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ISSUE 23, 28 MARCH 2014 ENGLISH EDITION

Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Since 1904

PANINI COLLECTORS’ DELIGHT

PHILIPP LAHM BACK-TO-BACK TREBLE IS ON

SEPP BLATTER FOOTBALL, A SCHOOL OF LIFE

Japan SAMURAI BLUE WWW.FIFA.COM/THEWEEKLY CONTENTS

Shinji Okazaki: “Japan are strong contenders” North and South America Japan have featured at every World Cup since the 1998 tournament Central America 10 members in France and are travelling to Brazil with lofty ambitions. The 35 members www.conmebol.com current squad is packed with stars from some of the world’s biggest www.concacaf.com leagues, renowned for their skills and attacking intent. is one such player, based at club Mainz 05, and says: “The European leagues have given Japan a boost.” 6  Bayern : Philipp Lahm exclusive 13 Bayern’s victory over Hertha sealed the Bundesliga title earlier than ever before. Club captain Philipp Lahm reflects on the championship-winning moment and looks ahead to his side’s crucial upcoming encounters.

An El Clasico for the history books 14 Seven goals, three penalties, seven yellow cards, a dismissal and chances here, there and everywhere. The 227th El Clasico between Freddie Ljungberg Real Madrid and Barcelona was a captivating event that breathed The Swede finds inspiration in Japan new life into the Spanish championship race.

“Helping Greece out of its crisis” 16 Fernando Santos, head coach of the Greek national team reveals the challenges he faces in the economically-devastated country and explains why he believes Brazil will win the World Cup.

Sepp Blatter: Football is a school of life 23 Social skills, togetherness and integration: team sports expose children to experiences that are important in later life. FIFA President Sepp Blatter gives his views on football as a school of life.

Where the collector is the star 80 pages, 600 stickers and one goal: to fill the album. Trading card collecting fever is underway once more, and The FIFA Weekly takes 25 a look at the Panini phenomenon.

Top 11: National teams’ nicknames 29 The Pirates, The Copper Bullets, The Fury: National sides the world over have curious monikers; Cameroon’s has its roots in a presidential decree.

Jonathan Rodriguez Aiming for the Uruguayan Willie: the first mascot championship with Penarol 30 A cuddly toy as a marketing tool: thanks to World Cup Willie, the English FA sparked a merchandising revolution ahead of the 1966 finals. The tournament’s maiden mascot also served as a lucky charm for the organisers, especially in the final.

“Putting smiles back on people’s faces” 37 Football star and fashion icon Freddie Ljungberg laced his boots for teams on three different continents but it was his time in Japan immediately after a natural disaster that truly inspired him. U-17 Women’s World Cup 15 March to 4 April 2014, Costa Rica Cover: Pedro Ugarte/Afp Inhalt: Getty Images, Mariano Alvez

2 THE FIFA WEEKLY THIS WEEK IN THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL

Europe Africa Asia Oceania 54 members 54 members 46 members 11 members www..com www.cafonline.com www.the-afc.com www.oceaniafootball.com

World Cup Willie England’s stroke of genius for the 1966 World Cup

Samurai Blue The Japanese national team’s new nickname combines the country’s noble fighting heritage with football, where many of today’s top Japanese players ply their trade in foreign leagues. Our interviewee Shinji Okazaki (r) is pictured here with .

Shinji Kagawa Japan’s playmaker

Fernando Santos Interview with the Greece coach

Quartelfinals Semifinals Play-off for third place Final

27 March, Venezuela - Canada (25) 31 March, Winner 25 - Winner 27 (29) 4 April, Loser 29 - Loser 30 4 April, Winner 29 - Winner 30 27 March, Ghana - Italy (26) 31 March, Winner 26 - Winner 28 (30) 27 March, Japan - Mexico (27) 27 March, Nigeria - Spain (28) Cover: Pedro Ugarte/Afp Inhalt: Getty Images, Mariano Alvez

THE FIFA WEEKLY 3

UNCOVERED

Back on the trophy trail Bayern sealed the 2013/14 German championship in Berlin after only 27 of the 34 matches.

ayern Munich, widely regarded as the best club team in he understands that is hardly realistic: “We’re number 48 in the world at the moment, have picked up another trophy the FIFA rankings. Our target is simple: we want to do better B and broken another record in the process. The Bavarians than at the last World Cup. We came 16th in South Africa.” sealed the German championship after only 27 games, a feat beyond even their own all-conquering 1971 – 1974 team. Our f you like, you can collect the Japanese team, because guest columnist, Bayern and Germany captain Philipp Panini mania is poised to break out around the world. Lahm, already has another target in his sights, that of com- I When Giuseppe and Benito Panini launched the first foot- pleting the league season without defeat. It has never been ball sticker album in 1961, they cannot possibly have fore- done before in the Bundesliga’s 51-year history but the cur- seen the overwhelming success lying ahead. For collectors rent Munich team could be the first, Lahm writes. Boss Pep young and old the World Cup has already started. The real Guardiola has described Lahm as the most intelligent play- thing, of course, actually kicks off on 12 June in Sao Paulo. er he has ever coached. In the midweek meeting with Hertha Berlin, Lahm made 134 passes without a single one going n some countries life expectancy is over 80, but in others astray. That is the basis of Bayern success. it is under 40. People all over the world deserve the same I chance in life, insists FIFA President Blatter in his weekly hinji Okazaki also thrills the crowds in the Bundesliga. column. This is why FIFA invests in development projects The Japan international plays for Mainz and is deter- to the tune of US$ 550,000 every day, 365 days a year. Å S mined to show his predatory quality at the World Cup in Brazil. “Japan are strong,” he told staff writer Roland Perikles Monioudis Zorn. One reason for the high standard of the current Japan team is its overseas-based contingent. The sheer numbers and the quality of these players demonstrate the fact that Japanese football has consolidated at a high level. After all, Brazil 2014 will be the nation’s fifth World Cup finals in a row. Japanese association vice-president Tashima Kohzo

Oliver Hardt / Getty Images even says the team wants to win the tournament, although

THE FIFA WEEKLY 5 SHINJI OKAZAKI / JAPAN

Japan national team coach has the task of building a team for this summer’s World Cup in Brazil “We have formed of players from all of the world’s biggest leagues. Shinji Okazaki is one of those players. He a strong sat down to answer ques- tions from The FIFA Weekly weeks before the start of the World Cup. team”

Shinji Okazaki was At that point, I didn’t even know for and try to do my part to ensure Mainz 05 have speaking to Roland Zorn myself where my strengths could be put to a very successful season. best use. In light of that, it was good that I Have you seen the film “Lost in Translation”? had the opportunity in Stuttgart to try and You have now lived and worked in Germany for Shinji Okazaki: I’ve heard of it; it’s the develop my attacking skills out on the wing. more than two years. You live in Mainz with story of an American man and an American your wife and two children, but you still face woman who feel lost and out-of-place in When you moved to Mainz in the summer of questions from Japanese journalists before , explore our capital city together and 2013, did coach immediately and after each match. There are plenty of become friends in the process. It was a com- say to you that you would be playing for him Japanese restaurants to choose from here and pletely different story when I arrived in as a centre forward? there are another seven Japanese players in Stuttgart in January 2011 after signing a No. The first priority was to work out the Bundesliga. How much of a connection do contract with VfB. I had achieved every what was required of me at my new club. In you still feel to Japan? Japanese footballer’s aim: to play in Europe. I Stuttgart, where I had been able to develop, I When I was in Stuttgart, I was lucky to was happy to be in Germany from the start was needed in both attack and defence. My come across my compatriot Gotoku Sakai, who and wasn’t worried about living in a country coach there, Bruno Labbadia, acknowledged is still doing a great job as a wing-back for VfB. I’d never visited before. that this meant I didn’t always score, and that Another thing I love about Mainz is its prox- was often the case in the 2012/13 Bundesliga imity to Frankfurt and the international Everything in Stuttgart was new to you: the season when I only scored one goal. At Mainz, airport there. There are also a couple of great city, the country, the league, the language. I have been playing the role of a typical Japanese restaurants in Frankfurt that I like to How did you tackle this adventure? centre forward: scoring 11 goals in 25 games, visit with my wife or , who plays Like most Japanese people, I adapted moving into spaces where attackers pose the for . Friends from Japan quickly because I enjoy the challenge of new biggest threats, tracking back and trying to come to Frankfurt to visit me. My wife and experiences. Because I’m an open person, I remain as cool as possible in front of goal. So kids have also settled into life here in Germany, tried to adjust as quickly and as well as far it has been going very well. especially as we have such a beautiful home possible to everything put in front of me and here. All of those things make life simpler. convert that into positive energy. Why did it work out so well and so quickly? I don’t know exactly why. I got involved in It must also be an advantage to play at Mainz Did it pose another challenge playing Bunde- the Mainz style of playing football from the 05 alongside the Koreans Park Joo-ho and Koo sliga matches for VfB Stuttgart on the left start because my coach demanded that of me Ja-cheol… wing and not in the centre of the action as you every day, and once I scored my first few goals, I get on very well with both of them. I do for the national side? my team-mates also got used to my playing speak Japanese with Park because I played in I had already played on the right wing at style. It was a matter of give and take. I also feel the J-League with him, and I speak German the AFC Asian Cup, so it wasn’t totally un- very comfortable here because there’s a real with Koo because he speaks the best German precedented to play out on the left wing for feeling of trust and confidence within the team of the three of us. I then translate what he Stuttgart. and because the coach demands a lot of me. In says into Japanese for Park. training, Mr Tuchel sometimes asks me why I Would you have preferred to spearhead the didn’t score in one situation or another. I’m How much contact do you have with other

attack for Stuttgart? comfortable with that pressure of expectation Japanese players in Germany like Makoto Thorsten Zimmermann

