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02 SoccerWeekJUNE 04 – june 10, 2009The TEAMtalk Network. Officially for the fans.www.teamtalkmedia.co.zawww.football365.co.za www.football365.com www.cricket365.com www.golf365.com www.extreme365.comwww.planetrugby.com www.planetf1.com www.teamtalk.com www.sportal.com www.sport365.comwww.sportinglife.com www.bettingzone.com www.oddschecker.com www.sky.com/sports www.sky.com/newstt_corporate_fullpage_FINAL.indd 15/15/09 12:25:34 PM

introSoccerWeekjune 04 – june 10, 200903WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Eric Cantona - page 20letterscornerHave your say. Send your emails to letters@jamespublishing.netDear Editor,Soccer Week is a breath of freshair. It is very informative and I enjoyedevery page of it. I liked thebalance between local and internationalnews.Thanks,Moeng MathundaKimberleyDear Editor,Words of appreciation to the SoccerWeek team for the good work youhave done. Your paper is very informative.It covers all the big four actionwhich has not been the case withmost of our local soccer magazines.I hope you reach each andevery corner of the country. I suggestthat you feature an African columnwhere we can get some resultsof the CAF Champions League andcup. I’m very impressed keep up thegood work.Ndumiso MhlangaHi Ndumiso,This week on page 9 is an Africannews section. Let us know whatyou think and we’ll make sure itis even better next week.EdDear Editor,Firstly, well done and thank you foran absolutely great concept! I’mcertainly more than thoroughly excitedabout your new publication.I just can’t wait for future editions… fantastic!! For far too long, andto be perfectly honest, I (and manyother ‘true blue’ football fans, I suspect),have had to frustratingly putup with rather inept football coverageover the years … but yournewspaper can surely prove to bethe perfect foil to those (bar one ortwo) previously ham-fisted attemptsof the past. So, nice one … here’shoping that your impressive ideawill survive and thrive for manyyears to come!!In your first edition, Justin Zehmkeinformed the reader that ‘SoccerWeek’ was on the prowl forsome possible ideas … so here are ahandful of suggestions for ‘features’which I (… at least) would look forwardto week in - week out! As weall know, ‘footy’ is particularly drivenby history … so how about introducinga few marvellous featureslike full page profile spreads chroniclingall the great football clubs& nations around the world fromthe annals of football history andhighlighting all their phenomenalachievements, great players, managers,‘firsts’ etc, throughout theyears … jam-packed with ‘did youknow’ facts & stunning pic’s naturally.Red RayRoodepoortHi Red Ray,We meant it when we said that wewere ‘on the prowl’ for some newideas and you certainly gave usa few.We didn’t have enough space toprint all your suggestions but weare looking at them very closelyexpect to see a few new pages infuture editions.EdMark Schwarzer - Page 15SoccerWeekEDITOR-IN-CHIEF:James CohenCONTRIBUTING EDITORS:Richard Ferraris; Justin Zehmke;Lashias Ncubecontributors:Neall de Beer; Anthony McLennan;Steven Mervis; Thapelo Moloantoa;Andrew Hallett; Melissa Reddy;Trevor Kramer; TEAMtalk Media/Football365.co.za teamArt Director:Jason GiacoppoIMAGES:Football365.co.za, TEAMtalk Media,Sky Sports, Gallo Images andBackpagepixPRINTING: Paarl Coldset (Pty)Ltd, 83 Heidelberg Road, City DeepProduction Park, City DeepPUBLISHER:James PublishingADVERTISING SALES:+27 (0) 11 784 3038adsales@jamespublishing.co.zaDISTRIBUTION: jmd+27 (0) 11 973 3917

04 SoccerWeekjune 04 – june 10, 2009THE NEWS IN ENGLANDjustin zehmkeBlues hand Ancelotti thetask of conquering EuropeINSIDE ThePremier LeagueDawningof a neweraThe Premier League table hada very familiar look at theend of the season, with theusual suspects taking up thetop four positions as they have forthe recent past, barring Everton’spipping of Liverpool to fourth spotin 2004/2005.I am firmly in the camp that believesthis is a situation detrimentalto the excitement and viability ofthe league.I hate knowing the outcome beforea ball has been kicked and,while there are those that arguethat any of the top-four could win it,this just isn’t unpredictable enoughfor my liking.Luckily I expect this off-seasontransfer window to herald the dawnof a new age.Manchester City have not had theluxury of a full transfer window toindulge their stupendous new richesand are sure to lure a couplemore big names.News has started filteringthrough that City’s Abu Dhabiowners are prepared to meet the£32-million asking price for ManchesterUnited striker Carlos Tevez,set by Media Sports Investmentpresident Kia Joorabchian.They’ve also been linked with ahost of others, from Kaka to CristianoRonaldo.Whether they find enough qualityplayers of a mercenary bent andwilling to forego Champions Leaguefootball during the Eastlands club’srebuilding effort remains to be seenhowever.Another dark horse to start pushingfor European football is Sunderland,who have just been takenover by Texas businessman EllisShort, who has promised to make awhole pot of cash available duringthe summer.The Black Cats won’t break intothe top four anytime soon, no matterhow much money Short spends,but a team that just might are AstonVilla.Under the guidance of Martin O’Neilland the benign reign of owner RandyLerner Villa gave Arsenal