20 december 2015, japan

WWW.FIFA.COM/THEWEEKLY

ISSUE 37/2015, 18 SEPTEMBER 2015 ENGLISH EDITION

Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Since 1904

THE EVERGREENBORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH

NIGERIA ENYIMBA ON COURSE

FOR THE TITLE

TONI POLSTER TRIUMPH

AFTER EMPTINESS

MONGOLIA FUTSAL BRINGS

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

T H I S W E E K I N T H E W O R L D O F F O O T B A L L

North and Central America 35 members www.concacaf.com

South America 10 members www.conmebol.com

The FIFA Weekly app

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

6 Borussia Monchengladbach

Even in times of crisis, Monchengladbach fans like to reminisce about the glory days of Netzer and Weisweiler – but what lies ahead? Alan Schweingruber paid a visit to the club on the Lower Rhine currently competing in the Champions League.

15 Portugal Mexico’s Jesus Corona made a remarkable debut for Porto by scoring a brace against Arouca. Fans are now clamouring for a title after years of stagnation.

37 Toni Polster The former striker reflects upon Austria’s decisive 1989 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against East Germany. “Despite my three goals, a great feeling of emptiness washed over me.”

17 Iceland The national team are celebrating success thanks to the Urvalsdeild’s crucial role in developing players. (Pictured: Patrick Pedersen)

The EvergreenOur cover image was taken in Borussia Park’s Nordkurve (North Stand) on 11 September 2015. Monchengladbach lost 3-0 to Hamburg that evening.

Mareike Foecking

FA o

f Ice

land

/ ks

i, M

ark

Leec

h / O

ffsi

de

Laur

ence

Gri

ffith

s / G

etty

Imag

es, M

FF

FIFA U-17 World Cup

17 October – 8 November 2015, Chile

FIFA Club World Cup

10 – 20 December 2015, Japan

2 T H E F I FA W E E K LY

T H I S W E E K I N T H E W O R L D O F F O O T B A L L

Europe 54 members www.uefa.com

Africa 54 members www.cafonline.com

Asia 46 members www.the-afc.com

Oceania 11 members www.oceaniafootball.com

18 Stephan Lichtsteiner “With the qualities we have at our disposal, winning the EURO is a possibility for us,” says the Swiss international in an interview.

24 Mongolia The national football association have made a virtue of necessity in this cold country by focusing on futsal.

28 History On 10 September 1985, Scotland coach Jock Stein passed away moments after the final whistle of a crucial FIFA World Cup qualifier.

FA o

f Ice

land

/ ks

i, M

ark

Leec

h / O

ffsi

de

Laur

ence

Gri

ffith

s / G

etty

Imag

es, M

FF

3T H E F I FA W E E K LY

© 2

015

adid

as A

G. a

dida

s, th

e 3-

Bar

s lo

go a

nd th

e 3-

Stri

pes

mar

k ar

e re

gist

ered

trad

emar

ks o

f the

adi

das

Gro

up.

# B E T H E D I F F E R E N C E

+140200_FIFA_Beach_Soccer_World_Cup_2015_Ad_BTD_Bale_Oezil_215x289.indd 1 10.06.15 14:59

U N C O V E R E D

The number of clubs with a rich history is growing due to the simple reason that football as we know it is getting older. Sheffield Football Club was founded on 24 October 1857 and since then many more sides have formed –

and continue to form – across the globe. The teams that existed at the start of this development are now shrouded in an aura of tradition.

Borussia Monchengladbach are one such a club, but not only because of their age. Founded in 1900, the Bundesliga outfit and current Champions League participants enjoyed one of their most successful eras in the 1970s, when players such as Jupp Heynckes, Berti Vogts, Gunter Netzer and Rainer Bonhof were influential figures. Back then the ‘Foals’ were on a par with Bayern Munich for many years.

What happened to that rivalry, and what became of Borussia? Our writer Alan Schweingruber paid a visit to Monchengladbach to find out. Å

Perikles Monioudis

Past and present

Mar

io W

agne

r / 2

Age

nten


Borussia legends From left: Berti Vogts, Jupp Heynckes, Gunter Netzer, Rainer Bonhof and Christian Kulik, pictured in October 1971.

REMEMBERING THE SEVENTIES

B O R U S S I A M O N C H E N G L A D B AC H

Borussia Monchengladbach once played on an equal footing with Bayern Munich. The club revel in those Seventies glory days to this day, as Alan Schweingruber writes. Photos by Mareike Foecking.

Pfei

l / im

ago


Borussia in crisis A desolate Tony Jantschke

after the 3-0 defeat by Hamburg in September 2015.


It can only be a matter of minutes before Lucien Favre steps tentatively from be-hind the door and hastily greets one or two members of the assembled throng before taking his seat politely beside director of sport Max Eberl. Once there, he will glance around at the 30 or so journalists and photographers who have gathered here this morning and wait until the press officer signals the start of the conference.


the media centre. Just as expected, he nods a greeting towards a few waiting members of the press corps as he makes his way to the podium, casts a quick glance around the room, sits down beside the press officer and adopts a thoughtful expression.

It is widely acknowledged that the smallest details can sometimes make the difference in a situation. As a perfectionist obsessed with

It soon becomes apparent that attending this event at Borussia Monchengladbach on an empty stomach would be a rookie mistake, and that it would be far preferable to get some ex-ercise early in the day and eat a big breakfast before stopping by. As the smell of baked pota-toes and roasted meat wafts through the room, those in attendance try to concentrate on de-vising important questions to ask Lucien Favre during his time on the podium. Are Borussia coming back down to Earth with a bang after their fantastic third-place finish last season? Can the team snatch anything from a Champi-ons League group in which they face Manches-ter City, Sevilla and Juventus? Should Gladbach continue to aim for the upper echelons of the table or lower their sights instead?

At that moment, Lucien Favre emerges from the fitness room immediately adjacent to


such details, Lucien Favre might take this idea one step further still, asserting that an entire system can fail to function if even a single ele-ment is out of place. After all, this is the ap-proach the Swiss coach has taken with each of the six teams he has coached in his career to date, overseeing Echallens, Yverdon, Servette and Zurich in his homeland before taking the reins at Hertha Berlin and Borussia Moncheng-ladbach in Germany. While his rise has been a remarkable one, the predictions made about his prospects along the way have occasionally become somewhat overblown. When starting out as a young coach in western Switzerland, Favre quickly attracted attention with his inno-vative training techniques. No player ever spent a minute standing around on the pitch without having a clear task to complete. Everything was coordinated. As word spread around the country, football experts travelled west to see Favre’s renowned training methods for themselves, returning home with tales of a new Ottmar Hitzfeld in the making.

While Favre is not yet the next Hitzfeld, he is heading in the right direction after leading Borussia Monchengladbach to the Champions League in sensational style during his fourth season in charge. This achievement is made all the more impressive by the fact that the club were in danger of being relegated to Germany’s second tier as recently as the spring of 2011. When asked about Favre’s potential, Borussia’s director of sport Max Eberl replies: “None of us are planning to let him go anywhere, but if you’re asking about his qualities as a coach, then yes, he has the potential to coach a world-class club.” Indeed, Chelsea briefly showed an interest in the 57-year-old before re-enlisting the services of Jose Mourinho in 2013.

Chasing away the gloomOf course, such speculation is now a thing of the past, and Favre’s key topic of conversation with those gathered in the catacombs of Borussia Park this morning is upcoming opponents Ham-burg. He gazes past the microphone into the distance in his usual quirky way as he reflects on HSV, revealing the extent of his meticulous preparations with each comment. One wonders whether a similar scene is unfolding in a Ham-burg press room, and if so, whether it would have been more beneficial for local reporters to travel to Monchengladbach to glean vital infor-mation about their own team. It seems there is virtually nothing Favre does not know about his side’s next opponents. “He’s a real artist,” club chairman Rolf Konigs later remarks.

The Gladbach coach seems very relaxed this morning. Although he does not enjoy an informal meal of meat and potatoes with the journalists as Max Eberl does so well, he seems to enjoy the at-tention nonetheless. Favre feels at home here, just as Borussia are happy to be able to call upon the services of the man who rid the club of the dreary

Images from the past are displayed on every level of the arena as if to say:

“Look, this is how it ’s done! This is how you win matches!”

Support from above Borussia’s sole fan club, Marientreue 1900, get into position well before each match.

