(UEFAdirect-74-Juin•E 7.0:Anglai€¦ · 03 Group A: Ronaldo’s consecration? Fourth in the 2006...

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EURO is there forthe taking 03

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Ekaterinburg take theFutsal Cup 09

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Including

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Preserving the human factor in football

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More than ever, EURO is there for the taking 03

Referees preparefor EURO 2008 05

The “Fan Zones” in thehost-city centres 06

The European Championship turns 50 08

Ekaterinburg take homethe Futsal Cup 09

Coach educators in Cascais 10

UEFA selects itsnew building 11

News from memberassociations 15

Co-hosts with Switzerland for EURO 2008, this will be Austria’s first time in a European Championship final round.Photo: Stollarz/Bongarts/Getty Images

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Messageof the presidentDo we need to use video footage to help referees make delicate decisions?

At its meeting in Scotland in March, the International Football Association Board (IFAB)

said no, and I happen to support this view entirely, not because I think that the rules

are cast in stone and we should in no way change them, but because we must be

careful not to lose sight of the bigger picture: football is a game before all else and

we must do everything in our power to preserve its human qualities.

Of course, in an ideal world everyone would acknowledge that, in spite of

the vast sums at stake in today’s professional game, the impact of a win or a defeat

cannot be measured in financial terms alone and that the best way to help the

referees is to respect them. This means accepting their decisions, not trying to trick or

influence them, accepting that they can make mistakes just like the players and

recognising that in a match, a whole 90 minutes of play, there is plenty of time to

ensure that a wrong decision by the referee has no decisive impact on the result.

There is no denying that the omnipresence of cameras has made the referees’

job much trickier, despite ever more thorough preparation. Likewise it would be

utopian to expect everyone to serenely accept mistakes made by those who preside

over the game. And ignoring a problem never makes it go away. This is why

I proposed to the IFAB that referees be given an extra pair of eyes – not technological,

but human – to help them monitor what is happening in the penalty area.

FIFA will soon carry out tests to assess the efficacy of this measure. The aim

is to shift some of the pressure from the referees to the players, who, knowing that

they are being watched by an assistant behind the goals, may learn to behave more

“sensibly” in the goal areas.

Surely this is worth a try!

Michel PlatiniUEFA President


03

Group A: Ronaldo’s consecration?Fourth in the 2006 World Cup,

finalists in “their” EURO of 2004, andhome of Cristiano Ronaldo, widely acknowledged as one of the best playerson the planet, Portugal would have to be favourites in their group. And yet, although solid in defence and creative inmidfield, they still lack that world-class

centre forward. With neither Figo norPauleta – both of whom have steppeddown from the international scene –coach Luiz Felipe Scolari also lacks an intermediary on the pitch. Switzerlandwill make their mark, and not just because of the home crowd. Indeed, withthe return of goalscorer Frei and othertalented players (Barnetta in particular),

they could put their disappointing results in the friendlies behind them.Köbi Kuhn, for whom this will be thethird successive major tournament, will certainly want to hand his coachingreins to Ottmar Hitzfeld on a high. As for the Czech Republic, descendentsof the Czechoslovakia that took the title in 1976, they have maintained alower profile. Having already failed to get past the first round of the lastWorld Cup, they have now lost PavelNedved (international retirement) andKarel Poborsky (complete retirement).Captain Tomas Rosicky is injured andJan Koller, the best goalscorer in thehistory of the side, is stuck on a down-ward spiral. Will a united front beenough to get them through the first

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THE 13TH EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – THE FINAL ROUND OF WHICH WILL BE

CONTESTED FROM 7 TO 29 JUNE IN AUSTRIA AND SWITZERLAND – HAS BROUGHT

TOGETHER ALL THE PREVIOUS WINNERS (OR THEIR “HEIRS” IN THE CASE OF

RUSSIA AND THE CZECH REPUBLIC), WITH THE SOLE EXCEPTION OF DENMARK.

WITH THE FOUR SEMI-FINALISTS OF THE LAST WORLD CUP ALSO STILL IN

THE RUNNING, THE STANDARD IS SET TO BE EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH. THAT SAID,

UNLIKE THE WORLD CUP, THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP HAS BEEN KNOWN

TO THROW UP A SURPRISE WINNER OR TWO. THE GREEK TITLEHOLDERS WOULD

BE AMONG THE FIRST TO AGREE. HERE IS A QUICK RUNDOWN.

Portugal’s Nuno Gomes scores against Greece in their friendly. Portugal were unable to avenge their EURO 2004 defeat but are nonetheless among the favourites for EURO 2008.

Final tournament in Austria and Switzerland

More than ever, EURO is there for the takingMore than ever, EURO is there for the taking


Group C: InseparableUnanimously seen as the most

exciting constellation, this group pitsagainst one another teams that knowtheir opponents inside out. France andItaly, finalists in the last World Cup, evenmet in the EURO qualifiers, as did thetwo so-called outsiders, the Netherlandsand Romania. After a few difficultmonths, Italy (European Champions in1968) have absorbed their World Cupvictory. The new coach, Roberto Don-adoni, has rejuvenated the squad withsome promising new forwards and midfielders. He has fewer options whenit comes to his more mature defence,but the line-up is nonetheless solid infront of the impeccable Buffon. France,twice European champions (in 1984 and 2000), have coped well post-Zidane. Ribery is forever improving andLyon forward Karim Benzema is one ofthis year’s most exciting young talents.His freshness could compensate forThierry Henry’s rather subdued seasonwith Barcelona. As a player, Marco vanBasten helped the Netherlands to theironly title (1988), with his goal in the final going down in football history. After the EURO he is stepping down

Romania and the Netherlandswere also in the same group for the qualifiers.Adrian Mutu takes on two Dutch opponents.

Italy and France met in the qualifiers.Massimo Oddo helps team-mateGennaro Gattuso stop Nicolas Anelka.

Xavi Hernandez (8) and Spain got the better of Andrea Pirlo’s Italy in their friendly.

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round? Turkey could well be askingthem selves the same thing. Emotionswill run high when they meet Switzer-land, two and a half years after their 2006 World Cup qualifier. Evenwith the Altintop brothers, Nihat and Bastürk, however, Turkey look like the underdogs.

Group B: Who can halt Germany?Third in

“their” World Cup, Germany (who have also been European champi-

ons on three occasions) are clearfavourites in Group B. And more thanthat… By offering Jürgen Klinsmann’sposition to his former assistant,Joachim Löw, the association also ensured continuity in the coaching.With a formidable attack – Löw has the pick of Podolski, Gomez and Kuranyito partner Klose – Germany are on impressive form. Especially with

Michael Ballack back at the top of his game after a tough start

at Chelsea. The only question mark hangs over the goal-keeper, with Lehmann having dropped to reserve keeper at Arsenal. Croatia are deter-mined to make their mark, under the guidance of coach and rocker Slaven Bilic (he composed the team’s EURO tune). The squad is youthful and talented, although their potential on the attack is

reduced by the serious injury toEduardo. Led by old hand Leo Been-hakker, Poland are making their EUROdebut. A tight team complete with excellent keeper (Boruc) and powerfulstriker (Smolarek), Poland’s chances of reaching the quarter-finals are good.The same cannot be said for Austria.Absent from all major internationalcompetitions since 1998 and completenovices at this stage of the EuropeanChampionship, Austria are possibly the least convincing of the 16 finalists.Could the incitement of the home

crowd and the experience of keeper Manninger

and captain Ivanschitz be enough to beat the odds?

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once again a masterstrokefor Germany.


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A watch with a 45-minute timer designed especially for the EURO 2008 referees.

The referees get into peak physicalcondition.

(to return to Ajax) and will be replacedby Bert Van Marwijk. Beforehand, hewill be counting on a combination ofseasoned players such as Van der Saror Van Nistelrooy and rising stars such as Huntelaar, Sneijder and Babelto unsettle the two favourites. Romania finished above the Netherlandsin their qualifying campaign. With a solid line-up, they can rely on twochampions – Mutu up front and Chivuin defence – both of whom would love to create a storm.

Group D: Time ripe for Spain?Spain have not won an inter-

national title since 1964. Will this betheir year? Luis Aragones – who is set to resign after the EURO whateverhappens – has a first-rate midfield (Iniesta, Fabregas, Xavi) and attack (Villa, Fernando Torres). Despite keeperCasillas and Barcelona captain Puyol,their defence is less convincing. They are nevertheless group favourites,ahead of Greece, the reigning Euro-pean champions. The titleholders, stillheaded by Otto Rehhagel, will nothave surprise on their side this time. A very (perhaps too) experienced team,Greece have seen the emergence ofLeverkusen goalscorer Gekas, but theyhave no real stars. Unlike Sweden,who are relying on the redemption ofIbrahimovic, a centre forward as impressive as he is inconsistent, follow-ing a disappointing World Cup. Hecould make all the difference, more sothan the gifted Kallström or agingLjungberg. The qualification of Russia– heirs to the USSR that took the firsttitle in 1960 – was fairly miraculous,benefiting as they did from England’sloss at home to Croatia (who had already secured a place in the finalround). The Russian team is young and inconsistent but the coach, Guus Hiddink, is capable of a feat or two, as he demonstrated with the Nether-lands, South Korea and Australia.

Emanuele Saraceno

During the three-day work-shop, the 12 teams of selected matchofficials – each consisting of one referee and two assistants – plus eight specially appointed fourth officials tooka fitness test and were given specifictechnical instructions in view of the final round.

At a media briefing held on 17 April in Regensdorf, UEFA empha -sised the importance of the referees,assistant referees and fourth officials asthe “17th team” at EURO 2008, under-lining the referees’ role in protectingthe players and football’s image at thetournament. The chairman of the UEFAReferees Committee and a UEFA vice-president, Angel María Villar Llona,confidently affirmed that the match officials were of the highest-ever qualityand fully prepared for their duties,speaking of the “excellent physical con-dition of the referee teams and their

Preparation behind the scenes

The 17th team at EURO 2008IN MID-APRIL, A EURO 2008 PREPARATORY WORKSHOP FOR REFEREES

AND ASSISTANT REFEREES TOOK PLACE IN REGENSDORF, ZURICH, WHICH WILL

ALSO SERVE AS THE BASE FOR THE REFEREE TEAMS DURING EURO 2008.

readiness for what will be a great tour-nament”.

