No. 35 – March 2005 3.05 local training Promoting in Turkey Meridian Cup Club Forum European secretaries and general of presidents Conference local training Promoting in Turkey Meridian Cup Club Forum European secretaries and general of presidents Conference 06 03 06 03 10 14 10 14 COVER IN THIS ISSUE World Cup qualifiers 08 The Meridian Cup gives young players like Spain’s Carmona (in red) Conference of presidents Meridian Cup 10 and general secretaries 03 and Egypt’s Ayman a unique opportunity to experience football Referee courses 05 Executive Committee decisions 14 from another continent. PHOTO: UEFA European Club Forum 06 News from member associations 17

It’sEditorial good to talk

In the space of just a few days at the beginning of February, three important meetings were held at UEFA’s offices in Nyon: a session of its Executive Committee, an extraordinary conference of the presidents and gen- eral secretaries of the member associations, and the European Club Forum. A sign of the times, many of the subjects discussed at these meetings were of an economic nature, such as the sale of TV rights and the repositioning of certain competitions to raise their value. These eco- nomic questions are often closely linked to legal aspects, especially with regard to European legis- lation, which gives further weight to the argument that it is vital for the national associations to have the necessary knowledge and expertise in these fields in order to be able to deal with their part- ners on an equal footing. It is only in this way that the associations, which constitute the traditional basis of football, can fulfil their role of governing football as a whole in their respective territories, while defending the general interests and maintaining a balance between the different parties involved. The three meetings had one item in common – the promotion of the local training of players – and it was reassuring that the measures pro- posed and adopted by the Executive Committee largely met with a positive response from the conference delegates and forum participants. Not only is such consensus encouraging, it also demonstrates the importance of dialogue, since these measures are the result of wide con- sultation. It also shows a general awareness of the fact that after years of unrestrained developments a certain degree of control is now required. The same need was felt during the European Club Forum when players’ agents were discussed. By putting individual and immediate inter- ests first, a state of chaos has been allowed to develop in this area, to the advantage of third parties in particular. The European football family is not immune to the general rules. If it wants to be sure that others do not take it upon themselves to sort out its problems, then it had better put its affairs in order itself. And this requires dialogue, mutual respect and understanding above all else. Lars-Christer Olsson Chief Executive

we care about football

02 uefadirect 3.05 Presidents and General Secretaries Strengthening the national associations UEFA-PRALONG

AN EXTRAORDINARY CONFERENCE OF THE PRESIDENTS question of taking initiatives so that the national associations remained in AND GENERAL SECRETARIES OF UEFA MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS WAS HELD control of football. AT UEFA HEADQUARTERS IN NYON ON 3 FEBRUARY. Jacob Erel, head of UEFA’s new National Associations division, The Kazakhstan FA was the Geoffrey Thompson, UEFA presented the Top Executive Pro- only association absent from the con- vice-president and chairman of the gramme, which is based on the fol- ference, the main aim of which was to Executive Committee’s National Asso- lowing ten points: present the Top Executive Programme ciations Working Group, said that the ■ national association management; (TEP) intended for the presidents and role of the national associations ■ relations with national authorities; general secretaries or Chief Executives needed to be clearly defined. They also ■ commercial/marketing management; of the member associations. In his needed to be well organised, well ■ information technology; opening speech, the UEFA President structured and always seeking to im- ■ relations and cooperation with placed the new programme in the cur- prove. He also stressed the impor- other sports entities; rent context of European football, tance of transparency, solidarity and ■ human resources, qualification where the massive influx of financial dialogue. The national associations of staff; resources had led to a shift in power should recognise the needs of the ■ setting of targets and long-term from the national associations to the leagues but also ensure continuity. strategies; leagues and clubs. It was therefore UEFA Chief Executive Lars- ■ financing, budgeting and necessary to redress the balance and Christer Olsson also advocated dia- accounting; help restore the importance of the logue. He said that the proposed pro- ■ project management; national associations, which were the gramme was not a training pro- ■ media relations, communication foundation on which UEFA was built. gramme but one of action; it was a and public relations.

03 The Executive Committee and the UEFA Chief Executive. UEFA-PRALONG

The programme is designed to This initial phase will prepare the way new training (grassroots football meet the specific needs of each associ- for visits to 25 other associations administrators, fitness coaches, etc.) ation. It will begin in March 2005 with between May and October this year. and management courses (IT, PR, visits to three pilot associations (Den- Once the needs have been security, etc.) will be added to the mark, FYR Macedonia and Slovakia) by identified, a tailor-made programme existing refereeing, coaching and members of the Executive Committee will be devised for each association, medical courses. and senior UEFA administrators, who including three modules (strategic and will gather all the information neces- financial management; relationship Under-21s, referees, licences sary to determine their specific needs. management, PR and marketing; man- and agents aging human resources, technology and Various other topics were change). Held in Nyon, each module also addressed at the conference. will be attended, in principle, by dele- The delegates noted the plans to Encouraging gates from five national associations, amend the calendar of the European youth training with the first module planned for the Under-21 Championship, the final second half of 2005. In total, there will round of which would be played in The presidents and general be around 30 modules lasting two to odd-numbered years, starting in secretaries had already heard about three days, spread over a two- to three- 2007, in order to enhance the value UEFA’s plans to protect the training year period. of the competition. of young players at their conference The working method will They expressed interest in in in July last year, and while promote dialogue and exchanges of the plan, but were also concerned in Nyon, they were informed about views and experiences. Experts and about the increased costs and logisti- the rule adopted by the Executive well-known personalities will also be cal complications of separating the Committee the previous day (see involved. Under-21 and senior competitions. page 14). The top executives largely In parallel with and comple- The participants also heard welcomed the decision, and many menting the Top Executive Programme, about the UEFA Convention on also stressed the need to protect UEFA will continue its HatTrick pro- Referee Education and Organisation the training clubs, which were often gramme with a special emphasis on approved by the Executive Committee “stripped” of the fruits of their education. CHF 20 million has been set the previous day. training efforts. aside for the 2004–2008 period and Regarding the introduction of the UEFA club licence at national level, the participants preferred the option of voluntary implementation rather than a compulsory measure enshrined in the UEFA Statutes. Before a presentation of the current advantages and prospects for the future development of the extranet system, which enables the national associations to exchange information with each other and with UEFA, the delegates were asked by Giangiorgio Spiess, Executive Com- mittee member, to use UEFA-licensed agents (of which there are currently 74) to organise friendly matches and tournaments involving their

UEFA-PRALONG national teams.

04 uefadirect 3.05 Fitness Referees tests and find mass discussions. confrontations hard to cope with. UEFA UEFA D. AQUILINA

from Spain and German attacker Hansi Müller. Understandably, much Referee courses of the debating focused on topics that were on the agenda for the immi- nent meeting of the International Football Association Board and which, in Antibes by the time you read these lines, may have become reality rather than Acting against actors talking points. But players and referees pin- WITH VOLKER ROTH CALLED TO NYON FOR A MEETING OF UEFA COMMITTEE pointed two areas of special concern: ‘CHAIRPERSONS’, IT WAS LARS-ÅKE BJÖRCK WHO WAS IN THE CHAIR AT THE PRESS simulation and the amount of holding CONFERENCE WHICH ROUNDED OFF THE ANNUAL REFEREE COURSES STAGED and shirt-pulling in the penalty area. Both, they felt, require a concerted THIS YEAR FROM 31 JANUARY TO 3 FEBRUARY IN ANTIBES IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE. effort by players, coaches, media and supporters if they are to be erradicated “What struck me forcibly,” intends to manage the technical area and prevented from tarnishing the he commented, “was that, when the – and the team decides which points image of the game. Simulation is doubly new referees arrived for the 14th need to be raised at the organisation damaging as a player’s attempt to Introductory Course, they looked like meeting on the morning of the match. deceive the referee frequently leads to athletes; they were highly moti- Referees, like coaches and players, one of the other situations which the vated, willing to learn and very well also do their homework, and Pierluigi referees find disturbing – mass con- prepared.” Collina usually watches at least four frontations. The term is frequently In terms of physical prepa- international matches over a weekend used to describe mass protests at an ration, the newcomers were out- so that, when he leads his team into unpopular decision but, sadly, scenes standing, while the top referees had a a UEFA match, he can brief them of aggression between opposing chance to evaluate the new fitness about the two sides’ playing styles, players are becoming more frequent tests currently being introduced on an if and how they operate the offside in response to accusations of ‘diving’ experimental basis by FIFA. But other trap, and so on. and feigning injury. “The game as a types of preparation were also on the All of this will rapidly become spectacle demands that simulation agenda, practically all of which passes routine for the new international be punished,” commented Emilio unnoticed by the general public. referees, many of whom will be making Butragueño. “And I think we should A briefing at the hotel con- their debuts in the next few weeks. use video evidence to punish players firms who does what – for instance, For the top referees whose interna- who deceive referees.” Hansi Müller the areas of the pitch where the tional curriculum runs to several agreed. “Our only chance is for severe referee would welcome help from his pages, it was more a question of fine- punishment to act as a deterrent. assistants and exactly how that help tuning and, in Antibes, they were We won’t erradicate it overnight is to be provided and communicated. joined in their discussion groups by because some of it has become instinc- The fourth official goes through his three former star players, Zvonimir tive. But, for the good of the game, checklist of duties – not least how he Boban of Croatia, Emilio Butragueño we have to reduce it.” UEFA 05 European Club Forum Call for solidarity between clubs

THE EUROPEAN CLUB FORUM HELD ITS FIRST PLENARY MEETING OF THE YEAR IN NYON

ON 7 AND 8 FEBRUARY, WITH KARL-HEINZ RUMMENIGGE IN THE CHAIR.

