Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2016 i World Soccer

Is the tide finally turning against defenders? I have complained before about the prodefence mindset that dominates football thinking; a negative mindset that obviously works against creative, attacking play. Yet this destructive mentality is repeatedly defended with the mantra that football is “a contact sport”. Not long ago the Professional Game Match Officials, representing the English Premier League’s referees, felt it necessary to point out that “physical contact is an acceptable part of football”. Acceptable, yes – but only within very strict limits. Rule 12 singles out seven actions, all of which involve contact, and bans them if they are committed in a reckless – or even careless – manner. With kicking, striking and tripping, even the attempt to commit them is punishable. The rulebook also bans holding or…

Allardyce: a greedy lout whose achievements were minimal When the Premier League was born, I at once christened it the “Greed Is Good League” and have never seen any reason to change my mind. So perhaps, in an abysmal and nauseating way, “Big” Sam Allardyce was an all-too appropriate figure for the job of England manager; the very embodiment of greed. That a man already earning over £3million a year, the largest salary of any international manager in the game, should pursue another £400,000 with a fictitious entity surely shows greed far in excess of the late Don Revie. Another disgraced England manager, he was described in the High Court as greedy and dishonest by the judge, though Revie won his case, owing to the intransigent behaviour of the FA’s…

Long-suffering fans of Olympique de Marseille will be putting all their faith in American businessman Frank McCourt as the man to restore the club to its traditional position of prominence in French football. OM are by far the best-supported club in the country and have the proudest, most titled history. But since their last Ligue 1 championship victory back in 2010, and Qatari investment in archrivals Paris Saint-Germain a year later, the south-coast club has lurched from one catastrophe to another. PSG have become one of Europe’s elite outfits. Meanwhile, current Marseille owner Margarita Louis-Dreyfus has sunk tens of millions into the club with little return. Earlier this year she announced that she is no longer prepared to continue making the level of investment required to sit at football’s top…

This season was never going to be straightforward for Paris Saint-Germain. Losing Laurent Blanc, a coach who never entirely convinced in European competition, was one thing; losing Zlatan Ibrahimovic was something else. And replacing Blanc with a very different style of tactician in Unai Emery was something else again. It was, therefore, perhaps no great surprise that PSG, by their own extremely lofty standards, had an uneasy start to the new season. Ibrahimovic is a get-out-of-jail-free card for a coach. Although he may never have had lightning pace, at the age of 35 he possesses everything else a centreforward needs. He is big, strong and fit, is technically gifted, imaginative and a fine finisher. He can score booming headers, hit long-range drives and take people on in one-on-ones, as well…

The Danish invasion English football’s latest £1milllion export, Mark Hateley, was on the cover of the November 1984 edition of World Soccer following his transfer from Portsmouth to Milan. Meanwhile, inside the issue, Jim Holden focused on the Danish invasion of European club football and reported on two international friends who had become rivals at two of England’s biggest clubs. “A quiver of anticipation rose into the rainy Manchester air every time Jesper Olsen received the ball in England’s battle royal – Manchester United v Liverpool,” wrote Holden. “And almost every time it turned to a roar of delight as Olsen ripped past some statuesque defender or played a simple but exquisitely weighted first-time pass. “The Old Trafford fans are already enraptured, as everyone thought they would be. Jesper Olsen,…

Ronny, Leo, Zizou, Becks...being known by one name – or a nickname – appears to be one of the measures of greatness for a footballer. And while he might not be in the same register globally as those listed above, mention “Timmy” in Australia and no one is in any doubt as to the player in question. Tim Cahill has undoubtedly usurped Harry Kewell as the nation’s best-ever. If Kewell had the skill, Cahill has had the impact, goals and, crucially, the longevity. And now, at the age of 36, he will finally grace the domestic A-League as it kicks off on October 7. Cahill’s arrival at Melbourne City, by virtue of the new “marquee guest” rule may put some extra bums on seats, but the move hasn’t found favour…