a verygood scare this season, despite thefact that they have one of the PremierLeague’s smallest squads, beforethe Gunners caught up with avengeance. They look set to lose influentialmidfielder Gareth Barryduring the European summer, but afew astute investments may just seethem go the distance.This will be a very interestingtransfer window - one that couldsignal a sea change in the PremierLeague.I suspect that this time next seasonwe’ll be welcoming a new memberto the top four.chelseaCarlo Ancelotti has been confirmedas Chelsea’s new manager afterpenning a three-year contract atStamford Bridge.Ancelotti had long been expectedto replace Guus Hiddink in westLondon and his appointment wassealed on Monday, just hours afterhe stepped down as AC Milan.The former Parma and Juventusboss, who turns 50 on 10th June, wonthe Champions League twice and theSerie A crown during his eight-yearspell with the Rossoneri.Europe’s leading club trophy is believedto be the one which Blues ownerRoman Abramovich craves aboveall others, and Ancelotti will now becharged with guiding the club to continentalglory.A statement on the club’s officialwebsite read: “Chelsea Football Clubis delighted to announce that CarloSanta Cruz: Not saying a wordSanta Cruzquiet overhis futureblackburnRoque Santa Cruz has revealedhe plans to remain silent until hisBlackburn Rovers future is decided.The powerful striker has madeno secret of his desire to leave theEwood Park club during the transferwindow, and a clutch of clubs havebeen linked with an interest in hisservices.Rovers boss Sam Allardyce hasconfirmed Santa Cruz will be allowedto depart Blackburn shouldthe club receive an offer that matchestheir valuation.Santa Cruz, who scored six goalslast season, is wary of making anyfurther comments on his future followinga recent misunderstandingwith his Rovers manager.“I am going to try to avoid anycomment regarding my future,” saidthe Paraguayan during a press conferencein Asuncion.“Besides anything that I can say,it’s a decision of the officials ofBlackburn. I have always been professionalwith the team.”He added: “What I say in Spanishthen is misquoted when it is translatedto English so I don’t want to talkanymore about my future.”Ancelotti: Tough job aheadAncelotti has agreed to become ournew manager.“He has signed a three-year contractand will start on July 1, 2009.“Carlo was the outstanding candidatefor the job. He has proved over along period his ability to build teamsDIDIer DroGBa has reiteratedthat he is happy at Chelsea and doesnot want to leave Stamford Bridge.The striker’s future has been thesubject of speculation for some timeand he admits it can be frustratingwhen transfer talk keeps resurfacing.The 31-year-old maintains that heis committed to seeing out his contractwith the Blues and has no concernsabout the club letting him go.“I’m a bit tired of speaking aboutmy future because every time I stoppeople ask me about this. I have onemore year here, I’m happy at Chelsea,”said Drogba.“I’m not worried about my age orthe decision of the club. I’m just worriedabout being happy in my lifeand at the moment I’m really happywhere I am.“In football anything can happenand we all know that.“At the moment this is where Iwant to be, I’ve said it before and Iwill always say that.”The arrival of Guus Hiddink inFebruary rejuvenated Drogba followinga quiet few months underHaRRy RedknaPP has paid tributeto Heurelho Gomes for recoveringfrom a poor start to the season.The Brazilian goalkeeper arrivedat Spurs with a big reputation butmade a series of mistakes in the firstfew months of the campaign.He attracted ridicule from the mediaand Harry Redknapp was widelyexpected to replace him.that challenged for, and have beensuccessful in, major domestic andEuropean competitions.“He also had a highly successfulplaying career in those competitionsand therefore brings unparalleled allround experience to the job.“We are sure everybody at Chelseawill give him a warm welcome andwe are all looking forward to workingwith him.”John Terry believes Chelsea cango on to achieve ‘great things’ withCarlo Ancelotti at the helm. “Wewill all enjoy the time we have offnow and come back for pre-seasonas determined as ever and of courselooking forward to achieving greatthings with the new manager CarloAncelotti.”Meanwhile, Hiddink insists thathis short stint in charge was neverabout the money.“Chelsea is in my heart,” he said.“In all works of life, people comeHits out at rumoursLuiz Felipe Scolari.And Drogba, who scored in lastweekend’s FA Cup final to help Chelseabeat Everton, appreciates whatthe Dutchman did for him.“I’m going to miss him a lot, weare going to miss him. He gave memy chance, what I had been waitingfor and I was determined to take it,”Carlo Cudicini arrived from Chelseato compete for a place but Gomesremained in favour due to some improvedperformances. The 28-yearolderadicated the errors from hisgame and finished the season inexcellent form, but it is the way hebounced back from a difficult periodthat has most impressed Redknapp.“He’s been fantastic consideringthe start he had and the bad time hewent through,” Redknapp said.in for a short period and then go.Those left behind had no idea whothey were or what they did. It hasn’tbeen like that for me.