Innehållsförteckning för December 2019 från World Soccer

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DYNAMO DRESDEN FANS More than 30,000 of their supporters made the 125-mile trip to Hertha Berlin to see the team lose on penalties in the second round of the German Cup. TIMO WERNER The RB Leipzig star became the first player since the turn of the millennium to manage a hat-trick of both goals and assists in the same Bundesliga game, being involved in six of his side’s goals in an 8-0 win against Mainz. GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA The Milan goalkeeper showed support for the victims of the Venice floods when he visited the city and met local people as part of an Italian Football Federation delegation. ADA HEGERBERG The Lyon striker became the highest scorer in Women’s Champions League history with 53 goals in 50 appearances, surpassing the 51 previously…

Refs must have the final say on VAR Pierluigi Collina said it. Massimo Busacca said it. Roberto Rossetti said it. The buck must stop with the referee on the pitch. He or she is the single individual among the ever-expanding cast of match officials who should award a goal or disallow one, decree a penalty or deny it, flash a red card or a yellow. But not according to Premier League and Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL). The botched introduction of video assistance refereeing into the Premier League has been the story of the season. All English football had to do was follow the pattern laid down at the World Cup in Russia and then in the Champions League. But no. The English knew better. VAR’s mangled arrival has…

Timing is everything in football – as Daniel Levy is likely to discover over the coming months. The Tottenham Hotspur chairman made the biggest call yet of his 18-year tenure by abruptly sacking Mauricio Pochettino, the club’s hugely popular manager, and replacing him with Jose Mourinho. Though Pochettino’s position had been a matter of speculation for some months following Spurs’ poor start to the season, his departure was still a major surprise. The Argentinian had been the club’s most successful boss of the modern era, a man who had worked miracles on tight budgets for a club previously ridiculed for their ability to turn promising situations into failures. In his place, Levy has brought in a man whose reputation was severely diminished by his most recent employment at Manchester United.…

Ostersund, the Swedish Cinderella side which sensationally went from fourth tier no-hopers to the upper reaches of the Allsvenskan, are enduring their own private nightmare at the moment, forced to pick up the pieces of an economic, sporting and institutional cataclysm. Not so long ago this was a club that lived and breathed overachievement, winning the Swedish Cup in 2017, establishing themselves as one of the most competitive teams in the country and reaching the knockout phase of the 2017-18 Europa League. During those heady European nights, Ostersund, a team fashioned from Moneyball scraps, managed to claim the scalps of Galatasaray, PAOK, Hertha Berlin and Arsenal, memorably winning 2-1 in North London in a round-of-32 tie. Yet how quickly the dream has faded, with legal issues bubbling up and financial…

Alejandro Guillermo Dominguez Wilson–Smith is bearer of the ultimate poisoned chalice in the football banquet: the presidency of the South American confederation. He must lead CONMEBOL out of the mire of its corrupt past – and in a manner that will quash criticism that, for him, the job is just a rich boy’s toy. Like Infantino at both UEFA and FIFA, Dominguez owes his status not only to his own ambition but largely to events beyond his will and control. CONMEBOL’s leadership is considered off limits to Brazil and Argentina in order to maintain a political balance. From 1986 to 2015 the presidency was held, successively, by Paraguayan Nicolas Leoz, briefly Uruguayan Eugenio Figueredo then another Paraguayan in Juan Angel Napout. It was under these three that high-level financial fraud…

The success of Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa in heading up the Asian confederation since 2013 has been enabled partly by the political and financial aggression of the Gulf’s oil- and gas-rich states…and partly by the political inertia of China, Japan and South Korea in the Far East. Salman, a scion of the ruling royal family of Bahrain, was born on November 2, 1965 and had played football as a teenager with no great success. This was to be found, instead, around the corridors of power where his eminence opened doors. Winning the AFC presidency in 2013 was no simple matter. First, other hopefuls had to be persuaded to step aside, then Bahrain and his own human-rights records came under international media fire. Salman himself had to refute claims…

