Editorial:Crystal BallGazing

Interview:Frank Rijkaard

Which Wayto the Top?

GuidoVantaggiato –A Tribute

Keepingyour Balance

N EWS LET TE RF O R COAC H ES

N O . 31JAN UARY 200 6

2

I M P R E S S U M

EDITORIAL GROUPAndy RoxburghGraham TurnerFrits Ahlstrøm

PRODUCTIONAndré VieliDominique MaurerAtema Communication SAPrinted by Cavin SA

COVERGérard Houllier has taken Olympique Lyonnais into the next stage of the UEFA Champions League as group-winners.(PHOTO: EMPICS)

Raul (Real Madrid), top scorer

in the UEFA Champions League since the

competition was launched in 1992.

EMP

ICS

CRYSTAL BALL GAZINGE D I T O R I A LBY ANDY ROXBURGH,UEFA TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

As we approach the 2006 FIFA World Cup, just think of the changeswhich have taken place in footballsince the 1990 finals in Italy. Inroughly a decade and a half, a shortperiod of time in the big scheme of things, the face of the game hasbeen dramatically transformed. In the areas of technology, business,politics, legal matters and technicaldevelopment we have witnessed atotal transformation. Looking back,we see the introduction and evolu-tion of the UEFA Champions League,which has changed top club footballforever; we see the negative effect of the Bosman ruling on the financialroots of the game and simultane-ously a dramatic increase in thenumber of millionaire players, not tomention agents; we see footballclubs becoming PLCs and big busi-ness dominating the sport; and wesee the expansion of satellite TV, withfootball omnipresent on our screens.

In addition, competition regulations and certain other aspects of thegame have changed. The goldengoal turned to silver and then meltedwithout trace; the technical areabecame a haven for hyperactivecoaches; the multiple ball systemreduced waiting time; the number of participants in the EuropeanChampionship finals increased from8 to 16, while FIFA expanded theWorld Cup from 24 to 32 contenders;three points for a win gave victoryadded value; passive offside stimu-lated active debate; added timeincreased the drama; the 1992 ruling

which stopped the goalkeeper fromhandling the ball following a back- pass from a team-mate helped tokeep the game moving; and the purge on tackling from behind reduced violent challenges and encouragedattacking flair.

Fast forward to the World Cup final in 2022, and with a little crystal ballgazing, imagine the changes whichmight take place between Germany2006 and that not-so-far-off date inthe third decade of the new millen-nium. Maybe you can see the FIFAWorld Cup final being played on anartificial pitch in Sydney, contested bynational teams from Asia and Africa.Every player – each plying his trade ata top club in Europe – has a skybox in the stadium to accommodate hisbusiness associates (personal trainer,agent, lawyer, sponsor, financial director, dietician, etc.). The match is being transmitted in 3D to stadiumsthrough- out the world, with thecrowds watching on giant screens oneach side of the ground.

Millions are watching the action live on their mobile phones or through theInternet, as they work, rest or travel.The coaches have a monitor in thetechnical area which provides com-puter simulations/data about thegame via a ‘live feed’. Meanwhile thereferee, who no longer has touchlineassistants, has radio contact with the IT assessor, who has the technologyavailable to confirm whether a playeris onside or offside, whether the ball is in or out, or whether or not it hascrossed the line for a goal. In this scenario, the man in black only has to decide if it is a foul, a dive, a fall or a legitimate tackle.

We do not know what the futureholds, but we need to remember that‘today is the result of yesterday –tomorrow the result of today’. Whathappens today in technology, businessand politics will impact on the game,and technicians must be ready to

3

cope with the changes. They mustremain open, adaptable and innova-tive about their role, no matter howthe football environment evolves.Occasionally, it is useful to reflect onthe past and even to indulge in a little crystal ball gazing, but if a pro-fessional coach fails to concentratefully on the here and now, if resultsgo against him, then for the coachconcerned there may be no future.

Rafael Benitez, a coach who is always on the look-out for new ideas.

GET

TY I

MA

GES

4

FRANK RIJKAARD

FRANK RIJKAARD WAS A GREAT PLAYER. LIKE A ROLLS ROYCE CAR, HE GLIDED ACROSS

THE GROUND WITH GRACE AND STYLE. HIS LIST OF CREDITS IS REMARKABLE, AND INCLUDES

73 INTERNATIONAL APPEARANCES FOR THE NETHERLANDS (1981-94) AND A EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

WINNER’S MEDAL. AS A CLUB PLAYER HE WORE THE SHIRTS OF AFC AJAX (TWO SPELLS),

REAL ZARAGOZA AND AC MILAN, WINNING THE EUROPEAN CUP THREE TIMES, THE EUROPEAN CUP

WINNERS’ CUP, THE EUROPEAN SUPER CUP TWICE, THE EUROPEAN/SOUTH AMERICAN CUP TWICE,

THE DUTCH CHAMPIONSHIP FIVE TIMES, THE DUTCH CUP THREE TIMES, THE DUTCH SUPER CUP,

AND THE ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP AND ITALIAN SUPER CUP TWICE EACH. IN HIS ROLE AS COACH,

HE HAS LED THE DUTCH NATIONAL TEAM (1998-2000), SPARTA ROTTERDAM AND FC BARCELONA

(SINCE JULY 2003), WINNING THE SPANISH CHAMPIONSHIP AND THE SPANISH SUPER CUP.

