Netherlands Retain U21 Crown 03 Poles Win Regions' Cup 100 UEFA
No 5864 – FévrierAugust 20072007 8.07 Convention Referee licensed agents 100 UEFA Regions’ Cup Poles win retain U21crown Netherlands Convention Referee licensed agents 100 UEFA Regions’ Cup Poles win retain U21crown Netherlands 10 08 05 03 10 08 05 03 Message Photos: UEFA-pjwoods.ch of the president Let's all play our part! The first half of the year has passed at a frenetic pace for UEFA. As every spring, many of its competitions reached their climax, from the recent European Under-21 Championship in Groningen to the Under-17s in Belgium and the Regions' Cup in Bulgaria, not forgetting the club competitions, with the Champions League final in Athens, the UEFA Cup final in Glasgow and the finals of the Futsal Cup in Murcia and the Women's Cup, played over two legs. Meanwhile, since the Düsseldorf Congress, we have held an Extraordinary Congress in Zurich, ordinary and additional Executive Committee meetings, as well as meetings with the presidents and general secretaries of the member associations; the organisers of EURO 2012 have been elected, a new general secretary appointed, the format of the 2010 World Cup qualifying competition adopted and other important decisions taken. But most significantly, the UEFA Statutes have been amended and the committees have been expanded in order to give senior officials from all the associations the chance to participate in UEFA's development. IN THIS ISSUE These changes were implemented at the Executive Committee meeting Netherlands in Heerenveen, with the appointment of all the committee members. win on home soil 03 Each committee will again be chaired by an Executive Committee member. Poland lift UEFA is now equipped to carry out its numerous tasks, although these tools will be the Regions’ Cup 05 worthless unless there is a shared desire to use them for the common good. The committee chairmen will therefore be required to provide the impetus that A great season will make them effective. for Levski Sofia 06 The president of an organisation like ours is a guide, or to use a football 100th licensed agent 08 term, a coach: he lays down the objective and the means of achieving it, but can do A convention for referees 10 nothing without the support and backing of all members of his team. I am counting on all of you to ensure that, together, we successfully defend 19 UEFA committees 14 the interests of European football, as well as its unity and popularity. News from member associations 17
COVER Michel Platini UEFA President On home territory, the Netherlands retained the European Under-21 trophy that they won last year. A smiling Maceo Rigters holds the cup. Photo: Sabattini
02 uefadirect 8.07 Under-21 Championship NetherlandsNetherlands retainretain theirtheir crowncrown
Foppe de Haan shows off the trophy, surrounded by his players. Getty Images
AS REIGNING EUROPEAN UNDER-21 CHAMPIONS, THE NETHERLANDS of the pitch and retaining possession of FULLY ACHIEVED BOTH OF THEIR AMBITIONS: TO RETAIN THE TITLE THEY WON the ball. They occasionally stepped up the pace, such as when Bruins made IN PORTUGAL LAST YEAR AND TO ORGANISE A SUCCESSFUL FINAL the score 4-1 to round off a long period ROUND THIS YEAR, FROM 10 TO 23 JUNE. of Dutch possession.
In the final, played at Gronin- save. But by that stage (71 minutes), Overall success gen’s Euroborg stadium in driving the game had been up for a long time: In a stadium that was almost rain at times, the Dutch faced the Rigters had added a third goal completely behind the home team, Serbs, whose youngsters had for the team coached by Foppe this European Championship therefore already shown their quality by de Haan and Serbia had been finished in an atmosphere of jubilation, reaching the 2004 final and last reduced to ten men when Kolarov mixed with the satisfaction of a suc- year’s semi-finals. The hosts was shown a second yellow card. cessful tournament as a whole and took full advantage of mistakes Even a goal by Mrdja a record number of spectators for an made by their opponents’ defence to win shortly after he entered the fray could under-21 tournament (more than a match which had looked likely to be not turn the tide: the Serbs no longer 212,000). The fans had seen a number evenly contested. Totally unmarked in the had the means to trouble the calmness of individuals with a promising future Serbian penalty area, Bakkal hit the tar- of their hosts and a succession of off- ahead of them, as well as some get after little more than quarter of an target long-range shots summed up moments of real excitement, such hour. Further slip-ups in the Serbian back their inability to damage the team as the epic penalty competition line enabled Babel to double the lead in orange. Comfortable in their forma- between the Netherlands and Eng- on the hour mark and led to a penalty tion, the Dutch successfully tired out land in the semi-finals (when 32 spot- that goalkeeper Kahriman managed to their opponents by using the full width kicks were required!).
03 An interminable penalty competition to separate the Netherlands and England in the semi-finals. Serbia (Nikola Drincic, 13) beat Belgium (Faris Haroun) in the second semi-final.
amount of room for improvement. To top matches have already been held. The everything off, there were a number of final round will take place in Sweden in surprises, particularly the performances spring 2009. of a Belgian team which only lacked a bit of cutting edge up front. Olympic qualifiers The Netherlands not only This final round also served A close encounter between Portugal defended their title, but also won the as a qualifying tournament for the 2008 (João Moutinho, 10) and Italy (Antonio Nocerino) in the match to decide the fourth Olympic place. fair play trophy and were unbeaten Olympic Games in Beijing, where Europe in their five matches. They also became will have four representatives. Since New dimension the first host nation to win an under-21 England, which is not an Olympic nation, Moved from even to odd years final round. reached the semi-finals, a play-off match in order to emerge from the shadows The next edition of the Euro- was arranged, with Italy beating Portugal of the European Championship and World pean Under-21 Championship has on penalties. The Netherlands, Serbia, Cup finals, the final round of the Euro- already begun: after the draw in Stock- Belgium and Italy will therefore form the pean Under-21 Championship took holm on 13 February, 20 qualifying European delegation in China. on a new dimension this year, as demon- strated not only by the record crowds, but in particular by the broadcasting of matches in around 150 countries by some 30 television channels. Most of the matches were closely fought and featured players with definite talent but a certain Results GROUP A 10.06 Heerenveen Netherlands – Israel 1-0 10.06 Groningen Portugal – Belgium 0-0 13.06 Heerenveen Israel – Belgium 0-1 13.06 Groningen Netherlands – Portugal 2-1 16.06 Heerenveen Belgium – Netherlands 2-2 16.06 Groningen Israel – Portugal 0-4
GROUP B 11.06 Arnhem Czech Republic – England 0-0 11.06 Nijmegen Serbia – Italy 1-0 14.06 Nijmegen Czech Republic – Serbia 0-1
14.06 Arnhem England – Italy 2-2 Photos: Getty Images 17.06 Arnhem Italy – Czech Republic 3-1 17.06 Nijmegen England – Serbia 2-0
SEMI-FINALS 20.06 Heerenveen Netherlands – England 1-1* 20.06 Arnhem Serbia – Belgium 2-0 * Netherlands won 13-12 after penalty kicks Royston Drenthe of the Netherlands, MATCH FOR FOURTH OLYMPIC PLACE one of the stars 21.06 Nijmegen Portugal – Italy 0-0* of the tournament, * Italy won 4-3 after penalty kicks faces Serbian Dusan Basta in the final. FINAL 23.06 Groningen Netherlands – Serbia 4-1
The fair play prize was won by the Netherlands.
04 uefadirect 8.07 Portuguese Kostadin James Tomelty player Jonathan Stoyanov (5) tries to catch Ribeiro attacks and Pole Lukasz Marijan Gajcevic the Swiss Ochmanski in the match defence during in the final between Tuzla the match between and the Eastern between Aveiro Bulgaria’s Region of and the Canton South-East Northern Ireland. of Ticino. Region and Dolnoslaski.
opportunity to double their advantage. They were only 12 minutes away from UEFA realising their dream when the Poles equalised before going on to score the winner in the second half of extra time. Regions' Cup The victory was a fitting reward Poles lift title for a team that remained unbeaten throughout the competition (four wins PLAYED IN EASTERN BULGARIA FROM 20 TO 26 JUNE, and two draws) and which also finished THE FINAL ROUND OF THE 5TH UEFA REGIONS' CUP CONCLUDED as top goalscorers in a tournament IN SLIVEN WITH A VICTORY FOR THE POLES OF DOLNOSLASKI in which an average of only 1.75 goals OVER THE SOUTH-EAST REGION OF BULGARIA. were scored per match.
You don't need to be a profes- sional footballer to dream of one day rep- resenting your country in a pan-European competition. Since 1999, the UEFA Regions' Cup has enabled amateurs to make this dream into reality. National competitions are held to determine which regions should participate in the European qualifying tournament, with the top eight teams progressing to the final round. The South-East Region of Bulgaria may have thought they were on the verge of going one step further than their compatriots from South-West Sofia who reached the final of the previous edition in 2005, where they lost to the Basque
Country. Photos: Sportsfile The South-East Region had just opened the scoring in the final against the Poles of Dolnoslaski and, with less than Final round results half an hour to go and backed by most of GROUP A the 3,500 spectators, could be forgiven 20.6 Sliven South-East Region Bulgaria – Tuzla Canton 1-1 20.6 Radnevo Basse-Normandie – Eastern Region Northern Ireland 0-1 for thinking their name was about to be 22.6 Sliven South-East Region Bulgaria – Basse-Normandie 1-0 inscribed on the Regions' Cup. In the pre- 22.6 Radnevo Tuzla Canton – Eastern Region Northern Ireland 2-0 24.6 Sliven Eastern Region Northern Ireland – South-East Region Bulgaria 0-0 ceding group matches, they had narrowly 24.6 Radnevo Tuzla Canton – Basse-Normandie 0-2 finished as group winners. Before the final 1. South-East Region Bulgaria 3 1 2 0 5 2. Tuzla Canton 3 1 1 1 4 round of group matches, they had been 3. Eastern Region Northern Ireland 31114 equal on points with Bosnia-Herzegovina's 4. Basse-Normandie 3 1 0 2 3 Tuzla Canton, but behind them on goal GROUP B difference. While, in their last match, 20.6 Stara Zagora Aveiro – Ticino 0-2 20.6 Rakovski Ivan Odessa – Dolnoslaski ZPN 1-2 the Bulgarians only managed a draw 22.6 Stara Zagora Aveiro – Ivan Odessa 2-0 against the Northern Irish representatives, 22.6 Rakovski Ticino – Dolnoslaski ZPN 1-2 24.6 Stara Zagora Dolnoslaski ZPN – Aveiro 1-1 their nearest rivals suffered a backlash 24.6 Rakovski Ticino – Ivan Odessa 0-1 from Basse-Normandie, who had lost their 1. Dolnoslaski ZPN 3 2 1 0 7 first two matches. Their 2-0 defeat meant 2. Aveiro 3 1 1 1 4 3. Ivan Odessa 3 1 0 2 3 the Bulgarians topped the group. 4. Ticino 3 1 0 2 3 The South-East Region were FINAL ahead in the final and missed a great 26.06 Sliven South-East Region Bulgaria – Dolnoslaski ZPN 1-2* *after extra time
05 Stanimir Lucio Wagner Stoilov, (left) battles it out coach with Spaniard of Levski Xavi Hernandez Sofia. in the Champions League match between Levski and FC Barcelona. Petrova/AFP/Getty Images Petrova/AFP/Getty Images Dilkoff/AFP/Getty
ThePFC sun is Levskirising in the Sofia East...