“It is not just about where themoney was. I can honestly say I neverthought of it. That just would notwork. There has to be a foundationof a real club.”Hiddink also warned new boss Ancelottithat he should look to lowerthe average age of the squad withjust two players who started the FACup final - John Obi Mikel and JoseBosingwa - under the age of 28.“The older players showed theycan perform very well and it is goodto have a strong squad,” he added.“If you play 60 games a year, plusinternationals, you must have thepossibility to rest people.“But it is beyond question thatwhen older players get injured, it isharder for them to come back at thehighest level.”Didier Drogba: I’mhappy, so leave me alonechelseaRedknapp hails GomestoTTENHAm hotspurhe said.“Against Everton and in the lastfew weeks, it has felt like the oldChelsea.“This is really what we love, tofight together and I think we havebeen doing this all season, even if ithas been difficult.“When you play against a teamlike Everton you have to play yourown game and not just concentrateon their physical strength and that’swhat we did.”Drogba’s return to form has beenovershadowed somewhat by his behaviourat the end of Chelsea’s ueFAChampions League defeat to Barcelona.He angrily confronted refereeTom Henning Ovrebo, who hadturned down a number of penaltyappeals, and has since been chargedby Uefa. Drogba insists he will acceptwhatever punishment comeshis way, saying: “It’s not easy but Ithink that whatever I did and the decisionthey take I will accept it becausemy behaviour was not whatUefa and everyone wants to see ina football stadium.“I will do my suspension and, afterthat, I will come back stronger.”www.soccerweek.mobi

THE NEWS IN ENGLANDIn need of agood homeSoccerWeekjune 04 – JUNE 10, 200905Melissa Reddy wonders whetherMichael Owen’s next career movewill help him rediscover the pathto becoming an England greatOwen: Destination unknownAt the end of the 2007/2008campaign, Newcastlechairman Freddy Shepardurged Michael Owen to“show some loyalty” and see outthe one year left on his Toon contractamidst claims suitors wereready to trigger his release clauseand lure him away from Tyneside.Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal andManchester United were all said tobe interested in the striker. However,the England international choseto stay with the Magpies as he felt“these can be good times to be atNewcastle.”Owen could not have made aworse decision or prediction as 12months later the Magpies were relegatedafter an instantly forgettablecampaign.The former Liverpool talismanis now a free agent, yet this timearound there is no sign of a bigfour outfit interested in his signature.The only side reportedlyready to give the Toon skipper anescape route from a career fallingfaster than Andy Roddick’s serve,is Everton - his boyhood club - onpay-as-you-play terms.Benitez hits out at Alonso rumoursliverpoolLiverpool manager Rafa Benitezhas quashed reports in Spainsuggesting that Real Madrid havereached an agreement with XabiAlonso.The Spain international midfielderhas been strongly linked with a summermove away from the Merseysideclub, with a return to his homelandwidely touted.Benitez has always insisted thatthe classy midfielder remains an integralpart of his long-term plans,Robinho: Happy at CityBut let us rewind. On the world’sbiggest stage, Argentina defendersRoberto Ayala and Jose Chamotlook on in disbelief as an 18-year-oldglides past them before finishing thejob with the composure of someone10 years his senior.Just as the gaps presented by theSouth Americans were exposed,pint-sized Owen was paraded in everyEngland newspaper as the bestup-and-coming goalscorer on theglobe. The 1998 World Cup signalledthe birth of a future Ballon d’Or winner,PFA Young Player of the Yearand BBC Sports Personality of theYear.It was a glimpse of the man whowould go on to top scorer from 1997-2004 for Liverpool and the candidatemost likely to topple Sir BobbyCharlton’s scoring record for England.Owen consistently produced thegoods in the Premier League, buthe wanted more. He craved regularChampions League football, somethinghe envisaged Real Madridwould offer hence his decision to jointhe Spanish giants in 2004.This switch is often cited as thebut that has done little to stem thetide of speculation.The latest rumours suggest thatXabi Alonso has already opted for amove to La Liga giants Real, with adeal now in place, but that has beenstrongly denied by Reds boss Benitez.“The situation is clear, we do notwant to sell our best players and thatincludes Xabi,” he told the Anfieldclub’s official website.“He had a very good season forus and can be an important playerin the future. There is no agree-man cityRobinho admits he would relishthe chance to rejoin his first clubSantos, but insists he has no desireto leave Manchester City just yet.The Brazilian star had a mixedfirst season in England after hisrecord-breaking move from Spanishclub Real Madrid.Despite being the Blues’ top scorerwith 14 goals and fourth on the PremierLeague goal-scoring charts, hewent on a four-month goal droughtand scored just three goals awayfrom Eastlands.Reports have linked the 25-yearoldwith a move away from the clubduring the transfer window aftercatalyst for the decline in Owen’sfortunes.Despite scoring 18 goals in 15starts for Real, he was deemedsurplus to requirements and wasshipped off to Newcastle - the onlyside willing to match Madrid’s£16-million