FRANK RECEIVED THE UEFA PRESIDENT’S AWARD IN 2005 FOR HIS FAIR-PLAY ATTITUDE.

AS THE HEAD COACH OF FC BARCELONA, FRANK HAS PROVED TO BE A GREAT PROMOTER

OF SUCCESSFUL, ATTRACTIVE FOOTBALL. DESPITE HIS REMARKABLE CV, HE REMAINS HUMBLE

AND TOTALLY DEDICATED TO THE GAME. HE IS THE GIFTED…

UEF

A-B

OZZ

AN

I

I N T E R V I E WBY ANDY ROXBURGH,UEFA TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

1 • How would you describe yourteam’s style of play?I think you could describe it as anattractive way of playing but neverthe-less with the final result in our mind.That goes with the philosophy of theclub and the way supporters thinkabout football here in Barcelona. Theylike to see a good team, to be offeredan attractive game with good skilfulplayers, but in the end they always want to win. So we try to make a com-bination of these things, which hasalways been the task of the big teams.

2 • Does Frank Rijkaard the coach have the same view of the game asFrank Rijkaard the player had?No. I think your view of the gamechanges because you are developing.

As a player you are more concernedwith the moments when you havepossession of the ball or are about to receive the ball. You are watchingyour team-mates and trying todecide what the possibilities are.When you are a coach you are watch-ing how the team is positioning itselfon the field – if your team is in pos-session of the ball, you are alreadyanticipating what could happen if you lose the ball. As the coach, youhave more of a holistic view. Whenyou are playing, you have certainplayers who can create magic in a moment – you could not evenimagine what they will do because itis not logical. If you are playing your-self, you are prepared to do things inthe game and afterwards you don’t

FRANK RIJKAARD

RECEIVES THE

PRESIDENT’S PRIZE

FROM THE

UEFA PRESIDENT.

remember doing them. But as acoach, you are looking at more gen-eral things. Are we organised? Are the lines between the defence,midfield and attack short enough? Do you leave any space? Things likethat. So it is more about controllingthe system. But the most importantthing and the most enjoyable thing is when players create something out of nothing and that is the mostbeautiful thing about football.

3 • To what extent have you beeninfluenced as a coach by thetop coaches you playedunder?It is a privilege if you havehad the opportunity to workwith great people in the

EMP

ICS

world offootball.

If you knowthem personally

and you know their wayof working, it gives you

great experience. Of course,you gain many impressions from thepast. You still have it in your mind when you become a coach, and if somethinghappens you can recall how it was dealtwith. But I strongly believe that you cannot copy anyone. The decisions thata great coach made years ago will notnecessarily work today. It was wonderfulto see how Rinus Michels, Arrigo Sacchi,Johan Cruyff and Fabio Capello wereworking, what they thought about foot-ball, and how they handled their teams.I repeat, it was a privilege to gain suchan experience.

4 • As someone who has been anational coach and is now a club bossin charge of many international players,what is your view about the relation-ship between club and country?I understand very well that if you are a national coach you want to use all the opportunities that you have tomeet up with your team. Of course, as a club coach the national-team com-mitments do not always come at theright moment, but there are interna-tional rules and we have to live bythem. So I can always understand thenational coaches when they are press-ing to select certain players, although it might be better to give them somerest. But I understand. When a lot of oursquad are away on international duty,we cannot have a normal preparation,but I am not the only one who is in thatsituation. Teams have to cope with thatfact. It is not the best way for us to pre-pare a game, and with South Americanplayers exposed to long journeys anddifferent time zones, the games and

training are only partof the problem.It is very diffi-cult for someplayers torecover in time

5

after international duty. I do not worryabout injury, that can happen any-where, at any time. The travelling, therecovery time, that is what concernsme most. However, we simply have to cope with it.

5 • How has football changed since you were at the height of yourplaying career?The evolution of football has seen a reduction in the space between theteams. It is therefore important for the modern footballer to react and be quicker than in the past, becausethere is more happening in therestricted space. The basic skills, however, remain the same, althoughtimes are changing. The attention of the media is growing, so it meansthat you can watch games from allover Europe on TV. Even friendlymatches are covered and it meansthat the players from the top clubshave to deal with the enormous pressures of the media. It seems likethey are always being scrutinised.