The technical instructions givento all match officials were presented by two members of the UEFA RefereesCommittee, Hugh Dallas and VladoSajn, and were mainly focused on theneed to support “positive play” and act firmly against challenges that useexcessive force and thus endanger theopponent’s safety. In particular, refereeswere told to punish holding and pushing in the penalty area, simulation,mass confrontation and dissent.

At the end of the press confer-ence in Regensdorf, all 44 EURO 2008match officials were presented with a watch designed for the finals by thetournament’s official watchmakers andtimekeepers, Hublot. The watches were specially designed for use at thisfinal tournament and include special45-minute and 15-minute timers.

The 17th team all present and correct, with referees, assistant referees and fourth officials.

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The Geneva

“Fan Zone”.

Layout of the area

reserved for supporters

in Salzburg.

“Fan Zones”at the heart of the host citiesFOLLOWING THE ENORMOUS SUCCESS OF THE UEFA “FAN PARK”

AT EURO 2004 AND THE WIDESPREAD POPULARITY OF THE “FAN FEST”

CONCEPT ADOPTED FOR THE 2006 WORLD CUP IN GERMANY,

UEFA HAS TAKEN THE IDEA ONE STEP FURTHER FOR EURO 2008.

Each of the tournament’seight host cities will have its own offi-cial “Fan Zone“, to be run by the municipal authorities in agreementwith UEFA. These areas will enablesupporters who do not have a match

ticket, as well as visitors and local residents, to taste the atmosphere ofEURO 2008 and join the party.

The basic idea behind these sup-porters’ zones is to ensure that the foot-ball is not confined to the stadiums, but

is available to thewhole city, offeringsupporters an alterna-tive experience. All of these official zoneswill be located in thecity centres, with themain focus on the livetransmission of the 31matches on 25 giantscreens in total, in acontrolled, safe envi-ronment that is opento everyone free ofcharge.

Each day,there will also be anentertainment pro-gramme for the sup-porters, interactive activities, footballcompetitions and five-a-side matches. Foodand drink will also be available. The zoneswill be open every afternoon andevening, with somealso open in the morning.

The officialsponsors of EURO2008 are planning numerous activities forthe supporters. Each“Fan Zone“ will haveits own unique events.

In Basel, where the “FanZones” will accommodate up to35,000 supporters across three sites,two giant screens will be installed ona bridge across the Rhine. Concertswill take place each day, even on non-matchdays.

In Berne, the zones will caterfor a maximum of 40,000 fans and 35 concerts are planned, covering allmusical genres.

In Geneva, the “Fan Zone“will be able to accommodate 60,000visitors. French singer Yannick Noahwill perform an opening concert on 6June; the programme will also includeother concerts and a comedy show.

In Zurich, the zone near thelake will have a capacity of around45,000 fans. Here also, the focus willbe on music, as well as ball-jugglingdemonstrations.

In Austria too, visitors will be able to enjoy this additional attrac-tion, which is bound to leave themwith unforgettable memories of theirstay.

In Innsbruck, at the foot of the Olympic ski jump, 15,000 visi-tors will be able to watch the matcheson a giant screen and, as well as concerts, will have the chance to seesome ski-jumping and a fireworks display.

In Klagenfurt, there will bespace for 28,000 fans in two zones,

InformationOpening times and

detailed programmes for the “Fan Zones” will be published on the following websites.

■ www.euro08.basel.ch■ www.euro08-bern.ch■ www.fanzone-geneve.ch■ www.zuerich.ch/euro2008■ www.innsbruck-tirol08.at■ www.klagenfurt.at/euro2008■ www.salzburg.info/euro2008 ■ www.fanzone-wien.at

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A giant screen will be put up infront of the city hall in Vienna.

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EURO 2008arrives inLiechtenstein

On 11/12 April, 250 members of UEFA and Euro 2008 SA met in Vaduzto get to know one another betterahead of the largest sports event everhosted by Switzerland and Austria. Under the heading “Switzerland meetsAustria”, they chose Liechtenstein as the halfway point.

Team buildingAs the tournament draws ever

closer, the COO of Euro 2008 SA, MartinKallen, the tournament director forSwitzerland, Christian Mutschler, andsome staff from Nyon and the eight hostcities were invited to get to know eachother in person. The Austrians got tomeet their Swiss counter parts, and viceversa, faces were put to names, and experiences, questions and ideas were exchanged.

Participants were split randomlyinto 14 teams, given a map and sent outon foot to find various addresses in Vaduzand complete all sorts of interestingtasks. Obviously the aim of the gamewas for each team to find their feet asquickly as possible and collect morepoints than their competitors.

That evening, the Liechtenstein FAand the government of the principalityorganised an evening of drinks, dinnerand music.

Saturday morning was earmarkedfor training and, at the same time, servedas a mini dress rehearsal for the tour -nament, which is so eagerly anticipatedby hordes of fans.

Both the football association and government of Liechtenstein weredelighted to welcome so many UEFA andEuro 2008 SA staff to the principality.

Sandra Schwendener

Hand in hand in a circle to reinforce the team spirit.

A new experienceIn order to draw the public’s attention to the event and provide

a foretaste of EURO 2008, an unusual convoy is making its way across thetwo host countries, finishing up in Vienna – where it will remain untilthe end of the tournament – after stopping in 11 other Swiss and

Austrian cities since the end ofJanuary. The Euro Experience Tour is an inflatable structurecomprising two domes. One con-tains an interactive game zoneand other entertainment pro-grammes. The centrepiece is theEuropean Championship trophy,the Henri Delaunay Cup, withwhich every visitor can have theirphotograph taken.

The second dome houses a 180-seat cinema, where spectators canwatch the highlights from previous European Championship final roundson five screens with a combined width of 35m.

In figures, the Euro Experience Tour is a 14m highinflatable structure covering a surface area of 60 x 40m,comprising 10,000m2 of canvasand 2,000 panels. Each domeweighs around 5 tonnes andno less than three articulatedlorries are required to trans-port the whole structure fromcity to city.

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where music will also be high on theagenda.

In Salzburg, 25,000 peoplewill be accommodated, with a musicprogramme every day.

In Vienna, where the EURO2008 final will be played, nine giant

screens will be available for the70,000 expected visitors. The EUROExperience Tour (see box) will beopen to visitors, who will also be ableto enjoy a musical extravaganza, including a performance by the ViennaSymphony Orchestra.

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The Federal Square in Berne willbe teeming with supporters.


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Succeeded by his son,Pierre, the first UEFA general secretary, Henri Delaunay (left)played a leading role inthe creation of theEuropean Nations’ Cup.

A confidentmove byYugoslaviakeeper Vidinićin the 1960final againstthe USSR.

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A modest lap of honour by the Soviet team led by captain Igor Netto and legendary goalkeeper Lev Yachine.

Four days before the tournamentstarted, as the recently formed governingbody of European football was preparingto hold its fourth ordinary general meeting in Stockholm, there was a certaintension in the air. On one side, thosepushing for the creation of a Europeancompetition for national teams wereawaiting the green light from the dele-gates, while on the other, a number ofsenior officials were not at all convinced ofthe urgency of setting up such an eventand hoped to prolong the feasibility study,as they had done ever since the proposalfor a European Cup had been submitted tothe 1955 Congress in Vienna. In the end,the fervour of the former group held swayover the half-hearted attitude of the latterthanks to the determination of the UEFA‘sDanish president, Ebbe Schwartz, and thefirm intervention of the general secretary,Frenchman Pierre Delaunay.

It was not long before the draw took place in the Swedish capital two

50th anniversary

days later, on 6 June. Seventeen nation-al associations had registered for this in-augural European Nations’ Cup. Thedraw was overseen by Hungarian Gustav Sebes, who had also chairedthe com mittee which had studied theidea of such a competition.

A very simple procedureAs there was an odd number

of participants, two “capsules“ weredrawn first: those of Czechoslovakiaand the Republic of Ireland, whotherefore had to play a preliminaryround (home and away matches). Each national association representativewas then invited to draw one of the 16 numbers placed in the urn. It hadbeen decided in advance that number 1would play number 2, 3 versus 4, etc.The following matches were thereforedrawn:

■ Hungary-USSR■ Poland-Spain

■ GDR-Portugal■ Yugoslavia-Bulgaria■ Turkey-Romania■ Denmark-preliminary round

winners■ France-Greece■ Austria-Norway

French trophyAfter the draw, the president

of the French Football Federation, PierrePochonet, announced that his federationwould provide a trophy for the winners.Thanking him, UEFA President EbbeSchwartz suggested that the competitionbe named the Henri Delaunay Cup, “because of the great service given to international football by the late generalsecretary of the French federation.“

The proposal was approved by the participants and, a few months later,the trophy was created by Parisian gold-smith Chobillon. The Greek captainTheodore Zagorakis was the last to liftthe trophy in 2004, before it was “beefed up” to bring it more into linewith modern demands.

On the pitch, the first match took place in Moscow on 28 September1958 in front of an impressive crowd of over 100,000 spectators (the qualifyinground had not yet been played, since the calendar had not yet been fixed). The USSR won 3-1. This was the firststep in their smooth run to the final,which they won in Paris on 10 July1960, beating Yugoslavia in front of amuch smaller crowd (just under 18,000spectators).

This first edition concluded with a four-team final tournament playedin France (Paris and Marseille). Thecompe tition had taken off: almost all thenational associations (29 of the 33 UEFAmembers) participated in the 1962-64edition. A qualifying round with groupmatches was then introduced for the1966-68 competition, a format which led to it being renamed the EuropeanFootball Championship. A final round involving eight teams was introduced inItaly in 1980 and the current 16-team format was launched in England in 1996.

