Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2017 i World Soccer

We may live in rapidly changing global times, but it’s reassuring that some things in football stay the same. Brazil have become the first team to qualify for the World Cup (page 70). After hitting rock bottom in 2014 – and that 7-1 humiliation by Germany – their revival under coach Tite has been impressive. Brazil have become the first team to qualify for the World Cup (page 70). After hitting rock bottom in 2014 – and that 7-1 humiliation by Germany – their revival under coach Tite has been impressive. Players who looked dead and buried, such as Thiago Silva, have been reborn and, crucially, Tite has looked beyond the big leagues of western Europe, bringing Paulinho back in from the cold Football is a creature of habit and…

BRAZIL The five-time world champions are the first team to have secured their qualification for next year’s World cup finals in russia. CELTIC Having already won the Scottish league cup, a 5-0 victory away to Hearts saw the Hoops claim a sixth successive Premiership title – and their 48th championship in total. BRUCE ARENA Won the first game in his second spell in charge of the USA as they got back on track in the World cup qualifiers with a 6-0 victory over Honduras. QATAR The 2022 World cup hosts were eliminated from the 2018 qualifiers and will be the only hosts never to have previously played in a World cup. ARGENTINA dropped out of the automatic qualification places for the World cup after losing 2-0 to Bolivia. MONACO The…

Gian Piero GASPERINI (Atalanta) “Messi is paying for the fact that FIFA don’t like Tapia, Angelici and the execs at the AFA” Former Paraguay goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert blames the four-match ban for Argentina’s captain on football politics One of the stories of the Serie A season has been the rise of Atalanta under Gasperini. A 5-0 win against Genoa in April put them fifth and in contention for a Europa League place next season. The club has always been a terrific breeding ground for young players, and this current crop are no exception. Andrea Petagna and Leonardo Spinazzola both made their Italy debuts this winter, while under-21 regulars Andrea Conti and Mattia Caldara have also been called into the senior squad. Gasperini, however, would probably be the first to…

MARIOS LEFKARITIS The Cypriot stood down as a UEFA Executive Committee member after 21 years. He had previously decided not to stand for re-election to the FIFA Council, where he has been a member since 2002. The 70-year-old attracted controversy in 2013 when it was reported that his family was paid £27m for a piece of land by the Qatar Investment Authority. Lefkaritis is believed to have voted for Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup. VITALY MUTKO The Russian deputy prime minister, who is also head of the Russian Football Union, has been barred from standing for re-election for a place on the FIFA Council after he failed an eligibility test carried out by the FIFA review committee. It is believed he has been barred because his ministerial role…

“I used some photos of Cristiano Ronaldo that I found on the internet, nothing specific. I put the photos next to me and started working on the bust” Emanuel Santos explains how he made his cast of the player, which is on display at the re-named Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport EUROPE TAKIS LEMONIS was appointed coach of Greek Superleague leaders Olympiakos for a third time. Sweden defender JONAS OLSSON left West Bromwich Albion to sign for Djurgarden in his homeland. Former England defender JONATHAN WOODGATE returned to his old club side Middlesbrough as first-team coach. Scottish Premiership side Motherwell named STEPHEN ROBINSON as manager following the sacking of Mark McGhee. CONCACAF Former Germany captain BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER, who led his country to World Cup success in 2014, joined MLS side…

1 Chikhura Sachkhere 2 Dila Gori 3 Dinamo Batumi 4 Dinamo Tbilisi Lokomotiv Tbilisi Saburtalo Tbilisi 5 Kolkheti Poti 6 Samtredia 7 Shukura Kobuleti 8 Torpedo Kutaisi CHIKHURA SACHKHERE From western Georgia, they play in Zestaponi due to an inadequate home ground. Reached the Georgian Cup Final in 2013 and 2014, but lost on both occasions. DILA GORI Dila won the Georgian Cup in 2012 and the league in 2015. The club was recently acquired by a group of Israeli sports agents. DINAMO BATUMI Founded in 1923 and based in the Black Sea port of Batumi, near the breakaway state of Abkhazia. Publicly funded, they qualified for the Europa League last season. DINAMO TBILISI The club’s legendary side of the late 1970s and early 1980s are a benchmark no subsequent…