2006/07 WAS A VINTAGE SEASON FOR PFC LEVSKI SOFIA. FOUNDED 93 YEARS AGO, A year ago, Levski took part in the UEFA Champions League for the first THE DOMESTIC LEAGUE AND time. Drawn into one of the most difficult CUP DOUBLE WINNERS HAVE AN groups, they failed to win a single point IMPRESSIVE LIST OF TITLES against Barcelona, Chelsea and Werder Bremen, but brought a breath of fresh air TO THEIR NAME, HAVING JUST to the competition. Coached by Stanimir WON THEIR 26TH BULGARIAN Stoilov, also the national team coach, CUP AND 25TH LEAGUE they never gave in to the temptation to drop deep and play a defensive, destruc- CHAMPIONSHIP. tive style of football. “The quality of our opponents was impressive. As newcomers to the tournament, we were not com- petitive enough for various reasons. I will mention just two,” explains Elena Vatashka, Levski's general secretary and head of international relations. “There is an enormous gulf between footballers who are part of the world's elite and
Elin the modest Bulgarians who form the core Topuzakov, of our team. Neither can you compare one of Levski Sofia’s the level of our national championship internationals. with that of countries such as Germany, Spain and England.” In transition Bulgaria may have a very small population, but it has a solid sporting tradition. Nevertheless, success has been hard to come by over the past decade. At first glance, Elena Vatashka compares Levski's financial situation with that of the big clubs in Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia and the Czech Republic. “The current level of Bulgarian football is totally incomparable with that of the West. Only five or six of the 16 first division clubs have reasonable financial and sporting potential. Gate receipts remain the principal source of income, but the appalling state of the stadiums, most of which are owned by the state or municipal authorities, puts off the spectators. None of the governments in power since 1989 have had the political will to solve this problem.” Levski will be hopeful of progressing through the qualifying rounds, but Elena Vatashka expresses a desire shared by all East European clubs. “We believe that football would really benefit from a sporting perspective if more national champions were allowed to participate in the group phase and, who knows, maybe the latter stages of the Champions League. UEFA prize money would be spread across more countries, which would raise the general level of European football. The current strategy seems to be geared towards the socio-cultural characteristics of the five big nations, France, England, Germany, Italy and Spain, but it no longer totally reflects Europe's diversity. In this sense, the award of EURO 2012 to Poland and Ukraine is an important step and a welcome mark of respect.” P. P. Getty Images
06 uefadirect 8.07 Midfielder Daniel Borimirov Club competition wins the ball from Diego in the calendar 2007/08 match between Levski and Werder Bremen. UEFA Champions League 17/18 July 2007: first qualifying round, first legs 24/25 July: return legs 31 July/1st August: second qualifying round, first legs 3 August, Nyon: draw for the third qualifying round 7/8 August: return legs 14/15 August: third qualifying round, first legs 28/29 August: return legs 30 August, Monaco: draw for the Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images Dilkoff/AFP/Getty group stage 18/19 September: group matches, Levski Sofia's qualification was 25 titles, they have finished second matchday 1 no great surprise. They had only missed 26 times! When Elena Vatashka talks 2/3 October: matchday 2 23/24 October: matchday 3 qualifying by a hair's breadth in 2001, about fair play and the social and 6/7 November: matchday 4 when they dropped into the UEFA Cup. human values of the club, these are not 27/28 November: matchday 5 They had little chance against Chelsea. just empty words: the club is named 11/12 December: matchday 6 In 2005/06, they reached the quarter-finals after Vasil Levski, nicknamed the Apostle 21 December, Nyon: draw for the first of the UEFA Cup. Beaten 3-1 at home of Freedom. This 19th century hero knockout round 19/20 February 2008: first knockout by Schalke 04, they drew 1-1 in the return had a motto: “If I win, I win for the round, first legs leg. “When we qualified a year ago, it people. If I lose, I lose only myself.” 4/5 March: return legs was no miracle. It was the result of the Under the Communist regime, Levski 7 March, Nyon: draw for the quarter- work we have put in since 2001. We have had to change its name several times finals and semi-finals worked relentlessly to comply with UEFA and was even forced to merge with 1/2 April: quarter-finals, first legs 8/9 April: return legs rules and requirements, as well as to train Spartak, the army club. However, 22/23 April: semi-finals, first legs our young players and ensure the conti- it reverted to its original title when it 29/30 April: return legs nuity of our style of football and fair play, obtained its independence in 1990. 21 May, Moscow: final which we are keen to protect.” Efficient management UEFA Cup Confidence in youngsters For the past nine years, Levski 19 July 2007: 1st quali- PFC's Champions League per- Sofia has been operating as a company. fying round, first legs formances were nothing to be ashamed It has developed a modern marketing and 2 August: return legs of. They competed well in front of full sponsorship strategy. The club's charisma 3 August, Nyon: draw stadiums. “As usual, a lot of supporters and professionalism have attracted the for the second qualifying round travelled to our away matches.” Their support of M-Tel, the main mobile tele- 16 August: 2nd qualifying round, first legs opponents, as well as UEFA and its part- phone operator in Bulgaria, which has 30 August: return legs ner, TEAM, praised the quality of their been its main sponsor since 1998. “The 31 August, Monaco: draw for the organisation. These compliments are UEFA Champions League has enabled first round music to the club's ears, since it is hoping us to go a step further. Thanks to the 20 September: first round, first legs to compete in the Champions League revenue and commercial rights, 2006 4 October: return legs 9 October, Nyon: draw for the for the second year in a row. “We are was the most financially prosperous year group stage aiming for the third qualifying round at in our history. We received a bonus of 25 October: group matches, least, and then who knows? We have around EUR 1.5 million. We have been matchday 1 already invested in the team, but we in the black for the past nine years and 8 November: matchday 2 are remaining sensible. In particular, we we are also the first Bulgarian club to 29 November: matchday 3 5/6 December: matchday 4 are giving priority to promising local have become a significant tax-payer. Our 19/20 December: matchday 5 youngsters, who have been brought finances are transparent and we have 21 December, Nyon: draw for the through our academy. Stanimir Stoilov is no debts. This is all down to the club's rounds of 32 and 16 fully behind this policy.” Levski are similar management, to Nasko Sirakov, sporting 13/14 February 2008: round of 32, in some ways to the Dynamo Kiev of the director, Konstantin Bazhdekov, financial first legs 21 February: return legs 1990s, providing a stage for numerous director, and our president, Todor Batkov.” 6 March: round of 16, first legs talents to shine after progressing through The club invests its profits 12/13 March: return legs a high-quality youth academy. in its infrastructures: installing an artifi- 14 March, Nyon: draw for the quarter- Levski dominate the Bulgarian cial pitch, new stands, a scoreboard finals and semi-finals championship like Dynamo did in Ukraine. and changing rooms, as well as a hostel 3 April: quarter-finals, first legs 10 April: return legs They have completed 78 seasons in the for the youth academy and a luxury 24 April: semi-finals, first legs top division and have never finished coach to transport the team. 1 May: return legs below sixth position. As well as winning Pascale Pierard 14 May, Manchester: final
07 A meeting Agents’ of the Agents spokesperson Panel at the Georgios end of 2004. Gregoriou. UEFA UEFA
UEFA100th licence match issued agents
THE UEFA MATCH AGENTS PANEL RECENTLY RECEIVED AN APPLICATION Agents were revised in 2003, the number of licensed match agents FROM JOHANN HOFINGER IN AUSTRIA. AFTER A THOROUGH EXAMINATION OF HIS has risen steadily to the current FILE, UEFA GRANTED HIM A MATCH AGENT’S LICENCE, THEREBY MAKING 100 mark, encompassing 21 member HIM THE 100TH LICENCE-HOLDER. associations altogether. The licence is granted only to individuals and not This milestone is an opportu- tions were drafted and the Committee to companies. Licence-holders are nity to take a closer look at the activity for the Delivery of Licences to Agents entitled to arrange matches, to ask of a UEFA match agent. It was back negotiating Matches and Tours was set UEFA for support in disputes, and to in 1967 that UEFA set up a study com- up to monitor their application. In 1996, have their contact details published mission within its Committee for Non- the committee was renamed the Com- on the UEFA website. In addition, Amateur and Professional Football mittee for Licensed Match Agents and agents are allowed to use a special to examine the problems related to the one year later, a more detailed set of reg- UEFA logo and receive a credit-card activities of professional agents. Regula- ulations were issued. At that time, only sized ID card. Licences are initially 30 or so agents in valid for five years, but can be Europe held the renewed for eight further years at a UEFA licence, time, provided that all the holder’s which is manda- documents and required professional tory for arranging liability insurance are up to date. friendly matches or Every five to seven years, the UEFA tournaments in administration invites all the licensed European territory UEFA match agents to a meeting between European where they can share their experi- clubs and/or ence and elect a spokesperson and national teams. substitute spokesperson. At panel Following the deci- meetings, the spokesperson repre- sion of the UEFA sents the interests of licence-holders. Congress in 2000 The current spokesperson is Georgios to reduce the Gregoriou from Cyprus. number of UEFA As a result of the recent committees, the amendments to the UEFA Statutes responsibility of adopted by the Extraordinary UEFA issuing the licence Congress at the end of May, a new was entrusted committee has been created, the to a five-member Players’ Status, Transfer and Agents panel chaired by and Match Agents Committee, which Giangiorgio Spiess will replace the current Match Agents
Witzany (Switzerland). Panel. The intention is to transfer the The 100th UEFA agent, Johann Hofinger (left), is congratulated the tasks of the previous panel to a by the president of the Lower Austrian FA, 100 agents from 21 associations sub-committee of the new committee. Johann Gartner. Since 1997, the licence has The UEFA member associations as grown in popularity and since the UEFA well as the match agents will be Regulations for Licensed UEFA Match informed of the changes in due course.
