Indholdsfortegnelse for Nov-2018 i World Soccer

Cover stars Ousmane Dembele (page 55) and Jadon Sancho (p44) are just two of the exciting young players featured this month, along with coaches (Thierry Henry, p26), teams (Braga, p25) and countries (Madagascar, p65) who are making waves around the world. But as is so often the case, football is much more than just the players and teams who feature on the pitch. As we went to press with this edition, FIFA appeared to have kicked proposals for an expanded, Saudi-funded Club World Cup into the long grass. But the issue is unlikely to stay away for long. The world may have expressed outrage at the Saudi murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi but for UEFA the financial threat posed by FIFA’s plan was far more distasteful. Similarly, Germany’s defeat of…

“Do you think he’ll get in our front three? We’ve got a very good front third”Central Coast Mariners coach Mike Mulvey (left) claims to be unaware of the club’s contract offer to Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt While much was made of Germany’s problems following their 3-0 loss to Holland, much credit should go to Ronald Koeman’s side, who recorded a record scoreline against their neighbours and great rivals in Amsterdam. The star of the show at the Johan Cruyff Arena was striker Memphis Depay, who supplied the corner for Holland’s first goal, scored their second and also smashed the crossbar in a man-of-the-match performance. It was another impressive showing by the player as he continues his rehabilitation at Lyon since leaving Manchester United in 2017. As Gianluigi Buffon recently noted:…

England revived by Sterling and “lucky general” Southgate England’s bold and largely unexpected win in Spain has resuscitated the team, given credit to its manager and suggested a far brighter future than might have been envisaged even after a better than expected World Cup. Napoleon, it is said, when it was suggested that one of his generals be promoted to marshal, would always ask: “Is he lucky?” And it might be argued that in Seville at least, Gareth Southgate was lucky. Lucky in as much as Raheem Sterling, who for all his unquestioned talents had not scored for England since October 2015, proceeded to score twice. It had surely been something of a gamble to choose him, given the electric form shown as a late substitute in Croatia by 18-year-old…

“I believe that by 2021 we can be champions,” said Braga president Antonio Salvador at the club’s open day ahead of the new season. And after the way the team has started this campaign, some fans believe they won’t even have to wait that long. Going into the October international break, Braga were joint-top of the table, one of only two unbeaten sides alongside Benfica, and joint-top scorers with Porto. It is the latest chapter in a decade-and-a-half of exceptional progress since Salvador became president in 2003. Only four times in the last 14 seasons have the “Arsenalistas” finished outside the top four, and in that time they have won both domestic cups, competed commendably in the Champions League and reached the Europa League Final. The club’s on-field progress is…

The phenomenon of former players buying football clubs has been a limited affair so far. David Beckham’s MLS Miami franchise remains in the pipeline, while Beckham’s former Manchester United team-mates Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs put a minirocket into the England non-league game with their purchase of Salford City. Meanwhile, in the USA, Didier Drogba (Phoenix Rising), Paolo Maldini (Miami) and Demba Ba (San Diego) are all attempting to make waves in the second-tier NASL. And now former Brazil striker Ronaldo has joined the party, acquiring a 51 per cent stake in La Liga side Real Valladolid from club president Carlos Suarez for a reported €30million. No stranger to football business, Ronaldo previously had a minority stake in NASL club Fort Lauderdale Strikers and played a key role…

German football sees the opportunity for redemption in the European Championship – both on the pitch and off it, with the national team hoping to reclaim in 2020 the lustre it squandered at this year’s World Cup and the DFB putting financial scandal behind it by staging Euro 2024. In September, UEFA’s executive committee voted 12 to 4 – with one abstention and one illness absentee – in favour of Germany for the latter finals. The European federation is relieved to return the 24-team tournament to a single host after the derided, all-over-the-place staging in 2020. The last time the finals were held on German territory was by the former Federal Republic in 1988, two years before reunification. Turkey, meanwhile, must go on waiting to stage a major tournament, although…

Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund) Denzeil BOADU (Borussia Dortmund) Reiss NELSON (Hoffenheim) Keanan BENNETTS (Borussia Monchengladbach) Mandela EGBO (Borussia Monchengladbach) Chima OKOROJI (Freiburg) Patrick ROBERTS (Girona) Marcus McGUANE (Barcelona) Ronaldo VIEIRA (Sampdoria) Jonathan PANZO (Monaco) Reo GRIFFITHS (Lyon) Sheyi OJO (Reims) Noni MADUEKE (PSV) Daniel CROWLEY (Willem II) Jake CLARKE-SALTER (Vitesse) Max CLARK (Vitesse) Marcus UEDWARDS (Excelsior) Easah SULIMAN (Emmen) Chris WILLOCK (Benfica) Chuba AKPOM (PAOK)…

World Soccer editor Gavin Hamilton’s introduction to the Champions League preview pointed out how the competition was continuing to grow financially, with the 2006-07 tournament set to bring in an estimated £505million from TV revenue and sponsorship. A huge figure, indeed – although one that is dwarfed by the €2.04billion that will be distributed to clubs competing in this season’s Champions League and UEFA Super Cup. However, as Hamilton explains, the way that the money was handed out was hugely controversial, writing: “The TV payouts remain the most contentious aspect of the Champions League financial package. The sums of money are paid out to clubs depending on the value of their home country’s TV market. “So, the biggest payouts go to the clubs with the biggest audiences.” As an example…

Making the second preliminary round of the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Championship was a big step for Mongolia, but the team’s German coach Michael Weiss has a more realistic target than the finals in South Korea next year. Mongolia had never progressed past the first stage of any international tournament before hosting this year’s qualifiers and they began by thrashing Macau 4-0 and Northern Mariana Islands 9-0. With Guam having lost 2-0 to Macau, a draw with the favourites would have been enough for Mongolia. The game was goalless until Devan Mendiola put Guam ahead in the 89th minute, but in the fourth minute of injury time midfielder Norjmoogin Tsedenbal grabbed a dramatic equaliser to send Mongolia through. “We played some good football based on a strong defence and…

UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE Remaining group-stage fixtures are listed under the respective tables League A Group A1 Oct 13 - Amsterdam Holland 3 (Van Dijk 30, Depay 87, Wijnaldum 90+3) Germany 0 HT: 1-0. Att: 52,536. Ref: Cakir (Tur) Holland: Cillessen - Dumfries, De Ligt, Van Dijk, Blind, De Roon, F De Jong (Ake 77), Wijnaldum, Bergwijn (Promes 68), Depay, Babel (Groeneveld 68). Germany: Neuer - Ginter, Boateng, Hummels, Hector, Can (Draxler 57), Kimmich, Kroos, Muller (Sane 57), Uth (Brandt 68), Werner. Oct 16 - Paris France 2 (Griezmann 62, pen 80) Germany 1 (Kroos pen 14) HT: 0-1. Att: 75,000. Ref: Mazic (Ser) France: Lloris - Pavard, Varane, Kimpembe, Hernandez, Kante (Nzonzi 90+4), Pogba, Mbappe (Dembele 86), Griezmann (Ndombele 90+1), Matuidi, Giroud. Germany: Neuer - Ginter (Brandt 83), Sule, Hummels,…

“We will no longer accept this kind of media coverage”Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge hits out at press criticism of the club’s recent poor form A possible schism between FIFA and UEFA has been avoided after FIFA opted to set up a taskforce to consider president Gianni Infantino’s plans for expansion of the Club World Cup and creation of a global nations league. The new competitions issue had raised more angst in Europe than in the rest of the world put together. European federation UEFA was concerned that an expanded annual Club World Cup – with revenues of $25billion from likely Saudi investors – would drain its Champions League of broadcast and sponsor income, while the continent’s leagues and players’ union FIFPro feared greater demands on players. The controversial plan…

AFC election will be key Heard the one about the Saudi, the Qatari and the Swiss? It’s not a joke. Not even a bad one. Just the triangulation of an international football power game which will be gathering momentum over the next six months as the world game stages three important elections next year. While FIFA and UEFA look sure to return Gianni Infantino and Aleksander Ceferin respectively, the Asian Football Confederation election is wide open. Infantino announced at the Moscow congress on the eve of this year’s World Cup that he intended to stand for re-election in June. Last time around he promised to ramp up development cash and expand the World Cup to 48 teams and he has fulfilled his promise on both. However, like all elected politicians,…