SEP 17, 2016 At 16, becomes the youngest player to represent Benfica’s reserve side, coming on as a sub against Freamunde in the second tier. APR 24, 2017 UEFA Youth League runner-up as Benfica lose 2-1 to Red Bull Salzburg in the Final. JUN 14, 2017 Comes on to make his debut for Portugal’s under-18s as a 58th-minute sub and scores twice in a 3-0 victory over Norway. OCT 10, 2017 Makes his debut for Portugal’s under-21s in a 3-1 loss to Bosnia. AUG 18, 2018 Makes his first-team debut as Benfica win 2-0 at Boavista. AUG 25, 2018 Gets his first Primeira Liga goal, against Sporting, and becomes the youngest player to score in the Lisbon derby. APR 11, 2019 Becomes the youngest player to score a hat-trick in…

In the end, they were just a few minutes shy of a huge upset, However, So malia’s ultimately unsuccessful bid to advance in the World Cup qualifiers has emboldened the war-torn country to set a more ambitious footballing course. Somalia met Zimbabwe over two legs in September for a place in the group phase of Africa’s preliminaries for the 2022 finals. And after a famous victory in neighbouring Djibouti, where they hosted the game due to a lack of infrastructure and security in their own country, they were on the verge of a massive upset in the return with five minutes left to play. Zimbabwe took 77 minutes to equalise on aggregate but Omar Mohamed’s goal in the 85th minute put Somalia back ahead on aggregate and gave them a…

In an historic first, Brazil won a world title on home soil. They defeated Mexico, the surprise package of the 2019 Under-17 World Cup, 2-1 in a dramatic decider with a last-gap winner from substitute Lazaro. Throughout the tournament the Brazilians exploited their home advantage, but their victory was a testament to a pragmatic and reactive style of play that didn’t match the progressive football of Europe’s top teams. In the Final, Mexico were inching closer towards a third world title courtesy of Bryan Gonzalez’s header before Brazil completed a heart-in-mouth comeback to clinch a fourth under-17 world crown. Striker Kaio Jorge equalised from the penalty spot after a soft call from the referee in the 84th minute, then an elegant first-time finish from Lazaro in injury time handed Brazil…

Growing up in the UK, my annual calendar has always run the same course as the football season, from August through to July. That’s the case for most of Europe. But in the rest of the world, football follows the regular year from January to December and this month we can begin our annual review of the non-European seasons. There’s the Major League Soccer season to review (page 68) as well as the Under-17 World Cup (page 76) in Brazil and the Copa Sudamericana Final (page 72). Unfortunately, our monthly deadlines prevent us from reporting on the Copa Libertadores Final, relocated to Lima in Peru following the street protest in Santiago, Chile, and the Asian Champions League Final. They will have to wait until the next issue, when we will…

“We told Neymar, ‘you’re going to a golden prison’” Gabriel VERON (Brazil) When Brazil won the under-17 world title (see page 76) it was a victory for a pragmatic side that put team ethics ahead of individualism – with the notable exception of the Palmeiras winger, who won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. The teen scored three and provided two assists during the tournament, as well as drawing the foul for the penalty that drew his side level in the Final. Before moving to Sao Paulo to join the Palmeiras academy, the teenager – who is named after former Argentina midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron – had dreams of becoming a cowboy. “That’s my father’s profession,” he explains. “He’s a ranch hand who takes care of cattle and…

“Apart from Diego Godin, these players haven’t won anything and lack experience. We got players from Sassuolo and Cagliari” “The truth is that Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t dribbled [past] an opponent for three years” IN EUROPE LUIS ENRIQUE was re-appointed coach of Spain, five months after stepping down from the role after his nine-year-old daughter, Xana, was seriously ill with bone cancer and subsequently died in August. JOSE MOURINHO signed a deal to manage Tottenham Hotspur until the end of the 2022-23 season, succeeding Mauricio Pochettino. DICK ADVOCAAT replaced Jaap Stam as Feyenoord coach with the side 12th in the Eredivisie. It is the 72-year-old’s 24th managerial post and 17th in club football. Bottom of La Liga, Leganes hired Mexican JAVIER AGUIRRE – whose last job was with Egypt’s national side…