FIFTY YEARS AGO, FOOTBALL ENTHUSIASTS WERE GETTING EXCITED ABOUT

THE WORLD CUP, WHICH WAS DUE TO KICK OFF IN SWEDEN ON 8 JUNE.

From the European Nations’ Cupto the European Championship


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DinamoMoscow(AleksandrRakhimov, in blue) beatKairat Almaty(Emerson) to take third place.

Sergei Zuev,Ekaterinburg’sgoalkeeper,makes a saveas the finaldraws to aclose.

ElPozo Murcia went ahead three times in the final, but on each occasion failed to maintain the advantage.

IN A DRAMATIC FINAL AT THE KRYLATSKOE SPORT PALACE IN MOSCOW,

VIZ-SINARA EKATERINBURG – WHO HAVE NEVER EVEN WON A DOMESTIC LEAGUE –

GOT THE UPPER HAND OVER ELPOZO MURCIA OF SPAIN AND CELEBRATED THE

BIGGEST VICTORY IN THE CLUB’S HISTORY.

2007/08 UEFA Futsal Cup

Ekater inburg tr iumphant in Moscow

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Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg, based1,700km east of the Russian capital, were only able to take part because, withfellow Russian’s Dinamo Moscowas titleholders, the country had a second berth. The newcomersfrom Ekaterinburg, who unliketheir Brazilian-fuelled Moscow rivals rely for the most part onhome-grown talent, made an impressivedebut.

Emotional rollercoaster of a finalThe Russian novices faced their

ultimate test in the final against the seasoned Spaniards of ElPozo Murcia,who made it into the final four last year.A great fighting spirit enabled Ekaterin-burg to equalise almost instantly on three occasions in the second half, forcing the match into extra time (4-4). In the all-important penalty shoot-out, goalkeeperSergei Zuev’s three saves made him man of the hour.

Disappointment for the hostsEven in their semi-final against

Kairat Almaty, Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburggave a very mature performance and refused to be unnerved by the strongKazakh team’s initial dominance. Despitebeing one down at half-time, the Russians kept their calm, equalised earlyin the second half, and clinched it withthree additional counter-attack goals in the final six minutes (4-1).

The other semi-final ended in disappointment for the titleholders andhosts, Dinamo Moscow, who lost to

Murcia on penalties following a 1-1 draw. Last year’s champions neverthelesssecured third place with a convincing

5-0 win over Kairat Almaty. TheMoscow crowd scored even morehighly for their frenzied support of rivals Ekaterinburg in the final despite the hosts’ elimination.

Final verdictsEkaterinburg coach Sergei

Skorovich had every reason to be proudof his team: “Few expected this from us or thought we would battle for thetop places, but we kept faith and keptworking to do so. We had two verytough games here. Tonight we were agoal down three times, we bent ourbacks, we struggled, we suffered, but we held firm and finally tipped the balance in our favour.” For his part,

Duda, the Murcia coach, was a goodsport: “Ekaterinburg won tonight because they showed exceptional will-power. We had most of the possessionand attached more but every time we went in front they did not give upand managed to equalise. I want tocongratulate them on this.”

Spanish yardstickDespite Russian victories in

the last two UEFA Futsal Cup competi-tions, Spain still dominates the honourslist with four titles in all. In 2005 Action 21 Charleroi became the onlyclub to break through the Spanish-Russian futsal domination. This year’scompetition was the second to havebeen decided in a “final four” stage.The matches were broadcast by Eurosport and, for the first time, couldalso be followed on uefa.com (livestreaming).

ResultsSemi-finals (25.4.2008)

Kairat Almaty – Ekaterinburg 1-4ElPozo Murcia – Dinamo Moscow 1-1**penalty kicks: 4-2

Third place play-off (27.4.2008)

Kairat Almaty – Dinamo Moscow 0-5

Final (27.4.2008)

Ekaterinburg – ElPozo Murcia 4-4**penalty kicks: 3-2


Questions and answershelp give depth to the topics coveredand practicalexercises illustrate thetheory.

Group discussions allow more active participation.

Coach educatorscourse in Cascais

T h e c o a c h e s o f t h e c o a c h e s

THE REWARDING, BUT OFTEN UNHERALDED JOB OF COACH EDUCATOR

WAS EXAMINED RECENTLY AT THE 17TH UEFA COURSE FOR COACH EDUCATORS

FROM 7 TO 11 APRIL IN CASCAIS, NEAR LISBON. THE EVENT FOCUSED

ON THE ROLE OF THE PEOPLE TRAINING YOUNG COACHES FOR A FUTURE CAREER

IN THE GAME – COACHES WHO THEN HELP NURTURE GOOD FOOTBALLERS

AND RAISE STANDARDS THROUGHOUT EUROPE.

The course featured practicaland theoretical work, as well as paneldiscussions and working groups. “Your job is to be a coach of coaches,”UEFA technical director Andy Roxburghtold coach education specialists fromthroughout Europe. “The aim is to pro-duce professionally competent coacheswho, in turn, produce skilful players,creating successful teams. All of you herehave a specialised role, and you have avery important job in football.”

Theory and demonstrationsPractical sessions were on the

agenda in Portugal. Among them, PauloSousa, the former Portuguese star andUEFA pro licence-holder, worked along-

side Andy Roxburgh to illustrate thepractical role of coach educator. TheSporting Clube de Portugal Under-19team and Portuguese national Under-19squad provided the players for thedemonstrations.

A forum on coach educationwas a major feature. Two national-teamcoaches preparing for EURO 2008 –Sweden’s Lars Lagerbäck and Portugal’sLuiz Felipe Scolari – were joined by theFootball Association of Ireland’s tech -nical director, Packie Bonner, and theEnglish Football Association’s director of football development, Sir TrevorBrooking, for an in-depth discussion onissues affecting coach educators andcoaching. Issues dealt with included

changes in the training of coaches overthe last 20 years, the attitude towardscoaching in the participants’ countries,the requirements needed to raise thestandard of coaching to a new level,and the main things that a coach needsto know to cope with the coaching jobat the highest level.

Discussion groupsThe coach educators met in

discussion groups to debate a series ofquestions, such as the problems facingcoach educators today, innovations in the sector and specialised coach educa-tion programmes within the associa-tions. The coach educators highlighted,among other things, recruitment diffi-culties and a lack of coach education literature as some of the problem areas.Nevertheless, they stressed the impor-tant work that is being undertaken, including the use of grassroots footballas a vehicle to fight obesity and othersocial problems, monitoring the progressof young coaches to ensure that thenext generation is of the best possiblestandard, and the use of modern tech-nology, such as the internet, to enhancemethods of training and education.

Pride of place was also given to UEFA’s Portuguese hosts. PortugueseFootball Federation president, GilbertoMadaíl, who is also a member of theUEFA Executive Committee, expressedpride at the work being done by Portugal’s coaches and coach educators.In addition, legendary striker Eusébiogave his views on what makes a goodcoach. “It is someone who is able to talk to players and get the maximumout of them,“ Eusébio said. “The abilityto communicate is essential.”

“Your influence on the game, and your influence on developingcoaches, is immense,” was Andy Roxburgh’s essential message to thecoach educators. “You have the appreci-ation of the people that you work with,and of course of UEFA. You do a fan -tastic job on a day-to-day basis. So, although you are not in the headlines,please remember that you are extremelyimportant to the development of foot-ball in general.”

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Germany won all three of their qualifiers for the European Women’s Under-19 Championshipagainst Russia, Hungary (pictured) and Romania.

Architect Andrea Bassi presents the winning project.

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Meetings andother activities

U E FA c h o o s e s i t s n e w a d m i n i s t r a t i o n b u i l d i n g

A circular building to house part of the UEFA administration.

ON 29 APRIL, AT THE UEFA HEADQUARTERS IN NYON, A SPECIALLY

APPOINTED JURY SELECTED, FROM THE FOUR PROPOSALS

PRESENTED, THE DESIGN OF THE BASSI & CARELLA ARCHITECTS’ FIRM

FOR ITS NEW ADMINISTRATION BUILDING.

This building, to be constructed on a plot of land opposite the House of European Football, will enable UEFA to bring together some of its staff members whoare currently based at different sites (see uefadirect No. 72).

The plans chosen make provision for a 6,000 m² building spread over four levels. Circular in shape, the new building meets high ecological and environmentalstandards. It will accommodate between 150 and 180 members of staff, and construction costs are estimated at CHF 34 million.

The next stage will be to launch an invitation to tender in order to find a con-struction firm. Then, in October, the plans will be submitted for enquiry. Constructionwill begin in February and should be completed by the end of March 2010.

Draw in BloisThe eight teams that will

participate in the final round ofthe European Women’s Under-19 Championship in France from 7 to 19 July are now known.

Titleholders Germanyhave qualified and will be trying to hold on to their crown in the face of compe-tition from France,who qualified

automati cally, the five other secondqualifying round winners – Sweden,England, Scotland, Norway andSpain – and the best group runner-up, Italy. Five of the eight finalistswere involved in the last edition in2007: Germany, England, Spain,France and Norway.

A draw to determine the two final round groups will be held inBlois, in the Loire region where thetournament will be staged.

Six teams book ticketsto Brazil

The European qualificationphase of the Futsal World Cup hasbeen completed.

After the qualifying round, play-off matches determined which

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UEFA’s newest competition,the European Under-21 Futsal Tour-nament, has reached the end of itsqualification phase.

The 28 partici-pating teamswere involved

in many tight encounters in the sevenqualifying mini-tournaments, with one group being decided on goal difference.

Russia, who qualified auto-matically, will host Slovenia, Ukraine,Spain, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan,Italy and Croatia in the final round. The tournament will be held from 8 to 14 December.

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Spain and Italy, the two 2004 finalists, will compete in the World Cup in Brazil.