“It’s not about the league they are in. It’s about where they want to be. It’s about the ambition and the drive”Barry Ferguson, the new boss of Scottish non-league side Kelty Hearts “I have looked at him as a model. He was a man with a great personality and charisma on the pitch and was always regarded as a decisive and firm referee”Pierluigi Collina (right) pays tribute to Luigi Agnolin IN EUROPE Genoa named IVAN JURIC as coach for a third time after sacking Davide Ballardini. Serie B side Venezia appointed former Italy keeper WALTER ZENGA. THIERRY HENRY left his assistant role with Belgium to replace Leonardo Jardim as coach of Monaco (See Headliners, page 26). VAHID HALILHODZIC took over from Miguel Cardoso at Nantes. Milan announced a deal to…

New Italian Football Federation boss Gabriele Gravina will have just two years in office to make a difference – a time-frame considered far too short by ex-Milan star Demetrio Albertini, who has been active in football politics for over a decade. A deputy president of the federation from 2007 to 2014, Albertini argues that much longer is needed for meaningful change, and he is probably right, but at least Gravina will be able to oversee the completion of one reform already started, namely the creation of Serie A “seconde squadre” (reserve or B teams) playing in Serie C this season. Italian clubs have always used their under-19 Primavera sides as a sort of reserve team, but a problem comes with what to do when a player turns 19 but is…

Monaco and Thierry Henry appear to be a good fit, with the 41-year-old taking his first major coaching job at the club where he burst onto the Ligue 1 scene as a teenage winger under Arsene Wenger’s guidance. Aston Villa had wanted Henry to replace Steve Bruce, while Bordeaux were also interested, but a chance to learn the managerial ropes in front of modest crowds at the Stade Louis ll proved compelling. “When the offer came it was quite logical; my heart talked,” says Henry. “You know the connection I have with one club in London, but this is where I started. “This club will always have a big place in my heart. So to be able to come here and start here again is a dream come true. There’s…

Prior to March 11 this year, very few people outside of Greece had heard of Ivan Savvidis. At 59, the Russian-Greek oligarch, who got rich in tobacco and is considered a close political ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, looks more like a kindly uncle than anything else. But in the closing moments of a Greek Superleague game between PAOK – who he bought in 2012 – and AEK, he briefly became the most famous football club owner in the world. With both sides vying for top spot, a last-minute goal for PAOK looked to have put them in pole position for a first title since 1985. But then the goal was ruled offside and chaos ensued. Savvidis went on to the pitch to remonstrate with the referee…with a gun…

Philipp Lahm captained Germany to victory at the 2014 World Cup and will be investing similar tireless energies in heading Germany’s hosting of Euro 2024. Lahm scored five goals in 113 appearances for Germany between 2004 and 2014. He claimed 21 national and international trophies with Bayern Munich and only last year was voted Footballer of the Year. A proven winner and a man on a mission, Lahm says: “We are a country which is well prepared to put on special events. We are a football nation. We have all the infrastructure and we are an extremely hospitable nation – as we showed in 2006.” The word “preparation” is a recurring theme with Lahm, not only as regards the bids but in terms of his own career and his decision…

1 Thorgan HAZARD BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH The younger brother of Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard began the new campaign with three goals in the first round of the German Cup against lower-league BSC Hastedt and has gone on to catch the eye with his left-flank razzle dazzle. Few German-based players have made as much progress over the past 12 months as the 25-year-old, who has ironed out the wrinkles in his defensive game, gets into the opposition box far more often and is finishing with greater accuracy. He attributes his improved strike rate to extra shooting practice after training and is not the sort of player who flits in and out of a game. Previously with Lens, Chelsea and Zulte-Waregem, the Belgian is now is in his fifth season with Gladbach and…