6 • What are the main problems facing top clubs today?If a big team, like Barcelona, is win-ning the championship or anotherimportant competition, no coach willtalk about the problems. It is just amoment of happiness. I think youmust point yourself towards the beau-tiful things you can experience in foot-ball. This last year, the happiness of allthe Barcelona fans after winning theSpanish championship is somethingwe will never forget. To be part of thatis what we are working for. Of course,in a big team you have to makeresults, you have to play an attractivetype of football. But I do not think youcan view this as a problem. Having too many top players in the squad isnot something I should complainabout because other less high-profileclubs also have big squads and theircoaches still have to deal with eachhuman being. Being a coach is a privi-lege, but of course success is impor-tant because it influences the way

FINDING

THE RIGHT BALANCE

BETWEEN

GESTURES AND

ORDERS.

RU

BIO

/AFP

/GET

TY I

MA

GES

6

GET

TY I

MA

GES

people think about you. I try not to think about this and focus on our goalsand the job to be done. Our main target is, I think, to satisfy the spectators.Everything starts in the dressing-room,with having a good team spirit. Youhave the task of making decisions, ofpreparing the squad, but I do not thinkyou have the right to complain about it.

7 • As a manager, how do you motivate millionaire players?I very much believe in self-motivation,because that is what it takes to reachyour goals. Of course, if somebody is

suffering and needs help, then thecoach comes into play. It is part of thejob to be constantly watching the group.I do not do this alone because my staff are also part of this. Every day wediscuss the attitude of the players and if we detect a problem, then we talk to the player involved. We are always trying to find a way to help each player.Sometimes, however, you may have todisappoint someone. Maybe you needto correct him because he will notaccept this or that. So it depends. Thereis no book to deal with this – you haveto keep your eyes open, and if youhave good people around you whocommunicate well, there is a betterchance that you can detect problemswhich could arise in the dressing-room.Motivating through passionate speechesis a great gift, especially if your teamlacks quality. This way you can getsomething extra out of them and youmake them hard to beat. But if you are working with players of a higherquality, the more passionate you get as the coach, the less credibility you get. Sometimes you have to find otherthings to motivate players, and oftenthese are small things. With the talentswe have, always speaking passionately

would not work. Many times I pay moreattention to the players who are notplaying because they are important inthe dressing-room. The key to successis to keep on working, and to have theright team spirit by treating everyone as an individual. You never do this jobalone, or without staff you can trust. It would not be possible to achievethings without the support team.

8 • Do you think the game hasbecome more defensive at the toplevel?In professional football results are veryimportant and every team has the rightto choose their system and their way of playing in order to gain points. Withall respect, it was not a great momentfor football when Greece, playing adefensive game, won EURO 2004. The coach did a wonderful job but itwas a defensive way of playing. Playingan attacking game requires more risk,better quality players, a greater gameintelligence. I think it is sad that a lot ofcoaches are choosing a defensive stylebecause we must remember that weare playing for the public. Football hasto be something that people want tosee. It can, of course, be interesting tosee talented players defending well, butit would be great if we all tried a littlemore to promote an offensive game.

9 • You are part of the Dutch dynastyat FC Barcelona – what has made thisrelationship so successful?Rinus Michels was the first and he hadgreat results. Then Johan Cruyff, Louisvan Gaal and others came to Barça andAs a player, Rijkaard spent a few glorious years with AC Milan.

EMP

ICS

BARCELONA’S STRIKER

ETO’O LISTENS TO HIS COACH’S

INSTRUCTIONS.

Frank Rijkaard was in the Dutch side that won the European Championship in 1988 at the expense of the USSR.

7

all had a big influence. With all the suc-cess of the Dutch coaches and playersof the past, it was understandable thatBarça might try another Dutchman. But we must not forget all the coaches from other countries who made a greatcontribution here. Personally, I must begrateful for the work of the pioneers atthis club, like Rinus Michels and JohanCruyff, because they opened the door. I think the people here admire star players first and foremost, but they also have a positive philosophy aboutthe game, similar to us in Holland.

10 • Apart from your own team, which sides have impressed you most in recent years?I have seen a few great games in thelast year involving Lyon. They have beenespecially impressive against otherstrong teams. They certainly have a lotof talent. I think Chelsea were impres-sive the way they won the champi-onship in England. They were very wellorganised and great on the counter-attack. Our match with them in theUEFA Champions League at StamfordBridge was a great spectacle, but wemade one or two mistakes too many.

11 • How important is youth develop-ment to a club like Barcelona?It is very, very important, especiallybecause the people appreciate verymuch Catalan players who play in theyouth sides and then reach the firstteam. So for the culture of the club, you must keep developing youth play-ers. I think it is much easier for theyouth player as a defender or a mid-

field player to get into the first team thanit is for a striker. Barça is a great cluband they always buy top players withbig names. It is therefore more difficultto get into the top team as an attacker.We must develop a few players throughour academy because it is vital that theculture of the club is maintained.

