Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2016 i World Soccer

“In the way it was done, it’s a scandal” Bernard Caiazzo, Saint-Etienne co-president, on four Champions League places being awarded to La Liga, Bundesliga, Premier League and Serie A SERGIO RAMOS The Real Madrid centre-back has now scored in his last three Finals, finding the net against San Lorenzo in the 2014 Club World Cup, Atletico Madrid in this year’s Champions League showdown and Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup. LAS PALMAS The Spanish side won their first two games of the season to go top of the table when La Liga broke for the international weekend. It was the first time they had been there for 38 years. NEYMAR The Barcelona forward scored the winning penalty to seal Brazil’s Olympic triumph. ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC Found the net for Manchester United…

“He had one idea in his head: to make football a global game with his slogan ‘football is the universal language’, and he succeeded” While Blatter was a prisoner of the need to keep voters onside, Havelange commanded them. He wielded an iron fist in an iron glove Having read the draft of a biography about himself, Joao Havelange threw the manuscript across the table at its author. As Ernesto Rodrigues wrote in the introduction to his eventual publication: “The first person to read this was Joao Havelange. He did not like everything he read.” Arguably one of the three most influential men in modern sport, Havelange would not have liked much of what has been written since his death, from pneumonia at the age of 100, in Rio de…

Age cheating makes a mockery of FIFA’s youth tournaments “We use over-age players for junior championships... We always cheat. It’s a fact” Ex Nigerian FA president Anthony Kojo In 2003, the Nigerian sports minister, Stephen Akiga, told AFP: “We have for a while now been fielding players far above the ages agreed for some international age-group competitions.” More recently, in August this year, former Nigerian FA president Anthony Kojo said: “We use over-age players for junior championships, I know that. Why not say it? It’s the truth. We always cheat. It’s a fact.” FIFA has long been aware of the problem, particularly in its under-17 World Cup. I covered the first 10 of those tournaments, and quickly learned of a widespread belief among coaches – especially the Europeans – that…

“It’s not normal to go to Turin, pass the medical and then go back to square one” Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel expresses his shock after his €25million from Zenit St Petersburg to Juventus collapsed at the eleventh hour “Never go back” used to be the mantra for players looking for their next transfer. Try telling that to Manchester United and Paul Pogba after the world-record deal that saw United pay Juventus €105m for the French midfielder, who left England four years ago to join the Italian champions after declining to sign a new contract at Old Trafford. Juventus also received €30m from Real Madrid, who exercised their buyback clause in the contract of Alvaro Morata, who left the Spanish capital for Juve in 2014 for €20m. Chelsea sprung a surprise…

Apart from a much needed ego boost, what did Brazil get from finally winning the Olympic gold medal? “The champion is back,” roared a huge crowd in a deafening Maracana stadium. In the cold and wet of the following morning, it seemed something of an exaggerated reaction to a penalty shootout victory against, as the ever-wise Tostao pointed out, “a Germany who did not bring a single player from their Euros squad and who are without several of their best under-23 players”. Some have called for Brazil’s young front line to be promoted immediately to the senior team. Writing before the Final, Tostao argued the emergence of Luan, Gabriel Barbosa and Gabriel Jesus “showed that Brazil still produce a lot of talented players. Will this crop soon prove themselves as…

Perhaps Pep Guardiola’s greatest quality as a manager is his willingness to change his side’s style and formation according to circumstances and the opposition. He established a model of play at Barcelona – hard pressing and possession-based, rooted in the quick passing and mutual understanding fostered over years at La Masia – but then showed at Bayern Munich that he was willing to amend that. And that’s one of the reasons why his arrival in England is so fascinating. Not only will there have to be tweaks to deal with the challenges presented by the Premier League, the volume of games will make it harder for him to make those changes between matches. Last season, City played 59 games in all competitions while Bayern Munich played 53, but that’s just…

The French champions are desperate for European success after losing to Manchester City in last season’s Champions League quarter-finals. O Defeat to Man City last season led to the removal of coach Laurent Blanc, so the stakes couldn’t be higher for new boss Unai Emery, even though the group draw has been kind to PSG. O Their summer recruitment hasn’t been as stellar as in the past, but Spanish striker Jese, French forward Hatem Ben Arfa and Polish midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak are decent. PSG have looked a little lightweight in previous European campaigns but Krychowiak will add a lot more steel. O Without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani has the chance to lead the line and remind everyone why he was one of Europe’s most coveted strikers three years…

