Innehållsförteckning för August 2017 från World Soccer

Ah, the hazards of monthly deadlines! As this issue of World Soccer was going to press, Paris Saint-Germain announced that they had agreed the world-record transfer of Neymar from Barcelona. The deal provided plenty of ammunition for outraged columnists who tend to only stray into football during the silly summer season. Neymar’s transfer was extraordinary in so many ways, but it is not the end of football as we know it The transfer was extraordinary in so many ways, but it is not the end of football as we know it. The transfer window will close at the end of the month and the game will carry on. And football’s richest clubs will continue to find ways to bypass financial fairplay regulations. What does set the Neymar deal apart is…

“It’s the result of my non-stop work on the pitch. I never went in for half-measures even when I wasn’t 100 per cent fit” Ex-Argentina striker Gabriel Batistuta reveals to FIFA.com that he has trouble walking these days PROGRES NIEDERKORN Without a win in 13 previous matches in European competition, and with a record of just one goal scored and 42 conceded, the Luxembourg side knocked Scotland’s Rangers out of the Europa League qualifiers. ATHLETIC BILBAO In a show of solidaity with team-mate Yeray, who is suffering from cancer, players at the Spanish club shaved their heads. The 22-year-old defender was diagnosed with testicular cancer in December and had an operation to remove the tumour before returning to first-team football in February. However, medical checks in June revealed the disease…

Chuck Blazer told everyone who asked that his idol was Joao Havelange. Both worked hard for football, and that deserves to be acknowledged, yet both bent it into a game of self-enrichment. The goal became power and personal wealth, and while power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. And not only in sport, but in politics, business and religion as well. Sepp Blatter, a man who should know (and who should know better), was fond of quipping that football could not expect to be immune to “the little devils of society”. True, but knowing he was supping with these little devils around the FIFA boardroom table, Blatter’s ultimate failure was in acquiescing, not acting. CONCACAF funded his two private apartments. One he shared with his parrot, Max Blazer; the other, famously,…

1 PRE-SEASON PADDLE White-water rafting seemed to be the popular choice of pre-season preparation among Dutch clubs this summer. Ajax players took their paddles to the Ziller river during their training camp at Hippach in Austria, while PSV took the white-water route from Chable to Sembrancher in the Swiss Alps during preparations for the new Eredivisie season. 2 BACK OF THE NET When World Cup-winner Cristian Zaccardo found himself without a club this summer he advertised his services on job-hunting site LinkedIn. The 35-year-old full-back, who played three times during the Azzurri’s 2006 triumph, was a free agent after being released by Vicenza following their relegation from Serie B. A Bundesliga winner with Wolfsburg in 2009, who has also played for Milan in Serie A, he wrote on the website:…

Chelsea’s young talents are wasted at the Bridge Chelsea had a hectic and gruelling summer tour, which makes you wonder whether they have put their players under damaging physical pressure, ahead of a season in which, as competitors in the European Champions Cup, they can no longer have those midweek rests which were something of a blessing in disguise last season. With their splendid scouting and coaching programme, Chelsea turn out fine players in abundance; then, by and large, never give them a chance. At the end of last season they had some 38 players out on loan. Now, having paid Roma a huge fee for German international centre-back Antonio Rudiger, they have sold Nathan Ake to Bournemouth, where he did well on loan last season. Will Rudiger really be…

It’s been another summer of record transfer spending in the Premier League. With the ink barely dry on the new bumper TV deal with Sky and BT, clubs were quick to spend the extra money, with only a handful refraining from joining in the spending spree. Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola having last term endured his first trophyless season as a coach, led the way, investing a record £200million on new players, while Manchester United were not far behind, splashing out in excess of £146m by the start of August. Chelsea’s outlay on new signings was £125m, with £58m of that going on club record signing Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid. Others who broke their transfer record were Liverpool (Mohamed Salah, £36.9m, Roma), Arsenal (Alexandre Lacazette, £57.2m, Lyon), West Ham…

