Indholdsfortegnelse for Sep-2018 i World Soccer

Another season of European club football and the distortion of the game by money is stronger than ever. While oil-rich Azerbaijan hosts the 2019 Europa League Final, it is hard to envisage a club from outside of the big five leagues celebrating a Champions League victory in Madrid’s Metropolitano stadium on June 1 next year. A handful of elite clubs now dominate the European club landscape to such an extent that if a new name is to be added to the pantheon of winners, it is likely to be that of Paris Saint-Germain or Manchester City. Since Porto won in 2004, nine of the 14 subsequent Champions League Finals have been won by Real Madrid or Barcelona. This season, changes to the qualifying format mean only 15 different countries are…

ARSENE WENGER Arsenal’s former manager was awarded the title Knight Grand Commander of the Humane Order of African Redemption – the highest honour possible in the west African country of Liberia. The Frenchman was inducted into the country’s Order of Distinction by its president George Weah, who played under the Frenchman at Monaco. GURAM KASHIA Georgia’s captain was the inaugural recipient of UEFA’s #EqualGame award after he wore a rainbow armband in support of the LGBT community while playing for Dutch side Vitesse last October. The defender’s stance saw rioting from protestors in his homeland and calls for him to be dropped from the national side. But the 31-year-old said: “I will always keep defending equality and equal rights for everyone, wherever I will play.” LUKA MODRIC The Real Madrid…

The experts are holding youngsters back I find it increasingly difficult to summon up interest when I hear that football – maybe FIFA, maybe UEFA, maybe the FA – announces that it has appointed yet another committee or panel or advisory group. And that is because these select bodies rarely seem to have much impact There must have been an occasion when an expert committee came up with something of fundamental importance that the sport adopted, but at the moment I cannot think of one. Appointing an expert committee merely poses as action. In reality, it is a tried and trusted method of postponing action. No self-respecting expert committee can be expected to complete its lucubrations in less than a year. Time enough to smother any urgency; even for the…

Club sides continue to ignore young players at the national team’s peril There is a worrying tendency for major English clubs to keep their outstanding young players out of the first team – at a time when they could be invaluable to an England side which is hardly overflowing with talent. For a salient example there is Phil Foden, who sparkled in the Manchester City attack in the pre-season charity match at Wembley. An attacker born in nearby Stockport, he can play up front or as an attacking midfielder. When an unfortunate injury ruled out the formidable Belgium international Kevin De Bruyne from the City side, it seemed a perfect opportunity for Foden to replace him. But, whatever his achievements at Wembley, Foden is as yet still no more than…

DEC 2, 2015 Makes his debut for Monaco, against Caen, aged 16 years and 347 days and becomes the club’s youngest-ever player. FEB 20, 2016 Breaks Thierry Henry’s record with a goal against Troyes to become Monaco’s youngest scorer, at 17 years and 62 days. MAR 6, 2016 Signs his first pro contract, agreeing a three-year deal that will tie him to Monaco until June 2019. JUL 24, 2016 Is a Euro Under-19 winner as France beat Italy 4-0 in the Final, having scored five times in the tournament. DEC 14, 2016 Scores his first hat-trick, in Monaco’s 7-0 thrashing of Rennes in the French League Cup. FEB 11, 2017 Scores the first Ligue 1 hat-trick of his career in a 5-0 victory at home to Metz. FEB 21, 2017…

MANCHESTER CITY Time to make their mark in Europe After strolling to the Premier League title last season, playing some of the most sophisticated football ever seen in the English top flight, City will inevitably have an eye on the Champions League prize. Their Abu Dhabi owners have not pumped in petrodollars galore to be Euro also-rans – and that is what City have been in recent years, only once making the semi-finals in seven attempts. Although Pep Guardiola would never admit it, he is in need of a continental coronation. Since overseeing Barcelona’s win against Manchester United in the 2011 Final he has enjoyed precious little European fortune, losing no fewer than four semis and twice coming up short with City, who were eliminated in the round of 16…

CLUB BRUGGE Nothing to lose The good news for the Belgian champions is they have absolutely nothing to lose in Europe this season. The last time they appeared in the Champions League, in 2016-17, they finished bottom of their group, losing all six of their fixtures – against Leicester City, Porto and Copenhagen – and scored just two goals. While a place in this season’s last 16 is a long shot, the men in blue-and-black will not be approaching the competition as sacrificial lambs. Ivan Leko, who was rather surprisingly handed the job following the resignation of Michel Preud'homme, is a tactically shrewd coach and he has assembled a purposeful side that is not afraid to force the issue. All-out attack is what they do best – hence a goal…