The Bulgarian champions are taking part in the Champions League group stage for the second time, having first appeared at this stage in 2014. Ludogorets, Bulgarian champions for the past six seasons, are back in the group stage of the Champions League after missing out last year, when they were surprisingly beaten in the second qualifying round by Moldova’s Milsami. Ludogorets hope to repeat their debut in 2014 when – despite being in a group with Real Madrid, Liverpool and Basle – they finished with four points, all taken from the games against the Swiss. Ludogorets took their place in the group stage after eliminating Czech champions Viktoria Plzen 2-0 at home and 2-2 away in the play-off round. Club owner Kiril Domuschiev, one of Bulgaria’s richest oligarchs, has great…

The balance of power in Ukraine football has shifted, with Dynamo replacing Shakhtar Donetsk as the dominant domestic force and standard-bearer in the European higher echelons. The balance of power in Ukraine football has shifted, with Dynamo replacing Shakhtar Donetsk as the dominant domestic force and standard-bearer in the European higher echelons. Domestic champions for the last two seasons, Dynamo pipped Porto to second spot in their Champions League group last term before exiting in the round of 16 to Manchester City. They had not progressed that far in the competition since 1999. Three of their foreign legion left in the close season, with Portuguese holding midfielder Miguel Veloso returning to Genoa on a free, Polish striker Lukasz Teodorczyk beginning a loan spell at Anderlecht, and Austria centre-back Aleksander Dragovic…

After reaching the Champions League semi-finals for the first time last term, City are targeting further success under a new boss. City lost their way under Manuel Pellegrini last season, finishing fourth in the Premier League, but have been reinvigorated by Pep Guardiola. Already the signs are there that City are being revolutionised by Guardiola, with Joe Hart and Yaya Toure not needed, and players such as Raheem Sterling revitalised. City spent more than £150m to back Guardiola, with new signings including Chilean keeper Claudio Bravo, English centre-back John Stones, German midfielders Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane, and Spanish forward Nolito. Guardiola has taken tough decisions, dropping England keeper Hart because of poor distribution with his feet and bringing in Bravo. Toure’s future remains uncertain, while captain Vincent Kompany has…

After losing at the semi-final stage for the past three seasons, Bayern – who have won the Bundesliga for four successive seasons – might prioritise Europe over domestic domination this term. There are changes a plenty, with Carlo Ancelotti taking over from Pep Guardiola as coach, director of sport Matthias Sammer stepping aside on medical grounds and long-serving general-manager Uli Hoeness, due to return as club president following a spell in prison for tax evasion. They opted for quality over quantity in the summer transfer market, spending €35m apiece on Borussia Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels and midfield dynamo Renato Sanches of Benfica. A certain amount of squad pruning was carried out. Fallen hero Mario Gotze was redirected back to Dortmund, along with fringe defensive midfielder Sebastian Rode, while injury-prone Moroccan…

Against a far from healthy backdrop of financial problems and leadership issues, Rostov prepare to take their first-ever Champions League curtain call. Essentially a team of cast-offs who were assembled on a relative shoestring, they defied the odds last season to finish just two points adrift of CSKA in second place. Knocked Anderlecht and Ajax out in the qualification rounds. Rostov’s most important piece of business during the summer was securing a permanent deal for Iranian front man Sardar Azmoun, who performed so well on loan from Rubin Kazan last term. Attacking midfielder Valeri Yaroshenko, a Russian youth international, was brought in from Zenit’s reserve side. The sale of Angolan centre-back Bastos to Lazio was a blow to their reputation for defensive meanness. Another to skip town was Gabon schemer…

Spurs are taking part in the Champions League group stage for only the second time after making impressive progress under Argentinian boss Pochettino. Under Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham have promoted young players, quickly building a team that were the closest challengers to Leicester City last season before falling off the pace in the final strait. This season, new signings Victor Wanyama (£11m from Southampton) and Vincent Janssen (£18.5m from AZ) have given Pochettino new options, although midfielders Nabil Bentelab and Ryan Mason were frozen out while negotiations over a new contract for Christian Eriksen were ongoing. Spurs will be playing their Champions League games at Wembley as a precursor to using the national stadium as a temporary home for all domestic and European home games during the 2017-18 season. This is…