Let the bells ring out: FIFA has doubled the prize money for the 2019 Women’s World Cup and released a groundbreaking strategy aimed at getting all 211 constituent nations signed up to promoting the female game. However, the problem with being an organisation whose reputation is as toxic as FIFA is that no one takes promises at face value. While the game’s governing body has made changes since the downfall of Sepp Blatter and the ExCo, the jury remains out on whether it is truly reformed. Rather too much of the new leadership’s actions seem reminiscent of the old. Thus the scepticism surrounding the release of FIFA’s “first ever global strategy for women’s football”. Former US keeper Hope Solo spoke for many when she said: “Until their actions are in…

“October 2 is the day Chinese football died”Supporters on social media Chinese football again mired itself in controversy after the FA commandeered 55 players aged 25 and under from their clubs for a two-month military training camp, just as the domestic league entered its most critical phase. The bizarre development in October abruptly relieved over a dozen sides of some of their most important players, with several of the affected teams in the midst of Chinese Super League (CSL) championship and relegation battles. The call-ups included Beijing Guo’an forward Wei Shihao and midfielder Liao Lisheng of Guangzhou Evergrande, who are both full internationals. Relegation-threatened Chongqing Lifan lost centre-half Luo Hao, while Shandong Luneng were the biggest victims, being shorn of six players ahead of the Chinese FA Cup Final against…

SOUTH AMERICA LIBERTADORES CUP Quarter-finals 1st legs Sep 18 Atletico Tucuman (Arg) 0 Gremio (Bra) 2 (Alisson 35, Everton 55) HT: 0-1. Ref: Roldan (Col) Sent off: Nunez (Atletico Tucuman) 45+1 Sep 19 Boca Juniors (Arg) 2 (Zarate 36, Perez 82) Cruzeiro (Bra) 0 HT: 1-0. Ref: Aquino (Par) Sent off: Dede (Cruzeiro) 75 (the red card was later rescinded) Independiente (Arg) 0 River Plate (Arg) 0 Ref: Sampaio (Bra) Sep 20 Colo Colo (Chl) 0 Palmeiras (Bra) 2 (Bruno Henrique 3, Dudu 78) HT: 0-1. Ref: Cunha (Uru) Sent off: Perez (Colo Colo) 90+8 2nd legs Oct 2 Gremio 4 (Luan 36, Cicero pen 45, Mercier og 53, Jael pen 90+2) Atletico Tucuman 0 HT: 2-0. Ref: Tobar (Chl) Sent off: Lucchetti (Atletico Tucuman) 41 Gremio 6-0 on agg…

LUKA JOVIC At 20, the Serb became the youngest player to score five goals in a Bundesliga game as Eintracht Frankfurt thrashed Fortuna Dusseldorf 7-1. MARCELO BIELSA Leeds United’s new Argentinian manager donated $2.5million to former club Newell’s Old Boys to help build a new training facility. “They are the club that formed me,” he says. “I received more than what I gave to them. I’m paying a debt to them, not giving them a gift. “The infrastructures of the institution help the team to prepare well. Two things are important for a team: the quality of the players and the quality of the preparation they receive.” ANDRE SILVA The Portuguese striker scored seven times in his first seven La Liga games for Sevilla. Only Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with Barcelona in…

Who is to blame for that much-hyped goalless draw? I recently sat down to watch – via TV – the game we’d all been waiting for: Liverpool v Manchester City. It was a total bore and, frankly, an insult to the sport. Two of the world’s best teams and two of the world’s top coaches, and what do they give us? A 0-0 snore-athon with the first shot on goal not coming until the 62nd minute. Yes, yes, I know all about how intriguing and fascinating it was, but it was still a colossal non event, lacking in just about everything that normally makes a football game worth watching. I admit I had probably allowed myself to be seduced by all the gushing praise heaped on Jurgen Klopp and Pep…

With eight Serie A wins in a row before the international break and victory in their opening three games of the Champions League group stage, things have been going extremely well on the pitch for Juventus and their iconic summer signing from Real Madrid. Away from the game, however, the Portuguese forward has been accused by a 34-year-old US citizen, Kathryn Mayorga, of raping her in a Las Vegas hotel in June 2009, with lawyers filing a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages of at least $200,000. The lawsuit accuses Ronaldo or those working for him of conspiracy, defamation, abusing a vulnerable person, battery, infliction of emotional distress, coercion and fraud, racketeering and conspiracy, breach of contract, abuse of process and negligence for allowing details of a previous confidential settlement between the…

