo
Almar - who was a team-mate of
Nacional coach Marcelo Gallardo
at River Plate in Argentina before
his move to Europe - is said to be
another target for the new
apertura champions,
Cristiano Coello
For frna/ Ioogue roble, seepage 112
ALVARO RECOBA lNac:iooal)
Despite his adviwKing years, the
mid'
....... ..... d key inn'M!nO! in
Nacional's !.lKCess - Ilis first national
title in an �Iustrious ureer.
MARCELO GALLARDO INiKionaI)
The former River Plate, MoniKO and
Argentina midfielder woo the aopertura
in his first campaign as iI ooac:h, having
hung up his booU in June.
JOAO PEDRO (PeIWOl)
The 19-year-old Brazilian /ll'riYed on loan
"om IIMan side Palermo in �t and
IIIiIde an immediate Impact. Killing six
times in 13 games.
DIGEST
SUDAMERICANA CUP
La U are deserved champions
shrewdly played the pragmatic
card. s"cri�dng one of his wingers
for an extra defensive midfielder.
Barcos had an off night and
the visitors snatched viCtory with
a goal shortly before half-time,
Eduardo Vargas rounding the
keeper and sliding home after
cutting across from the left to
latch on to a defence-splitting
pass from Marcelo Dlaz.
Outstanding Vargas
The 10th edition of South
America's secooo-mosi lmportam
club competition was won by what
was undeniably the best team,
Universidad de Chile collecting
their first continental title with
a comprehensive 4-0 ilggegate
victory over LOU Quito in the Final.
A record 01 1 0 wins, two draws
and no defeats - with 21 goals
scored and tWO concede d ­
speaks for Itself, but Lo U's
triumphant march began with
a 1-0 aggregate win over Fenix
of Uruguay, whose compa:riots
N.xioOilt were then beilten home
and away in the next round.
The match that made everyone
Sit up and take notice, however,
was an astonishing Win in Bralll
against Ronaldinho's Flamengo
in the round 01 16, when even
the 4-0 first-leg scoreline lailed
to do justiCe to the Chilean side's
total dominance.
It was a
Bielsa, 5ampaoli sends OU! his
side With two wingers and a
central striker. The team defends
With a high line and seeks to keep
opponents under constant mental
and physical pressure, wlnOing the
ball in their hall and exchanging
quick passes with impressive
mo�ement and dynamism.
Confronted with such precision
at pace, Arsenal 01 Argentina were
the next 10 be dispatched, before
the trickiest moment of the
campaign: the first leg of the
semi-finals away to Brazil's Vasco
disciple of his compatriot and
former Chile coach Marce 0
triumphs. The 2011 lOU may lack
the thrust down the Hanks 01 those
previous Sides, but they do have
a better Iront man in Argentinian
centre-forward Hernan Barcos.
Then there IS the advantage of
the altitUde in QUitO, whiCh is
always difficult for unaccllmatised
opponents and was always likely
to be problematic for a team as
dynamiC as La U.
For the first leg 5ampaoh
The midfield excellence 01 Diaz
was a feature 01 the campaign,
and right-:;tded striker Vargas was
the out>landing player in South
American football in the 5e(ond
half of the year. He soon settled
any nerves In the second leg in
Santia!JI, rounding off a typically
Howing move In the second minute
with a lelt-footed hnlsh.
LOU looked to the pace of Luis
Bolanos to pull them back into
the game, and they brought on
big Walter Calderon lor an aerial
assault. but their remote chance
of a comeback ended when
central defender Jorge Guagua
was sent off.
The Chilean side took ad�antage
of Ihe extra space, with Gustavo
Lorenzetti applying the finishing
touch to yet another p;ece 01
combin�tion play, and then Vargas
danced through for a wonderful
solo goal - hls 1 1 t h of the
campaign, setting a tournament
record. The 22-year-old striker
later sl�ned a dwl to join italian
side Napoli.
Tim Vickery
dil Gilm.J, whose tails were up
follOWing an epic comeback to
beat UniverSltario of Peru 5-4.