Lucas TOUSART Age 19 (29.04.97), Lyon & France In a sentence Only on the Lyon fringes last summer and within a whisker of being loaned out, the defensive midfielder has made great strides since, earning a first-team place and attracting covetous glances from leading European outfits such as Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Manchester United. What they say David Le Frapper, his former coach at Valenciennes: “Although he knows what he’s doing technically, he isn’t a number 10. He’s well aware where his strengths lie. He’s a little Didier Deschamps.” Ludovic Batelli, coach of France under- 19s: “As our captain, he represents a double guarantee. In competition he is our cornerstone and is equally infl uential in the way we operate as a group off the pitch. He’s solid. Solid…

“We were never asked. This gives you the feeling of impotence” Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel complains at UEFA’s rescheduling of his team’s clash with Monaco 24 hours after explosions hit the team bus DUNCAN WATMORE The Sunderland striker saved three holidaymakers in Barbados when the fishing boat they were on was hit and broken in two by a catamaran. The 23-year-old, who was recovering from an operation following a cruciate-knee-ligament injury at the time, managed to haul three elderly passengers out of the water before the boat sank. PAULINHO The Brazilian became the first player in World Cup qualifying history to score a hat-trick for a visiting team in Uruguay. The midfielder’s three goals came in Brazil’s 4-1 win in Montevideo after they trailed to an Edinson Cavani goal.…

Keir RADNEDGE THE INSIDER There was no cause for rejoicing when FIFA promised there was to be a summarising post-mortem on the 22-month, 10-million document, internal investigation into corruption at its heart and head. Lawyers Quinn Emanuel had set off on their extensive – not to mention highly lucrative – search in the wake of the drama of May 2015, when seven of world football’s high-flyers were yanked from their five-star beds at the Baur au Lac Hotel in Zurich and extradited to the United States. Only one of the seven was bound for an alternative route, with the then-CONMEBOL president Eugenio Figueredo, who was already wanted in his homeland of Uruguay. Interestingly, although Figueredo is currently supposed to be under house arrest, several of his neighbours have reported how…

Paul GARDNER THE WORLDWIDE VIEW A spectre is haunting the game; the spectre of violent goalkeepers While it would be exaggerating to say that the authorities have entered into a holy alliance to ignore the topic, it is certainly true that they have done next to nothing to confront it – or even to admit that it is a problem. It’s not a new problem. In 1982, the German keeper Toni Schumacher brutally assaulted Patrick Battiston – Michel Platini later said: “I thought he was dead” – and while poor Battiston was rushed to hospital, Schumacher played on. Everyone was horrified, but nobody did anything about it. Most significantly, FIFA did nothing to ensure that such carnage would not happen again. It made no changes to the rules of the…

“Money does not rule” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin insists Europe’s rich clubs will not hold UEFA to ransom and announces a €1m “solidarity” payment to each member nation In yet another example of their penchant for recruiting their brightest and best youngsters, Borussia Dortmund have completed a €12million deal with Borussia Monchengladbach for coveted Germany under-21 midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud, who will head to the Ruhr on a five-year deal this summer. Born in Syria but brought up from an early age in the Rhineland, the 21-yearold had been linked with a host of leading Premier League sides. But, in the end, he simply could not say no to the mouth-watering Schwarz-Gelben prospectus – with their reputation for polishing diamonds, Champions League opportunities, an electric atmosphere at the Westfalenstadion and, last…

