THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2014 SPORTS

Germany were always Photo of the day well organized: Dunga

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil looked forward by head Jose Maria Marin with 73-year-old looking back Tuesday in deciding to give for- Marco Polo Del Nero is capable of clearing mer World Cup-winning skipper Dunga a out the stables effectively. second bite at coaching the Selecao. Having won the chance to return to a job Calls for deep reform he lost four years earlier after a quarter-final “Given the way the CBF structures are loss to the Netherlands, Dunga’s mantra of things are very difficult,” he observed follow- organize first, then entertain may not be the ing a meeting with Rousseff herself. way most Brazilians look at the ‘beautiful’ Bom Senso’s calls for deep reform have game. But the ageing suits in charge of the been loud and constant for months and are Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) have not related to Brazil’s World Cup failure decreed that reform and emerging from the which ended in their ignominious record wreckage of their trouncing by is a semi-final 7-1 loss to Germany. job for an experienced pragmatist-not a rev- Brazil’s secretary for football and defense olutionary. of fan rights Antonio Jose Carvalho do Though it is the likes of Pele, Garrincha, Nascimento Filho insisted there would be no Ronaldo, Ronaldinho-and Neymar-who star let-up after Monday’s meeting with Bom in most fans’ dreams as they fret over which Senso. “This is not electoral opportunism, it reformist path to take to the future, Dunga is patriotism. The 7-1 surprised us, but the says he has no time, and no need, to don deficiencies of Brazilian football (in general) rose-tinted spectacles. do not surprise us,” he said. Promising to engage better with the Dunga wants to forge a unit rather than press than he did first time round between rely on individuals-he left a then teenaged 2006 and 2010, he said that however much Neymar off his 2010 squad despite earning football evolves certain truisms cannot be Pele’s ire for the decision. controverted. “Every coach begins by organ- Tuesday he said he will “revamping all the izing things from the back,” he bluntly bases” with a staff under new technical coor- asserted. dinator Gilmar Rinaldi, a friend from the “Germany were always organized,” he 1994 squad. The 50-year-old, whose football added, the clear implication being that is a experience encompasses Italy, Germany and first building block for success-not fancy Japan as well as Brazil, says he has changed footwork 40 metres out. for the better since his first spell, when That thinking was behind the decision, under-20 coach Rogerio Lourenco com- announced by outgoing CBF president Jose plained there was no contact. Maria Marin at CBF headquarters in Rio, to “You know me-I person doesn’t easily choose a man they know well, who won 91 alter his principles regarding ethics and caps as well as overseeing 60 matches in work. “But I know I have to change in terms charge thereafter — 42 won for six lost. of my contacts with you journalists,” said Brazil’s authorities want to reform the Dunga, promising in future to be more mel- game without going down the path of cata- low in yellow. clysmic change even if many aspects of the “First time out I focused too much on domestic game are in disarray with clubs pitch matters... My fault.” Targeting early suc- Alex Sorgente performs at the Vans Bondi Bowl-A-Rama at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia on February 22nd, 2014. —www.redbull- racking up huge debts while regular bouts cess at next year’s Copa America in Chile, contentpool.com of hooliganism persist. Dunga has three evident advantages as he President Dilma Rousseff, conscious of embarks on his quest to deliver in the importance and high visibility of the 2018 the sixth World Cup which proved so football debate as she targets re-election in elusive on home soil this month. October, is already in contact with the Bom He has an unexpected opportunity now Man United ‘ready to Senso (Common Sense) collective of players to learn from his past spell in charge and looking to overhaul the game’s structures. readily admits he must see the media as a Bom Senso was swift to send advance potential ally, not automatic enemy. good luck greetings via spokesman Ruy Above all, assuming he is still at the helm break transfer records’ Bueno Neto to Dunga overnight Monday come 2018, he will have the huge advantage while making clear that outside the CBF of not having to meet overblown home hierarchy there is demand for deep reform. expectations-a double-edged sword which LONDON: Manchester United are prepared nificant amounts of money in the transfer players in recent weeks, including Germany “There is no need to repeat that our Germany seized to cut a Brazil psychologi- to break transfer records in order to give new market.”United are rebuilding under Van Gaal centre-back Mats Hummels, Belgium defend- leaders are well behind when it comes to cally unable to cope with the emotions and manager Louis van Gaal the players he wants, after a dismal 2013-14 season and Woodward er Thomas Vermaelen, and the Dutch trio of the modern game...I wish him (Dunga) the injury loss of Neymar to ribbons. The according to executive vice-chairman Ed says that in the context, the club will have no Daley Blind, Stefan de Vrij and Kevin luck,” said Neto, who clearly doubts that a process starts with a September 5 friendly Woodward. qualms about sanctioning big-money sign- Strootman. CBF about to replace current 82-year-old meeting with Colombia in Miami. — AFP The English giants have already spent over ings. Woodward endured a trying first close-sea- £50 million ($85 million, 63 million euros) on “Whether it’s a record or not doesn’t really son last year, when United missed out on a England left-back Luke Shaw and Spanish resonate with us,” he added, in comments succession of major targets, and he admits he midfielder Ander Herrera, and Woodward says reported by the British media on Wednesday. still needs to prove his worth to the club’s that they are ready to spend even more. “What resonates is a top, top elite player supporters. “You gain credibility through Some of United’s European rivals have that the manager wants that is going to be a experience and through time,” said the former spent big recently. Real Madrid on Tuesday star for Manchester United. We are in a very investment banker. “You can’t expect credibili- signed James Rodriguez from Monaco for a strong financial position. We can make big ty from day one and I wouldn’t ask that of the fee of around £63 million ($107.4m), while signings. fans. You keep learning on the job and I’ll con- Barcelona paid Liverpool around £75 million “I get pointed in the direction of a target tinue to learn for a long period of time. ($127.8m) for Luis Suarez. Asked if United that the manager wants and there is an “I don’t mind reading (criticism), because were able to pay a similar amount for a player, assessment of what that might cost and I’ll it’s extremely important for me to listen to the Woodward said: “It is in our capabilities. The negotiate hard to do the best I can on the fans. Criticism can change into positive com- club are not afraid of doing that-spending sig- trade.” United have been linked with a host of ments over a period of time.” — AFP Champions League games moved away from