valuation.At present, with no transfer feeattached, the lack of interest in theplayer who scored a hat-trick in thatfamous 5-1 thumping of Germanyin 2002 is alarming. The rumours -now retracted by the Daily Express,that Owen is set to quit football to becomea thoroughbred horse ownerand trainer, look more of a sure betthan the hitman achieving a movethat will reignite his England career.Owen has been overlooked byThree Lions boss Fabio Capello afterbeing selected for the first twofriendlies of the Italian’s tenure.His knack for spending more timeon the sidelines nursing a knee thatjust won’t hold up and hamstringsthat have stolen two yards off hisgame have not endeared him to theformer Madrid manager. After beingthe only player to score in four majortournaments for England, he couldment with Real and we want him tobe part of our plans going forward.“Xabi himself told our club magazineonly two weeks ago that he waslooking forward to his sixth seasonas a Liverpool player. Why should hewant to leave now?”Benitez added: “Xabi’s agent cameto see me recently to talk about thefuture. It was a surprise for me and Ipointed out to him there were threeyears left on Xabi’s contract.“I asked him if the player was happyin Liverpool and he said yes. Itwas a short meeting.”kiss international football goodbye ifhe fails to secure a transfer that willhelp set him back on the path he beganagainst Argentina in 1998.Everton could be the right destinationfor Owen, but a pay-as-youplaycontract didn’t work for RobbieFowler at Blackburn and it doesn’tseem like the sort of deal that wouldrescuscitate the 29-year-old’s ailingcareer.Former Toon manager Sam Allardycenoted that Owen “had 11years at the top level in a long and illustriouscareer. That’s a lot of wearand tear,” while the Guardian’sHarry Pearson believes the strikerdoesn’t seem to be enjoying his footballanymore.Whatever the reason for his decline,the math is simple if Owenaims to bow out at the top of hisgame. He needs nine goals to surpassCharlton as England’s goalscoringking and 12 more strikes to reach200 Premier League goals. However,most of all he needs a club that willpave the way for him to one day departthe beautiful game in the sameway he was introduced to it - with abang.Rafa won’t let Alonso goRobinho would return to SantosCity just missed out on clinching aEuropa League spot for next season.Santos president Marcelo Teixeiraclaimed last week that Robinhowas keen on a return to the Brazilianclub but the Brazil internationalmaintains he is committed to helpingturn big-spending City into a genuineforce.“I am very happy at City,” he toldglobosporte.com. “Santos are theteam of my heart and one day I wantto go back, but not now.”Teixeira had claimed to have hadan hour-long discussion with Robinhoabout his future and how he feelsfollowing his debut Premier Leaguecampaign.“Robinho asked for some suggestions.He is not happy in England,”Teixeira said.“We gave him our opinion in whichway he can take in his career. He saidthat he is interested in returning toSantos.“We know this is difficult becauseof the financial situation, but we willanalyse all the possibilities.”City paid a British record £32.5-millionfor Robinho and signed him on afour-year contract which runs untilJune 2012.Meanwhile, Mark Hughes haswarned potential suitors eyeing hisManchester City players that he willnot sell any of his squad before beforehe buys this summer, insistinghe will focus on creating depth.Knows what is neededCahill callsfor ToffeesinvestmentevertonTim Cahill believes it is imperativeEverton boss David Moyes isgiven money to spend during thetransfer window.The Toffees enjoyed another successfulseason during the 2008/09campaign, finishing fifth in the PremierLeague and runners-up in theFA Cup. The club have made steadyprogress over the course of recentyears and are now firmly establishedas realistic contenders to break the‘big four’ monopoly.However, in order to fulfil that potentialit is important for them tostrive for continuous improvement,and that means new recruits mustbe found in order to complement thequality already possessed within theranks. Cahill knows that is the caseand he has called upon the Evertonboard to ensure they back Moyes inthe transfer market.The Australian said: “Hopefullythere will be the investment neededto improve the squad.“Now we have a good platform fornext season. We have a lot of greatyoungsters to come in, some were onthe bench at Wembley; Jose Baxter,Jack Rodwell, James Vaughan.“We have a lot of fresh talent, andI just pray to God that all the ladsstick together and stay here, andnext season we can all come backand give it another good go.“I’ve played 30-40 games, got mygoals, and I aim to have a massiveimpact next season.”Moyes is also hoping that Toffeeschairman Bill Kenwright will digdeep this summer, but accepts theGoodison Park club will not live beyondtheir means in their pursuitof glory. “It is difficult to put a figureon it,” he said. “Look at Chelsea.Frank Lampard, John Terry and DidierDrogba are the ones you wouldwant. They are the ones who win yougames and eventually cups.“That is the level we are at. But itis hard to win things in England.“Everyone is competing for a smallamount of trophies.“We are trying to develop thoseplayers. This season we just neededone or two more at that level. If wehad done that who knows?”

