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DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018ENGLISH EDITION
FINAL DRAW FOR RUSSIA 2018
RUSSIA CALLING
INSIDE
RUSSIA 2018
MATCH SCHEDULE
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Roberto Di Matteo
DEAR READERS OF FIFA 1904,
I still remember the day my dad signed me up
for a football club. I was only six years old at
the time. I would later go on to score 16 goals
in one game for FC Schaffhausen, the local
club in the Swiss town where I was born.
We won that match 21-1, and for every goal
that I scored, my dad put a little pebble in his
trouser pocket. It was full to bursting by the
end of the match!
I also have very fond memories of Italy becom-
ing world champions for the third time just a
few years later, in 1982. How we celebrated!
One player who really stood out for me in
that team was Gaetano Scirea because of his
elegance, his incredible technique and his
persona on the pitch. He was my role model.
These days, I have to be a role model for
others. As a FIFA Legend, it is important for
me to inspire and motivate young girls and
boys to play the game. This is something that
we do day in, day out as FIFA Legends – using
our passion for the game, whether it is in a
match, in the media or in our personal lives.
As far as my other objectives go, my immediate
priorities lie with my family. In time, however,
I want to enjoy more success as a coach.
Whether you are a coach or a player, there is
no better feeling in the world than lifting a
trophy at the end of the season.
Yours sportingly,
Roberto Di Matteo
LETTER FROM A FIFA LEGEND
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CONTENTS
COVER PICTURERussian ballet soloist
Viktorina Kapitonova poses at the Zurich Opera House.
Photo: Gian Paul Lozza
8 Russian football has a long and glorious tradition. With just a few months to go until the World Cup, we take a closer look at the hosts’ footballing pedigree.
16 The wait is over – now we all know the groups for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™. Some of the best shots from the draw in Moscow.
20 Lady Luck always has an important role to play in draws, but she has also decided between victory and defeat before when teams have had to draw lots...
22 Ever heard of bandy? This popular sport is played with sticks on ice, but it also has a lot of similarities with football. Read our report from Krasnoyarsk.
30 Ballet is Russia, and Russia is ballet. Football fits in perfectly.
38 Russian World Cup stamps: enough to get football fans’ hearts aflutter.
FINAL DRAW FOR RUSSIA 2018
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4 THE MONTH IN PICTURES An inconsolable Gianluigi Buffon, The Best FIFA Goalkeeper 2017 – A floodlit idyll set against Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
40 FIRST LOVE Derbent, Russia.
47 PANINI Frank Lampard.
54 THEN AND NOW From Bjärreds Saltsjöbad to São Paulo.
58 PHOTO ARCHIVE A World Cup draw in good hands (Paris, 5 May 1938).
43 President’s message: “The benefits of involving the member associations in decision-making are immediate and visible,” says Gianni Infantino about the FIFA Executive Football Summits. In order to facilitate the work of the member associations, “the agendas of the 12 meetings that we will organise between now and March 2018 will vary according to the participants’ priorities.”
FOOTBALL IN PICTURES
THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL 44 FIFA NEWS
46 THE FIFA/COCA-COLA MEN’S WORLD RANKING
48 NEWS FROM FIFA MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS
56 A FIFA LEGEND’S CAREER Nwankwo Kanu.
61 CARTOON Mordillo.
62 INNOVATIONS What do you do with old artificial turf pitches?
63 FANS A Costa Rican fan reveals his expectations of the 2018 World Cup.
64 PUBLICATION DETAILS/COMING UP
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THE MONTH IN PICTURES
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Goodbye to a world champion Gianluigi Buffon kept goal 175 times for Italy, but the 39-year-old bowed out from the international game after the Azzurri failed to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit in their World Cup play-off against Sweden at the San Siro on 13 November 2017.
5FIFA 1904 /
Marco Bertorello / AFP
Floodlit paradise Lake Geneva provides a stunning backdrop for the pitch in this picture, taken from Mont de Gourze in Riex, Switzerland on 5 October 2017.
THE MONTH IN PICTURES
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7FIFA 1904 /
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A BIG COUNTRY WITH BIG DREAMSThe Soviet Union and Russia have never been ones to dream small. In six months’ time, the football world will decamp to Russia, and people will once again be asking – can the hosts bring back the good old days?By Alan Schweingruber
FINAL DRAW FOR RUSSIA 2018
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European Championship 1960 The USSR national team, built around the great Lev Yashin, before the final against Yugoslavia (2-1 AET).
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FINAL DRAW FOR RUSSIA 2018
In the mid-2000s Russia abandoned a
grand plan: to win a major trophy
with a Russian coach at the helm of
the national team. Russia had not
won any trophies since the break-up
of the Soviet Union in 1991, and so
began the search for internationally
successful, charismatic and expensive
coaches from the heart of Europe.
Easier said than done. The really good
ones were already working somewhere
for a top club, or weren’t minded to
go off on an adventure, and the Russians
weren’t interested in the average ones.
That left only the aces of the older
generation, those who wanted one
last shot – or maybe two – at the big
time.
This project – let’s call it plan B – began in
2006 with the appointment of Dutchman
Guus Hiddink, the somewhat cranky
but accomplished football connoisseur.
He was followed by Dick Advocaat, a
compatriot of Hiddink’s who was
renowned for having led a number of
teams to success in a short space of time
(and who is now working for the Dutch
Third-place play-off, Rome The USSR, pictured here before taking on England, finished fourth at the European Championship in 1968.
10 / FIFA 1904
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MANY RUSSIANS BELIEVE THAT A NATIONAL COACH HAS TO HAVE A RUSSIAN MENTALITY AND KNOW THE COUNTRY IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE A RUSSIAN TEAM.
national team for the sixth time). Finally,
there was Fabio Capello, the grumpy
commissario tecnico, although friends
from Italy’s easternmost reaches said he
had a sunny disposition.
But what does “grumpy” actually mean?
Many people like to ruminate. Wrinkles
and pits appear on their faces, and their
eyebrows touch. Capello is a good
example. His pensive style had become
the hallmark of success and with it he
won 11 titles (not including the two
scudetti with Juventus that were struck
from the record books), not to mention
a UEFA Champions League triumph.
Who could deny the genius of the signore
from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region?
When he then broke into a big ironic
smile, there were no doubters left:
he was going to do great things with
Russia, too.
Yet don’t foreign challenges always follow
their own rules? Many Russians believe
that a national coach has to have a
Russian mentality and know the country
in order to be able to manage a Russian
team. After Hiddink took up the role,
fellow football coach Valery Gazzaev said
that “The Russian national coach must
be a true patriot infused with our national
identity, character and traditions, and
thus must have been born here.”
VAST EXPANSESGazzaev was proved right, as all three
trainers from the heart of Europe failed to
make a success of an apparently difficult
plan B, which nonetheless lasted nine
years. Capello and Advocaat managed a
win ratio of around 50%. Hiddink, who
was the most popular in Russia due to his
character, managed 56%. On the other
hand, a nation that has failed to get past
the first round of a World Cup since 1986
shouldn’t necessarily be dreaming of glory
just because it has a manager with a big
Fabio Capello
personality. Otherwise, you could just as
easily give Darth Vader the reins.
The truth is, the Sbornaya, as the Russian
national team are known, still have some-
thing of the Soviet Union about them.
And the Sbornaya from the old days also
had a record worth shouting about: three
World Cup quarter-finals (1958, 1962,
1970), a World Cup semi-final (1966)
and four appearances in the final of the
European Championship, winning one
(1960). Even if there was, in the end, a
little bit of luck involved in that European
Championship triumph in France. West
Germany did not participate, while
Spain’s dictator, General Franco, banned
the national team from flying to Russia
for the first game of their two-legged
quarter-final, leaving the way clear for
the USSR. Incidentally, Franco’s order
came so late that the superstars of the
team, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Ladislao
Kubala, were already at the airport.
So rather unexpectedly, the European
champions were the Soviet Union, a
country bigger than any other on earth by
millions of square kilometres.
So big, in fact, that even
after its collapse into
15 separate nations in
1991, a giant Russia
still emerged. This
country, with its endless steppes
and icy wastes, is big enough to hold
both the USA and Australia. How small
they suddenly seem, the superpowers of
Europe: France, England and Germany. Is
that maybe why the expectations of
Russian football are so high? It would be
understandable.
REMOTE OUTPOSTS OF FOOTBALLProfessional football is not played
in every corner of Russia.
The children and young-
sters in the remotest
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regions would love that to be the case,
of course – their bedroom walls are no
doubt also adorned with posters of
Neymar and David Luiz – but the climatic
conditions there make professional
football operations difficult. In Yakutsk,
for example, where 270,000 people live,
it’s cold and dark for many months a
year. From November to February,
temperatures of -40°C are the norm.
There is a club, however, whose first
team have been playing in the top
division for the first time for the past few
months: FC SKA-Energia Khabarovsk, a
newly promoted team from an isolated
city in the far east of the country, right
by the border with China. If you type
Khabarovsk into a search engine, the first
hits are maybe a little surprising: images
of people walking around the city
dressed in shorts. Professional football
and the Russian Premier League face a
different challenge here – distance.
There are seven time zones between
Moscow and Khabarovsk. The flying time
between the cities is seven-and-a-half
hours. From Makhachkala, it’s another
three hours on top of that. And then,
of course, you’ve got to allow for
changing planes, transfers and the time
difference. For a top athlete from the
centre of Europe it would be hard to
imagine how FC SKA’s players overcome
this obstacle all season long – even if
the team always play two away games in
a row when they head west.
