ISSUE 35, 20 JUNE 2014 ENGLISH EDITION Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Since 1904 RUSSIA FABIO CAPELLO ENERGISED BY EXPECTATION CROATIA STAR SUPPORTER DAVOR SUKER CHILE REWARDED FOR ATTACKING INTENT Brazil 2014 MAGICAL MANAUS WWW.FIFA.COM/THEWEEKLY CONTENTS Rumble in the Jungle North and South America Reserved friendliness, breathtaking nature and Central America 10 members thrilling football are just three things that set 35 members www.conmebol.com Manaus apart during the World Cup. Our writer www.concacaf.com Thomas Renggli sets out to investigate this jungle metropolis and recounts the history of a city in which there is no escaping the heat. 6 Sepp Blatter: A great attacking spectacle 19 The FIFA President waxes lyrical about the World Cup’s goal-laden start and praises the coaches for their readiness to take risks, all the while convinced that “the best is yet to come!” Snapshots of Brazil 29 Our editorial team give their very personal impressions of the World Cup, describing the moments that have particularly moved and inspired them so far. “I still want to be out there winning 30 matches” Davor Suker still gets restless whenever he watches a football match. In The FIFA Weekly interview, the Croatian Football Federation president discusses his time as a player and the ambitions of the current national team. 14 Chile Alexis Sanchez and his team defeated Spain 2-0 to send the defending champions home. Magical Manaus On the cover this week we feature a celebrating Brazilian. The euphoria in Seleção country shows no signs of abating. Guillaume Horcajuelo / EPA World Cup 2014: Groups A-C Group A Group B Group C Brazil Spain Colombia The FIFA Weekly Magazine App Croatia Netherlands Greece The FIFA Weekly, FIFA’s football magazine, is also available in five languages as an Mexico Chile Côte d’Ivoire e-Magazine on your tablet every Friday. Cameroon Australia Japan 2 T H E F I FA W E E K LY THIS WEEK IN THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL Europe Africa Asia Oceania 54 members 54 members 46 members 11 members www.uefa.com www.cafonline.com www.the-afc.com www.oceaniafootball.com 24 Russia Despite a faltering start to the World Cup, Russia coach Fabio Capello is still confident that his side can reach the Round of 16. 14 Germany Thomas Muller practically defeated Portugal single- handedly before Chancellor Angela Merkel joined in the post-match celebrations. 17 Nigeria Stephen Keshi is renowned for discipline and structure, and after the Super Eagles' opening 0-0 draw with Iran, his side need those characte- ristics more than ever. World Cup 2014: Groups D-H Group D Group E Group F Group G Group H Uruguay Switzerland Argentina Germany Belgium Costa Rica Ecuador Bosnia-Herzegovina Portugal Algeria England France Iran Ghana Russia Italy Honduras Nigeria USA Korea Republic THE FIFA WEEKLY 3 WELCOME TO ©2014 THE COCA-COLA COMPANY. COCA-COLA® AND THE CONTOUR BOTTLE ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF THE COCA-COLA COMPANY. OFFICIAL SPONSOR UNCOVERED Heart in the right place World Cup host city Manaus’ love of football is clear to see. Lost in the footballing jungle umble in the Jungle!” Four group matches are being n this week’s review of the World Cup camps, news that played in the city of Manaus, located deep within the Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher has wok- “R Brazilian jungle, but what is this legendary city real- I en from his coma spurred Germany on to a 4-0 win over ly all about? Thomas Renggli lost himself in the streets of Portugal. Elsewhere, Chile have already qualified for the this special metropolis and experienced the immense Round of 16, Greece’s Theofanis Gekas is playing for the warmth of its people. last major contract of his career, and the Nigerian team have their backs to the wall. IFA President Sepp Blater discusses the high tempera- tures in his weekly column, saying: “There was much nd then, of course, there is the mater of reigning F speculation that the unique conditions in Brazil could champions Spain, resigned to an early exit afer just put a damper on matches,” before adding: “Instead, we’re A two matches. The question now is: Who will be their seeing the exact opposite.” successors to football’s biggest crown? Å abio Capello and his Russia team are under pressure, but Sarah Steiner the Italian tactician still believes his side can progress. F We took a closer look at Russian football and spoke to the national team’s successful coach. Reuters / Ivan Canabrava THE FIFA WEEKLY 5 MANAUS Jungle football No other World Cup host city has provoked as much debate as Manaus, located deep in the heart of the Amazon. Yet as we discovered on a sweat-inducing trip to the rainforest, it is impossible not to fall for this town’s charm. 