Billionaire speculators, pornographers, human-rights abusers: they’re all welcome in the Premier League The moral outrage that accompanied the sacking of Sam Allardyce – brilliantly described by Brian Glanville (page 20) – has been quite something. Allardyce departed following allegations that were less serious than those highlighted by previous investigations notably BBC Panorama and the Lord Stevens enquiry – which failed to secure any criminal convictions. Yet the FA felt compelled to be seen to be acting tough. Those media expressing horror at the money flowing into football are the same people who are happy to use the Premier League to sell their products. It’s a league that celebrates money in all its filthy forms. American billionaire speculators, pornographers, human-rights abusers: they’re all welcome in the Premier League, no…

Ceferin’s challenge UEFA’s new president is already under pressure to convince and, ultimately, Aleksander Ceferin’s reign will be defined not so much by how he came into the top job but the state of the European federation when he leaves it. Structurally, administratively, commercially and financially, UEFA is one of the most solid governing bodies in world sport, never mind football. But it is not without the internal stresses and strains inherent to any major organisation. In UEFA’s case, this comes down to the contradictory powers at play. The members are the national associations of Europe, but a broad smile is maintained on the bank manager’s face by the glitz and glamour of the big clubs. Balancing the interests of the one and the other is not so simple.…

No matter how hard they try, and regardless of what they achieve this season and beyond, Bundesliga new boys RB Leipzig will struggle to ever be loved beyond their Saxony base. In a recent poll carried out by the Braunschweig Technical University, the club bankrolled by the Red Bull energy drink conglomerate were deemed the most unlikable professional outfit in Germany, finishing 36th out of 36. Already this term, their first ever in the top flight, opposition supporters have wasted little time in reminding them of their unpopularity. Hamburg fans staged a “No to RB” protest march before the teams met in September, while the game with Cologne had to kick off 15 minutes late after opposition supporters blocked the arrival of RB Leipzig’s team coach. Past episodes have even…

Danny Blind must feel the loneliest man at the Dutch FA headquarters in Zeist. Almost everybody close to him has left. Three assistants, one director and three board members have abandoned the ship, while possible successors have withdrawn or had their appointments blocked. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with changes. With Ruud Van Nistelrooy swapping the national set-up for PSV this summer, Blind found a worthy successor in Dick Advocaat. But that lasted just three months before the 69-year-old was lured to Turkey by Fenerbahce. A clause in his contract made it possible to leave, proving once again that he prefers his own career – and a much bigger salary – to loyalty. The next to call it quits was Blind’s closest assistant, Marco Van Basten, who is heading…

“Jupp Heynckes led Bayern to the triple. Pep Guardiola twice completed the double and won three Bundesliga titles. What can you win? I’ll be able to say at the end of the season. For now, I’m concentrating on building on the fantastic work of Guardiola. I’m aiming to keep the team at the top level and convey my ideas about the game to the players. Then we’ll see what happens. When you arrived at Bayern you praised the quality of the squad. Is it the best you’ve ever worked with? It’s difficult to compare. I’ve also had outstanding players elsewhere. I’m relishing the chance to coach this Bayern team, one which in every position is very strong. At Bayern you have technical individuals in abundance... That’s why I’m not going…

Thursday September 1 ARGENTINA: Two months after changing his mind about retiring from international football, Lionel Messi scores the only goal as 10-man Argentina beat Uruguay 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier. BELGIUM: Roberto Martinez’s first game as Belgium coach ends in defeat and his side are booed off in Brussels as they lose 2-0 to Spain. FIFA: Swiss prosecutors reveal they are investigating Franz Beckenbauer as part of a corruption inquiry into Germany winning the rights to host the 2006 World Cup. GERMANY: Manuel Neuer is named Germany captain following Bastian Schweinsteiger’s retirement from international duty. GREECE: Giannis Gianniotas gets the winner as Greece come from behind to win 2-1 and beat Holland for the first time. ITALY: At 17, Gianluigi Donnarumma becomes the youngest player to be capped…

