No. 164 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE UNION OF EUROPEAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATIONS NO TO RACISM EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS The story so far on the road to Russia No.164 • January/February • 2017 No.164 ME AND MY THE EXECUTIVE BOOTS TECHNICIAN COMMITTEE Players talk about the Fernando Santos, Portugal’s EURO- Lyon to host the 2018 UEFA prized tool of their trade winning coach, talks to UEFA Direct Europa League final BIRTHDAYS, NOTICES, FORTHCOMING EVENTS Fritz Stuchlik (Austria, 11 February) Jarmo Matikainen (Finland, 21 February) FORTHCOMING EVENTS Madeline Ekvall (Sweden, 11 February) 50th Eugène Westerink (Netherlands, 21 February) Borislav Mihaylov (Bulgaria, 12 February) Igor Ischenko (Ukraine, 21 February) 50th David McDowell (Slovenia, 12 February) Asim Khudiyev (Azerbaijan, 22 February) 60th Meetings Oleksandr Bandurko (Ukraine, 13 February) 70th Vladimir Sajn (Slovenia, 22 February) 19 January, Nyon Pierluigi Collina (Italy, 13 February) Ana Caetano (Portugal, 22 February) European qualifying competition for Christian Mutschler (Switzerland, Peter Jones (England, 24 February) the Women’s World Cup: preliminary round 13 February) Hans-Dieter Flick (Germany, 24 February) draw Roman Babaev (Russia, 13 February) Oleg Harlamov (Estonia, 24 February) 20 January, Nyon Marinus den Engelsman (Netherlands, Xavier Palacin (England, 24 February) Women’s Football Committee 14 February) Miroslav Radoman (Serbia, 25 February) Manuel Lopez Fernandez (Spain, Josep Garcia (Andorra, 26 February) 26 January, Nyon 2017–19 European Under-21 Championship: 14 February) Ghenadie Scurtul (Moldova, 26 February) group stage draw Thomas Weyhing (Germany, 14 February) Egidius Braun (Germany, 27 February) Livio Bazzoli (Italy, 14 February) Enrique Cerezo Torres (Spain, 27 February) 9 February, Nyon Peter Bonde (Denmark, 14 February) Allan Hansen (Denmark, 27 February) Executive Committee Juan Carlos Miralles (Andorra, 14 February) Peter Lundström (Finland, 27 February) Susanne Erlandsson (Sweden, 13 February, Nyon John Beattie (England, 28 February) UEFA Youth League: draw for the round 15 February) 60th Markus Stenger (Germany, 28 February) of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals Leif Sundell (Sweden, 15 February) Katriina Elovirta (Finland, 15 February) 16 February, Nyon Media Committee Sonia Testaguzza (Switzerland, 15 February) NOTICES Svitlana Shkil (Ukraine, 15 February) 24 February, Nyon Orkhan Huseynzade (Azerbaijan, • In November, Seilda Baishakov was elected as UEFA Europa League: round of 16 draw 15 February) the new president of the Jan Pauly (Czech Republic, 16 February) Football Federation of Competitions Roman Sowinski (Poland, 16 February) Kazakhstan, succeeding Yerlan Kozhagapanov. 23 January – 1 February Terje Svendsen (Norway, 17 February) 2017–18 European Futsal Championship: Robert Barczi (Hungary, 17 February) • Angelo Chetcuti is the preliminary round Gudrun Inga Sivertsen (Iceland, 17 February) new general secretary of the Malta FA, replacing Jozef Vengloš (Slovakia, 18 February) Bjorn Vassallo. 7/8 February Borislav Alexandrov (Bulgaria, 18 February) UEFA Youth League: play-offs Georgios Gkirtzikis (Greece, 18 February) 70th OBITUARIES 14/15 & 21/22 February Patrick Kelly (Republic of Ireland, 18 February) UEFA Champions League: round Pertti Alaja (Finland, 18 February) • Pierre Rochcongar (France), of 16 (first legs) Vasily Melnychuk (Ukraine, 18 February) 60th third vice-chairman of the UEFA Medical Committee Jordi Pascual (Andorra, 18 February) 16 February since 2015, died on 2 UEFA Europa League: round of 32 Petro Ivanov (Ukraine, 18 February) December, aged 69. He had (first legs) Jānis Mežeckis (Latvia, 19 February) been a member of the Medical Louis Peila (Switzerland, 19 February) Committee since 2011. 21/22 February Lars Arnesson (Sweden, 20 February) UEFA Youth League: round of 16 • Leonardus van der Kroft Eggert Magnusson (Iceland, 20 February) 70th (Netherlands), a member 23 February Edward Potok (Poland, 20 February) of the Amicale des anciens, UEFA Europa League: round of 32 João F. De Magalhães Marques (Portugal, the circle of former UEFA (return legs) 20 February) committee members, died www.uefafoundation.org on 7 December, aged 87. Ion Geolgau (Romania, 20 February) He was a member of the UEFA Patricia Moyersoen (France, 20 February) Referees Committee from Ralph Zloczower (Switzerland, 21 February) 1986 to 2000. Fernando Gomes (Portugal, 21 February) UEFA DIRECT • January/February 2017 – 55 EDITORIAL “A NEW ERA” he curtains are closing on another year, looking forward to being by his side as we and as I look back on 2016 I am proud of embark on this adventure together. T what we all managed to accomplish. Together with the UEFA Executive It would be impossible to speak about some of Committee, we made some important decisions the highlights of the last 12 months without at the end of the year in Nyon, one