Although the Chairman was sponsors from four to six (and the abo- disappointed by the poor turnout lition of official suppliers). The star (almost a third of member clubs were ball, the symbol of the competition, absent), he will have been delighted should also be used for all UEFA Cham- by the level of interest shown by the pions League matches. The bidding delegates in the issues discussed, process for TV rights began in February with contributions from a large num- for the first two markets, and ber of speakers. the Netherlands. Six topics were on the agenda on day one, followed by two more on New UEFA Intertoto Cup format? UEFA Champions League audience figures the second day. In addition to the question and are presented to the Forum. No comments were made on answer sessions that were held after the main proposed changes to the each presentation, the club delegates Super Cup venue club competition regulations for the were able to express their opinions in The contract with Monaco 2005/06 season. It is true that the discussions held in four groups, with for the UEFA Super Cup expires this most important amendments were each club assigned to a group in accor- year and it seemed an appropriate suggested by the clubs themselves, dance with their UEFA coefficients. Most time to think about the future venue i.e. the proposal that clubs should be clubs were in favour of amending the of this competition. As well as main- invited rather than obliged to par- format of the UEFA Intertoto Cup from taining the status quo or moving ticipate in the FIFA Club World Cham- the 2006 season. One plan presented the match to two other European pionship, the cancellation of single to them involved reducing the number cities (Barcelona and Geneva), it has yellow cards after the qualification of participating clubs (49 instead of 61) been suggested that it be played matches and permission, during the and matches and limiting access to just outside Europe in order to promote January transfer window, for clubs one club per association. Two options European football, with all the po- involved in a European competition to were proposed, each resulting in the tential economic spin-offs. A signifi- sign and field one player who has al- qualification of 11 teams, one for the cant number of delegates were keen ready participated in another European first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup on the idea of moving the event to competition during the same season. and the other for the second qualifying China, but the group of “big” clubs, The UEFA Champions League round of the same competition. The who were most likely to be involved marketing strategy for the 2006-09 first option would mean starting the in the competition, remained un- period was generally welcomed by competition in the second rather than convinced by plans to hold it in the participants. For the most part, it the third week of June. Most of the Asia. They would prefer the match remains the same as the current sys- Forum clubs believe that participation to be played in the stadium of one tem, although it makes provision for should be compulsory, although the of the two participants, to be drawn an increase in the number of official “big” clubs disagree. out of a hat.

06 uefadirect 3.05 Two days of intense discussions.

Fear of artificial turf by UEFA experts to give this competi- urgently needs to be done to bring The decision taken by the UEFA tion a strong identity as well as a solid this situation under control. This Executive Committee last November to brand image. The centralised brand- highly complex issue needs to be allow artificial pitches in UEFA competi- ing of the competition comes into addressed in consultation with FIFA, tions from the 2005/06 season pro- effect from the round of the last 32. since the regulations should be the voked some lively responses amongst The question of the cen- same in all countries (taking into the delegates. Even though pitches tralised marketing of media rights account the requirements of na- would have to meet certain quality from the quarter-final stage, however, tional legislation) and the transfer standards and the decision was based continues to divide opinion, with system should be included in the on experiences during pilot projects the majority in favour and the group discussion of agent-related ques- and a broad consultation procedure, of the most powerful clubs strongly tions. Several delegates pointed out several club representatives thought opposed. that the clubs themselves were not that the decision had been taken pre- totally blameless for this situation maturely. They therefore asked the The problem of player agents and should probably begin by being Executive Committee (represented at All the delegates were in self-critical. The meeting therefore the meeting by two of its members, agreement concerning the final item concluded with a welcome call Eggert Magnusson and Giangiorgio on the agenda, the issue of for solidarity between Spiess) to review its decision and post- player agents. After pre- clubs and for trans- pone its implementation by a year. sentations by David Dein parency. (Arsenal FC) and Eric Promotion of training Leport (FC Nantes Atlan- Another recent Executive tique) concerning Committee decision, however, was gen- the situation in

PHOTOS: UEFA-PRALONG PHOTOS: erally welcomed by the clubs: the deci- England and sion to promote the training of players France, a by the clubs and to require clubs in- round-table volved in UEFA competitions to include discussion a steadily increasing number of locally was chaired by trained players in their squads (see Roger Vanden page 14). , Vice- However, the clubs empha- Chairman of sised the need to combine this measure the UEFA Club Compe-

with collateral provisions to protect titions Committee, The UEFA Cup clubs that train players and to prevent involving David Dein, group matches (here, Newcastle v the creation – or the growth – of a Eric Leport, Karl-Heinz Sporting Portugal) have received transfer market mainly involving very Rummenigge (FC Bayern a positive reaction. young players. Munich), Roberto Bettega (Juventus), Arie van Eijden Debate on UEFA Cup centralisation (AFC Ajax), Peter Lawwell Day two began with a review of (Celtic FC), Niels-Christian the new UEFA Cup. The revised format, Holmström (FC Copenhagen) which has not yet even completed its and John Borg (Birkirkara FC). first season, is certainly still too new Their conclusion, which was for any definite conclusions to be drawn, shared by but the early signs are good and the everyone

Forum participants, on the whole, con- present, EMPICS firmed the positive effects of the was that change. They were also unanimous in some- their appreciation of the effort put in thing

07 Portugal Andriy The (Deco) Shevchenko Republic beat Russia has helped of Ireland resoundingly. AFP/OZER Ukraine (Roy Keane) off to remain a good start. unbeaten. EMPICS/P.DUARTE EMPICS 2006 World Cup qualifyingEagerly anticipated competition resumption

THE NEXT ROUND OF QUALIFICATION MATCHES FOR THE 2006 WORLD CUP

WILL SOON BE UPON US. THE EIGHT GROUPS OF EUROPEAN TEAMS WILL SHORTLY

BE REACHING THE HALF-WAY POINT. SOME HAVE ALREADY ONE FOOT

IN THE FINALS, WHILE OTHERS HAVE MADE UNEXPECTED ERRORS THAT MEAN

THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO PUT ANOTHER FOOT WRONG.

In Group 1, the Netherlands are the only nation to remain unbeaten, having won all their matches except for a draw in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The Dutch have found new energy under the leadership of former AC Milan star Marco van Basten and, not surprisingly, lead the group with the same number of points as (managed since the beginning of December by new coach Victor Piturca) with a game in hand. Finland and, in particular, the Czech Republic are waiting to pounce, while the FYR Macedonia, Andorra and Armenia are already a long way behind. Despite their defeat in the Netherlands, the Czechs remain hopeful of qualifying and erasing the disappointment of their defeat to Greece in the semi-finals of EURO 2004.

Ukraine looking good Ukraine have performed very well in Group 2, The Netherlands where they have already opened up a six-point gap have found new energy, as demonstrated by ahead of Greece, who are two points ahead Dirk Kuyt, against Finland’s Joonas Kolkka. of , Turkey and Hans-Peter Briegel’s Albania, who have enjoyed the luxury of beating current European champions Greece. The Ukrainians’ best result so far has been a win in Turkey, thanks in particular to two goals by , and four of their remaining five matches are on home soil. Greece are suffering something of a hangover, but they are not out of the running yet, as they proved when they broke Denmark’s unbeaten run this month. Georgia, coached by Frenchman Alain Giresse, are still in with a hope too. In fact, only Kazakhstan, who have lost all four matches so far, are already out of the picture. Despite one of the worst results in their history – a draw in Liechtenstein –

EMPICS Portugal have clearly got over their disappointing performance in the final

08 uefadirect 3.05 Jermain Serbia and Sweden’s Jenas Montenegro Fredrik Ljungberg (England, left) (Savo gets the ball and Milosevic, left) across, despite Azerbaijan’s are in a the best efforts Gurban better position of Iceland’s Gurbanov. than Belgium Petur Marteinsson. (Timmy Simons). EMPICS AFP/Ansotte-Boucau-Thys AFP/MIKRUT

of EURO 2004. Luiz Felipe Scolari’s England are the only undefeated men have made amends in style by members of Group 6. Sven-Göran winning their other four matches, includ- Eriksson’s team have been held only ing an historic 7-1 defeat of Russia. once (in Austria). Their only rivals Portugal stand alone at the top of the for first place are Poland, who group. In second place, Slovakia are are enjoying a good cam- currently ahead of Russia, whom they paign but missed their held to a draw in Moscow. Latvia and chance when the Eng- Estonia are putting up some surprising lish visited Chorzów resistance, while Liechtenstein are in September. While also doing better than expected, in Austria have certainly not given up Italy (Gianluca contrast to , who have hope, Northern Ireland and Wales, who Zambrotta) are heading yet to notch a point. have managed just two draws, have their group been disappointing. Wales’ poor return despite losing against Four unbeaten teams so far, which is no better than that Slovenia. Group 4 is one of the most of Azerbaijan, means that they have finely balanced. Three teams – the virtually no chance of qualifying. Republic of Ireland, France and Israel – currently share top spot, while Switzer- Surprises and disappointments land, who have played a game less, The big surprise in Group 7 are three points behind. All of these is not so much the fact that top spot is countries are still unbeaten and in with occupied by Serbia and Mon- EMPICS/BUZZI a chance of qualifying. The same can tenegro, whose techni- no longer be said of Cyprus and the cal strength is well Faroe Islands, who each have one point known, but the disap- from the match they drew against each pointing start made by other. While the Irish are enjoying Spain. The Spaniards success again under Brian Kerr, particu- may only have played four larly at home, France, who are in a matches so far, but they have won rebuilding phase and have been held just two. Luis Aragones’ men have only be argued that Bulgaria and Croatia to two home draws, are struggling managed to beat San Marino and are better placed, since they are only to return to their best. Raymond Belgium, who are in an even worse two points behind with a game in Domenech still has a lot of work to do. position. With just one point in the hand. The Croatians pulled off a great It is no surprise that Italy top bag, the Belgians would be bottom of result with a win in Sweden in Septem- Group 5. ’s men have the group if it were not for San Marino. ber. Meanwhile, Bulgaria who, like begun their World Cup campaign well, It will be very difficult, if not impossi- Croatia, are still unbeaten, have started apart from a humiliating defeat in ble, for them to catch Serbia and Mon- the campaign well, particularly by Slovenia, which they must have found tenegro, who already have ten points, winning in Iceland and holding Croatia hard to swallow. Norway and Slovenia or even Lithuania who, with two wins to a draw on their own patch. Sweden, are waiting for the “squadra azzurra” to and two draws under their belts, are who still have to travel to Croatia and slip up again, ahead of Belarus, a very putting up an admirable fight. Mean- Bulgaria, amongst others, will certainly disappointing Scotland and Moldova, while, Bosnia-Herzegovina, who have not have it all their own way. While who will all struggle to climb out of only played two matches, may still have Hungary may still pose a threat to the the bottom three places. After hosting some tricks up their sleeves. teams above them, Iceland and Malta the Scots in March, Italy will face three Sweden are living up to their will have to be content with the oppor- consecutive away matches, which role as favourites in Group 8, which tunity to ruffle a few feathers. might open the door to their rivals. they currently lead. However, it could André Winckler

09 Matu and Sierra Leone’s the rest of his goalkeeper Cameroon Sylvanus Mooris team-mates makes a had to adapt great save to the against France. conditions.