There’s always plenty to do at the airport
and on the plane though, right? As a
holidaymaker you might have a glass of
bubbly or a beer, or browse the brochure
for your hotel one more time, admiring
the idyllic images of the pool. Yet when
you are not flying off on holiday, when
you clock up hundreds of hours in the air
every year for football, the potential for
sleeping, reading, watching Tom Hanks
films and duty-free shopping will be
exhausted at some point. When that
happens, the old footballing names
from the Soviet era may well pop up in
sleepy players’ conversations – Lev Yashin,
Oleg Blokhin, Valeriy Lobanovskyi and
the rest.
The USSR was never short of pioneers,
and if some modern-day pundits proclaim
German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to be
a revolutionary “sweeper keeper”, then
what exactly was Lev Yashin?
YASHIN’S EXPERIMENTSIt’s often said Yashin smoked three to
four packets of cigarettes a day. If true,
that would leave little time for football.
Maybe that was part of the reason why
he originally wanted to be world
champion at chess – although that was
only ever a hypothetical idea. The
Muscovite went on to be named the
Soviet Union’s goalkeeper of the century,
and without wanting to stretch the term,
it must be said that there has not yet
been any other Soviet or Russian
goalkeeper who has been able to play
so consistently well at the highest level
and, while doing so, find the freedom
to experiment. Yashin was the first
goalkeeper who punched the ball clear.
He would also launch attacks with long
throws from the back, and he was of
course also renowned for his spectacular
saves. Yashin was a goalkeeper, a
FINAL DRAW FOR RUSSIA 2018
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Life in a northern town Football on snow-bound pitches
is a common sight in Lovozero, some 1,200km north of Saint Petersburg.
13FIFA 1904 /
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Always one step ahead of the game.
strategist and an organiser. In computer
speak, he was the firewall.
By the end of his career, he had amassed
326 appearances for his only club,
Dynamo Moscow, as well as 74 caps for
the Soviet national team. And, alongside
his European Championship title, he also
won Olympic gold and the Ballon d’Or,
which he is still the only goalkeeper to
win. These trophies have now been
spread far and wide, and even today a
match-worn Lev Yashin shirt will change
hands on the internet now and again.
The summer before last, the collector and
former president of Montpellier HSC,
the late Louis Nicollin, bought one for
5,000 euros.
When Russian footballers take to the
world stage, they always do so with one
eye on history. When will we be able to
build on the successful days of the Soviet
Union? The current coach is Stanislav
Cherchesov, a Russian, and proof of the
fact that the coach you appoint is a matter
of the heart, not just the head. The media
recently decided he was grumpy. But what
does grumpy actually mean?
2018 FIFA WORLD CUP™ OFFICIAL POSTERThe official poster for the 2018 World Cup in Russia depicts Lev Yashin pulling off a
one-handed save. “The Black Panther”, who kept goal for the Soviet Union 74 times,
was known for his incredible reflexes. The poster was designed by Latvian artist Igor
Gurovich and is the first in the World Cup poster series to feature a famous face, and
only the third – after Italy 1930 and Switzerland 1954 – with a goalkeeper on it.
© F
IFA
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FINAL DRAW FOR RUSSIA 2018
The moment of truth On 1 December at around 19:00 local time, the Final Draw comes to an end in Moscow. Results: Portugal against Spain, Belgium against England, Russia against Uruguay ... it’s only the group stage, yet the round of 32 promises plenty of excitement at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ (14 June – 15 July 2018). You can find the full match schedule in the centrefold.
16 / FIFA 1904
Presentation of the trophy World champion Miroslav Klose brings the famous World Cup Trophy on stage.
Who will be the top coach in 2018? After the draw, the 32 national team coaches pose for a group photo.
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FINAL DRAW FOR RUSSIA 2018
Will they meet in the semi-finals? Germany’s coach Jogi Löw (left) and general manager Oliver Bierhoff (centre) talk to the Spanish general manager Fernando Hierro (top picture). In the centre photo, Klose presents the trophy, shortly before presenters Gary Lineker and Maria Komandnaya conduct the draw.
A bientôt! France’s coach Didier Deschamps (centre) shakes hands with Belgium’s coach Roberto Martínez (right). Left, Belgian FA General Secretary Koen de Brabander. The earliest the two teams could meet is in the semi-finals.
18 / FIFA 1904
Captured in time The ever-popular Pelé receives a kiss from Diego Maradona and shares a joke with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (3rd from left), Gordon Banks (far left) and Lothar Matthäus (2nd from left).
Ready for the show FIFA President Gianni
Infantino (left) and Vladimir Putin at the
draw opening (top right), former Brazilian
national players Ronaldo and Ronaldinho (right)
holding their phones up and Russian World Cup
ambassador Victoria Lopyreva in the
audience (below).
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“The coin-toss of Rotterdam” Belgian referee Robert Schaut (middle), surrounded by FC Cologne and Liverpool players, reporters and security officials (24 March 1965).
The balls have been drawn and we all know who will play whom at Russia 2018. There have been times, however,
when the winners and losers have been decided by chance. By Perikles Monioudis
FINAL DRAW FOR RUSSIA 2018
A GAME OF CHANCE
20 / FIFA 1904
between FC Zurich and Galatasaray. Both teams
won their home games 2-0, and a play-off
on neutral ground in Rome then ended in a
2-2 draw. In the end, a coin-toss decided the
winners – and the Swiss came out on top.
The next season, after two goalless draws in
the quarter-final between FC Cologne and
Liverpool, the two sides met in a play-off in
Rotterdam, which also finished in a 2-2 draw.
Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions for their
fans! As penalty shoot-outs had not yet been
introduced – that wouldn’t happen until the
1970/71 season – the referee again tossed a
coin, which promptly landed on its edge in
the mud. So again the coin was tossed high in
the air, and this time it landed on tails – which
meant Liverpool progressed.
NOT ALL IS LEFT TO CHANCEBut when it comes to the World Cup draw,
there is so much more at play than mere chance.
When the teams are assigned to the pots for
the draw, FIFA uses the FIFA/Coca-Cola World
Ranking, which is drawn up and published every
month by the governing body, to divide the
teams into pots that ensure that the strongest
teams don’t knock each other out in the early
stages and leave a “fluke” winner at the end of
the competition.
Without this fail-safe, it would be entirely
possible in an open draw for the strongest
teams to meet in the group stage, which would
ultimately only benefit the rather “less-fancied”
teams. Such a scenario would distort the
competition and be unfair. It goes without
saying that such mechanisms aren’t needed
in a league system, as the whole point of a
league is for each team to play every other team,
more often than not on a home-and-away
basis.
But a tournament is a whole different beast, one
that is played – in the case of the World Cup –
over a period of a mere few weeks, at the end
of which there can only be one winner – and a
deserving winner at that.
On 6 June 2015, Mali and Uruguay
came face to face at Waitako
Stadium in Hamilton, New
Zealand, in the group stage of
the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that this was just
another World Cup game, but if so you’d be
wrong. To many observers, it was clear what
would happen out on the pitch. Neither team
showed any great interest in taking the game to
their opponents, and as a result the match
petered out into a tame draw – which, as you’ve
probably guessed by now – was exactly what
both sides needed to secure their place in the
next round. And yet the psychology of modern-
day footballers does not really sit well with the
thought of simply playing for a draw – the risk of
conceding a (late) goal is far too great.
Be that as it may, the Malians and Uruguayans
did draw that game 1-1, a 17th-minute goal from
La Celeste’s Franco Acosta being cancelled out by
a strike from the eventual adidas Golden Ball
winner, Adama Traoré, just after half-time. Both
sides had secured their passage to the round of
16 on the same number of points, with the same
goal difference, and having scored the same
number of goals. But who would finish in second
and who in third? Lots would have to be drawn.
Both teams watched on via live video link as the
drawing of lots in Auckland left Uruguay as
group runners-up, with the Malians in third.
STEP UP, LADY LUCKMexico 1970 was another tournament in which
lots had to be drawn, with the Soviet Union
finishing top of Group 1 ahead of the hosts,
who had the same number of points, only thanks
to the luck of the draw even though the Soviets
had a superior goal difference of 6-1, ahead of
Mexico on 5-0. Four years later, FIFA introduced
the rule that says that the number of goals
scored will be used to separate teams that finish
with an identical record.
It is not just the World Cup that has history with
such drama, however. Take the 1963/64 European
Cup, for example, and the round-of-16 clash
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FOOTBALL ON ICE
Bandy in Siberia The popular sport is one of the fastest around.
FINAL DRAW FOR RUSSIA 2018
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Ninety minutes, 11 v. 11, one ball, two goals and a big pitch. Oh, and offside and corner flags too. No, we aren’t talking about football but about bandy – or “football on ice”. We dropped in on perennial Russian champions Yenisey in Krasnoyarsk.By Annette Braun (words) and Sergei Bobylev (pictures)
23FIFA 1904 /
Krasnoyarsk This city in Siberia, home to Yenisey, has a great bandy pedigree. Top: action from a Yenisey youth team training session. Bottom: the Yenisey first team in league action against Sibselmash later the same day.
parts of any bandy fan’s matchday ar-
moury as again, just like football, bandy is
a game played outdoors.
Krasnoyarsk, one of the main junctions on
the Trans-Siberian Railway and a couple of
hundred kilometres closer to Moscow
than it is to Vladivostok, is a bandy hot-
bed. Yenisey won three consecutive
Russian league titles in 2014, 2015 and
2016 as well as the 2015 Bandy World
Cup, a competition featuring the best club
sides in the world.
ENGLISH ROOTS Bandy, in its current form, has been
around since the middle of the 18th centu-
ry and its origins – just like football – can
be traced back to England. The first
regular bandy game was played in London
in 1875, and the National Bandy Associa-
tion, the governing body in England, was
founded 16 years later. The game failed to
take off in countries with moderate
winters, however, and it had to take even
more of a backseat after the emergence
of ice hockey in purpose-built indoor
arenas. In Russia though, and particularly
in Siberia, bandy – or “hockey with a ball”
– has always been a very popular sport for
men and women alike.