Sven

Sim

on, W

erek

/ im

ago



Borussia old and new Coaches Hennes Weisweiler

(top left, 1964-1975) and Lucien Favre (bottom left, 2011 – present). Borussia Park (top right) and the

Bokelbergstadion in 1975 with Berti Vogts and

Weisweiler (bottom right).

Sven

Sim

on, W

erek

/ im

ago



Something pecul iar happened when Boruss ia Monchengladbach f in ished t raining the day af ter the ir 3 - 0 defeat agains t Ham -burg. F i f t y Boruss ia fans were wai t ing for autographs behind a bar r ier at the s tadium complex . A l though the fans were dejec t -ed, the atmosphere was peaceful unt i l a b lack minibus pul led up and s i x rowdy Hamburg suppor ters s tumbled out of the ve -h ic le , throwing the ir b lue scar ves into the a ir. I t was such a random and uncal led - for ac t that even the perpetrators them -se lves looked puz z led, as i f they did not know what they were doing there . At that point a secur i t y guard turned up and re -s tored calm at the Boruss ia - Park .

Spies at BayernIn t imes of c r is is , i t does not take much for the mood to turn . Much of i t depends on expec tat ions . For Bayern Munich, w inning t wo games in a row in less than conv inc ing fashion is cause for

concern, and a big cr is is at the c lub can produce legendar y tales .Whi le Werder Bremen were sat is f ied wi th f in ishing 10 th las t

season, for Bayern that would have been enough to discuss dis -so lv ing the c lub at the nex t general meet ing. For tunate ly, they

CREATIVE IN CRISISMonchengladbach’s predicament is reminiscent of Dortmund’s slump

last season. When clubs are in crisis, not all ideas are helpful.

did not do that af ter a turbulent season in 1992. Turbulent in that f i r s t Jupp Heynckes was inexpl icably sacked and replaced

by the inexper ienced Soren Lerby, who was later rep laced by Er ich R ibbeck . Turbulent also because the c lub ’s management came up with some ex traordinar y ways of t r y ing to get the team back on t rack , inc luding employ ing a pr ivate detec t ive to f ind out which p layers were spending t ime at nightc lubs (there was a cur few f rom 11 o’c lock) .

Coaches burning kitsClubs threatened by re legat ion can also resor t to imaginat ive measures dur ing di f f icul t per iods . 2. Bundesl iga s ide FSV Frank-fur t enjoyed a par t icu lar l y c reat i ve t ra in ing sess ion in May when coach Tomas Oral put the p layers through a car wash in the hope that i t would c lear the ir heads . Another good example

is Rudi Gutendor f in 1968: the f i r s t th ing he did af ter tak ing of f ice at Schalke 04 was burn the k i t s .

Alan Schweingruber

Bayern misery Troubled Bayern still managed a 3-0 victory over Monchengladbach in 1991. Pictured are Munich’s Manfred Schwabl (left) and goalkeeper Toni Schumacher, on the right is Martin Max of Monchengladbach.

Eiss

ner /

Kic

ker /

imag

o


Eberl in the office The club’s director of sport sits below an image of Klaus Fichtel and Jupp Heynckes.

atmosphere that lingered here throughout the Nineties and Noughties. The senior side seemed to live from hand to mouth for what seemed like an eternity during that period, with eleven coach-es taking the helm in a 12-year period before Fa-vre arrived. It is hardly surprising, then, that when club officials announced the appointment of this not entirely conventional coach in Febru-ary 2011, a significant portion of the Moncheng-ladbach faithful greeted the news with dismay. After all, at that point Favre was an out-of-work boss from Switzerland who had been dismissed by Hertha Berlin some 17 months earlier. While it would be harsh to blame those Gladbach fans for not seeing the merits in the appointment at the time, the events of the past few years may mean they now regret their initial reaction to the news.

The relationship between Favre and Borus-sia Monchengladbach over the past four years


can be summarised as follows: a little of Favre has rubbed off on Gladbach, and a little of Glad-bach has rubbed off on Favre. As director of sport Eberl puts it: “Like any relationship, it has taken time. We have become far better acquaint-ed and learned more about each other. We still bicker every now and again, but that’s normal. The most important thing is that we come to an agreement and think along the same lines.”

Powerful images in black and whiteIt is not always easy to be a present-day Borussia fan. The heady days of the Seven-ties are still a popular topic of conversation in Monchengladbach, particularly when the team are on the kind of poor run of results they are currently experiencing. The Foals started the latest Bundesliga campaign with three straight defeats, with the fourth loss following just a day after the press confer-ence as Hamburg won 3-0 to leave Gladbach at the bottom of the table. Four days later came another 3-0 reverse, this time to Sevil-la in their opening Champions League group match. As ever, the walls of Borussia Park are swathed in powerful images of immortals such as Gunter Netzer, Jupp Heynckes and Berti Vogts. Tackles, goals and, above all, celebrations are brought to life in black-and-

“E xpectations have r isen quick ly. I knew there was a chance we’d have a dif f icult

star t to the season.” Director of sport Max Eberl

Eberl in the stadium Fans remain unfailingly loyal to the former defender.

Eiss

ner /

Kic

ker /

imag

o



Talking tactics Hennes Weisweiler (left)

and Bayern’s Rainer Ohlhauser during a coach-ing course in 1970. Below, Lucien Favre’s team at a training session in 2015.


Team MP W D L GF GA P

1. Borussia Dortmund 4 4 0 0 15 3 12

2. FC Bayern München 4 4 0 0 12 2 12

3. VfL Wolfsburg 4 2 2 0 6 2 8

4. Eintracht Frankfurt 4 2 1 1 12 6 7

5. Schalke 04 4 2 1 1 6 5 7

6. Werder Bremen 4 2 1 1 6 6 7

7. Hertha BSC 4 2 1 1 5 5 7

8. 1. FC Köln 4 2 1 1 8 9 7

9. FC Ingolstadt 04 4 2 1 1 2 4 7

10. FSV Mainz 05 4 2 0 2 6 4 6

11. SV Darmstadt 98 4 1 3 0 4 3 6

12. Hamburger SV 4 2 0 2 7 9 6

13. Bayer Leverkusen 4 2 0 2 3 5 6

14. FC Augsburg 4 0 1 3 2 5 1

15. TSG Hoffenheim 4 0 1 3 3 7 1

16. Hannover 96 4 0 1 3 4 10 1

17. VfB Stuttgart 4 0 0 4 5 12 0

18. Borussia Mönchengladbach 4 0 0 4 2 11 0

Bundesliga standings after four matches


white on almost every level of the arena as if to say: “Look, this is how it’s done! This is how you win matches!” Coach Hennes Weis-weiler also appears in many of these images, and the road leading to the stadium is even named after him. With Monchengladbach winning five league titles, two UEFA Cups and a DFB Cup in the Seventies, there is no shortage of photos to choose from.

At times last season it felt as if the club had recaptured the spirit of those good old days. For Gladbach fans, the period between August 2014 and May 2015 was like a dream but, unlike those that come to an abrupt end just as things get exciting, Borussia’s seemed never-ending. The team picked up points wherever they went and were unassailable at home. The rise of these upstarts was even wel-comed by league rivals keen for someone oth-er than just Wolfsburg to provide Bayern Mu-nich with a little competition.

Borussia reinvigorated the Bundesliga and did it with an ease that ultimately took them all the way to Europe’s most prestigious club competition. Now the freshly made flags around the stadium read: “On, on, on to the Champions League!” While the banners’ up-beat message is well intentioned, it also seems a little hypocritical given the team’s current league position, like someone who feels obliged to enter into the party spirit on New Year’s Eve despite feeling apprehensive about the year ahead. Which emotion do Gladbach fans feel more strongly: the excitement of a European adventure or the fear of relegation? After all, Borussia’s namesakes in Dortmund proved last year that a top-two finish one sea-son cannot necessarily prevent a period in the lower reaches of the table a few months later.

Halfway houseLater the same morning, Tony Jantschke makes himself comfortable under a black-and-white image of Netzer. The right-back was discovered by Borussia scouts at a tour-nament nine years ago while still playing for FV Dresden Nord, but as he takes a seat in the club’s communications office, he exudes the air of an old hand who has been defend-ing for this club on the Lower Rhine all his life. “While there’s no doubt that the Cham-pions League is fantastic, we’ve got to adjust

“Where do I see us in the long term?