06 SoccerWeekjune 04 – June 10, 2009interviewHarry Redknapp chats to Thapelo Moloantoa about imported footballers, the futureof the English national team and his ambitions with TottenhamRedknappragesat foreigninvasionThe Spurs boss is concerned that players born outside of England could be called up for the Three LionsRedknapp was tipped to take the Englishpost. Capello got the job instead❝We could end upwith an Englandteam made offoreigners andI don’t wantto see that❞Redknapp dreads the day that players like Manuel Almunia, who was born inSpain, receive England capsHarry Redknapp loves hiscountry and he claimsto have nothing againstforeigners, but his relationshipwith England managerFabio Capello has never beengreat, especially since the Italiancalled up injury-prone Tottenhamcaptain Ledley King to theEngland squad back in March.Perhaps still privately smarting afterhe was overlooked for the role ofleading his country, Tottenham managerRedknapp lamented Capello’sdecision to ignore his advice and selectKing for England’s double-headerwith Slovakia and Ukraine.Redknapp ultimately won thatbattle as King limped back to WhiteHart Lane without kicking a ball.However, any subject to do with thenational team as Capello’s men bidto qualify for the World Cup finals inSouth Africa next year, still gets theSpurs boss talking.This time, it’s talk about a certainSpaniard that irritates ‘Arry. Capello’scourting of Spanish goalkeeperManuel Almunia for a possible placein the England team has touched anerve with Redknapp.Arsenal goalkeeper Almunia enjoyeda fantastic season behind a defencethat offered him very little protection.Almunia takes a keen interest inwar history but if he keeps on catchingCapello’s eye, he will create aconflict of his own. According to Redknapp,the Pamplona-born goalkeeper,who qualifies for an English passportthis summer, has no place in anEngland squad simply because hewas not born in that country.“I can’t see it. The rules state if aplayer plays for five years in a particularcountry, they can play for thenational team. But I don’t see howthey should be able to,” Redknappinsisted. “That is my view, nothingcan change that. It is difficult enoughfor home-grown players to make it inthe Premier League [in England] especiallywith the amount of overseasplayers there are.”Mikel Arteta, the Spaniard whodictated the midfield for Everton beforehis season was cut short by injury,is another player who is likelyto qualify to play for England in duecourse. Redknapp, however, stressesthe importance of giving youngEnglish players the chance to shineas opposed to handing Three Lionscaps to flamboyant foreigners.“We could end up with an Englandteam made of foreigners and I don’twant to see that,” Redknapp said. “Ican’t see how it should work and Ido not understand it. If you are goodenough to play for your own country,whether it is Germany, Spain orwhatever, then you should play forthem.“I don’t think foreigners shouldqualify, not in my opinion.”Redknapp presents his argumentwith typical authority. It is this sameair of conviction that has shifteddown to his Tottenham players andenabled them to forget their earlyseason relegation problems and finishthe season just one place short ofEuropean qualification.When the 62-year-old left Portsmouthto start his rescue operationat Spurs last September, few couldhave envisaged such an impressiveturnaround.“We had two points from eightgames when I took over,” he constantlylikes to remind people. To befair to him, the upturn in fortunes underlineshis ability to get the best outof his players.Another season in the PremierLeague was swiftly secured and Redknappis already planning for nextseason and an assault on breakingthe stranglehold that ManchesterUnited, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenalcurrently have over domesticmatters in England.“I am just looking to add one ortwo more in the summer to give usa real squad that can push on nextyear - we are capable,” Redknapp revealed.“Getting into the top four isdifficult, they are so strong, but wehave to aim to be there if we can. Tottenhamhave great resources andthere’s no reason why we can’t do itone day.“So let’s see what we can do nextyear and if we can do it that wouldbe fantastic.”The signs look promising. Redknapp’sresurgent Spurs preventedManchester United from scoringbefore losing the League Cup Finalon penalties and then had the audacityto take a 2-0 lead at Old Trafford,in an enthralling league clashin April, before the reigning championsswarmed back to win 5-2.Referee Howard Webb awardedUnited a contentious penalty inthat match and once Cristiano Ron-aldo smashed home from 12-yards,the tide had turned. Redknapp wasfuming after the final whistle, claimingWebb had ruined Tottenham’schances of a first victory at Old Traffordin 20 years, but with time hascome some reflection.“I got a message from someonewho was with Webb at a dinner andhe told him he would ring me andadmit it was a mistake,” Redknappsaid. “He did not [award the penalty]on purpose. It was disappointingbecause we played so well [againstManchester United] and it was a badmistake. But now it is history and wemove on.”Tottenham are moving on in moreways than one. If Redknapp reallywants to push the Premier League’selite next season, he admits heneeds to reinforce his squad. But afterspending £47-million in the lastJanuary transfer window, Redknapphas warned the Tottenham fans, andindeed some of his players, that hemay have to sell before he can buy.“I will sit down with the chairmanbut we have not got a bottomlesspit of money. We are looking atone or two people who could changeit around so we will see,” Redknappinsists.“I am not going to splash the cash.We can’t spend massive amounts ofmoney but we have players in mindwho could bring something to theteam. There are one or two playersbut we may have to let one or twoleave so we can bring some more in.We have some good players here sowe will look at it.”Redknapp is no stranger to upsettingthe elite. He once knocked ManchesterUnited out of the FA Cupwhen he managed lowly south coastclub Bournemouth and he took unfanciedPortsmouth to FA Cup glorylast year.His revolution began by banishingthe gloom Tottenham endured underJuande Ramos, but he won’t sail offinto the sunset yet.After all, the much-malignedSpaniard managed something Redknapphas yet to achieve - he guidedthe London club to a trophy in 2008,albeit the League Cup.