Some 10,000 fans can cram into the
Yenisey Stadium. And although the action
takes place on ice, that is as far as the
comparisons with ice hockey truly go. The
pitch is similar in size to a football pitch,
and bodychecks – so prevalent in ice
hockey – are banned in bandy.
QUICK, SHARP PASSING In bandy, it’s not all about stamina and
power, but primarily about pace as a
bandy ball does not react in the same way
as a puck. The key to success is often
precise passing – tiki taka on ice, if you
will. Goalkeepers have to have a little bit
of Manuel Neuer and co. about them too,
FINAL DRAW FOR RUSSIA 2018
The wind is bitterly cold
on this November day, a
sure sign that winter has
arrived on the streets of
Krasnoyarsk where
thermometers are show-
ing temperatures below
zero. Having said that, “cold” is rather
relative in these parts as temperatures
can easily fall as low as -20ºC here, the
third-largest city in Siberia.
So from that point of view at least, today
is almost balmy – particularly if you are
dressed for whatever the weather can
throw at you, just as these people getting
off the bus at the Cultural Place 1 May bus
stop are. They are all, without exception,
wrapped up in warm, colourful coats with
scarves wound tightly around their necks
and their hats pulled down over their
faces.
WATCH OUT FOR OFFSIDE! You’ll often hear “Perfect weather for a
spot of bandy!” here as the crowds
shuffle off. Sorry? “Bandy”? In Russia,
bandy is also known as “hockey with a
ball”, a description that is rather apt as
players use and wear much the same gear
as their ice-hockey counterparts – sticks,
helmets and skates – and also compete on
ice. But that is as far as the similarities go,
because bandy is also rather reminiscent
of football with goal lines, corner flags, an
offside rule and penalties. You would be
hard pressed to find a puck on a bandy
pitch too as the game is played with a
brightly coloured ball that is smaller than a
standard football but, statistically speak-
ing, hits the back of the net more often.
A closer look at these people getting off
the bus reveals that they are actually
diehard fans of the local bandy club, and
they are all heading for the Yenisey stadi-
um armed with cushions to sit on and
polystyrene blocks to stand on – vital
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FINAL DRAW FOR RUSSIA 2018
guarding their goals with gloves and
reflexes but without a stick. With so many
similarities to football, it is little wonder
that the stars and fans of bandy also tend
to know rather a lot about the beautiful
game (see our interview with Russian
bandy star Sergei Lomanov on page 29).
Bandy fans are also experts when it
comes to tactics and the finer points of
the game as they are accustomed to
staying focused on such a fast game. The
break-neck speed of the game means that
it is not ideal for live TV coverage, but the
exact opposite holds true if you are
fortunate enough to catch a game in
person. The below-zero temperatures are
part of the experience, the fans’ cold
breath drifting across the pitch to add to
the other-worldly atmosphere.
Today, Yenisey’s fans will go home happy
after watching another victory for their
team. Slowly they make their way home,
their Russian flags safely packed away for
another day, perhaps until the summer
when they will be brought out again in
support of the Russian football team in
the World Cup.
The final at the Bandy World Champion-
ship is often between Russia and Sweden.
If football were to take its lead from
bandy with a World Cup final between
the same two teams, there would be a lot
of bandy fans with absolutely no objec-
tions whatsoever...
Weatherproofed Watching a game of bandy is always fun, even in sub-zero temperatures – if you’re dressed appropriately, of course.
26 / FIFA 1904
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BANDY IS ONE OF THE MOST POPU-LAR WINTER SPORTS IN THE WORLD. OVER A MILLION PEOPLE PLAY THE SPORT IN RUSSIA ALONE, WHERE THERE IS A PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE WITH 14 TEAMS AND STA-DIUMS WITH CAPACITIES OF UP TO 15,000. THE REIGNING RUSSIAN CHAMPIONS ARE SKA-NEFTANYIK FROM THE CITY OF KHABAROVSK. BANDY IS MAINLY PLAYED IN NORTHERN AND EASTERN EUROPE AS WELL AS IN NORTH AMERICA. AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, THE TWO MOST SUCCESSFUL TEAMS ARE RUSSIA AND SWEDEN. THE FEDERATION OF INTERNATIONAL BANDY (FIB) WAS FOUNDED IN SWEDEN IN 1955 AND CURRENTLY HAS 27 MEMBERS. THE FIRST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WAS HELD IN 1957, FOLLOWED BY THE INAU-GURAL WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPI-ONSHIP IN 2004. THE FIB IS AN OFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE IOC.
BANDY
FIFA PARTNER
“EVERYTHING CAN CHANGE IN A MINUTE”Nine-time bandy world champion Sergey Lomanov talks about the simila-rities between bandy and football, and about the special pressure of playing in a World Cup at home. Annette Braun asked the questions.
How would you describe the
fascination of bandy? Bandy,
or hockey with a ball, is
famous for its speed and the
individual actions of the
players, as well as for the very fast transi-
tions from defence to attack. Everything
can change literally in a minute. There have
been games in which a team was two or
three goals down but turned it around in
the space of five minutes. There is some
kind of unpredictability in the result.
Do you have an example in mind? The
World Championship final in Khabarovsk
in 2015 is memorable for me. We were
3-1 down but came back to win 5-3. In
two or three minutes, we changed the
dynamics and result of the match. The
stadium was full. The Prime Minister of
Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, was there too.
He congratulated us and awarded us our
gold medals.
Bandy has a long tradition in Russia. Ten
years ago, stadiums held up to 25,000
people and fans were coming the day
before the match to take their seats. They
brought hot coffee or tea with a nip of
something warming in it ... that’s not
allowed anymore. Nowadays, families love
their comfort and would rather go to
indoor stadiums. Few people will sit in an
outdoor stadium at minus 20 degrees.
What do you need to become a great
bandy player? Talent, but also a great
work ethic and the desire to achieve your
goals. It’s important to always work on
yourself and never be satisfied with what
you’ve achieved. Keep looking forward
and do not pay too much attention to
things such as victories. Forget them and
move on quickly. There are defeats, of
course, but you learn from them, analyse
them and come back stronger.
Can football help you succeed in bandy?
The two sports are intertwined and quite
comparable. Our sport is closer to football
than it is to ice hockey. We play with the
same number of players and on a similar-
sized pitch. The only thing that we do not
have is grass, but ice is much faster. We
also have the same vision, we like to play
with two touches, we use the entire width
of the pitch, and even the tactics are
similar.
Have you ever played football yourself?
I lived in Sweden between the ages of nine
and 15. In the summer, I played football for
a club called Sirius, and in the winter I
played hockey for the same team. When I
was 14, a coach asked me: “What kind of
sport do you prefer?” I chose bandy and do
not regret it at all, although I played foot-
ball quite well and was involved in various
team tournaments at my age level.”
What do you expect from the Russian
football team at the World Cup next
summer? Everybody is longing for victories
but in my opinion the result is not the
most important thing. We will be playing
at home and we need to show that we
can handle this special situation. Fans love
beautiful football with lots of goalscoring
opportunities, so I’m looking forward to
some good games from our team, which
would have a great impact on the develop-
ment of sport and the youth in our coun-
try. They need to come out and play like
we know they can – for the team, for their
team-mates, and for the fans who will
come and support them.
Sergey Sergeyevich Lomanov was born in
Krasnoyarsk on 2 June 1980 and made his
senior debut for Yenisey Krasnoyarsk
Bandy Club in 1997. He has been part of
the Russian national bandy team since
2000 and has nine World Championship
titles to his name. His father, Sergey
Ivanovich Lomanov, is also a successful
bandy manager and a former player.
29FIFA 1904 /
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FOOTBALLET
Ballet is Russia and Russia is ballet. Football fits in perfectly. We played football with Russians Viktorina Kapitonova and Elena Vostrotina, soloists of the Ballett Zürich.
By Perikles Monioudis (text) and Gian Paul Lozza (photos).
FINAL DRAW FOR RUSSIA 2018
/ FIFA 190430
31FIFA 1904 /
32 / FIFA 1904 AFP (4), Getty Images (2)
33FIFA 1904 /
FINAL DRAW FOR RUSSIA 2018
Viktorina Kapitonova is a Russian world-class ballet dancer. She explains what ballet and football have in common: team spirit, training schedules, and focusing on the same aspects of the body but using different techniques. Perikles Monioudis met the Zurich ballet soloist.
Are you looking forward to
the World Cup?
Viktorina Kapitonova: I’m really excited for
football supporters from all over the world
to see for themselves just how wonderful,
friendly and diverse the Russian cities and
people are. The choice of cities is really far
and wide, and includes cities close to my
heart, such as Kazan, where I studied to
become a ballet dancer, which is also a
city of Tatars close to my cultural back-
ground of Chuvashian people in the east
with more similarities to Asia than Europe.
has their role. Although there are no
“winners” in ballet, the audience can be
mesmerised by a wonderful, strong
performance of the corps – the body of
the ballet – just as they can by the defence
of a football team. If the corps or the
defenders do not perform, the ballet
soloists or strikers won’t be able to do
their job very well.
So would you say there are other
similarities?
Football players in these modern times,
with stars like Messi and Ronaldo, focus
on their bodies, their training, and what
they eat as much as ballet dancers do.
As a ballerina, I train eight hours, six days
a week on my balance, coordination,
power, and the finer details of my
technique, with performances in the
evenings. I think that football players have
similar training schedules, focusing on the
same aspects of the body but using
different techniques. I think it would be
fun to show a footballer our ballet
training in exchange for a day of football
training. I think a lot could be learnt in
both directions.
Viktorina Kapitonova, who hails from Russia, studied at the Kazan Ballet School and Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre Academy. A winner of “The Young Ballet of Russia” competition and of the “Arabesque” contest, she started dancing at the Jalil Opera House in Kazan in 2005. She was a member of Moscow’s Stanislavsky Ballet for the 2008/2009 season, and she joined Ballett Zürich in 2010.