David Taylor, general secretary of UEFA, holds up the name of the associationdrawn by RistoNieminen, chairman of the EuropeanFootball Pool.

Ball for the final unveiled in Vienna

A special version of the EUROPASS, the ball designed byadidas for EURO 2008, will beused in the final. Known as theEUROPASS gloria, it was un veiledin Vienna by the UEFA president,Michel Platini, and Grete Laska,deputy mayor of Vienna.

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Draw for the UEFA Intertoto Cup

The first act of the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup took place at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon on 21 April, when the draw for the three rounds of the competitionwas held.

This will be the final edition of this competi-tion, which will be abol-ished as part of the restructuring of the UEFAclub competitions. This

initial draw (see uefa.com) only providesa rough idea of the matches ahead,since the participating clubs’ identities is not yet known, with most nationalchampionships still in progress when thedraw was made.

First round matches will beplayed on 21/22 June (1st leg) and28/29 June (2nd leg), second roundgames on 5/6 July (1st leg) and 12/13July (2nd leg) and the third round on19/20 July (1st leg) and 26/27 July (2nd leg). The 11 third round winnerswill enter the UEFA Cup at the secondqualifying round stage.

■ The draws for the first andsecond qualifying rounds of the UEFAChampions League and the first quali -fying round of the UEFA Cup will beheld at the UEFA headquarters in Nyonon 27 June.

Olympic tournament in Beijing

2008 is not only the year of the European Championship, but also of the Olympic Games in Beijing, with football tournaments involving 16 men’s and 12 women’steams.

The draws for the group stageof these two tournaments took place in Beijing on 20 April. The men’s tourna-ment line-up is as follows:

Group A: Ivory Coast, Argentina,Australia, Serbia.

Group B: Netherlands, Nigeria,Japan, United States.

Grassroots football flourishes in the Balkans

Open Fun Football Schools(OFFS), created by the Danish CrossCultures Project Association (CCPA),aim to bring together young peopleof different cultures in the Balkansand Caucasus to promote tolerance,integration and cohesion, while atthe same time helping them discoverthe joys of football. With the finan-cial backing of UEFA, the schools also contribute to the developmentof grassroots football in this part of Europe.

The OFFS will this year enter its 11th season and, during his prepara-tions, the project director, Anders Levinsen, has witnessed a real boom ingrassroots football in the region. “I have

Group C: China PR, NewZealand, Brazil, Belgium.

Group D: Korea Republic,Cameroon, Honduras, Italy.

The four European teamsqualified last year at the final round ofthe European Under-21 Championship.

In the women’s tournament,World Cup holders Germany will be inthe same group as Brazil, whom theybeat in the final of the last World Cup.Germany, along with Sweden and Norway, booked their places in Beijingthrough their performances in thattournament.

The groups are as follows:Group E: China PR, Sweden,

Argentina, Canada.Group F: Korea DPR, Nigeria,

Germany, Brazil.Group G: Norway, United

States, Japan, New Zealand.

■ In April, the FIFA ExecutiveCommittee entrusted the GermanFootball Association with the task ofhosting the next Under-20 Women’sWorld Cup. The tournament will takeplace in 2010 and will serve as a dressrehearsal for the Women’s World Cupbeing staged in the same country ayear later.

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European teams would be heading for Brazil to play in the final round ofthe competition from 30 Septemberto 19 October. In fact, the line-up ismore or less the same as at the WorldCup in China four years ago, whenEurope was represented by Spain (the eventual winners), Italy, Portugal,the Czech Republic and Ukraine. This time, Europe has one additionalfinal round place, with Russia the only newcomers to the European delegation.

The draw to split the 20 finalists into four groups will takeplace in Brasilia on 10 July.

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Olympictour -namentdraw in Beijing.

News fromBrusselsFor those attending EURO 2008

this summer, UEFA and the Euro-pean Commission have produced aguide full of practical informationabout supporters’ rights.

UEFA is going to great lengthsto ensure that the final round of theEuropean Football Championship is a unique, emotional but trouble-free experience for all involved.

In this context, UEFA PresidentMichel Platini and the EuropeanCommissioner for Consumer Protec-tion, Meglena Kuneva, agreed thatsupporters attending matches inSwitzerland and Austria between 7 and 29 June needed more infor-mation about their rights.

A mini-guide, entitled Know before you go: your rights are ourgoal, has been produced to makesure everyone benefits from thesame information. What can I do if I lose my ticket? What should I do ifmy flight is cancelled? What are myrights if I need urgent medical treat-ment? All in all, the guide providesten practical tips and answers totravellers’ most common questions.

The free Europe Direct helplinewill also be available to supportersthroughout the tournament. By dialling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 fromanywhere in the EU or Switzerland,they will receive support from oper-ators who can provide valuable information about protecting andexercising their rights.

Michel Platini has said that he is “thrilled by this European Com-mission and UEFA initiative, whichwill help fans from every countrymake the most of their time in Austria and Switzerland.”

The guide is available for free from the official tournament website, www.euro2008.com, and from the fan embassies’ site,www.fanguide2008.net.

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Ex-footballers atBarcelona congress

The second congress of the Sports Group of European Former Football Players Associa-tions (EFPA) on 11/12 April inBarcelona was a great success,bringing together representativesof over 40 associations from across Europe.

Under the heading of “Keepplaying”, the congress studied anddiscussed the role of ex-players andthe future of football. “Veterans must

Maceo Rigters of the Netherlandsgets the better of the Serbian keeper in the final of theEuropean Under-21Championship – both teams will compete in theOlympic tournament.

John Toshack, Emilio Butragueno,Carlos Reixach andJosé Angel Iribarduring a round-tablesession at the EFPA congress inBarcelona.

visited FYR Macedonia, Georgia, Arme-nia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina,Croatia and Serbia over the past fewmonths. I have seen a new, open anddedicated attitude towards the devel-opment of grassroots football every-where I have been and I am convincedthat this important development mustbe considered a result of the persistentand dedicated work of UEFA.”

Anders Levinsen gives a fewexamples to illustrate his point: “Duringmy trips I always take the time to visitsmall and local grassroots footballclubs. When I came to one place, twoyears ago, I only saw a big green riverbank where the cows were grazing.There was neither a playground nor afootball club in the village. Today, thelocal authorities have transformed thearea into a little stadium with a smallstand. Our school leader organised afootball club with children, coaches andequipment from the Open Fun Foot-ball Schools. Today the club has 180children, including three girls’ teams. I spoke to a group of parents who explained how they have formed a par-ents’ committee and how this com -mittee supports the local coaches andclub in different ways. They also toldme how some of the children walk fivekilometres from neighbouring villages,four times a week, to play!”

Anders Levinsen was equallyimpressed by measures taken by theMoldovan Football Association to setup 35 regional associations to help

develop grassroots football. In Georgiathe national FA has set itself a goal of training 400 coaches to C level, and similar initiatives are under way in most other associations in thesecountries.

“Grassroots football has started rolling,“ says Anders Levinsen.“We now have awareness, dedication,and many more people and activitiesin the field of grassroots football. And one of the most important devel-opments that I’ve seen is that the national associations have started tocare. I have seen that they have strate-gies and plans and I have also experi-enced how they are implementingthese plans step by step. Consequently,it seems to me that grassroots footballis no longer something that is justtalked about.”

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The UEFA administration team played in a Special Olympicsmatch in Nyon.

Angel Maria Villar Llona (third from right) represented UEFA at the EFPA Congress.

be a model for the young, promotingthe values of football, which is notjust a sport, but also a medium to fur-ther fair play, comradeship, integra-tion and respect,” said the presidentof the EFPA, Ramon Alfonseda, whoalso made an appeal for solidarity. It was in the context of his appeal thatparticipants were introduced from organisations such as the HomelessWorld Cup and Open Fun FootballSchools (OFFS).

Presentations and round-tablediscussions filled the two-day con-gress, at which UEFA was representedby one of its vice-presidents, AngelMaría Villar Llona, president of theSpanish Football Federation. Manyformer football legends contributed to the debates, including Alfredo Di Stéfano, John Toshack, Emilio Butragueño, Carlos Reixach, PepeSantamaría and José Angel Iribar.

Score for the Red CrossUntil 6 July, every one

of the 16 EURO 2008 finalists’ supporters can buy goals for theirfavourite team at the websitewww.scorefortheredcross.org.

The aim of the campaign is toraise funds for the International Com-mittee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to sup-port its activities in benefit of landminevictims in Afghanistan. Each goal costsEUR 1 and you have to buy at least seven goals at a time. The team rankingsare updated after each donation. To create a level playing field for the dif -ferent sized countries, the rankings takeinto account not only the number ofgoals bought but also the number of inhabitants. In other words, the title of“most humanitarian team” will go tothe country with the highest number ofgoals per inhabitant.

Eighth Special Olympics Football Week

Special Olympics held its eighth annual European foot-ball week from 3 to 10 May.

Some 50,000 players with intellectual disabilities took part in thisfootball week in more than 50 coun-tries throughout Europe/Eurasia. Thisyear the focus was on community-based initiatives with a special empha-sis on the recruitment and training of volunteer coaches, and on bringingyoung people with and without dis-abilities together to increase awarenessand tolerance.

As a supporter of SpecialOlympics football development projects, UEFA also participated in thefootball week: a UEFA staff team contested a unified match (involvingplayers with and without disabilities)with Special Olympics players on 5May at the Colovray stadium in Nyon.

As part of the campaign, UEFAitself will donate EUR 4,000 for everyreal goal scored during the tournamentin Austria and Switzerland, with thedonation rising to EUR 5,000 for everygoal scored by Cristiano Ronaldo, thecampaign ambassador.

Declaration on the specificity of sportOn 24 April, UEFA President Michel Platini welcomed the French and

Dutch Ministers for European Affairs, Jean-Pierre Jouyet and Frans Timmermans, as well as representatives of the main team sports federa-tions, at the House of European Football in Nyon.