08 uefadirect 8.07 The summer period, with warm-up matches in prepara- tion for the new season, is a period of intense activity for licensed agents. Riopa/AFP/Getty Images ??????????????? Photos Manchester City FC/PA
Johann Hofinger, 100th licenced UEFA match agent
How did you get into What made you apply for friendly matches under the protection football? a UEFA match agent’s licence? and rules of UEFA, and I would like to take When I was six years old, As a consequence of my collabo- advantage of it. I watched an international between ration with several famous Austrian What kind of matches/tourna- Austria and the USSR in which the leg- clubs, some of them approached me to ments will you arrange (youth tourna- endary goalkeeper Lev Yachin was arrange their friendly matches. So it ments or friendly matches between playing for the visiting team. I was was a matter of course for me to apply clubs and/or national teams)? infected with the football virus right for the UEFA match agent’s licence. I will arrange friendly matches there and then, and it never went away. Broadly speaking, what do between Austrian and European club teams. I went on to an almost classic career: you expect from the UEFA licence? Are you also thinking of applying youth coach, amateur coach, and then There are many international for the FIFA licence at a later stage? taking on other roles, most notably as clubs who now choose Austria for their At the moment this is not a priority. ■ member of the board of Kremser SC, training camps. This represents a remark- then playing in the Austrian first division. able chance to arrange international New agents Johann HOFINGER Tullner Sport Agentur Advantages all round Fasanstrasse 15 3430 Tulln Austria Giangiorgio Spiess, co-opted parties involved, Tel. + 43 676 412 09 62 member of the UEFA Executive in accordance with Fax + 43 2272 635 24 [email protected] Committee, has been chairing the the provisions of the www.tullnsport.at Licensed UEFA Match Agents Panel, UEFA regulations. Eric JUDKIEWICZ having previously chaired the Licensed From your Phedra Sport, S.L. Match Agents Committee from point of view, are those expectations c/ Dr Francesc Darder, 1996 to 2000. He is now deputy chair- being met nowadays? 16, Bajos 08034 Barcelona man of the new Players’ Status, In my opinion, the expectations Spain Transfer and Agents and Match Agents are at least partly met at the moment. Tel. +34 93 203 3788 Fax +34 93 203 4430 Committee. The steadily growing number of match [email protected] What do you think of the agents and the few out-of-court Arnaud WILLEM growing number of UEFA match disputes that arise show that we are 37, avenue Sainte-Victoire agents? Was such a rapid develop- getting there. 13100 Aix-en-Provence ment to be expected? How do you see the future France Tel. +33 4 42 21 56 10 The rapidly growing number of of the UEFA licensed match agents? Mobile: +33 6 79 56 39 58 UEFA match agents is astonishing. The UEFA match agent’s licence Andrew Neil SCOTT We can conclude that agents feel good certainly has a future because its Scott Sports Management under the protection of UEFA and effectiveness has been established. 87 Meadowbank Road Hull HU3 6XN appreciate the advantages, but also that Combining the match agent’s licence England the associations and clubs see an even with the players’ agent’s licence could Tel. +44 7896 946 405 [email protected] greater advantage in working with offi- also help improve the football autho- www.ssm-uk.com/Home.htm cial match agents. rities’ control over such arrangements, Louis DENOLLE What do UEFA and the panel as is already the case at FIFA level. Sport Lex Management expect from a UEFA licensed match Of course, this would only be 8, rue de Noailles agent? possible if player transfers at confedera- 78000 Versailles France They expect licensed match tion level came under the competence Tel. +33 1 30 21 59 01 agents to be loyal and transparent of the confederations or at least Fax +33 1 30 21 70 86 Mobile: +33 6 74 36 01 70 as well as effective in their collaboration of UEFA. Such a development would [email protected] with the clubs/associations and other be very welcome. ■ www.sport-lex-management.com
09 The conven- Michel Platini A member of the tion is signed congratulates UEFA Referees by Rudolf Victor Coppoz, Committee, Zavrl, presi- vice-chairman Volker Roth signs dent of the of the referees the convention Slovenian committee on behalf of the Football of the Swiss German Football Association. Football Association. Association
UEFA Refereeing Certification Panel, which deemed them to be in conform- UEFA Referee ity with the convention. Another group of associations has already begun the accession process and others will gradu- Convention ally follow suit. First ten members "Your presence shows the importance that you attach to the devel- opment of refereeing in your country. ON 28 JUNE, TEN NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS BECAME THE FIRST MEMBERS I would like to congratulate you OF THE UEFA REFEREE CONVENTION. SIGNED IN NYON BY THEIR RESPECTIVE for your investments in the field PRESIDENTS AND GENERAL SECRETARIES, THE PROTOCOL CERTIFIES THAT of training and education of referees. Referees are the guarantors of the THE ASSOCIATIONS HAVE ATTAINED THE QUALITY STANDARDS REQUIRED BY UEFA. game at all levels – youth, amateur and professional. We, the authorities, By signing the convention, the its guarantor, should make it possible to owe it to ourselves to guarantee this associations also agree to promote develop training further, to gradually impartiality and sporting equity the role of referees and to improve the improve the standard of referee instruc- on all of Europe's playing fields," said quality of refereeing at all levels – grass- tors, to define referees' legal and profes- UEFA president Michel Platini in his roots, amateur and elite football. sional status and to ensure that refereeing introductory speech. In 2003, an audit report prepared organisations within the associations are He added, "I want referees at UEFA's initiative within the member not influenced by other organs. to be able to operate in a safe envi- associations had highlighted huge differ- ronment in which their decisions are ences in the way refereeing was struc- A safe environment accepted and understood." tured in Europe. As part of the convention Ten national associations – Ger- approved by the Executive Committee many, Belgium, Scotland, Finland, France, Financial support in Budapest in 2006, UEFA established Hungary, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia "In adhering to the referees' clear guidelines on how refereeing should and Switzerland – have signed the convention, and thanks to UEFA's finan- be managed within the associations. convention after being chosen to form cial support, you will be able to realise These include the notion that the stan- a pilot group to help put the finishing new projects within the framework dardised organisation of refereeing, touches to the document. Their refereeing of referee development". By becoming functioning effectively and with UEFA as structures were then assessed by the a member of the convention, associa- tions are entitled to a contribution of CHF 200,000 upon signature as well as CHF 100,000 annually for the follow- ing five years, provided that they con- tinue to meet the required standards. Two modules were defined within the convention. The first is train- ing-based and includes four key aspects: the recruitment and retention of referees, the referee observer system, The Norwegian the talent and mentor programme delegation receive their certificate. and referee education at grassroots and elite levels. The second module describes the organisation and structure of refereeing as well as the aims and
Photos: UEFA-pjwoods.ch main tasks of such a structure.
10 uefadirect 8.07 Dr Jacques Prof. Dr Neil Liénard, Jiri Dvorak Robinson chairman discussed describes of the Anti- experiences the challenge Doping Panel. at the of blood 2002 World testing. Cup.
at the controls carried out during the 2006/07 season (1,048 players tested, 3rd Seminar three positive results) and ahead to the 2007/08 season, when the testing programme will particularly for Doping focus on EURO 2008. New modes of transport The conditions being imposed Control Officers by airlines as part of tighter security policies mean that new methods need Staying ahead of the game to be considered for transporting sam- ples, which are now being put in the (ED.) ON 3 AND 4 JUNE, UEFA'S 40 OR SO DOPING CONTROL OFFICERS hold with passengers' luggage. Discus- sions are under way, although there GATHERED IN NYON FOR A SEMINAR ON WHICH FRENCHMAN is no great hurry and experiments are DR JACQUES LIÉNARD, MEMBER OF UEFA'S MEDICAL COMMITTEE AND likely over the coming months. Finally, workshops were held for ANTI-DOPING PANEL, REPORTS BELOW. the DCOs to discuss some of the prob- lems they face while on duty: smoking The third seminar for doping decision of the UEFA Executive Com- in some changing rooms, strengthening control officers clearly highlighted mittee on page 16). of the UEFA delegate's role, security the need to use blood samples as part Dr Neil Robinson, scientific for the return journey to their hotel, of anti-doping controls. Blood testing director of the Lausanne anti-doping the role of escorts and chaperones, how is already carried out in individual sports laboratory, discussed the difficulties and to respond to an incident and dealing such as cycling and athletics. challenges of blood collection: anti- with awkward players. The role and FIFA's experiences at the World doping laboratories are now particu- efficiency of the UEFA administration’s Cup in South Korea and Japan were larly looking out for EPO, blood transfu- anti-doping unit serve as an encoura- related by Professor Dvorak – the practi- sions and growth hormones. An accu- gement to everyone to continue devot- cal problems faced during the collection rate biological profile of an athlete is no ing themselves to a policy which puts of the 255 samples (out of 256 planned) longer pie in the sky. UEFA in the leading pack of institutions should serve as points for discussion After undergoing their annual that are developing training, informa- and guidance for the project proposed by assessment, which is an indispensable tion, prevention and controls. UEFA's Anti-Doping Panel and Medical part of every training session, the The fourth DCO seminar will Committee. The testing procedure, the doping control officers looked back be held in spring 2008. equipment required, the choice of tester and means of transport will need to be clarified before the end of 2007, as well as any other questions that may arise.
EURO 2008: out-of-competition blood and urine testing The general aim is to conduct out-of-competition blood and urine controls on ten players from each of the teams that qualify for the European Championship final round. These tests will be carried out before the start of the final tournament. During the competition, two players from each team will undergo a urine test after each match. Blood samples may also An open discussion to share opinions be taken after some matches (see the and experiences. Photos: UEFA-pjwoods.ch
11 Ukrainian Hungarian Special president Olympics Laszlo players Solyom and their met the supporters. Hungarian Special Olympics players. SO Ukraine eM.Soos Gregory SO Germany Special Olympics
More thanFootball 50 countries Week take part
THE SEVENTH ANNUAL SPECIAL OLYMPICS EUROPEAN FOOTBALL WEEK WAS HELD FROM
29 APRIL TO 6 MAY. AN ESTIMATED 40,000 PLAYERS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES PARTICIPATED IN FOOTBALL
EVENTS IN MORE THAN 50 COUNTRIES THROUGHOUT EUROPE/EURASIA.