Although they deservedly earned praise for their way of playing, and for reaching last season’s Europa League Final, Ajax finished the campaign without silverware and the heat is on to deliver. However, even if they should succeed this term, any celebrations will be marked by sadness as tragedy struck before a ball had even been kicked in the Eredivisie. The tragic accident happened during a pre-season training camp in Austria, when Ajax were playing Werder Bremen. With 20 minutes left to play, 20-year-old midfielder Abdelhak Nouri collapsed due to heart arrhythmias and was airlifted to a hospital. At first, his condition looked stable, with no permanent damage expected, but later that week came the horrific news that a lack of oxygen caused him to suffer permanent brain damage. He will…

How do you improve on perfection? Well, Brendan Rodgers and his Celtic players will discover if that is possible between now and May. Celtic put themselves in the record books with their remarkable 2016-17 campaign, which not only delivered three pieces of silverware but also produced an unbeaten domestic season. The Premiership, Scottish Cup and League Cup were delivered in his first season as Rodgers became only the third manager in the club’s history to win a treble, after Jock Stein and Martin O’Neill. Rodgers’ side earned a record 106 points with 34 wins and four draws and the former Liverpool manager is now setting his sights on a seventh successive Scottish Premiership title for Celtic. However, it says a lot about the Northern Irishman’s desire for perfection that he…

One year before the World Cup in Argentina, Brazil’s Rivelino was the cover star of World Soccer’s August 1977 issue, with the midfielder looking forward to his third finals appearance. The same, however, could not be said of England, who were on the brink of failing to make it to a second successive tournament. Don Revie had quit as manager before the qualifier at home to Italy, citing family reasons. In truth, he had been negotiating to coach the UAE. “It’s so easy to condemn Don Revie. Everyone’s done it,” reflected Keir Radnedge. “To walk out on England for socalled ‘family reasons’ was one thing. After three years of pressure you would have thought he could have stood another few months before Italy put an end to England’s World Cup…

“If I wasn’t called Cristiano Ronaldo, I wouldn’t be seated here” Summoned to a Spanish court on tax charges, the Real Madrid star denies any wrongdoing 1 WAYNE ROONEY Everton v Gor Mahia Sees the keeper off his line and hits a 30-yard dipping shot into the top of the net on his first game back in an Everton shirt. 2 DJIBRIL SIDIBE Monaco v PSG Latches onto a superb through ball from Youri Tielemans and dinks a neat finish over the advancing goalkeeper. 3 NEYMAR Barcelona v Juventus Dribbles across the six-yard area, beating four defenders, before striking a shot past Gigi Buffon. 4 MANTAS KUKLYS Zalgiris v Ludogorets Meets a cut back from the right and rifles a shot inside the near post. 5 DIEGO BEJARANO The Strongest…

“Those who know me realise it’s difficult to make me lose my cool, but this referee managed to do it” Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic accuses Jair Marrufo of insulting him during an exhibition game against Real Madrid in Miami LES MURRAY (1945-2017) Australian broadcaster, commentator and contributor to World Soccer, he played a pivotal role in the development of the game in Australia and was affectionately known as Australia’s “Mr Football”. Originally named Laszlo Urge, he was born in Hungary and emigrated to Australia in the 1950s. For many years he was the host of SBS show The World Game, a phrase he coined. WALDIR PERES (1951-2017) Brazil’s goalkeeper at the 1982 World Cup died aged 66 following a heart attack. He was also a non-playing member of Brazil’s squad…

The two men in green shirts were called into action at the last minute, but they were doing a brisk trade. Sitting at a plastic table in the main square of Mitrovica in Kosovo they have in front of them four piles of tickets for an historic match in the city. They have just two days to shift them. “We have tickets for €2, €4 or €7,” says the shorter of the two men, as a steady stream of fans pass by, buying tickets for friends and family. His leather purse is stuffed with Euros, perhaps explaining why a security guard is standing next to them, eyeing each customer as they approach. Over the past few years the word “historic” has prefaced almost every football match connected to Kosovo. There…