6 T H E F I FA W E E K LY MANAUS Water! Italy's Daniele De Rossi imago quenches his thirst THE FIFA WEEKLY 7 MANAUS Thomas Renggli, Manaus he experience of atending a World Cup match in Manaus is an odyssey unlike any other, and is not one for the faint-hearted or heat-averse football fan. Im- agine playing the game in a sau- na or a steel casting foundry and you begin to get a feeling for the temperatures involved. Even for those not taking part out on the pitch, a trip to the city is an eye-opening adventure. The landscape itself shifs the meaning of every- day life into a rather diferent sphere of sig- Tnificance, while the aeroplane’s descent upon arrival is simply breathtaking: the Amazon looks less like a river than it does a vast ocean in the middle of the rainforest. Yet even such stunning views were not enough to silence the travelling England fans, who blasted out a rendition of ‘Football’s coming home’ on the plane’s final approach. However, they were wise enough to pay heed to the local guides, who warned visitors Cold shower of the domestic dangers with tales of Barren Staples/Reuters, Guillermo Arias/Keystone, Pio Figueiroa (2) Wayne Rooney could not save England from an opening match defeat in Manaus A logical outcome Wet hair Playing football off Manaus’ Ponta The briefest of respites Negra beach from World Cup fever 8 T H E F I FA W E E K LY MANAUS bad-tempered crocodiles, poisonous spiders formance that was a lesson both in economy of and hungry piranhas, while strongly recom- Andrea Pirlo efort and intelligence. In temperatures hover- mending a yellow fever vaccination. ing around 32 degrees Celsius with 90 per cent The probability of catching malaria is also humidity, Pirlo dosed his energy carefully and significantly higher here than in the rest of taught England ran no further than he needed to, but was still the country. hugely influential. The next four teams to ap- Yet those able to push aside thoughts of a lesson in pear in Manaus; USA, Portugal, Honduras and an emergency visit to hospital – and those Switzerland, would be well advised to study his not required to stifle Andrea Pirlo and Mario display as an example of how to play football Balotelli – they were lucky enough to discov- 32-degree heat. in extreme conditions. It was telling that with er a diferent, surprising side to the World the English players long since flagging and Cup, and indeed to Brazil itself. Compared to gasping for air as the game entered stoppage the more sophisticated, headline-grabbing time, Pirlo was still able to rifle in a free-kick atractions on the beach front in Rio de Ja- that cannoned of the crossbar. “A lot of our neiro, Manaus, the biggest setlement in the players were sufering from cramp and that’s Amazon with a population of two million, something we’ll have to cope with,” said Eng- appears to hail from another world entirely. land manager Roy Hodgson of the physical toll The city’s isolated location seems to shape the game took on his squad. the character of its inhabitants and visitors Authentic ‘rumble in the jungle’ Hodgson himself was rather more adept at are met with a reserved friendliness that of- It may not have been a boxing match, but Eng- dealing with the heat. While his young atack- fers a stark contrast to the typical clichés of land’s fixture against Italy was every bit as ers Raheem Sterling, Danny Welbeck and Dan- loud, gaudy Brazilians. The pace of life is much a ‘rumble in the jungle’ as Muhammad iel Sturridge expended their energy in the first slower, almost muted. The native Indian pop- Ali versus George Foreman was, only this time half through a mixture of interplay, cockiness ulation is warm-hearted and shy in welcom- it was Wayne Rooney and Co against Pirlo’s and carelessness, the 66-year-old sat in the ing guests, as if they were trying to apologise Italy. Come the final whistle it was the 35-year- shade with statesmanlike composure, leaving for the fact that life here is not a pulsating, old Italian veteran with the flowing, unkempt his assistants to tweak on-field maters from Barren Staples/Reuters, Guillermo Arias/Keystone, Pio Figueiroa (2) round-the-clock fiesta. beard who was celebrating, having given a per- the technical area. Camping atmosphere There is always a Brazilian emblem to be seen somewhere THE FIFA WEEKLY 9 MANAUS Hodgson’s Italian counterpart Cesare Pran- delli, who had prepared his troops for the sti- fling conditions by sending them to saunas in Florence, was considerably more active on the touchline before reaching his limit.