Somewhere between third and eighth.” Defender Tony Jantschke

our expectations; things have shifted a little,” the 25-year-old says. When asked where he sees Gladbach in the long term, he replies: “Somewhere between third and eighth.” Sporting director Max Eberl shares a similar view. Inspired by the Asterix and Obelix books he read as a child, he says: “I see Borus-sia as a small Gallic village that always has to stand up for itself against the big boys. We’ve done that so well in recent years that fans have raised their expectations. I knew there was a chance we’d have a difficult start to the season.”

It is not always easy to be a present-day Borussia fan. Having camped at the summit of the sport for several years in the 1970s, the club have since settled in a picturesque cabin halfway down the slopes where they feel very much at home. All that remains now is for results to pick up again. Å

Four matches, zero points Fans leave the stands shortly before the end of Gladbach’s 3-0 loss to Hamburg.


0731 �� 1P 215x289.indd 1 15. 8. 6. �� 8:50

O N T H E I N S I D ETA L K I N G P O I N T S

Nevertheless, the only thing that matters in the Portuguese metropolis is lifting the Primeira Liga title, and they have not done so for two years.

That is not good enough at Porto, a fact not lost on their marquee summer signing, Iker Casillas. “We haven't won a trophy for two years and the fans only expect the best from the club,” said the goalkeeper, who joined after spending 25 years at Real Madrid.

Porto have started the new season well, collecting ten points from their first four games to sit at the league summit. In the last round of matches they beat Arouca 3-1 in a game in which Jesus Corona struck twice. The Mexican only joined the club at the end of the summer transfer window, and his brace crowned a successful debut appearance. Porto’s second Mexican recruit, Miguel Layun, likewise adapted to his new surroundings quickly and had an impressive first outing for the Blue-and-Whites.

P o r t u g a l : P r i m e i r a L i g a

Jesus Corona’s impressive debut

Annette Braun is a staff writer on The FIFA Weekly.

Porto are almost unrecog-nisable from last season. The majority of the squad

left the club over the summer, including Colombian striker Jackson Martinez, who was the league's top scorer for three consecutive years and now plays for Atletico Madrid.

However, coach Julen Lopetegui views the wholesale departures in a positive light, as the interest big clubs showed in his players proves that the 2014/15 season was not as bad a campaign as some would think – despite ongoing criticism of the side’s failure to win the championship.

Sporting Lisbon and Benfica are hot on Porto’s heels, however. On Matchday 4 Sporting defeated Rio Ave 2-1 and now also have ten points, while record champions Benfica are in third place with nine after hammering Belenenses 6-0. Kostas Mitroglou and Jonas each scored twice before Nicolas Gaitan and Talisca added gloss to the scoreline.

The first heavyweight showdown of the season will take place on Matchday 5 when Porto host Benfica: the champions from 2011-2013 against the 2014 and 2015 winners. Could the match set an early course for the 2015/16 title race?

Portugal is gripped by “O Classico” fever regardless, with the northern Dragons from the traditionally blue-collar city of Porto determined to get the better of the southern Eagles from the glamorous capital. When-ever these two arch-rivals meet, there is always far more than just three points at stake. Å

Celebration time Jesus Corona scored twice to fire Porto to a 3-1 win over Arouca.Fr

anci

sco

Leon

g / A

FP


Nigeria: Professional Football League

Eny imba on cou rse for the t it le

Mark Gleeson is a Cape Town-based journalist and football commentator.

Only once before has a Nigerian club won four

Premier League championships in a row. Iwuanyanwu Nationale were, at the height of their prowess, a powerful force, not only in the country and region, but also in the pan-African club competitions. The Ower-ri-based club were champions from 1987 to 1990 but those halcyon days have long gone, the club having since changed its name to Heartland FC.

After three successive titles in 2012, 2013 and last year, Kano Pillars had a chance this year to also go into the record books by matching Iwuanyanwu Nationale’s past dominance but as the current campaign heads towards its conclusion, it looks likely Iwuanyanwu’s feat will remain unique. With nine games left, previously all-conquering

Pillars finds themselves 12 points adrift of the leadership and down in sixth place.

Instead it is Enyimba who are on course to mark a landmark of their own by extending their record number of league titles to seven. Sunday’s 2-0 derby win over strug-gling Dolphin from nearby Port Harcourt kept Enyimba well clear at the top of the standings as they remain on course for their first title since 2010.

The club from Aba, who have enjoyed healthy state support and boast a passion-ate fan base, have won six championships since their first in 2001 and are the only Nigerian club to win the continent’s top club prize, the CAF Champions League. Their latest league win last weekend was executed with the efficiency that has marked their entire season and keeps them four points ahead of second-placed Warri Wolves, seven clear of third-placed Wikki Tourist and eight points ahead of fourth-placed Sunshine Stars. It is Enyimba’s title to lose.

The return of veteran Kadiri Ikhana, who in his first stint with the club took them to the Champions League title in 2003 and was

named Africa’s best coach, has character-ised the return to winning ways. The former international, now in his mid-60s, has had a colourful career on the bench with a myriad of jobs over the last two decades across the Nigerian club spectrum but seems to have a Midas touch when it comes to Enyimba.

Pillars are still hoping to challenge but their season was blighted in mid-stream when the team was attacked by armed robbers, with national team striker Gambo Mohammed shot in the shoulder. They were travelling to a domestic match when their bus was held up in a roadside hijacking and were also stripped of valuable belongings. The shock of the incident has weighed heavily since and taken much of the spirit out of the squad. Å

Unwavering support Enyimba fans have a reason to celebrate.

FA o

f Ice

land

/ ks

i

Pius

Uto

mi E

kpei

/ A

FP


I c e l a n d : U r v a l s d e i l d (E l i t e L e a g u e)

Tit le in s ight for Ha fna r f jordu r

Perikles Monioudis is chief editor of The FIFA Weekly.

Icelandic football is at an all-time high after the national side recently se-

cured a maiden qualification for a major tournament, UEFA EURO 2016 in France, with two games to spare. This is the sort of story often described as a fairytale, yet Iceland’s success has few elements of fanta-sy about it, coming rather as a result of the players’ hard work and performances in every training session and match.

The overwhelming majority of the Iceland team ply their trade abroad. Forwards Kolbeinn Sigthorsson (Nantes), Johann Gudmundsson (Charlton) and Alfred Finn-bogason (Olympiacos), midfielders Birkir Bjarnason (Basel), Aron Gunnarsson (Cardiff City) and Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City), and defensive stalwarts Ragnar Sigurdsson (Krasnodar), Kari Arnason (Malmo) and Ari Skulason (Odense) are all key figures for top sides in major European leagues.

The effect of this exodus is a transformation of the country’s domestic league into a production line aimed at helping talented players to take the next step, yet unable to hold onto its finest prospects. Nonetheless, that does not mean the Urvalsdeild has little to offer. Quite the contrary, in fact: in its 104th season, the league has delivered a

thrilling title race. Having garnered 45 points after 19 games, Hafnarfjordur are now within touching distance of winning the league for the first time since 2012, although second-placed Breidablik on 37 points and the country’s record champions, third-placed KR Reykjavik on 36 points have pushed them every step of the way.

With three games left, six-time champions Hafnarfjordur, who finished second in 2013 and 2014, are able to start dreaming of the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds that come with the title, although their pursuers Breidablik and KR are not yet assured of UEFA Europa League qualifica-tion. Valur Reykjavik in fourth on 32 points and Fjolnir in fifth on 30 points are snap-ping at the latter pair’s heels. Valur are already sure of a place in the Europa League after victory in the domestic cup final crowned an impressive campaign for the side from the capital, whose 23-year-old Danish striker Patrick Pedersen is currently the league’s top scorer with 12 goals.

Pedersen netted his side’s first two goals in last weekend’s 3-2 win over Keflavik – the second a crucial penalty after the bottom side had taken a 2-1 lead. For their part, Fjolnir could only draw 1-1 at home to Stjar-nan after Gudjon Baldvinsson scored a 77th-minute equaliser for the visitors. It was a first goal of the season for the veteran striker who won the league with KR in 2011 and returned to Stjarnan a month ago from Danish top-flight side Nordsjaelland. Despite lifting the first title in the club’s history in 2014, Stjarnan have found it tough going this season and sit mid-table. Their efforts in the UEFA Champions League also ended in disappointment after they suffered a 6-1 aggregate defeat to Scottish champions Celtic in the second qualifying round. Å

Goal getter Valur striker Patrick Pedersen (centre) has been proving his natural goalscoring instincts.FA

of I

cela

nd /

ksi

Pius

Uto

mi E

kpei

/ A

FP


T H E I N T E R V I E W

First of all, many congratulations on being named Swiss Footballer of the Year. Just how much does it mean to you to win this award?