Defenders deserve recognition – starting with Van Dijk There wasn’t a moment of hesitation in my mind when it came to choosing the player of the year in the annual World Soccer awards. The man who made the difference, the footballer who had by far the most impact in this calendar year, was totally obvious. It was Virgil Van Dijk. Without him Liverpool would not have captured the Champions League and they would not now be building on that triumph with such dominant form in their quest to win a first English league title for 30 years. Van Dijk’s imposing presence, his commanding authority, his robust tackling and his intelligent positional awareness have been fundamental to a Liverpool side which now wins trophies as well as admiration for its intensely…

What should have been a positive story – Luis Enrique’s triumph over tragedy – turned into a public relations disaster for the Spanish federation when stand-in Robert Moreno stepped aside to allow Luis Enrique to return as national-team coach ahead of the summer’s Euro 2020 finals. Luis Enrique stood down in June for personal reasons, revealing two months later that his nine-year-old daughter Xana had died following a five-month battle with bone cancer. Moreno – Luis Enrique’s long-time friend and assistant at Roma, Celta Vigo and Barcelona – oversaw qualification initially as interim coach but was then confirmed in a permanent role in September. He was unbeaten in nine games, winning seven games and drawing the other two. After Spain’s final qualifier, a 5-0 win over Romania in Madrid, Moreno…

Austria • HOW THEY QUALIFIED Second behind Group G winners Poland. They lost their opening two games of the campaign, to Poland and Israel, but recovered to qualify for only their third Euro finals. Previously they co-hosted Euro 2008, while four years ago in France, they finished bottom of their group, with a solitary point from a goalless draw with Portugal. • THE COACH Former Sturm Graz boss Franco Foda took charge in January 2018, the first German to coach Austria’s national side. He replaced Swiss Marcel Koller, who had edged him out of the previous selection process in 2011. • KEY PLAYERS Julian Baumgartlinger of Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich’s highly versatile David Alaba are the key midfielders. The enigmatic Marko Arnautovic, now playing in China, remains a key…

Hany ABO RIDA Egypt, FIFA Council member One of the few surviving members of the 2011 FIFA ExCo that voted to award the 2018 and 2022 to Russia and Qatar respectively. A close ally of the now-disgraced Mohamed Bin Hammam, he accompanied him on the infamous visit to Trinidad that saw the Qatari accused of offering bribes to Caribbean officials. AHMAD Ahmad Madagascar, CAF president, FIFA Council Former Malagasy FA president who challenged – and beat – incumbent Issa Hayatou for the CAF presidency in 2017. A backer of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, his tenure has been dogged by allegations of corruption and he is currently being investigated by both FIFA’s Ethics Committee and French anti-corruption authorities over a deal with a French kit supplier. Sheikh AHMAD Al Fahad Al…

Takumi MINAMINO Age 24 (16.01,95), Red Bull Salzburg (Aut) & Japan In a sentence A pinball-like performer with the widest radius of influence, he achieved the extraordinary feat in his side’s 4-3 Champions League loss to Liverpool of making the usually watertight Anfield defence look distinctly ordinary. What they say Christoph Freund, Salzburg’s director of sport: “Minamino is a very important player for us and a super guy. Takumi has developed into a real leader of the team. He understands everything, makes great runs and works hard when we’re not in possession. He’s an absolute team player.” Salzburg coach Jesse Marsch: “He has an important role to play in our team. He is very versatile, he is effective in all areas of the attacking third. Normally he’s a calm, quiet…

This year was the third time Seattle Sounders and Toronto had met in the MLS Cup Final – and the wait for a classic encounter goes on. In 2016 Seattle won the shootout after a goalless draw while Toronto had their revenge a year later with a 2-0 victory, but both games were flat and forgettable. The 2019 finale drew an impressive crowd of 69,724 to CenturyLink Field in Seattle, but Sounders’ 3-1 success was something of a surprise, with Toronto dominating the first half and the hosts looking decidedly nervous. The 0-0 scoreline at half-time seemed farcical and the sense of unreality got stronger when, 12 minutes into the second half, Seattle opened the scoring. When defender Kelvin Leerdam slammed the ball hard and low across the Toronto goalmouth…