5th MeridianDay by Cup day

TURKEY WAS ENTRUSTED WITH THE ORGANISATION AND STAGING OF THE 5TH CAF/UEFA MERIDIAN CUP

IN FEBRUARY 2004, I.E. JUST ONE YEAR BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT.

Despite this rather late ap- Since February 2004, the TFA, tition organisers. As has always pointment and the change of one or CAF and UEFA have been working hard been the case since the competition two facilities, the Turkish Football to prepare for this competition, which was launched in 1996, the relation- Association (TFA) took up the challenge offers international football matches to ship between these three parties with great enthusiasm, endless four youth teams from each of the two was congenial, supportive and en- perseverance and a formidable touch continents involved, Africa and Europe. thusiastic. of improvisation. The competition format, the tourna- The majority of the staff ment’s logistical structure and the pro- representatives from the TFA, motional activities are dominated by CAF and UEFA arrived at the tourna- the spirit and philosophy agreed by the ment centre in Kusadasi on Sunday, two confederations – friendship, mutual 30 January, using the rather quite respect, exchange of interpersonal, period before the arrival of the cultural and sporting values teams to carry out the final prepa- and, of course, fair play. rations for the event, like setting The following report up the tournament headquarters, aims to provide the revisiting all match stadiums and reader with an insight training grounds, finalising room into the rather allocations, menu plans and meet- special atmos- ing room facilities with the hotel, phere of this com- preparing the welcome procedure petition. for the delegations and CAF/UEFA The preparatory official representatives, and so on. activities do not vary much from those carried Tuesday, 1 February out for any UEFA youth Preparations continued final round, except that throughout the day. Just in time for the travel arrangements the arrival of the first two teams – for all seven visiting teams France and Sierra Leone, at 17.00 are all organised by UEFA and 20.00 respectively – everything and its in-house travel was arranged and set up at the agency. Another particu- hotel and the two delegations could larity of this project be welcomed and comfortably consists in the coopera- accommodated. tion between three organisations, on this Wednesday, 2 February occasion, the TFA as While yesterday’s late-after- tournament hosts, and noon arrivals created some move- CAF and UEFA as compe- ment at the hotel, today’s activities could be described as a windy morning, a stormy afternoon and an Mevlüt Erding (France) breaks away from “assault” in the evening. Delega- David Simbo (Sierra Leone). tions, most of the committee mem- bers, and official representatives from the TFA, CAF and UEFA arrived at the hotel throughout the day and kept everyone busy. Unfortunately, two teams – Cameroon and Nigeria – had still not arrived at the tourna-

PHOTOS: UEFA PHOTOS: ment venue by midnight.

10 uefadirect 3.05 A good header Left to right: from Turkey’s Jim Boyce, Ergin Keles Baba Sakho against and Cameroon. Metin Tüncer.

Thursday, 3 February Due to the lack of adequate Saturday, 5 February Today was spent mainly floodlighting installations in the selected For once, the day started looking into the itineraries of the stadiums and the fact that nightfall with better news. The remaining remaining two teams, finding how starts mid-afternoon, as well as to attract members of the Cameroon team to arrange the best possible as many school children as possi- would be arriving in the afternoon. connections from Istanbul to ble to the matches, the kick-off Today was totally domi- Izmir, the nearest airport to times for all games was fixed nated by recovering from the ten- Kusadasi, and calculating the at 13.30 local time (12.30 CET). sions, nervousness, cheering and approximate time when the Considering the results disappointments of the last two two delegations would finally of the last tournaments and the days and preparations for the next arrive at the tournament head- serious travel problems encoun- match day. quarters. Early in the evening it tered by two of the four African With the first contacts on was confirmed that Nigeria would teams, it was no big surprise to many the field, the ice was also broken arrive before midnight. With regard of the regular observers of the tour- off the field and the players started to the Cameroonian team the situa- nament that the ranking after the first to mix with each other in order to tion caused some serious concerns four matches stood at 12 points for create the expected atmosphere. The since the delegation had to be divided Europe, with a goal average of 14-2. reporter from .com also helped into three groups and three differ- With their depleted squad of only 11 enhance the feeling of solidarity ent travel schedules, resulting in players, Cameroon tried heroically to by interviewing players and publish- 11 players arriving at around 02.00 resist the reigning European Under-17 ing the interviews immediately on in the morning and the remaining champions, France, but without success. UEFA’s website. players having to be transported Luckily for Cameroon, their goalkeeper The evening of this first rest directly from the airport to the match was on form and made some outstand- day was also used by the TFA to venue the following day. Despite ing saves, but he could do nothing to invite officials from the CAF and this far from ideal situation for the stop the seven French strikes. UEFA delegations for a lovely dinner team, the organisers breathed Miraculously, rain did not stop outside Kusadasi, confirming – if con- a sigh of relief when it was confirmed play and kept its distance until the end firmation were needed – the world- that all eight teams would be ready of the tournament. The wind dropped famous hospitality of this country. with teams tomorrow at around too, and the temperature improved. It was also a perfect opportunity for 13.30 at the four stadiums. At the end of each match day, the delegations to exchange gifts, To make matters worse, a debriefing took place in the evening and for Jim Boyce, Chairman of the the weather (heavy rain and wind all to discuss any organisational weak- Organising Committee, to officially day) have not made the organisers’ nesses and to take immediate action thank the TFA for the excellent life any easier. to remedy any irregularities before preparation and organisation of the Nevertheless, on the day the next match day. tournament so far. of the heads of delegation meeting, a pre-tournament press conference was organised to promote the event locally, the teams got down to some serious preparation, the referees were put through a fitness test, and various other meetings and visits took place in order to prepare for the matches the following day.

Friday, 4 February Despite their early morning arrival, the 11 Cameroon players were the first at breakfast at 08.00. It was nice to see the players looking reasonably well, in good spirits and looking forward to the afternoon match and to the arrival of the rest of their squad. Unfortunately, this at- mosphere was very soon dampened when the message came in that the third Cameroon group, including the remaining seven players, were blocked in Dubai and could not get to Izmir in time for the match. Enthusiastic young Turkish supporters in Kusadasi.

11 The Time representatives to say of the TFA, goodbye. CAF and UEFA. ???????????????

Sunday, 6 February forecast for the next three days Wednesday, 9 February The second match day fo- showed no sign of improvement, the Today was used by most of cussed on the revival of the African match was finally cancelled. the teams to visit the various attractions youth teams, who were keen to reduce The teams used the second which this region has to offer. the gap in the rankings between the rest day to recover from the first Consequently, the hotel was two competing continents. Unfortu- two match days and to prepare for fairly empty and quiet, allowing those nately, they managed to add only tomorrow’s games. who had enrolled for the four-team one point to their tally, with Egypt and friendly mini-tournament played on the Portugal drawing. Tuesday, 8 February hotel’s mini-pitch to prepare and get This second match day con- The third match day was a ready. The “orange” team featured two firmed the first impressions that the copy of the first, resulting in four former top players, Paulo Sousa (Ben- African teams were too young, with wins for the European teams. How- fica, Juventus and ) most of the players being a couple of ever, given the difference in the goal and Abu Sankoh (current coach of the years younger than their European averages between these two days Sierra Leone Under-18 team and former opponents. Despite the excellent tech- (14-2 and 7-1), the African players international) and was obviously the nical skills of the African players, they seem to be gradually getting used to favourite. Not surprisingly therefore, cannot compete on an equal footing the rather cold weather conditions this team played the best football and at this level with the top youth players and the European playing style. It won the tournament. from Europe. would therefore come as no surprise A good hundred players, offi- As on the first match day, no to anyone here if Africa were to cials and some curious onlookers sur- major incidents were reported by the secure a win on the last match day. rounded the pitch and applauded some match officials and all matches were Following the arrival of UEFA great movements, appreciated Paulo played with a lot of commitment and Technical Director Andy Roxburgh, Sousa’s still excellent technique and energy but with equally high respect table discussions are being organised cheered the speedy centre forward Abu for the spirit of fair play. with the eight coaches. Sankoh, who scored the two winning Everyone here is now look- goals in the final. Monday, 7 February ing forward to one of the high- The match was followed by The morning was dominated by lights of the event, the social day a reception to which the entire local the question of whether the Meridian tomorrow, which includes a mini- organising committee was invited and gala match between Turkey and Tunisia tournament played on a mini-pitch during which all volunteers received scheduled for Wednesday could take between the staff members of the a gift. place. Following heavy snowfall on the eight delegations, CAF, the Turkish FA Jim Boyce and Baba Sakho, city of Istanbul, and since the weather and UEFA. head of the CAF delegation, thanked the Turkish tournament director, Metin Tüncer, and his team for their outstanding work and efforts so far. A joint dinner with all the teams, officials, referees, CAF, TFA and UEFA representatives concluded the CAF/UEFA social day.