Stephan Lichtsteiner: Well, it’s obviously an individual accolade. In a team sport like football, winning an award like this is not as big a deal as a title, which you win as a team. Even so, the award is great recognition for my performances last year and in previous years. It’s always more difficult for a defend-er to win awards like these, which makes me even happier. It’s a great honour.

You’ve been playing in Italy for seven years now, enjoying plenty of success along the way. The Italian way of life seems to suit you perfectly.

Italy is one of the nicest countries in Europe and has everything you could wish for. You’ve got the ocean, the mountains, the lakes, great food and a fantastic lifestyle. I’m also a big fan of the mentality of the Italian people. They’re open and relaxed, perhaps more so in the south than in the north. They’re also extremely passionate about football, which is more of a tactical game in Italy. The emphasis is placed on perfection and that doesn’t always result in the sort of spectacle we’re used to seeing in other leagues. But you can feel how much the Italians love their football. Everyone has an opinion which they’re eager to put across.

Another country that’s incredibly passionate about the game is Brazil, where Switzerland played great football during the 2014 World Cup. Would you say this ‘new’ Switzerland side has grown in confidence under the guidance of Ottmar Hitzfeld and Vladimir Petkovic?

Definitely! The Swiss national team has a lot to be proud of. Apart from EURO 2012, we’ve qualified for every major tournament since 2004. For a small country like Switzer-land that shouldn’t be taken for granted. We’re on the right track and have plenty of talented players in our squad. Hitzfeld got the ball rolling when he took over, assem-bling a very young squad. That group of

Stephan Lichtsteiner is known not only for his dynamism on the pitch but also for his personality. The Switzerland and Juventus right-back discusses the national team’s

new-found confidence and embracing the Italian way of life.

“We’re at a very high level”

players has largely remained intact and continued to develop. When you know each other so well it gives you confidence and self-belief. In the national team you only see each other two or three times a month, which makes it difficult to work on some of the most important aspects of the game. But if you’ve known each other for so many years, these things go a little more smoothly. It makes everything a little easier.

Is it fair to say the team has developed a new identity?

We express our identity through the quality of our game. The youngsters play without fear and with plenty of enjoyment. In terms of our technical ability we’re at a very high level, but as a team I feel we still have a lot to learn.

What has Vladimir Petkovic changed since he took over?

We’ve been working a little more on the tactical side of things than under Hitzfeld. The team has improved in that area. He’s a very good coach who prepares us a little differently for games, but he’s also enjoyed plenty of success with us and I’m sure that’ll continue.

What do you think is in store for Swiss foot-ball in the coming years? Would you say there’s still room for improvement at major tournaments?

That’s difficult to predict. It always depends on who you’re playing against. Personally, I don’t think we had a great tournament in Brazil. There were many games where we weren’t able to play our best football. We were excellent against Argentina, but apart from that I don’t think we played to our full potential. Our objective should always be to reach the last 16 at a major tournament, if not the quarter-finals. It’s possible, but in order to do that we need a level of composure and a winning mentali-ty that we have yet to fully develop. We need to improve and mustn’t settle for what we’ve managed to achieve so far.

If you compare the Swiss team with world champions Germany or European champions Spain, what would you say is missing from the Switzerland side?

Well, Germany and Spain are huge footballing nations with very big clubs. They have greater resources and even more quality in their ranks. They’re under pressure to win every game, which isn’t the case in Switzer-land. We often go into games as underdogs, but we need to emerge from the shadows and set ourselves a new, even greater target. The EURO is a good chance to do just that. Small-er footballing countries like Denmark and Greece have already shown that lesser fancied teams are capable of winning the tournament. With the qualities we have at our disposal, it’s also a possibility for us.

Can you see yourself taking part at the 2018 World Cup in Russia?

I’m obviously just focusing on the EUROs at the moment. I’ll be 32, which is a ripe old age in football. Having said that, I’m in great form, I love training and feel I can continue playing at a high level. Psychologically I’m still highly motivated. My desire and enjoy-ment is as great as it ever was. Å

Stephan Lichtsteiner was speaking to Trix Hammer

Toto

Mar

ti / R

DB

/ Blic

kspo

rt


NameStephan LichtsteinerDate and place of birth16 January 1984, Adligenswil, SwitzerlandPositionRight-backClubs played for2001–2005 Grasshoppers2005–2008 Lille2008–2011 Laziosince 2011 JuventusSwitzerland national team77 caps, 5 goals

Toto

Mar

ti / R

DB

/ Blic

kspo

rt


P l a c e : I t e n , K e n y a

Da t e : 1 2 M a r c h 2 0 1 5

T im e : 2 . 1 3 p . m .

Ph o t o g r a ph e r : J u l i e n G o l d s t e i n

First Love

Presse Sports 21T H E F I FA W E E K LY

FOOTBALL FOR HOPE

To fi nd out more, visit the Sustainability section on FIFA.com.

Football for Hope is our global commitment to building a better future through football. To date, we have supported over 550 socially-responsible community projects that use football as a tool for social development, improving the lives and prospects of young people and their surrounding communities

FIFA World Cup™ winners Lothar Matthaus and Gianluca Zambrot-ta will be in Moscow on Friday 18 September together with Fer-nando Hierro and Alexey Smertin to attend the celebrations mark-

ing 1,000 days to the start of Russia 2018. The footballing stars will be among the guests of honour at an international tournament for youngsters under the age of 16. The event will kick-off in Red Square at 11.45am and will bring together representatives of the national teams from the last three countries to win the FIFA World Cup™; Italy, Germany and Spain, as well as Russia, the next Host Country.

Matthaus, Zambrotta, Hierro and Smertin will also be attending the ceremony to launch the Russia 2018 countdown clock, scheduled for 1.00pm on Manezhnaya Square. “Russia and its football fans deserve to host the World Cup,” said Matthaus. “I’m extremely excited about 2018 as I know and appreciate this country, its men-tality and people. I’m sure that all efforts will be made to guarantee that supporters and visitors will be warmly welcomed in Russia.”

The retired stars will also be signing autographs and putting on masterclasses at the Football Park which will be opening its doors in Red Square on the day the 1,000 day countdown begins, an event which particularly excites Zambrotta. “I’m curious to see football played in such an unusual and amazing place as Red Square,” he smiled. “It’s a brilliant idea!”

The Football Park is set to provide fans with an unforgettable journey through the world of football. Visitors will be able to study the history of the World Cup, learn about Russia’s plans for 2018 and take part in football-themed interactive games. While the park is open, the 2018 FIFA World Cup Trophy will be on display to the public. Å

tfw

R U S S I A 2 018 P R E S I D E N T I A L N O T E

Best wishes, Sepp Blatter

1,000 day countdown in Moscow

1990 world champion German football legend Lothar Matthaus.

The images of refugees streaming into Europe are dumbfounding and deeply moving, especially when one considers their fates as individuals, rather than viewing it as a political issue. It is im-

possible to turn a blind eye.Football can play a very important role in this situation. I do

not mean the financial donations the football community has made over the past few weeks as much as the sense of hope our sport can restore, the solidarity it fosters and the joy it provides. Clubs and associations, among others, have demonstrated that by inviting immigrants to their games and even getting them to join in. My compliments!

For instance, this summer the football pitches at the Home of FIFA in Zurich were used by ‘FC International Zuri’, a local initiative to help integrate asylum seekers, in preparation for the Swiss Street Soccer Championship. In Valais the Sepp Blatter Foundation is sup-porting the ‘Forum Migration’, through which immigrants are given the opportunity to play football. The idea behind it is a simple one: together we can build a better future, but everyone must start with themselves.

Ultimately, these measures only fight the symptoms and are, geopolitically speaking, a drop in the ocean. For all the charity and emotional, urgent action being taken, problems are shifted by mi-gration but not solved.