6 THE FIFA WEEKLY Thorsten Zimmermann THE FIFA WEEKLY FIFA THE 7 On the attack Striker Shinji Okazaki in action for Japan Karim Jaafar/Afp

8 THE FIFA WEEKLY SHINJI OKAZAKI /JAPAN

Hasebe, who plays in Nuremberg now and is of reaching the last 16 and perhaps even captain of the Japanese national team? progressing beyond that, which will give me “I had achieved We all stay in regular contact, whether by more opportunities to score World Cup goals telephone, email or social media. If I’ve – we’ll have to wait and see how many. Our scored goals in the league, it’s not long before team’s strength is underlined by the fact that every Japanese they are in touch to congratulate me. is playing for Manchester United, Yuto Nagatomo for and Do Japanese players also enjoy playing in for AC Milan, three of the footballer’s the Bundesliga because many of the German world’s biggest clubs. Nowadays it’s possible players often embody the same virtues em- for our Italian coach Alberto Zaccheroni to braced by the Japanese? build a team of 11 players selected entirely from leagues all over the world. aim: to play in That may be the case. Punctuality, dependability and orderliness are held in high regard in both Germany and Japan. It is unlikely that he will have to do this given the array of promising players currently plying Europe.” You were already a star in Japan when you their trade in the J-League. How proud are you moved to Germany, where hardly anyone that the J-League has gone from a destination knew who you were. Since then you’ve scored for ageing stars from Europe and South 38 goals in 73 internationals, making you America after its foundation in 1993 to a the third-highest goalscorer in the history of springboard for the young Japanese stars of the Samurai Blue – are you aware of your tomorrow, who are now being exported to popularity back at home? European leagues? he could beat the offside trap with finesse and I think I’ve become more popular in For me, it was important at the start of find the space for his shot, but I’ve never had Japan because I’m scoring goals in the my professional career to establish myself in a favourite club in Europe. Bundesliga. But I’m not yet a superstar there the J-League, at founding club Shimizu and I don’t want to be either. It doesn’t fit S-Pulse. I learned so much there, particularly Japan’s women won their first World Cup title with who I am. The Japanese players who from the older, more experienced players. in Germany in 2011. Are you proud of that? play abroad definitely get more attention Thanks to my time there, I reached a point You bet. I’ve been out for a Japanese meal than those playing in the J-League at home. where I was able to move abroad. with 1. FFC Frankfurt players and world My job is to score goals, and I’ll be popular in champions Asuna Tanaka and Kozue Ando Japan as long as I keep doing that. When I How do you rate the current standard of the before, but men’s football is still more popular stop scoring, interest in me tends to wane J-League? in Japan even if we’re still a very, very long immediately. It’s a very good place to learn. South way from our first World Cup trophy. Å American coaches have been training players Baseball is still a more popular sport in Japan there for years. However, that doesn’t mean than football. As a child, were you ever tempted that the players who flourish in the J-League to pursue a career in baseball rather than will be successful abroad. You’ve got to be playing football? prepared to be patient, even if things don’t go My dad was a baseball player, albeit not too well at first. Most coaches in the Bundesli- a professional one. He wanted me to play ga will pick a German when given the option baseball, but because my older brother between a Japanese player and a German already played football and the sport suited player who are equally matched, so if a me better, I dedicated everything to becom- Japanese player is impatient and lets things ing a footballer too. Nowadays, football is slide as soon as he faces a setback, it’ll dam- almost as popular with young people in age his career. You always have to remember Japan as baseball, not least because we have that each career has its ups and downs, started to have success of our own and have regardless of whether the pendulum is swing- enjoyed positive coverage in the media. ing up or down at the time.

The Japanese national team, or Samurai Blue, Why is the English so popular have had their own role to play in this popu- in Japan? larity. Japan have qualified for every World As a child, I grew up watching the Premier Cup tournament since 1998 and were even League and Italy’s . They were the the first team to qualify for the 2014 competi- leagues that were shown live on TV. We’ve tion in Brazil. The team are also Asian champi- been enjoying Bundesliga broadcasts for ons and their quality seems to have gone up several years now too because of all the another notch. This will surely raise hopes that Japanese players in Germany, but the Bundes­ the Samurai Blue can reach the last 16 of the liga still doesn’t have the mass appeal of World Cup for the first time this summer. Do the Premier League. you share this expectation and dream of being awarded the World Cup Golden Boot one day? Who was your role model as a striker? I don’t set myself any specific targets. If Filippo Inzaghi in his prime at AC Milan. I

Karim Jaafar/Afp our team plays well, it’ll increase our chances try to play a little bit like him in the way that

THE FIFA WEEKLY 9 JAPAN

United we stand Japan finished fourth at the 2012 Olympics

Protective clothing meets football Outside the J-Village training facility in Fukushima prefecture in November 2011. Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters, Guttenfelder/Keystone David

10 THE FIFA WEEKLY JAPAN After the catastrophe

Three years have passed since Japan won the Women’s World Cup, the same year a devastating tsunami struck the nation. In what frame of mind will the men’s team approach the upcoming tournament in Brazil?

Perikles Monioudis tastrophe themselves. Instead, Japan took on a J-League XI in in front of 40,000 spec- hen David Baxter discovered an old tators. When Yasuhito Endo scored the opener football washed up on a beach on for the national side, the players raised their Middleton Island, Alaska in April black armbands towards the sky in an expres- 2012, he discovered that the ball had sion of their collective grief. They appeared to Japanese writing on it. Baxter’s wife draw strength from this gesture. Yumi is from Japan, and she came to But how strong is the Japan side today, Japan Football Association the conclusion that the ball must have travelled eleven weeks before the World Cup in Brazil is W Founded 5000 kilometres across the Pacific ocean, just due to get underway? The team of experienced 1921 as she had twelve months previously when Italian coach Alberto Zaccheroni triumphed Joined FIFA she’d visited her home country. 4-2 over New Zealand on 5 March. Last Novem- 1921 On 11 March 2011, the great Tohoku earth- ber, the Samurai Blue managed to beat Belgium FIFA Ranking quake, the hypocentre of which was 30 kilo- 3-2 and earn a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw 48 (March 2014) metres under water, resulted in a tsunami in with the Netherlands in Genk. Japan are sched- World Cup appearances which 16,000 people lost their lives. A further uled to face Colombia, Greece and Ivory Coast 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 2,700 are still considered missing. Three of the in the group stage in Brazil, all of whom are far Homepage six operating reactors at Fukushima nuclear ahead of them in the FIFA World Ranking, but www.jfa.or.jp power plant went into partial meltdown, the then again so are Belgium and the Netherlands. disaster leading to devastation and radioactive This Japanese side is extremely competi- contamination of unimaginable proportions. tive and boasts stars such as Keisuke Honda of The football belonged to then 16-year-old AC Milan, Manchester United Shin- Misaki Murakami, who was delighted to re- ji Kagawa, Shinji Okazaki from Mainz 05, the ceive a call from Yumi Baxter. The ball had aforementioned free-kick specialist Yasuhito been given to Murakami as a present when he Endo of and Schalke 04 defender had switched schools in 2005. “I lost everything . Reaching the knockout stage in the tsunami,” the young man told the world’s may prove difficult, but in qualifying for the press at the time. “I am delighted to have my World Cup Japan’s players have already football back.” achieved one important victory, both in a The rest of Japan was just as grateful to sporting sense and for their long-suffering have the beautiful game, and all the emotions compatriots. Å associated with the sport, back in their lives when their women’s national team became world champions in Germany, just four and a half months after the catastrophe. Japan coach Norio Sasaki used photos of the devastation to illustrate the team’s greater goal: to give their compatriots a glimmer of hope by winning the tournament. The tsunami struck soon after the first day of the 2011/12 J-League season. The competi- tion was suspended for the following six weeks as players, coaches, referees and fans set about helping victims of the disaster. Some players even collected money in Tokyo’s metro. The men’s national team returned to action in a charity match just one week after the event. They had been due to face New Zealand in a friendly, but the All Whites did not travel

Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters, Guttenfelder/Keystone David after suffering tremendous losses in the ca-

THE FIFA WEEKLY 11 XX. Monat 2013 English edition

Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Since 1904 TM & © 2014 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Lucasfilm Used Under Authorization. TM & © 2014

A FIFA World Cup ™ in Brazil is just like Visa: everyone is welcome. www.FIFA.com www.FIFA.com/