Few success stories are entirely without failure and the rise of Lucas Paqueta – reaching idol status at Brazil’s biggest club, Flamengo, and earning a €35million move to Milan – is no exception. The attacking midfielder was on standby for the World Cup in Russia and made his international debut against the USA in September. But in April last year he was barely even on the subs’ bench for his club side, having come off a poor South American Under-20 Championship where Brazil failed to qualify for the World Cup at that level. Handed the mythical number 10 shirt in the tournament in Ecuador, he made little impression and quickly lost his place in the team. Over the course of the nine games he was in and out of the…

They had brought signs and banners but, most importantly, they had brought tickets too. Outside the Saint Petersburg Stadium, shortly before Iran were preparing to play Morocco at the 2018 World Cup finals back in June, a small group of activists were staging a protest under the watchful but non-interventionist eye of the nearby Russian police. “Support Iranian women to attend stadiums #NoBan4Women,” read the biggest and most prominent signs. Iranian fans, both men and women, stopped to take photographs and make victory signs. “It is their right, they have to be in the stadiums, football is not for men only,” said Sara, who had organised for the signs to be there. Sara is an Iranian activist who runs the popular @OpenStadiums Twitter account, which has almost single-handedly brought global…

At a time when the UK is decoupling from the EU, an ever-growing band of young English footballers are opting to kick-start their careers at clubs in major European leagues. In a not-too distant past, the vast majority of emerging Premier League prospects would have instantly rejected the offer of a cross-border adventure; either unwilling to quit their “best league in the world” comfort zone and its pecuniary advantages or rendered twitchy by thoughts of learning a new language and potential culture shock. But attitudes change and over the last couple of years the concept of flying the domestic nest has suddenly gained traction among the rising generation of Anglos – so much so that some 20 English youngsters are presently plying their trade in the upper echelons of European…

A conurbation in Normandy of just 50,000 inhabitants, Evreux has emerged in the past couple of decades as one of the most fertile areas for footballing talent in France. Former France full-back Bernard Mendy, ex-Lille, Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon midfielder Mathieu Bodmer and current Marseille and Les Bleus keeper Steve Mandanda all come from the town. As does potentially the best of the lot: 21-year-old Ousmane Dembele, who cost €105million when he joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund last year. A member of France’s World Cup-winning squad this summer, Dembele now calls Camp Nou and Stade de France home. But as an adolescent he had to make do with a rectangle of tarmac among the housing blocks of the down-at-heel Madeleine quarter of Evreux. Known as the “Play” – anglicised no…

After almost 50 years and 16 attempts at qualifying, Madagascar will play in the African Nations Cup finals following a 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea. Njiva Rakotoharimalala’s 42nd-minute goal in the highland town of Vontovorona ensured a nervy win and an unassailable position in the top two of Group A. Victory in Sudan in their opening game in June last year set the tone and they have been led to new heights by Nicolas Dupuis, a feisty Frenchman who has been in charge since February 2017. Much of that success has come from the coach persuading French-born talent such as Thomas Fontaine, Jerome Mombris, Fabien Boyer and Roman Metanire to play for the country. Ligue 1 players Zacharie Boucher of Angers and Strasbourg’s Ludovic Ajorque could also be persuaded to…

International football in South America follows a four-year cycle in which the 12 months after a World Cup become “the silly season”, with no more competitive games until the Copa America next June – a tournament that many will treat as a warm-up for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. This season’s FIFA dates are therefore strictly for friendlies – which are now harder to organise against European opposition due to the Nations League. With both sides chasing the money, this helps to explain why Brazil and Argentina met in Saudi Arabia in October. However, the so-called “super-classic” showcased two sides in vastly different states. After the shambles of the World Cup in Russia, Argentina are under the command of caretaker coach Lionel Scaloni. The official line is that they are…