The most sustainable help takes hold where the causes lie – in the affected countries themselves – and in this regard FIFA is car-rying out pioneering work. We have made 800,000 USD available to the Jordanian association in order to construct football pitches for Syrian refugees in camps. Above all, our Goal Programmes and diverse development projects all over the world ensure that football offers people support even in times of crisis and war. Every day we give approximately 600,000 USD back to the game in the form of social aid, both on and off the pitch. Programmes such as ‘Football for Hope’ and ‘Football for Health’ only really take effect where football stops and real life begins. In other words: football’s impact extends far beyond the boundaries of any playing field or stadium walls – provided we continue to live with solidarity, togetherness and respect away from the pitch too.

Help through football

Get

ty Im

ages


Focused Mongolia’s futsal national team (in red kits) are preparing to launch their qualifying bid for the Asian Championship.

F U T S A L


One of football’s most formidable adver-saries is of course the climate, and there can be few better examples than Mongo-lia. Landlocked between China and Rus-sia in central-east Asia, its winters can last up to seven months and generate

temperatures as low as -45 C°. In fact, Ulan Ba-tor has a lower annual mean temperature than any other capital city in the world.

Strategic planningHowever, these climatic challenges have not discouraged the Football Federation of Mongo-lia (FFM), which has been working diligently since its re-establishment in 1997 to develop the game in its country. The project has at its core a long-term strategic plan, in which futsal has a key role for the simple reason that it can be played all year round.

Futsal in Mongolia was given a significant boost in 2011, when, with the assistance of FI-FA’s Goal Projects 3 and 4, the country’s first futsal arena was inaugurated. Since then, and with the continued backing of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the FFM has held six futsal courses in Mongolia, laying the foundations for both the organisation of tournaments and the national team infrastruc-ture.

Historic momentIn that context, Mongolian futsal will celebrate a very significant milestone this November, when it hosts the Eastern Zone Qualifiers of the Asian Futsal Championship. At the tourna-ment, China PR, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and Korea Republic will vie with the hosts for two berths at the final phase of the continental championship, which in turn will decide the AFC’s five representatives at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016.

Success through futsal

“Developing football and futsal in a meas-ured way is one of the priorities of our strategic plan for 2012-2022,” said Mongoljingoo Sodger-el, a member of the FFM’s Department of De-velopment and International Relations. “With this goal in mind, it would be immensely ben-eficial if we could compete at a Futsal World Cup. And while we envisage a good perfor-mance in the qualifiers for 2016, we expect to see the results for the 2020 edition. We have a generation of talented youngsters, and we’re doing everything in our power to ensure they continue developing.”

Sustained developmentThe national team was still in its infancy in 2011 when Mongolia first participated in the preliminary round of qualifiers for a Futsal World Cup. On that occasion they lost their two games against Korea Republic (5-1) and Hong Kong (3-0), finishing bottom of their group on the road to Thailand 2012. The decision not to take part in the qualifiers for the 2014 Asian Championship was not so much a step back-wards as a means of allocating resources with a view to the future.

F U T S A L

For most of the year it is too cold to play football in Mongolia. That is why the country’s national association is pinning its hopes on futsal, with a first milestone set to be reached in November, writes Diego Zandrino.

Hosting a qualifying tournament for the Asian Futsal

Championship will leave behind a legacy.

MFF


F U T S A L

In August a FIFA delegation conducted a four-day inspection visit of Ibague, Bucaramanga, Medellin and Cali, the four cities that are ex-pected to host the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016. “Generally

speaking, the inspection was very satisfactory and productive,”said FIFA Event Manager Jaime Yarza, adding: “We were able to take a detailed look at the plans, both on the table and in visits to the arenas. As a result of this, we are confident that the host cities are committed and are making the modifications needed for an event of this scale, especially in Bucaramanga, Medellin and Cali.” The delegation also included a work-ing group from the Local Organising Committee. Headed by LOC Chair-

man Rodrigo Cobo, the group closely followed every instruction given by FIFA, and the general feeling ahead of the key meeting of FIFA’s Futsal Committee on 23 September – the agenda for which includes the naming of the host cities – is positive.

Ibague keen to keep promisesThe visit began in the city of Ibague, where a new mini stadium is being built for the event, with Yarza commenting: “I would like to thank the mayor for all the efforts being made, but work needs to be carried out at a faster rate to ensure that the city can host the event. I am sure that Ibague will do everything it can to step up construction work and have

Sunny outlook for Colombian futsal arenasThe mood was good in the four proposed host venues for the FIFA Futsal World Cup

Colombia 2016™ after they received a positive interim report from a FIFA delegation.

Satisfied Jaime Yarza believes Colombia’s host venues are on the right track.

everything ready in time for the deadline on 1 June. It is very important for FIFA to have Ibague – and not just the country’s major cities – as a venue for the Futsal World Cup.”

Making a pledge to FIFA, the city’s mayor, Luis Rodriguez, said: “De-spite only having a short period of time in which to complete the arena,

we are not going to pass up this opportunity to host an event of this importance. We have already secured the resources we need to fulfil our commitment and we will do so by conducting a very professional job on behalf of the people of Ibague and Colombia.” The delegation then moved on to Bucaramanga, where it received a warm welcome from a group of young players from Deportivo Real Bucaramanga, the reigning national futsal league champions. “A city that is home to a team that

has won the league champion ship twice deserves to host this World Cup,” said Yarza, raising a smile on the faces of those present.

Following a visit to El Coliseo del Bicentenario, the FIFA Event Man-ager voiced his praise for the work being undertaken: “We have made a few changes in operational areas, the kind of modifications that need to be made for a tournament of this importance. We are very pleased, nev-ertheless, and we congratulate Coldeportes (the Colombian Ministry of Sport) and the mayor’s office for taking steps to ensure that the process for upgrading El Coliseo is under way.”

A positive overall verdictYarza was also impressed by what he saw in Medellin and Cali, stating: “We saw that there is a lot of interest in the cities, that the people are doing a professional job and that the facilities are of a high quality. Obviously, some modifications need to be made and work carried out at the stadiums in terms of timber work, lighting, dressing rooms and in the TV and media areas. Let’s not forget

that the image and name of the Colombian host cities will be promoted in more than 200 countries for a whole month during the competition.”

Asked about the situation with regard to El Pueblo Arena, LOC Chairman Cobo revealed his understanding of the main points of the inspection visit. “It’s under -standable that expectations and requirements should be higher there than at the other arenas. After all, it is the venue for the final of the World Cup, it will be the home of the national team and there will be two groups based

there, which means there will be eight teams playing there in all.” Yarza offered a message of optimism as he bade farewell to Colombia: “We sensed it before we came, but thanks to this visit we are even more secure in our minds that Colombia is perfectly well equipped to stage the Futsal World Cup and has the right structures in place for the participating teams and for the fans.” Å

Diego Zandrino

MFF

Dea

n M

ouht

arop

oulo

s / F

IFA

via

Get

ty Im

ages


Centrepiece The futsal arena in Ulan Bator was constructed with the help of the Goal programme.

One aspect of that plan was a series of courses and seminars aimed at training refer-ees and coaches. With these in place, it was then possible to organise futsal tournaments at school level for all age categories, including girls. At the same time, the FFM began staging its two official annual competitions, the Futsal Cup, featuring eight professional clubs, and the City Cup, for which 12 amateur teams compete. In this way, the federation began to see an in-crease in the number of players practicing the sport outside of winter.

Rising to the challengesAt national level, the FFM have continued the process began in 2011, culminating in Erdede Ochi, the then assistant coach, being promoted

F U T S A L

MONGOLIAPOPULATION: 2,953,190 (July 2014 estimate)CAPITAL: Ulan BatorPRESIDENT: Tsakhiagiin ElbegdorjFUTSAL NATIONAL TEAM COACH: Erdene OchirFIFA: Since 2001 FIFA has invested $ 2,149,843 in Mongolian football projects as part of its Goal programme. This financial support has been used for projects including the construction of a futsal hall.

to head coach. Looking ahead to the November qualifiers, Ochi was frank and realistic: “The overall standard in the region is very high, and it’d be great if we got to compete with such powerful teams as Japan, Iran, Thailand, Ku-wait and Uzbekistan. In my opinion, Japan are even contenders for the world title. However, we know it’ll be very difficult to get a chance to face them, but we’ll give it everything.”