This year, events included involving girls in this project when Karamadzija, said: “Technically, the grassroots activities in a multi-country a Unified match was held as part of athletes and partners continuously Unified Sports project in which players the first Special Olympics Serbia improve during training. They with (“athletes”) and without intellec- national seven-a-side women’s foot- are eager to learn. The teamwork tual disabilities (“partners”) compete ball tournament in Nis that involved is great; there is lots of social on the same team. This highly inclusive 80 players. The event was hosted by interaction. Everyone benefits from project, which focuses on youth and local professional women’s club this experience.” builds awareness and tolerance on Masinac. For both Jelena Moletic, 13, Women players took charge and off the playing field, aims to have a partner, and athlete Samanta Aliti, at the Special Olympics European 50,000 Unified players by 2010. 14, the Unified team is the first seven-a-side tournament in The Special Olympics pro- chance they’ve had to play on Kecskemet, Hungary, with 18 teams gramme in Serbia took the lead in a formal team. Their coach, Marga from 15 countries participating. Over 50 matches in classification rounds and finals were played. “This tournament has done much to drive forward our regional develop- ment efforts, which have seen Special Olympics women’s football grow from 2,000 to almost 20,000 players,” said Michael Smith, managing director, Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia (SOEE). Doris Fitschen, World Cup winner and FIFA representative, and Janos Hrutka, professional player and football ambassador for Special Olympics Hungary, which hosted the tournament, were on hand to support the players. “It’s great to see such interest in women’s football in Special Olympics,” said Fitschen. One of the
Samanta Aliti, highlights of the tournament was a young Serbian Special the visit of the Hungarian president, Olympics athlete (left) and her partner from Unified Sabine Brecklinghaus Laszlo Solyom, who met players. Sports, Jelena Moletic.
12 uefadirect 8.07 Special Olympics First Special President players along- Olympics Michel Platini side players tournament in with Swiss from the German Montenegro. Special Bundesliga. Olympics and UEFA players. SO Montenegro UEFA-pjwoods.ch Homeless World Cup Lively one-day tournaments sionals who worked on skills deve- were popular this year with men’s, lopment with Special Olympics in Copenhagen women’s and Unified teams parti- players. In Luxembourg, first division Forty-eight nations will be cipating. In Montenegro, the newest teams and referees wore Special represented at the 5th Homeless World Cup to be staged Special Olympics programme held Olympics T-shirts during warm-up in Copenhagen from 29 July its first tournament with 50 players at major games, while football to 4 August. in Podgorica. In Bosnia and ambassador Manuel Cardoni, The event will represent a unique Herzegovina, 200 players partici- national team goalkeeper Stephane experience for around 500 players, pated in a tournament in Sarajevo. Gillet, the Under-21 national team providing them with a chance In Croatia, 190 players competed and first division club Racing to change their lives for the better in Zagreb and received a visit from Luxembourg got on the pitch with by being the main players national player and NK Dinamo players. In Poland, 16 professional in a competi- Zagreb defender Vedran Corluka. teams walked onto the pitch tion for a few In Georgia, 50 young players under wearing Special Olympics T-shirts, days, at the 16 competed in Tbilisi. In Belgium, some escorted by Special Olympics centre of every- 31 teams participated in the tradi- footballers. At the same time, one's attention tional “Happy Football Day” in 2,900 footballers took part in tourna- instead of living Hasselt. Another Football Week tradi- ments throughout Poland. In Italy, on the edges of society or tion was the annual match between Special Olympics events received the being excluded local Special Olympics teams and support of the football league and altogether. Around 25,000 players UEFA staff in Nyon, Switzerland. Italian Football Federation and included around the world have partici- The Special Olympics players had the three days of competitions and skills pated in qualifying matches for the chance to meet the UEFA president, development at the Francesco Totti Copenhagen tournament. Michel Platini. football school in Rome. Although the tournament is only a few days long, its effect In Azerbaijan, a three-day Grassroots tournaments on the players can last much longer, tournament with 110 players took dominated some activities. In Turkey, as demonstrated by the impact place in Baku, while in Kazakhstan, 3,000 players competed in 27 cities, report published after last year's 210 players participated in a sports including a demonstration beach 4th Homeless World Cup in Cape camp in Almaty. In Greece, 20 Special tournament in Antalya. In Ukraine Town, South Africa. The figures Olympics teams took part in a tour- 2,500 players participated in tourna- are impressive: the event gave 92% of the players a new motivation nament as part of the national games ments organised in 22 regions, with for life, while 73% changed their of Special Olympics Greece at the finals held at the new pitch of the lives for the better, whether by over- Selesao football camp in Nea Makri, Ukrainian football house in Kiev. coming a drug or alcohol addiction near Athens. In Romania, over 1,000 athletes (93 players), finding a new job Professional teams were on competed in events throughout the (35%), improving their housing situa- hand to show solidarity with Special country. In Lithuania, 390 players tion (44%), pursuing education (39%) or continuing to play football Olympics players. In Germany, more participated in events organised under on a regular basis (72%). than 600 Special Olympics players the “Enjoy Football” theme in seven “The Homeless World Cup is an had the chance to compete in events regions. In the Republic of Ireland, event that can change the life of with the involvement of 16 Bundes- 420 players participated in events and anyone, not simply by helping them liga first and second division teams. competitions in five regions, including become a professional footballer, In Cyprus, women’s team AEK the first Women’s Cup. but enabling them to become Kokkinoxorion gave tips to more Special Olympics players a man in everyday life, developing human values, which I think are than 70 players in Nicosia. In Austria, across the region are gearing up to very important,” said Chelsea star Bundesliga coach Lars Sondergard compete in the Special Olympics Didier Drogba, a supporter of the from GAK and former player World Summer Games that will be Homeless World Cup, of which UEFA Eric Reptop were among the profes- held in Shanghai, China, in October. is a partner.
13 After the Executive Committee meeting, UEFA's new general secretary, David Taylor, con- ducted the draw for the qualifying rounds of the UEFA club competitions. UEFA-pjwoods.ch UEFA-pjwoods.ch
be relying to back up the work of the Executive Committee. Each committee is Meetings and chaired by a member of the UEFA Execu- tive Committee or a European member of the FIFA Executive Committee; a sec- ond member of one or other of these executive bodies will assist the chairman other activities as deputy chairman. Each committee Nineteen committees all also has three vice-chairmen, most of whom are national association presi- set for work dents. All the national associations are represented within these committees by THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE HELD ITS SEVENTH MEETING OF THE YEAR at least two members. Apart from the AT THE ABE LENSTRA STADIUM IN HEERENVEEN ON 22 AND 23 JUNE, WITH UEFA Finance Committee, all the committees PRESIDENT MICHEL PLATINI IN THE CHAIR. DAVID TAYLOR OFFICIATED have between 11 and 15 members. They are as follows: AS GENERAL SECRETARY FOR THE FIRST TIME. National Associations Committee (new). Chairman: Geoffrey The meeting, the first to issues affecting UEFA's different fields Thompson; deputy chairman: Marios be attended by Franz Beckenbauer, of activity. Lefkaritis. the new European member of the FIFA Following the adoption of the Finance Committee (new). Executive Committee, was split into new UEFA Statutes, which entered into Chairman: Marios Lefkaritis. two parts. The first, strategic, element force on 1 June, it was necessary to ap- Referees Committee. Chair- was devoted to European and world point the 19 committees (except the disci- man: Angel María Villar Llona; deputy competitions; the second tackled topical plinary bodies) on which UEFA will now chairman: Senes Erzik. EURO2008 ON THE HORIZON Kick-off 3,454 metres up ●●● It was an unusual sort of match. A year before runner-up Sergei Aleinikov and Pole Dariusz Dziekanowski. the start of the 2008 European Championship final round in The teams were coached by the national coaches of the two Austria and Switzerland, UEFA staged a two-day launch event. host nations: Köbi Kuhn and Josef Hickersberger. The highlight in the truest sense of the word was a football In front of around 400 guests, including the injured Swiss match on the Jungfraujoch, 3,454 metres above sea level. internationals Alex Frei and Philipp Degen, UEFA vice-president At precisely 11.30 on 8 June, the match kicked off, with two Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder, UEFA general secretary David Taylor, halves of five minutes each. It was Swiss FA president Ralph M. Zloc- refereed by Urs Meier and the zower and Austrian FA president players included Switzerland's Friedrich Stickler, the fun factor Stéphane Chapuisat, Johan Djourou was second to none, not least and David Degen, Austrians because the weather was good. Andreas Herzog, Otto Konrad, The match ended in a 5-5 draw. Christian Fuchs and Zlatko The next milestones in the Junuzovic, Belgian goalkeeper run-up to EURO 2008 are the Johan de Wilde, 104-cap Danish launch of the volunteer recruitment ex-international Michael Laudrup, programme in August, the final his compatriot John Faxe Jensen, round of qualifiers on 21 November 1992 European Championship and the draw in Lucerne (Switzer- winner and final goalscorer, land) on 2 December.
Portugal's Paulo Sousa, Russia's Keystone 1988 European Championship A surreal experience on the Jungfraujoch to launch EURO 2008.