South America’s new era of the one-off Final on a neutral ground brought a debut title for the continent’s outstanding recent success story. Independiente del Valle from Ecuador beat Colon of Argentina 3-1 in Asuncion, Paraguay, to win the Copa Sudamericana, the first time a continental title has eluded the big two of Brazil and Argentina since the 2016 Copa Libertadores was won by Colombia’s Atletico Nacional – who beat Independiente del Valle in the Final. A decade ago, Independiente del Valle had never even played in Ecuador’s domestic top flight and their extraordinary progress is based on a commitment to youth development. The club exists to produce talent and sell it on. They have graduates in every Ecuadorian first division club and, increasingly, all over the planet. The Ecuador…

SOUTH AMERICA SUDAMERICANA CUP Final Nov 9 - Asuncion, Paraguay Independiente del Valle (Ecu) 3 (Leon 25, Sanchez 42, Dajome 90+6) Colon (Arg) 1 (Olivera 89) HT: 2-0. Ref: Claus (Bra) Independiente del Valle: Pinos - Landazuri, Leon, Schunke, Segovia, Pellerano, Dajome, Franco, Mera (Garces 80), Sanchez (Cabeza 75), Torres (Corozo 86). Colon: Burian - Vigo (Ortega 66), Ortiz, Olivera, Escobar (Esparza 70), Bernardi (Chancalay 77), Zuqui, Lertora, Estigarribia, Morelo, Rodriguez. LIBERTADORES CUP Semi-finals 1st legs Oct1 River Plate (Arg) 2 (Borre pen 7, Fernandez 70) Boca Juniors (Arg) 0 HT: 1-0. Att: 62,273. Ref: Claus (Bra) Sent off: Capaldo (Boca Juniors) 90+7 Oct 2 Gremio (Bra) 1 (Pepe 88) Flamengo (Bra) 1 (Bruno Henrique 69) HT: 0-0. Att: 55,013. Ref: Pitana (Arg) 2nd legs Oct 22 Boca Juniors 1…

“UEFA has missed an opportunity. The current sanctions, however tough UEFA think they may be, are clearly not working” Ukrainian football’s governing body is facing calls to overturn a one-match ban handed to Shakhtar Donetsk’s Brazilian Taison after he was sent off for reacting to racist abuse from opposition fans in a game against Dynamo Kiev. “We are very disappointed by the decision,” players’ union Fifpro said. “Sanctioning a victim of racial abuse is beyond comprehension and it plays into the hands of those who promote this kind of disgraceful behaviour.” The Ukrainian Association of Football also fined Dynamo Kiev £16,000 and ordered them to play one match behind closed doors. Taison and Brazilian team-mate Dentinho were both targets of monkey chants and racial abuse throughout the match and a…

SEASON RANKINGS Cumulative votes through the season GOALKEEPERS Marc-Andre TER STEGEN (Barcelona) 13 Samir HANDANOVIC (Internazionale) 3 Jan OBLAK (Atletico Madrid) 3 ADRIAN (Liverpool) 1 David DE GEA (Manchester United) 1 EDERSON (Manchester City) 1 Manuel NEUER (Bayern Munich) 1 Andre ONANA (Ajax) 1 Kasper SCHMEICHEL (Leicester City) 1 Rui SILVA (Granada) 1 DEFENDERS Trent ALEXANDER-ARNOLD (Liverpool) 9 Virgil VAN DIJK (Liverpool) 8 Andrew ROBERTSON (Liverpool) 7 Stefan DE VRIJ (Internazionale) 6 Mats HUMMELS (Borussia Dortmund) 5 Ben CHILWELL (Leicester City) 4 Diego GODIN (Internazionale) 4 Leonardo BONUCCI (Juventus) 3 Benjamin PAVARD (Bayern Munich) 3 Ricardo PERREIRA (Leicester City) 3 Nicolas TAGLIAFICO (Ajax) 3 Achraf HAKIMI (Borussia Dortmund) 2 Renan LODI (Atletico Madrid) 2 Salif SANE (Schalke) 2 Stevan SAVIC (Atletico Madrid) 2 Thiago SILVA (Paris Saint-Germain) 2 Milan SKRINIAR…