SoccerWeekjune 04 – june 10, 200907

08 SoccerWeekjune 04 – june 10, 2009THE NEWS IN SOUTH AFRICARICHARD FERRARISFIFA to intervene inParker predicamentSouth AfricannotebookIt istime forredemptionCorruption. Bribery. Fraud.Greed. In-fighting. Crime.South Africans are bombardedwith bad news everyminute of every day. It need notbe that way.Just over five years ago, worldfootball’s governing body announcedto the world that South Africawould host the 2010 World Cup- a tournament that is said to be ‘themost watched’ sporting event onearth.But around four years ago, globalattentions fell on the 2010 hostnation when Deputy PresidentJacob Zuma was fired by then PresidentThabo Mbeki for having whatturned out to be a ‘mutually beneficialsymbiosis’ with convicted tricksterSchabir Shaik.Then around three years backthe self same Zuma was declarednot guilty on a rape charge whilethe ANC worked feverishly to coverup the festering fall-out of the armsdeal, which in essence was a vehiclefor powerful party members to enrichthemselves.The same can be said of Oilgate,the internecine warfare within theruling party and many other a ‘publicrelations disaster’ in a seeminglyendless litany of contretemps to disgracethe nation.Corruption, bribery, fraud andgreed were the driving forces inthese scandals as the governmentrefused to implement systems ofdue diligence to ensure that SouthAfrica lived up to the great expectationsof the post-Apartheid era.So what does this have to do withfootball?Well, while the tender processfor the arms deal, for instance, wasblighted by criminal activity, the LocalOrganising Committee ran anexcellent World Cup bid to convinceFIFA [who are themselves hardlya template of good governance, butthat’s a story for another day] thatSouth Africa was the best candidateto host the showpiece in 2010.The media has yet to uncover anyevidence of kickbacks or vote riggingin the LOC’s campaign, and atthe time of writing it is fair to concludethat Danny Jordaan and histeam went about their job withskill, determination and honour -virtues totally lacking in the corridorsof power.The Confederations Cup, whichkicks off in under a fortnight, is theculmination of a mostly untaintedprocess.Both this tournament and theWorld Cup offer a notion of redemptionamidst the turmoil of South Africa’srecent history, regardless ofhow Bafana Bafana fare.Parker: Involved in wage warAfter a less-than-convincing 2-0friendly win over Mauritius, BafanaBafana are to be boosted by thearrival of their European-based contingent.Lance Davids and Benson Mhlongonetted the goals in the practicematch, but coach Joel Santana admittedthey should have secured amore flattering scoreline.“We should have scored two orthree more goals,” he said. “OurSuperSport commercial manager,Jose Ferreira, has revealed the clubare open to listening to offers for influentialwinger Elias Pelembe.Reports have linked the 25-yearoldwith a move to Premier SoccerLeague big-spenders Mamelodi Sundownsand Ferreira said they wouldnot rule out bids for the midfielder,who has yet to sign a new contractwith the league champions.The Mozambican only has a yearremaining on his current deal andthe Matsatsantsa chief hinted thatthey were currently in discussionsto extend his stay.He also denied being involved inany formal talks with the Brazilians.Ferreira told the Sunday Independent:“No player in the world isunsellable. We’ve been in talks withhim and those talks are continuing.“There’s no rush because he stillhas a year’s contract with us. Wehaven’t been formally approachedby anybody for his services yet andthis is all speculation. “It’s not onlyPelembe who people have spokenProsport International’s MikeMakaab has revealed that worldfootball’s governing body will intervenein the dispute between strikerBernard Parker and Serbian sideRed Star Belgrade.The 23-year-old is currently embroiledin a wage dispute with hiscurrent employers and his agent toldFootball365.co.za that the matter hasbeen forwarded to FIFA.It is also alleged that Thanda RoyalZulu have yet to receive the fulltransfer fee for the young BafanaBafana star, who English basedstriker, Benni McCarthy has describedas his replacement as the nation’snumber one goalscorer.“Parker remains a Red Star Belgradeplayer until FIFA pass judgmenton the fact that both his formerclub and the player have not beenfully paid,” explained Makaab.Parker joined the Belgrade giantsin a big-money move in January 2009as he fulfilled his ambition of playingfootball abroad. He managed to netsix goals in 16 appearances.But the dream soon took a turn forthe worse though as Red Star reeledPelembe: Wanted by Sundownsabout leaving. There has been storiesabout [striker Anthony] Laffor,[Daine] Klate and Bongani Khumaloas well.” Sundowns were reportedlychasing the trio along with Pelembe,however, coach Gavin Hunt is unlikelyto part ways with Laffor, Klate orKhumalo, who have also reiteratedtheir commitment to Matsatsantsa.Boosted by Europe-based starsbafana bafanaRed Star