of which mentioning UEFA EURO 2016 in France. I would was to increase the prize money for the UEFA like to thank the French Football Federation Women’s EURO from €2.2m in 2013 to €8m and EURO 2016 SAS for organising a fantastic in 2017. We look forward to a successful event, and I want to praise all the national tournament in the Netherlands. associations for making the European Qualifiers That is just one of many success stories we and the final tournament so exciting. There is hope we can tell in 2017, a year which will no doubt in my mind that the move to expand also feature the European Under-21 the EURO to 24 teams was a great one! Championship final tournament in Poland. I We have also had some exciting moments look forward to working with all of you in the in our other competitions. It is important not months to come and, in the meantime, take this to forget that we organise a total of 15 opportunity to wish everyone happy holidays competitions and they are all important in their and a fantastic new year! own way for the promotion and development of European football. Of course, we have just begun a new reign with Aleksander Čeferin at the helm of our organisation. It is a pleasure to work with a man I already knew well when he was president of the Slovenian Football Association. The new president has arrived with plenty of energy and Theodore Theodoridis ideas to take UEFA into a new era, and I am UEFA General Secretary UEFA DIRECT • January/February 2017 – 03 CONTENTS 14 BFU Sportsfile 34 CONTENTS 6 Me and my boots 24 Marketing Much more than just another piece The UEFA GROW programme is of kit, the football boot has a special helping Europe’s national associations place in the heart of many a player. to develop all aspects of the game in their respective countries. 12 Executive Committee Official publication of Numerous decisions were made at the 28 The Technician the Union of European Football Associations Executive Committee’s last meeting of Portugal coach Fernando Santos talks the year, including the appointment of about his first triumph in a major Chief editor: Lyon to host the UEFA Europa League national team competition. Emmanuel Deconche final in 2018. Deputy chief editor: 34 Bulgaria Dominique Maurer 14 European Under-21 A state-of-the-art national technical External contributors: Simon Hart (page 6) Championship centre gives football in Bulgaria Julien Hernandez (page 16) The draw for the first-ever 12-team a boost. Yordan Grozdanov, BFU final tournament was held in (page 34) Krakow, Poland. 38 Faroe Islands Terji Nielsen, FSF (page 38) Four new UEFA A licence coaches are Production: 16 European Qualifiers working with the national association Touchline The road to Russia in 2018 remains to take Faroese football to the Printing: long but the first four matchdays in next level. Artgraphic Cavin the European Qualifiers have already CH-1422 Grandson produced plenty to ponder. 39 News from member Editorial deadline: associations 14 December 2016 Cover photos: Getty Images 04 – UEFA DIRECT • January/February 2017 THE TECHNICIANCONTENTS 16 12 Getty Images UEFA 28 Getty Images UEFA DIRECT • January/February 2017 – 05 “Applying dubbin and cleaning the boots after training was like a ritual, and everybody did it with a lot of care – and superstition as well” Paolo Rossi Armando Rotoletti THE GAME HIS MASTER’S BOOTS A player’s boots say as much about them as the shirt on their back. Superstition, emotion, passion, precision – the football boot has always been more than just a piece of kit. oots are the footballer’s tools,” Rossi is not alone in using the ‘S’ word was born during his days as a youth player says Paolo Rossi as he looks back – superstition – when remembering the at Middlesbrough FC, long before he won Bon his relationship with the football old tools of his trade. Gary Lineker, who the European Champion Clubs’ Cup with boots he wore. succeeded him as the winner of the Liverpool in 1984. The teenager, a recent The pair in which the former Italy Golden Shoe in 1986, has another tale arrival from Australia, was initially rejected and Juventus forward scored six goals which underlines what boots mean by Middlesbrough manager Jack Charlton. for the Azzurri at the 1982 FIFA World to a footballer. However, rather than go home, he hung Cup are currently on display in a touring It comes from the 1985/86 season, in around the club, earning pocket money exhibition1, along with the coveted Golden which Lineker scored 40 goals for Everton by cleaning the first-team players’ cars, Shoe award that he received as the FC. Unfortunately, his favourite boots went kit and – crucially – footwear. tournament’s top goalscorer. Yet, as Rossi missing before a crucial evening game “A few times, rather than give me tries to put into words what the football at Oxford United FC near the end of the money, they would pay me in soccer boot means to the footballer, he takes us season, and he had to borrow a pair. He boots,” he recalls.