A MilestoneFor Sodgerel, hosting the Eastern Zone Quali-fiers will leave a legacy beyond that of the team’s results: “We’re very proud to be organ-ising the event, not just because of everything we’ve had to do to get to this point, but because the public will get to see the national team play

important matches in their own country. This will have a significant impact on football in general and futsal in particular, at all levels.” Å

MFF

Dea

n M

ouht

arop

oulo

s / F

IFA

via

Get

ty Im

ages


tion about life, death and football by Stein’s close friend, Bill Shankly.

The backgroundBy 1985, Scotland had become almost blasé about reaching the FIFA World Cup finals. The Tartan Army had, after all, marched to the global showpiece in 1974, 1978 and 1982, when Stein’s team came within goal difference of advancing to the latter stages at the Soviet Union’s expense.

However, the Scots arrived in Cardiff on the brink of elimination. Ian Rush’s solitary, match-winning goal in the corresponding fix-ture at Hampden meant that Wales stood with-in two points of securing second spot behind

Spain, and a place in a UEFA/OFC play-off. Shorn of stars such as Kenny Dalglish, Steve Archibald, Alan Hansen and his captain, Graeme Souness, Stein knew that his side went into the match as clear underdogs.

The matchSir Alex Ferguson, Stein’s then assistant, re-called noting the strain visibly etched on his mentor’s face as kick-off approached. There was to be further fraying of nerves when, with just 13 minutes played, Wales’ early dominance was rewarded in the form of a clinically-taken goal from a future protege of Ferguson’s, Mark Hughes. The situation hardly improved at half-time when goalkeeper Jim Leighton, who had

In the 1960s and 70s, as Scotland’s clubs con-quered Europe and its national team reached the first of five successive FIFA World Cups™, Jock Stein had come to sym-bolise everything that enabled this small country to consistently punch above its

weight.Certainly, by winning the European Cup in

1967 with a team comprised entirely of players born within a 30-mile radius of Celtic Park – just one of many personal triumphs – this for-mer miner had shown his fellow countrymen that absolutely anything was possible.

Yet it was the stresses and strains of the beautiful game that on a chilly night in Cardiff were to deal another blow to the famous asser-

H I S T O R Y

National service Jock Stein was in charge of Scotland’s national team from 1978 until his death in 1985.

Chronology of a tragedyThirty years ago, Scotland secured a momentous result against Wales

that took them a step closer to reaching the 1986 FIFA World Cup. However, instead of sparking an outpouring of joy, the events at Cardiff’s

Ninian Park precipitated a period of national mourning.

Key

ston

e / P

ress

Ass

ocia

tion

/ SM

G

imag

o


H I S T O R Y

performed hesitantly in the first half, dropped the bombshell that he had lost a contact lens during the action and had no replacement. Nevertheless, while the enforced introduction of Alan Rough restricted his tactical options, Stein’s words roused Scotland to a fightback that quickly had their hosts on the defensive.

With an hour gone, he also took the bold decision of replacing Gordon Strachan with Davie Cooper, entrusting the talented but un-predictable Rangers winger with unlocking a resolute Welsh defence.

Ultimately, it was from the penalty spot that Cooper was given the chance to justify his manager’s faith, and though the tension was palpable, he coolly slotted his kick low to Nev-ille Southall’s left to haul Scotland level with nine minutes remaining.

As the final, fateful seconds ticked down, Stein was seen to remonstrate angrily with photographers who had surrounded his dugout in anticipation of the full-time celebrations. Then, mistakenly thinking the referee had brought proceedings to an end, he clambered to his feet to shake the hand of his Welsh coun-terpart and suffered a massive heart attack. Within minutes, one of Scotland’s greatest he-roes had been pronounced dead in the Ninian Park treatment room.

The starCooper’s composure may have set Scotland en route to Mexico but for the umpteenth and fi-nal time, Scotland’s star was the man who in-troduced him to the fray. Dedication to his job had ensured that, on the day he died, Stein opted not to take the diuretics he had been pre-scribed for his heart problems, as he felt they prevented him carrying out his full duties. The Scotland manager and his loved ones were to pay the heaviest of prices for his devotion.

They said“It’s not a night I want to remember,” said for-mer Scotland midfielder and current national team manager Gordan Strachan shortly after Stein’s death. “I had thought at the time that he wasn’t at his bubbly best. He wasn’t as sparky

“We’d rather be out of the World Cup and have big Jock back.”

A mourning Scotland fan

MATCH SUMMARYDate and venue: 10 September 1985, Ninian Park, CardiffMatch: Wales 1-1 ScotlandBackground: Decisive game to determine who would face Australia in the play-offs en route to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.Scorers: Hughes 13’ (Wales), Cooper 81’ (Scotland)Wales: Southall, Jones, Van Den Hauwe, Ratcliffe, Jackett, James (Lovell, 80'), Phillips, Nicholas, Thomas (Blackmore, 83'), Rush, HughesScotland: Leighton (Rough, 46'), Gough, Malpas, Aitken, McLeish, Miller, Nicol, Strachan (Cooper, 61'), Sharp, Bett, Speedie

as usual at the dinner table. He was still able to make big decisions, though. He started out making great decisions and he went out with a great decision - taking me off! We were 1-0 down and the man he replaced me with went on to score the equaliser. Some say people wor-shipped big Jock, but it’s better than that. Peo-ple loved him.”

“I didn’t shed a tear until I had flown from Cardiff to Glasgow and set out on the drive to Aberdeen,” said Sir Alex Ferguson, former Manchester United manager and Jock Stein’s then assistant. “On the way up, I pulled into a lay-by and just broke down... For people like myself, Jock was the precursor of all the deeds and challenges we needed to aim at. He would never take the praise himself. It was always about the players and how great the team were. That magnanimity tells you everything about him. For any man seeking to further his educa-tion in football, Jock Stein was a one-man uni-versity.”

What happened next ...A band of 12,000 Scottish fans had travelled to Cardiff and, as news spread and Ferguson broke the news to a disconsolate dressing room, these same fans stood silently, disbelievingly, outside

the doors of Ninian Park. One supporter, inter-viewed on television, summed up the prevail-ing emotion. “We’d rather be out of the World Cup and have big Jock back,” he said quietly to the camera.

Yet Scotland did go on to Mexico, Ferguson leading the team to a 2-0 play-off win over Aus-tralia before stumbling at a familiar first-round hurdle in the finals. Back in Glasgow, thou-sands lined the streets to bid a fond, tearful farewell to a national icon and bona fide legend whose name and remarkable deeds will live on forever. Å

Stephen Sullivan

Unforgotten Celtic fans pay tribute to Jock Stein.

Key

ston

e / P

ress

Ass

ocia

tion

/ SM

G

imag

o


GRASSROOTS

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

For more information visit FIFA.com

FIFA inspiring girls and boys to play football

The week ly column by our s t a f f wr iters

F R E E K I C K S P O T L I G H T O N

GENERAL INFORMATION

Country:

Papua New Guinea

FIFA Trigramme:

PNG

Confederation:

OFC

Continent:

Oceania

Capital:

Port Moresby

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

Surface area:

462,840 km²

Highest point:

Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m

Neighbouring seas and oceans:

Pacific Ocean

MEN’S FOOTBALLFIFA Ranking:

205th

World Cup:

No appearances

WOMEN’S FOOTBALLFIFA Ranking:

50th

World Cup:

No appearances

LATEST RESULTSMen’s:

Philippines -

Papua New Guinea 5:0

12 October 2014

Women’s:

Papua New Guinea -

New Caledonia 1:0

16 July 2015

FIFA INVESTMENTSSince 2001:

$ 3,926,179

Nobody wishes injury upon anyone, but the sight of footballers getting hurt and hav-ing to be substituted is hardly a rare one,

despite all their training and the preventative measures taken. Football is a contact sport after all.

Unfortunate incidents can affect referees too, be it with or without third-party interfer-ence. There was one such instance at the end of August in an English Continental Cup match between Arsenal Ladies and Reading Women, when one of the referee’s assistants was forced to withdraw. With no replacement immediately available an announcement was subsequently made on the PA system, address-ing the 873 spectators present: “If there is a qualified assistant referee in the stadium, please can they make themselves known.”

Northumberland native Michael Oliver happened to be at the stadium, home to Bore-ham Wood FC, not only to watch the action but also his wife Lucy, who was refereeing the game. Oliver is the youngest person ever to have officiated a Premier League match after taking charge of the tie between Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers in August 2010.