“PERFORMING TOGETHER AS ONE”
I am also excited for fans to experience the
great ballet cities of Moscow and Saint
Petersburg in the west. I am sure the Russian
people will deliver a really wonderful event,
and I hope it brings people from all coun-
tries closer together. For me personally, I
am excited that it will be the first World
Cup for my son, Henry, who will be old
enough to cheer with us for Russia.
How do you think the Russian team
will perform?
To perform at home feels so much easier
and better for every performer. It is true
of ballet that a supportive audience can
often bring on a great performance from
dancers – you share a bond from the
opening of the curtains. I think that
Russia, with the support of an audience of
144 million, could be able to do something
really special. Russian people will be proud
to know that their team tried their best
whatever happens.
What does football have in common
with ballet?
In football as in ballet, natural ability can
really show on the pitch and the stage,
and in most cases great artists are born to
be great stars, like Pelé or Rudolf Nureyev.
It captures the imagination when people
see someone who grew up poor in Brazil
make it in football, or in Russia for ballet,
and to then have the world at their feet
– and not in their hands, of course. The
importance of performing together as
one, for each other and with each other,
is key in ballet as it is in football. A ballet
company is like a football team, and even
though there may be stars, every person
World-class soloists Ballet dancers Viktorina Kapitonova (left) and Elena Vostrotina.
35FIFA 1904 /
M A S T E R C O N T R O L
adidas.com/football© 2017 adidas AG
Camp Nou. This is something special that
you won’t forget. The people, united, in a
way, their energy – the players. That was
art! Yes, that was art.
In which way is football art?
The similarities start with the training at a
very young age. You are drawn by the
passion to do something, be it dancing,
football or something else. You put all
your energy into what you’re doing. You
devote yourself to it – to the arts or sport.
And, again, dancing and football happen
in the moment – unlike cinema, where
you see the result at the end. Both foot-
ball and dancing are performing acts. It’s
now or never: you win or lose.
In football you play to win.
Do you really dance to win?
I feel a strong exchange of energy with
the audience. It is hard to put in words
the feeling you have when on stage. You
feel the presence of the audience, but not
all the time. So you treasure it when it
happens. You feel the audience following
you and maybe even stop breathing when
they’re really into what you are doing.
Winning on stage therefore means losing
yourself. Losing yourself in time and space
and becoming that stage character.
In football that’s called “flow”.
Yes, that’s it, the flow, something that
happens so naturally. You go with it!
With the flow. You lose yourself, but at
the same time you are more yourself than
ever. You really get in touch with your
inner self.
Also, as a dancer you are part of a team.
It’s all about teamwork, always. My
performance depends on how my fellow
St Petersburg-born, world-class ballet dancer Elena Vostrotina is very much looking forward to the World Cup in Russia. Dancing, she says, like football, is about the flow, about feeling the energy of your colleagues and the power from the audience. Perikles Monioudis talked to her in a rehearsal room at the Zurich Opera.
Elena Vostrotina, what is your
connection to football?
I have a rather direct link to football,
because my father is a professional foot-
ball and ice-hockey coach. I grew up in a
family in which football played a big role
– sport in general. We often watched
games with my father when I was little.
Later, I also went to games with my
friends. Football is very popular in Russia,
it brings people together.
Have you ever fancied becoming a
football player?
Well, of course I tried it out a little. As a
kid I had a lot of energy, I loved running,
and I found it fun to kick the ball around.
So I tried, but didn’t quite succeed [laughs].
Do you have fond memories
of football?
When my father took me to the stadium
for the first time – the Petrovsky Stadium
in St Petersburg – we watched an FC Zenit
game, and I was amazed at the energy at
the stadium. There was so much energy
there, I felt it run through my body and
my bones. And then of course there was
the game itself. When you watch a game,
you are caught in the moment, it capti-
vates you. I had more or less the same
feeling when I had the chance, some years
ago, to attend an FC Barcelona game in
dancers perform. As a soloist, I love to feel
them on stage, they give me the strength
I need to perform at my very best. Even a
smile works. I believe that between
players there’s also this kind of connection.
Will you attend a World Cup game
in Russia?
Yes, I really hope so. I miss home. I will
be in St Petersburg next summer.
How will your team do?
I really don’t know. My father always says:
“The field is flat and the ball is round.”
Elena Vostrotina from St Petersburg completed her ballet training at the Vaganova Ballet Academy, and in 2003, she became a member of the Mariinsky Ballet. In 2006, Vostrotina was with the Semperoper Ballett, Dresden. There she was appointed a soloist and danced a wide repertoire of classical, neoclassical and modern ballet. This season she joined the Ballett Zürich.
“YOU ARE MORE YOURSELF THAN EVER”
37FIFA 1904 /
STAMP OF APPROVAL FOR THE WORLD CUP
Collecting stamps is rather a big deal in Russia, and with the clock ticking down to the 2018 FIFA World Cup™, football-related stamps are all the rage.
By Annette Braun
FINAL DRAW FOR RUSSIA 2018
Official Mascot for 2018 Zabivaka, a wolf who radiates charm and confidence, is inspiring millions of fans all over the world.
38 / FIFA 1904
Mar
ka
Olympic gold medal in 1956 and three
World Cup appearances (1958, 1962, 1970).
It of course remains to be seen which
Russian players will emerge as heroes next
summer, potentially putting themselves in
the frame for stamps in their honour in
the future, but the focus has already fallen
on next summer’s big event with stamps
for Zabivaka, the wolf chosen as the
tournament’s official mascot by Russian
fans, the FIFA World Cup Trophy that all
32 teams will be hoping to hold aloft on
15 July 2018, and Moscow’s Luzhniki
Stadium, the arena that will see the new
world champions crowned.
And who knows, maybe the sight of
these stamps in the run-up to and during
the World Cup will encourage people to
start writing letters again. Whatever
happens, these stamps are yet another
sign that Russia is ready and waiting to
host the World Cup, giving stamp
collectors and football fans alike so much
to look forward to. It’s almost time to
stamp those passports and to let the
journey begin!
Lev Yashin (1929-1990) The Soviet legend won the European Championship in 1960 and was one of the best goalkeepers of the 20th century.
Gavriil Kachalin (1911-1995) The long-serving coach guided the USSR team through their most successful period (Olympic gold in 1956, European Championship title in 1960).
For collectors, stamps are first and fore-
most a hobby but they can also be a solid
investment. For those fortunate enough to
be depicted on a stamp, meanwhile, it is a
question of prestige and recognition –
after all, if you make it onto a stamp, you
must have done something right and have
left a lasting impression somewhere.
With the 2018 World Cup now just
around the corner, the newest stamps to
hit the Russian market have started to
focus on the country’s football history as
well as on the upcoming tournament
itself, the subtle mix of nostalgia and
anticipation underlining Russia’s rich
football pedigree while also whetting
people’s appetite for all that lies in store
in just a few months’ time.
FOURTH PLACE IN 1966Some of these new stamps look back at
the glory days of the USSR national team
that made its World Cup debut in Sweden
in 1958 before going on to claim the
country’s best-ever placing so far with a
fourth-place finish in England eight years
later. Some of the heroes of that time are
obviously taking centre stage and being
cast in a new light. There is a stamp
commemorating the great Lev Yashin, the
Russian goalkeeping legend and a Euro-
pean champion in 1960, who is shown
gazing into the distance, and another for
Gavriil Kachalin, the coach who led the
Soviets to the European title in 1960, the
Whether it is
cosmonaut Alexey
Arkhipovich Leonov
floating through
space, or the
United Nations headquarters standing
resplen dent in the sunlight, stamps are
incredibly popular in Russia, where they
commem orate some of the biggest events
in history such as the first spacewalk in
1965 or the foundation of the UN in
1945. These days, however, the world
of digital communication has almost
consigned old-fashioned letter-writing to
the past, particularly in our private lives,
because who wants to wait a couple
of days for the post to arrive when you
can send a message with the click of a
button? The humble stamp has survived it
all though, whether as a collector’s item
or as a solid investment.
SPECIAL STAMPSThe stamp has done even more than
merely survive, as new technology has
opened even more doors for it to develop
and move with the times, from the UK’s
first stamp – the famous Penny Black
– way back in 1840 with Queen Victoria
to the first Russian Empire stamp with
the country’s coat of arms, which was
printed in typography in brown and blue.
These days, these perforated pieces of
paper can be printed in 3D, and even in
special sets that can smell and taste of
chocolate.
39FIFA 1904 /
PLACE Derbent (Dagestan), RussiaDATE 15 July 2017TIME 18:30PHOTOGRAPHER Caio Vilela
FIRST LOVE
40 / FIFA 1904
41FIFA 1904 /
fotogloria
FACILITATING THE WORK OF THE MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS
I have a very vivid memory of the inaugural FIFA Executive Football
Summit in Paris, just over a year ago. I remember a specific moment
at the beginning of that meeting, when the president of a member
association started to explain a situation his country faced. I looked
around and noticed how his fellow presidents were staring at each
another: you could tell that they were marvelling at the differences
and similarities – especially the similarities – between their challenges
and those that they were hearing about. At that moment, I knew
that the idea to organise regular summits had been the right one.
It is a good idea for a very simple reason: it is logical. The 211 member
associations are not only important for FIFA: they are FIFA. Serving
its members is FIFA’s very raison d’être. For that, we must listen to
them. Listen carefully and constantly – a process that naturally
leads to the FIFA Executive Football Summits.
The benefits of involving the member associations in decision-making
are immediate and visible, to the point that the summits themselves
have been improved, for example. It was based on associations’
feedback that we decided to enhance a few elements for this second
cycle, which started in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 21 November.