12 • What do you emphasise most during your training sessions?We favour ball-possession games,played in a small area because we liketo play our matches in the opponent’shalf of the field. This means less spaceand time and if you are better in ballpossession in these restricted spacesyou have an advantage. We also like to press in the opponent’s territory inorder to make it difficult for them to get behind us. We have a lot of exer-cises for practising this, so that the players know how to position them-selves in pressing situations.

13 • What has been the advantage/disadvantage for your coaching careerthat you were an experienced star player?An advantage is that some people willimmediately give you more creditbecause you were a well-known player.But there are other coaches withgreater experience who are not famousand they are not selected as the coachof a top club. If you have a certain his-

tory as a football player, it is an advan-tage. But the advantage stops when youstart working because you have to paythe bill. If you do not get results, thenyou have a problem. It is the law of foot-ball. Also, having great experience as aplayer does not guarantee that someonecan be a successful coach. I had anadvantage in that I played in almostevery position in my career as a playerand I observed a lot. Therefore I am ableto understand what my players are expe-riencing. Yes, I can read the game fromindividual playing perspectives, but as acoach you need to see the big pictureand to read the opponent’s game. Howcan we take advantage of certain situa-tions? When do we need to pay atten-tion? We have great scouts and we haveour video sessions to prepare the nextmatch. I delegate much of this becausemy mentality is not to be too concernedwith the opponent. In my opinion, if you make players think too much, theywill lose their great gifts. Some playerswill absorb all the information you givethem, and then try to implement every-thing. But some players do not like youto talk too much. I can recognise thisbecause I did not like the coach talkingto me too much. If you give a playerindividual tips, that is OK, but do not burden him with excessive details.

14 • If you could change something about today’s football, what would it be?I would change the offside rule. If youwant to play attacking football, I do notsee how someone can stay behind yourback line and then gain an advantage. I think this is ridiculous. Winning teamsalways used to play as a unit, so whenthey won the ball they would push outas a group. But now, this great tacticalweapon is in doubt because an oppo-nent can stay behind, in an offside posi-tion, but it does not matter because thethrough ball is not played directly to him.The ‘offside’ player then receives a passfrom another team-mate, gains an advan-tage, and scores. It really is ridiculous. So, if I could change something in today’sfootball, it would be the offside rule.

UEF

A

RO

SE/B

ON

GA

RTS

/GET

TY I

MA

GES

ANDY ROXBURGH

PRESENTS A SET

OF UEFA COMPETITION

MEDALS TO

FRANK RIJKAARD.

EMP

ICS

8

At the UEFA Youth Conference inCyprus, coaches from various countriesraised questions about whether thefinal assault on the summit is beingproperly organised. In other words,there was a general feeling that baseand intermediate camps are being cor-rectly set up, yet doubts have crept inabout whether we are doing enough tohelp young talent through the crucial18-21 age bracket and on to the foot-balling summit.

The English coaches are wondering if, inthis day and age, their reserve leaguesare the best solution. Their French coun-terparts might ask the same aboutlearning curves at National or CFA levels,or the Spaniards about the sort of les-sons being imparted in Segunda B. And,with more and more young talentedplayers being attracted to elite clubs likeiron filings to magnets, it is legitimate toenquire about the number of genuinelytough games the top youth players facein a domestic league season. At thesame time, it was recognised that theEuropean footballing map featurescountries where the national associationoffers better development facilities thanthe club academies.

As Wim Koevermans highlighted inLimassol, this problem has beenaddressed in the Netherlands, wherethree clubs – AFC Ajax, Feyenoord andPSV Eindhoven – traditionally rule theroost. Other clubs are now beingencouraged to pool their most talentedyouth players on a regional basis with aview to upgrading the level of competi-tion and laying better foundations forthe push to the summit.

The Danish association (DBU) has beenaddressing the same issue for over adecade and Flemming Serritslev was inCyprus to report on the Integrated Tal-ent Development (ITD) programme thatswung into full operation in 2004 afterfour years of pilot projects. The DBU hasmade funds available for the appoint-ment of full-time ‘ITD coaches’, whoserole is to ensure that talented players inthe 16-21 age bracket are given opti-mum opportunities to develop into elitefootballers. The ITD coach works in conjunction with 14 leading clubs toensure that each individual has a struc-tured plan for complete football devel-opment and academic education. He also monitors the electronic diarykept by each individual on a protected

WHICH WAY TO THE TOP?

intranet site to make sure that theplayer’s work schedule is in keeping withhis needs and his development targets(working on weaknesses in his game, for instance), while the DBU’s technicaldirector also monitors progress via theintranet four times a year. Academic targets are also monitored and no playeris allowed more than one year withoutsome form of further education.

As a knock-on benefit, the close relation-ships between the DBU’s ITD coachesand the clubs where ‘their’ players dotheir day-to-day training allow both par-ties to improve levels of communicationand cooperation – and the club versuscountry issue was, once again, amongthe major concerns expressed by theyouth coaches at the conference.