In a country where football has been dominated by one club for so long, last season was a breath of fresh air, as a young, vibrant, attack-oriented Monaco effectively muscled the big boys out of the way and became top dogs. But we mustn’t get overly sentimental about Monaco becoming Ligue 1 champions. After all, Russian owner Dmitry Rybolovlev is hardly one of the game’s paupers. However, Monaco, expertly managed by Portuguese coach Leonardo Jardim, were assembled for a fraction of the cost of the Paris Saint-Germain side that they so effectively pushed into second place. We mustn’t get overly sentimental about Monaco becoming Ligue 1 champions. After all, Russian owner Dmitry Rybolovlev is hardly one of the game’s paupers Not only that, but Monaco played football the way fans…

Of all the goings on in Italty this summer, none was more intriguing than the transfer of Juventus icon Leonardo Bonucci to rivals Milan. His move was utterly fascinating as it highlights two fundamental questions. Will Juve’s Serie A and Champions League ambitions be redimensioned? And does it prove that when Milan’s new owners promised to take the club back to the top table of European football they meant business? The 30-year-old, who cost Milan €42m, will be paid an annual salary of €7.5m – more with possible bonuses – making him the highest-paid player in Italian football. “Something began to fall apart in the last few months and a change was the logical consequence of that” Leonardo Bonucci on leaving Juventus for Milan Bonucci was the 10th newcomer to…

A month before the season was due to start, and two days before the fixtures were announced, police arrived at the headquarters of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and arrested the president Angel Maria Villar. The man who had led the federation for 29 years, and had just won elections for four more, was taken to a police station nearby in Las Rozas, north-west of Madrid and was there for 12 hours, before being driven to prison at Soto del Real and incarcerated without bail. Villar, his vice-president Juan Padron, Ramon Hernandez and Villar’s son Gorka are among those who stand accused of corruption, forgery, embezzlement and misappropriation of funds. Investigations focus on the accusation that Villar and those close to him benefitted personally from his position of power…

With three assured berths for CONCACAF teams, plus a fourth available through a play-off, the USA ought to be home and dry before qualification even starts. And when Gianni Infantino’s inflated 48-team monster World Cup gets going, the region will have five berths, giving the US, along with Mexico, a lifetime pass to the finals. However, there has been a slight hiccup in proceedings this time around. After losing their opening two games – a 2-1 defeat at home to Mexico and a 4-0 thrashing in Costa Rica – the US currently sit third in the six-team group. Those losses in November cost Jurgen Klinsmann his job, with Bruce Arena – who led the national team for eight years, between 1998 and 2006 – taking charge once more. Under Arena…

The power of the brand, and what it could mean for the future of women’s football, was underlined by one of the summer’s most surprising transfers, that of England striker Toni Duggan from Manchester City to Barcelona. The Catalan club are not the giants of the women’s game that they are in the men’s. Although a long-established team, they have not won their domestic league since 2015 and this season’s run to the Women’s Champions League semi-finals was their best to date. So, Duggan’s move was not as notable as had she moved, for example, to Lyon, who are back-to-back Champions League winners. But, along with Real Madrid and Manchester United, Barcelona are football’s biggest brand – and the only one of those three involved in the adult women’s game.…

So, what does Fatma Samoura really do? Not what FIFA secretary-generals used to do, that’s for sure... FIFA reforms made certain of that by clipping the secretary-general’s wings. They also clipped the wings of the president, but Gianni Infantino found a way around that, albeit with the democratic approval of council and congress. Secretary-general is a big title, copied from the United Nations and embraced increasingly by other international sports federations in pursuit of self-agrandisement. Under Samoura’s high-profile predecessor, Jerome Valcke, it was a licence to spend at least a week or more every month out of the office giving prospective World Cup hosts “a kick up the backside”, negotiating sponsorship deals with the biggest multinationals, and sorting out the World Cup ticketing and hospitality contracts (which eventually brought him…