AF_221 X 295 - Corte_(215 x 289)_anun StarWars _(FQ)_JOB. 2415 - 1.15 - 12756.indd 2 07/01/14 19:00 GUEST COLUMNIST Philipp Lahm: “We can win the treble again”

eating Hertha Berlin last Tuesday was a what we said after our treble victory in 2012/13: round of the UEFA Champions League requires significant step towards achieving our the current Bayern team remains hungry for complete concentration and a top performance. aims for this season. We have success- success. Our willingness to fight and our moti- Domestically, there are plenty more incentives fully defended our league title, and not vation are as great as ever. We’ve now gone 52 that keep things interesting: Our leading just any old how – we have beaten our games without defeat – the AC Milan side of ­scorers can try and match the all time record own record from the previous campaign the early 90s only managed to go six more of 101 goals set in the 71/72 season, and Manuel Bby one match and are now celebrating the ear- matches without losing. Neuer can beat his own record of 18 goals con- liest title triumph in Bundesliga history! After That’s an incentive, as is the chance to go ceded, as long as he doesn’t concede more than only 27 games! an entire league season without defeat. No another five. The whole team has to work hard When asked last season if I was aware team has managed that in the Bundesliga’s going forward, as well as in defence. We want which records we could break this year, I said ­51-year history. If anyone’s capable of doing so, to better our points tally of 91 last season. We no. At the end of the day, it’s winning titles that it’s this team. Our mentality, personality and can also finish the campaign with a perfect counts and it doesn’t matter whether you win character is reminiscent of the Bayern side of home record and set a new mark for most vic- with 70, 80 or 100 points. But as our confidence the 70s. Therefore, our overall objective has to tories during a single season. and self-assuredness grew and our dominance be to win the treble again. We have the quality. So, if anyone asks me the same question in the league became more pronounced, we Our Bundesliga triumphs give us self-belief and this season: yes, I know about the records we started talking more about records and statis- allow the team to blossom further. can break. But the most important thing for tics during training and in the dressing room. Every training session is about making the Bayern are the titles. Winning the league in There are a load of stats regarding our most starting eleven. This incredible hunger for suc- March was the first step. Now we’re looking recent triumph in 2013/14. For all the talk of cess sets Bayern apart. Now that we’ve achieved forward to Manchester United and the Cup. Å our style of play and the general appeal of our our first goal, our attention turns to the re- matches, the numbers prove beyond doubt maining challenges this season. The knockout

Philipp Lahm is captain of Bayern Munich and the German national team.

Marco Leipold / City-Press GbR Dressing room selfie Philipp Lahm (centre) poses with team-mates after winning the Bundesliga title in Berlin on Tuesday.

THE FIFA WEEKLY 13 TALKING POINTS ON THE INSIDE

Primera División “Clasico” passion play adds to title drama

Jordi Punti es novelista y autor de numerosos artículos futbolísticos en la prensa española.

One of the defining moments of last Sunday’s clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona came three minutes before half-time, when seized on a loose ball in the penalty box, took one touch and fired the ball low into the net to level the game up at 2-2. As his team-mates ran to congratulate him, Messi collected the ball from the back of the net and set off for the centre circle. There was quite simply no time to lose. While Cesc Fabregas and Pepe – who else but him? – fought it out with each other, surrounded by a posse of players and the referee, Messi Yet another hat-trick Barça icon Lionel Messi struck three times in his team’s 4-3 victory over Real Madrid. was already thinking about the next move, aware that only a win would do for Barça if they were to maintain their title hopes. In the last few years el “clásico” has become from the fray and replacing him with central something of an epic saga, thanks in no small defender Raphael Varane, the idea being to The Argentinian would have been perfectly part to the war of words waged between Pep make safe the point. Ultimately the change entitled to celebrate his equaliser. Not only Guardiola and Jose Mourinho and the clash in was in vain. and Bale, the season’s did it make him the all-time leading goal­ the footballing styles they represent. For the two star signings, both started the game but scorer in the fixture, moving him past Alfre- fans the fixture is akin to a soap opera, full of failed to impose themselves on proceedings. do Di Stefano’s tally of 18, it also took him intrigue and acts of vengeance and complete up to second place in the Spanish league’s with heroes and villains and leading and Though the match will live long in the memo- scoring charts. With 236 Liga goals now secondary actors. Friends and rivals, the ry, it will also be remembered – for a while at to his name, Messi has edged ahead of Hugo players know each other inside out, many of least – for another bout of refereeing contro- Sanchez and has his sights sets on the most them (, , Iniesta, Xabi versies. Undiano Mallenco awarded three prolific marksman of them all, Telmo Zarra, Alonso, and Alvaro Arbeloa among penalties on a tense, fraught evening, and who struck 251 goals for Athletic Bilbao in others) having shared in the glory of winning though he got more than one decision wrong, the 1940s and 50s. the World Cup and the European Champion- it cannot be said his performance influenced ship twice with Spain. Others have faced off the outcome. Ancelotti was as polite as ever Messi’s determination was reflected in the dozens of times, in all competitions, the after the match, though some of his players final score, with his hat-trick, which con- memory of encounters past weighing heavy were unable to contain their frustration and tained two penalties, helping Barcelona on them. Every match, though played in the had some very harsh words for the referee, secure a 4-3 win. Nor should his influence on present, forms part of a narrative thread that their reactions recalling the days of Mourinho, his team’s overall performance be underesti- continues to unfold. when defeats were explained away by talk of mated. Though the match was close through- plots and envy. out and both defences proved error-prone, This latest meeting of these two old rivals can Barcelona’s stylish passing and possession be seen as a contest between old and new, one Barcelona’s triumph has once again made play won out over Madrid’s direct power featuring two coaches loyal to their own things very tight at the top of the table and game. On a night on which intuition but mindful all the same of the ensured Atletico Madrid would end the day as failed to exert his influence, it fell to the weight of memory. Gerardo Martino put his leaders. With eight games remaining, picking darting Angel Di Maria and the prowling faith once more in the Barcelona’s tradition of a favourite is an impossible task. All three Karim Benzema to carry Madrid’s threat, the possession-based football in a bid to wrest contenders have recovered from dips in form Frenchman scoring two well-taken goals but control of the midfield, a throwback to the at various times of the season and each now

missing two other clear-cut chances. And halcyon days of the Guardiola era. With face demanding run-ins. Like any soap opera Getty Images / there was more to Barça than just Messi, with Ramos’ dismissal and Messi’s second penalty, worth its salt, the championship race promis- Xavi, , Cesc and the ubiqui- Carlo Ancelotti became more Italian than es to serve up a gripping denouement, with tous Andrea Iniesta providing the visitors ever and went firmly on the defensive, remov- the last-day meeting between Barcelona and

with a solid platform for victory. ing Benzema – his most impressive player – Atletico Madrid looming large in the script. Å Victor Carretero Mariano Alvez

14 THE FIFA WEEKLY ’s Primera Division stumbled into the new campaign, with the Uruguayan league holds little appeal. Tabarez former losing 1-0 at their Estadio Centenario views his role as a dual function of getting Tabarez and the last weekend to Club Atletico Cerro, a side the best out of Edinson Cavani, Luis Suarez also based in but not be con- and Co and bringing through young players Montevideo fused with Cerro Largo, who are from Melo. who are often given a chance to shine early Javier Delgado’s strike on the hour mark was on in the Primera Division. The Uruguay championship enough to defeat Los Carboneros. Meanwhile, supremo is a frequent visitor at the country’s El Bolso also lost by the same scoreline at footballing headquarters close to the Monte- Sven Goldmann is a football their Parque Central stadium to bottom club video airport in order to observe the youth expert at Tagesspiegel newspaper Juventud, with Jaime Baez Stabile grabbing a teams’ training sessions. The youngsters are in Berlin. last-minute winner. the future of the national side, with each of them dreaming of achieving the same level If ever the seven wonders of National team coach Oscar Washington of success as the current senior outfit. world football were to be Tabarez is a frequent spectator at league Suarez left Nacional for the Netherlands as a ­established, there would have to be a place games but he will select his final World Cup 19-year-old, Cavani departed Danubio for for Uruguay alongside Pele’s 1970 World Cup squad exclusively from players plying their Italy when he was 20, while Diego Lugano team and the tiki-taka of the modern era. trade in Europe, Argentina and Brazil. was 22 when he moved to Brazil from Geographically sandwiched between Argen- Interest in the Japanese championship has ­Nacional. That trend is set to continue for tina and Brazil, the country is home to three increased since Diego Forlan’s move to the foreseeable future. Å million inhabitants, 1000 clubs and 200,000 , but that does not mean the players but has still managed to play a domi- nant role in the global game. Uruguay are even considered dark horses to take the title at this year’s World Cup. Penarol, Nacional, Liverpool and River Plate are some of the ­nation’s better known sides and all are based in the same city.

In reality Uruguay’s Primera Division is little more than a Montevideo city championship: of the league’s 16 clubs, 14 are based in the capital. The two other teams, Cerro Largo and Juventud, occupy 12th and 15th place respectively in the standings. The league has been in existence since 1900 and no team outside of Montevideo has ever lifted the title, with Penarol and Nacional constantly vying for overall supremacy, having collected 38 and 32 championships respectively.

The league format is somewhat complex. As is the custom in South America, six- month seasons, known as the Apertura and Clausura, are played, although in Uruguay the system is fused with a European flavour so that there is only ever one overall ­champion per year. The respective winners of the Apertura and Clausura meet in a semi-final, with the victors going on to face the calendar year’s overall league leader in a two-legged final.

This year there is a good chance that both Penarol and Nacional will be absent from the title-decider. As Clausura champions

Getty Images Danubio have already secured one of the / semi­-final spots, while Atletico Fenix cur- rently have a slender lead at the top of the Apertura standings after eight rounds of

Victor Carretero Mariano Alvez matches. Penarol and Nacional have both Better luck next time Marcelo Zalayeta (l.) and his Penarol team-mates lost 0-1 to Pablo Melo’s (r.) Atletico Cerro side.