Reconfigured and revitalised by Thomas Tuchel, the Bundesliga runners-up were one of Europe’s most attractive sides last term and will be especially eager after a year’s absence from the continental elite. Champions League winners in 1997 and finalists in 2013, the Schwarz-Gelben swept aside Porto and Tottenham Hotspur in last season’s Europa League before losing in the quarter-finals to Liverpool. Usually known for their frugal approach to recruitment, Dortmund went wild this summer, splashing out almost €110m on eight new signings, the most expensive being Mario Gotze, who returned from Bayern Munich for €26m, and Andre Schurrle, who cost €30m from Wolfsburg. Unfortunately for Tuchel, three key players chose to leave: central defender and skipper Mats Hummels returning to Bayern; playmaker Ilkay Gundogan moving to Manchester City and midfielder Henrikh…

After their shock title win, Leicester are preparing for a first Champions League campaign – past European experience being limited to the Cup-winners Cup (1960-61) and UEFA Cup (1997-98 and 2000-01). They won a remarkable title victory last season after being 5,000-1 outsiders and benefitting from a perfect storm of factors: brilliant performances from individuals such as N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy; simple but effective tactics; few injuries; and poor form of their rivals. They lost Kante to Chelsea but held onto Mahrez and Vardy and spent heavily on new recruits: Algerian forward Islam Slimani (Sporting), French midfielder Nampalys Mendy (Nice) and Nigeria forward Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow). New strikers Musa and Slimani are the only players with previous experience of the Champions League, although manager Claudio Ranieri…

The Danish champions are back in the Champions League group stage for the first time in three years after wins over APOEL, Astra and Crusaders in the qualifying rounds. The club strengthened its squad across the board, bringing Danish internationals back home and signing a couple of overseas players. Defenders Jores Okore and Peter Ankersen came from Aston Villa and Red Bull Salzburg respectively, while Nicolai Boilesen was snapped up from Ajax. They were complemented by Swedish international goalkeeper Robin Olsen and Serbian striker Andrija Pavlovic. In Stale Solbakken’s first spell as coach of Copenhagen, there were memorable performances in the Champions League group stage, including a 1-0 victory against Manchester United. Matthias Zanka Jorgensen has matured as a central defender, while Ankersen is a fine acquisition at right-back. The…

OL are back in the group stage for the first time since 2011 and six years on from their best performance, when they reached the semi-finals. It feels like a lifetime since Lyon dominated French football and came within a whisker of establishing themselves as a European force, yet it is only six years since they lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals. Under coach Bruno Genesio, who took them to second place last season, and with a fine new stadium to play in, Lyon look like they are on an upward curve once more. With a solid defence and an energetic, creative midfield, OL are a decent side, but they rely heavily on striker Alexandre Lacazette, who started the domestic season with five goals in his first…

There was Bundesliga action between Hanover and Borussia Monchengladbach on the cover of World Soccer’s October 1968 edition, while inside featured the exploits of Ajax, who had gone from Eredivisie strugglers to three-in-a-row Dutch champions and now had their sights set on the European Cup. However, as Jim Hawthorne explained, their dream would have to wait a while. “Just four years ago, the Ajax Football Club of Amsterdam was languishing near the bottom of the Dutch First Division,” began Hawthorne. “Then their former centreforward Rinus Michels took over as club coach and things began to improve rapidly. “Michels had worked wonders with his largely homebred team, but although most Dutch followers expected Ajax to fare better than in 1960, nobody at the time regarded them as a serious contender for…

Egyptian stadiums used to provide such an intimidating atmosphere that the clubs’ fanatical ultras had every right to consider themselves their team’s fabled “12th man”. Trips to Cairo’s International Stadium for matches against Al Ahly and Zamalek were pilgrimages of dread for clubs from across the continent. But for the past five years supporters have been banned and grounds across the country are now virtual mausoleums, stripping Egyptian sides of a big home advantage in continental competition and leaving the game in one of Africa’s traditional footballing powers at a distinct crossroads. The Arab Spring promised democratic change across the Middle East and gave Egyptians a heady but brief taste of freedom. Ultra groups were at the heart of the Tahrir Square demonstrations that led to the downfall of president…

Every Premier League side will receive more in prize money and TV revenue than the team that lifts the European Cup This month’s cover star, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, is the sort of player whose talents demand respect and appreciation. Yet his arrival at Manchester United has been overlooked in the scramble to praise the high-proFIle signings of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Despite their record-breaking transfer activity, United are absent from this season’s Champions League, though the club’s bean-counters can take solace from the fact that every Premier League side will receive more in prize money and TV revenue than the team that lifts the European Cup at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on June 3. With debuts for Leicester City and Rostov of Russia, there is plenty of new interest in this…