Head injuries remain a grave concern for the game To head or not to head, that is the question. With such distinguished sufferers from dementia memory loss as Nobby Stiles, Martin Peters and Ray Wilson, and the shocking example of Jeff Astle, no wonder there is general alarm and calls for a massive investigation. A television programme on the problem was fronted by Alan Shearer, who happens to be an example of a well-known header of the ball who has not been affected. Gordon Taylor and his Professional Footballers Association have been criticised for not being more pro-active and only now are they proposing a thorough investigation. Yet what good could it do, whoever happens to initiate it? All it will discover, I believe, however much it costs and however…

LEVAN KOBIASHVILI Played in the Bundesliga for Freiburg and Schalke, and won 100 caps for Georgia before retiring in 2014. Was elected GFF president in October 2015. VLADIMIR WEISS The Slovakian took Artmedia Bratislava into the Champions League group stage in 2005 and his homeland to their first major finals at the 2010 World Cup, where they beat Italy 3-2 to reach the last 16. Stood down in 2012 and then coached Kairat of Kazakhstan before taking charge of Georgia last year. MERAB JORDANIA Controversial former Dinamo Tbilisi player and one-time GFF president who bought Dutch side Vitesse in 2010, allegedly with help from Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich. He left Holland under a cloud of allegations that refuse to disperse and bought Maltese side Valletta in 2014. He recently bought…

Where do you start when trying to explain who Gigi Becali is? The owner of Romania’s mostsuccessful side, Steaua Bucharest, he is loved and loathed in equal measure in his homeland. The former shepherd made his fortune in real estate after the fall of communism before buying Steaua in 2003, from where his elevated status gave him a platform for his anti-globalisation, ultra-nationalist views. He has railed against women and homosexuality, been an MP and MEP, and had an unsuccessful run at becoming president of his country. Famed for his garish attire as much as for his loose mouth and sharp tongue, there are those who claim Becali was Donald Trump before Donald Trump was Donald Trump. But in 2013 he was sent to jail for two years for corruption…

Under the headline “He’s Back! Meet the new improved Romario”, Tim Vickery told the story of how Brazil’s superstar turned bad boy “was overweight, overpaid and over the hill” 12 months ago. “Now he’s back for Brazil and playing better than ever.” Vickery went on to explain: “There were times when Romario did not turn up for work. Now he arrives at Flamengo’s training ground in a helicopter and leaves in a Porsche. “After two years away, Romario is once more taking care of business.” And he proved it with a manof- the-match performance in Brazil’s 4-2 win over Poland – his first game for the national team since helping them win the World Cup in 1994. “Just a few months after seeming to be nearing the end of his…

At the halfway stage of the qualifying campaign, all the major teams remain on course, though Spain and Italy are locked together in Group G, and European champions Portugal will finish behind Switzerland in Group B unless they can win their crucial meeting in October. A France stayed top of Group A after a 3-1 win in Luxembourg. Monaco teenager Kylian Mbappe made his debut as a second-half sub but the goals came from the familiar faces of Olivier Giroud (two) and Antoine Griezmann. Victories for Sweden and Bulgaria piled the pressure on Holland, who sacked Danny Blind after the defeat in Sofia. Sweden enjoyed a comprehensive 4-0 win over Belarus, while Bulgaria remain unbeaten after five games following their win over the Dutch. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 69th and…

At the same time that Lukas Podolski was ending his glittering 13-year international career with a wondergoal winner against England in Dortmund, it is ironic to note that these are far from the best of times for German marksmen in the Bundesliga. While overseas stars such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) and Anthony Modeste (Cologne) reign supreme in the scoring charts this term, only two locally sourced players – RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner and Sandro Wagner of Hoffenheim – have been scoring on a regular basis. And even they require binoculars to see the Big Three goleadors in the distance. Nor is the foreign domination of the Torschutzenkonig race a new phenomenon. Over the last 15 years, just five Germans have lifted the replica canon awarded…

orld Cup runners-up in 1938 and 1962, triple Olympic gold medallists and third at the 1964 European Championship, Hungary has rich footballing history. But after elimination at the 1986 World Cup, they failed to qualify for a major tournament for the next 30 years However, things began to change for the better once again in 2010, with the rise to government of football fan Viktor Orban and his right-wing Fidesz party, and the election of Sandor Csanyi – the country’s richest man – as head of the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ). Both had ambitions for sport, albeit for different reasons. Football represented a potential symbol of both national pride and “soft power” in a complex new Europe. Csanyi points out that he was born in 1953, the same year Ferenc…