14 uefadirect 8.07 On 29 June, in Nyon, La Vallette the football asso- v Buducnost ciations of Belgium, Podgorica France and Spain in the first signed the UEFA round of the Grassroots Charter, 2007 UEFA having been admitted Intertoto Cup, by the Executive which kicked Committee in April. off in June. UEFA-pjwoods.ch D.Aquilina
National Team Competitions Players' Status, Transfer, News from Committee (new). Chairman: Gilberto Players' Agents and Match Agents Madaíl; deputy chairman: Franco Carraro. Committee (new). Chairman: Joseph Brussels Club Competitions Committee. Mifsud; deputy chairman: Giangiorgio During the summer, the Chairman: Friedrich Stickler; deputy Spiess. European Commission will publish chairman: Mathieu Sprengers. Legal Committee (new). Chair- a White Paper on Sport. The aim Youth and Amateur Football man: Giangiorgio Spiess; deputy chairman: of this initiative is to determine Committee. Chairman: Viacheslav Angel María Villar Llona. more precisely how sport should be Koloskov; deputy chairman: Gilberto Marketing Advisory Committee dealt with at European level. Over Madaíl. (new). Chairman: Franco Carraro; recent weeks, UEFA has met senior Women's Football Committee. deputy chairman: Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder. Commission officials in order to Chairman: Mircea Sandu; deputy chair- Media Committee (new). draw their attention to the interests man: Friedrich Stickler. Chairman: Mircea Sandu; deputy chairman: of its member associations in rela- Futsal and Beach Soccer Com- Michel D’Hooghe. tion to a number of key issues. mittee (new). Chairman: Grigoryi Surkis; Fair Play and Social Responsi- deputy chairman: Josef Mifsud. bility Committee (new). Chairman: Senes Following in the footsteps of the European Parliament a few HatTrick Committee (new). Erzik; deputy chairman: Per Ravn Omdal. months ago (cf. uefadirect No 59), Chairman: Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder; Football Committee (new). it is the European Commission's deputy chairman: Geoffrey Thompson. Chairman: Franz Beckenbauer; deputy turn to reveal its approach to sport, Development and Technical chairman: Mircea Sandu. particularly the application of Assistance Committee. Chairman: The full composition of the com- Community law to sporting activities. Per Ravn Omdal; deputy chairman: mittees is published on uefa.com. However, this does not mean Franz Beckenbauer. The Executive Committee also that the Commission is planning to Club Licensing Committee approved the UEFA Organisational Regu- harmonise sports policies, since these (new). Chairman: Mathieu Sprengers; lations which, as well as that of the must be developed by the member deputy chairman: Giangiorgio Spiess. committees and the Professional Football states, with the administration and Stadium and Security Com- Strategy Council, define the role of match management of sport remaining the mittee. Chairman: Senes Erzik; deputy officers (match delegates, referee observers, responsibility of sports federations. chairman: Grigoryi Surkis. stadium and security officers, doping Neither does the Commission intend Medical Committee. Chairman: control officers, venue directors, tourna- to legislate on sport – something it Michel D’Hooghe; deputy chairman: ment administrators and media officers), cannot do as it has no specific compe- Viacheslav Koloskov. instructors and internal auditors. ➜ tence in this area – but simply to make known its position on sport. The white paper will summarise Nine World Cup qualifying groups the rules that currently apply, in the light of the latest case-law of the The draw for the qualifying phase for the 2010 World Cup will European Court of Justice – includ- be held in Durban on 23 November. It was therefore necessary to propose ing the worrying Meca-Medina a format for the European qualifying competition and the Executive judgement of July 2006 (cf. uefa- Committee opted for a nine-group structure which fits perfectly into the direct No. 56) – in various fields (train- international calendar. There will ing of young players, fight against therefore be eight groups of violence and doping, competition, six and one group of five teams. freedom of movement, media, etc.) Thirteen places are available and will lay down priorities in terms to the European associations. of what can and/or should be done to Nine of these will be taken by the meet the challenges currently faced group winners. The eight best by European sport. runners-up will contest home and UEFA submitted its written con- away play-off matches for the tribution, drafted in close coopera- remaining four places. In deter- tion with the International Olympic mining the best runners-up, Committee (IOC) and FIFA, to the only the results between the Commission at the beginning of top five countries in each group April. Since then, the UEFA president will be taken into account. and his administration have met representatives and members of ➜ Before embarking on the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Europe’s national teams first have to complete their EURO 2008 qualifying Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images Coffrini/AFP/Getty campaign, in which Liechtenstein took on 15 Spain at the beginning of June. Spain and England, who met in this year’s ➜ the European Commission who European Under-17 are involved in the process of drafting Championship final, are taking part the white paper. They have raised in the FIFA U-17 some of the traditional political and World Cup in Korea. legal issues, such as the definition of a legal framework adapted to the SPORTSFILE context of sport and respecting the specificity of sporting activities and the independence of sports ➜ At its meeting, the Executive ■ gave the green light for negotiations federations. They have also empha- Committee, after discussing the security over a draft agreement with the UEFT sised some of the fundamental values situation in Israel, decided to allow matches (Union of European Football Trainers): defended by UEFA and its national to be held not only in Tel-Aviv but ■ approved the regulations of the qua- associations, particularly the principle also in all recognised stadiums in Israel, lifying competition for the 2008 Futsal of financial solidarity that only i.e. in Haifa, Jerusalem and Ashdod. World Cup and of the 2007 UEFA the centralised marketing of televi- The Executive Committee also Super Cup; took the exceptional decision, bearing sion rights can achieve. ■ allocated additional funding for the UEFA has also been trying to in mind the failure to find a satisfactory solution in terms of security, to cancel the construction of a new building in gather significant political support for Nyon for the UEFA administration; the rule requiring clubs to make two matches between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Group A of the EURO 2008 the building should be ready by Au- players available for national teams qualifying competition. No points will be gust 2009; and the provisions on local training awarded for these two matches. ■ adjusted the solidarity payments of young players. to be made in 2007/08 to national In principle, the White Paper Blood tests on Sport is to be welcomed, since even associations under the HatTrick The Executive Committee also though the Commission has no legis- programme by granting an additional approved the programme proposed by the lative competence, it has a consider- CHF 40,000 to each association Anti-Doping Panel and the Medical Com- able influence on the way in which participating in the new European mittee concerning doping controls at sport is developing at European level. Women's Under-17 Championship. EURO 2008. The tests will involve both It now needs to adopt a clear position blood and urine samples. Ten players from on the subjects that are of most Under-17s in South each of the 16 finalists will be tested out Korea concern to national and European of competition before the tournament; sports federations, something it has in addition, two players from each team The Under-17 World Cup will apparently failed to achieve thus far. will be tested after each of the 31 final kick off in South Korea on 18 Au- However, there is little doubt that round matches. gust. Split into six groups, 24 teams the forthcoming cabinet and Com- ■ The UEFA Convention on the will be aspiring to succeed Mexico, mission meetings will put this right. Mutual Recognition of Coaching Qualifica- the 2005 winners, who were For the ball is now in their court… tions continues to expand throughout eliminated in the qualifying phase Europe and now covers almost 175,000 this time around. coaches. In Heerenveen, the Executive Five European teams will parti- Committee granted the Pro licence to the cipate in the tournament, having qua- national associations of Estonia and Israel; lified at the recent European Under-17 the national associations of the Faroe Championship in Belgium: Spain, Islands, Lithuania and Turkey were England, Belgium, France and Germany. awarded the A licence. The draw in May resulted in the Modelled on the following groups: coaching convention, the Group A: Korea Republic, Peru, development of the UEFA Convention on Costa Rica, Togo; Referee Education and Organisation took a Group B: Korea DPR, England, major step forward with the admission of its Brazil, New Zealand; first ten member associations (cf. page 10). UEFA SUPER CUP Group C: Honduras, Spain, IN MONACO Argentina, Syria; In brief Following their Group D: Nigeria, France, victory in Athens The Executive Committee: Japan, Haiti; in May, AC Milan ■ (Filippo Inzaghi) ratified the appointment of Gianni Group E: Belgium, Tunisia, now meet Infantino to the post of UEFA deputy Tajikistan, United States; Sevilla FC general secretary; in the UEFA Group F: Colombia, Germany, Super Cup Trinidad and Tobago, Ghana. in August. The group matches will take place from 18 to 26 August, the round of 16 on 29 and 30 August, the quarter- finals on 1 and 2 September and the semi-finals on 5 and 6 September. Seoul will stage the final and 3rd/4th place
Ellis/AFP/Getty Images match on 9 September.
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The "first half" began in February 2007. ÖFB general secretary Alfred Ludwig says, AUSTRIA "This initiative, in which more than 400 BELGIUM Austrian clubs are now taking part, shows Wanted: "Super Club" that these people are the true ambassa- Under-21s in Olympic form dors of EURO 2008 and are spreading the In the run-up to EURO 2008, the Aus- Well before the European Under-21 excitement of the tournament all over trian Football Association (ÖFB) is looking Championship kicked off, Belgian under- Europe." Club members have already sent for a "Super Club". The main prize is the 21 coach Jean-François de Sart had stated photographs, posters or emails to the ÖFB chance to play against the Austrian na- that his ambition was to see his players per- from more than 25 different countries, tional team. All 2,111 ÖFB-affiliated clubs form well and reach the semi-finals of the are eligible. Points are available for clubs from cities including Venice, Paris, Stock- competition, which would also secure them showing particular commitment to EURO holm, Dublin, Moscow, Rome, Zurich, a ticket for the 2008 Olympic Games in 2008, with the title to be awarded to the London and Barcelona. Beijing. Now the tournament is over, he team finishing with the most points. Points The primary objective of this project is must be extremely satisfied, since both will also be awarded for every league to generate interest in EURO 2008 among objectives were admirably achieved. title victory, whether at youth or first-team as many Austrians as possible. ÖFB presi- level, for the registration of new young dent Friedrich Stickler commented, "Our players, group visits to matches played by initiative is right in line with the official the national team or for events raising the slogan of the tournament: Expect Emo- profile of the European Championship. tions! – emotions that we want to start The competition will run until 17 Feb- generating even now." ruary 2008 and is divided into four "halves". Stefan Illek
Who will promote EURO 2008 the best? Photo News Belgium’s under-21s performed brilliantly, despite not reaching the final.