Another area of concern was develop-ment plans for the coaches themselves.There are wide discrepancies with regardto the sort of contracts offered to youthcoaches and frequent changes are hardlyconducive to stable, well-organiseddevelopment programmes – and it waswidely felt that stability is a valuable ele-ment within today’s frenetic footballingenvironment. As more clubs becomeaware of the value of their youth devel-opment programmes, the time has comefor the youth coaches to be given thestatus and respect they deserve so thatthe “sherpas” can help the young climbersfind the best route to the summit.

AS ANY CLIMBER WILL TELL YOU, MOVING UP THE MOUNTAIN

FROM BASE CAMP TO THE HIGHER CAMPS IS NOT NECESSARILY THE

BIGGEST CHALLENGE. THE REAL TEST IS USUALLY RESERVED FOR

THE FINAL LEG, WHICH WILL DECIDE WHETHER THE ENTIRE EXPE-

DITION IS CLASSIFIED AS A NEAR-MISS OR ENTERS THE RECORD

BOOKS AS A SUCCESSFUL BID TO PLANT A FLAG ON THE SUMMIT.

THE SAME APPLIES TO YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES, IN

WHICH THE COACH PLAYS SOMETHING AKIN TO THE ROLE OF THE

LOYAL AND INVALUABLE “SHERPA” WHO HELPS THE STAR PER-

FORMER IN HIS ATTEMPT TO SCALE THE HEIGHTS.

Flemming Serritslev at the UEFA Youth Conference.

FUN FOOTBALL IN CYPRUS.

UEF

A

UEF

A

9

The enthusiasm and commitment ofjust over 200 people deeply concernedwith youth development was illustratedby a welter of observations, ideas andproposals, many of them in response totop-class presentations by top-classyouth coaches. Some of the proposalsstrayed beyond UEFA’s jurisdiction and will have to be forwarded to FIFA, such as strict rulings on the release of players for youth tournaments; thereduction of the maximum age forchanges of nationality from 21 to 19;and the question of financial compen-sation for the association that hasinvested in a player’s development onlyto be faced with a change of nationality,thereby excluding any possibility of a‘return’ on the investment.Sorting the others is no easy task. Butmaybe the best way to go about it is to classify them under sub-headings,starting, for example, with a few of the answers to questions concerningcompetition structures:■ Welcome the UEFA Executive Com-

mittee’s endorsement of the proposalto introduce an extra rest daybetween matchdays 2 and 3 of mini-tournaments as from 2006/07.

■ Do the same between matchdays 1 and 2 of final tournaments as from2008.

■ Agree to delete paragraphs relating to ‘matches played under the leaguesystem’ from youth competition regulations.

SILENCE ISNOT GOLDEN

MOST COACHES AND PLAYERS HAVE BEEN ON THE PODIUM

AT PRESS CONFERENCES WHERE, WHEN INVITED TO DO SO, THE

MEDIA ARE STRANGELY RELUCTANT TO BREAK THE ICE AND ASK

QUESTIONS. WHEN THE YOUTH CONFERENCE GOT UNDER WAY IN

A PACKED AUDITORIUM ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF LIMASSOL, THERE WAS

NO HINT OF EMBARRASSING SILENCES – JUST THE OPPOSITE.

The 8th UEFA Youth Conference in Cyprus proved that

UEFA TECHNICAL

DIRECTOR ANDY ROXBURGH

TALKS ABOUT

READING THE GAME.

■ Increase substitutions from three tofive at Under-17 level.

■ Increase squads from 18 to 20 forfinal tournaments and increase dele-gations from 24 to 26, with one ofthe two extra places to be occupiedby a press officer to help promote the tournament. It was mooted thatthe other place could be filled by ateacher.

■ Allow up to two replacements to bedrafted in to replace injured players at final tournaments – and, possibly,at mini-tournaments.

■ Maintain the status quo in terms of structures and dates for youthcompetitions but ask FIFA to incorpo-rate three ‘European youth footballweekends’ into the international calendar during the autumn, clarify-ing the exact dates three years inadvance.

In terms of the future of youth devel-opment, the proposals landed thick andfast on UEFA’s table – and some ofthem will undoubtedly provoke someserious thinking about the best ways of channelling resources into youthfootball. When asked how to further improverelationships between clubs andnational associations, the participants inCyprus pointed clearly to better routesof communication aimed at increasingmutual consideration and respect in anarea all too often dominated by self-interest on the part of clubs or associa-

tions and where there is a need for acommon strategy. There was also a callfor each association to identify a ‘con-tact person’ to act as go-between on all youth football matters; for associa-tions to provide better feedback to theplayers’ clubs after matches, tourna-ments and training camps; and for thematerial, feedback and action lists from UEFA conferences, seminars andworkshops to be distributed to clubs as well as national associations.At the same time, several concernswere expressed about the number andstatus of specialised youth coaches,with suggestions that ‘big-name’ techni-cians could be recruited as ‘ambassa-dors’ to help attract coaches into youthfootball. UEFA was invited to help createa clearer ‘career pathway’ for youthcoaches who, at the moment, tend tobe undervalued and therefore considerwork at youth level as little more than astepping-stone on the way to ‘higherthings’.In telegraphic form, here are some of the other suggestions:■ Focus on creating a ‘football for all’