ASTRA GIURGIU The Romanians dumped West Ham United out of the Europa League before the group stage for a second consecutive season. PARIS SAINTGERMAIN Victory in the French Super Cup was their ninth successive win in a Final since losing the 2011 French Cup to Lille. PORTO Beat Roma to book a place in the Champions League group stage for a recordequalling 21st time, matching Real Madrid and Barcelona. LEICESTER CITY The first English champions to lose on the first day of the defence of their title since Arsenal in 1989. USA WOMEN Exited the tournament in Rio on penalties in bitterness and showed no sign of the Olympic spirit. MARTIN JOL Quit Al Ahly over safety fears following death threats from fans after the Egyptian side failed to reach…

“It’s happened to us in previous Super Cups; we have it there for the taking and then, due to minor details, we miss out on a trophy we could have won” UEFA SUPER CUP Aug 9, 2016 Trondheim, Norway REAl MADRiD (Spa) 3 (Asensio 21, Ramos 90+3, Carvajal 119) SEVillA (Spa) 2 (F Vazquez 41, Konoplyanka pen 72) Aet. HT: 1-1. 90 mins: 2-2. Att: 17,939. Ref: Mazic (Ser) REAl MADRiD: Casilla; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Kovacic (Rodriguez 73), Casemiro, Isco (Modric 66); L Vazquez, Morata (Benzema 62), Asensio SEVillA: Rico; Pareja, Carrico (Rami 51), Kolodziejczak; Kiyotake, Iborra (Kranevitter 74), F Vazquez; N’Zonzi; Mariano, Vietto (Konoplyanka 67), Vitolo Sent-off: Kolodziejczak 93 Right-back Dani Carvajal was the unlikely hero for Real Madrid, scoring the 119thminute winner as the Champions League winners…

Three-way fight for the vacant UEFA presidency UEFA has been standing still for 10 months, and counting. There are a number of important issues to be dealt with which have not been addressed After a near year-long stasis, UEFA is about to find itself a new president, and the options for delegates of the 55 national associations, who meet in an emergency congress on September 14 in Athens, are intriguing. The three runners are: comparatively unknown Aleksander Ceferin, who is head of the Slovenia FA, Dutch federation president Michael Van Praag and senior vice-president Angel Maria Villar from Spain. Ceferin, who is the favourite, has support from the old eastern block nations plus the Nordics, while the Republic of Ireland has also declared itself in his camp. And their reasoning…

Havelange: FIFA’s immoral master After Joao Havelange died peacefully, and wealthily, in his bed at the age of 100, so many quotations suggest themselves. “For evil to flourish it is enough for good men to do nothing,” from the 18th-century political philosopher Edmund Burke. Or, if you prefer, the words of Robert Walpole, the first English prime minister, somewhat earlier that century, who said: “Every man has his price.” In his outrageous 24 years in office as president of FIFA, Havelange did incalculable harm to football, and so long as FIFA exists it will not be put right. Yet when he died, a huge new Rio stadium had been named after him. That he lasted so long in power, re-elected every four years, is a shocking reflection of the morality…

Some 24 years have passed since a European nation won Olympic football gold – and even on that occasion Spain were playing on home soil, in Barcelona. When coach Horst Hrubesch noted – after ending his youth-coaching career with his players clutching silver medals – that Germany needed to take Games football more seriously in future, he might have been addressing European football in general. The Olympics suffers because it is not a FIFA tournament and is therefore not slotted into the international calendar. Clubs can refuse to release players, as they did this time around, and that needs to change. Since the Olympics dates are fixed a full seven years in advance, that should not be a problem. Hrubesch explained the “added value” of the Olympic football tournament in…

The Gunners are competing in the STAR MAN Champions League for a 17th consecutive season, having reached the Final in 2006, when they lost to Barcelona. O The summer months were dominated by Arsenal’s search for a new striker, which ended with the signing of Spanish forward Lucas Perez from Deportivo after the club’s failure to lure Jamie Vardy from Leicester City. Perez had been on the verge of joining Everton, but it remains to be seen whether he can make the step-up required for the Champions League. O After complaining about the size of transfer fees, Arsene Wenger paid Valencia £35m for German international centreback Shkodran MustaFIand £30m to Borussia Monchengladbach for Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka. O Arsenal were beaten by familiar foes Barcelona last season in the round…