While we still take geography and language compatibility into
account, the groups are now even more diverse, with representatives
of at least three confederations present at each of the summits.
Member associations have also had a say on the topics to be
discussed: the agendas of the 12 meetings that we will organise
between now and March 2018 will vary according to the
participants’ priorities, but will also share a few common topics:
the next cycle of the FIFA Forward Programme for development;
the future of FIFA’s youth and women’s competitions; and possible
improvements to the transfer system and the international match
calendar. Even decisions like these, which affect the whole world
of football, must be discussed with those who know what
the game is like in their specific territories.
Football is so fantastic because it is played and loved in every
corner of the globe. It seems very clear to me that you cannot
hope to act as the governing body of such a widespread and
magical phenomenon by making centralised decisions. The power
to promote the game lies in the daily groundwork carried out by
the 211 member associations. FIFA exists to facilitate it.
Yours in football,
Gianni Infantino
FIFA President
PRESIDENT´S MESSAGE
43FIFA 1904 /
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FIFA NEWS
At its meeting in Kolkata, India, the FIFA Council approved a 12%
increase in prize money for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ from
USD 358 million in 2014 to USD 400 million. It also ratified the
Bureau of the Council’s decision of 6 September 2017 to approve
stringent bidding regulations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ and
appointed the members of the Bid Evaluation Task Force. Other
matters discussed by the Council were the establishment of a FIFA
Foundation to provide a legal and institutional basis for FIFA’s
social commitment, a consultation phase during which to review
FIFA’s women’s, youth and club competitions and the introduction
of an international transfer matching system for women’s football
on 1 January 2018.
FULL STEAM AHEAD FOR THE WORLD CUP
ENGLAND’S U-17 TEAM TRIUMPHS IN INDIA
The Human Rights Advisory Board, which was created in early
2017 to provide independent advice on FIFA’s human rights
responsibilities, has published its first report. In it, the expert
group of eight representatives from the UN System, civil society,
trade unions and FIFA sponsors discusses FIFA’s work on human
rights and outlines a set of specific recommendations to FIFA.
“This report shows that FIFA is making important progress in
integrating respect for human rights throughout its wide range
of activities,” said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura. The
advisory board stated: “We recognise that FIFA has taken impor-
tant steps, particularly by adopting a new Human Rights Policy,
fighting discrimination connected to matches and integrating
human rights requirements into the 2026 FIFA World Cup bidding
documents. We also make 33 detailed recommendations on issues
FIFA should focus on, including, as a priority, building on what has
FIRST REPORT OF FIFA’S HUMAN RIGHTS ADVISORY BOARD
England convincingly over-
came Spain 5-2 in the FIFA
U-17 World Cup final in
Kolkata to join their U-20
counterparts at the summit
of world youth football, the
elder Three Lions having
prevailed in Korea Republic
four months previously.
Spain were left licking their
wounds after letting a
two-goal lead slip and
suffering their fourth U-17
World Cup final defeat. A
total of 1.35 million specta-
tors – almost 30,000 per
match – attended the tour-
nament, beating the previ-
ous record of 1.23 million set
at the inaugural competition
in China PR in 1985.
been done to date by continuing to strengthen efforts to address
risks to workers’ rights on FIFA World Cup stadium construction
sites in Russia and Qatar.”
44 / FIFA 1904
Jan
Kru
ger /
FIF
A v
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es
Since its launch in 2004, the FIFA Interactive World Cup has
enjoyed rapid growth and set new standards for the virtual game
on the EA SPORTS™ FIFA platform, as well as giving gamers a
global stage on which to develop their talent at elite level. To
reflect the e-sport’s continued rise in popularity, FIFA and its
partner EA SPORTS™ are taking the biggest global tournament
for the EA SPORTS™ FIFA series to a new level by launching
the FIFA eWorld Cup. Qualification for the Grand Final in 2018
will take place via the new FIFA 18 Global Series.
FIFA EWORLD CUP
FIFA referees from all over the world came together in Abu Dhabi
from 25 to 30 November for a seminar so that those who would
be deployed in the FIFA Club World Cup UAE could use the
following six days to put the finishing touches to their
preparations for the tournament. As well as taking part in
theoretical and practical sessions, the referees worked with
video assistant referees (VARs) and simulated situations that
call VARs into play. The FIFA Club World Cup 2017 is being held
from 6 to 16 December in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.
REFEREES PUT THROUGH THEIR PACES IN ABU DHABI
Football’s ability to inspire people was again in clear evidence at
the FIFA Diversity Award ceremony in London. FIFA Secretary
General Fatma Samoura presented the prize to Soccer Without
Borders, an organisation that uses football to build the confidence
of young refugees in places, such as the USA and Uganda and
FIFA DIVERSITY AWARD help with their integration. The decision was made by a jury of
11 prominent figures from the fields of global football and
diversity in sport. “It is FIFA’s duty to promote diversity on the
pitch, in the stands and in each area of society that is touched by
the most popular sport in the world. The Diversity Award is part
of this,” said the Secretary General.
45FIFA 1904 /
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http://www.fifa.com/worldranking
FIFA/COCA-COLA MEN’S WORLD RANKING
Last updated:23 November 2017
Rank Team + / – Points Rank Team + / – Points Rank Team + / – Points Rank Team + / – Points
1 Germany 0 1602
2 Brazil 0 1483
3 Portugal 0 1358
4 Argentina 0 1348
5 Belgium 0 1325
6 Spain 2 1231
7 Poland -1 1209
8 Switzerland 3 1190
9 France -2 1183
10 Chile -1 1162
11 Peru -1 1128
12 Denmark 7 1099
13 Colombia 0 1078
14 Italy 1 1052
15 England -3 1047
16 Mexico 0 1032
17 Croatia 1 1018
18 Sweden 7 998
19 Wales -5 985
20 Netherlands 0 952
21 Uruguay -4 924
22 Iceland -1 910
23 Senegal 9 884
24 USA 3 867
24 Northern Ireland -1 867
26 Costa Rica -4 850
27 Tunisia 1 838
28 Slovakia -4 817
29 Austria 10 815
30 Paraguay 6 812
31 Egypt -1 805
32 Republic of Ireland -6 798
32 Iran 2 798
32 Scotland -3 798
35 Ukraine -5 781
36 Congo DR -1 764
37 Serbia 1 756
38 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 753
39 Australia 4 747
40 Morocco 8 738
41 Romania 4 737
42 Turkey -9 735
43 Bulgaria -7 719
44 Burkina Faso 11 705
45 Cameroon -3 696
46 Montenegro 8 681
47 Greece 0 680
48 Czech Republic -2 677
49 Bolivia 1 674
50 Nigeria -9 671
51 Ghana 1 657
52 Venezuela -1 639
53 Hungary 0 630
54 Jamaica 5 625
55 Japan -11 623
56 Panama -7 621
57 Haiti -1 607
58 Norway 0 573
59 Korea Republic 3 563
60 China PR -3 561
61 Côte d'Ivoire 0 557
62 Albania 9 553
63 Saudi Arabia 0 539
64 Algeria 3 537
65 Russia 0 534
66 Guinea 0 532
67 Finland 7 531
68 Cape Verde Islands -4 530
69 Slovenia -1 522
70 Honduras -1 521
71 Ecuador -11 508
72 Mali 0 493
73 United Arab Emirates -1 474
74 Uganda -4 471
75 Zambia 2 449
76 FYR Macedonia 9 446
77 Libya 10 442
77 Syria 0 442
79 Iraq 1 438
80 Uzbekistan -4 437
81 South Africa -7 434
82 Benin -3 427
82 Palestine 2 427
84 Luxembourg 9 407
84 Estonia -4 407
84 Curaçao 5 407
87 Lebanon 13 404
88 Guinea-Bissau 0 403
89 Trinidad and Tobago -6 402
90 Armenia 0 383
91 Cyprus -5 373
92 Belarus -1 372
93 Gabon -1 370
94 Canada 2 369
95 Faroe Islands 0 364
96 Congo -2 362
97 Sierra Leone 2 360
98 Israel -16 355
99 Mauritania 2 354
100 El Salvador -3 352
101 Oman 9 350
102 Qatar -5 336
103 Zimbabwe 1 323
104 Georgia 3 322
105 India 0 320
106 Nicaragua 2 315
107 Jordan 6 311
108 Madagascar -5 309
108 Niger -2 309
110 Mozambique 1 304
111 Kenya -9 300
112 Turkmenistan 2 292
113 St Kitts and Nevis -5 291
114 Korea DPR 18 283
115 Bahrain 10 282
115 Kyrgyzstan 5 282
117 Azerbaijan -2 281
118 Philippines -2 280
119 Namibia 10 274
120 Rwanda -2 269
121 Yemen -9 268
122 New Zealand 0 267
123 Togo 1 266
123 Central African Republic -4 266
125 Vietnam -4 265
126 Malawi -9 260
127 Tajikistan -4 255
128 Suriname -3 245
129 Guatemala -1 242
130 Comoros -3 235
131 Latvia -2 233
132 Thailand 6 230
133 Swaziland 7 225
134 Liberia 1 224
135 Chinese Taipei 8 221
136 Kazakhstan -3 220
137 Sudan 4 219
138 Burundi -9 216
139 Andorra 5 215
140 Antigua and Barbuda -4 209
141 Angola -2 201
142 Tanzania -6 193
143 Hong Kong -1 189
144 Lesotho 2 188
145 Equatorial Guinea -12 187
145 Ethiopia 6 187
147 Afghanistan 7 181
148 Lithuania -3 179
148 Solomon Islands 4 179
150 Myanmar 5 176
150 Botswana -3 176
152 South Sudan 1 172
153 Tahiti -5 149
154 Indonesia 11 144
154 Barbados 6 144
156 New Caledonia -6 139
157 Maldives -1 135
157 Belize 4 135
159 Mauritius -1 134
160 Grenada -3 132
161 Papua New Guinea -2 126
162 Dominican Republic 1 121
163 Gambia 1 120
164 Guyana 1 117
165 Puerto Rico 2 112
166 Dominica 3 111
166 Moldova 1 111
168 Chad -19 110
169 St Vincent and the Grenadines 3 99
170 Nepal 6 98
170 Cuba 9 98
170 Singapore 3 98
170 Cambodia 0 98
174 Kosovo 9 97
174 Malaysia -4 97
174 St Lucia 0 97
177 São Tomé e Príncipe -1 94
178 Fiji -3 93
179 Aruba -1 92
180 Bermuda 1 72
181 Malta 1 66
182 Macau -2 65
183 Djibouti 2 64
184 Laos -22 62
185 Vanuatu 3 55
185 Bhutan 5 55
187 Liechtenstein 0 54
188 Kuwait -2 52
189 Seychelles -1 51
190 Brunei Darussalam -6 45
191 Guam 0 43
192 Bangladesh 4 38
192 American Samoa 1 38
192 Cook Islands 1 38
192 Samoa 1 38
196 Timor-Leste -4 32
197 US Virgin Islands 2 26
198 Montserrat 2 20
199 Mongolia -2 17
200 Sri Lanka -2 16
201 Pakistan 0 15
202 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 13
202 Cayman Islands 0 13
204 San Marino 0 11
205 British Virgin Islands 0 6
206 Anguilla 0 0
206 Bahamas 0 0
206 Eritrea 0 0
206 Gibraltar 0 0
206 Somalia 0 0
206 Tonga 0 0
46 / FIFA 1904
A CAREER IN PANINI STICKERS
FRANK LAMPARDFIFA Legend, 106 caps for England.
UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League winner.
47FIFA 1904 /
© P
AN
INI
INAUGURATION OF THE GIRLS’ INTER-SCHOOL TOURNAMENT IN PARAGUAY
An excellent day
was had with
the inauguration
of the Women’s U-11 and
U-13 Inter-School Football
Tournament, organised by
the Paraguayan Football
Association (APF) under the
auspices of FIFA. The event is
part of FIFA’s initiative under
the Evolution Programme to
promote women’s football in
Paraguay and throughout
South America. The APF’s
development division, presided
by Douglas Martínez,
celebrated in style by holding
the event, with the participants’
parade, folk dancing and the
first matches, which showed
just how good the players
from the various teams are.
VAR IN BRAZIL programme instructor, Manoel
Serapião. During these activities,
he also advised on how referee
signals should be made while
employing this technology.
The afternoon, in turn, was
scheduled for a practice
session. While one team stayed
in a room with TV monitors
showing footage recorded by
seven cameras, in addition to
enabling the replay feature, a
pair of referees proceeded to
the pitch to receive instructions
from the VAR and to practise
hand signals. There were three
people in the booth: a replay
operator (responsible for
technical operation of the
The training programme
for the use of video
assistant referee (VAR)
technology by the Refereeing
Committee of the Brazilian
Football Association focused on
a key issue. In the city of Águas
de Lindóia, São Paulo, partici-
pants attended theoretical and
practical activities that were
split into three shifts. The day
kicked off with referees and
assistants watching specific
refereeing-themed videos that
showcased controversial plays
and calls, thereafter undergoing
assessments carried out by the
equipment), a video referee
(analysing all footage angles)
and a VAR (in charge of the
camera placed at the offside
position). Finally, an assistant
and a referee with electronic
earpiece communication were
positioned on the pitch.
The athletes partaking in the
activity, members of the Brasilis
FC U-17 squad, were told by
CBF instructors to carry out
actions that would leave
referees and assistants in doubt.
In penalty kicks, for instance,
the goalkeeper would wait until
the ball was right above the line
before proceeding to defend it.
The purpose of the VAR is to
help clubs and football avoid
being affected by errors that
can be amended. As a conse-
quence, the referee will also
not suffer from pressure. “The
main purpose, however, is to
validate results, help football be
more ethical and prevent a
club’s title going to the wrong
club due to a refereeing error
that can be amended,” stated
Manoel Serapião. On the night
shift, the instructors showed
footage of activities carried out
throughout the day and made
general comments on commu-
nication, gestural and postural
assessments.
FIFA MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS
48 / FIFA 1904
APF
New Zealand Foot-
ball confirms it will
enter into formal
talks before the end of the
year with the New Zealand
Professional Footballers’
Association (NZPFA) regarding
a new collective agreement for
the employment of all senior
international football players.
New Zealand Football High
Performance Manager,
Becoming the first
woman in Papua New
Guinea to receive an
OFC B licence has left
Margaret Aka feeling both
humbled and grateful. The
former international said the
path to this achievement has
been long and arduous, and
without the backing of the
Papua New Guinea Football
Association (PNGFA) and her
coaching colleagues, she’s
unsure she would have made
it to the end. “I have to take
the time to thank PNGFA for
giving me the opportunity to
be involved in football and the
Franco Foda is
the first
German to become Austria’s
manager. The 51-year old will
replace the Swiss, Marcel
Koller, whose contract expired
and was not renewed, after
SPORTS MEDICAL COURSE IN URUGUAY
The Sports Medical
Course on Preventing
Injury from a Young
Age was initiated at the
Uruguayan Football Associa-
tion and was organised by the
CONMEBOL Medical Commit-
tee and the AUF’s develop-
ment department. Raúl Möller,
director of this department,
welcomed those present and
thanked them for supporting
the permanent training for
medical staff required for the
well-being of athletes. Mr
Möller encouraged them to
make use of the training
provided for the overall devel-
opment of sport in general
and particularly football. The
course is aimed at 31 partici-
pants, including doctors,
physiotherapists and kinesiolo-
gists, who will attend lectures
held by Doctors Francisco
Forriol, Jorge Cheyre, Daniel
Rienzi and José Veloso.
NZF TO NEGOTIATE NEW PLAYERS’ AGREEMENT
AKA BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Serbia have terminated
the contract of head
coach Slavoljub Muslin
three weeks after the former
Lokomotiv Moscow and
Red Star Belgrade boss led
them to 2018 FIFA World Cup
Russia qualification. His
SERBIA PART COMPANY WITH SLAVOLJUB MUSLIN
FODA TO BECOME AUSTRIA’S MANAGER
OFC technical team for provid-
ing that pathway for me to be
an accredited coach,” said
Aka. “The road to the OFC B
licence wasn’t an easy one.
I’ve sacrificed a lot of family
time, but the hard work and
persistence has paid off in the
end. And I certainly wouldn’t
have done it without the
support and assistance from a
lot of great people around
me.” When her playing career
came to a close after almost
20 years, Aka knew she had
more to offer. As a volunteer,
she was soon given an oppor-
tunity to attend a grassroots
coaching course and hasn’t
looked back since. She’s led
the OFC Just Play Programme
in Papua New Guinea and in
2014 found herself in charge
of the national U-15 girls’ team
which competed at the Youth
Olympic Games in Nanjing,
China. It was this opportunity
which really set Aka on her
coaching journey as she then
went on to lead the Papua New
Guinea U-17 women’s team to
silver at the OFC U-17 Women’s
Championship in 2016.
Dwayne Woolliams, is looking
forward to building on FIFA’s
relationship with the NZPFA
and working together to
produce an agreement that
satisfies all parties. “The
prospect of a single collective
agreement, providing equal
terms and conditions for our
men and women, is exciting
and indeed a natural step from
the current agreements which
already provide for pay equality.
New Zealand Football is
committed to a robust
bargaining process which
builds on the common ground
we currently have with the
NZPFA and respects the
confidentiality of both parties.
As such, we will not be making
further public comment until
negotiations are concluded.”
assistant, Mladen Krstajić –
who had 59 appearances for
the senior team – has taken
the reins until a successor is
appointed. Muslin was given
the role in May 2016 and
tasted competitive defeat only
once, courtesy of a late goal
in a 3-2 loss in Austria, on the
way to guiding the South
Africa 2010 qualifiers back to
the World Cup as Group D
winners in Europe. Six wins
from their ten games saw
them clinch progression with
victory over Georgia ahead of
the Republic of Ireland and
Wales. Of his 15 games at the
helm he won eight, losing just
two in total. Russia 2018 will
be the second appearance for
Serbia at the finals as an
independent nation, having
exited at the group stage
seven years ago.
49FIFA 1904 /
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ty Im
ages
MADJER TAKES CHARGE OF ALGERIA
SHADDAD RETURNS TO THE HELM OF THE SUDAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
Algeria legend
Rabah Madjer has
been appointed as
head coach of the Algerian
national team following their
unsuccessful bid to qualify for
the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Russia. Algeria were knocked
out of World Cup contention
after failing to win any of their
first five matches in a difficult
Group B, which paired them
with Nigeria, Zambia and
Cameroon. Les Fennecs have
turned to experienced coach
and former forward Madjer to
succeed the outgoing Lucas
Alcaraz to get them back on
track ahead of the 2019 CAF
Africa Cup of Nations
qualifiers next year. Madjer,
who had a distinguished
playing career with Porto and
the Algerian national team as
a forward, has coached Les
Fennecs on two previous
occasions (1994-1995 and
2001-2002).
Veteran football
administrator Kamal
Shaddad has been
elected president of the Sudan
Football Association (SFA) for a
four-year term. Shaddad, 82,
beat incumbent Mutasim
Gaafar by 33 to 28 votes at
the Elective General Assembly
of the SFA held in Khartoum
on Sunday, 29 October 2017.
Previously head of the SFA
between 2001 and 2010,
Shaddad returns to the helm
bringing an end to months of
internal wrangling within the
SFA. The General Assembly
was supervised by CAF
Executive Committee member
Suleiman Hassan Waberi and
FIFA Regional Development
Manager David Fani.