Until 5ampaoli corrected an
error 01 selection on the hall hour
his team were In trouble. But they
came back from Rio having earned
a 1-1 draw, before winOing the
home leg 2-0 to set up a Final
against LOU 01 Ecuador.
Winners of this trophy in 2009,
and lIbertadores champions the
I'tQRIlI SOCCER 103
World
ServIce
ESM TEAM OF THE MONTH
DECEMBER 2011
European Sports Media
DEFENDERS
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FORWARDS
HOW IT WORKS
SEASON RANKING
Every month.jolxnalists from ea::h
member of till' E�opean Sports Media
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of how each ESM member voled. vrsot
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104 'MmlI SOC(ER
ANDORRA
Could still do better
Lusitans ended last year
unbeaten in the Andorran
top Hight - scoring live or
more goals in four of their
10 matches - but they st�1
trail in second place to FC
Santa Coloma.
4
�
AZERBAIJAN
Club and (ountry
Azerbaijan Premier League
side Saki haYe agreed to
allow coach Aleksaodrs
StarkM to cononue in his
dual role and extend his
second spell in charge
of Latvia's national team
by ,
f""�'::j'w�
n"Sf
led his home nation to
the hnals of the European
Champ!()(lShip 10 2004,
joined Bak.i in January 2011.
HiS SIde were fou rth in the
table. eq.t points behind
the league leaders Neftci
after 18 games.
Defender caught out
CSKA Soha·s Kostadin
Stoyanov faces a ban of up
to two years after failing a
drugs test after the 1-0 win
against Levsla. The defender
tested positiYe for the
stimulant Methylhexanamne.
the record-breaking number of Club World Cups that Auckland
City's 30-year-old striker Daniel Koprivic has now appeared in
Club Results
WORLD
CLUB WORLD CUP
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IYOIllD SOCCER 105
World
ServIce
More APOEL success
ChamPIOns league mstory
makers APOEl lllfiICted a
first league defeat 01 the
sei!SOI1 on Omomi!, winning
3-1 iNI� to the leagllE'
leaders and taking their
Nic�a rivals' place at
the top 01 the table.
Having become the first
side from Cyprus to make rt
through the gwp stage 01
V,ktoria Plzen defender
Chiotis says OWe have
in the Champions League.
we can go. We are an
unpredictable side so we
Ciln only hope that things
continue to go well for us."
The result helped Plzen
finish third in their !1OUP
and Qualify for the Imockout
stage of the Europa league.
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Davida Bystrone tested
positive for an unspecified
banned su bstance after
hIS Side's 1-0 vi<:tory (M'f
BATE Borisa.' of Belarus
_111111 (Voaen 3CIJ
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tournament, APOEl
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No Cypriot team has
eYer beaten a French
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goalkeeper Oionisios
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seasons since Manchester City were the top club in England at
new year; they finished 10th and were relegated the next season
U fRANCE
�
would have been top on
goal difterence had they
won. lost 4-2 at Evian,
RusSian billionaire
Omltry Rybolovlev has
become the majority
PSG's Christmas cheer
Paris Saint-Germain be<ll
Saint-Etienne 1-0 with an
own goal from Stephane
Ruffler to � into the
Team-mates back
keeper in fan attack
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Dutch (up game against
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38 minutes when their
shareholder of Monaco,
the 2004 Champions
leag.te �nahsts who are
cur�t1y bottom of Ligue 2.
Christmas break three
points clear at the top of
Ugoe I. Montpellj� who
HOLLAND
players walked off in protest
after goalkeeper Esteban
Alvardo was sent off for
a kicking a �pporter who
ran onlO the pitch ar.d
confronted him With Ajax
leading 1-0.
Alvardo's red card was
later rescinded and the
Dutch FA ordered the game
to be replayed i n lull on
January 19.
AUSTRIA
CYPRUS
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World
ServIce
UKRAINE
PARAGUAY
Dynamo victorious
Olimpla again at last
Dynamo Kiev entered the
winter break a point clear
of Shakhtar Donetsk and
unbeaten in the league after
winning 1-0 at Karpaty LVIV,
who were playing theijr first
�me at the new Arena
Lvi'll - wInch is one of the
country's lour selected
YeI1ues tOf the Euro �nals
this summet".