The 1961 and 1962 European champions ran Bayern Munich close in last season’s quarter-finals. Portugal’s most decorated club have been league champions for the past three years. They retained their title last term and reached the last eight of the Champions League quarter-finals before narrowly losing to Bayern Munich after a 2-2 draw in Germany. That was despite changing coach in summer 2015, when Jorge Jesus jumped ship. This season, they are again confident of success despite the summer departures of midfielder Nicolas Gaitan (Atletico Madrid) and teenage sensation Renato Sanches (Bayern). Brazilian forward Talisca, scorer of a spectacular goal against Bayern, has gone on loan to Besiktas. Despite the big-money sales, which have totalled more than €300m over the past six years, Benfica continue to unearth new talent. Summer…

Re-admitted to the European main event for the first time in six years, the Black Eagles have never qualified for the knock-out stage. Back in May, the Istanbul side became Turkish champions for a 14th time, ending a seven-year wait for Super Lig gold. The failed coup in Turkey this summer could not have happened at a worse time for Besiktas, with the unstable situation resulting in the exit of two of their most important attacking-third players. German striker Mario Gomez decided not to turn his loan stint from Fiorentina into a longer-lasting arrangement, while Argentinian playmaker Jose Sosa kicked up enough fuss to force a move to Milan. Another potentially damaging departure was that of winger Gokhan Tore, who sealed a one-year loan switch to West Ham United in…

Gladbach are taking part in their second consecutive Champions League group phase – which is a welcome return to the spotlight after 37 years in absentia. The Foals effected a remarkable turnaround in last season’s Bundesliga. Rock bottom in September after losing their first five matches, Andre Schubert replaced Lucien Favre as coach and inspired a rapid recovery leading them to fourth spot. They thumped Young Boys of Berne in the play-off round. Two of their most influential leaders left this summer as Norwegian defender Havard Nordveit joined West Ham United as a free agent and midfield controller Granit Xhaka went to Arsenal in a bigmoney deal. General manager Max Eberl is a sharp transfer-market operator and has brought in Werder Bremen and Denmark centreback Jannik Vestergaard, Hoffenheim utility man…

Last season’s beaten Champions League finalists are experiencing the greatest period in their history. Under Argentinian coach Diego Simeone, Atletico have reached two Champions League Finals in the past three years – losing to city rivals Real on both occasions – and winning the Europa League in 2012. Doubts emerged about Simeone’s future after defeat in last season’s Final but he remains committed to the club as they seek to challenge the dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spanish domestic football. French forward Kevin Gameiro (Sevilla, €32m) was the main arrival this summer, along with Argentinian midfielder Nico Gaitan (Benfica, €25m) and Croatian defender Sime Vrsaljko (Sassuolo, €16m). Borja Baston was sold to Swansea City for £15m, while Argentinian duo Luciano Vietto and Matias Kranevitter were loaned to Sevilla.…

Following Russia’s dismal showing at Euro 2016, the pressure will be on the national champions to repair some of the damage done to the country’s footballing stock. Holding off a strong challenge from Rostov, CSKA clinched their sixth Russian Premier League title in May. In Europe they will hope to improve on their abysmal performances in the Champions League since 2013: three times out of three finishing last in their group and only registering three wins in 18 matches. Any CSKA upturn will, to a large extent, depend on the powers of recovery of coach Leonid Slutsky, who for the last 12 months has been burning the candle at both ends, taking charge of both CSKA and the national side. CSKA thought it best to dip into the loan market…

The 2004 runners-up are back in the group stage for the sixth time after beating Spain’s Villarreal in the play-off round. When Russian money first arrived at the club in 2011, there seemed to be some desire to build Monaco into a European powerhouse. That hasn’t materialised and it’s hard to see a club whose support is so small becoming a real force. Monaco, who were beaten by Porto in the 2004 Final, lost to Valencia in the Champions League play-offs last season, but made it to the quarter-finals in the previous campaign after beating Arsenal in the round of 16. They beat Leverkusen along the way, too, so will feel confident that they can progress out of this group. Summer transfers reinforced the defence with Polish defender Kamil Glik…

The Portuguese league runners-up have never reached the Champions League knockout stage and the sale of several key players will make that target harder. Sporting are a growing force in Portugal under president Bruno De Carvalho and ex-Benfica boss Jorge Jesus, who places great importance on academy players. Rui Patricio, William Carvalho and Adrien Silva were key members of Portugal’s Euro- winning side this summer. Jesus earned a reputation at Benfica for rebuilding every season following the sale of key players – and it looks like he will have to do so again after they sold Islam Slimani to Leicester City and Joao Mario to Internazionale. Colombian forward Teo Gutierrez moved to Argentina. Summer signings included Costa Rica striker Joel Campbell (on loan from Arsenal), Dutch attackers Bas Dost (Wolfsburg)…