A joint declaration was published at the conclusion of this meeting,which was also attended by the French State Secretary for Sports, BernardLaporte.

It underlines the great benefits that sport brings to society and the need to recognise “the central role and autonomy of sports federations in the organisation, regulation and promotion of their respective sports.” The declaration also stresses the need to give these federations the necessary legal security to be able to fulfil their statutory tasks.

Three main areas are highlighted: training (sportingand vocational, protection of young people, encourage-ment), governance of clubs (licensing or management control system) and players’agents (regulation of the profession).

In conclusion, the sports federations are invited to present concrete proposals thatcan be jointly examined duringthe French presidency of the European Union.

Jean-Pierre Jouyet, Michel Platini, Frans Timmermansand Bernard Laporte.

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from member associationsNEWS

A sports centre that will boost Andorran football development.

Alàs sports centre openOn 29 March, the Andorran Football

Federation officially opened the Alàssports and technical centre, the first centre it has owned.

Construction of the centre was madepossible by the UEFA HatTrick programmeand the FIFA Goal project. First and fore-most, it will further the development ofgrassroots and youth football. We will alsobe able to increase very rapidly the num-ber of youth sports events, including tour-naments, camps and training courses, allof which will have a direct, positive impacton football promotion.

Subsequently, clubs in Andorra and theregion will also benefit from the modernsports facilities and give our sport a boost.

ANDORRA

First sponsorship agreementThe Football Federation of Armenia

(FFA) has signed a sponsorship agreementwith STAR over this season’s Armenianpremier league.

This is the first time in Armenian foot-ball history that the FA has concluded asponsorship agreement with a privatecompany. The deal was signed by the FFApresident, Ruben Hayrapetyan, and thechief executive of STAR, Vahan Qerobyan.

The 2008 league will therefore now beknown as the STAR Armenian Cham -pionship.

Tigran Israelyan

A sponsorship first for the Football Federation of Armenia.

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EURO 2008 referee Konrad Plautz is an avid supporter of the Working with a Whistle campaign.

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Successful referee campaign In March, the Austrian Football Asso -

ciation (ÖFB) unveiled its referee project “Karriere mit Pfiff” (working with a whistle or, more idiomatically, “a careerwith a kick”). By means of a campaign designed to enhance the image of refer-eeing, the association hopes to encourage as many sporty, dynamic youngsters as possible – girls and boys alike – to followreferee training courses from the age of 15.

May was “referees’ month” for theyoung hopefuls, with refereeing coursesheld throughout the country from 3 to31 May. The ÖFB is looking for smart individuals who, as well as having an athletic disposition, will bring social skills, respect and a human touch ontothe pitch.

AUSTRIAThere are currently 2,500 active refer-

ees and assistant referees in Austria, whichputs the association about 1,000 short if it is to cover all Austrian clubs. Thescarcity is most obvious in youth circles,which suffer as a result. Since nurturingyoung talent is a top priority for all clubs,the ÖFB hopes to resolve the problem withthe help of its “Karriere mit Pfiff” project.“Without well-trained referees, orderlyfootball matches are not possible,” explains the ÖFB’s president, FriedrichStickler, emphasising the importance ofthe campaign.

“The key to the campaign is not the rejuvenation of refereeing, but the por-trayal of referees in a positive light,” saysGerhard Kapl, chairman of the ÖFB’s ref-erees committee. As long as the refereemanages his games with farsightednessand perspective, and behaves as a skilled,respectful and fair sportsman amongsportsmen, it is the best job in the world.“The path to becoming a referee wassometimes rocky and thorny, but ambi-tion and a love of sport always prevailed”according to FIFA referee Fritz Stuchlikfrom Vienna.

The prospects for referees to climb theladder are excellent, with the potential toprogress from grassroots to amateur, allthe way to professional level. “Being a ref-eree is one of the most interesting jobsimaginable,” says 43-year-old KonradPlautz from Tirol, who has been appointedby the UEFA Referees Committee as oneof 12 EURO 2008 referees.

By the end of April, an impressive1,200 had already signed up at the web-site www.schiri.at and the campaign gen-erated much discussion and praise at theUEFA referees’ workshop in Regensdorf.

Peter Klinglmüller

The lack of training centres has been a major obstacle in raising the level of Andorran teams.

With the construction of the Alàssports and technical centre, the AndorranFootball Federation has achieved one ofits primary objectives.

Teresa Figueras

Ball festival in Ganja cityIn accordance with the 2005-2015

state programme for football developmentin Azerbaijan endorsed by the presidentof the republic, Ilham Aliyev, the FA of Azerbaijan (AFFA) has set up variousprojects aimed at popularising football in the country, spotting talented youngplayers, and developing football for children.

Following the “ball festival” held inBaku, in conjunction with McDonald’s, on16 December last year, the AFFA decidedto organise similar juggling tournamentsin other regions. Hence, on 12 April, a“ball festival” took place on Heydar Aliyevsquare in Ganja. It was a joint AFFA-Hyundai Azerbaijan project which also enjoyed the support of the Ganja city gov-ernment. About 270 under-14s, not onlyfrom Ganja, but also from other Azeri regions, took part, as documented by ATVsports commentator Sanan Shafizade.

The AFFA’s general secretary, ElkhanMammadov, kicked off the ceremony:

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The ball festival participants.

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“Our main aim in organising such projectsis to spot and nurture talented youngfootballers. As you know, the AFFA is cur-rently paying for the winner of the first‘ball festival’, Rahman Shabanov, to studywith the youth team at FC Arsenal Kyiv inUkraine. I wish everyone taking part in thefestival the best of luck.”

After a brief explanation of the rules,the children started juggling. Accordingto the festival regulations, the three bestparticipants – Sarhan Nuriyev, Sarhan Zey-nalov and Jabbar Mammadov – battled itout for first place at the end of the com-petition. Sarhan Nuriyev eventually tookthe title. Azeri deputies Rauf Aliyev, VidadiMammadov and Asef Hajiyev, who helpedout at the award ceremony, all expressedtheir gratitude to the organisers. The AFFAand Hyundai Azerbaijan presented thewinners with prizes.

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Country mourns Constant Vanden Stock

Constant Vanden Stock, honorarychairman of RSC Anderlecht, passed awayon Saturday 19 April at the age of 93, inthe year of his club’s centenary. VandenStock had been chairman of RSC Ander-lecht for 25 years before handing the reinsto his son Roger in 1996.

Constant Vanden Stock’s passing is animmeasurable loss for Anderlecht and thewhole Belgian football family. He was avisionary and forerunner in numerousfields, as demonstrated by the construc-tion of the RSC Anderlecht stadium in the1980s and 1990s, which was revolution-ary at the time and has borne VandenStock’s name to this day.

After having embraced a football career that saw him don the strips of RSCAnderlecht and Union Saint-Gilloise from1932 to 1943, Vanden Stock subsequentlydedicated himself full time to the brewery left to him by his father. Heproved to be a talented businessman,turning it into one of the biggest breweries in Belgium. Nevertheless, the football bug had bitten and VandenStock decided to return to his first love.

BELGIUM Constant Vanden Stock on his 90th birthdayalongside his son, Roger.

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He again assumed various functions inthe field of football before becoming Bel-gian national team coach in September1958. He coached the side for ten years,leading them through 68 internationalmatches and clocking up some impressiveresults, including the Red Devils’ 5-1 vic-tory over the Brazil of Pelé and Garrinchaat the Heysel stadium.

In 1969, Constant Vanden Stock wentback to Anderlecht for good, becomingclub chairman in 1971. He held this posi-tion for the next 25 years, during whichtime he led the club through a golden erathat brought them ten national champi-onships, seven Belgian Cups, four BelgianSuper Cups, two UEFA Cup Winners’Cups, one UEFA Cup and two UEFA Super Cups.

This avalanche of trophies made Constant Vanden Stock, who was alsohonorary first vice-president of the BelgianFootball Association and had been a member of the association’s ExecutiveCommittee and Sports Committee formany years, the most decorated chairmanin the history of Belgian football. He willdoubtless retain this title for many yearsto come.

Pierre Cornez

Enez Crnalic (5) and Bosnia-Herzegovina could not get the better of Spain, Europeanand world futsal champions.

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Licensing process under the spotlight

The main event last month was a sem-inar organised by the Football Federationof Bosnia-Herzegovina for newly electedmembers of the licensing commission. A UEFA representative also attended theseminar, the aim of which was to explainthe rules governing the club licensingprocess for the 2008/09 season.

The commission’s rules and various duties were presented by the federation’s

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director for licensing, Talat Sulejmani, andthe UEFA representative. “We talked aboutdifferent situations that we have alreadygone through in previous seasons and thatmight happen again, in order to help themembers of the commission in theirwork,” said Talat Sulejmani.

The Bosnia-Herzegovina futsal teamunfortunately failed to qualify for theWorld Cup in Brazil, which is to be playedin October this year. In play-offs withreigning world and European championsSpain, Tomislav Curcic’s squad lost both their matches. In Toledo, Spain, thehosts won 9-1 and, although Bosnia-Herzegovina fared slightly better in the attractive return match in Visoko, theywere still beaten 4-0.

The Under-17s have started theirpreparations for the first round of qualifiers for the 2008/09 EuropeanChampionship. Velimir Stojnic’s squad isin Group 3 with the Czech Republic,Hungary and Georgia. They have alreadyplayed two preparatory matches againstMontenegro in Ulcinj, both of which ended 0-0.

Finally, the Radnik futsal team from Bijeljina won the Bosnia-Herzegovina Cup.They beat Banovici on penalties in the final, after the match was stuck at 3-3 atthe end of normal time.

Fuad Krvavac

Akif Alakbarov, a deputy of the mayorof Ganja, thanked the AFFA for holding thistournament in Ganja, and Rauf Aliyev, AFFAvice-president and member of the state national assembly, rated the event veryhighly: “As mentioned, all the necessaryconditions have been created for the development of football in Azerbaijan andthe AFFA is thus able to organise such projects. We hereby declare that the “ballfestival” will become a regular event andwill involve all regions of the republic. We promise that we will try to support toevery talented footballer.”