“I’ve almost made my decision, but I’ll wait for May or June. I will never become a coach, I don’t like to be one against 30, players are so sly” roma’s 40-year-old francesco totti considers his future 1 LUKAS PODOLSKI Germany v England on his last-ever international appearance for Germany, he produces a fine left-foot shot from outside the penalty area that curls away from Joe Hart and into the top corner. 2 JOHAN ARANGO Santa Fe v Millonarios Connects with a flick by denis Stracqualursi and strokes the ball low into the bottom corner. 3 aviLes hurtado Tijuana v Atlas Spectacular bicycle kick from the centre of the penalty area following a corner. 4 MAREK HAMSIK Napoli V Juventus Some patient possession football, followed by a lovely one-two with…

“Players who don’t dare voice the slightest criticism at their clubs should be doubly careful of doing so with the national team” Israel coach Elisha Levy suspends two of his squad, Tomer Hemed and Ariel Harush, for publicly attacking his choices 1 SEQUINS AND SPRAY TANS Two rivals from the 1982 World Cup were in competition again when the latest series of Italy’s version of Strictly Come Dancing began. Claudio Gentile of Italy and Brazil’s Zico were opponents in the classic match at the Sarria Stadium in Barcelona in 1982 – which Italy won 3-2 with a Paolo Rossi hattrick – and were competing against each other again as a one-off guest appearance on the new series of Dancing with the Stars. Gentile teamed up with professional dancer Roberta Beccarini…

“Our game used to totally revolve around Zlatan. Now that he has retired we’ve all become more responsible, we’ve all raised our game a couple of notches” Sweden midfielder Jimmy Durmaz attributes the team’s strong displays in World Cup qualification to the post-Ibrahimovic effect Issa Hayatou had not even been called back into the cavernous hall at the African Unity building in Ethiopia when the result of his re-election bid flashed on a giant video screen overhead The 34-20 result in favour of his opponent, Ahmad, was the first thing he saw as he was ushered back into the room amid a stunned silence as the magnitude of the stunning upset was slowly digested by the delegates and guests at the Confederation of African Football Congress. Then, after a pregnant…

“A victory no longer represents the moon. Nor does a defeat stand for hell” In an interview with France Football, Jose Mourinho claims he has become more philosophical When the African champions Cameroon went down for lunch before their friendly against Guinea in Brussels in March, the hotel staff turned them away. Their bills had not been paid and so no pre-match meal was on offer. A day after the game, full-back Ambroise Oyongo was stuck at the airport, with his plane ticket back to Montreal Impact of MLS yet to be paid for by the Cameroon federation. He eventually got back for training two days later than scheduled. While these might not be among the most extreme examples of the ineptitude of some African football federations, for the newly…

Steve Menary reports Tskhinvali have gone missing. But while established clubs vanishing in eastern Europe is not unusual, this is different. The second-tier side, founded by exiles from the South Ossetian region that broke away from Georgia with Soviet help in 2004, are supposed to be hosting Merani Martvili at Tbilisi’s Mikheil Meskhi Stadium. Even members of the Georgian Football Federation (GFF) think Tskhinvali are playing at the Meskhi. Instead, unnoticed by virtually everyone except Tskhinvali’s management, the club has decamped 25km away to the industrial city of Rustavi. And the reason is simple: Tskhinvali can play three games at Rustavi’s Poladi Stadium for the price of one at the Meskhi. Tskhinvali played in last season’s Europa League qualifiers and were part of the top flight until relegation last term.…