HISTORIC MILESTONE FOR SOMALI FOOTBALL
Football is helping
bring a level of
happiness to the
citizens of Somalia, a country
that has long been ravaged by
upheaval. The end of October
marked a historic moment
with the laying of a founda-
tion stone for the Somali
Football Federation’s (SFF)
new premises, the national
association having operated in
rented offices for over half a
century. Located in the Horn
of Africa, Somalia has a long
to nominate an “off-pitch”
club leader, such as a chairman
or club secretary and an
“on-pitch” club coach devel-
oper, such as a head coach,
manager or development
officer to attend the day. As
such, players, coaches, staff,
volunteers, board members,
and managers from all over
the country attended the
conference to hear from some
top-class speakers. Key-note
speakers who addressed both
groups were Gavin Levey and
Steven Sweeney of Aberdeen
FC and the Aberdeen FC
Community Trust, as well as
former Manchester United
coaches Paul McGuiness and
Jim Ryan. Speaking specifically
to coach developers were
Liverpool FC’s Michael Beale
and Stuart Ferrier from the
sportscotland institute of
sport. Whilst the club leaders
heard from Peter Davidson
of the Links Park Community
Trust and Greig Mailer,
the Scottish FA’s recently
appointed Head of Marketing
and Communications. Scottish
FA Coach Education Manager
Greig Paterson said: “This
type of conference was the
first of its kind delivered by
the Scottish FA as we seek to
bring best practice from both
the domestic game and the
wider world of sport to help
support the development
of football in Scotland. We
were treated to a host of
interesting presentations with
a lot of interesting ideas,
which I hope can be utilised
by clubs across Scotland.
This will be the first of many
Austria’s failure to qualify for
the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Russia™. Under Koller, Austria’s
manager since November
2011, the team qualified for
the UEFA EURO 2016, but
despite a strong performance
in their qualifying group, were
immediately knocked out in
the group stage, without
winning a single match. In the
qualifiers for Russia 2018 they
finished fourth in the European
Group D behind Serbia, the
Republic of Ireland and Wales.
“The fact that Franco Foda
was unanimously elected is a
reflection of his professional
reputation. He knows Austrian
football as a player and as a
coach. He is a meticulous
worker. He could become a
figurehead”, said Austrian FA
President Leo Windtner. “It is
a great honour for a coach to
manage the Austrian national
team. I am looking forward to
the task and to working with
the players and I am convinced
that together we will be a
success,” said Foda.
DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE IN SCOTLAND
The Scottish FA
welcomed more than
140 club leaders and
coach developers from all
parts of the pathway to the
recent Club and Coach
Development Conference at
the University of Stirling. The
conference was available to
clubs at all levels of the game
and each club was encouraged
as the development of clubs
and coaches in Scotland
continues.”
FIFA MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS
50 / FIFA 1904
imag
o
Canada Soccer has
partnered with
Ontario Soccer,
Own the Podium, Sport
Canada, the Canadian Sport
Institute Ontario, and Bill
Crothers Secondary School in
Markham, Ontario, to launch
its third Regional EXCEL (REX)
Super Centre in Canada. The
Ontario Regional EXCEL Super
Centre will be launched in
January 2018 and provide
Canada’s top youth talent with
a centralised daily training
environment that supports
Canada’s elite female youth
ARENA RESIGNS AS USA COACH
Bruce Arena has
stepped down from
his role as USA head
coach. Arena’s decision to
resign as national team
manager comes after the
country failed to qualify for
National coach and
former national
team captain,
Jamal Abu Abed (photo) has
been officially appointed as
head coach of the men’s
senior national team for the
upcoming phase. Abu Abed
was introduced to the media
in a press conference that took
place at the Jordan Football
Association headquarters.
Jordan FA General Secretary
Sizar Soubar stressed that the
appointment of Abu Abed was
ABU ABED APPOINTED AS JORDAN HEAD COACH
CANADA SOCCER LAUNCHES DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
association with football
dating all the way back to
1951, but never before has the
governing body had premises
to call its own. The new
headquarters are being built
on a portion of land that was
recently donated to the SFF
by the Ministry for Youth
and Sport, as announced
by Minister Hon Khadija
Mohamed Diriye. The associa-
tion has indicated their plan
to apply for funding from
FIFA’s Forward Development
Programme for the new base
which is expected to be
completed next year. “The
construction of these new
headquarters will end more
than half a century of the
Somali Football Federation
serving in rented offices,” said
SFF President Abdiqani Said
Arab. “This will be the first
building owned by the associ-
ation in its whole history. It is
being built thanks to the new
development initiatives creat-
ed by FIFA President Gianni
Infantino. The headquarters
will be home to the entire
football family of Somalia.
Having more space to work
will help the development of
football in the country.”
the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Russia. A 2-1 defeat away to
Trinidad and Tobago on 10
October, combined with
Honduras and Panama’s
recording victories over Mexico
and Costa Rica respectively,
meant the Stars and Stripes
finished fifth in CONCACAF’s
Hexagonal standings. It is the
first time the USA have failed
to qualify for the World Cup
since Mexico 1986. “It is the
greatest privilege for any
coach to manage their
country’s national team, and
as I leave that role today, I am
honoured and grateful to have
had that opportunity twice in
my career,” said Arena, who
coached the USA at Korea/
Japan 2002 and Germany
2006 during his first stint as
national team manager.
players through an advanced
curriculum. Talented U-14 to
U-18 players will be offered a
comprehensive training
programme aligned to Canada
Soccer’s national curriculum
that will provide them with the
opportunity to accumulate
high-quality training hours
while developing world-class
skills across Canada Soccer’s
entire development
programme. The 28 players
attending the first intake of
the Ontario Regional EXCEL
Super Centre in January will
engage in a full-time pro-
gramme and train or play five
days per week from January to
June in a “best with best”
environment with national
and internationally licensed
coaches, while attending Bill
Crothers Secondary School.
“Canada Soccer’s EXCEL
Program was designed to
ensure Canada is consistently
producing female soccer
players with the necessary
skillset by design, rather than
by chance,” said John Herdman,
Canada Soccer’s Women’s
National Program Director and
Women’s National Team Head
Coach. “By cementing the
connection between Regional
EXCEL Centres across the
nation, Canada Soccer’s
National EXCEL Program and
the Women’s National Team
Program, Canada Soccer is
aligning Canada’s talent pool
to ensure talent is identified
and nurtured so players have
a clear pathway towards
representing our nation on
the international stage.” Since
the inception of the Women’s
EXCEL System in 2014, player
development progress has
improved across all age
groups, and a significant
number of youth players have
excelled for Canada Soccer’s
women’s national team,
including bronze medalists
Deanne Rose, Kadeisha
Buchanan, Ashley Lawrence,
Rebecca Quinn, and Jessie
Fleming.
51FIFA 1904 /
JFA
FIFA CHIEF WOMEN’S FOOTBALL OFFICER VISITS AIFF
COACHING STUDY PROGRAMME IN JAPAN
The Japan Football
Association invited
five coaches each from
Cambodia and Myanmar as
part of a joint project with the
Japan Foundation Asia Center
to a coaching study
programme specialised for
youth development. The youth
coaches visited Japan from
22 September to 1 October.
Since both football associations
have been focusing on youth
development in recent years,
they were keen to join the
programme which was
arranged in cooperation with
the JFA Academy and Omiya
Ardija (a J1 League club). Two
of the overseas coaches from
Japan, Ohara Kazunori
(Technical Director of Football
Federation of Cambodia),
and Koga Takuma (Coach of
Myanmar Academy) also
joined the programme.
Representatives of
the All India Football
Federation (AIFF) met
FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football
Officer Sarai Bareman at the
AIFF headquarters in New
Delhi to discuss the progress
of women’s football in India.
The AIFF briefed the FIFA
Chief Women’s Football
Officer on the roadmap for
women’s football in India and
discussed at length possible
methods to ensure rapid
progression in women’s
football. “Women’s football in
India is clearly on the rise with
the AIFF launching a domestic
league (Indian Women’s
head coach’s seat for the
Green Falcons. Bauza’s first
task will be to prepare the
team for the World Cup next
summer, where they are
returning to the world finals
for the first time since 2006.
The 59-year-old coach will be
the fourth South American to
take charge of Saudi Arabia
at a World Cup, following in
the footsteps of Jorge Solari
(at USA 1994), Carlos Alberto
Parreira (at France 1998) and
Marcos Paqueta (at Germany
2006).
League),” said Bareman.
“The AIFF has linked the FIFA
Live Your Goals project very
efficiently with the AIFF
Grassroots Programmes and
it is refreshing to see how
young girls are being encour-
aged to take up football.
Organising school-level
tournaments is the next big
step in ensuring that the
development in women’s
football penetrates deep
within the grassroots,” she
added. The AIFF launched the
Indian Women’s League early
this year, wherein six teams
vied for a place in history.
Eastern Sporting Union
defeated Rising Students 3-0
in the final to become the
first team to win the Indian
Women’s League.
not temporary, stating that the
Jordan FA, represented by its
Executive Committee, as well
as President HRH Prince Ali Bin
Al Hussein, had put their faith
in the national coach to lead
the Nashama in the upcoming
period of time. For his part,
Jordan FA Technical Director
Belhassan Maloush welcomed
the appointment of Abu Abed
and stressed that Abu Abed
would be leading the national
team in the upcoming AFC
Asian Cup finals in the UAE in
2019. The newly appointed
head coach expressed his
delight to take charge of the
national team, and made it
clear that he would be making
changes in the planning and
squad in the upcoming phase,
in order to meet the expecta-
tions of Jordanian fans.