Thursday, 10 February The teams used the penulti- mate day of the tournament for final training in preparation for the fourth and last match day on Friday. CAF and UEFA organised a final day meeting in the morning at which the heads of the eight delegations were also given the opportunity to express their views and suggestions on the Meridian Cup. One particular element of this competition was discussed in depth, the age difference between the Euro- pean and African teams, which essen- tially explains the big gap in the rank- The French ings. CAF said that it will discuss this and Sierra Leonean players get to matter internally to find the best possi-

know each other. UEFA PHOTOS: ble solution for the next tournament.

12 uefadirect 3.05 Draw for 2005 European Women’s Championship The European Women’s Cham- pionship final round will kick off in England on 5 June, with the final to be played on 19 June. The draw for the group stage of the final round was held on 19 Jim Boyce January in Manchester, and Baba Sakho where an opening present the Meridian Cup match will be played. to the four The eight finalists were divided European captains. into the following two groups: A: England, Sweden, Finland, Denmark; B: Germany, France, Norway, It was also proposed that CAF This match was attended by the TFA Italy. and UEFA would in future make the travel president, Levent Bicakci , UEFA vice- arrangements for their respective teams. president Senes Erzik and other senior of- ficials from the TFA and local authorities. Friday, 11 February When the final whistles blew The last match day was a copy at the four match venues, the sporting of the second one, with three defeats and side of the tournament concluded. one draw (Portugal v Sierra Leone 0-0). Since some of the teams were leaving The matches were marked by many basic early the next morning, the farewell technical errors which showed that the event began at 18.30 with an awards previous three matches, daily training ceremony. sessions and numerous bus journeys On behalf of all the players,

were starting to take their toll on the Erdem Mülayim from Turkey and Samura UEFA players. Nevertheless, all matches were Salifu from Sierra Leone thanked the Minister for sport Richard Caborn, Karen Espelund, played in a spirit of fair play and no TFA, CAF and UEFA for the excellent chairwoman of the Women’s Football Committee, further red cards were added to the five organisation and staging of the 5th and Sven-Göran Eriksson. already issued. Meridian Cup and for having offered The group matches, to be played in Local attention today focussed them this unforgettable adventure and Manchester, Preston, Warrington and on the home team’s match against the unique opportunity to meet foot- Blackburn, will conclude Cameroon in Kusadasi, in front of an ballers from another continent. on 12 June. The top two enthusiastic crowd of over 3,000. from each group will play Saturday, 12 February the semi-finals in Preston The last day was obviously on 15 June and in Warring- The results taken up with departures and dis- ton on 16 June. The final mantling and packing the material. will take place in Blackburn Cameroon – France 0-7 A very special word of thanks has to on 19 June. Sierra Leone – Spain 0-3 go to the numerous volunteers who The draw, which was Portugal – Nigeria 1-0 worked on this event with tremendous carried out with the help of Turkey – Egypt 3-2 dedication and commitment. the England men’s national

To recap, the behaviour of team coach, Sven-Göran UEFA Spain – Cameroon 4-0 the teams on the field was excellent in Eriksson, also provided the The new France – Sierra Leone 2-1 terms of sporting values, discipline and opportunity to unveil the trophy, weighing Nigeria – Turkey 0-4 fair play. Their attitude off the field was new trophy for this competi- 4 kg and Egypt – Portugal 0-0 absolutely in line with the competition’s tion. The previous trophy standing name, “Meridian”, which symbolises was retained by Germany 42 cm high, Cameroon – Portugal 1-3 following its three consecu- is the work the close ties between our two conti- of the Italian Sierra Leone – Turkey 0-1 nents, not only in a geographical sense, tive victories between 1995 firm Bertoni. France – Nigeria 2-0 but also in terms of history, culture and 2001. Spain – Egypt 1-0 and footballing values. ■ The semi-finals of the 4th UEFA The tournament will now be Women’s Cup will be played in April. Turkey – Cameroon 3-1 analysed in depth and the conclusions Djurgården/Alvsjö will face Arsenal Portugal – Sierra Leone 0-0 taken into account when it comes to (first leg in Stockholm on 7 April, Nigeria – Spain 0-1 preparing the next edition. return leg on 15 April), while 1.FFC Egypt – France 1-4 A report on the 5th Meridian Turbine Potsdam 71 will play SK Cup will be published with the May issue Trondheims-Øm (first leg in Germany Europe won the Meridian Cup, of uefadirect. on 9 April, return leg on 16 April). and the fair play prize went to Turkey. 13 The European Under-21 Championship would benefit from greater exposure. SportFive Here, the 2004 final between Italy (Gilardino, in blue) and Serbia and awarded Montenegro (Bisevac). EURO 2008 TV rights FOTO-NET At its February meeting, the Execu- tive Committee decided to award the task of marketing the EURO 2008 Euro- pean TV rights to the SportFive agency. Ten agencies or companies had Activities submitted bids and, following exami- nation of their proposals, had been whittled down to two candidates: the EBU and SportFive. andTraining competitions measures

THE UEFA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE HELD ITS FIRST MEETING OF 2005 AT THE HOUSE OF EUROPEAN FOOTBALL IN NYON ON 2 FEBRUARY, WITH LENNART JOHANSSON IN THE CHAIR.

Several important items gradually introduced in the UEFA were included on the agenda for this club competitions: in the 2006/07 meeting, which was held the day season, each club’s squad, which after a series of strategic discus- will be limited to 25 players, will EMPICS/UEFA sions about UEFA’s role and future. need to include four locally trained By opting for SportFive, the Execu- One of the main objectives of the players (in principle, two players tive Committee has broken with tradi- tion, since the EBU has always previously meeting was to define measures to trained by the club itself and two been UEFA's TV partner for European promote local training of players more trained by a club within the Championship finals. However, it has and to support the development of same national association). stuck with its policy of offering coverage of the tournament to as many TV viewers national teams. In 2007/08, the number as possible by ensuring that the rights Following broad consulta- will increase to six of the 25 squad are sold primarily to free-to-air channels. tion of all interested parties, includ- members (three trained by the club They will be sold on a market-by-market basis, as is already the case with UEFA ing supporters (via uefa.com), the and three within the association). Champions League matches, rather Executive Committee opted for the In 2008/09, each squad of than globally. following measures, which will be 25 players will need to include eight locally trained players (four from each category). “Training” refers to a period of three years (not necessarily con- secutive) between the ages of 15 and 21. This sporting measure, which does not discriminate on the basis of nationality, will apply to the UEFA club competitions, although UEFA is urging all its member associations to introduce the same rules at domestic level.

Competition formats On the competitions front, the Executive Committee decided to give itself more time to analyse the applications from stadiums wishing UEFA-PRALONG

The chairmen of the UEFA committees had a meeting with the UEFA President and Chief Executive in Nyon to host the 2006 and 2007 club on 4 February to discuss the role of the committees, among other matters. Seated, left to right: Josep Lluis competition finals. It will make these Vilaseca Guasch (Control and Disciplinary Body), Michel Wuilleret (Appeals Body), Jan Peeters (Assistance Programmes), Lars-Åke Lagrell (National Teams), David Richards (Professional Football), Karen Espelund (Women’s decisions at its meeting in April, Football) and Petr Fousek (Futsal). Standing: Lars-Christer Olsson, Vlatko Markovic (Technical Development), before the UEFA Ordinary Congress Urs Vogel (Medical Committee), Lennart Johansson, Volker Roth (Referees), Michael van Praag (Stadium and Security), Jim Boyce (Youth and Amateur Football). Absent: Friedrich Stickler (Club Competitions). in Tallinn.

14 uefadirect 3.05 Futsal continues to expand in popularity. UEFA

Lennart Johansson and his mat of the UEFA Futsal Cup which, Report colleagues also postponed until from 2005/06, will include semi- April their decision on the format of finals played over two legs. Until from the EURO 2008 qualifying competition. now, the second qualifying round In the first two months of They noted a proposal under which, (with two mini-tournaments of four 2005, UEFA has intensified its in order to prolong interest in the teams) has been followed immedi- political efforts to explain and competition, only the seven group ately by the final. From now on, the build support for its proposals winners would qualify automatically second round, which will still consist on the local training of players. for the final round. Each runner-up of two mini-tournaments, will pro- High-level meetings have taken would face a third-placed team from duce four semi-finalists. The addi- place in Brussels and the capi- another group in a play-off round for tion of an extra round reflects the tals of the EU’s member states. the other seven places. Austria and ever-increasing popularity of futsal. In many governments and insti- Switzerland have already qualified as Other competition-related tutions, politicians and officials the host countries. decisions: recognise UEFA’s concerns and The Executive Committee ■ the organisation of the support the new plans. also welcomed a proposal to enhance final round of the European Under-17 In January, UEFA CEO, Lars- the value of the European Under-21 Championship in 2007 was awarded Christer Olsson, headed a UEFA Championship by playing the final to the Belgian FA; delegation at meetings with the round in odd-numbered years from ■ European Commission in 2007 onwards. Under the current the Austrian FA will organ- Brussels. This was UEFA’s system, the tournament is squeezed ise the final round of the European Under-19 Championship in 2007; first formal meeting with into the period between the club finals the two members of the ■ the Icelandic FA will and the final round of the European European Commission organise the final round of the Championship or World Cup. As well that have most influence 2006/07 European Women’s as changing the timing of the tourna- on European sport over Under-19 Championship. ment, the host country would be des- the next five years: Ján ignated at an earlier stage and, every Figel (photo), Commissioner for four years, could be the country due Coaches circle and referee Education, Training and Culture, to organise the senior European convention and Neelie Kroes, Commissioner Championship, for whom the Under- The quality of coach edu- for Competition. Mr Figel’s 21 tournament would serve as a dress cation is an important priority for responsibilities include sport. rehearsal. The consequences of such UEFA, since it directly influences The meetings with the Com- a change, including the clash with the quality of play. For several years missioners took place in a positive FIFA events, still need to be examined now, UEFA has been organising spirit, and the two politicians were closely before a decision is taken. courses, seminars and forums for willing to listen to UEFA’s argu- technical directors, national coaches ments. Although the Commission UEFA Futsal Cup semi-finals and even elite club coaches. does not have the right formally to However, the Executive Com- It will continue to do so but, approve UEFA’s plans for the local mittee did adopt changes to the for- in addition, the Executive Committee ➜ training of players, it is important that UEFA inform and consult Europe’s political authorities so Eight candidates for EURO 2012 that they understand our thinking. By the closing date of 31 January, the UEFA administration Also in January, a UEFA team had received eight bids to host EURO 2012. led by Per Omdal, UEFA Vice-Presi- These included two joint bids from Croatia/Hungary and dent, held the latest meeting with Poland/Ukraine. the ‘Friends of Football’, the cross- Individual bids were submitted by Azerbaijan, Greece, Italy, party group of Members of the Romania, Russia and Turkey. European Parliament (MEPs). Three candidates will be selected at the end of this year, Twelve MEPs from eight countries with the final decision to be taken in December 2006. attended the Brussels meeting, ➜