Three-times Ubertadores
champions Olimp-a won
their hrst Paraguayan league
title in 11 years, bea�ng
Rubto Nu 2-1 on the last
day of the season to clinch
the (Iausura.
Maximiliano BlancuClhi
- who is Lionel Messi's
cousin - and FrancISCO
Najera scored the !):)als
that saw Uruguayan
coach Gerardo Pelusso's
side finish three points
ahead 01 arch-rivals Cerro
Porteno, who were heJd
2-2 by Sol de AmeriCa.
libertad, the country's
most successful club 01 the
past decade WIth seven
league titles, finished third.
Apertura winners
Nacional were fourth, while
3 de Fetxero and General
Caballero were relegated.
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Deportivo Lara won their
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YF.ekend to preserve their
unbeaten league record.
Veteran striker Rafael
castellin. who is OON 36.
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SCOTLAND
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l1a1aea I (� 1Q)
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CLUB FOOTBALL
\!)
top scorer, Richard Blanco
Tigl!s (!dimed thetr hrst
second-half goals from
HE'(tor Mancilla, Oanihnho
.mel Alan Pulido. Santos'
Felipe Salay aod Israel
of DeportivO Petare.
lara Will now e nter the
Mexican championship
Jimenez of Tigres were
since 1982, beating Santos
also dismiSsed during
scored 11 goals III 17 gafTl(>S
after joining Lara from Real
E�poor - two less than the
MEXICO
Tigres take title
2013 Ubertadores (up and
will conlest the Venezuelan
Serie Final WIth the Wln�
lag.ma 4-1 on aggegale
in the Final.
Mir.eros de Guayana
most of SanlO5 goalkeeper
beat Trujillanos 3-1 on
Oswaldo Sanchez being
aggegate in the Final
sent off after 11 minutes
of the Venezuelan Cup_
in the return to win with
penalties in the Cup
Final ,'liter a 0-0 draw.
MOROCCO
the se<ond leg.
After WInning the <NIJ>f
leg 1-0, Tg-es made the
of the clausura.
Unisport Safang on
More silverware
Maghreb Fes added the
Moroccan Cup to tOOr
CAMEROON
Confederations (up success,
beaung CO Meknes 1-0 in
Domestk double
Coton Sport finished 11
points clear 01 les Awes
in the league and beat
the final with a goal from
Brazilian import luiZ
Jelerson Escher.
SWITZERLAND
UKRAINE
SUDAMERICANA CUP
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Penalty finale
Inihad 1-0, WIth a goal
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rivals Chonburi and Muang
Thong United could not
(<11th them.
AI Arabi beat AI o,,�iI 4-1
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II!!' THAILAND
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Maiden championship
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SUper (up success
Bunram PEA haw won
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United meant that, WIth
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champions AI Arouba
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KUWAIT
AF( Cup entrants
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Suwaiq in thiS year's AFC
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Manchester United 1968
Ten years on from the Munich air disaster, Matt Busby's side
became the fust English team to win the European Cup
THEFIRSTXI
Alex Stepney
Goalkeeper
He eillned deserved
appIau.... from Eusebio
for a uuoal � late III
normal lime at Wembley
su,. Iftn...n
Right-bM:k
Repubbc oI lrelafld
"temaoonal who m.xIe
his debul " 1958 111 the
aftl'fmathof Murxh
1111 Foulkes
Cetllre-bitck
long-servlI"tg defender
and one of 1\'10 SUfVM)IS.
aIor1q ""th harlton, 01
the iJI( dlSi!SlCf
C
D.lYid �Ier
Cetllre-bM:k
COO\-fleilded. he speIlt
11 Sl'iI5OI15 at Old Tr.!lIord
alter jOOl'lIOg from ron1t'iI!Pl' Maid5tooe Uruted
United...
_ ..
"'­
""' ..