Group A, into which Belgium were drawn, was particularly tough, since it also included Portugal, Israel and the Netherlands. However, the Belgian team never ceased to impress. From the very first group stage match against Portugal, our youngsters showed their individual and collective qualities. Unfortunately, ÖFB they failed to beat the Portuguese goal- keeper and the 0-0 result meant they more or less had to beat Israel. The pressure was therefore huge in the people and veterans from all over the run-up to this game. Moreover, the red card country under the aegis of the Belarus shown to Marouane Fellaini in the 18th BELARUS Football Federation (BFF) within the frame- minute certainly did not make things easier, work of UEFA’s grassroots programme. but once again the players showed their UEFA Summer Last time, the BFF’s grassroots football spirit by winning this difficult encounter of Grassroots Football committee achieved considerable progress 1-0 with a superb goal by Kevin Mirallas. in popularising football among the vari- In their third and final group match, a This is the fourth year that football ous strata of society. draw would see the Belgian youngsters matches are being held with the parti- This year, during the first month of through to the semi-finals and qualification cipation of schoolchildren, orphans, summer, more than 5,000 people took for the next Olympic Games. However, this residents of children’s homes, disabled place in such activities, and we dare to was no easy task since the Netherlands hope that by the end of the summer that were playing at home and had won their number will have increased to 20,000. first two games. The Dutch were therefore The importance of such programmes already sure of a semi-final place, but they for the development of football cannot be were certainly not going to give anything overestimated. The matches are not just away. The match was therefore fiercely con- sports activities, but a real social activity tested, but finished well for our team. Two for both the participants and the spon- goals from Kevin Mirallas and Sébastien sors, with many different creative com- Pocognoli secured a 2-2 draw and the point petitions on football also organised, and we needed. from which no one goes away empty- The semi-finals therefore awaited us and
BFF handed, with prizes and souvenirs for brought our team up against the Group B Prizes all round during the Summer everyone. winners, Serbia. Belgium put up a brave of Grassroots Football. Sergey Novysh fight and even dominated the play. Unfor- ➜
17 ➜ tunately, however, Jean-François de Sart's The new 2007/08 premier league season massive. Most women players in England team were ineffective in front of goal, in Bosnia and Herzegovina starts on 4 Au- make sacrifices and faced prejudice but unlike the Serbians, who managed to score gust, with the winners of the first entity these girls have far bigger barriers. twice to win 2-0. leagues in the line-up: NK Travnik, pro- Travelling two days to get here: that is The disappointment was obvious at the moted from the first league of the FF Bosnia amazing. Another girl told me that when final whistle, but it was quickly replaced by and Herzegovina, and FK Laktasi, who won the course finishes she would leave for a sense of pride. There is no doubt that our the first league of the FF entity of the home at 8am and not arrive until 6pm. under-21s achieved a tremendous feat by Republic of Srpska. Given the passion for the game and the reaching the semi-finals of the European SFK 2000 Sarajevo won the women’s talent of Africans in other sports, the po- Championship for the first time in their his- championship again this year. In the final tential is huge. I don't see why the game tory. They also showed the whole of Europe round in Zepce, SFK 2000 first beat here can't be what it is in Europe.” that Belgium has a good crop of excellent ZFK Borac from Banja Luka (6-1) and then Women’s football has increased in pop- young players and secured a place in ZNK Iris from Zenica (7-1). The team from ularity over the past ten years and remains the Olympic Games, something which Banja Luka finished in second place, beat- the fastest-growing sport among young no Belgian football team has managed ing ZNK Iris (2-0). girls in England. The juniors of NK Zrinjski from Mostar since 1928. FIFA has also invested heavily in devel- became champions of Bosnia and Herze- Pierre Cornez oping women’s football, with The FA tak- govina at their level by beating their peers from FK Sarajevo (2-1) in the final round in ing a lead role in sharing its knowledge by Tuzla. FK Sloboda finished in third place, delivering seminars on the subject in its BOSNIA AND ahead of FK Modrica (3-0). UEFA-CAF Meridian Project partner coun- HERZEGOVINA The city of Siroki Brijeg was the venue tries Botswana and Lesotho, with Malawi for the final round of the cadets’ champ- set to benefit in October 2007. Nada Grkinic Good results ionship, in which the youngsters of NK Siroki Brijeg proved stronger than FK Zel- for the national team jeznicar from Sarajevo in the final (4-0). In At the beginning of June, the Bosnia and the match for third place, NK Jedinstvo from Herzegovina national team notched up Bihac beat NK Celik from Zenica (4-3). another two wins in the EURO 2008 quali- The Football Federation of Bosnia and fiers, making a total of three wins in a row Herzegovina is one of the candidates to during the first half of this year. Under Fuad host the European Futsal Championship Muzurovic's leadership, the team has done final round in 2009. In the middle of June, well enough to now be able to play for one a UEFA delegation visited Sarajevo and of the first two places in Group C this its sports halls: the Zetra Olympic Hall, autumn. Skenderija, Mojmilo, Dobrinja, Vogosca and After a debacle at the start of the quali- Ilidza. The venue will be decided during this fying competition, the totally reshaped team year’s final round in Portugal in November. already surprised Norway in March in Oslo Fuad Krvavac by defeating them 2-1. That success was fol- The FA lowed by wins at home in Sarajevo against Rachel Yankee finds out about women’s Turkey (3-2) and Malta (1-0). In their football in Africa. remaining qualifying matches, the national ENGLAND team will play host to Moldova and Norway, and travel to Hungary, Greece and Turkey. A workshop for women’s football FINLAND England women’s star Rachel Yankey shared her football experience with 23 aspiring female coaches during a two-day Future stars workshop in Botswana in May. Finnish star footballers of the future took Yankey, who will be playing for England part in the annual Pohjola Cup in June. The in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in China country’s best under-14 and under-15 boys in September, took time away from her played at Oulu in the North Finland region, own soccer school to assist with the deliv- while the U14 and U15 girls played at Salo ery of coaching sessions led by FA instruc- in the Turku region. The Pohjola Cup is the tors Anthony McCallum and Jo Meloni. annual tournament of the FA of Finland The women’s football coaching seminar (SPL) for regional youth teams. Twelve SPL followed a female soccer development sem- regions selected their clubs’ best youth inar which took place in October 2006 in players for the four-day tournament. The Gaborone, maintaining The FA’s focus on Pohjola Cup is the most important tourna- developing the girls’ and women’s game. ment of the year for player scouting and Yankey admitted she was taken aback education. All the best youth players, prom- by her first experience of southern Africa ising coaches and referees meet there. This and the desire of the women to join in, with year’s edition formed part of the SPL’s cen- one coach travelling two days just to attend tenary celebrations.
F.Krvavac the seminar. The main educational purpose of this Renewed ambitions for the “My father is Ghanaian yet I’d never year’s Pohjola Cup’s was mental coaching. national team after three wins in a row been to Africa, except Egypt,” she said. Former women’s national team player in the EURO 2008 qualifiers. “The enthusiasm of the girls for football is and mental coaching specialist Christina
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The best youth players – tory: promotion to the women's Bundes- boys and liga in 1999, then to the men's regional girls – all take GERMANY league in 2001, before refereeing the DFB part in the Pohjola Cup. Women's Cup final in 2003, operating as Bibiana Steinhaus becomes an assistant referee in the men's second first German female referee in men's division in 2004 and joining the ranks of
SPL FIFA female referees in 2005. professional football One man who has followed her career 28-year old Bibiana Steinhaus from closely and helped her along the way is Forssell talked about preparation for and Hanover has become the first German female Volker Roth, chairman of the DFB referees concentration in matches. The SPL coaches referee in men's professional football. At the committee. "We have been observing explained what was needed to get to na- start of the 2007/08 season, the 1.81 m tall Bibiana Steinhaus closely in recent years. Her tional team level and how to connect school police officer will be able to referee matches marks in the regional league were excel- and football. The players, coaches and ref- in the German second division after her erees all had their own lessons. lent. Her performances were the decisive appointment by the referees committee of The quality of the games was high and factor and she achieved her qualifications the German Football Association (DFB). the young talents showed off their skills on under the same rules as the men," says the the pitch. Every player received feedback "I am absolutely delighted that the ref- former FIFA referee. Michael Morsch about their play and how to develop. The erees committee has put its trust in me and SPL coaches were responsible for scouting I will work hard to ensure that I meet their and they also chose the boys’ and girls’ all- expectations. My aim is to referee and have star teams, as well as the best players of the a positive influence on all matches to my tournaments. Every team voted for its own own satisfaction and that of everyone else," region’s fair play player. Steinhaus said as she looked forward to the The Tampere region won the boys’ U14 new season. tournament and the Uusimaa region the Born in Bad Lauterberg in the Harz
U15 tournament. The Helsinki region won mountains, she used to play football her- Getty Iamges both the girls’ U14 and U15 tournaments. self, as a left full-back. "I was not quite so Next year, the boys’ tournament will take promising as a player," said the athletic blonde, rather self-critically. Under the place in the Satakunta region and the girls’ Lohnes/AFP/ tournament in Keski-Pohjanmaa. influence of her father, a referee himself, Bibiana Steinhaus with the chairman of the DFB’s she then changed roles and took the whis- referees committee, Volker Roth, who is Olli Orvasto tle for the first time in 1995. The rest is his- also a member of the UEFA Referees Committee.