15 A convention for referees.

➜ where the discussions again focussed on UEFA’s proposals for the local training of players. The ‘Friends of Football’ have BAUMANN/BOZZANI been very supportive of UEFA’s plans since the discussions first began in the autumn of 2004. ➜ has approved the creation of a Before the competitions re- However, the MEPs have also of- UEFA Coaches Circle which will in- sumed after the winter break and on fered a useful indication of the clude around 700 coaches. The aim the basis of 1,129 matches, the coun- political and legal obstacles that is to provide them with additional tries were ranked as follows: may face the proposals. Janu- information in the form of technical ary’s discussion centred on the 1. Norway 8.251 points reports, videos, specialist publica- risk that UEFA’s rule-change might 2. Denmark 8.240 tions and even an email information exacerbate the international 3. Sweden 8.102 service. market for young players. Some 4. Estonia 8.100 The UEFA Executive Com- MEPs suggested that new rules 5. England 8.065 mittee is also interested in referees to protect young players were 6. Germany 8.056 and agreed to the drafting of a UEFA needed in parallel to the propos- 7. France 8.041 Convention on Referee Education als on local training. 8. Ukraine 8.015 and Organisation, to be modelled UEFA has invited the ‘Friends 9. Spain 7.993 on the coaching convention. of Football’ to visit the House 10. Switzerland 7.958 of European Football later this ■ The Executive Committee year, so that MEPs can see UEFA’s NOTICES work ‘behind the scenes’. also prepared for the XXIX UEFA Ordinary Congress, to be held in ■ The UEFA Treasurer, Mathieu Tallinn on 21 April. It approved the Sprengers, was re-elected president Congress programme and agenda, of the Dutch Football Association as well as the balance sheet as at in December. 31 July 2004, the income statement ■ The English Football Association for 2003/04 and the budget for has appointed Brian Barwick as its 2005/06. new Chief Executive. ■ On 1 February, Lutfi Aribogan Fair play: provisional became the new general secretary of positions the Turkish Football Association. ■ The Executive Committee has As in previous years, up- changed the date of its November 2005 holding UEFA’s principles of fair play meeting in Malta to 7/8 November. will be one way of qualifying for the ■ The XXXI UEFA Ordinary Congress UEFA Cup. will take place in Germany on 25 Janu- Fair play and soli- ary 2007. darity both count in ■ Following FIFA’s decision to bring for- the UEFA Fair Play ward the end of the 2005/06 season, competition, since it the 2006 UEFA Cup final will take place on 10 May and the UEFA Champions is the behaviour of all League final on 17 May. teams (national teams and clubs) involved in UEFA competitions which is taken into consideration in the Investigation into the EURO 2004 qualifier between table drawn up by UEFA at the end Armenia and Greece of the season. Three clubs will The investigation into alleged again be offered UEFA Cup places corruption in relation to the in this way. above-mentioned match has reached a conclusion. It did not find any irregularities relating to the EURO 2004 qualification A gesture that may help earn a place in match concerned and did not the UEFA Cup. implicate the Greek Football Association or its president in any way. D. AQUILINA

16 uefadirect 3.05 ball, so we had to find a way to select the best, and then to prepare them for UEFA competitions. As a result, we organ- ised this camp, where young players News trained with our best coaches. We also invited guest coaches from neighbouring from member associations countries. This format has proved suc- cessful and we will therefore continue with this practice,” said Ahmet Pasalic, director of all Bosnia and Herzegovina national teams. The youngest age category, the – A minute’s silence was also Under-15s, were invited to the camp too, BELGIUM held at all matches played in Belgium and a similar camp was organised for during the weekends of 8 and 15 January the girls in Igalo (Monte Negro). All head in order to pay a final tribute to the coaches, Nikola Nikic (Under-19s), Velimir Tool to improve youth coaching thousands of victims. Stojnic (Under-17s), Dusko Petrovic (Under-15s), and Namik Nuhbegovic (girls) François Vantomme At the end of January, the Belgian FA were well pleased with the efforts put in (URBSFA) launched the Dexia Foot Pass, by their players during the camp. which is designed to analyse and, if This is further proof that the necessary, improve the quality of youth organisation of national youth leagues is a coaching. BOSNIA AND good idea, but with fewer leagues than This new tool is different insofar HERZEGOVINA the four that are staged in Bosnia and as it is not limited to youth coaching in pro- Herzegovina at present. fessional clubs. It also applies to amateur Youth Camp in Medugorje The camp was also successful clubs. thanks to the contribution of former famous The main aim of the project is to The Football Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FF BHZ) used the winter break players of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Drago improve the quality of coaching. The objec- Smajlovic, Josip Katalinski and Danijel tive of the to organise a football camp for all the youth categories. Potential candidates for Piric. Additional camps will be organised in Dexia Foot summer, as well as before the start of quali- Pass is sim- the Under-19 and Under-17 teams par- ticipated in the camp, held at the Cyrcle fying tournaments. The FF BHZ is going ple: “To con- to be hosting a qualifying tournament in the stantly stimu- international sports centre in Medugorje, near Mostar, in January. European Under-19 Championship in the late the pro- autumn, involving Bulgaria, Croatia and motion of The first camp of its kind was organised ten years ago, right after the war Iceland, alongside the host nation. The home-grown Under-17s will be playing their qualifying players by in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Makarska (Croatia). tournament in Finland, against the hosts, offering them high-quality coaching Greece and Slovakia. and to systematically increase the use of The camps used to be held only a short while before the qualifying tourna- On the last day of January, the home-grown players in order ultimately executive committee of the federation to produce successful club sides, a talented ments for the European youth champi- onships, which is why they did not produce met in Sarajevo and, in accordance with national team and a higher standard of the presidential rotation system, Iljo play in Belgian football in general.” good results. “We were not satisfied with Dominkovic takes over as FF BHZ president In order to improve the quality of for the next 16 months. youth coaching, it is necessary to work at the results of the youth teams, consider- grassroots level. ing they are the future of Bosnian foot- Fuad Krvavac – Clubs and their youth team coaches are the first target group. The whole strategy is based on PASS (Profes- sional Academy Support System), which is subdivided into four parts: an assessment system, a quality manual with practical examples, a “youth coordinator” manage- ment course and a certification system with quality labels. – Young players form the second target group. A system has been developed for them, based on a new training concept (Dribble & Double Pass Game), which devel- ops players’ technique and intelligence. – Finally, the parents of young players are the third target group of the Dexia Foot Pass, which offers them perma- nent assistance, including general and specific advice. – Following the disaster in South- East Asia, the URBSFA has decided to donate 25,000 euros to the SOS Children’s Villages organisation. It has also asked all its affili- ated members, clubs, players, referees and supporters to show their support by giving F. KRVAVAC money to this FIFA-sponsored organisation. The Under-17 team of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

17 related ventures will also be supported ENGLAND FINLAND as part of the FIFA and UEFA assistance programmes. Niels Barnhofer EURO 2004 analysed in Egypt Pro coaches graduate Sven-Göran Eriksson was in Cairo last Finland has gained nine new top domes- month at the behest of Egyptian sports tic coaches, following the graduation of marketing company PromoSport and the the students on the Finnish Pro Licence HUNGARY Egyptian Football Association. The England coach course. The course was completed coach was invited to address over 200 rep- at the end of January, when the students resentatives of Egyptian football in a spe- presented their theses after a year of EURO dreams with Croatia cial seminar focusing on a technical analy- hard work. In early September the Croatian and the sis of EURO 2004. During a two-hour “This year’s group had a good Hungarian national teams played to a Question & Answer session, the audience attitude. It takes a lot to graduate, so packed house in Zagreb in the first round expressed considerable interest in the it is easy to be pleased for those who of their 2006 World Cup qualifier. Although English experience of last year’s European made it. The main topics of the students’ the derby caused huge rivalry, the two Championships and Mr Eriksson’s views papers were talent academies, match parties announced a joint plan only a few on the performances of the other teams, tempo and physical training. In our coach months later, when the political leadership notably preparation, tactical strategies, education programme, we aim to con- of the two countries supported the initia- strengths and weaknesses. centrate more and more on planning, tive of the two football associations, HNS The FA delegation also comprised leading and evaluating performance,” and MLSZ, to launch a joint bid to host Manchester United’s highly respected fit- says Janne Lindström, Director of Coach EURO 2012. ness coach, Professor Valter di Salvo, who Education at the Finnish FA. Both candidates have previous spoke specifically on issues concerning The next domestic Pro Licence experience of bidding for such a great player fitness and analysis, and methods course begins in 2006. And just before event. Hungary first made a joint bid with the new coaches embark on the pro- Austria for the 2004 finals, and later gramme in January, there will be a new made a solo bid for EURO 2008, a project crop of UEFA Pro Licence graduates, that generated positive feedback from from the second UEFA Pro Licence course, all around the continent. which began in February. Coaches who Croatia is also keen to invite have obtained the Finnish Pro Licence since football supporters to this region in the 2002 may apply directly for the UEFA Pro heart of Europe, as it did in a joint bid Licence, given that they fulfil the UEFA with Bosnia & Herzegovina for EURO 2008. Pro Licence requirements. Sami Terävä THE FA