The 1987 and 2004 European champions are back in the group stage for a sixth successive season despite a run of poor form in the Portuguese league. The Dragons have lost their grip on domestic football and have gone three years without a Portuguese league title. Last season’s disastrous experiment with Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui did not work, with FCP finishing a poor third to Benfica and Sporting. Porto beat Roma in the play-off round to book a place in the group stage for a record-equalling 21st time, matching Real Madrid and Barcelona. The club is going back to basics under Nuno Espirito Santo, with a bigger role for Portuguese players such as Andre Silva, Andre Andre and Ruben Neves. Though traditionally big sellers in the transfer market, there were…

Italy’s record champions and Champions League runners-up in 2015 look stronger than ever despite the world-record sale of Paul Pogba to Manchester United. Any team that loses Pogba might be expected to struggle, but Juventus have reinvested the €105m effectively. Juve also received €30m from Real Madrid for Alvaro Morata. New signings include Bosnian Miralem Pjanic (Roma, €32m), Croat Marko Pjaca (Dinamo Zagreb, €23m), Moroccan Medhi Benatia (Bayern Munich, €3m loan), Brazilian Dani Alves (Barcelona, free) and, above all, Argentinian Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli, €90m). The transfer activity reinforced their dominance of the Italian domestic scene, where they have won the last five league titles and two Italian Cups. The acquisitions of Higuain and Pjanic has weakened Juve’s closest domestic rivals. The 2015 Champions League finalists were knocked out by Bayern…

Dinamo have made the group stage of either the Champions League or Europa League in each of the last 10 seasons – but have not gone any further. They won an 11th straight Croat league title last spring, and to make this season’s group phase they beat Dinamo Tbilisi of Georgia and Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg, who pushed them all the way before finally succumbing in extra-time. Zoran Mamic, coach for the past three seasons, left in June to take over at Saudi side Al Nassr. His elder brother, Zdravko Mamic, was the long-serving president until he resigned earlier this year, although he remains an “advisor”. The brothers – who are accused of corruption, tax evasion and bribery – are suspected of channelling transfer income into their own pockets. Dinamo…

In terms of crowds, international profile and the performance of its clubs in the Asian Champions League, Japan’s top flight may still believe it rules the roost over the Chinese Super League. But when it comes down to finances, there is only one winner. Having splashed out around $350million on players in the January transfer window alone, Beijing has easily moved ahead of Tokyo when it comes to being first in the queue to import new foreign talent. However, the balance could start to be redressed in Asia after the J.League announced a 10-year broadcasting-rights deal worth $2billion with UK media content company Perform Group. Established in 1993, the J.League grew quickly thanks to the involvement of world famous stars such as Zico, Dunga, Dragan Stojkovic and Toto Schillaci. By…

“We need to not be Messi-dependent. Yes, he is our MVP, but the rest of the team has to give us more depth as well” Weekly notes from Brazil, Spain, Germany and Italy at worldsoccer.com SOUTH AMERICA Edgardo Bauza bowed to the inevitable when he named his [first] Argentina squad. The headlines all went to the inclusion of Lionel Messi, swiftly going back on his decision to retire from international football. Messi’s rethink is almost certainly, in part at least, a recognition of contemporary reality. After his disappointment in 1966, Pele said he would not play in another World Cup – and he only returned to the Brazil side two years later, on the way to book end his top-level career in magnificent style in Mexico 70. Assuming that he…

“The gold is ours, but it belongs to God. God loves Neymar like he loves all this team” “He is still only 24 and already he has won a second Olympic medal. His next step is to win a World Cup” Brazil coach Rogerio Micale on Neymar How long will Neymar be content to remain in Lionel Messi’s shadow at Barcelona? That was the question the star of Brazil’s Olympic Games took back with him to Spain after his and his team’s triumph at Rio 2016. Olympic coach Rogerio Micale resisted media invitations to put the player on a pedestal among Brazil’s great World Cup-winnng heroes of the past. But he did indicate a belief that the player’s ongoing rise will depend only on the platforms available. Neymar had missed…

“It’s been a difficult few weeks but that will never cloud the amazing journey and experience your great club has given to me” Joe hart says goodbye to Manchester City fans after joining Torino on loan EUROPE Former Arsenal, Barcelona and France striker ThiERRy hEnRy was named assistant coach of Belgium, joining the backroom staff of new coach Roberto Martinez, who replaced Marc Wilmots at the start of August. Russia appointed STaniSlav ChERChESOv as national coach as successor to Leonid Slutsky, who stepped down following a disappointing campaign at Euro 2016. FRAN ESCRIBA replaced Marcelino as Villarreal coach the week before the Spanish side’s Champions League playoff against Monaco. ormer Portuguese national coach PAULO BENTO, who left Brazilian side Cruzeiro in July, was appointed coach of reigning Greek champions Olympiakos,…