V ictory over Jamaica gave USA a sixth Gold Cup title – one less than Mexico – and earned Bruce Arena a record-breaking third CONCACAF crown, although the hosts’ boss conceded: “Well, I have coached in more Gold Cups than anyone else.” Arena called on just one European-based player for the finals – Nottingham Forest’s Eric Lichaj – and at his fifth Gold Cup he started 27 different players in his side’s six games, taking full advantage of the competition rules that allow six new players to be brought in for the knockout stage. After a 1-1 draw with Panama, the US coasted through their group, beating Martinique (3-2) and Nicaragua (3-0), after which Arena brought in veterans Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, who helped the USA beat…

AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: QUARTER-FINALS Al Ain (UAE) v Al Hilal (Sau) (Aug 21 & Sep 11) Persepolis (Irn) v Al Ahli (Sau) (Aug 22 & Sep 12) Shanghai SIPG (Chn) v Guangzhou Evergrande (Chn) (Aug 22 & Sep 12) Kawasaki Frontale (Jap) v Urawa Red Diamonds (Jap) (Aug 23 & Sep 13) It is perhaps a measure of just how far the Chinese Super League (CSL) has come that the competition is now able to make international headlines even when its clubs are not raining down untold fortunes on world-famous players. In Britain, there seemed to be some glee among the tabloid newspapers as they announced that 13 of the CSL’s 16 teams were in danger of being thrown out, with the Daily Mirror reporting that all but three clubs…

Neymar became the world’s most expensive footballer after Paris Saint-Germain paid the €222millon to release the Brazilian from his contract with Barcelona. Neymar said: “I am extremely happy to join Paris Saint-Germain. Since I arrived in Europe, the club has always been one of the most competitive and most ambitious. And the biggest challenge, what most motivated me to join my new team-mates, is to help the club to conquer the titles that their fans want. “From today, I will do everything I can to help my new team-mates, to open up new horizons for my club and to bring happiness to its millions of supporters around the world.” Neymar signed a five-year deal with PSG and at £198m, the fee was more than double the previolus record of £89m,…

“Believe me, Neymar didn’t come for money. He really came for the project, the ambition; he likes new challenges” PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi on smashing the world transfer record On joining Paris Saint-Germain for the world-record fee of €222m, Neymar dismissed the importance of the finances and talked up “the project”. They have powerful ambition in common. For PSG this means winning the Champions League; for Neymar it means becoming the world’s number-one player. Having extended his contract with Barcelona to 2022 less than a year ago, the Brazilian’s insistence on quitting Spain suggests that fleeing La Liga and the ongoing tax and legal problems was not an insignificant reason. It was a darkshadow nuisance for him…and also, of course, for his father. Along with agent Wagner Ribeiro, Neymar…

According to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the video assistant referee (VAR) trial at the Confederations Cup was “a great success”. Hardly. For a start, there were simply too many hitches and glitches to permit such optimism. For example, when does – or, even better, should – the referee call for VAR help? Similarly, when should the VAR team intervene on its own initiative? Both of these situations were left unclear. And surely no one will have been satisfied with the delays that accompanied some of the decisions. Then there was the fact that game-changing decisions were made but the players, coaches and fans in the stadium were left in the dark as to what evidence the VAR team had used to overturn the referee’s decision. Admittedly, these are all problems…

“This goal was for Appie and his family” Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek dedicates his Champions League goal against Nice to team-mate Abdelhak Nouri, who collapsed during a pre-season friendly and was later diagnosed with severe brain damage IN EUROPE Romanian MIRCEA LUCESCU was appointed coach of Turkey, replacing Fatih Terim. Former Roma and Italy defender CHRISTIAN PANUCCI, who was Fabio Capello’s assistant with the Russian national side, succeeded Gianni De Biasi as coach of Albania. CONCACAF BOB BRADLEY will take charge of Los Angeles FC when they join MLS next season. Sigi Schmid returned to LA Galaxy after they parted company with Curt Onalfo. Sporting Kansas City striker DOM DWYER joined Orlando City for an MLS record $1.6m. United get their man Manchester United paid Everton an initial…