Belgradegoalkeeper (Itumeleng) Khune neverhad anything to do all game, but Iwas happy that we won, passed theball well and totally dominated thegame.”Santana has shifted his focus tothis weekend’s clash against Poland- the side’s final warm-up encounterahead of the Confederations Cup.Bafana are expected to be a strongerforce against the Europeans asSerbia-based striker Bernard Parker,Maccabi Maccabi Haifa’s ThembinkosiFanteni and another Israel-basedstar, attacking midfielderSiyabonga Nkosi, joined camp onMonday. Meanwhile, Everton starSteven Pienaar, Russia-based midfielderMacbeth Sibaya, Spain-basedcentral defender Nasief Morris andPanathinaikos right back BryceMoon will all arrive during the week.Santana admits he faces a toughtask picking the side to face Poland.“There will be changes against Polandas we need to blend those playersarriving next week with those alreadyin camp,” he said.Pelembe free to leave championssupersportJabulani Maluleke, who recentlysigned for the Pretoria club fromBlack Leopards, is the man mostlikely to fill the void if Pelembe decidesto depart United.Meanwhile, Ferreira confirmedthat SuperSport will be dabbling inthe transfer market in an effort tostrengthen the squad for next seasonas they go in search of a hat-trickof league titles. “We’ll certainly signthree or four more players. And thatwill happen once we finalise the issuesof the players we’ve had queriesabout from other teams.”“We have only one goalkeeper atthe moment - Dennis Onyango - sowe have to sign two for the new season,”he concluded.It is expected that United will enticeout-of-contract Kaizer Chiefsgoalminder Emile Baron to join themas they look to plug the gap createdby Andre Arendse’s retirement andthe sale of Tshepo Motsoeneng toSantos.However, they will face stiff competitionfrom Bidvest Wits, who arealso interested in acquiring Baron’ssignature.under a debt amounting to $20-millionand in April it was reported thatParker and fellow African MohammedAwal-Issah had attempted toflee the club as they had not been remuneratedproperly.The media report explained that RedStar officials intercepted Parker andthe former AmaZulu midfielder atthe airport.However, the Serbian side then issueda statement denying the truthof these claims.“Bernard Parker is one of our topplayers and he has been paid all thatis due to him,” press officer StefanPantovic said at the time.“Nobody from the club went to theairport to convince Parker to stay,”he added.Last week the South African pressclaimed the striker was set to returnto the country and pen a dealwith Orlando Pirates and this weekhe was linked with a return to hisformer club Thanda.However, Thanda denied Parkerhad already re-joined them, butconfirmed they had sought legal recourse.The latest reports emanating outof Serbia indicate that both the Bafanastriker and Awal-Issah will be offloadedalong with the rest of RedStar’s foreign contingent in a bid topay off club’s debts.Newly-appointed club presidentVladan Lukic confirmed the decisionto part ways with the club’s foreignersas well as captain Nenad Milijasand starlet Nenad Tomovic as theylook to pull themselves out of a deepeningfinancial fiasco.It is unclear where Parker will beplaying his football next season, buthe has admitted he is hoping to remainin Europe.If the striker impresses at the ConfederationsCup showpiece later thismonth, he could find himself on theradar of an English Premier Leagueclub, like his Bafana Bafana teammatesTeko Modise, Kagiso Dikgacoiand Bryce Moon.Parker is due to link up with theBafana camp this week and is expectedto shed some clarity on hisfuture.Meanwhile, AmaZulu are awaitingthe outcome of the case they lodgedwith FIFA over the outstanding feesowed to the Maritzburg based clubfrom Mohammed Awal-Issah’s transfer.Mongala: Worth R3-million?Bucs swoopfor Mongalaorlando piratesOrlando Pirates have confirmedhighly-rated Pretoria Universitywinger Phenyo Mongala as theirfirst signing in the off season.The AmaTuks star has been highon the wishlist of Premier SoccerLeague clubs due to his nifty displaysin the Nedbank Cup, which includeda match-winning showingagainst Kaizer Chiefs.The Buccaneers have shruggedoff competition from their rivals toland the 23-year-old. The length ofthe deal has not yet been disclosed,but Sommerset Gobuiwang, Mongala’smanager told Football365.co.zalast month that his client’s signaturecost the club R3-million. Piratesspokesman Mickey Modisane confirmedthe signing of the Botswana-bornstar and revealed at leastfour more players will be joining theSoweto giants. “Mongala is the onlyplayer we have signed at present.However, more top signings are inthe pipeline,” he told SAPA. “It willbe up to the chairman [Irvin Khoza]as to who we will sign. But we arein the marker for another four players.The chairman will make the announcementin due course when thedeals are signed and sealed.”Modisane indicated the club are inthe market for a goalkeeper to deputisefor Bafana Bafana stopper MoeneebJosephs.