poll conducted by the Sarbieli newspaper. The other nominees for this title were Olimpi GEORGIA Rustavi defenders George Seturidze and LATVIA George Oniani. Sandro Iashvili also received the Best Regional coach education Awards ceremony Striker award, beating Zestaponi’s Gogi The Georgian professional football league Pipia and Tbilisi Ameri’s Dimitri Tatanashvili established organised the annual awards ceremony in the ballot. The leading Latvian coaches – new at the Z. Paliashvili opera house in Tbilisi on Other awards: national team head coach Aleksandrs 21 June, on the occasion of which the ten Best Midfielder: Grigol Dolidze (Tbilisi Starkovs, his assistant Igors Klosovs, Latvian annual winners were announced. Ameri). Football Federation coach Vladimirs Serbins, Shota Arveladze, who currently holds Other nominees: Tornike Aptsiauri (Rus- and a few Latvian youth team coaches the goal-scoring record with the Georgian tavi Olimpi) and David Digmelashvili (Tbilisi – have started a new tradition in Latvia by national team, received the Footballer of the Dinamo). going to regional football training centres Year award for the second year in a row. He Best Defender: George Oniani (Rustavi to give professional football training to was also voted Footballer of the Year for the Olimpi). regional coaches. Psychology, youth foot- third time by readers of the Sarbieli news- Other nominees: George Seturidze (Rus- paper. baller evaluation and training tips for phys- tavi Olimpi), Ned Zelitch (Tbilisi Dinamo). ical, technical and tactical work are the "You’ll remember that I promised you last Best Goalkeeper: Zurab Qvachakhia main topics on the agenda. The seminars year to do my best to return here to collect (Tbilisi Ameri). consist of lectures, videos, live training ses- this award again this year, so I kept my prom- Other nominees: Grigol Chanturia (Zesta- ise. In the course of this last year, several poni), Soso Grishikashvili (Tbilisi Dinamo). sions with the best of the region’s youth wonderful new players have emerged. Best Youth Player: Levan Kenia (Tbilisi players, and discussions. I want to wish good luck to Levan Locomotiv). The seminars were the idea of the head Kenia, Sandro Iashvili and every- Other nominees: Mikheil coach of the national team, Aleksandrs body else. Remember that the Alavidze (Rustavi Olimpi), Besik Starkovs, who accepted the Latvian Foot- future is yours!” Arveladze an- Chimakadze (Tbilisi Ameri). ball Federation’s invitation to take up this nounced at the ceremony. His Best Coach: George Chikh- position after former head coach Jurijs An- rivals for the Footballer of the Year radze (Tbilisi Ameri). drejevs stepped down. Starkovs also served award were Kakha Kaladze and Shota Other nominees: Dushan Uhrin as head coach in 2004, when he led the Arveladze, Levan Kobiashvili. Georgia’s (Tbilisi Dinamo), Revaz Dzodzu- national team to EURO 2004 in Portugal, Title of Best League Player went player ashvili (Rustavi Olimpi). before accepting an offer from Russian pre-
to Sandro Iashvili who, like Arve- of the year. GFF mier league club Spartak Moscow. His first ladze, won the same award in the Alexander Tsnobiladze two EURO 2008 qualifying matches at the ➜
19 LITHUANIA
Beach soccer time LFF Beach soccer is growing steadily in popularity. This year’s beach soccer championship has got under way in the resort of Lithua- It is very satisfying to see that there are a lot nia – Palanga. The tournament is being of teams taking part for the first time. organised by the Lithuanian futsal associa- The opening contest and the first round LFF tions and the Palanga sports school. were won by the same team, Mazeikiu Extending training throughout the country with regional courses and material. The opening contest was attended by a Rekolas, who got through to the next stage team from Riga in neighbouring Latvia, who without losing a single match. ➜ beginning of June were against Spain and joined the Lithuanian participants for the This year, the competition is being played Denmark. Next up is home friendly in mid- occasion. according to the FIFA beach soccer rules for August against Moldova. The number of teams taking part indi- the first time. For the teams, it is also prepa- The board of the Latvian Football Fed- cates that beach soccer is growing in pop- ration for the forthcoming international eration is considering a historical move. The ularity in Lithuania. Lithuanian beach soccer beach soccer tournaments, including the agenda for its next meeting includes dis- also has certified two FIFA beach soccer ref- first Baltic beach soccer cup, which is being cussions about expanding the first division erees now – Sergejus Slyva (Kaunas) and hosted by Latvia on 25 August. Lithuania from eight to ten teams. Cooperation with Romualdas Cviklinskis (Vilnius). will be represented by the winner and the press, commercial issues and women’s According to the president of the runner-up of the Lithuanian beach soccer football will also be discussed. Lithuanian Football Federation, Liutauras championship. The Baltic League club competition is Varanavicius, the number of participants in A second tournament will be organised nearing the finals, with Latvia's represen- the beach soccer championship shows that in Jurmala (Latvia) in July, at which Lithua- the organisers are succeeding in making nia will be represented by the winners after tatives having performed well. Three of the beach soccer popular in Lithuania. the first and second rounds of the Lithuan- four Latvian clubs involved reached the The first round of the championship in- ian beach soccer championship. quarter-finals, but one was disqualified for volved 22 teams from all over the country. Vaiva Zizaite violating the rules of fair play. Martins Hartmanis This is the first time in the history of the association that its administrative busi- MALTA ness will be conducted from outside the LIECHTENSTEIN capital city, Valletta. The previous premises had become too New Malta FA premises small for its expanding operations and so Record number New, state-of-the-art Malta FA (MFA) it was decided to move to a new place, of participants in schools’ cup headquarters were officially inaugurated befitting modern times. The months of May and June were on 27 June, when the president of After applications for tenders were devoted to grassroots activities. In May, the the Republic of Malta, Edward Fenech issued and contracts awarded, work qualifying tournaments for the Swiss Adami, declared open the premises in the started at the end of last year under the Schools CS Cup final round took place in Millennium Stand of the Ta’ Qali national direction of architect Ludovico Micallef, Basle. Altogether, 47 school teams took stadium. who is also the MFA vice-president. part in the two tournaments, a new record. Financial aid was mainly provided by In June, the Liechtenstein Football FIFA under its Goal Project II, with Infront Association organised the traditional LKW AG of Switzerland also making a sub- youth championships, in which some stantial contribution to this project. Fund- 700 boys and girls from the youth sectors ing also came from the association’s of the seven national clubs played for the financial reserves. coveted trophies and medals in six differ- The headquarters are situated on two ent age categories. floors of the stadium’s Millennium Stand Judith Frommelt and cover an area of 1,100 square metres, more than five times the space of the pre-
D.Aquilina vious Valletta premises. Joseph Mifsud, president of the MFA, There are offices for each department, cuts the ribbon being held by the president including those of the president and top of Malta, Edward Fenech Adami, officials, a spacious executive committee as David Taylor, UEFA general secretary, looks on. room and a welcoming reception area which houses the association’s cups, tro- Apart from the MFA president, Joseph phies and treasured memorabilia. Mifsud, and the association’s officials, The new MFA centre, equipped with there were other distinguished guests the latest security and IT systems, will attending the ceremony, including UEFA undoubtedly be another legacy of the general secretary David Taylor and FIFA association for future administrators.
LFV representatives Liutauras Varanavicius and Concentrating on winning a medal. Eva Pasquier. Alex Vella
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NORTHERN IRELAND NORWAY In conversation Tine football school with Nigel Worthington Some 440 football clubs in Norway New Northern Ireland boss Nigel Wor- are organising a Tine football school thington can hardly wait for his first game for 74,000 children this summer so that in charge against Liechtenstein in August. they can have fun and develop their Yngve Haavik/NFF The Ballymena man took over the Northern football skills. The football schools are attracting Ireland hot seat on 1 June, and along with The Tine football school is a partnership more and more participants. Glynn Snodin as his assistant and Fred Bar- between the Tine company and the Foot- ber as his goalkeeping coach, the new man- ball Association of Norway which started in director of grassroots football at the Foot- agement team is looking forward to the 1998 and has developed very positively ball Association of Norway. challenge that lies ahead. since then. In the first year, 18,000 children “The Tine football school is open to With four of the last six games in North- took part in the football schools, compared everyone, regardless of skills and ambitions. ern Ireland’s EURO 2008 qualifying campaign with the 74,000 expected to take part We hope it will encourage children to play away from home – against Latvia, Iceland, throughout the country this summer. a lot of football in the future,” says Fevik, Sweden and Spain – it is going to be a dif- “This is a week that is a social and who also expressed his thanks to Tine for ficult run-in for the boys in green, but Wor- fun event for the children, but we also its contribution to the important work of thington believes that if everyone pulls emphasise the importance of using developing grassroots football in Norway. together as a nation, then the team has coaches and instructors with relevant and every chance of qualifying for next summer’s good football skills,” says Audun Fevik, Roger Solheim finals in Austria and Switzerland. “International games are never easy – they’re always tough, but they’re a good plat- form to work off. Yes, there are four away ■ To develop a culture of football that is games out of the last six, which doesn’t make REPUBLIC dynamic and globally competitive it any easier, but together as a nation – and ■ To contribute to the wider process of in that nation I include the supporters, the OF IRELAND integration. board at the IFA, the local press and certainly the players and the staff – if we pull in the FAI launch Intercultural ■ As the FAI Senior Challenge Cup one direction over the next six games then Football Plan we can certainly qualify,” he said. kicked off recently, the FAI welcomed Ford However the new manager realises that The Football Association of Ireland re- on board as new sponsors of the compe- there is still a lot of hard work to be done cently launched an intercultural football tition. This is the first year that Ford is if Northern Ireland is to qualify for its first plan which is designed to examine how sponsoring the FAI Cup, although the finals in over 20 years: “What we – staff and best, in the context of a more diverse players – have to do is keep our feet on the society, the FAI can encourage increased ground and keep working and working participation in football among people hard, because there is still a long way to go,” from minority ethnic and cultural back- he added. grounds. The plan also challenges and pre- The Northern Ireland manager, who was capped 66 times for his country, also recog- vents the spread of ‘racism’ within the nises the importance of the fans – and with game and thus contributes towards a fully a difficult close to the qualifying campaign integrated and intercultural society. ahead, every member of the Green and The FAI is at the forefront of Irish sport