A look at the line-up of this season’s coaches tells a story: of the 16 incumbents, only six are Belgian nationals. However, of last term’s top seven, only Anderlecht were led by a non-Belgian. So why the current trend? Is it just a case of “a prophet is not without honour except in his own country”, or is it that those available don’t cut the mustard? Hugo Broos, who is now 65, won the league with Club Brugge and Anderlecht but has not worked in his homeland since 2011. Last year he submitted an online application for the Cameroon coach’s position, got the job and won the 2017 African Nations Cup. And a list of Belgian coaches currently “between jobs” would include Peter Maes, Georges Leekens, Glen De Boeck, Frankie…

Still the place for excitementpacked matches of ebb and flow, locally produced talent, a fanfirst culture and stadia full-house signs, the Bundesliga becomes even more special in a World Cup season, with players’ appetites suitably whetted by the prospect of taking part in the greatest show on earth. As illustrated by Germany’s recent international successes – a virtual reserve team winning the Confederations Cup and the under-21s claiming the European title – the country’s strength in depth is extraordinary. And mindful that Nationalmannschaft boss Joachim Low has a fondness for wild-card picks, a good 40 to 50 home-based pros will be harbouring hopes of a seat on the plane to Russia next summer. On and off the pitch, this season looks set to be awash with innovation and fresh thinking.…

Despite being Portuguese champions more times than any other team, Benfica had never collected four titles in a row – something both Sporting and Porto boasted on their list of achievements – so when the Lisbon giants thrashed Vitoria Guimaraes 5-0 at a packed Estadio da Luz in the penultimate match of last season to clinch a fourth successive Primeira Liga crown, it triggered euphoric celebrations that quickly spilled out of the stadium and spread all over the Portuguese capital long into the night. Now the target is to match Porto’s five-year run, achieved in the second half of the 1990s. “We’ll be doing everything to achieve the ‘Penta’, ” said Benfica striker Jonas as pre-season preparations got underway. A chink of light has emerged, however, for Sporting and Porto…

Austria Bundesliga By Nick Bidwell KEY DATES The season kicked off on July 22, with the last of its 36 rounds due to be played on May 20. Significant early fixtures include Red Bull Salzburg at home to Austria Vienna on September 23 and Austria Vienna v Rapid Vienna on October 21. MAJOR COACHING CHANGES Champions Red Bull Salzburg replaced Oscar Garcia – who jumped ship to take over at Saint-Etienne – with Marco Rose (right), the club’s youth team boss. CHAMPIONSHIP CHALLENGERS Title-winners for the last four years, Salzburg are a hot tip to win again, although they have lost a lot of talent in recent times, most of it heading to fellow Red Bull outfit Leipzig. Under coach Thorsten Fink, Austria Vienna are a growing force. RELEGATION BATTLERS…

Reigning African champions Cameroon will miss out on next year’s World Cup finals unless they win at least one of their games against Nigeria in the upcoming homeand- away qualifying double-headers. Draws against Algeria and Zambia got the Indomitable Lions’ campaign off to a slow start, and confidence wasn’t helped by a disappointing performance at the Confederations Cup. Hugo Broos’ side picked up just one point and managed a solitary goal in their three games, and he knows his side need more firepower if they are to return to Russia next summer. “If you have one [striker] in mind, please tell me his name and I’ll go straight away and see him,” Broos said after a 1-1 draw with Australia. “We’re searching, we’re searching, we’re searching, and we keep on…

Changes to the format of the African Nations Cup and the two annual African club competitions were finally made in the wake of the exit of Issa Hayatou, as new president Ahmad of Madagascar seeks to make an impact on the Confederation of African Football. At a two-day symposium in Rabat, he delivered on his promise of a forum where CAF would listen to suggestions on how best to change the game on the continent. In his election campaign, before toppling Hayatou in March, Ahmad said he would be a leader who would consult all stakeholders – including former top players, who he invited to Morocco to join in the deliberations. And such as Jay-Jay Okocha, Abedi Pele and Joseph-Antoine Bell seemed genuinely delighted to finally be given a voice,…