THE FIFA WEEKLY 15 Name Fernando Manuel Costa Santos Date and place of birth 10 October 1954, (Portugal) Greece national team coach Since 2010 Honours as coach Portuguese champion, two-time Portu- guese Cup winner, Greek Cup winner World Cup 2014 Group matches Colombia (14 June), Japan (19 June), Côte d’Ivoire (24 June) dapd / Ronny Ronny Hartmann

16 THE FIFA WEEKLY THE INTERVIEW “As a country, Greece is suffering”

Since taking over from Otto Rehhagel in charge of the Greek national team, ­Fernando Santos has won no shortage of admirers. With the nation still feeling the effects of the economic crisis, the 59-year-old Portuguese coach believes ­Brazil 2014 “will do the country a lot of good”.

How would you assess Greek football at Panathinaikos and later at PAOK. My prede- You and your wife have lived in Greece for present? cessor Otto Rehhagel achieved great things several years now. Will you ever return to Fernando Santos: The level is quite low. and we’re still reaping the rewards of his work Portugal? Apart from Olympiacos, there are no teams today. And we can’t forget that it was difficult Certainly. That said, Greece has a lot to that are able to compete in international for him to make progress after winning the offer and we feel comfortable here, it’s a bit competition at the moment. It has all come European Championship in 2004. I’m trying to like a home from home. Greece and Portugal about as a result of the economic crisis. As a carry on where he left off four years ago. It’s have plenty of things in common: the mental- country, Greece is suffering and that’s had an not easy but it’s fun to take on challenges like ity, the food, the culture and the climate. I impact on its football. The clubs don’t have that. And we managed to qualify for the World love both countries. Å any money and development is almost at a Cup after all. standstill. Interview by Is the country hoping to win a second major Alan Schweingruber Are there no positives? title? Things are really bad. We need to try to Winning EURO 2004 was a miracle and integrate and support more young Greek of course people would love to experience talent in clubs, schools and in the national that again. However, that hasn’t raised the teams. That’s my aim too and that’s what the levels of expectation in the country. We’ve Greek Football Association hired me to do. Of reached a third World Cup and that’s fantas- course the focus is on the national side but tic. Qualifying was tough [Greece beat grassroots work is just as important. The Romania in the play-offs] and the Greek youngest player in the senior team is 17. It’s people appreciate that. We all know our good that he’s already in the squad so that he participation at the tournament will do the can learn from the more experienced players. country a lot of good. When I think about It’s very important to me to be able to con- the incredible atmosphere in Greek stadiums tribute something to the development here. and at public viewings at a lot of events, I’m sure a positive mood like that can be You are very well respected in Greece and have infectious and help the country out of its been voted as Coach of the Year four times. crisis. In June we want to give a good account What do people make of having a foreigner in of Greek football and make it out of the charge of the national side? group stages for the first time. You’d have to ask the people of Greece that one. Who will win the World Cup? Brazil. Do you feel respected? There would surely have been easier tasks than taking over from You seem very confident of that. Otto Rehhagel. Well I could name a couple of the big dapd

/ I’m respected as a national coach and we’ve teams as favourites but Brazil are playing a had good results. We’ve only lost five times in World Cup on home soil. I have no doubt 44 matches. People show me a lot of respect about their ability to use that to their advan- because I’ve been successfully working in tage. Brazil will win it.

Ronny Ronny Hartmann Greece since 2001, first with AEK Athens, then

THE FIFA WEEKLY 17 COUNTDOWN TO BRAZIL 2014: 76 DAYS TO GO What dreams are made of

A national team’s football shirt stands as a symbol for the country’s collective identity, representing tradition, character and passion. However, it also needs to live up to the stylistic demands of the fans and players that will wear it.

Sarah Steiner However, like everything in sport, kits must also adhere to strict guidelines. The section of football shirt is far more than merely a the FIFA rulebook concerning equipment runs piece of material. It is a symbol for the to 92 pages and covers everything from collars team and of the country as a whole, rep- right down to the studs, with little left open to resenting a common point of reference, interpretation. The following snippet gives a collective spirit and the nation’s identity. good indication: “Each part of the kit must be Football jerseys have a long history, with made up of individual pieces (for example, Athe colours, crests and emblems inextricably sleeves, collar, legs and seams), so that when put linked to a country’s past. What would the together they form a shirt, shorts or socks.” Nev- French kit be without its cockerel? Would Brazil ertheless, there is still some room for manoeu- still be Brazil if they played in purple and would vre that has allowed shirt styles to change, with England be the same without their three lions? the current trend focusing on tight, figure-hug- The shirts worn when major titles were won ging specimens. The teams adidas manufacture live on as a reminder of a country’s success, and kits for even get two different models to choose the official unveiling of a side’s World Cup kit is from: a traditional shirt and the TECHfit style an eagerly-awaited occasion. In monetary terms, that originated in underwear production. the value of a match-worn shirt far outweighs Given the importance of fashion in society, its mere symbolic importance. The jersey worn the intricacies involved in creating a shirt that by Pele in the 1970 World Cup final was sold at appeals to players, fans and increasing numbers Christie’s auction house for €175,000 in 2002, of female spectators is no easy task. Fashion while Geoff Hurst’s shirt from the 1966 final designer Giorgio Armani once said that “ele- fetched €80,000. gance is not about catching the eye but about staying in the memory.” That is precisely what From practical to fashionable the creators of football shirts aim to do and de- The attire worn by footballers has undergone signers have given free rein to their imagina- huge changes over the years. The material used tions ahead of this year’s World Cup. to be little more than an afterthought - cotton was considered perfectly adequate at the time Trailblazing Brazilians - but science is now the driving force behind a The best-selling shirt this summer is likely to be shirt’s manufacture, with high-tech fabrics re- the Brazilian one, with millions expected to be placing nylon. Today’s football shirts are made sold. The design phase was a time-consuming up of several layers, designed to transport sweat process. The classic yellow shirt and blue shorts away from players’ bodies to leave their skin dry remain as the home kit; the blue away shirt will but not cold. Visually, shirts have also changed have waves to represent the ocean, while the dramatically too. Last century a plain-coloured tiny circles and diamonds that are also part of Out with the old For the 2014 World Cup Germany shirt with the country’s emblem embroidered on the crest stand for national pride. The crest it- have ditched their traditional green in favour of sparkling white. it was considered sufficient, but nowadays com- self keeps its place on the chest, with five stars plex prints, effects and patterns have taken over, – one for each World Cup title – placed above it. turning shirts into a fashion accessory that is On its reverse, on the inside of the shirt, the not only worn on matchdays. words “Nascido para jogar futebol” (born to play

18 THE FIFA WEEKLY COUNTDOWN TO BRAZIL 2014: 76 DAYS TO GO → http://www.fifa.com/worldcup

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football) are stitched, but the most eye-catching outfits. Cameroon wanted to play in sleeveless innovation is the material it is made from. shirts at the 2002 World Cup, an idea that was Alongside all the other scientific legwork that banned by FIFA, and two years later they ap- goes into producing a shirt, A Seleção are pro- peared in a tight-fighting one-piece ensemble at moting sustainability: their range of shirts are the African Cup of Nations, an act that earned all made out of recycled plastic bottles. the country’s FA a €160,000 Euro fine. In Brazil, Cameroon will take to the field in a dark green Deep-thinking Germans number. The Germans also put plenty of thought into The Indomitable Lions shirts are, appropri- their World Cup outfits, with chief designer Ju- ately enough, adorned with a picture of a lion, rgen Rank and his team going to extreme as well as the outline of the country’s shape, a lengths before coming up with the finished ar- star on the crest and the depiction of a football ticle. Interviews were conducted with youths pitch. The overall effect is nothing if not across the country while university professors eye-catching. The shirts serve as a tribute to were also asked for their analysis of the devel- the country’s 1990 World Cup team that was opment of German identity. “The summer fairy- fired into the quarter-finals by the side’s danc- tale in Germany was a new beginning,” said ing goalscorer Roger Milla. Cameroon are aim- Rank. “It offered a new way of using Germany’s ing to get at least as far this time, with talis- colours to trigger a fresh feeling of self-esteem, manic forward Samuel Eto’o stating that albeit without being overly German.” It was “Cameroon are the best African team.” One against that backdrop that the all-white 2014 thing is certain: Cameroon will be hard to miss shirt was created, aiming to emphasis the coun- in South America. try’s passion for the game, self-assurance and The World Cup promises to be a mul- quality. “The design symbolises German ti-coloured spectacle and irrespective of aes- self-confidence and interprets the German flag thetics and scientific manufacturing tech- in different tones of red, which represent the niques, the shirt worn by the eventual tireless energy that comes from the team and champions will live long in the memory. It will the new generation of players,” Rank explained. become more than just a few pieces of material “The lines in the design stand for integration for fans around the globe, it will be what and team-work, as well as the players’ different dreams are made of. Å cultural backgrounds and experiences.” Wheth- er or not the shirts resonate with fans is still to be seen, but there is no doubt they will fly off the shelves in the hope that summer 2014 will

Joern Pollex/Getty Images, Keystone, Imago Pollex/Getty Keystone, Joern Images, provide another fairytale for Germany.