Sven-Göran Eriksson and some of the English GERMANY delegation in front of the famous pyramids. vis-à-vis maintaining optimum fitness DFB and DFL during long seasons and through tour- rake in 4.6 million euros naments. for tsunami victims “The one-day seminar was ex- The German FA, in cooperation with the tremely well received and well attended,” German Football League, has organised THALY MLSZ/ZOLTAN said Jane Bateman, The FA’s Head of Inter- a benefit match for the victims of the Left to right: Vlatko Markovic, Imre Bozóky national Relations, who coordinated the tsunami disaster in South-East Asia. The and Attila Abraham. visit. “We were also received by the match, played at the AufSchalke Arena Egyptian FA and the Egyptian Minister of on 25 January, brought together the Ger- The two countries declared their Youth, whose remit includes sport. It was man national team and an all-star team intention on 28 January in Nagykanizsa, a a useful opportunity for us to learn of international players. Under Hungarian city close to the Croatian border. about football in Egypt and to respond the motto “Playing against each other The governments were represented by to the extensive interest the Egyptians – winning together,” the match raised Romana Caput-Jogunica, Deputy Minister, have in the structure and management approximately 4.6 million euros. and Zelimir Janjic, State Secretary for Edu- of the English game. We also took the The sum raised includes a cation and Sport in Croatia, and Attila opportunity to visit the CAF headquarters donation of 200,000 euros from the Ger- Abraham, head of the Hungarian Sports in Cairo to finalise this year’s FA-CAF man national players, the gate receipts Office (NSH), who signed a declaration Cooperation Programme.” from the 51,904 crowd and donations regarding the two countries’ cooperation. The FA is particularly active in from DFB sponsors. EUR 1.5 million was “There have been some political changes Africa, both through its cooperation with sent as emergency aid to help fund the in the last decade, but all of the gov- CAF and the UEFA-CAF Meridian Project reconstruction of a hospital in Banda ernments have agreed on one particular which partners England with Botswana, Aceh, which was hit particularly hard by question: that Hungary should bid for Lesotho and Malawi. This was The FA’s the disaster. the European Championships and that third seminar presentation in Egypt in The remaining money will be dis- we have the will and ability to stage it three years. tributed by the DFB’s Egidius Braun Foun- here. It demonstrates consensus within For further information, please dation, which organised the benefit match Hungarian society in respect of its love refer to www.TheFA.com/international- in Schalke with the agreement of the DFB of football,” confessed Imre Bozóky, MLSZ relations. and DFL. It will be given to needy people president. “It’s symbolic that an EU mem- Jane Bateman and other social projects, while sports- ber, Hungary, and a would-be member,

18 uefadirect 3.05 Croatia, are candidates together,” he FIGC president Franco Carraro team is already just around the corner, with added. Vlatko Markovic, president of HNS, did not officially submit the bid until he eight Liechtenstein athletes due to partici- was even more daring, saying, “I believe had received the unanimous support of pate in the Special Olympics in Nagano that our experience makes us one of the the Federal Council as well as the full (21 February to 8 March). favourites from UEFA’s point of view.” backing of the government. Prime Minister The Liechtenstein FA wishes all the Zagreb would hold the opening Silvio Berlusconi immediately entrusted athletes good luck and success there. ceremony and the first match in the tourna- Gianni Letta, Under-Secretary to the Presi- Roland Ospelt ment, whilst Budapest’s renovated Ferenc dent of the Council of Ministers, with the Puskás national stadium would be the venue task of coordinating all the elements of for the final. the bid, which will include government Márton Dinnyés action and decisions to assure UEFA that the tournament can be organised under LUXEMBOURG optimal conditions. As a major tourist destination, A new coach for a better future? Italy is well equipped to organise such an ICELAND event, although it has one major problem Our national football team, which was to address: its stadiums are not currently extremely popular not so long ago, has suitable for the demands of the Italian suffered numerous cruel setbacks and Top players in 2004 championship and European club competi- disappointments in recent years. National team captain and Chelsea FC striker tions. They need to be completely reno- The 4-0 defeat against Liechten- Eidur Gudjohnsen was elected Icelandic vated in order to become more modern stein on 13 October was without doubt the Sports Personality of the Year 2004 by the and comfortable and to comply with safety lowest point in the history of Luxembourg Icelandic Sports Writers’ Association. Two standards both internally and in their football. other footballers were among the ten can- immediate surroundings. In December, the new FLF manage- didates for the award, Hermann Hreidarsson Under the plans which the ment team, led by the federation’s president, of English side Charlton Athletic, and FIGC is currently working on, the stadiums Paul Philipp, decided after careful consid- Heimir Gudjónsson, captain of current Ice- (which are owned by local authorities) eration to take some fairly drastic measures landic champions FH Hafnarfjördur. Gud- would be made over to or leased to the to address the situation. johnsen, who is getting closer to Ríkhardur clubs for 30-50 years. The clubs would The first step was to terminate Jónsson’s all-time goal-scoring of then ensure the stadiums were adapted to the contract of by mutual 17 for the national team, scored four goals modern standards using funds loaned at consent and was inevitably followed by the in seven internationals in 2004, and his particularly favourable rates. This arrange- recruitment of a new national coach. total now stands at 13 goals in 34 matches. ment should avoid overspending and guar- The new man at the helm is former The last time a footballer was awarded antee the clubs a degree of ownership. Luxembourg international and long-time this prize was in 1987, and the player was All 12 cities which staged the captain of Standard Liège, Guy Hellers, whose none other than Eidur’s father, Arnór 1990 World Cup have already shown great main occupation for the last few years has Gudjohnsen, who was playing for Belgian interest (Rome, Milan, Turin, Verona, been to run the FLF football academy. He is club Anderlecht at the time. Udine, Genoa, Bologna, Florence, Naples, therefore more qualified than anyone to The FA has created a special com- Bari, Palermo and Cagliari), while others assess the current situation of football in mittee to select its own footballers of the (particularly Venice) have also expressed Luxembourg. year. Among the selectors are former players, an interest or are expected to do so. This coaches, referees, officials and media repre- shows the level of enthusiasm generated sentatives. Unsurprisingly, Eidur Gudjohnsen by the possibility of hosting EURO 2012 was named top man in 2004, and Margrét amongst a general public which is has Lára Vidarsdóttir of cup winners and league always been passionate about and keen to runners-up ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar was named participate in our sport. woman footballer of the year. Vidarsdóttir Sergio Di Cesare has a good goal-scoring record for the national team, 11 goals in 14 matches, but although her 48 goals in 40 top-division matches is an impressive return, she has some distance to go if she wants to beat LIECHTENSTEIN Olga Færseth’s amazing record of 228 Guy Hellers, goals in 166 top-division matches. the new Cheque for Special Olympics team national

Ómar Smárason FLF As part of its 70th birthday celebrations, coach. the Liechtenstein FA decided to make do without presents and collect donations for Guy Hellers, 40, has signed a the national Special Olympics team instead. contract until 31 December 2007 and will ITALY A total of just over CHF 9,000 was col- combine his position as national coach with lected, a sum topped up to CHF 10,000 continued responsibility for sporting matters by the LFV itself. at the FLF football academy. Bid generates enthusiasm The cheque for CHF 10,000 was Since the start of the current sea- The Italian FA (FIGC) and, therefore, the handed over at the end of December. son, Guy Hellers has made various changes in whole of Italy as a sporting, social and eco- Athletes’ representative Sonja Hemmerle connection with the national youth teams. nomic entity, has put in a bid to host EURO and coach Theresia Frick-Heeb gratefully The elite players in the Under-19 and Under- 2012. The FIGC had been considering this accepted the cheque, which was presented 21 age groups have been brought together step for some time and made its plans by the captain of the Liechtenstein football to form the “A1 squad”, which now trains known at the XXVII UEFA Congress in Rome team, Daniel Hasler. together three times a week at the national in March 2003. It is 25 years since the final All the money will go directly football centre in Mondercange. round was played in Italy and the 1990 to the athletes, since all the team officials As well as the A1 squad, the World Cup remains the last major football and coaches are volunteers. The next FLF football academy runs the Under-13, event hosted in our country. international event for the Special Olympics Under-15 and Under-17 teams, which train