"'""
A
s Manchester United paraded the
was also spent on new players, with
European (up around Wembley, the
Denis Law signed for i1 15,000 from
(rowO chanted one name above all
Torino. But Busby"s commitment to
youth shone through in the development
other;. United manager Matt Busby had
reached the p innacle of the European
gamea de<:ade afler surviving an air
crash that had all but wiped out his
of such players as John Aston, Brian
Kidd and, above all. George Best.
Best had been the star when United
pulverised Benflea in a 1966 European
"Busey Babes· side.
Seven players were among the
23 people killed at MuniCh airport
on February 6, 1958, as United, the
reignlilg English champions, new back
Cup quarter-hnal, winning 5-1 in LisDon,
and, two years later, the Portuguese
were again the opponents as United
reached their hrst European Final.
from a European (up semi-hnal against
Charlton gave United the lead with a
Red Star Belgrade. The most talented
header, but Benhca fought b.Kk to take
player 01 all, Duncan Edwards, died from
the game into e�tra-time. Roared on a
his injuries two weeks later.
Busby rebuilt hiS side around survivors
Bobb1 Charlton and Bill Foulkes. Money
�I:Ij,\t.'it.iH4ir" il,]:131U\
Ibttlusl!y
by partisan Wembley crowd, Best, Kidd
and Charlton all scored to enable Busby
10 complete his European dream. W5
hdla
UnderBlISby. Unued'S formal.(ln
was far from reYOlullOrlary, oot
they did establISh � global
"'flIJI�lonn fnf [\L¥nG 1»<1_
1965, that f(lllo,yw)g
tnJrTMrate 01 �t (hiWiton
and Oems Law was crucal to
that reputdl.(ln - althougtl Law
paced, entert<W"lf"lg fooI:baII
The <lCda1rne-d attaocl:rig
lhe MulllCh disaster
he 'was lo!.t arld
SOITONIIlg aI"Id. for a
short peood, utterly
defe.Jted· He SiIId 'A
mao's help al such a
lme IS not h<s e,perJel'\Ce, t:Iut hIS fallh and
the 10Ye arld eocouragement 0' h<s fnends '
He stepped down as rn.lII'"IaQer et9ht months
after the Wernbley uUll!>h. Iate-r \leCOITKrIg a
dJb director He died III 1994, aged 84
1t';".ii�!l1!i::l
Dublin-bOrn, he was
outsta� III the
Wemb1ey FIlaI Spem
13 ....asons with Ullited
I'�dy CreBIIII
Midfi@lder
Teoacoous fetcher, carne.,.
(II1d cIts\llbulOr who
sqIl'd for Uruted ..,
1963 from (e1\J(
lobby 'harlton
....O)'narnoc capta<n and
1966 World (up-",,1V1eI
who !KJl\/JYed the 1958
M\IfII(h <w crash
IIobby Stl1es
Midfielder
TOlg'l-tilCl::.lf19, 1966
World (up-wmner Wore
strong conta<:t Iefls,es on
the D<tch
The Scotsman bu�
severaloutstandl19
te.3ll"6 dur!l'"o9 three
de<:ades.aIOkl
Trafford Ke told
�5oca'I;"
lOftY Dunllt
left-bM:k
I1lISsed the 1968 EI.lIOPe¥l (�
s.ern-�MI arid FnaI tle(ause of
",...,'"
In ITIIdheid. Stiles was the
ITIIdfJeld oottier whose hard­
worl:Jng endea'l'Ol.ll"S pr(Mded a
base to �1Iow (har1ton to attack.,
while (rerand played a key role
as tIoth c1estrO)'ef (II1d creator
George lest
-
-
-
Winger
Belfast-bOrn S<:OM' 01 a
�
-
-
-
...
brillant !P<l 1 l11 the Frul
Voted 1968 Eurtl()I'at1
Foottlaller 01 the Year
'rlan IIdd
-oO
Manchester-lxlrn stnker
who s<:ored against
Be!lhca at WembIey
00 his 19th birtho:!i!y
John Aston
_.,
One of the star
performers at Wembley
HIs father. John '><'flI()f.
also p1<r,'ed fIX" Urllled
MARCH ISSUE ON SALE FEB 1 0
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