“We’d take the money in the form of hamburgers at this point,” says Aleksandr Haydash, who is the chairman of TSK Simferopol. He is talking about the €1million promised to the Crimean Football Union by UEFA at a meeting in Switzerland on March 10. “They have allocated us the money but they don’t actually know how to deliver it because of the sanctions on Crimea.” This pretty much sums up the current state of confusion and frustration for football in the troubled peninsula. There is no clear signal of what the future holds for Crimean clubs and no idea when, or if, the money will arrive. The funding, according to a UEFA spokesman, is “specifically aimed at grass roots and youth-football development”. That would mean new pitches and the accreditation…

It says much for the rising strength of the English domestic game that it has managed to assemble its most starstudded cast for its least consequential competition since the FA finally committed to women’s football. The Spring Series is the FA’s solution to the scheduling difficulties created by moving the Women’s Super League from summer to winter and it is destined to be little more than a historical footnote, yet it has attracted the World Player of the Year, a triple-gold-medal Olympian, Norway’s captain and the star players of Scotland and Switzerland The seasonal switch – brought on by a desire to harmonise the WSL with the international calendar, the Women’s Champions League and the men’s Premier League (whose clubs increasingly share support staff) – left the FA with a…

t now seems extraordinary to recall that, going into last September, Brazil were sixth in the qualifying table and fretting about missing out on the World Cup. Then, in came coach Tite, and eight consecutive wins later they became the first team to qualify. Their place in Russia was confirmed by two impressive victories. They had to come from behind – a test they had never faced before under Tite – before sweeping Uruguay aside 4-1 Montevideo. And then in Sao Paulo they won 3-0 against a Paraguay side that had played a fine first half. I Neymar has hit top form, and Tite’s team is managing to combine traditional, individual Brazilian flair with quick-passing movements that in recent years have been the hallmark of the best European sides. With…

hina may have been hogging the Asian football headlines of late, but in qualification for the 2018 World Cup it is Iran who are taking centre stage. And it is no more than they deserved as Asia’s best-ranked side over the last four years according to FIFA. With three games remaining, they need just one more win to be sure of finishing in the top two in Group A and progressing automatically to the finals in Russia. C Carlos Queiroz deserves plenty of credit for Team Melli’s success. The former Real Madrid coach took over in 2011, led the country to the 2014 World Cup and is now about to deliver a first-ever successive appearance Huge credit must also go to a defence that has not been breached in any…

Barcelona’s famous “More than a club” motto could easily be applied to the current life of Ukraine’s most successful club of recent times, Shakhtar Donetsk. In exile since the second half of 2014, they have had to take shelter in Kiev, with their Donbass Arena home having ceased to be a football stadium. Instead, until recently, it was a humanitarian-aid centre, distributing food parcels to local people affected by the military conflict with pro-Russian separatists. Almost eight years ago, nobody could have imagined the scale of the tragedy. In 2009, Ukraine’s president, Viktor Yushchenko, unveiled the first football stadium in Eastern Europe that was designed and built to UEFA’s five-star standards. He addressed the crowds saying: “Victories be yours, Donetsk and Donbass. Victories be yours, Ukraine, here in Donbass Arena.…

olland face an almost impossible task if they are to avoid missing a second consecutive tournament. Even if they were to win all their remaining World Cup qualifiers, which include France away, it is not certain that they would be among the best runners-up in the European section. And the Oranje will have to attempt the nearimpossible without coach Danny Blind, who was put out of his misery after a disastrous 2-0 defeat away to Bulgaria in Sofia. Yet even though everyone else agreed that Holland were heading down a dead-end street with Blind, the coach himself had a different opinion. In an astonishing statement he felt there was no need to fire him, claiming: “We are on the right track, this defeat was an incident.” An incident? During his…