19 between three and six times a week under the Thanks to these initiatives, UEFA expert guidance of qualified FA coaches. will certainly open the way for the Malta FA Most current members of the A1 and and other member associations to explore national first team squads have progressed all new possibilities for ensuring a better the way through the academy ranks and are future for the game. expected to form the backbone of the national Alex Vella team in future. The FA management team is D. AQUILINA convinced that these measures will help Lux- embourg football to regain the status and NORWAY recognition it deserves in the medium term. Joël Wolff Football for girls is booming The Football Association of Norway (NFF) is FYR experiencing a fantastic development in MACEDONIA football activity among children. The number of teams participating in football in 2004 New statutes was 10.4% higher than the year before, and The end of 2004 was more than busy, with reached a total number of 23,473 teams. the Football Federation of Macedonia involved And it is the girls who have really discovered the joy of football. The statistics show that in important activities. in some regions there were 50% more girls’ The second week of December teams in 2004 compared with 2003. In total, brought the first part of the current domestic Malta’s Under-21 captain Roderick Bajada (in white) the number of girls’ and women’s teams championship to a close. For the first time, against Hungary’s Daniel Tozser. grew by 22% in one year. FC Rabotnicki Kometal from Skopje are in the There are now more than 5,400 lead at the halfway stage. Local rivals and five- recent results obtained by the Maltese girls’ and women’s teams, and the NFF esti- time domestic champions FC Vardar are close mates that more than 100,000 girls are in contention. youth teams in UEFA’s mini-tournaments and those of the Under-21 team in their playing football, out of a total of 400,000 Finally, after a lengthy process, the football players in Norway and a population statutes of the Football Federation of Mace- European Championship qualifiers. Mark Miller’s team’s latest 3-1 victory over of 4.5 million. The exact number of active donia (FSM) have been completed in accor- players will be known in March. dance with FIFA’s Standard Statutes and with Italy’s Under-20s in a friendly match was another feather in Malta’s . The NFF’s president, Sondre the assistance of UEFA. The final version was Kåfjord, explains that there are three factors accepted and adopted by the FSM General Malta’s UEFA rankings in the Under-17 and Under-19 categories are cred- contributing to this positive development Assembly. FSM president Haralampie Hadzi- in grassroots football. He believes that it is Risteski has stressed that the new statutes will itable and the fact that some other more renowned continental nations feature lower important that the NFF is focussing first and allow further democratisation, transparency foremost on enjoyment, and having fun in than the Maltese teams in these lists will and development in football in The former children’s football; secondly, because the NFF push the MFA even further in its commit- Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, but, at the has set very ambitious goals for new facili- same time, will be the basis for popularising ment to nurture youth football more ties, primarily artificial turf; and thirdly, it the game throughout the country, especially assiduously. aims to educate as many volunteers as pos- at youth level. The foundations for this positive sible as coaches, leaders and referees. The Before the seasonal holidays, the trend are laid on a more streamlined NFF Plan of Action for 2004-2007 points out FSM traditionally announces its players of the structure of the football nurseries in Malta that there is a need for 50 new full-size year. For 2004, the best international player whereby high standards in technical and pitches with artificial turf every year to meet who successfully represents his country abroad administrative fields are being set and the growth in activity. In 2004, 58 new full- was named as Goran Pandev, who plays with adhered to. Coaching courses and youth size football grounds were built for grass- S.S. Lazio in Roma. International Aleksandar development programmes under the roots football, and 24 pitches for seven- Vasoski of FC Vardar was named best player in stewardship of Technical Director Horst a-side football, all with artificial turf. the domestic championship, while the best Heese are also bearing results. To be able to take care of all these club award went to the current leaders in the The Youth FA, a body within children, and give them a satisfactory expe- title race, FC Rabotnicki Kometal. Their coach, the Maltese federation, is doing sterling rience, it is important to educate parents and Gjorgi Jovanovski, was named coach of the year. work in this sector. Besides overseeing the other volunteers as football coaches and And last but not least, FC Sileks from Kratovo nurseries, it runs the national Under-14 leaders. Last year, the NFF had more than won the fair play award. In total, awards were and Under-16 leagues, from where the 40,000 persons participating in different made in 18 categories, and on the occasion most talented youngsters pass on to the courses. of the awards ceremony, the FSM paid special next categories up at club and national Roger Solheim tribute to a great friend of football and regular team level. spectator of national team games, the tragi- Club nurseries are enthusiastic cally lost president of The former Yugoslav about the mini-pitches to be built all over Republic of Macedonia, Boris Trajkovski. Europe as part of UEFA’s grassroots pro- POLAND Press Office gramme. They see this project as a well- conceived idea for bringing safe playing facilities within close reach. The interest Poland and Ukraine offer shown in this project in Malta and its sister to host EURO 2012 MALTA island, Gozo, is very encouraging. The football associations of Poland Via the Malta FA, the nurseries and Ukraine have officially declared their are also reaping the benefits of UEFA’s readiness to host EURO 2012. The idea of the Looking towards the future other assistance programmes, which will joint bid was born about two years ago, and Confirmation that the Malta FA is beginning present youngsters with endless opportu- an agreement was signed in Lviv on 28 Sep- to reap fruit from its policy of laying more nities for discovering and developing their tember 2003 after a joint meeting of the emphasis on the youth sector was provided by natural skills. boards of the two associations.

20 uefadirect 3.05 “This is a great challenge. The The association states that An honorary coach in Romania idea fits in with the current political “eleven new positions have already been since 1990, he received the UEFA Pro diploma climate and is very important for both approved and a further four existing in recognition of his work at the first Pro our nations, who would like to improve vacancies will also be filled to boost the course run in their living standards,” said Michal association’s ability to increase partici- Romania, which Listkiewicz, president of the Polish FA. pation and develop the game in 2005 he taught. He has The initiative of the Polish FA and beyond.” attended numer- has received strong support from the Packie Bonner says “the addition ous UEFA coach- Polish President, Aleksander Kwasniewski, of new staff in key positions and the ing courses and is and guarantees from the government. filling of existing vacancies provide the still involved in The final decision was taken by the Polish association with the structure to kick- coach education FA’s board at its meeting on 31 January start the implementation of the 2005 at all levels. His this year. programme. work is also “We intend to host the 16 best “The additional resources recognised and European national teams in 2012. The will enable us to expand existing pro- appreciated by Polish FA and our Ukrainian partners grammes and, over time, deliver real the UEFA techni- share the same attitude in this respect. benefits to the grass roots of the game cal staff. FRF We will do our best to be appointed hosts in Ireland. He started coaching in 1950 with of EURO 2012 by UEFA on 8 December “The Technical Development the youth team at the Progresul club in 2006,” said Adam Olkowicz, chairman of Plan is about creating the best pathways (now FC National), where he won the bid committee. to develop the game among all the com- the national youth championship in 1954 The challenge is not an easy one. munities throughout the country and before moving up to the reserves and finally We will be running against countries of we’re delighted to add to our team of the A team, with whom he won the Roman- great sporting and economical potential. highly-qualified Development Officers ian Cup in 1958/59. Winning will surely be a very difficult task, and National Coordinators in meeting During the 1960s, he alternated but as former famous Polish singer Anna this challenge.” between spells as Progresul coach and German sang: “Success is the prize for The Technical Department of posts abroad: in Iraq in 1962 and with the daring.” We really hope it will be. the Football Association of Ireland will now Syrian national and military teams between Michal Kocieba / Bartek Marks have a staff of 39, including Regional 1965 and 1967. Development Officers and National Coordi- In 1969, he spent 45 days visit- nators, directly developing the game ing some of the top English clubs: Arsenal, throughout the country. Chelsea and Manchester United. On his “We have an excellent team of return, he wrote a book, “In Football’s dedicated staff bringing our programme Homeland”. to thousands of participants, schools In November 1970, he was and colleges,” Packie Bonner goes on. recruited by the Romanian Football Associa- “The addition of further staff tion (FRF), for whom he worked until No- will bring a welcome boost to our ability vember 2002. During that time, he coached to attract more people into the game.” the national A, Under-23, Under-21 and The Football Association of Ire- Olympic teams. land is hopeful that it can also work with Between 1986 and 1990, he was local authorities in the creation of new assistant coach to the Romanian national community-based development officers to team, which qualified for the World Cup further boost the game’s development. finals in 1990 and reached the last 16. PZPN The key additions to the Technical He was director of the national Michal Listkiewicz (left) and Zdzislaw Krecina, Development Plan structure are: coaching school from 1990 to 2002, a period president and general secretary of the Polish FA during which the best players in Romania’s ■ respectively. 3 Unit Managers history obtained their coaching licence: ■ 3 National Coordinators they included , Gheorghe ■ 3 new Regional Development Officers Popescu, Gavrila Pele Balint, Ovidiu Ioan ■ 1 physical fitness/sports science Sabau, , and REPUBLIC expert . ■ 1 administrator Nowadays, he remains an active OF IRELAND ■ 2 Regional Development Officers member of the FRF Technical Committee (vacancies) and the Managing Committee of the national New staff coaching school, as well as teaching on ■ 1 Head Tutor (Coach Education) for technical development Pro and other courses. (vacancy) The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) He is sometimes nicknamed “the ■ 1 Coach Education Administrator Spy” because he spent decades watching is making a very conscientious attempt to (vacancy). bring the message of football to every opponents on behalf of several national corner of the Irish nation. Brendan McKenna team coaches, providing them with detailed With former Republic of Ireland information. international goalkeeper Packie Bonner Cornel Dragusin has always en- appointed to the position of the associa- joyed a special relationship with members tion’s Technical Director, it is sparing no ROMANIA of the press, who have always respected effort to bring the game to every level of and admired him. player throughout the country. Admiration and respect: these As its efforts continue to gain Cornel Dragusin, a quiet hero words sum up the contribution made by momentum, the association has announced Cornel Dragusin will turn 79 in March, but Cornel Dragusin to the FRF over the past it will be appointing 15 additional staff as he remains very active and deeply in love 32 years. part of its technical development plan. with his job as a coach. Dan Cristea