The jury was composed of Novil Ismayilov, Honored Worker of PhysicalTraining and Sports, Master of Sports of theUSSR and football coach; Muzaffer Gasi-mov, Honored Worker of Physical Trainingand Sports; Zahid Askarov, president of theWestern Regional Football Federation; RaufAliyev, AFFA vice-president and member ofthe national assembly; Akif Alakbarov, a deputy of the mayor of Ganja; and Mahammad Mammadov, referee observerand a referee at the festival.

Mikayil Quluyev


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NEWSfrom member associations

Sad day for Croatian footballThe Croatian Football Federation

recently experienced the saddest day in its history. In a first divi-sion home match for FC Zadar, Hrvoje Custic,who was also a mem-ber of the Croatian Under-21 team, suf-fered a sever injury. After a collision on thetouchline, he fell and hithis head on a fence that separated thespectators from the pitch. Despite theseverity of the accident, initial medicaltreatment gave reason to hope for a suc-cessful recovery. The entire country clungto this hope. Unfortunately, it was in vain.With Hrvoje Custic’s death, a young lifehas been lost; the life of a player who hadevery chance of a great football career.The tragedy has raised the question ofsafety and security at all facilities withfences around their pitch.

This tragic loss comes not long afteranother accident, in which Croatian international Eduardo da Silva was badlyhurt in a league match for Arsenal FC. Thebrutal tackle and severe leg fracture wasbroadcast by numerous TV stations. Alongwith the physical pain suffered, Eduardoda Silva was also denied a great chanceof playing in EURO 2008, which he wanted more than anything. His absencefrom the competition is a great blow tothe Croatian national team as a whole.During the qualifying competition, hiseight goals contributed greatly to thecountry’s overall success.

In other news, a new sports act passedby the Republic of Croatia regulates thequestion of transforming professionalclubs into joint stock companies. The firstclub affected is HNK Hajduk Split. The pro-cedure is being followed and the outcomelooked forward to with great interest. Thisnew law also represents a significantchange concerning the status clubs have had so far. New club members are signing up, because only they will be ableto buy stocks.

The Croatian Football Federation continues to work with football clubsfounded by Croats abroad. The secondEuropean championship organised forthese clubs will be contested in Gothen-burg by qualifiers Croatia Berlin, CroatiaNurnberg and Croatia Weiblingen from Germany, Dinamo Ottakring from Vienna,Croatia Villefranche from France, thehosts, Velebit of Gothenburg, and a teamof Burgenland Croats from Austria, whoare the reigning champions. Final compe -titions for a team from Switzerland are in progress.

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The Croatian Football Federation alsoorganises a lot of grassroots activities andfootball in schools. The new sport act encourages the development of sports inprimary schools, which is of great interestto the FA. Good relations have been established with the Croatian SchoolsSports Association and joint project negotiations are currently in progress.

Finally, this year is also a significant onein the development of beach soccer. TheFA is preparing to construct several beachsoccer pitches in accordance with FIFArules, which will enable the country’s firstofficial competitions in this new, increas-ingly popular domain.

Ante Pavlovic

Fabio Capello looking relaxed with the young footballers of Lesotho.

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also on the pitch supporting serious andworthwhile projects like this one,” saidCapello.

“It is really good to be here, to see the children play and to see the Englishcoaches train local coaches to do a jobthat will be very important and will bearfruit a bit further down the line.”

The English FA’s International Develop-ment Programme aims to deliver at leasttwo projects a year to its trio of partnerassociations, and workshops have beenoffered in areas such as administration andrefereeing.

But The FA has also lent its assistanceto raising public awareness of HIV andAIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, which hasbeen ravaged by the disease – in Lesothoan estimated 23% of the population, including almost 18,000 children, are HIVpositive.

The England manager, who was accompanied on the trip by The FA’s head of National Teams, Ray Clemence,watched sides from 12 local schools battle it out in a specially arranged seven-a-side tournament to promote the ‘Test Your Team’ campaign, which included onsite HIV education and testingbetween games.

Capello and Clemence sat in as ayoung boy was tested for HIV. The boyfaced a nervous wait but, after a coun-selling session with a doctor, the test cameback negative. “It was tense,” Capello admitted. “We had a few very long moments in that tent waiting for the outcome of the test. Fortunately the testwas negative and everyone was very relieved. This was a very good experience,very good for our soul because it makesyou understand what hardships there are in the world.

“Football must concern itself with thesethings and must help. Football is a richsport and it has an obligation to put itswealth at the service of people who canhelp the poor and make a difference.”

Nada Grkinic

Capello supports FA’s work in Africa

England coach Fabio Capello paid awhistle-stop visit to Lesotho in April toraise awareness of The Football Associa-tion’s (FA) work in Africa through theUEFA-CAF Meridian Project and to sup-port the charity Kick 4 Life which usesfootball to raise HIV and AIDS awareness.

As part of The FA’s commitment tohelping develop football in each of itsAfrica partner countries – Lesotho,Botswana and Malawi – it has decided tofocus its efforts over the next three yearson providing quality coaching for schoolteachers and community coaches to give schoolchildren a better football experience.

Capello looked on as FA coaches Geoff Pike and Peter Ford delivered an FALevel One coaching course involvingschoolteachers and pupils.

“This is a worthwhile scheme and I feelit is important I’m seen not only on TV but

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Istvan Kisteleki, president of the Hungarian Football Federation, and the new national coach, Erwin Koeman.

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Budapest hosts EURO 2008 contenders

Although Hungary failed to qualify forthe upcoming European Championship final round, the football supporters of thecountry nevertheless have a chance towatch their team take on Greece andCroatia just before the start of the summer’s great event.

On 24 May, the Hungarian team willline up against Greece, a team that lastvisited Budapest in November. As they didsix months ago, the teams will play (morethan likely to a full house) in the Ferenc

HUNGARY

Social responsibility activitiesThe Israel Football Association (IFA) has

become one of only three associations in Europe to have earned the ISO 9001 international business standard. The de-cision to apply the standard at the IFA wasmade to improve managerial processesand the services provided during the football matches of the various Israeli national teams.

This year, the IFA is supporting Israel’sJuvenile Diabetes Research Foundation aspart of its contribution to society. In April,

ISRAEL

New youth tournamentBesiktas of Istanbul have won the

Cup of the President of the Republic ofKazakhstan. Having maintained a cleansheet throughout this international youthtournament, the Turkish side took homethe main prize of USD 10,000. Worthyopponents in the final, CSKA Moscowwere runners-up.

The tournament, held in Almaty from 25 to 30 April, was contested by the Under-17 teams of the following foot -ball schools: Zenit, CSKA and SpartakMoscow (Russia), Besiktas (Turkey), Ole Brazil (Brazil), ADO Den Haag(Netherlands), Dinamo Minsk (Belarus)and Tsesna (Kazakhstan).

The teams were divided to two groupsof four for a group stage, which was

KAZAKHSTAN

the association worked with the founda-tion to hold a charity event that raised atotal of EUR 31,000. In addition, childrenfrom the foundation attend every IsraelUnder-21 match.

The IFA has renovated the lamppostsin the missile-stricken city of Sderot andeven held the draw for the Israel StateCup quarter-final fixtures in the city. Theassociation also held a match between theIsraeli team and a team compiled of foreign league stars in Ashkelon, dedi -cated to the southern towns located onthe front line.

The IFA helps and supports athletesfrom the Special Olympics, an inter -national organisation that includes morethan 2.3 million intellectually disabled athletes from 169 countries worldwide.The IFA also views football as an arena tobe used to create a better Israeli society,one that is free of violence. As such, thefootball association has initiated legisla-tion that prohibits violence in football stadiums in order to make them a pleasant place in which people can enjoythemselves.

Nimrod Suzin

Foundation’s first cultural event

On 25 March, the German Football Association’s cultural foundation, whichwas established just last year, held its firstpublic event. Under the slogan “FootballLegends”, it offered a whole host of recollections and anecdotes surroundingGermany’s 1966 World Cup team.

The evening was opened by the presi-dent of the German FA (DFB), TheoZwanziger, who spoke of the importanceof the cultural foundation: “Germanyplayed its first international 100 years ago.Back then, football was often ridiculedand considered a commoners’ sport.Nowadays we enjoy huge social and cultural recognition. Football is a big partof millions of people’s lives.”

Eleven of the 22 players who lined up for Germany in the 1966 World Cup

GERMANY

Puskás stadium. A week later Croatia, another team preparing for EURO 2008,will arrive in the capital to play the Mag-yars at Újpest FC’s Szusza Ferenc stadium.

In these matches the national team willbe led by new head coach Erwin Koeman.The 47-year-old Dutchman, who won the1988 European Championship, previouslymanaged clubs Waalwijk and Feyenoordin his home country.

“He is the right person for the job andit is the right time, before the FIFA 2010World Cup qualifying campaign,” saidIstván Kisteleki, president of the Hungar-ian FA, when Koeman’s appointment wasannounced in April.

Márton Dinnyés

A quality seal for the Israel Football Association.

IFA

gave interviews at the event at Freiburg’sconcert hall: Uwe Seeler (captain), HansTilkowski, Willi Schulz, Helmut Haller, Siggi Held, Friedel Lutz, Bernd Patzke,Klaus-Dieter Sieloff, Wolfgang Paul and Werner Krämer. Unsurprisingly, the“Wembley goal” dominated discussionsas the relaxed, good-humoured ex-inter-nationals debated the 3-2 in the final withthe benefit of 42 years’ hindsight. UweSeeler, for example, joked with goal keeperHans Tilkowski: “If you had caught theball, there would have been nothing todebate.”