White Army needs to get behind Worthing- in terms of commitment to intercultu- FAI ton and his team. ralism and 12 months ago became the The intercultural programme is launced “The role that the fans play is massive – first national governing body to appoint at Dublin City Hall. and that’s not just the case nowadays, but a full-time national coordinator to over- it was the same when I was a player – the see this important sector. company has a link right back to the very supporters have always been magnificent, According to the 2006 census, around first FAI senior cup tournament. Fordsons, home and away.” the works’ team from the Henry Ford fac- Caroline Menary one in ten of those living in the Republic of Ireland have a nationality other than tory in Cork, won the competition when Irish, a proportion which has nearly dou- they beat Shamrock rovers in the 1926 bled since 2002. Regrettably, discrimina- final. The winners of the FAI Ford Senior tion and ‘racism’ exist in Irish society, and Cup will be presented with a new trophy this season. The new trophy replaces the those within the football community have original FAI trophy which has been in a responsibility to challenge discrimina- existence since the competition was first tion. Thus, the plan, launched by former played the back in 1922. The original Ireland senior international, Paul McGrath trophy has been retired and will be at City Hall Dublin focuses on four over- placed on display in the FAI’s proposed arching objectives: museum when the association moves Spike Hill ■ To combat ‘racism’ in football Nigel Worthington, the new to its new headquarters at Abbotstown ■ national coach, is eagerly awaiting To promote participation among minor- later this year. Northern Ireland’s next matches. ity ethnic and multicultural communities Fran Whearty
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modernisation of the Romanian FA”, as well as “Visions and objectives of the ROMANIA Romanian FA”. The UEFA delegation was able to see Top Executive meeting that the Romanian FA has achieved sev- eral important steps since 2005, not only On 29 June, the Romanian FA (FRF) in terms of modernising its structure and hosted its second meeting within the its activity, but also at international level. framework of UEFA’s Top Executive Pro- In the last two years, following UEFA’s rec- gramme. The FRF’s top officials (Mircea W.Keller ommendations, the Romanian FA has Sandu, FRF president and member of the intensified its efforts and hosted not only Adrian Knup playing against Sweden UEFA Executive Committee; Ioan-Angelo in 1995 in Gothenburg. mini-tournaments (youth, Regions’ Cup Lupescu, CEO; Adalbert Kassai, general and women’s, including at women’s youth secretary; and Florin Prunea, director of level), but also several seminars and meet- Knup, Ernst Lämmli, Jakob Kuhn, Hans- the foreign relations department) had the ings at European and even FIFA level, ruedi Hasler and Philipp Ebneter. Their great pleasure of welcoming a UEFA del- roles are as follows: Lämmli is the link per- either concerning administration or in the egation led by vice-president Angel María son with the SFV board, Hasler is the technical area (for coaches and directors Villar Llona. coordinator and chief of staff, Knup will of national coaching schools). This meeting took place at the head- bring his experiences as an international There are also very exact plans for quarters of the Romanian FA (the House player and support the head coach with intensifying such meetings in the future of Football) exactly two years since the first internal and external communication and and one of the major aims is to host the such meeting, which is why the first item Ebneter is the administrator. The core UEFA Cup final in 2011 or 2012, once on the agenda was “Where does the group will meet regularly in the run-up to the Bucharest local authorities and the Romanian FA stand now, since the last TEP EURO 2008 in order to review the stra- Romanian government have built a new visit in July 2005?”. Other items discussed tegy, which aims to develop and improve national stadium in Bucharest. during the very constructive and useful the work that has already been done, and meeting were the “Reorganisation and Paul-Daniel Zaharia to adopt any new measures that may prove necessary. One of the main features of the new strategy is the creation of a 40-man squad. These players will be closely SAN MARINO SWITZERLAND supervised and observed until the final tournament, although of course any player who is not currently part of this group still Campaign against racism New core group and team adviser has a chance of winning a place in the The Football Association of San Marino, for national team final squad by performing well during the coming season. in collaboration with UEFA, has con- In order to help the players and the na- Pierre Benoit ducted a campaign against racism. tional team to prepare for EURO 2008 in The project was carried out during May their own country in the best possible con- and June. It included a series of actions ditions, the SFV has formed a core group such as advertising in the mass media, of national team staff and recruited a TURKEY advertising banners at stadiums and the team adviser under a fixed-term contract. main training grounds, T-shirts and gadgets. This strategy, developed at the request of national coach Jakob Kuhn and designed Zero tolerance against violence to take some of the workload off his Turkish FA officials have met with the shoulders, is divided into three stages in head officials of the Turkish police force in the run-up to the preparation phase just Abant-Bolu. Violence and disorder were the before the tournament. The basic princi- main points of concern on the agenda of ples were drawn up before June 2007, the two-day meeting. Turkish FA vice-pres- they will be consolidated by December ident Affan Kececi and general secretary 2007 and a dress rehearsal for the final Lutfi Aribogan were the hosts of the debate tournament will be held by May 2008. and several important decisions were One of the aims of the project is to
San Marino FA taken during the meeting. observe the squad closely and support the A zero tolerance policy is implemented A shower of droplets to say no to racism. players in their preparations for EURO against violence and disorder in football sta- 2008. The core group will also analyse the The advert bears the slogan "No to diums. By law, private security will take over results of the observations and tests racism" and depicts a multi-coloured stadium security in 2009, a measure that before discussing and coordinating fur- shower of droplets falling onto a football the meeting strongly recommended should ther measures. field, topped by the three peaks that are not be delayed again. Clubs were also The new team adviser is the 38-year the universal symbol of San Marino, con- advised to make use of season tickets and old former international Adrian Knup. veying the message that there is no room to restrict group ticket sales. Knup won 48 caps for Switzerland and, The Turkish FA and the Turkish police will for racism in the world of football or in with 26 goals, lies sixth in the all-time work together on a book dealing with the oldest republic in the world. goalscoring chart for the Swiss national crisis situations in stadiums. Press Office team. The core group comprises Adrian Ilker Ugur
22 uefadirect 8.07 UEFA
Announcements
■ Following the departure of Communications Fuad Asadov, for health reasons, Aladdin Aghai took over as Birthdays – Calendars general secretary of the FA of Azerbaijan on 13 June. ■ Rudolf Repka has been named as the new general secretary of the Birthdays ● Karl Hopfner (Germany, 28.8) Czech FA. ● Joseph McGlue (Republic of Ireland, 28.8) ● Askar Akhmetov (Kazakhstan, 28.8) ■ On 29 June, Raymond Kennedy Lamberto Perugia (Italy), member of the circle ● of former UEFA committee members, celebrates Vincent Egbers (Netherlands, 29.8) ● Pedro Manuel Correia Magro (Portugal, 30.8) was elected president of the his 80th birthday on 5 August. Pierre Schiepers ● Irish Football Association. He succeeds (Belgium), member of the same “club”, will Paulo Sousa (Portugal, 30.8) ● Christer Fällström (Sweden, 31.8) Jim Boyce, who becomes honorary be 70 on 9 August. Dr Urs Vogel (Switzerland), ● vice-chairman of the Medical Committee Aivaz Kaziakhmedov (Russia, 31.8) president of the association. ● Pedro Dias (Portugal, 31.8) joins him at that milestone on 11 August. ● Executive Committee member Per Ravn Omdal Christoph Kollmeier (Germany, 31.8) (Norway) celebrates his 60th birthday on Match agents 20 August. Match delegate Pierino Lardi (Switzerland), technical instructor Roy Hodgson Upcoming events Two match agents have surrendered (England), Club Licensing Committee member their UEFA licence: Johan Gaasbeck Jacques Lagnier (France), former UEFA commit- Meetings tee member Patricia Gregory (England) and (Netherlands) and Paolo Lanzetta Appeals Body member Carmelo Bartolo (Malta) 3.8.2007, Nyon (Italy). follow suit on 7, 9, 16,19 and 21 August Draws for the third qualifying round of the respectively. Last but not least, Sheila Begbie UEFA Champions League and for the second (Scotland), member of the Women’s Football qualifying round of the UEFA Cup Publication Committee, turns 50 on 1 August, as do 30.8.2007, Monaco referee observers Andreas Schluchter (Switzer- FOOTBALL – Comprendre et pratiquer land) and Regina Konink-Belksma (Netherlands), Draw for the UEFA Champions League on 3 and 26 August respectively. group matches Joseph Mercier, who has written UEFA also wishes many happy returns to: Professional Football Strategy Council (tbc) numerous reference books since retir- ● Theodore Theodoridis (Greece, 1.8) 31.8.2007, Monaco ing as a renowned coach, has been ● Süheyl Önen (Turkey, 2.8) Draw for the first round of the UEFA Cup involved in elite football ● Philippe Diallo (France, 2.8) Club Competitions Committee (tbc) in France for some ● Zdravko Jokic (Serbia, 4.8) ● Yehuda Wilk (Israel, 5.8) Competitions 60 years. This publication ● summarises some of Konstantin Eremenko (Russia, 5.8) 1.8.2007 ● Piet Hubers (Netherlands, 6.8) his vast knowledge, as ● Peter Donald (Scotland, 8.8) UEFA Champions League: second qualifying ● Plarent Kotherja (Albania, 8.8) round (first legs) well as serving as a refer- ● Nico de Pauw (Belgium, 8.8) 2.8.2007 ence work for teaching ● Odd Flattum (Norway, 9.8) UEFA Cup: first qualifying round (return legs) football techniques and tactics. ● Heinz Fahnler (Austria, 10.8) (Editions Amphora, 75006 Paris, ● Keith Burge (Wales, 10.8) 7/8.8.2007 ● Ettore Mazzilli (Italy, 10.8) UEFA Champions League: second qualifying France. Fax: +331 4329 49 491. ● Jean-Marc Puissesseau (France, 13.8) round (return legs) www.ed-amphora.fr) ● Roger Vanden Stock (Belgium, 13.8) ● 14/15.8.2007 Joseph Mifsud (Malta, 13.8) UEFA Champions League: third qualifying ● Cornel Cristian Bivolaru (Romania, 13.8) Obituary ● Alan Hutchings (England, 16.8) round (first legs) ● Dane Jost (Slovenia, 18.8) 16.8.2007 ● Vitalijs Liholajs (Latvia, 19.8) UEFA Cup: second qualifying round (first legs) Josef “Jupp” Derwall (Germany), ● Hans Reijgwart (Netherlands, 19.8) member of the UEFA Technical ● Frantisek Laurinec (Slovakia, 19.8) 28/29.8.2007 Committee from 1978 to 1984, passed ● Kazimierz Oleszek (Poland, 22.8) UEFA Champions League: third qualifying ● Geoffrey Thompson (England, 23.8) round (return legs) away on 26 June at the age of 80. ● Ioannis Economides (Greece, 23.8) 30.8.2007 As coach of the West German ● Enrique Gonzalez Ruano (Spain, 24.8) UEFA Cup: second qualifying round national team from 1978 to 1984, ● Nicolae Grigorescu (Romania, 24.8) (return legs) he won the European Championship ● Thomas Slosarich (Demark, 24.8) ● Josef Poucek (Czech Republic, 25.8) 31.8.2007, Monaco in 1980 and a runners-up medal ● Giancarlo Abete (Italy, 26.8) UEFA Super Cup in the 1982 World Cup.
WE CARE ABOUT FOOTBALL Editor André Vieli The views expressed in signed articles are not necessarily the Produced by Atema Communication SA, CH-1196 Gland official views of UEFA. Official publication of the The reproduction of articles Union des associations or extracts of any information européennes de football Printed by Cavin SA, CH-1422 Grandson published in uefadirect is authorised, provided the Communications and Public Affairs Division Editorial deadline: 3 July 2007 source is indicated. UEFA Route de Genève 46 Union des associations CH-1260 Nyon européennes de football Switzerland Phone +41 848 00 27 27 Fax +41 848 01 27 27 uefa.com