Inventive Cameroonians Alongside the Brazilian and German creations, Cameroon’s shirts are sure to live up to Armani’s words. It would not be the first time the Central Africans have set tongues wagging with their

THE FIFA WEEKLY 19 First Love Place: Dublin, Ireland Date: 6 September 2005 Time: 1.47 pm

Photograph by Levon Biss with support from Umbro / RPM THE FIFA WEEKLY 21 THE DEBATE

Early footballing education

Children’s football The emphasis is on fun, but the game also teaches kids the odd lesson or two.

Taking part in team Merkel’s views. “Sport is so important because it youth football scheme. This encompassed five encourages children to be active, lead a healthy points: History, objectives, values, personality sports gives children lifestyle, make friends and, of course, have fun. and behaviour. , the then the chance to gain But quality school sport has benefits that spread Sporting Director of the German FA who has right across the curriculum and beyond – it de- since taken up the same role at Bayern Munich, ­experience that can velops confidence and a sense of achievement, it received a fair amount of criticism despite the prove invaluable later teaches young people how to rise to a challenge, resounding success of the scheme. “It’s not and nurtures the character and skills that will about forcing our players into a particular in life. So what role help them get on and succeed in life.” system or making them stand to attention like The sentiments of prominent politicians in the GDR,” he explained. “They have plenty of does football play in a are shared by those involved in football at leeway, but it’s about orientation and how they child’s education and grassroots level. Former FIFA employee Marco should behave.” Bernet, current Sporting Director at FC Zurich Nevertheless, the main focus is on the so- development? who helped set up the youth academy at the called performance principle, even at the age of club, describes sport as an ideal tool with which seven. Experts speak of an “early footballing Thomas Renggli to determine one’s place in society: “Sport en- education.” As the popular saying goes, you ables us to combine education with perfor- can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Å oliticians set great store by good sports- mance,” he says. “Children learn about disci- manship. “Sport teaches fundamental pline, order and how to deal with expectations.” values of social interaction and coexist- Not that a child takes such matters into ac- ence, as well as tolerance and respect, count when deciding whether or not to join a camaraderie, fair play, the willingness to football club: in most cases, it’s all about the fun help others and the chance to explore involved. This, according to Bernet, is decisive:

one’s own limits,” says German Chancellor “If you enjoy doing something, time goes much The weekly debate. Keystone P / ­Angela Merkel. more quickly. In addition, you learn how to deal Anything you want to get off your British Prime Minister David Cameron, who with setbacks and how to cope with defeats.” chest? Which topics do you want to recently announced an annual £150 million cash In 2009, the German Football Association discuss? Send your suggestions to:

injection for national school sport, agrees with introduced a set of guidelines related to its feedback-theweekly@.org. Martin Ruetschi

22 THE FIFA WEEKLY THE DEBATE PRESIDENTIAL NOTE

In my opinion it’s essential that children Team sports in general are definitely a good are sufficiently active and should spend as school of life, and football even more so. My much time as possible outdoors in the son only learned how to take others into fresh air. Furthermore, football is the ideal consideration and how to cope with defeat sport to help promote working in a team. when he joined his football club. Artistic activities are also very important in Diego Gentiloni, Milan (Italy) a child’s development. A child should be allowed to try out a lot of things, but never Sport definitely is a kind of school of life. forced to do anything. It helps you grow up and prepares you for Fabio Lenzlinger, St. Gallen (Switzerland) the challenges and demands you face in life. It is a social outlet and helps you blow off Sport can play an important role in your steam too. professional life. For example, anyone who Falk Olsson, Goteborg () is in a position of leadership in a team sport Football’s lessons will know that the team needs to pull in the same direction or else it won’t work. The for life leader should also be able to let someone else take the reins occasionally. There are o sports,” said Winston Churchill with big differences between team sports and “Football the strict authority of a statesman. I individual sports. In the latter you learn how “Nmust contradict him in the strongest to fight and also how to deal with winning possible terms. Sport in general and football and losing. However, having a team mentality (as a team sport) in particular provide ideal – which is extremely important in manage- lessons for life. Where else can you experi- ment positions – is harder to learn in indi- provides­ both ence and learn in such a practical way quali- vidual sports. ties like the feeling of belonging, integration, Carsten Schwank, Dusseldorf (Germany) creativity and fairness? Where else can you find out about working towards a target as a I believe it’s very important for children to good and bad team, learning how to win but also how to take part in sports as it allows them to cope with setbacks? experience both winning and losing. In Then there is football’s contribution to gen- group sports they also learn team spirit and eral public health. FIFA’s “Football for Health” social interaction. In my view those things initiative aims to promote the importance of are vital for the positive development of a examples.” this topic and boost awareness of it. In some child’s character. countries life expectancy is over 80, but in oth- Gesa Jurgens, St. Gallen (Switzerland) ers it is under 40. We must find ways to narrow this gap and give people in poorer countries the Football can be hugely significant in any I don’t think football is a good school of life same chance in life. Thanks to its global popu- upbringing. Alongside teaching positive by any means. If you watch a match on larity, football can lead the way in promoting traits like team spirit, success and fairness, it television nowadays you see things you awareness of health issues and in preventative also teaches negative things – especially at wouldn’t want to teach your children: nasty matters, motivating people to greater levels of the top level – such as cheating, spectator tackles, theatrical dives and constant com- activity through participation in the game. unrest and wasting money. In other words, plaining. I hope my four-year-old daughter This in turn contributes to the fight against football provides both good and bad examples never wants to play football but decides to try disease and a better quality of life. as a school of life. ballet or ice skating instead. This week I visited Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan Thomas Meier, (Switzerland) Olga Sedokova, Sumy (Ukraine) and Kazakhstan and personally witnessed the integrative power of football in the region, es- pecially among children. In Tajikistan we inau- gurated the artificial turf pitch in the central stadium in , laying the foundation for the continuation of the development pro- gramme there. This will particularly benefit young people and accentuate the significance “Sport can play an of football as a provider of lessons for life. important role in your Keystone / professional life.”

Martin Ruetschi Best wishes, Sepp Blatter

THE FIFA WEEKLY 23 XX. Monat 2013 English edition emirates.com Tomorrow Fédération Internationale bringsde Football Association – Since 1904us all closer To new people, new ideas and new states of mind. Here’s to reaching all the places we’ve never been.

Fly Emirates to 6 continents.

www.FIFA.com www.FIFA.com/ PANINI FEVER Take the stars home with you

Panini trading cards provide a magical link between fans and footballing icons. By hunting down the final few stickers for their albums, Panini collectors can gain a personal 2014 World Cup victory of their own. Let’s get collecting!

Ronald Duker each sachet. There may be a long-awaited card inside, or others the collector found long ago very football fan knows that this year’s and no longer needs. Purchasing duplicates is FIFA World Cup takes place from 12 June inevitable, and a collector will invariably find until 13 July, but the international com- like-minded people with whom he can swap munity of trading card collectors is fol- them. This lottery of buying the trading cards lowing another schedule altogether. For and interacting with other Panini collectors 150 images. How many people are likely to them, the World Cup begins with the is what makes completing a sticker album so achieve this with the new World Cup album? Elaunch of the latest Panini album at the end of appealing. Fortunately, there is a large selection of swap- March, and it only ends well after the tourna- Panini stickers have even become the sub- ping exchanges to help collectors fill in the ment. After all, a trading card collector’s per- ject of mathematical theory. “Coupon Collec- gaps. sonal campaign can only be considered com- tor’s Problem” is the name of a challenging The idea of trading card albums originated plete when every last card has been stuck into stochastic problem that determines the aver- in 1840 and was initially devised to help sell their album. age number of trading cards you would need to chocolate, when German confectioner Franz The latest World Cup album is only 80 pages collect to complete one entire set. Stollwerck printed his chocolate bar wrappers thick but contains spaces for more than 600 with images that revealed entire stories when stickers. Sachets, each containing five trading The art of swapping pasted into a book. By collecting the pictures, cards, are available from newsagents’ kiosks for A series of complicated calculations reveal sweet-toothed children learned about the con- around 60 cents each, but the problem is that that a collector would need to purchase 839 struction of Cologne Cathedral or the battles

Giuseppe Panini there is no way of predicting the contents of trading cards in order to complete one set of of the Franco-Prussian War.

THE FIFA WEEKLY 25 PANINI FEVER

?

World Cup winners since 1970 Brazil 1970, Germany 1974, Argentina 1978, Italy 1982, Argentina 1986, Germany 1990 (previous page), Brazil­ 1994, France 1998, Brazil 2002, Italy 2006, Spain 2010. Which team will win in 2014?