environment■ Invest in better training facilities

and structures■ Bring youth coaching systems

up to UEFA standards■ Search for better coordination

of school football■ Ensure that national association

youth coaches’ tasks are clearlydefined

■ Achieve greater pan-European uniformity in terms of domestic competitions

■ Maintain and enhance the supportoffered by UEFA’s HatTrick pro-gramme

■ Establish youth coach educationwithin UEFA’s coaching convention

■ Create an international documen-tation centre and establish a UEFAnational youth coaches’ forum.

In other words, there was no timewasted during the conference in Limas-sol – and it will be interesting to seehow many proposals have been con-verted into reality when the next YouthConference takes place in Cannes injust under two years’ time.

UEF

A

10

Azeglio Vicini and Cesare Maldini) whohad worked with Guido in some capac-ity travelled to his funeral in Florence in order to pay their respects to a manwho had dedicated his life to football ingeneral, and the Italian FA in particular.

Former UEFA CEO Gerhard Aigner, whohad known Guido for over 30 years,was in South Africa when he heard the news of Guido’s sudden passing.He immediately flew back to Europe to offer moral support to Guido’s wifeRoberta and the rest of his family. For Gerhard Aigner, Guido Vantaggiatowas a consummate professional, a fighter and a man of great integrity –above all, he was a wonderful friend.

Gérard Houllier, the Olympique Lyon-nais coach, who had worked with Guidoon UEFA business for more than tenyears, sent his condolences – a UEFAChampions League match against RealMadrid made it impossible for him totravel to Florence. On hearing the sadnews, Gérard immediately paid tributeto Guido in glowing terms: “Guido was a great inspirer. He always made every-one feel special, because as a man hehad great warmth and sincerity. Profes-

ON 19 NOVEMBER 2005, GUIDO VANTAGGIATO, A VALUED MEMBER

OF THE JIRA PANEL (THE GROUP RESPONSIBLE FOR UEFA’S COACHING CONVENTION)

AND A FORMER MEMBER OF THE UEFA TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE,

DIED SUDDENLY OF A HEART ATTACK AT THE AGE OF 60.

GUIDO VANTAGGIATOA TRIBUTE

After gaining his master’s degree in sport (with a specialisation in foot-ball), he became a coach with theJuventus youth teams. Then, in 1971,he was employed by the Italian FA(FIGC) at their technical centre in Flo-rence, and took charge of coachingactivities and the secretariat of theItalian national youth teams. Threeyears later he was appointed national-team secretary, responsible for thesenior, Under-23, Under-21 and

SAB

EOlympic teams. During a 17-yearperiod, he participated in five WorldCups (Germany 1974, Argentina1978, Spain 1982, Mexico 1986 andItaly 1990), two European Champi-onships (Italy 1980 and Germany1988), and two Olympic Games (Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988),the crowning moment being Italy’sWorld Cup triumph in 1982. It is sig-nificant that four former Italian nationalcoaches (Dino Zoff, Enzo Bearzot,

Guido Vantaggiato took part in many UEFA conferences.

UEF

A

11

sionally, he made a valuable contri-bution to the development of coach-ing, both in Italy, and through hiswork with the Jira Panel, in manyother UEFA associations. We will miss him.”

Guido Vantaggiato’s last job was as director of the FIGC coachingschool at Coverciano, one of the topcoach education centres in Europe.Despite the demands on him, hemanaged to find time to work withUEFA (he was a founder member

of the Jira Panel), and he also actedas vice-chairman of the Italian Associ-ation of Football Coaches. No matterwhich hat he wore, Guido alwaysshowed his passion for football andhis genuine desire to help people. In a business where many seek fameand fortune, Guido Vantaggiato was an ‘unsung hero’ whose majorconcern was to help others with their development.

Guido will be sadly missed by hisUEFA coaching colleagues, and ontheir behalf I salute our friend, Guido Vantaggiato, the professionaland the man.

Andy Roxburgh

Guido Vantaggiato with Giovanni Trapattoni and Andy Roxburgh.

UEF

A

SAB

E

UEF

A

12

KEEPINGYOUR BALANCEThese key questions were put to theparticipants by UEFA Technical Director,Andy Roxburgh, at the 6th UEFA Sym-posium for Coach Education Directors

which was staged in Dublin and hostedby the FAI, with their Technical Director,Packie Bonner, at the helm. For once,the former international goalkeeper wasfronting the team and, as it happens,the theme of top players moving fromthe pitch to the technical area was oneof the salient features of the event.