The Indian Super League (ISL) kicked off at the start of October ahead of a dramatic shake-up that will see it usurp the I-League as the country’s main competition, perhaps as early as 2018. In May, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) unveiled plans to add two more sides to the eightteam ISL, which will then become a national top flight with no relegation to the I-League, which will become the second tier. And while the AIFF’s vision has not been universally acclaimed, there is little doubt that the I-League, which was established in 2007, is struggling with attendances as low as its profile. I-League clubs complain that IMG-Reliance, the AIFF’s commercial partner, have not done enough to promote their competition. But while that is a matter for debate, what…

In this summer’s COSAFA Cup – an annual tournament for national teams from southern Africa – Lesotho showed tantalising signs of improvement after a dismal recent run. They won all three group games, only to lose on penalties in the quarter-finals to neighbours South Africa, after a poor African Nations Cup qualifying campaign and elimination from the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in the first round. Although Lesotho have never featured in a major tournament, several of the side from the 1990s did play professionally in South Africa, but these days very few manage to ply their trade abroad. One of those who does is Sunny Jane, who plays for Richmond Kickers in the USA third-tier and scored for Lesotho in a 2-1 Nations Cup qualifying win over Seychelles in March.…

Pogba is a victim of his own pricetag Pogba’s start at Old Trafford has been troubled, with no goals and no assists after his first six games The status as the world’s most expensive footballer can be an honour, certainly in the eyes of someone like Cristiano Ronaldo, who relished the prestige as another welcome layer in the flattery of his giant ego. However, it can also be a heavy burden and prove to be a curse. Denilson was a talented winger who cost Betis a global record £21.5million in 1998 after impressing in Brazil’s run to the World Cup Final. He scored twice in his first season and was relegated in the second, his career suffering a slow descent into obscurity from the moment he shouldered the weight of…

“They send us messages asking us to take care of Messi. But they don’t protect him. He plays all their games” On hearing that he will have to do without the injured Lionel Messi, Argentina coach Edgardo Bauza (left) angrily points the finger of blame at Barcelona IN EUROPE England Under-21 boss GARETH SOUTHGATE will take charge of the senior side for four games following the departure of Sam Allardyce. Legia Warsaw appointed JACEK MAGIERA in place of Besnik Hasi, who was dismissed after two wins in the first nine league games and a 6-0 loss at home to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Palermo changed coaches after just two Serie A games, ROBERTO DE ZERBI stepping in following Davide Ballardini’s resignation. Ex-Italy midfielder GENNARO GATTUSO rejoined Serie B…

Tenth in the league last season, little was expected of Vasas this term. But with a quarter of the current campaign gone, they sit five points clear of the pack and have beaten Ferencvaros, Videoton and MTK Budapest – all away from home. In his first foreign posting, German coach Michael Oenning has defied expectations with an inexperienced squad made up of players barely out of Hungary’s various academies, including his club’s own. “These young players are so willing to learn,” says Oenning. “They’re so keen to develop. When I arrived here halfway through last season, the aim was simply to stay in the top division. “Having achieved that, we started this season with modest ambitions, but we’ve taken the game to the opposition.” Fast on the attack, Oenning’s team…

“If you notice, of all the small islands we are the ones who usually reach this far” Ezra Hendrickson, St Vincent & the Grenadines assistant coach As the last Caribbean island to remain in the hunt for World Cup qualifying places, St Vincent & the Grenadines’ 9-3 trouncing by Guatemala was painful if not unsurprising, given some of the recent drubbings that preceded it. Yet, somehow, this defeat was particularly bad. Coming just days after a 6-0 thumping at the hands of the USA, the “Vincy Heat” shipped nine goals to a Guatemalan side who are no bona fide World Cup contenders in qualifying themselves. Yet for an island about the same size as Barbados, the former British colony of just 110,000 people does have a decent record among nations…