Never before has German football’s “50+1” rule – whereby outside investors are generally forbidden from holding a controlling stake in a club – looked so ripe for reform or abolition. In March, a majority of the country’s 36 professional teams voted to retain the clause, but by no means can it be regarded as a definitive victory. The German League (DFL) says it will make a final decision on the issue at the end of the year, and with 12 of the 18 Bundesliga clubs thought to be keen for change, nothing can be taken for granted. Those administrators who see 50+1 as a barrier to greater external funding continue to make a lot of noise, with Hanover president Martin Kind, whose application for an exemption to the rule was…

1 SAUL Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid Left-foot volley on the edge of the penalty area following a fantastic cross from the left wing. 2 ANDRES INIESTA Vissel Kobe v Jubilo Iwata Receives a pass from Lukas Podolski, beats his man with a drag back and rounds the keeper. 3 KEVIN MBABU Young Boys v Dinamo Zagreb Runs from his own half, plays the ball out wide and then meets the cross with a superb near-post finish. 4 LUCIANO ACOSTA DC United v Orlando City As Orlando break away in the last minute, Wayne Rooney tracks back from deep in the opposition half and makes a superb tackle inside his own half to dispossess Will Johnson before advancing and putting in a deep cross to the far post where Acosta…

1 POGBA TOO FAT Mathias Pogba, the older brother of French World Cup winner Paul Pogba, was rejected after a trial with German third division side Uerdingen for being overweight. The 27-year-old striker has five caps for Guinea but did not fit the bill for coach Stefan Kramer. “He is not yet in good enough shape physically,” said the Uerdingen boss. “Mathias is a big guy, and he has a good body for a number nine, but he still has too many kilos around his hips.” Pogba may well have been licking his lips at the opportunity of joining Kramer’s club, whose full name is KFC Uerdingen 05… 2 ROSTOV FLOOR OPPONENTS After losing 1-0 at home to Krylia Sovetov Samara in the Russian Premier League, a Rostov fan decided…

As soon as the day had broken, rain fell heavily and steadily in Zagreb. But that didn’t matter. Tens of thousands of people still streamed into Ban Jelacic Square six hours before kick-off. A stage and a big screen had been set up, as it had all through Croatia’s incredible run in the 2018 World Cup. Big crowds had greeted Croatia’s victory against the hosts Russia, on penalties, in the quarter-finals, and even more arrived for the semi-final comeback against England, celebrating wildly with flares and smoke bombs. But this would be the biggest and the most important. This, after all, was the World Cup Final. The bars and cafes that surround the capital’s main square were full of fans who had come not just from around the country but…

ATLETICO MADRID A team built in the image of their boss Despite their beloved Colchoneros failing to qualify for the knockout stage of last season’s Champions League, no Atletico fan would dream of aiming a single word of criticism at Diego Simeone. For those of the red-and-white-striped faith, El Cholo is the man they owe everything to, the gritty street fighter who has turned them into a European powerhouse. That Atletico have enjoyed so much continental success in recent times – silver medals in the 2014 and 2016 Champions Leagues, the Europa League crown in May and victory over city rivals Real in August’s UEFA Super Cup – is entirely down to the state of mind that Simeone has cultivated for the past seven years, with a love of the…

AEK ATHENS Back from the depths Life is certainly much sweeter for the Greek club than it used to be. Just five years ago, shortly after declaring themselves bankrupt, they were effectively down and out, and playing in the third division. But how well AEK have recovered, clambering back to the top flight, winning the league title last season – their first national crown in 24 years – and punching a Champions League ticket. The last time they took part in the CL was in 2006-07, when they famously recorded a 1-0 win over Milan at the Olympic Stadium. Could Marinos Ouzounidis’ side deliver another giant-killing? AEK are no slouches on the counterattack and, as they proved in the first leg of their 1-1 draw at Celtic in qualifying, they…

An extraordinary dispute has imperilled the rejuvenation of women’s football in Italy with the sport embroiled in a tug-of-war between governing bodies that has threatened the league season. The women’s game is caught in the middle of a power struggle between the Italian FA (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio – FIGC) and the organisation responsible for amateur players (Lega Nazionale Dilettanti – LND), which has resulted in legal action and strike threats. The crisis comes as the women’s game, after decades in the doldrums, had begun to revive, with the Azzurre qualifying for the 2019 Women’s World Cup – their first appearance this century. In the domestic game, Milan and Roma are poised to join Juventus and Fiorentina in fielding teams in the women’s Serie A. At issue is who controls…