It was the Panini brothers from Modena, Today, swapping communities have Italy, who first applied this idea to the world of sprung up on the Internet, providing collectors football. They produced their first album of with a huge community in which to share Serie A players for the 1961/1962 season and cre- their passion with like-minded people. There ated their first World Cup album in 1970. In the is also the opportunity to create a virtual 50 years that followed, this small family enter- ­sticker album. prise grew into a global company that now gen- erates annual sales of more than 600 million Take the stars home with you euros and employs 900 staff. Another more puzzling question is where this love of trading card collecting comes from. Can Bringing people together it be traced back to the iconography of the Middle Rui Patricio or Philipp Lahm, every player here Collectors pursue their hobby with utmost Ages, thus lending today’s footballing superstars plays a crucial role in completing an album, no seriousness and great rigour. It is easy to as- an air of religious adoration? Do the stickers, matter what his market value or playing ability. sume that such an obsession would be limited much like autograph cards, provide a mystical Despite this, 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or nominees to eccentric loners, but this is not the case – connection between a fan and his idols? Messi, Ronaldo (the eventual winner, of course) Panini stickers attract all manner of enthusi- The truth is somewhat different. A trading and Ribery are not just global football stars, asts! Accumulating duplicate cards automat- card album is a museum or picture gallery. Every they are Panini album stars too, despite the ically creates social connections, as one single player from every single team is photo- fact that they are given just as much space in collector will always have cards another is graphed against a similar background and provid- the album as every other player. looking for. Every small group of children ed with the same sparse information: name, All of this means that collectors can cele- huddled in a playground swapping football birthplace, age, height, weight and club. Neverthe- brate their own personal 2014 World Cup victo- stickers knows that this strategy is a much less, collectors know which stickers they would ry with the stars and all the other players just quicker way to complete an album than try- most like to have in their albums: the stars. as soon as they have stuck the final Panini

ing to collect cards alone. Whether Lionel Messi or Asmir Begovic, sticker into their albums. Å Panini BreveglieriWalter

26 THE FIFA WEEKLY THE PANINI BROTHERS Stickers past and present

Yvonne Lemmer

hen brothers Giuseppe and Benito Pa- nini opened their newspaper kiosk in 1945 in the Italian city of Modena, they could never have imagined their company would one day become the world leader in football stickers and Wtrading cards. The brothers set up the Panini Group in 1961 and published their first sticker album the same year. It was designed to hold portraits of Italian teams from the 1961/62 season. It is still possible to acquire stickers from the very first collection via internet auction houses, for ex- ample. Not long ago nine portraits of contem- porary Milan stars changed hands for €110. Nine years after the inaugural Italy-only album Panini issued their first collectors’ al- bum and stickers for a World Cup featuring the stars of the Mexico 70 tournament. For the 2010 World Cup in South Africa the Panini range was expanded to include an on- line album alongside the printed variant. More than a million enthusiastic collectors pieced From newsstand to collectors' album empire The Panini brothers at their kiosk in Modena. together personal online albums, containing almost 395 million virtual stickers in total. Panini’s virtual sticker collection for 2014 comprises 352 pictures. Their printed cousins will be bought and enthusiastically swapped on school playgrounds or in offices as always, but the virtual stickers must be acquired online by searching the web for hidden download codes. FIFA.com is the place to go for the 40 imag- es not featuring a player. The stickers can be found on the official website but also via the FIFA app and in social networks. Completing a collection will take some patience, partly be- cause certain images will only be released in the course of the tournament and cannot be acquired before then. The year 2011 also brought a significant new product with the first collectors’ album dedi- cated to a Women’s World Cup. The tourna- ment in Germany featured Panini stickers de- picting the world’s best women players for the first time. Å

Panini BreveglieriWalter Undiminished enthusiasm Children went wild for football trading cards as early as 1960.

THE FIFA WEEKLY 27 © 2014 adidas AG. adidas, the 3-Bars logo and the 3-Stripes mark are registered trademarks of the adidas Group. trademarks registered mark are and the 3-Stripes logo adidas, the 3-Bars © 2014 adidas AG.

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+132000_Ad_FIFA_WEEKLY_Samba_collection_SS14_Boot_combined_215x289.indd 1 03.02.14 16:55 FREE KICK WEEKLY TOP 11

National team nicknames

Seleção – Brazil. Other names for the 1 Brazilian side include Canarinho (canar- ies), Verdeamarelhos (the green-and-­ yellows) and Pentacampeão (five-time champions).

Socceroos – Australia. A journalist first 2 bestowed the national team with this blend of the words ‘soccer’ and ‘kangaroos’.

Three Lions – England. The three lions 3 in question appear on the crest of Eng- Football arithmetic land’s Football Association. Chipolopolos – Zambia. The Copper 4 Bullets seek to hit the target with a nickname reflecting the fact that copper Thomas Renggli play. However, it was Hungarian coach Gustav is one of the nation’s main exports. Sebes who instigated the start of the first big ootball terminology can be a minefield at tactical revolution. In the 1950s, the team Sebes La Furia Roja – Spain. The nickname the best of times, with new phrases being built around Ferenc Puskas would become one 5 The Red Fury originated at the 1920 coined at regular intervals. One of the of the most spectacular outfits in the game’s Olympic Games, when the team became latest additions is the ‘false nine’, a player history and it broke new ground with its tacti- surprise silver medallists. who drops deep into midfield to launch cally flexible 2-3-3-2 system. It created count- attacks, as opposed to a ‘real’ number 9 less headaches for the opposition and turned Harambee Stars – Kenya. The Swahili Fwho is a traditional out-and-out striker. Cata- football into a numbers game: 6 word Harambee means “all pull together”. lan coaching mastermind may 4-2-4; 4-1-3-2; 4-2-1-3; 3-4-3; 4-3-3; 5-3-2; 3-5-2; be setting new standards by the week at Bayern 5-4-1; 4-5-1: 4-2-3-1; 4-1-4-1; 3-3-4; 3-6-1; 3-3-3-1; Samurai Blue – Japan. The Japanese Munich, but he had the sense not to tinker with 4-6-0; 4-2-2-2; 4-4-2. 7 players fight and win in their blue shirts the most important of formulas in the Bavari- This is not a series of winning lottery num- in a manner reminiscent of the nation’s an capital, namely that a beer tankard should bers but rather a list of common formations traditional warriors. hold exactly a litre. He has, however, been al- found in any standard football handbook. The tering football’s established numerics by play- only underlying rule to all of the above is that To Piratiko – Greece. This nickname is ing Thomas Muller as a ‘nine-and-a-half’ - a when the numbers are added together the total 8 attributed to a TV commentator at EURO striker disguised as a midfielder. must always be ten. 2004, who said the Greek side would have Christian Streich, Guardiola’s counterpart Nevertheless, certain characteristics have to move like a pirate ship and ambush the at SC Freiburg, only has an eighth (17 million outlived the various systems and tactical over- other teams. Euro) of the budget at Bayern, but that has not hauls: goalkeepers and left wingers are always stopped him outdoing the Spaniard tactically: slightly crazy and when in doubt, blame the Les Lions Indomptables – Cameroon. “We have an eight-and-a-half and a nine-and-a- referee. Å 9 The government decided to give the half but no traditional number 10.” team the name The Indomitable Lions It has not always been like this. When foot- in 1972 in the hope that they would be as ball branched off from rugby to become an in- untameable as the king of the animals. dependent sport at the beginning of the 20th century, tactical chaos ruled, with free-spirited La Mannschaft – Germany. Although attacking play the dominant style. Coaches 10 the DFB’s national side has no official would send one goalkeeper, one defender and nickname, they are dubbed La Mann- nine strikers out onto the pitch. schaft in Italy. An appreciation of defending only devel- oped over the course of time, with coaches elect- Soca Warriors – Trinidad & Tobago. Soca ing three or four players to take over duties at 11 refers not to football but to a musical the back. The first tactics to gain widespread blend of soul and calypso typical on the acceptance were the ‘WM’ system, with five at- islands. tackers and five defenders, and the ‘Scottish line’, which defined players’ numbers, from No1 for the goalkeeper to No11 for the left winger. Schalke came up with the ‘circle’, while in Which team has the best nicknames? Switzerland Austria’s Karl Rappan invented the The weekly column by our staff Email your thoughts to: ‘bolt’, a forerunner of the ‘Catenaccio’ style of writers [email protected]

THE FIFA WEEKLY 29 HISTORY Little lion, big impact

How do you generate maximum media exposure for an event without spending millions? The 1966 World Cup opted against expensive newspaper adverts and instead captured public attention with the World Cup Willie mascot.

Yvonne Lemmer Despite World Cup Willie’s low-key introduc- tion, media and fans were instantly enthralled, fter designing an official logo for the 1966 just as the competition organisers had planned. World Cup, in the early 1960s the English Pictures of the cuddly lion subsequently Football Association (FA) set about cre- appeared at regular intervals in the English ating another symbol through which the press, while almost 100 licensees were found to upcoming tournament could be adver- sell souvenirs such as key rings, stickers, post- tised both cheaply and stylishly. cards, mugs, caps and t-shirts bearing World AYet publicity was not all the FA were after; Cup Willie’s image or the official tournament they were also keen on exploiting this new logo. symbol commercially. To that end Reginald It was the birth of World Cup merchandis- Hoye, an Englishman employed as an illustra- ing. Hoye, who has since passed away, entered tor at Walter Tuckwell and Associates Limited, the history books as the creator of the very was commissioned to come up with as memo- first World Cup mascot, while Willie heralded rable a design as possible, while the company the start of publicising an event using mascots, itself was tasked with awarding licenses to use a strategy that still exists to this day. Å the tournament’s image rights. Hoye, who also illustrated the world famous children’s books by Enid Blyton among others, presented the FA with four different proposals, three of which involved a lion while the fourth was of a young boy. The winning design was based on Hoye’s 12-year-old son: a lion with a 60s haircut and a Union Jack t-shirt with ‘World Cup’ written on it. World Cup Willie was born. The media’s first glimpse of the small, friendly, broad-shouldered lion came in July 1965, when the mascot was presented almost as an afterthought at a press conference at the FA

headquarters in the build-up to the 1966 finals. John Pratt / Getty Images

30 THE FIFA WEEKLY The artist’s muse Leo Hoye poses with the World Cup Willies designed by his father, Reginald Hoye, in February 1966.