The 30-year-old FIFA referee promptly volunteered his services and helped his wife

by running the line in the second half, prompt-ing chants of “There’s only one Michael Oliver” from the stands.

After the game Reading coach Kelly Cham-bers, whose side lost 2-1, said: “It was nice of him to step in and help us.” Indeed, the elite level referee was not above helping out where needed – the sign of a true sportsman. Besides, who wouldn’t willingly run to their spouse’s aid? Å

Perikles Monioudis

At the ready

Mar

io W

agne

r / 2

Age

nten


M I R R O R I M AG E

T H E N

Manchester, England

1960

Shay Brennan (third from left) and John Aston (second from right) test their strength at Manchester United’s training ground.

Popp

erfo

to /

Get

ty Im

ages

Ian

Hor

rock

s / S

unde

rlan

d A

FC, G

etty

Imag

es


M I R R O R I M AG E

N O W

2015

John O’Shea pictured at the KIA Training Ground during Sunderland’s tour of North America.

Toronto, Canada

Popp

erfo

to /

Get

ty Im

ages

Ian

Hor

rock

s / S

unde

rlan

d A

FC, G

etty

Imag

es


Co

ca-C

ola

and

the c

onto

ur

bo

ttle

are

reg

iste

red

tra

dem

ark

s o

f th

e C

oca-C

ola

Co

mp

any.

sharecocacola.com#shareacocacola

Share a

with

N E T Z E R K N O W S ! Q U O T E S O F T H E W E E K

“He’s physically strong and he's a quick learner. Depay is also very loyal

and will die for his fellow players.”PSV Eindhoven coach Phillip Cocu

on Memphis Depay

“What Messi does on a football f ield is simply unthinkable. The way he walks

f rom side to side, and once he sees an oppor tunity, he simply creates magic.

Seeing him play is like watching a video game. Messi’s bet ter with his feet than I am with my hands, but

I ’m tr ying to catch him!”Victoria Azarenka, the former women’s world

No 1 tennis player on Lionel Messi

“Kevin is just a chilled guy. He knows how good he is, so

statist ics and all this kind of stuf f won’t put pressure on him.”

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany on Kevin de Bruyne

“I was among the f irst players that qualif ied Nigeria for the Wor ld

Cup for the f irst t ime. I never thought I ’d play in the Wor ld Cup. Being par t

of that team was special for me. It ’s something I st ill struggle to

f ind the words to describe. We were privileged just to be able to watch

the Wor ld Cup on telly.”Jay-Jay Okocha, Nigerian

former professional footballer

“Our body language in the f irst hal f (against Augsburg) wasn’t good

and our play was much, much too slow. I hope we can improve in the future. We have to play for

90 minutes, not just 45.”Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola

“I don’t like being benched. And I don’t want to get used to it .”

Barcelona forward Neymar What have you a lways wanted to know about footbal l? A sk Gunter Net zer : feedback-theweek ly@ f i fa .org

Well, no-one saw it coming but it has to be said that Iceland’s qualification for the 2016 UEFA European Championship

has felt completely routine. I watched their 1-0 victory over the Netherlands on TV and there was nothing special about Iceland’s performance, yet with good organisation and spirit they have achieved something very significant.

This team has earned its place in France. The players know each other well and many of them were part of the U-21 side that beat a German side with the likes of Mats Hum-mels and Benedikt Howedes in it 4-1 en route to qualifying for the 2011 UEFA Under-21 Championship. I cannot see the Icelanders progressing to the knockout stages of EURO 2016, but just taking part in such a tourna-ment will be a great experience for the play-ers and a proud moment for the country’s people.

On the other hand, it is a worrying time for the Dutch national team. Things have not clicked for them in recent matches and there is a very real prospect that the Netherlands

will not be at next summer’s tournament. They will be hoping to finish in third place and qualify for the play-offs but that position is currently occupied by Turkey, whose im-pressive 3-0 win against the Netherlands showed that they should not be taken lightly.

What has gone wrong for the Dutch? It is difficult to judge from the outside, but what is most baffling about their sudden decline in form is the fact that the team has barely changed from the one that finished third at the FIFA World Cup™ last year. I don’t sup-pose the team itself knows where the prob-lem lies Å

Should Iceland’s success have been expected?

Morning training in Gladbach Gunter Netzer in September 1966.

imag

o


FIFA PARTNER

In Turning Point , personali t ies re f lec t on a decisive moment in their l ives .

T U R N I N G P O I N T

NameAnton “Toni” PolsterDate and place of birth10 March 1964, Vienna, AustriaPositionStrikerClubs 1982–1987 Austria Vienna1987–1988 Torino1988–1991 Sevilla1991–1992 Logrones1992–1993 Rayo Vallecano1993–1998 Cologne1998–2000 Borussia Monchengladbach2000 Austria Salzburg (Loan)Clubs as coach2010–2011 LASK Linz reserves2011–2013 Wiener Viktoria2013 Admira Wacker2014–present Wiener ViktoriaAustria national team95 appearances, 44 goals

When referee Piotr Werner blew the final whistle on the deciding quali-fier between Austria and East Ger-many on 15 November 1989, I fought back a deluge of emotions. For a start, there was the joy that the

3-0 victory would take us to Italy for the FIFA World Cup.

At the same time, however, a great empti-ness overcame me. Against Iceland in Salz-burg a few months earlier the fans had whis-tled me. Back then I was the only foreign-based player in the team and I could not always live up to the high expectations placed on me. In fact, before the game against East Germany, our coach Josef Hickersberger was threatened with what would happen if I were chosen in the starting line-up. There was a bomb scare and we had to be evacuated. The pressure on me was enormous and when the final whistle went I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

I also felt a measure of satisfaction that I had dealt with the criticism and, with my hat-trick, had contributed to our ultimate qualification for the World Cup. I had fulfilled the expectations placed on me, but the whole episode got me thinking. When your own fans boo you, it hurts. I have been a football fan since childhood and as a little boy I often went to games with my dad. Whistling or booing had never occurred to me; I always wanted to support my team so they would win.

It was a strange situation. If the game at Vienna’s Praterstadion [now known as the Ernst-Happel-Stadion] had not ended well

then I don’t know if my career with the national side would have continued. As it was, I ended up captaining my country to two World Cups, being chosen as Austrian Foot-baller and Sportsman of the Year and setting a new goalscoring record.

When Piotr Werner blew the final whistle on 15 November 1989, however, I only had one thought: I wanted out. I could hardly stay on the field and I certainly could not go into the stands with the team to celebrate alongside the fans. I just looked up and thanked God for his help. Then I made for the dressing room where it was a bit calmer. There, I had the chance to get my emotions under control and digest what had happened. Eventually my team-mates began to come in and con-gratulate me. I gave a few interviews and then just left the stadium. It wasn’t an easy time for me but with hindsight I can safely say that it made me stronger. Å

Toni Polster was speaking to Annette Braun

For a while, Anton ‘Toni’ Polster was booed by his own fans. The striker responded by netting a hat-trick against East Germany to fire Austria to the 1990 FIFA World Cup Italy™.

“A great emptiness overcame me”