21 over from Vera Pauw, who returned to the unfortunately were all too common, to an RUSSIA Netherlands in the autumn after taking Scot- absolute minimum. With the help of experts, land into UEFA’s first division for women’s this theme has been covered in depth on a national-team football. regular basis in further training for coaches Two international tournaments Anna’s first game in charge is a and club officials. friendly against Belgium on 12 March at The SFV has recently been The Football Union of Russia has organised McDiarmid Park in Perth, and she will be playing an active part in Swiss Olympic’s two tournaments simultaneously for the sec- eagerly awaiting the next competition draw, national campaign on the theme “sexual ond year in a row – the XIII Commonwealth as her long-term goal is to ensure the team exploitation in clubs”. It has written to its of Independent States (CIS) Champions Cup qualifies for the European Women’s Cham- 1,400 or so clubs, urging their coaches to and the XVII International Youth Tournament. pionship play-offs in 2007. sign a comprehensive 15-point code of The events, which are held in memory of The 43-year-old Swede has exten- conduct in which they promise to respect Valentin Granatkin, former FIFA vice-president sive experience in European competition children’s physical and mental integrity. and USSR Football Federation president), and had been head coach for the Swedish took place in Moscow from 15 to 23 January Pierre Benoit girls’ teams since 1996, with the highlight of on the artificial pitches in the Dinamo and her career being victory in the European Spartak sports halls. Dinamo was fitted out Women’s Under-18 Championship, as it was with new-generation artificial turf just before at the time. As a player, she made over the tournaments began. 240 appearances in the Swedish Women’s UKRAINE There were 16 participants in the . CIS Champions Cup - all the champions of the former Soviet states plus the Russian Joint bid with Poland Under-19 team. Russian champions Lokomotiv to host EURO 2012 Moscow won the tournament, beating On 31 January, the Football Federation of Neftchi (Baku, Azerbaijan) 2-1 in the final. Ukraine (FFU) organised a press confer- Eight under-18 teams were invited ence to officially declare its intention to to take part in the youth tournament – present a joint bid with Poland to co-host Belarus, China, Iran, Latvia, Lithuania, the European Championship finals in 2012. Poland, Russia and Ukraine. Russia beat Oleksandr Bandurko, FFU vice-president Ukraine 4-1 in the final, while Belarus took and executive director, and Ivan Fedorenko, third place with a 1-0 win over Iran. vice-president of the National Olympic Committee and chief executive of the bid organising body, were in attendance. The UEFA decision to submit a joint bid had been Anna Signeul. announced by Grygoriy Surkis and Michal Listkiewicz, presidents of the FFU and Anna said: “I am honoured to be Polish Football Association (PZPN) respec- the Scotland women’s national coach and tively after a joint meeting in Lviv back on relish the challenge. The Scottish FA has 28 September 2003. invested a lot of resources in women’s foot- The initiative of the FFU and PZPN ball and I am delighted with the opportunity is supported by the presidents and gov- to join the association.” ernments of Ukraine and Poland. Oleksandr Meanwhile, the Scottish FA has Bandurko said that the event was impor- announced it will be sharpening its focus on tant to the country as a whole; the prepa- RFS youth and grassroots, and clubs have been ration and organisation of the finals would Viacheslav Koloskov, president of the Russian given financial support for their youth pro- contribute to the European integration, Football Association, presents the trophy to the grammes. A ten-year Youth Action Plan has economic and social development of captain of Lokomotiv Moscow, Dmitri Loskov. already started to take effect, and David Ukraine. Taylor, Chief Executive, said: “All of our Valeriy Nikonenko FIFA president Joseph S. Blatter and available energies and resources must, at Michel Platini, member of the FIFA and UEFA this time, be directed towards the develop- Executive Committees, attended the opening ment of youth football. This is essential ceremony of the CIS Champions Cup and if we are to help create a brighter future opened the tournament by kicking a ball for the international team and raise par- from the centre spot. ticipation levels in Scotland.” All teams were satisfied with the hosts’ welcome and the level of organisation Andy Mitchell of the tournaments in covered halls during the Russian winter. There was general praise for the new artificial pitch of the Dinamo hall, and everybody would like to meet up SWITZERLAND again next year. Dmitri Sevastianov SFV still supporting child and youth protection When the Swiss FA (SFV) published a brochure SCOTLAND on the theme “Child and Youth Protection in Football” six years ago, it recognised that children involved in sport could be harmed in New women’s coach takes over many different ways. The SFV’s main objec- FFU Swedish coach Anna Signeul has been put tive in producing this publication in coopera- in charge of the Scotland women’s team, tion with the Swiss Child Protection Authority starting at the beginning of March. She takes was to reduce cases of sexual abuse, which Oleksandr Bandurko (left) and Ivan Fedorenko.

22 uefadirect 3.05 Communications ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● extended to: Referee Observers Panel,on29 March. Snoddy (NorthernIreland), memberofthe opment Committee, on28March, andAlan member oftheTechnical Devel- (Moldova), Pavel March, gates 22 Panel, on bov (Bulgaria), memberoftheMatchDele- half-centuries thismonthare MichailKassa- milestone on9March. Celebratingtheir and SecurityCommittee, reaches thesame Aleshin (Russia),memberoftheStadium Kayser (Luxembourg), on11 March. Vladimir on thefirstday ofthemonth,andLucien turn 60inMarch: Benny Jacobsen(Denmark), Two membersoftheMatchDelegates Panel of theReferee Observers Panel,willbe70. 16 March, Günter Linn(Germany), member celebrates his75thbirthday on8March. On Body,man oftheControl andDisciplinary Josep LluísVilasecaGuasch(Spain),Chair- Birthdays we care aboutfootball uoéne efootball de européennes associations des Union Official publicationofthe Communications andPublicAffairsDivision (Serbia andMontenegro, 7.3) (Serbia andMontenegro, 3.3) Liutauras Varanavicius (Lithuania,17.3) Alexander Chernov (Russia,16.3) David Taylor (Scotland,14.3) Robin Russell(England,14.3) Jan Obst(CzechRepublic, 13.3) Thomas Partl(Austria, 13.3) Vlastibor Minarovjech (Slovakia, 13.3) Jean-François Crucke (Belgium,12.3) Olga Zhukovska (Ukraine,11.3) Mateo Beusan (Croatia, 10.3) Amãndio deCarvalho(Portugal, 10.3) Joseph S.Blatter (Switzerland, 10.3) Ruben Hayrapetyan (Armenia,9.3) Hendrik Kesler (Netherlands,9.3) Alexis Ponnet (Belgium,9.3) Juraj Oblozinsky(Slovakia, 8.3) Tomás Gea(Andorra,7.3) Jean Schiltz(Luxembourg, 7.3) Branimir Babarogic Dusan Maravic (SerbiaandMontenegro, 7.3) Pedro M.Aurteneche Viñegra(Spain,7.3) Liana MelaniaStoicescu (Romania, 6.3) Boris Durlen(Croatia, 6.3) Esa Antero Palsi(Finland, 4.3) Dragan Stojkovic Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder (Germany, 3.3) Damir Vrbanovic (Croatia, 2.3) Sergey Tatulyan (Ukraine,1.3) Best wishesfor ahappy birthday are also Birthdays –Calendar Cebanu

??????????????? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● UEFA Cup:round of16 (return legs) UEFA Cup:round of16 (firstlegs) round (return legs) UEFA ChampionsLeague:firstknock-out and UEFA Cup semi-finals oftheUEFA ChampionsLeague Draws for thequarter-finals and Club CompetitionsCommittee Futsal Committee Stadium andSecurityCommittee Upcoming events Editorial deadline: Printed by Produced by Editor Andrea Lastrucci(Italy, 23.3) Aleksei Mikhailichenko (Ukraine,30.3) Stefan Ormandjiev (Bulgaria, 29.3) Edgar Obertüfer (Switzerland,29.3) Mario vanderEnde(Netherlands,28.3) Armen Minasyan(Armenia,27.3) José Antonio Casajús (Spain,27.3) Konstantin Vikhrov (Ukraine,27.3) Kemal Kapulluoglu (Turkey, 26.3) Wilfried Straub (Germany, 26.3) Anatoli Milchenko (Georgia,26.3) Ray Kiddell(England,26.3) Kurt HelmerSørensen (Denmark,25.3) Maurizio Laudi(Italy, 24.3) Stefan Reshko (Ukraine,24.3) Gines MelendezSotos (Spain,22.3) Jim Boyce (NorthernIreland, 21.3) Bülent Yavuz (Turkey, 20.3) Aristides Stathopoulos (Greece, 20.3) Lambros Adamou (Cyprus,20.3) Rune Bratseth(Norway, 19.3) Steve Williams(England,19.3) Andreas Georgiou(Cyprus,18.3) Marcello Nicchi(Italy, 18.3) Christakis Skapoullis (Cyprus,18.3) 16/17.3.2004 10.3.2005 8/9.3.2005 COMPETITIONS 18.3.2005, Nyon 17.3.2005, Nyon 10.3.2005, Nyon 9.3.2005, Nyon MEETINGS André Vieli Cavin SA, CH-1422 Grandson Atema CommunicationSA, CH-1196 Gland 11 2005 February New publications www.voetbalkroniek.be). Frankrijklei 8–BE-2000Antwerpen – tables andteam line-ups. statisticians willenthuseover thelistsofresults, 1906-1914 onaseason-by-season basis.The chronicle ofBelgianfootball covers theperiod of 1863-1906, thesecondvolume ofthis After afirstvolume dedicated to thepioneers VOETBAL-APACHEN ENBROODSPELERS KRONIEK VAN HETBELGISCH Modena. Tel. +39059382111). (Panini S.p.A.,Viale EmilioPo, 380–IT-41100 so pagesdevoted to theinternational game. and edited by Fabrizio Melegari iseven more 64th volume oftheseriespublishedby Panini This sexagenarian isasfitafiddle.The ALMANACCO ILLUSTRATO DELCALCIO 2005 Email: [email protected] Tel. +441943 464297–Fax +441943 851 177 Otley –GB-LeedsLS21 2SF 3 Newall HallMews Damian McGrath granted alicenceto: The Panel for LicensedUEFA MatchAgents has Match agent [email protected]). –email: Marseille. Fax: +33491 5711 60 (Legispor –8,rued’Arcole –FR-13006 player LiliaMalaja canonlyrejoice. something over whichthelawyers ofPolish clusion: nationalisminsportisobsolete, (EURO 2004isusedasareference). Theircon- ing theirtradeinseveral different countries which are increasingly madeup ofplayers ply- football championships,andnationalteams, competitions, suchastheFrench andEnglish the phenomenonisaffecting bothnational football. Usingstatisticaldata,they showhow competitions, whetherincycling, tennis or examines theinternationalisation ofsports This studyby lawyers SergeandMichelPautot La mondialisationdusportfrançais SPORT &NATIONALITÉS source isindicated. is authorised,provided the published in or extracts ofany information The reproduction ofarticles official views ofUEFA. articles are notnecessarilythe The views expressed insigned from theeracovered, while will enjoy the200orsophotos uments. Non-Flemish-speakers mented by anectodes anddoc- with facts andfigures supple- played by thenational team, petitions aswell asmatches Willocx, lookatnationalcom- authors, JeanFraiponts andDirk ball, notforgetting the100 or information aboutItalianfoot- tial tool for anyone requiring that make thisguideanessen- accuracy ofthestatisticaldata is stillthesheerquantity and tions are pleasingto theeye, it while thephotos andillustra- thanbefore, but colourful – Playhard Sports uefadirect (Assoc.Be bvba–

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