An important project for the culturalfoundation will be the construction of the football museum, which the DFBtreasurer, Horst R. Schmidt, is currentlyworking on. Schmidt told those at theFreiburg event about the museum plans,and about his activities in the OrganisingCommittee for the World Cup in SouthAfrica. This is the tenth time since 1974that he has been involved in the prepara-tions for a FIFA World Cup.

Maximilian Geis


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Baltic Cup turns 80At the beginning of June, three Baltic

Under-21 sides will meet in the 80th anniversary edition of the Baltic Cup. Thecup is played every two years, rotating between Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.This year Latvia will host the tournamentin the new Jurmala stadium, the Daugavastadium and the Skonto stadium.

The Baltic Cup started in 1928, in Tallin,Estonia, and was first won by the Latvian

The new Jurmala stadium will host its firstinternational match as part of the Baltic Cup.

LATVIA

Association annual general meeting

The Liechtenstein Football Associationheld its annual general meeting on 31March, which went off without a hitch, attended by guests from Liechtenstein andthe surrounding regions, and Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder on behalf of UEFA.

The annual accounts and annual reportwere both approved and the president,Reinhard Walser; treasurer, Urs Gerner;and head of professional football, Rudolf Marxer were all unanimously re-elected, each for an additional two-yearperiod.

The association president, ReinhardWalser, described the previous 12 monthsas “an eventful year with some highs andsome lows.” Walser went on to say, “Never before have we managed to take

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The general meeting was efficiently led by president Reinhard Walser, pictured withthe federation leaders.

LIECHTENSTEIN

LFV


The youth players of Besiktas are triumphant.

KFF

followed by play-offs. The final was heldat the Almaty central stadium, where the Kazakhstan national team plays itsmatches. Besiktas beat CSKA 3-1 in frontof 16,000 spectators.

“One of the main tasks set by Nursul-tan Nazarbayev, the president of ourcountry, is to care about the young gen-eration, to bring up dignified citizens ofsound body and mind. And sport is ourprincipal assistant in this. It is sport thathelps to draw teenagers away from thedestructive influence of the streets, drugaddiction, smoking and alcohol. Sportteaches them to achieve goals; it teachesthem to overcome not only their com-petitors but also themselves, and to tem-per their spirits. And football is right fullyconsidered the most popular sport.Young people can learn to win not onlyalone but also in a team. Developmentof youth, mass football is one of the toppriorities of the Football Federation ofKazakhstan. We cannot count on greatwins on the international stage in futureif we do not create the right conditionsfor our young athletes. The making ofchampions starts in the yard, at schooland in playgrounds,” said AdilbekDzhaksybekov, president of the FootballFederation of Kazakhstan.

Alexandr Keplin

side. In total, Latvia has won the cup 19times, Lithuania 16 and Estonia 8. Duringthe Soviet era, Belarus also participatedon occasion, but never won. The last BalticCup was played in 2005, having beenpostponed in 2007. The 2008 Baltic Cupwill span four days, from 29 May to 1June. The opening match will be playedby the Latvian and Estonian Under-21s inthe new Jurmala stadium.

In other news, the Latvian Football Federation has decided to create its firstever national beach football team with thehelp of its general sponsor, Inko Brokeri.

Martins Hartmanis

home two wins, that is seven points, in oneyear,” adding that, at 118th, Liechtensteinhad achieved a new personal best in theFIFA rankings. The president also talkedabout the country’s club football, men-tioned the European Under-21 Cham -pionship qualifiers and underlined the encouraging performance of the Under-19side in its European qualifiers in Spain.

National coach and technical director,Hans-Peter “Bidu” Zaugg, reflected on hisfirst year as Liechtenstein coach. “I had expected a tough year. It was very positivethat we managed two wins and a draw; a good sporting achievement,” concludedZaugg, who also took the opportunity toaddress the 7-1 defeat in Malta. “It wasunimaginable, and yet there were manyreasons for it,” according to Zaugg, who recalled the attitude and lack of prepara-tion. He hopes to rectify the Malta per-formance at the end of May againstSwitzerland. “We don’t need to beat theSwiss,” said Zaugg. It’s not always the result, but rather the way in which theteam performs, that makes a difference totheir development. In the youth field, moreindividual training should be carried outand the players’ weaknesses worked on.

On the side of the guests, GerhardMayer-Vorfelder took the floor. “I get ahomely feeling, being here,” he said tothe meeting. “It is excellent that the association is taking part in internationalcompetitions. It is important that the players are challenged internationally, sothat Liechtenstein can one day producesome 15 to 20 professionals.”

Judith Frommelt

A developing sectorWomen’s football in Malta has been

steadily gaining in popularity since com-petitions in the country started to be organised. The national league and knock-out competition have been attracting areal following as more and more peopleturn up at the well laid out Luxol stadiumwhere artificial turf improves the game forspectators and players alike.

The number of participating teams inthe domestic league has now risen tonine, no doubt representing a good cross-section of the country.

Football in this category has also established a base at international level,as Malta now participates regularly in theWorld Cup, European Championship andUEFA Cup.

The Women’s Football Committee of the Malta FA, headed by the associa-tion’s vice-president, Ludovico Micallef, is instrumental in organising seminars, sym-posiums and technical and social activities

MALTA

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Working session with regional presidents

Representatives of 28 of Moldova’s 33regional football associations recentlycame together for a working session withthe Football Association of Moldova(FAM), headed by Pavel Cebanu (presi-dent), Mihai Anghel (vice-president), Nico-lai Cebotari (general secretary) and VasileScurtul (federal inspector). The meetingwas held in a relaxed atmosphere, givingeach regional delegate the opportunity tohave their questions answered by the national representatives.

During the meeting, Pavel Cebanu underlined the key role of the regional associations in football development inMoldova: “These regional associations areled by people who are passionate aboutfootball and want to promote the sportin the regions of our country. First andforemost, they must involve as many

MOLDOVAPresident Pavel Cebanu (right) presents a membership certificate to the president of the Singerei regional association, Gheorghe Brasovschi.

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people as possible, of all different ages,in football. They must also organise their

championship, region’s cup and juniorand youth competitions. Another taskis to renovate and build new playing

fields. To this end, the FA of Moldovaprovides technical and financial assis-tance.”

The meeting was officially drawn to aclose with the presentation of certificatesto the regional association presidents, con-firming their affiliation to the FAM. Until2006, only 12 regional associations hadbeen affiliated to the FAM. Thanks, how-ever, to the notable efforts of Vasile Scur-

tul, the national association’s federalinspector who is in charge of theregional associations’ activities, thereare now 33. They are run by mayors

or heads of local councils, thereby ensuring that football in the regions ofMoldova is in safe, secure hands. Twomore regional associations are to be setup in the near future.

Victor Daghi

Sponsorship for women’s football

The popularity of girls’ and women’sfootball in Northern Ireland is at an all-time high – and, with all ages now getting involved in the game, it just showsthat anything the boys can do, the girlscan do too!

One local food company has been soimpressed by the development of thegame by the Irish Football Association (IFA)at grassroots and international level thatit has decided to become the association’s

NORTHERNIRELAND

Dynamic presentation of the new women’sfootball sponsor.

IFA

official partner for girls’ and women’s foot-ball. Dale Farm will sponsor the variousIFA initiatives at grassroots levels, includ-ing the First Kicks Soccer Academy, Soccer Roles, the girls’ junior leagues,schools leagues and indoor competitions.In addition, the sponsorship includes international and domestic ties, with DaleFarm backing four regional leagues, a regional cup and a national league.

This is a major boost for women’s foot-ball in Northern Ireland and the sponsor-ship will go a long way in helping boththe Irish FA and the Northern IrelandWomen’s FA to continue developing thegame at all levels.

The IFA’s head of marketing and com-munications, Geoff Wilson, said: “Tradi-tionally girls have had limited opportu -nities to play football, however over thelast few years the Irish FA has been work-ing hard to change tradition. Worldwide,women’s football is the fastest growingsport and here in Northern Ireland wewant to make sure that all girls andwomen are provided with an opportu nityto become involved in the game.

“The IFA has established a profes sionaland structured programme within schools,junior clubs and at international level,while the association, along with the NIWFA, is putting a lot of hard work intodeveloping the domestic game. And withmore and more girls coming into thegame, this in turn is helping to raise thestandard at club and international level.So, all in all the future looks bright forwomen’s football in Northern Ireland andwe are delighted to have Dale Farm on board as our official partner for girls’and women’s football.”

Alfie Wylie, the national women’scoach, added: “The launch of Dale Farm’s

in order to keep boosting the image ofthe women’s game on the island.

The committee also includes represen-tatives from each club, as well as a tech-nical consultant, Pierre Brincat, who is alsonational team coach.

Tournaments aimed at promoting thegame at school level feature regularly onthe women’s calendar throughout theyear. The upshot is that more and moregirls are taking up the game, which should help to further develop this sectorin Malta.

Alex Vella

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Malta v Croatia in the European Women’s Championship.

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Women’s league on the webSince 1997 the Allsvenskan, the

Swedish premier league, has been servedby a sports information system that collects statistics and results in real time.The system (developed by the Swedish FAand Hego) delivers data for TV graphics,internet live scores, and official league statistics. The next league down, theSuperettan, was added in 2000, as wereinternationals played at home.

As of the current 2008 season, thewomen’s league or Damallsvenskan is alsopart of the information system. More and more women’sgames are broadcast on TV and the increasing need foraccurate and reliable statistics prompted the SwedishFA to commit the necessary resources to extend the system to the women’s league.

This means that fans can now follow every game inthe Damallsvenskan live on the Swedish FA’s website.Line-ups, shots at goal, free kicks, corners, cards, sub-stitutions – it’s all there.

“It’s an important step forward for the Damallsvenskan to be able to offer TV, media and fans the same professional statistics that the men’s league offers. This will beof great benefit to the women’s league,” says Jonas Nystedt, head of communicationsat the Swedish FA.