Keir Radnedge reports from Rio de Janeiro Whatever worked, or did not work, the Rio Olympic Games ended in gloriously exuberant relief for the Brazilian hosts as the Selecao, after three past silver medals, emerged with football gold for the first time. The plot exploded straight out of a Hollywood script as the national team – reviled, shamed, embarrassed and derided after the 7-1 demolition by Germany in the 2014 World Cup semi-final on home soil – recovered from the brink to claim a redemptive triumph. Not only that but Neymar, the young hero saddled with the bitterness of defeat in 2012 and an absence through injury in 2014, emerged through a hail of media and fan fire to convert the winning spotkick in the penalty shoot-out victory over the…

An intriguing competition, which often showcased the technical and tactical improvements in women’s football, culminated in a golden farewell in Rio de Janeiro for Silvia Neid, who ended Pia Sundhage’s bid for a third successive gold as the sport’s most decorated female coaches and two of the game’s pioneer nations finally reached an Olympic Final. Germany, maintaining a long-time domination over Sweden, muzzled the underdog to win 2-1. All the goals came in the second half, with the gifted Dzsenifer Marozsan shaking off the injuries that have bedeviled her recent international career to make the difference. She curled in the opener from the edge of the 18-yard box, then delivered a free-kick that Linda Sembrant turned into her own goal after the ball came back off a post. Sweden quickly…

The Rot-Blau are embarking on their seventh Champions League campaign and feel they have a point to prove after being eliminated in the play-off round last time out by Maccabi Tel Aviv. Swiss Super League winners for the last seven years, FCB’s squad has never been more cosmopolitan, with players from 16 countries, including 10 European nations as well as South Americans and Africans. All of which leaves coach Urs Fischer with a big communication problem. As usual, Basle recruited far and wide this summer, headhunting Paraguayan leftback Blas Riveros (Olimpia), Colombian central defender Eder Balanta (River Plate), Norwegian midfielder Mohamed Elyounoussi (Molde) and Ivorian striker Seydou Doumbia (Roma, on loan). Nothing, however, could be done to prevent teen sensation centre-forward Breel Embolo leaving for Schalke in Germany. They also…

The Serie A runners-up may have lost striker Gonzalo Higuain to Juventus but they have enough class to finally make progress in the Champions League. Napoli’s summer was dominated by the sale of Argentinian centre-forward Higuain to Juventus. Fans were furious at the departure of last season’s top scorer in Serie A, but there was little the club could do after Juventus triggered the hefty €90m release clause in his contract. Last season’s Serie A runners-up were able to re-invest the Higuain cash on a string of promising players, headed by Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik (Ajax), midfielders Piotr Zielinksi (Udinese) Amadou Diawara (Bologna) and Marko Rog (Dinamo Zagreb), as well as Italy international Emanuele Giaccherini (Sunderland) and defender Lorenzo Tonelli (Empoli). Napoli do not have a great record in the…

The five-times European champions went out of the Champions League to Atletico Madrid in last season’s quarter-finals but have strengthened with summer signings. A reunion with former coach Pep Guardiola will hog the headlines ahead of the group games with Manchester City, but Barca will be looking ahead to the knockout stage – where they will expect to go further than last season. European champions in 1992, 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015, they remain on a high after last term’s domestic double, when Luis Suarez broke the duopoly of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to finish as La Liga’s top scorer and the ESM Golden Shoe winner. This summer’s new arrivals include striker Paco Alcacer (Valencia, €30m), Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen (Ajax, €13m), Portuguese Euro-winning midfielder Andre Gomes (Valencia, €35m),…

The 1967 European Cup winners are in the group stage for the first time in three years after a difficult qualifying campaign. The Scottish champions for the past five seasons made a statement of intent with the appointment of former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers – and made some major reinforcements to their squad ahead of the Champions League group stages. Celtic endured some hairy moments in qualifying – losing away to Gibraltarian side Red Imps and then having close victories over Astana of Kazakhstan and Israel’s Hapoel Be’er-Sheva. They had a busy summer, bringing in exciting French youngster Moussa Dembele (Fulham), much-travelled winger Scott Sinclair (Aston Villa), experienced Ivorian defender Kolo Toure (Liverpool), Norwegian midfielder Kristoffer Ajer (Start), Dutch goalkeeper Dorus De Vries (Nottingham Forest) and Costa Rican defender Cristian…