KIEV: Shakhtar Donetsk will shift their head- hosted matches during the European champi- could fix it in the future. I mean Lviv, in particu- quarters to Kiev and play their Champions onship in 2012. lar. Because we are planning to hold our domes- League and domestic games in the western city Shakhtar opened the new season with a 2-0 tic and Champions league games here.î of Lviv to escape from Ukraineís strife-torn east, win at rivals Dynamo Kiev in the Super Cup Palkin said the club was still working on per- CEO Sergei Palkin confirmed. game in Lviv on Tuesday. suading the five Brazilians and one Argentine Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk also announced yes- The conflict, which was brought into sharp who have refused to play in . AUCKLAND: Mohamed Diame (L) of English Premier League side West Ham United terday that UEFA had ordered the first leg of focus by the downing of a Malaysian Airlines ìWe are in the persuasion phase saying fights for possession with Alex Gorrin (R) of Wellington Phoenix during their football their Champions League third qualifying round flight near Donetsk last week, has rocked the Ukraine is safe enough to play and live in,î he match at Eden Park in Auckland yesterday. — AFP tie against Danish side FC Copenhagen to be club, with six of its players refusing to return to said. ìIt is our primary task now as many of them played in Kiev. the country. Shakhtar, who represent the pro- are scared. I hope to get this sorted out. If not, Ukrainian champions Shakhtar were forced to Russian region of Donbass, face a challenge to we have the other mechanisms to deal with it.î German lawmakers move from Donetsk, a major industrial city in the win support in western Ukraine. UEFA had said last week that matches in East which has become a stronghold of pro- Palkin agreed Shakhtar did not have the same Dnipropetrovsk, some 220 miles (354 km) from raise doubts about Russia Russian separatists who are fighting army forces level of support in the stands in Lviv, located Kiev, would be allowed to go ahead. controlled by the government. more than a thousand kilometres from Donetsk, However, following the Malaysian Airlines dis- Offered a choice of four venues by European as their rivals Dynamo during the season-opener aster, the Danish Football Association and FC hosting World Cup soccer governing body UEFA, Shakhtar chose to on Tuesday. ìLet us be honest, there was not 50- Copenhagen had called for their qualifier on July play their games at Lviv Arena, a stadium that 50 support in the stands,î he said. ìBut I think we 30 to be moved to a neutral venue. — Reuters BERLIN: Several senior politicians in agreed with Fuchs. “If (Russian German Chancellor ’s rul- President Vladimir) Putin doesn’t actively ing conservative party raised the possi- cooperate on clearing up the plane bility yesterday of stripping Russia of its crash, the soccer World Cup in Russia in right to host the 2018 soccer World Cup 2018 is unimaginable”, Peter Beuth told after the downing of a passenger plane Germany’s top-selling daily Bild. over Ukraine. , a member of Bavaria’s Western countries have blamed pro- conservative Christian Social Union Russian separatists battling Kiev’s forces (CSU), also said withdrawing the World in eastern Ukraine for the downing of Cup from Russia “should not be taboo”. the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on July Germany’s DFB football association 17 in which 298 people were killed. was not immediately available to com- The European Union has threatened ment yesterday on the politicians’ com- to impose harsher economic sanctions ments. on Russia, though on Tuesday ministers Germany won this year’s World Cup delayed action for a few days. Taking tournament in Brazil. The Malaysian away Russia’s right to hold the soccer plane had been flying from Amsterdam tournament may have significantly to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down stronger impact than more economic near Donetsk, a stronghold of pro- sanctions, said Michael Fuchs, deputy Russian rebels. In the Netherlands, where head of the conservative bloc in the many of the passengers came from, the German parliament. Dutch football association said on “FIFA football association should think Wednesday it was too early to review about whether is an appropriate Russia’s hosting of the 2018 World Cup. host if it can’t even guarantee safe air- “The Dutch football association is ways,” Fuchs told Handelsblatt Online, aware that a future World Cup in Russia adding that Germany and France could stirs great emotion among all football take over the tournament if needed. fans and relatives in the Netherlands,” it Economic sanctions would be difficult said in a statement. “The association to implement due to Russia’s long bor- believes it is more appropriate to conduct ders, which are too porous to effectively a discussion over a future World Cup in seal off imports, Fuchs said. German Russia at a later moment, once the inves- trade associations have said new EU tigation into the disaster has been com- sanctions could hurt business between pleted.” England’s Football Association Russia and Germany, Europe’s biggest chairman also said on Tuesday it was pre- economy. mature to talk of moving the World Cup LVIV: Dario Srna of Shakhtar Donetsk lifts up Ukraine’s soccer Super Cup after their victory against Dynamo Kiev at Lviv Arena in Lviv, Ukraine, The interior minister of the state of from Russia. — Reuters Tuesday. — AP