Andreas Nilsson

SWEDEN

John Delaney, chief executive of the FootballAssociation of Ireland, ex-international KevinMoran, and Packie Bonner, technical director(left to right) discuss the new programme.

FAI

More opportunities for the students

Former Republic of Ireland internationalKevin Moran recently helped launch thethird-level colleges and universities foot-ball development plan.

The programme aims to incorporatefootball programmes into third-level edu-cation systems. The plan focuses on build-ing structures primarily for the benefit ofstudent footballers and provides clearguidance to the institutions on ways toachieve this overall goal. The plan alsostrives to improve the standard of com-petitions, increase the number of quali-fied coaches and develop links with external stakeholders.

The colleges and universities develop-ment programme was set up by the Foot-ball Association of Ireland (Republic of

REPUBLICOF IRELAND

Four centres for the coachesThe Romanian Football Association’s

coaching school has decided to ease thefinancial and human burden on the 94coaches attending this year’s special UEFAA licence courses.

The courses, both theoretical and prac-tical, began on 10 March and will end on15 December. All “pupils” have to cometo the Romanian FA’s headquarters for thetheory part but, for the first time in thehistory of these courses, the 94 coacheshave been split between four regional cen-tres for the practical part and its evalua-tion, so that they need not travel so far.

Some would otherwise have to commute500 or even 600km. As a result, thecoaches from the western regions will goto Cluj-Napoca, the coaches from the eastwill go to Galati, those in the centre havebeen directed towards Targu Jiu, andthose from the south will head toBucharest. For each centre the coachingschool has appointed three inspectorswho will work with the coaches and be responsible for their final practical evaluations.

The practical section itself will be splitinto two parts: the above-mentioned workwith the instructors and several days spent with teams led by UEFA pro-licenceholders will form just one part. The otherwill be completed by each of the 94coaches at teams based even closer totheir homes. The 94 coaches will then all undergo their final examination inBucharest on 15 December.

“We are doing our best to offer themthe best conditions and facilities in eachof these four centres. We will also appointthe best instructors. We expect the 94coaches to be well prepared because theyshould represent the future candidates forthe UEFA pro licence and the futurecoaches of the top Romanian teams and,why not, also be active with Europeanteams,” said Mircea Radulescu, director ofthe Romanian coaching school.

Paul Zaharia

ROMANIA

Ireland), the Irish Football Association(Northern Ireland), the Colleges FootballAssociation of Ireland, the Irish Universi-ties Football Union and the Women’s Soccer Colleges Association of Ireland.With the implementation of this pro-gramme students should have more opportunities to play football in their institutions and the prospect of playing in high-profile competitions and recre-ational events by 2010.

Fran Whearty

sponsorship is a great boost for girls’ andwomen’s football at all levels and we aredelighted to be associated with such ahealthy product. This new partnership willcertainly help to further develop thewomen’s game in Northern Ireland.”

Sara Booth, the IFA’s women’s footballcoordinator, said: “Within the last six years,the number of girls and women playingfootball has increased dramatically inNorthern Ireland. The most significant de-velopment has been within post-primaryschools, with almost 127 schools now providing opportunities for girls to playthe sport. The acquisition of Dale Farmsponsorship is an exciting developmentfor the game and it is fantastic to have a nutritious product associated with the healthy lifestyles that the IFA is currently promoting through girls’ andwomen’s football.”

Sueann Harrison


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Committeeweek in Nyon2 1 - 2 5 . 4 . 2 0 0 8


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Upcoming events

Birthdays

Meetings2.6.2008, Prague

Draw for the final round of the 2007/08 European Under-19 Championship

27.6.2008, NyonDraw for the first and second qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League and forthe first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup

27-28.6.2008, ViennaExecutive Committee

28.6.2008, ViennaMeeting of presidents and general secretaries

Competitions7-29.6.2008 Austria and Switzerland

EURO 200821/22.6.2008

UEFA Intertoto Cup: first round (first leg)28/29.6.2008

UEFA Intertoto Cup: first round (second leg)

First vice-chairman of the Media Committee,Sondre Kåfjord (Norway), celebrates his 60th birthday on 7 June and two referee observers reach the 50 landmark on 23 June:Vladimir Antonov (Moldova) and Leslie Irvine(Northern Ireland). UEFA also wishes many happy returns to:● Wilfried Gerhardt (Germany, 1.6)● Ivaylo Ivkov (Bulgaria, 3.6)● Klara Bjartmarz (Iceland, 3.6)● George Courtney (England, 4.6)● Rolf Haugen (Norway, 4.6)● Alastair L. Cox (England, 4.6)● Jean-Samuel Leuba (Switzerland, 4.6)● Marie-Claire Maney (Northern Ireland, 4.6)● Franz Wöhrer (Austria, 5.6)● Ludovico Micallef (Malta, 5.6)● Jaap Uilenberg (Netherlands, 5.6)● Leon Straessle (Switzerland, 6.6)● Michael Joseph Hyland (Rep. of Ireland, 6.6)● Theo Zwanziger (Germany, 6.6)● Francesco Tagliente (Italy, 6.6)● Ryszard Wojcik (Poland, 6.6)● Stefano Braschi (Italy, 6.6)● Lars-Åke Bjørck (Sweden, 7.6)● Kenneth J. Hope (Scotland, 7.6)● Michel Sablon (Belgium, 7.6)● Sándor Berzi (Hungary, 7.6)● Yury Dupanau (Belarus, 7.6)● Johannes Scholtz (Netherlands, 8.6)● Robert Anthony Boggi (Italy, 8.6)● Bryan Drew (England, 8.6)● Jesper Møller Christensen (Denmark, 9.6)● Hans Bangerter (Switzerland, 10.6)● Alun Evans (Wales, 11.6)● Leonardo Grosso (Italy, 11.6)● Kyros Georgiou (Cyprus, 11.6)● Nathan Bartfeld (Moldova, 11.6)● Thórir Hakonarson (Iceland, 11.6)● Alain Courtois (Belgium, 12.6)● Jørn West Larsen (Denmark, 12.6)● Sergejus Slyva (Lithuania, 12.6)● Arben Bici (Albania, 12.6)● Roland Coquard (France, 13.6)● Giulio Campanati (Italy, 15.6)● Viacheslav Koloskov (Russia, 15.6)● Pavel Mokry (Czech Republic, 15.6)● Muhittin Bosat (Turkey, 15.6)● Sabri Celik (Turkey, 16.6)● Michael Joseph Maessen (Netherlands, 17.6)● Stephen Thomas (England, 17.6)

● Markus Nobs (Switzerland, 17.6)● Philippe Piat (France, 18.6)● Hannelore Ratzeburg (Germany, 18.6)● Gaioz Darsadze (Georgia, 19.6)● Brian Barwick (England, 21.6)● Michel Platini (France, 21.6)● Peter Peters (Germany, 21.6)● Zoran Cvrk (Croatia, 21.6)● Keith Stuart Hackett (England, 22.6)● Zvi Rosen (Israel, 23.6)● Georg Pangl (Austria, 23.6)● Rene J. Temmink (Netherlands, 24.6)● Emanuel Zammit (Malta, 24.6)● Jean-Jacques Schonckert (Luxembourg, 24.6)● João Rocha (Portugal, 24.6)● Jeannette Saarinen (Finland, 24.6)● Reinhard Walser (Liechtenstein, 25.6)● Marcel Lica (Romania, 25.6)● Foppe de Haan (Netherlands, 26.6)● Barry W. Bright (England, 27.6)● Sigurdur Hannesson (Iceland, 27.6)● Wim Koevermans (Netherlands, 28.6)● Ivan Borissov Lekov (Bulgaria, 29.6)● Wolfgang Sowa (Austria, 29.6)● Joan Laporta i Estruch (Spain, 29.6)● Orhan Erdemir (Turkey, 29.6)

Communications

New publication

The Football Association of Albania’s suspension, imposed in March, was lifted by FIFA and UEFA on 29 April.

Obituary

Lambros Adamou, a member of the circle of former UEFA committee members,passed away on 4 April at the age of 72. Former general secretary of the Cyprus Football Association, Lambros Adamouchaired the UEFA Youth Committee from1988 to 2000 and sat on the UEFA Youth and Amateur Football Committee from 2000 to 2002.

Match agents

UEFA has issued three new licences to organise matches and tournaments to:

Victor Grove 9, Chemin de la Riaz1291 Commugny – SwitzerlandTel./Fax: +41 22 776 [email protected]

Benedict HattonAlexander Ross Limited10 Greycoat PlaceLondon SW1P 1SB – EnglandTel.: +44 207 960 6395Fax: +44 207 960 [email protected]

Kamil MammadovAMMK-SPORTS AgencySuleyman Rustam 37/241007 Baku – AzerbaijanTel./Fax: +994 12 495 [email protected]

Le FootballThis amusing but educational guide by MathiasGrueter and Mix & Remix, aimed at the clue-

less and connoisseurs alike,will help you (re-)discovereverything there is to knowabout football past and present. It covers the historyof football, its rules, footballand the economy, and foot-ball in Switzerland, Europeand the rest of the world.A practical and very up-to-date work that lays the foun-

dations for everyone to enjoy EURO 2008 to the full, this pocket guide is available inFrench and German.Editions Loisirs et Pédagogie (LEP), En Budron B4a, Casepostale 313, 1052 Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland, tél.: +41 21 651 25 70; fax: +41 21 653 57 51,[email protected], www.editionslep.ch, CHF 14.

WE CARE ABOUT FOOTBALL The views expressed in signedarticles are not necessarily theofficial views of UEFA.The reproduction of articles or extracts of any informationpublished in uefadirectis authorised, provided the source is indicated.

Official publication of theUnion des associationseuropéennes de football

Editor André Vieli

Produced by Atema Communication SA, CH-1196 Gland

Printed by Cavin SA, CH-1422 Grandson

Editorial deadline: 13 May 2008C o m m u n i c a t i o n s D i v i s i o n

CommunicationsBirthdays – Calendar


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