Having come up short in their quest to make next year’s Under-20 World Cup finals in Poland, Fiji’s dream of a third appearance at a global tournament now turns to the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa. After beating Vanuatu 3-1 in their opening qualifier for Poland, Fiji lost to an 89th-minute goal against the Solomon Islands to set up a must-win final group game against New Caledonia. They took the lead in first-half injury time through Ratu Dau but then missed chances to wrap the game up and were eliminated when Cyril Drawilo equalised. Responsible for all of Fiji’s national sides, from under-16 to senior male and female teams, French coach Christophe Gamel says the players “learned a lot” from the qualifying experience. Gamel played semi-professionally in France and Italy,…

Jose Maria Marin, the former head of Brazil’s football association, and Juan Angel Napout, the former president of CONMEBOL, have been jailed for four and nine years respectively for corruption. The pair were among seven officials who were arrested following a dawn raid on the official FIFA hotel in Zurich in May 2015. Marin, 86, was convicted of accepting bribes from sports marketing companies in exchange for contracts to broadcast tournaments such as the Copa America and Libertadores Cup. The former governor of Sao Paulo was also fined $1.2million and ordered to forfeit $3.34m. Last year he was found guilty of six of the seven counts against him, relating to money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy. Napout, the 60-year-old Paraguayan who led South America’s football governing body, was convicted of…

Here to stay Infantino and Ceferin are odds-on to retain their presidential posts Like them or not, Gianni Infantino and Aleksander Ceferin now represent stability in the leadership of the world game; Infantino as likely president of FIFA for a further five years and Ceferin as prospective head of UEFA for the same period. The lawyers from Switzerland and Slovenia are both odds-on to retain their posts when they face re-election next spring. Beyond that their futures may diverge, largely due to the nature of the constituencies that they serve. FIFA remains a stormy sea even if the years of corruption control have been left behind. Comparatively speaking, it is far easier to lead Europe’s governing body, with its tightly organised civil service and competitive structure. UEFA has its internal…

Josef MARTINEZ (Atlanta United) The Venezuelan striker set a new MLS record when he scored his 28th goal of the season for Atlanta against Orlando City. Martinez had previously matched the record of 27 set by Roy Lassiter in the inaugural MLS season in 1996, and equalled by Chris Wondolowski in 2012 and then by Bradley Wright-Phillips in 2014. Martinez arrived at Atlanta last year with a mixed record in European football, having failed to shine at Torino and during indifferent spells in Switzerland with Young Boys and Thun. But Atlanta coach Gerardo Martino was well aware of Martinez from his time in charge of Argentina. “We knew him well because during Copa America he drove us pretty crazy along with Salomon Rondon up front,” says former Barcelona boss Martino.…

IN EUROPE Milan appointed their former captain PAOLO MALDINI – who made 902 appearances for the club and won seven Serie A titles, five Champions Leagues and a Coppa Italia – as director of strategic development. Iceland’s new coach is ERIK HAMREN, who was in charge of Sweden for seven years before stepping down in 2016. GARY HOLT replaced Kenny Miller as manager of Scottish Premiership side Livingston. AFRICA JAVIER AGUIRRE, who led his native Mexico at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, was named coach of Egypt. After guiding Al Duhail to successive Qatari league titles, DJAMEL BELMADI signed a four-year deal to succeed Rabah Madjer as coach of Algeria. Former Nigeria winger EMMANUEL AMUNEKE was appointed coach of Tanzania, while VINCENT MASHAMI took charge of Rwanda. SOUTH AMERICA…

BORUSSIA DORTMUND Back to basics Following a season in which little went right – failing to win a game in their Champions League group, unexpectedly falling to Red Bull Salzburg in the Europa League and only making the Bundesliga top four on goal difference – the Westfalenstadion powers-that-be are promising a back-to-basics relaunch. According to chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke, the club as a whole has neglected its blue-collar identity and has been particularly guilty of preferring technical players over leaders and battlers. It remains to be seen whether an injection of grit will make a substantial difference, but they have clearly manoeuvred intelligently in the transfer market, bringing in France under-21 centre-back Abdou Diallo from Mainz, all-action wide-man Marius Wolf from Eintracht Frankfurt, Augsburg’s Swiss keeper Marwin Hitz and a…

The Brazilian championship reached its halfway stage with the table looking very different from this time last year. In 2017 Corinthians had the title all but sown up after 19 of the 38 rounds, but this time there is the prospect of a much more exciting home straight. Flamengo, leaders for much of the campaign, dropped to third, a point behind Internacional, who claimed the lead for a few hours until Sao Paulo took it back with a 2-0 victory over Chapecoense to open up a three-point lead over a chasing pack that included Gremio, Atletico Mineiro and Palmeiras, with eight points separating the first from sixth. Extra spice is added by the fact that all six are huge clubs with mass followings, and also by the fact that the…