THE FIFA WEEKLY 31 MIRROR IMAGE THEN

Stadium in Quito, Ecuador

1958

Attempting to score from the halfway line – US Vice President Richard M. Nixon tries a trick shot on 1 May 1958 while on a trip to South America. More than a decade later he was inaugurated as 37th President of the United States. AP PhotoAP

/

Getty Images / Paul Paul Schutzer Martinez Monsivais Pablo

32 THE FIFA WEEKLY MIRROR IMAGE NOW

Ciudad de Deus favela, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2011

USA cannot meet hosts Brazil at this summer’s World Cup until the knockout stages, but President Barack Obama made sure to catch up with a group of young players during a trip to Rio de Janeiro on 20 March 2011. AP PhotoAP

/

Getty Images / Paul Paul Schutzer Martinez Monsivais Pablo

THE FIFA WEEKLY 33 Trim: 210mm 19mm Safety: 19mm Safety: Trim: 210mm

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England’s women break into the Cup, beating world champions Japan 3-0 in the their highest placing since the women’s world top ten final on 12 March. ranking was introduced in 2003.

The Cyprus Cup has also had an effect on Some 142 matches were taken into con­ The USA have topped the women’s FIFA world the top ten. Thanks to a successful campaign sideration for the latest ranking, with eight rankings for the past six years, but it appears which saw them reach the final in Nicosia, also nations making a return to the list: Argentina, change is on the way, with Germany just 24 on 12 March, England have climbed three Bolivia, Chile, Venezuela, Tunisia, Algeria, points behind in the latest ranking. Silvia ­places to eighth. Meanwhile, France’s triumph Egypt and Mali. Neid’s side recently triumphed at the Algarve in the competition moved them up to fourth,

Rank Team Change in ranking Points Rank Team Change in ranking Points Rank Team Change in ranking Points 58 Bulgaria -2 1393 Azerbaijan ** 1341 1 USA 0 2197 60 Israel -5 1388 Jamaica ** 1339 61 Albania -2 1372 Tonga ** 1316 2 Germany 0 2173 62 Panama -2 1364 Fiji ** 1306 63 Croatia -2 1361 Guam ** 1294 3 Japan 0 2076 63 Hong Kong -2 1361 Guyana ** 1256 65 Venezuela 1360 Congo ** 1238 4 France 1 2051 66 Turkey -3 1358 Tahiti ** 1238 66 Kazakhstan -3 1358 Dominican Republic ** 1226 5 Sweden 1 2016 68 Côte d’Ivoire -2 1357 Cuba ** 1201 69 Greece -4 1348 Solomon Islands ** 1195 6 Brazil -2 2006 70 Faroe Islands -3 1338 New Caledonia ** 1188 71 Tunisia 1335 Benin ** 1187 7 Canada 0 1971 72 Indonesia -4 1330 Moldova ** 1177 73 Uruguay -5 1329 Barbados ** 1173 8 England 3 1956 74 Algeria 1327 Cook Islands ** 1170 75 Estonia -4 1320 Suriname ** 1159 9 Korea DPR 1 1954 76 Guatemala -4 1318 Vanuatu ** 1139 77 Morocco -9 1316 Angola ** 1134 10 Norway -2 1949 78 Bahrain -5 1314 Bahamas ** 1111 11 Australia -2 1945 79 Philippines -4 1309 Samoa ** 1110 12 Italy 0 1880 80 Bosnia-Herzegovina -6 1306 Puerto ** 1108 13 Denmark 0 1877 81 Laos -4 1283 American Samoa ** 1075 14 Netherlands 0 1852 82 Egypt 1273 Guinea ** 1063 15 Spain 0 1844 83 Malaysia -5 1269 St. Lucia ** 1061 16 China PR 2 1843 84 Senegal -5 1252 Eritrea ** 1060 16 Iceland 3 1843 85 Montenegro -5 1242 Gabon ** 1031 18 Korea Republic -1 1833 86 Lithuania -5 1241 Grenada ** 1029 19 Scotland 1 1818 87 Bolivia 1235 St. Vincent and the Grenadines ** 1008 20 New Zealand -4 1810 88 Zimbabwe -6 1226 St. Kitts and Nevis ** 974 21 0 1806 89 Mali 1191 Uganda ** 965 22 Switzerland 0 1796 90 Latvia -7 1189 Turks and Caicos Islands ** 963 23 Finland 0 1781 91 Palestine -7 1182 Bermuda ** 950 24 Ukraine 0 1772 92 Singapore -7 1177 Guinea-Bissau ** 927 25 Mexico 0 1761 93 El Salvador -7 1175 Syria ** 927 26 Belgium 1 1698 94 Ethiopia -6 1163 Dominica ** 906 27 Czech Republic -1 1690 95 Malta -8 1160 US Virgin Islands ** 885 28 Vietnam 0 1664 96 Luxembourg -7 1155 Iraq ** 882 29 Austria 0 1658 97 Honduras -7 1153 British Virgin Islands ** 867 30 Thailand 2 1649 98 Kyrgyzstan -7 1136 Cayman Islands ** 847 30 Republic of Ireland 3 1649 99 Congo DR -7 1132 Malawi ** 840 32 Colombia -3 1641 100 Nicaragua -7 1111 Curaçao ** 831 33 Poland -2 1640 101 Nepal -7 1104 Aruba ** 803 34 Nigeria 0 1623 101 Armenia -7 1104 Antigua and Barbuda ** 757 35 Argentina 1620 103 Georgia -7 1100 Comoros ** 534 36 Romania -1 1613 104 Cyprus -7 1086 United Arab Emirates * 1665 37 Wales -1 1597 105 FYR Macedonia -7 1073 Sierra Leone * 1132 38 Hungary -1 1582 106 Namibia -7 1015 Burkina Faso * 1038 39 Chinese Taipei 0 1574 107 Bangladesh -7 979 Liberia * 877 40 Costa Rica 0 1561 108 Sri Lanka -7 965 Kenya * 816 41 Chile 1559 109 Lebanon -7 955 42 Belarus -4 1558 110 Zambia -5 948 43 Portugal -2 1549 111 Maldives -8 942 ** Inactive for more than 18 months and therefore not 44 Uzbekistan -2 1548 112 Pakistan -6 937 ranked. 45 Myanmar -3 1544 113 Tanzania -9 931 * Provisionally listed due to not having played more than 46 Serbia -2 1537 114 Afghanistan -6 899 five matches against officially ranked teams. 47 Slovakia -2 1521 115 Mozambique -6 873 48 Trinidad and Tobago -2 1509 116 Kuwait -6 870 49 Cameroon -2 1467 117 -6 867 50 Ghana -2 1459 118 Swaziland -6 838 51 India -2 1431 119 Lesotho -6 836 52 South Africa -2 1430 120 Belize -6 827 53 Equatorial Guinea -2 1429 121 Bhutan -6 785 54 Jordan -2 1415 122 Botswana -5 736 55 Iran -2 1412 Ecuador ** 1484 56 Haiti -2 1397 Papua New Guinea ** 1476 57 Northern Ireland 0 1395 Peru ** 1450 58 Slovenia 0 1393 Paraguay ** 1430

THE FIFA WEEKLY 35 THE SOUND OF FOOTBALL THE OBJECT

Perikles Monioudis

The shins are a vulnerable part of the body. Any blows they take are not cushioned by fat and muscle; instead, they strike the shin bone itself almost immediately. For footballers that means two things. Firstly, they must protect their shins if they want to avoid picking up scuffs, scrapes or bruises from every single foul. The element of vulnerablity can also be used provocatively by players who shun shin pads and deliberately roll their socks down to the ankle. But who would do a thing like that? Cer- tainly nobody at international level, where wearing shinpads has now been compulsory for almost 25 years. Instead, let’s cast our minds back to players like Hans-Peter Briegel, capped Don’t You Want Me 72 times for Germany between 1979 and 1986, a winner at the 1980 European Championship Hanspeter Kuenzler and a World Cup runner-up in 1982 and 1986. Somewhat incredibly, he achieved all this with The world famous synth-pop ‘80s when Sir spray-painting the same slogan his socks rolled down. band The Human League was at the helm, lifted its first onto a mini which was subse- So why would someone do a thing like that? have the fans of Scottish top- trophy in 19 years on 16 March: quently driven through town Briegel, who was unflatteringly but affection- flight club Aberdeen to thank the Scottish League Cup. The by professional golfer Paul ately dubbed the “Walz von der Pfalz” (“the for their biggest hit in almost fans were understandably in Lawrie in an attempt to gener- barrel from the Palatinate”), preferred to re- two decades. The catchy buoyant mood, singing “Peter ate publicity. And by the end of lentlessly confront his opponents with sheer heartbreak hit “Don’t you Pawlett baby” at the top of the week the objective had brute force. Maradona also chose to play for his want me” is by no means a their voices, so loudly in fact been achieved: “Don’t you want country without shinpads as if to tell his oppo- recent release though, having that it was picked up by TV me” was at the top of the Scot- nents: “I’m too fast for you anyway!” first topped the charts in microphones at the match and tish charts. The song has also There is one solution that offers a compro- England at Christmas in 1981. has since become a nationwide found fame further south, in mise. The above shinpads from the FIFA Col- phenomenon. England, where it currently oc- lection date from the 1890s and could be worn Since then, the song has cupies 19th place in the charts, either under or over socks depending on the been played all around the The victorious Dons play- and promises to go higher. Un- wearer’s preference. Å world and even topped the ers have also helped to gener- surprisingly, the song’s crea- charts in the USA. It has be- ate publicity, writing a note in tors were delighted at its rise to come a regular fixture on juke- the changing rooms – “Get me the top, sending out a message boxes and karaoke machines, to No. 1 – Peter Pawlett baby” of thanks to all Dons fans on and most surprisingly of all, is – and posting it on Twitter. Facebook. There is, though, an now a fans' favourite in the That certainly had the desired element of irony to it all: Peter stands at Aberdeen’s Pittodrie effect, and the song had risen Pawlett did not even feature in stadium. The Dons' supporters to fourth position in the iTunes the League Cup final; he was have changed the lyrics from download charts by the end of injured. Æ “Don’t you want me baby” to the day. The tune’s rapid rise in “Peter Pawlett baby” to convey popularity even prompted a the midfielder's youth and in- group of fans to launch the nocence when he made his de- Facebook group “Peter Pawlett but at the tender age of 18 in baby to No. 1”, which has since February 2009. The club, which received 12,000 likes. A local car