The coach education directors hadalready remarked that more top playersare moving on to a coaching career, and Zvonimir Boban, Gabriel Calderón,Vlatko Markovic, Roland Nilsson andDan Petrescu were in Dublin to explaintheir personal motives for making theswitch. Each told a fascinating story –but the common denominator was alove for the game and a desire to carryon being a part of it.

Their presence and their viewpointsprovoked some interesting reflectionsamong the coach educators. There was a unanimous desire to keep topplayers in the game as coaches but, at the same time, there was an equallyunanimous call for former players without proper qualifications not to beadmitted to coaching posts, for ‘shadowcoaches’ not to be allowed to offer their diplomas as collateral for unquali-fied coaches, and for it to be absolutelymandatory for technicians in role-model positions, such as national teamcoaches, to be properly licensed.

However, the debate went far beyondthe issue of official status. There was a clear feeling that top players would

WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES FACING COACH EDUCATION?

WHICH IS THE BEST WAY TO FURTHER IMPROVE COACH EDUCATION? AND WHAT CAN UEFA

DO TO HELP NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS ALONG THE UPWARD PATH?

benefit from career counselling whenlaunching themselves as technicians.There is a tendency to assume that astar on the pitch will instantly become a star on the bench, with the conse-quent risk that they will begin too nearthe top, find themselves out of theirdepth, lose motivation (or their job – or both), and ultimately be lost to thegame. There is no shortage of exam-ples. Roland Nilsson graphically recalledhow, when starting his career as assis-tant manager, he was thrust into the hot seat when his ‘boss’ was fired and, to put it briefly, was ‘burnt out’ so quickly that it has taken him years to rekindle the flame. The importantquestion, therefore, is how far thecoach educator should go in terms of offering career advice in addition tothe purer science of teaching.

One of the other interesting facets is the impact of an increasing number of former players on the content ofcoaching courses. It can be argued thattop players are already street-wise interms of reading the game and under-standing the day-to-day mechanics ofkeeping a squad in optimum runningorder. The areas where they may beless well-equipped come under sub-headings such as character develop-ment, leadership, man-management,communication skills and stress man-agement. In this chapter, the questionfor the coach educators is whetherthese components need to be givengreater importance within coaching programmes. And it is a question,Dan Petrescu playing for National Bucharest.

PACKIE BONNER,

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

OF THE FAI.UEF

A

EMP

ICS

13

OTTMAR HITZFELD

FACES

THE CAMERAS.

bearing in mind that not all the partici-pants – nor even a majority – in coach-ing courses will necessarily be former or current top players. The stars need tobe catered for, but not at the expenseof the students with lesser pedigreeson the pitch. Otherwise we run the riskof running the likes of Rafael Benítezand José Mourinho out of the game. In other words, the challenge facing the designers of coach education pro-grammes is achieving the right balanceso that ex-players and non-players areoffered equal opportunities to acquirethe skills they might lack.

Balance was also the key word whenthe coach educators debated currenttrends. Erich Rutemöller of Germany,Henk van de Wetering of the Nether-lands and Howard Wilkinson from England took the stage in Dublin to

analyse the evolution of teaching methods. In some respects, nothing has changed. Students still learn morequickly and more effectively from per-sonal and practical experience. There is no replacement for know-howacquired on the training ground. But the opportunities for distance-learninghave multiplied dramatically in a shortspace of time. Historically, courses havehad to find a nice balance betweenpractice and theory. Suddenly, they also have to strike the right mix of ‘soloskills’ and team-work.

These days, the ‘solo skills’ are relatedto the material easily accessed via web-sites, video tapes, DVDs or CD-ROMs.Internet and audio-visual technologyhave added new dimensions to coacheducation and represent wonderfullearning tools. Many national associa-

tions already exploit these resourcesvery effectively, especially in terms ofoffering great opportunities for coachesor would-be coaches who need to combine studies with a working day. Butis it a good idea to over-rely on studiesundertaken in ‘solitary confinement’?The view in Dublin was that the chal-lenge now facing the coach educators is finding the right mix of various ingredi-ents: residential courses, club visits, practical sessions, self-teaching material,web-based resources, and, as a sort of ‘halfway house’ between the homeuniversity and the training pitch, con-ference calls involving small groups ofstudents.

But, from UEFA’s point of view, it defi-nitely wasn’t a question of waving good-bye in Dublin and telling the participants“you’re on your own”. For UEFA, exactlythe same challenges need to be faced.Current development programmes are based on competitions at all levels;meetings and forums from elite to grassroots levels; courses, symposiums,conferences, workshops and specialisedpanels; extensive material in printed,video, DVD and web-based formats;and, of course, pan-European coachingconventions and grassroots charters. For us, just like the coach educators who joined us in Dublin, the challenge is to find and keep the right balance.

Gabriel Calderón

ROLAND NILSSON AS

A SWEDISH INTERNATIONAL

BEFORE TRAINING

TO BE A COACH.