BAUZA TO LEAD SAUDI ARABIA AT WORLD CUP
Argentinian head
coach Edgardo
Bauza has replaced
Bert van Marwijk as head
coach of Saudi Arabia and will
lead the team to next summer’s
2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.
Bauza was named head coach
of the UAE back in May 2017,
and oversaw a 1-1 draw in
Thailand, 2-1 victory over
Saudi Arabia and 1-0 defeat
by Iraq in World Cup qualifiers
during his time with the UAE.
Bauza and the UAE FA were
able to reach a mutual
agreement with the Saudis for
the Argentinian to take the
53FIFA 1904 /
AIF
F
THEN
Table tennis at a World Cup training base: Germany’s manager Helmut Schön and Horst Eckel against Aki Schmidt and Herbert Erhardt (left to right). Horst Szymaniak (in light trousers) and Hans Cieslarczyk look on.
1958BJÄRREDS SALTSJÖBAD, SWEDEN
54 / FIFA 1904
imag
o
NOW
Teqball perfection: Brazilian players Gabriel Jesus, Dani Alves, Neymar and Philippe Coutinho (left to right) after training for a World Cup qualifier.
2017 SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL
55FIFA 1904 /
Mig
uel S
chin
cari
ol/A
FP
A FIFA LEGEND’S CAREER
It was often said that Nwankwo Kanu was an unpredictable player, with opponents never sure what he would do next. The two-time African Footballer of the Year, who was the captain of the Nigeria side that won Olympic gold in 1996 and scored two crucial goals in the semi-final against Brazil, was also known for his excellent technique. His success with clubs such as Ajax, Internazionale and Arsenal paved the way for the next generation of African players to follow in his footsteps in Europe.
1992-1993 Iwuanyanwu Nationale 1 league title. 25 games, 15 goals.
Kanu’s goals fire the team to the league
title and secure his place in Nigeria’s squad
for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The Golden
Eaglets go all the way in Japan, defeating
Ghana in the final, and Kanu catches the
eye of many top European clubs.
1993-1996 Ajax3 league titles, 1 Champions League,
1 Intercontinental Cup. 54 games, 25 goals.
“I was enjoying myself, playing African
football, dribbling, entertaining and
displaying all my skills. But Louis van Gaal
came to me and said, ‘Hey, listen, this is
business. Every team needs to have their
pattern and you have to follow the pattern.’
Ajax was like a school and I am glad that I
went to that school.” Nwankwo Kanu
1996-1999 Internazionale1 UEFA Cup. 12 games, 1 goal.
After a medical examination reveals a
heart problem, football has to take a
back seat for a while. Faced with the
possibility of never playing football
again, Kanu goes under the knife and
makes his comeback in 1997.
1993
Queen Elizabeth II decides to
open up Buckingham Palace’s
state rooms to visitors for eight
weeks a year. All tickets for the
next three years are promptly
snapped up shortly after going
on sale.
1992
The Toronto Blue Jays
become the first-ever
team from outside the
USA to win baseball’s
World Series.
1996
US rapper Tupac
Shakur is shot and
dies from his injuries
six days later.
ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD...
56 / FIFA 1904
“My best moment was at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta because we were the first African country to reach the final of the Olympics and win it.”Nwankwo Kanu
1999-2004 Arsenal 2 league titles, 2 FA Cups.
119 games, 37 goals.
If one game cemented Kanu’s reputation
as a super-sub, then it was Chelsea v. Arsenal
in 1999. The Gunners are 2-0 down when
Kanu comes off the bench to turn the
match on its head with a 15-minute
hat-trick. His strike to make it 3-2 is Kanu in
a nutshell: technique, ingenuity and artistic
perfection.
2004-2006 West Bromwich Albion 58 games, 9 goals.
If you want to know what kind of
impression Kanu made on West Brom, just
look at where their fans hail from. On the
club’s social media platforms, the vast
majority of Baggies supporters come from
the UK. In second place? Fans from Nigeria.
2006-2012 Portsmouth 1 FA Cup. 141 games, 20 goals.
During his time at Pompey, the Nigerian
striker writes himself into club folklore with
the goal that clinches the FA Cup in 2008,
a feat that earns him a new nickname:
“King Kanu”.
2006Google purchases YouTube
for USD 1.65 billion.
2004George W. Bush is elected
US President for a second and
final four-year term.
1999
“SpongeBob SquarePants“ airs on
Nickelodeon for the first time,
going on to spawn numerous
movies, video games, comic books
and a wide range of merchandise.
57 FIFA 1904 /
Illu
stra
tio
n: T
ob
ias
Gö
bel
PHOTO ARCHIVE
World Cup draw in good hands FIFA President Jules Rimet (left) holds the urn so that his grandson can draw the teams for the 1938 World
58 / FIFA 1904
Cup in France (Paris, 5 May 1938).
59FIFA 1904 /
AFP
MORDILLO
61FIFA 1904 /
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ordi
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cens
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Am
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, The
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INNOVATIONS
RECYCLING FOOTBALL PITCHES
What do you do with old artificial turf pitches that are past their sell-by date? FIFA is setting an example by recycling them.
By Perikles Monioudis
Remember the old days when football pitches were so heavy that
even wearing boots with extra-long studs couldn’t guarantee
that your feet wouldn’t get stuck in the mud at a vital moment in
the game? Or playing as a kid on clay-type surfaces that were
rutted with holes, and screw-in studs provided precious little grip?
The 1954 World Cup final in Switzerland is a famous example of
the former, while the latter evokes memories of the type of
rough-and-ready neighbourhood pitch beloved of kids looking for
a kick-about.
Such pitches are fast becoming a thing of the past thanks to
artificial turf, which was used for some World Cup qualifying
matches and has even featured in a Women’s World Cup, and
many leagues and cups are also won and lost on such surfaces.
But the reason they are so popular is that they can be used
anywhere in the world, thus adding to the game’s global appeal.
Thanks to artificial turf, more children and adults alike can
experience the enjoyment that comes from playing on a decent
surface, which means that it has become vital to worldwide
football development.
Work has recently been completed on relaying the surface of
FIFA’s artificial turf pitch at its headquarters in Zurich. It is just one
of 3,437 such FIFA-certified pitches in 149 countries that have
been installed since 2006.
As the normal life of artificial turf is around eight years, operators
around the world are starting to wonder how to dispose of their
old turf. In FIFA’s case, rather than throw it away after years of
sterling service, the decision was made to recycle it.
In its environmental impact study, FIFA also explains how to
dispose of artificial turf elsewhere in the world in a more
environmentally friendly way that enables 99% of the materials
to be recycled, thus consigning even the happiest memories of
boggy pitches to oblivion.
Good for the environment 99% of the artificial turf at the Home of FIFA is being recycled.
62 / FIFA 1904
FIFA
FANS
“I CAN’T WAIT TO WATCH ICELAND”
Fans have the last word: after the Final Draw in Moscow, Luis Arredondo Jiménez from Costa Rica is licking his lips ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Recorded by Annette Braun
I get goosebumps whenever I think
about Brazil 2014. It was a tournament
that changed the history of my country,
Costa Rica. We took the world by
surprise by reaching the quarter-finals
and only lost in a penalty shoot-out to
the Netherlands. Expectations of us will
be high next year, and nobody will
underestimate us any more, which is
why it’s going to be tough to reach the
quarters again, but I hope we can do it.
The Final Draw gave us a taste of things
to come at the World Cup – all of the
emotions, the people, the dreams –
that’s what makes this tournament great.
I can’t wait to watch Iceland, who were
pretty impressive in qualification. I’m
looking forward to seeing Panama’s
so-called golden generation at its first
World Cup, as well as Egypt, who last
qualified 28 years ago. An African team
could cause an upset with their speed
and ability to play deep.
The World Cup gives young and experi-
enced players alike a platform. How will
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
perform in what will probably be their
last tournament on the global stage, and
will rising talents such as Gabriel Jesus,
Kylian Mbappé, Adrien Rabiot and
Ousmane Dembélé take the world by
storm? I have a hunch that the big star
could be the Spanish boy wonder Marco
Asensio.
I’ll watch the games on TV and follow
them on social media, as will most other
people in my country. Football is like a
religion in Costa Rica. As a kid, you live
and breathe it, and I was no different.
I’ve followed the national league, the
national team and clubs like Juventus,
Barcelona and Real Madrid right from the
start. Players like Alessandro Del Piero,
Robert Pires and David Beckham were
my heroes.
Some of my most treasured memories
involve football – like the 2002 World
Cup, where Costa Rica were the only
team to score twice against Brazil, who
went on to become champions, or the
opening match in 2006 against hosts
Germany. There will be new memories
to come in Russia, that’s for sure. Brazil
and France have a very good chance of
winning, but Germany must be the
favourites. Joachim Löw could field four
teams of equal quality, with the depth
of talent available to him.
But regardless of who takes the trophy
home, the World Cup will be a football
fiesta that will bring people together
around the world, all of them speaking
one language: that of the beautiful
game.
At the hallowed Bernabéu Luis Arredondo Jiménez at the home of his beloved Real Madrid.
63FIFA 1904 /
HO
Stars from different worlds Sylvester Stallone and Pelé on the Escape to Victory set (1981).
FEBRUARY 2018 FILMS AND FOOTBALL »
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COMING UP
Pure emotion! Football and films have rather a lot in common:
they draw huge crowds, provide fantastic entertainment and turn their stars into household names.
Our next issue, which will be published on 26 January 2018, will take a closer look at some of the best football films
and reveal which actors and directors are big football fans.
64 / FIFA 1904
imag
o
Football is a powerful unifying force. Participating in the beautiful game is a joy, but it also means we all have a responsibility: to treat each other with respect and sportsmanship, whether we are players, officials or fans.
What happens on the pitch is not restricted to the touchlines: it can inspire the world.
MY GAME IS FAIR PLAY