Dav

id P

ayr /

laif


1 Argentina 0 1442

2 Belgium 0 1269

3 Germany 0 1248

4 Colombia 0 1224

5 Brazil 0 1209

6 Portugal 0 1186

7 Romania 0 1176

8 Chile 2 1149

9 Wales 0 1146

10 England -2 1143

11 Spain 0 1122

12 Netherlands 0 1054

13 Austria 1 1038

14 Croatia -1 1037

15 Slovakia -1 1013

16 Italy 0 1012

17 Switzerland 0 1011

18 Uruguay 0 1002

19 Algeria 0 955

20 Czech Republic 0 940

21 Côte d’Ivoire 0 924

22 Denmark 3 901

23 Iceland 1 894

24 France -1 893

25 Albania -3 878

26 Mexico 0 848

27 Ghana 0 827

28 USA 1 823

29 Ukraine 1 812

30 Bosnia and Herzegovina -2 811

31 Scotland 1 789

32 Russia -1 780

33 Tunisia 1 774

34 Ecuador 2 764

34 Poland -1 764

36 Sweden 1 756

37 Hungary -2 740

38 Senegal 1 734

39 Costa Rica -1 731

40 Iran 1 716

41 Northern Ireland -1 687

42 Congo 1 671

42 Cameroon 0 671

44 Greece 0 657

45 Slovenia 1 653

46 Israel 1 635

46 Turkey -1 635

48 Peru 1 628

49 Egypt 3 619

50 Venezuela -2 613

51 Republic of Ireland -1 605

52 Jamaica 3 602

53 Nigeria 0 599

54 Trinidad and Tobago 2 594

55 Paraguay 3 592

56 Cape Verde Islands -6 589

57 Korea Republic -3 574

58 Japan -2 570

59 Panama 6 551

60 Mali 3 550

61 Australia 0 548

62 Equatorial Guinea 0 546

63 Gabon 1 535

63 Guinea -3 535

65 Congo DR -6 529

66 Serbia 0 528

67 Bolivia 0 521

68 Bulgaria 1 503

69 Norway -1 496

70 United Arab Emirates 0 484

71 Uganda 3 478

72 South Africa 0 469

73 Burkina Faso -2 468

74 Zambia -1 464

75 Faroe Islands 0 459

76 Uzbekistan 0 453

77 Montenegro 0 430

78 Rwanda 13 426

79 Togo 1 418

80 Estonia -2 405

81 Honduras 0 404

82 Iraq 3 399

83 Armenia 5 394

84 China PR -5 393

85 Morocco -3 391

86 Cyprus -4 386

87 Haiti -3 385

88 Angola 1 381

89 Sudan -2 377

90 Latvia -4 366

91 Jordan 1 356

92 Finland -3 351

93 Saudi Arabia 0 350

94 Qatar 1 347

95 Mozambique 2 340

96 Malawi 2 336

97 Belarus -1 335

98 Libya -4 333

98 Guatemala 10 333

100 Oman -1 329

101 Niger 1 326

102 Canada -1 319

103 Ethiopia -4 313

104 FYR Macedonia -1 305

105 Antigua and Barbuda 0 304

105 Sierra Leone -1 304

107 El Salvador 3 300

108 Zimbabwe 0 298

109 Lithuania -2 294

110 Azerbaijan -4 291

111 Namibia 0 284

112 Bahrain 0 281

113 Cuba 6 280

114 Mauritania -1 273

115 Benin -1 269

116 Kenya 0 268

116 St Vincent and the Grenadines -1 268

118 Botswana 3 266

119 Palestine -1 256

119 St Kitts and Nevis 0 256

121 Madagascar 1 251

121 Syria -4 251

123 Dominican Republic 6 248

124 Moldova 3 245

125 Philippines 0 241

126 Korea DPR -2 237

127 Kuwait -1 235

128 Lesotho 0 227

128 Belize -5 227

130 Afghanistan 4 226

131 St Lucia 0 222

132 Bermuda 3 220

133 Lebanon -3 219

134 Burundi -2 218

135 Swaziland -3 213

136 New Zealand -1 209

137 Thailand 2 201

137 Aruba 0 201

139 Nicaragua 5 198

140 Tanzania 0 195

141 Luxembourg 4 194

142 Guinea-Bissau 0 191

143 Gambia -1 189

144 Barbados -6 186

145 Kazakhstan -4 184

146 Guam 0 182

147 Georgia 7 180

148 Curaçao 0 178

149 Turkmenistan 0 172

150 Liechtenstein -3 171

151 Hong Kong 0 169

152 Vietnam 1 166

152 Puerto Rico -2 166

154 Guyana -2 165

155 Kyrgyzstan 1 160

155 India 1 160

157 Singapore -2 159

158 Grenada 2 155

158 Tajikistan 0 155

160 Liberia 1 154

160 Malta -1 154

162 Myanmar 0 142

M E N ’ S W O R L D R A N K I N G

Rank Team +/- Points

163 Timor-Leste 0 130

164 Bhutan 0 128

165 Indonesia 0 121

166 New Caledonia 1 120

166 Suriname -1 120

168 Central African Republic 1 118

169 Malaysia -1 115

170 Pakistan 1 105

171 Chad 1 100

172 Dominica 1 98

173 Bangladesh -3 95

174 Laos 3 92

175 Yemen -1 90

176 US Virgin Islands 0 88

177 Maldives -2 82

178 Montserrat 0 74

179 Chinese Taipei 0 72

180 Cambodia 0 66

181 Fiji 17 64

182 Tahiti 4 61

182 Brunei Darussalam 1 61

184 Sri Lanka -2 59

185 Mauritius -4 56

185 Nepal -1 56

187 Macau 1 49

187 Cayman Islands 2 49

187 Solomon Islands 4 49

190 Comoros -4 48

190 São Tomé e Príncipe -1 48

192 Seychelles -7 43

193 San Marino -1 40

194 Turks and Caicos Islands -1 33

195 British Virgin Islands -1 27

196 Samoa 1 25

197 Vanuatu -1 23

198 South Sudan -3 22

199 American Samoa 1 17

199 Tonga -1 17

201 Eritrea 2 8

202 Mongolia 2 6

202 Andorra -1 6

202 Somalia 2 6

205 Djibouti 1 4

205 Cook Islands 1 4

205 Papua New Guinea -4 4

208 Anguilla 0 0

208 Bahamas 0 0

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

Rank Team +/- Points Rank Team +/- Points Rank Team +/- Points

LeaderMoves into top tenMoves out of top tenMatches played in totalMost matches playedBiggest move by pointsBiggest move by ranksBiggest drop by pointsBiggest drop by ranks

Argentina (unchanged)nonenone15Cambodia, China PR, Fiji, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Republic (2 matches each)Rwanda (up 57 points)Fiji (up 17 ranks)Northern Ireland (down 34 points)Seychelles (down 7 ranks)

Last updated:3 September 2015


P U Z Z L E

5 7 3 9 6 4 1 8

1 3 7

8 2 3

5 7 8

8 2 4

3 1 2

6 4 8 5 2 3 7 1

1 7 2

4 1 6 5

2 8 3 9

6 5

8 5 2 9

7 5

2 6 7 8

7 3 8 6

3 1 9

9 2 6 3 5

8 5

5 8 6

8 5 4

3 9 6 7 2

9 2 1

9 5 4

1 6

1 7 5 8 2

1

2

3

EASY

MEDIUM

HARD

The objective of Sudoku is to fill a 9x9 grid with digits so that each of the numbers from 1 to 9 appears exactly once in each column, row and 3x3 sub-grid.

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

PublisherFIFA, FIFA-Strasse 20, PO box, CH-8044 Zurich

Phone +41-(0)43-222 7777, Fax +41-(0)43-222 7878

PresidentJoseph S. Blatter

Secretary GeneralJérôme Valcke

Director of Communications and Public Affairs

Nicolas Maingot (a. i.)

Chief EditorPerikles Monioudis

Staff WritersAlan Schweingruber (Deputy Editor),

Annette Braun, Sarah Steiner

Art DirectionCatharina Clajus

Picture EditorPeggy Knotz, Christiane Ludena (on behalf of 13 Photo)

LayoutRichie Kroenert (Lead), Tobias Benz, Susanne Egli

Proof ReaderNena Morf (Lead), Martin Beran, Kristina Rotach

ContributorsRonald Dueker, Luigi Garlando, Sven Goldmann, Andreas Jaros,

Jordi Punti, Thomas Renggli, David Winner, Roland Zorn

Contributors to this IssueMark Gleeson, Trix Hammer, Stephen Sullivan, Diego Zandrino

Editorial AssistantAlissa Rosskopf

ProductionHans-Peter Frei

Project ManagementBernd Fisa, Christian Schaub

Translationwww.sportstranslations.com

PrinterZofinger Tagblatt AG

[email protected]

Internetwww.fifa.com/theweekly

Reproduction of photos or articles in whole or in part is only permitted with prior editorial approval and if attributed

“The FIFA Weekly, © FIFA 2015”. The editor and staff are not obliged to publish unsolicited manuscripts and photos.

FIFA and the FIFA logo are registered trademarks of FIFA. Made and printed in Switzerland.

Any views expressed in The FIFA Weekly do not necessarily reflect those of FIFA. Pu

zzle

s co

urte

sy: o

pens

ky.c

a/su

doku


Football builds bridges. It has a unique power to inspire friendship, respect and equality. FIFA’s Say No To Racism campaign is part of our commitment to tackle all forms of discrimination in football. Everyone should have the right to play and enjoy football without fear of discrimination. Say no to racism. For more information visit FIFA.com

Football breaks down barriers

20 december 2015, japan

Documents