ErichRutemöller

JAA

FAR

/AFP

EMP

ICS

EMP

ICS

COACHES FROM 15 OF EUROPE’S LEADING CLUBS WERE

INVITED TO THE 3RD UEFA ELITE CLUB YOUTH COACHES FORUM –

A FIXTURE WHICH WAS PLAYED IN LIMASSOL AS A ‘PRELIMINARY

ROUND’ TO THE UEFA YOUTH CONFERENCE.

14

CLUB FIXTUREIN CYPRUS

Their brief was quite simple: to expresstheir views on fundamental issuesrelated to youth development at clublevel, such as:

UEFA’s club licensing project:warmly welcomed as a way to improve the quality of players andcoaches at youth levels, especially asthe UEFA endorsement programme for club academies has been writteninto the licensing system and gradingwill be conducted. Call for UEFA tomonitor standards regularly in order to upgrade them and promote consis-tency throughout Europe.

Youth coach licences: another warmwelcome for the news that, as recently

agreed by the Executive Committee,coaches who have completed theirB-licence course can now choosebetween a ‘standard’ or ‘youth’licence at A level.

Homegrown players: UEFA’s moveto set minimum levels in squad listsfor UEFA club competitions wasregarded as positive news for youthdevelopment programmes with,indeed, some voices calling for astricter definition of ‘home grown’.

UEFA’s role: call for UEFA to organ-ise or support specialised courses for youth coaches or stage seminarswhere youth coaches can exchangeknowledge and experience.

Youth internationals: UEFA toencourage clubs to arrange interna-tional matches by, for example, pegging them to UEFA ChampionsLeague fixtures and to help nationalassociations to stage non-competitivetournaments.

However, much of the discussion was centred on the clubs’ increasingneed – or, rather, obligation – to strike the right balance between foot-balling and academic education. With recruitment now targeting eightor nine-year-olds, clubs are becoming educating agents with responsibilitiesin terms of child welfare and protec-tion. Expectations of a career in pro-fessional football can tempt young-sters and their parents to neglect academic education, leading to high-risk situations in an environmentwhere the zealous search for youngtalent (some coaches reported that, in their area, there are too many clubs chasing too few players) cou-pled with early recruitment ages canultimately lead to drop-out rates of 50 or 60 per cent in later teens –and the clubs need to respond to amoral obligation to give the ‘discards’a viable alternative for a future career.In other words, there is a need to plot‘exit routes’ for youngsters who do not quite make the grade. For muchthe same reasons, it was felt that family values need to be protected asfar as possible and that emigration atearly ages should be discouraged, asit disrupts family life and education.

One interesting viewpoint is that family parameters have changed.Smaller families mean that the tradi-tional image of adults surrounded by children has shifted into a situationwhere children are surrounded byadults and have less need to com-pete. In other words, the youth coach and the club academy are taking on greater social relevance and responsibility, along with the need to ‘teach’ qualities that, in thepast, have been innate.

UEF

A

UEF

A

The Elite Club Youth Coaches Forum.

15

T R A I N I N G2 0 0 6

January 17Disability Football Panel (Nyon)

January 19UEFA Women’s National Team Coaches Forum (Nyon)

January 27EURO 2008 draw (Montreux)

February 13-152nd UEFA Futsal Conference(Madrid)

March 14-176th UEFA Grassroots Course (Florence)

May 3-145th European Under-17 Championship (Luxembourg)

May 10UEFA Cup final (Eindhoven)

May 17UEFA Champions League final(Paris)

A G E N D A

BY JOHN PEACOCKNational Under-17 Coach England

UEF

A

MY FAVOURITE PRACTICE

Aim

● To work on the strikers’ movement, in particular ‘dropping off the front’.

Numbers

● 2 teams of 7 v 7 (including goal-keepers) – two defenders, two strikers and two wide players (the latter cannotenter the field).

Area

● Two areas (33 x 22 metres) divided by a 3-metre free zone.

Rules

● One defender receives the ball from the goalkeeper. On the first touch, theopposition strikers can press.

● The player on the ball can use the wide players (they arerestricted to two touches) or can directly find the strikerwho has come off into the free zone (i.e. defenders cannotenter this area).

● The striker turns and plays 1 v 1 or combines with his attacking team-mate.

● Repeat the move in the oppositedirection.

Development

● One defending player can join the strikers to create 3 v 2 in the attacking zone. A wideplayer can replace the ‘missing’defender in order to maintain 2 v 2 at the back.

● Remove the central zone restriction.

Key coaching points

● The players in possession shouldalways try to play forward.

● The turning skills of the strikersin the free zone should be quickand fluid.

● Communication and supportplay must be emphasised.

● The finishing skills should be fast and appropriate.

DROPPING OFF THE FRONT

THE STADE DE FRANCE

IN PARIS-ST.DENIS. EMP

ICS

UEFARoute de Genève 46CH-1260 NyonSwitzerlandPhone +41 848 00 27 27Fax +41 22 707 27 34uefa.com

Union des associationseuropéennes de football