US must address its Latino problem The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) has – and has had for decades – a serious problem in its utter refusal to embrace the country’s Latino-American soccer community Worse still, USSF is apparently unaware of the problem. That innocent ignorance, which has lasted so long that it now looks more like a systematic policy, can not last much longer. After all, how can the spurning of a huge swath of soccer devotees be in any way helpful to the game in the US? USSF’s dismissive attitude to Hispanics cannot be justified by any argument. For a start, it is an insult, to Hispanic pride. And from a soccer standpoint it means generation after generation of promising young Latino players have been marginalised. This has…

The only way to describe the latest palace revolution at Bayern is to observe events through the prism of player power. A struggle for influence, pitting the dressing room against coach Niko Kovac, had been going on for months. Too many of the club’s stars simply did not buy into his vision for the team. Indeed, many would claim he never had one at all. When push came to shove, the players donned the black cap. Bayern president Uli Hoeness – in one of his last acts before retiring and calling time on almost half a century of service at the serial champions – admitted as much when he said: “There definitely was a tendency within the team who wanted to get rid of the trainer. Because of this, the…

For years Carlos Vela’s career threatened to be little more than a footnote in any story regarding European clubs and their treatment of underage players as it was his signing as a 16-year-old by Arsenal in 2005 that initially prompted FIFA to act against the international “trafficking” of players aged under 18. Arsenal signed the youngster from Mexican side Guadalajara after he had finished top scorer at the 2005 Under-17 World Championship. But permit issues undermined his start in north London and he was loaned out to a succession of Spanish clubs, starting with Celta Vigo and followed by second-tier outfits Osasuna and Salamanca. The granting of a UK work permit in 2008 offered hope that he could make the breakthrough in English football, but even after a hat-trick on…

In an historic first, Saudi Arabia travelled to the West Bank to play Palestine in a qualifier for the 2022 World Cup. The match resonated heavily in the political arena as Saudi Arabia, as part of the Arab boycott, had previously refused to enter Palestinian occupied territory. Four years ago, Palestine and Saudi Arabia were paired in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers but the Saudis pressed Palestine’s president Mahmoud Abbas for an exemption from playing in the West Bank. Although it was mutually agreed to shift the match to neutral ground in Jordan, the Saudis, in reality, had backed out of the West Bank game in protest at Israel’s control over Palestinian borders. Today, a different political backdrop allowed Saudi Arabia to travel to the West Bank without upsetting either…

The franchise system may be anathema to Europeans, but in the context of US women’s soccer it appears to work. It is not without casualties, but it serves as an effective substitute source of renewal to the promotion-relegation process of the sport’s traditional heartlands. Further evidence of this came in the seventh season of the NWSL. After winning the 2016 championship, Western New York Flash were uprooted to Cary, a 650-mile drive south, and renamed North Carolina Courage. The move was tough on Flash fans, but there were not enough of them. As Courage, the franchise have reached three more championship Finals and won the last two, confirming their status as North America’s premier team with a 4-0 defeat of Chicago Red Stars in this year’s Final. Paul Riley’s team…

If Vietnam become the second Southeast Asian nation to reach the World Cup finals – Indonesia in the guise of Dutch East Indies were the first in 1938 – then it is hard to imagine just what rewards will be showered upon coach Park Hang-seo. After beating the United Arab Emirates and a 0-0 draw with Thailand, Park’s side were two points clear at the top of their qualification group with five games down and three to go. The team is on course to reach the final stage for the first time and be one of the last 12 competing for Asia’s four automatic spots in Qatar. Just to get close would get red-shirted millions out on the streets for mass viewing parties in Hanoi in the north all the…