With the United States crashing out of the Rio Olympics at the quarter-final stage, there was no post-tournament feel-good boost to the domestic game. The sport did, however, remain in the spotlight, and not always happily so, with headlines about high-profile present and past players Megan Rapinoe, Hope Solo, Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd. Rapinoe, a World Cup and Olympic champion, has long been a prominent figure, and not just because her dynamic wing-play and platinum blonde crop make her instantly recognisable on the pitch. The 31-year-old came out four years ago and has been involved in philanthropy and activism for gay causes. It was, therefore, very much in character when she “took the knee” in a gesture of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback shot to…

Matias KRANEVITTER Age 23 (21.05.93), Sevilla (Spa, on loan from Atletico Madrid) & Argentina In a sentence On a single-season deal with Sevilla, he is the latest in a long line of Argentinian defensive midfielders, a roll call of number fives that includes Reinaldo Merlo, Americo Gallego, Fernando Redondo and Javier Mascherano. What they say Uruguayan legend Enzo Francescoli, who was general manager at River Plate: “He’s the sort of player who is thinking about winning the ball even when his team are in possession. On the pitch he’s calm and very intelligent. He’s played in a lot of high-pressure games for River Plate and always performs with total composure and great maturity.” Journalist Eduardo Jose Ustaritz: “When he fractured his foot [in September 2014] it was the heart of…

The final round of qualifiers to determine places in next year’s African Nations Cup finals provided yet another snapshot of the two extremes of the game on the continent: the unbridled joy that comes with long-awaited success and a darker side where barely believable scenarios continue to cast aspersions on the validity of results. Uganda were runners-up at the 1978 finals but since then they have failed with regular monotony to qualify. In recent attempts they have come agonisingly close, no more so than ahead of the 2013 finals when they lost a penalty shoot-out to defending champions Zambia. But after almost four decades they return to the top table having secured their place on the last weekend of the preliminaries with a home win over Comoros. Farouk Miya, recently…

In the first round of European qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, there were some notable results for a number of newly appointed coaches, as well as embarrassment for recently crowned continental champions Portugal. For their opening group game against Switzerland, in Basle, the Portuguese were without injured captain Cristiano Ronaldo for their first competitive game since beating France in the Final of Euro 96. First-half goals from Breel Embolo, a header following Rui Patricio’s parry of a Ricardo Rodriguez free-kick, and a curling shot from Admir Mehmedi into the top-right corner were enough to give the Swiss a comfortable victory, although Nani did strike a post for the visitors in the 82nd minute with a header. Portugal’s defeat was their first in 15 competitive games under coach…

2018 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS ASIA section O 4.5 finals places available 3rd round Group A Sep 1 - Tehran Iran 2 (Ghoochannejhad 90+4, Jahanbakhsh 90+11) Qatar 0 HT: 0-0. Att: 78,000. Ref: Perera (Sri) Iran: Beiranvand - Montazeri, Rezaeian, Hosseini, Dejagah (Amiri 69), Teymourian, Ezatolahi, Hajsafi, Azmoun (Ansarifard 84), Jahanbakhsh, Taremi (Ghoochannejhad 76). Qatar: Lecomte - Khoukhi, Hassan, Pedro Miguel (Musa 76), Yasser, Tabata (Afif 70), Assadalla, Boudiaf, Luiz Martin, Al Haidos (Kasola 90), Soria. Sep 1 - Seoul South Korea 3 (Zheng Zhi og 21, Lee Chung-yong 63, Koo Ja-cheol 66) China 2 (Yu Hai 74, Hao Junmin 77) HT: 1-0. Att: 51,238. Ref: Abdulla Hassan (UAE) South Korea: Jung Sung-ryong - Oh Jae-suk, Kim Kee-hee, Hong Jeong-ho, Jang Hyun-soo, Han Kook-young, Ki Sung-yueng, Lee Chung-yong (Lee Jae-sung 83),…