The 1987 European champions have kept hold of their key players and hope to repeat their form of last season, when they reached the last 16. By retaining the Dutch title on the last day of the season, when rivals Ajax could only draw at minnows De Graafschap, the Eindhoven club qualified automatically for the group phase. PSV have lost Jeffrey Bruma to Wolfsburg while on-loan Marco Van Ginkel returned to Chelsea. Stijn Schaars (Heerenveen), Adam Maher (on loan to Osmanlispor) and Maxime Lestienne (on loan from Al Arabi) have also left. In the transfer market, general manager Marcel Brands was extremely efficient, signing only the players he needed. Siem De Jong (Newcastle United) is reunited with his brother Luuk, while promising midfielder Bart Ramselaar joined from Utrecht just before…

Over the course of this century, Leverkusen have punched far above their weight in the Champions League, reaching the Final in 2002 and making the last-16 on five other occasions. Their third-place finish in last term’s Bundesliga was built on a remarkable spring surge of seven consecutive wins, moving up the table from eighth place in a blaze of full-blooded attacking football. They broke their transfer record in the summer when paying €20m for Hoffenheim striker Kevin Volland, and then paid similar to Dynamo Kiev for defender Aleksandar Dragovic. Another new face is midfield holder Julian Baumgartlinger, who was picked up for €4m from Mainz. Baumgartlinger is a like-for-like replacement for German international Christoph Kramer, who rarely looked at ease last season following a switch from Borussia Monchengladbach and has…

After winning their 11th European crown, the defending champions are seeking to become the first club since Milan, in 1990, to retain the European Cup. Zinedine Zidane was reluctant to move into coaching when he retired as a player, but since the Frenchman took charge he has thrived, transforming a side that had lost its way – and within a matter of months had won “La Undecima”, Real’s 11th European Cup. Real did little transfer business this summer, refusing to get drawn into a financially inflated market, but they did bring striker Alvaro Morata back from Juventus and midfielder Marco Asensio returned from his loan at Espanyol. The lack of activity was a surprise given the transfer ban looming in the next two windows. Jese was sold to Paris Saint-Germain…

The Polish champions will be competing in the Champions League group stage for the first time in more than two decades. Legia are in the group phase for the first time since 1995-96, when they reached the quarter-finals. They also reached the semi-finals of the 1970 Champions Cup, losing to eventual winners Feyenoord. Last season’s title win was their third Polish league success in four seasons and was followed up this summer with wins over Dundalk from the Republic of Ireland, Slovakia’s Trencin and Bosnian champions Zrinjski in the qualifying rounds. Summer transfers saw French midfielder Thibault Moulin arrive from Belgian side Waasland-Beveren and he quickly became the team’s principal playmaker. The draw has not been kind to Legia, but the games will offer their leading players a chance to…

Exciting times for the Blauw en Zwart who are back in the Champions League for the first time since 2005. The 2015-16 season was a momentous one for the Flemish flagship club, claiming their first Belgian league crown in 11 years and sealing it with a 4-0 win against domestic arch-rivals Anderlecht. For the most part, Michel Preud’homme (MPH) will go with the same set of players as last season – the exception being Belgian international right-back Thomas Meunier, who joined Paris Saint-Germain. Meunier is replaced by Holland international Ricardo Van Rhijn, bought for a cut-price €1.8m after falling out of favour at Ajax. Central midfielder Tomas Pina (Villarreal) and left-winger Anthony Limbombe (Mechelen) are also new. In a worrying development, key wide man Lior Refaelov is struggling with an…

Last season’s Europa League winners are the first holders of UEFA’s secondary club cup to gain a place in the Champions League group stage. It’s been all change in Seville this summer, with Unai Emery leaving for Paris Saint-Germain and being replaced by Argentinian coach Jorge Sampaoli. Sampaoli brings thrills and spills – there were 10 goals in Sevilla’s first Liga game of the season: a 6-4 home win over Espanyol. There have been major changes in the playing squad, with many figures from the Emery era departing: Polish midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak followed him to PSG; French striker Kevin Gameiro was sold to Atletico Madrid; Argentinian midfielder Ever Banega to Internazionale; captain Jose Antonio Reyes went to Espanyol; Ukrainian winger Yevhen Konoplyanka went on loan to Schalke; and striker Fernando…