won three titles in the ‘70s and dealer went one step further by Sion Ap Tomos

36 THE FIFA WEEKLY TURNING POINT “Putting smiles back on people’s faces”

Freddie Ljungberg’s career as a footballer took him around the world but it was at his last stop in Japan where he found true inspiration, both as a person and in fashion.

or 18 years I was able to live my dream of playing professional football, and I did so on three different continents. I consider myself lucky. I’ve always lived for sports and even as a five-year-old I was playing at Halmstads BK and when I was 14 I Fmade it into their youth team. I skipped a few age categories, even though back then I wasn’t completely focused on football. Sport in gener- al fascinated me and I loved ice hockey and handball. I was pretty successful at handball and when I got invited into the national team I knew the time had come to make a decision. Why did I choose football? The position I played in meant I saw more of the ball and was involved in games more. It’s as simple as that sometimes. I won the league and cup with before Arsene Wenger took me to Arsenal in 1998. That was a dream come true. training to the attendance figures. We aver- Name I stayed in London for nine years and the aged crowds of 35,000 per match. Karl Fredrik “Freddie” Ljungberg club will always be a part of me. I won two When Japan was hit by a tsunami in 2011 I Date and place of birth league titles, three FA Cups and had countless was truly inspired by the way the population 16 April 1977, Vittsjo (Sweden) unforgettable experiences. I was part of the went about dealing with the catastrophe. Position “Invincibles” team that went 49 games in a row When the Shimizu S-Pulse head coach got in Midfield without defeat. It was an unbelievable run touch with me and told me about his vision to Clubs played for from an unbelievable team. We were like a big give people hope again through football and to 1994–1998 Halmstads BK family and I gave everything for the side, but bring a bit of normality back into their lives, I 1998–2007 Arsenal 2007–2008 West Ham United that was true over the course of my entire ca- couldn’t wait to go there. ‘Putting smiles back 2009–2010 Seattle Sounders FC reer: I always tried to keep my feet on the on people’s faces’ was the motto. It wasn’t easy 2010 Chicago Fire SC 2011 Celtic ground and do the best I could. That’s what I as so many people had lost their lives and 2011-2012 Shimizu S-Pulse did later with Seattle, Chicago, Celtic and that’s not something football can compensate National team Sweden Shimizu too. for, but we were determined to make a small 75 games, 14 goals The challenge of playing on a different contribution. Japan is completely crazy in continent always appealed to me. Some people every aspect of life, but it’s amazing. Tokyo is thought I was crazy to go to America to play the place to be for all fashion lovers, myself football; they said the game wasn’t as developed included. It’s like a dream when you move over there and that nobody was interested in through the city. Å it. But I didn’t hesitate to go there. For me, quality of life and the place I’m living in are Interview by Sarah Steiner very important and in America everything is great. Football is developing really quickly In Turning Point, personalities reflect

John Keatley / Redux / laif over there, from the quality of the games and on a decisive moment in their lives.

THE FIFA WEEKLY 37 r3m1_AD_Design_ROUTE_FWCTT.pdf 1 10/24/13 11:22 AM

XX. Monat 2013 English edition

Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Since 1904

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www.FIFA.com www.FIFA.com/ The FIFA Weekly FIFA QUIZ CUP Published weekly by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)

Internet: Shirt swaps, Maradona madness, and four world champions in the semis – test your knowledge! www.fifa.com/theweekly

Publisher: FIFA, FIFA-Strasse 20, PO box, CH-8044 Zurich 1 This is Brazil’s iconic national team shirt. It was worn for the first Tel. +41-(0)43-222 7777 time at which World Cup? Fax +41-(0)43-222 7878

President: L 1950 C 1958 Joseph S. Blatter B 1962 H 1970

Secretary General: Jérôme Valcke

Director of Communications and Public Affairs: Walter De Gregorio 2 Which of these four pictures shows Maradona? Chief editor: Perikles Monioudis

Art director: Markus Nowak

Staff writers: Thomas Renggli (author), I L O R Alan Schweingruber, Sarah Steiner

Contributors: Jordi Punti, Barcelona; David Winner, London; Hanspeter Kuenzler, London; Roland Zorn, Frankfurt/M.; Sven Goldmann, Berlin; 3 All four semi-finalists were former winners of the trophy at Sergio Xavier Filho, Sao Paulo; Luigi Garlando, Milan which two World Cups?

Picture editor: L 1966 & 1986 O 1970 & 1990 Peggy Knotz, Andreas Wilhelm N 1974 & 1994 R 1978 & 1998 Production: Hans-Peter Frei (head), Marianne Bolliger-Crittin, Susanne Egli, Richie Krönert, Peter Utz, Mirijam Ziegler

Proof reader: 4 Nena Morf, Kristina Rotach

Contributors to this issue: Sandor Kocsis and Zoltan Czibor were well-known members of Hungary’s Yvonne Lemmer, Ronald Düker Golden Team. The pair once lost 3-2 in a final at the Wankdorf Stadium in Editorial assistant: Berne despite a goal from Czibor. Who did they play? Honey Thaljieh T Brazil K Benfica Translation: M Belgium S Beckenbauer Sportstranslations Limited www.sportstranslations.com

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Contact: The answer to last week’s Quiz Cup was SHOT (detailed answers on www.fifa.com/theweekly). [email protected] Inspiration and implementation: cus

Reproduction of photos or articles in whole or in part is only permitted with prior editorial Please email your answers to [email protected] by approval and if attributed “The FIFA Weekly, © FIFA 2014”. 2 April 2014. Correct submissions for all quizzes received by 11 June 2014 The editor and staff are not obliged to publish unsolicited manuscripts will go into a draw to win two tickets to the FIFA World Cup Final and photos. FIFA and the FIFA logo are registered trademarks of FIFA. on 13 July 2014. Made and printed in Switzerland. Before sending in your answers, all participants must read and accept the Any views expressed in competition terms and conditions and the rules, which can be found at The FIFA Weekly do not necessarily reflect those of FIFA. htt p://en.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/the-fifa-weekly/rules.pdf

THE FIFA WEEKLY 39 ASK FIFA! THIS WEEK’S POLL

The FA has approved artificial turf. Is it the breakthrough for synthetic surfaces?

As of next season, the English association has approved synthetic turf pitches for all rounds of the FA Cup. English media have described the decision as a pivotal change of attitude towards artificial turf. What do you think? Email us at: [email protected]

When was the very first game of football? Tamara Grab, Bregenz (Austria)

Answered by Thomas Renggli: The first-ever international is a matter of record. It took place on 30 November 1872 at West of Scotland Cricket Ground in Glasgow and was contested by Scotland and England. The Scots lined up in a 2-2-6 formation and LAST WEEK’S POLL RESULTS the English 1-1-8, but despite the preponderance of forwards there were no goals. Both associations Which of the five African teams have the best chance of success at the World Cup? fielded a club team. Scotland were represented by Glasgow club 42% Nigeria Queens Park, undefeated since 28% Ghana their foundation in 1867, and the England team was formed by 17% Côte d’Ivoire FA Cup holders Wanderers of 8% Algeria London. 5% Cameroon

TURBO TITLE JET SET LONG DEFIANCE

After 28 rounds of matches In the 26th round of Bundes- in the Austrian Bundesliga liga matches Mainz keeper Red Bull Salzburg are Loris Karius managed to 27 points clear of Portugal’s World keep free-scoring their nearest rivals. Player of the Bayern Munich at It means the club Year Cristia- bay for the first 82 funded by energy no Ronaldo minutes, longer drink tycoon has charte- 82 than any other Dietrich Mateschitz red four goalkeeper this has won their private jets season. However, 27 domestic champi- for deployment Bastian Schweinstei- onship earlier than at the World ger broke the dead- any other club in Cup in Brazil. The lock and paved the European football. It captain himself will fly way for Munich’s 2-0 is the fastest-ever with his troops on the win. Pep Guardiola’s title triumph in official team plane, but men last lost in the Austria since the 4 his entourage will Bundesliga to Lever- introduction of three follow on board his kusen on 28 October

points for a win. personal fleet. 2012, 52 matches ago. Carl Recine / Action Images / Getty Images

THE FIFA WEEKLY