the news in africaNo escapingSoccerWeekjune 04 – june 10, 200909Drogba: Will lead the lineElephantsboss namesstrongsquadivory coastThe Ivory Coast have announced apowerful squad for the upcoming AfricaCup of Nations and World Cupqualifiers against Guinea [June 7]and Burkina Faso [June 20].Vahid Halilhodzic named a 31-manparty that is thoroughly dominatedby European-based players.Superstars Didier Drogba, SalomonKalou and Kolo Toure have allbeen included and there is also a recallfor Yaya Toure and Aruna Dindane.Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry[Lokeren], Ibrahim Kone [Boulognesur Mer], Badra Ali Sangare [Charleroi],Aristide Benoit Zogbo [FC Shorta].Defenders: Souleymane Bamba[Hibernian], Benjamin Angoua Brou[Honved], Guy Demel [Hamburg],Emmanuel Eboue [Arsenal], SteveGohouri [Moenchengladbach], IgorLolo [Monaco], Abdoulaye Meite[West Brom), Kolo Toure [Arsenal]Midfielders: Kanga Akale [Recreativo],Kafoumba Coulibaly [Nice],Emerse Fae [Nice], Jean-JacquesGosso Gosso [Monaco], EmmanuelKone [Cluj], Gervais Yao Kouassi [LeMans], Ndri Romaric [Sevilla], SiakaTiene [Valenciennes], Cheik IsmaelTiote [Twente], Yaya Toure [Barcelona],Didier Zokora [Tottenham].Strikers: Sekou Cisse [Roda], ArunaDindane [Lens], Didier Drogba andSalomon Kalou [both Chelsea], AbdelkaderKeita [Lyon], Arouna Kone[Sevilla], Bakary Kone [Marseille],Boubacar Sanogo [Hoffenheim].Pfister: FrustratedPfister explainsquit decisioncameroonOtto Pfister has explained hisdecision to walk away from his postas coach of Cameroon.The 71-year-old resigned before hewas meant to board a plane to Belgiumto host a training camp.The nation’s Ministry of Sportfailed to disclose Pfister’s reasonsfor quitting, but he explained toFIFA.com: “I was in Europe gettingnews on some of my players when Iheard about the dismissal of my assistant,Mr Gweha Ikouam Junior aswell as the appointment of three otherpeople onto my staff.“As this decision had been takenwithout consulting me, I have chosento resign.”BrazilianrevolutionAnthony McLennan investigatesthe prevalence of Brazilianimports in the South AfricanPremier Soccer leagueMido misses PharaohsConfed Cup sojournegyptWigan striker Mido will not bemaking the trip to South Africa forthe Confederations Cup after beingomitted from the latest Egypt squad.Head coach Hassan Shehata decidedto leave the hitman out of his 28-man squad for the eight-team tournamentas well as the World Cupqualifier against Algeria.Pharaohs assistant coach HamadaSedki revealed overlooking Midowas purely a technical decision. “Itwas the decision of head coach HassanShehata, a pure technical decision,”he told FilGoal.com.Goalkeepers: Essam Al-Hadari[Sion], Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed[Zamalek], Mohamed Sobhi [Ismaili],Al-Hani Soliman [Ittihad].Brazilian born footballersand coaches havemade their mark all overthe world, so why shouldSouth Africa be any different?Kaka, Ronaldinho, Robinho, Juninho,Ronaldo - there is little doubtthat these superstars of world soccerhave all added flair and excitementto elite European leagues.Admittedly, players of this sortof calibre are unlikely to evergrace the Premier Soccer League[PSL] while still in their prime.South Africa is more likely toget ‘second rate’ Brazilians, or,when lucky, an undiscovered roughdiamond, than the ‘real thing’.But there can be strong argumentsfor signing an ‘average’ orpromising young Brazilian player,that he still offers a better betthan many local-born players, notjust in the Premiership, but inmost leagues around the globe.Following the South African FootballAssociation’s decision to placethe country’s World Cup dreamsin the hands of two successive Brazilianmentors, the likes of MorokaSwallows, Bidvest Wits and GoldenArrows have quickly followed suitby delving into the South Americanmarket.However, the best Braziliansigning of recent times mustsurely be Ajax Cape Town’slone Brazilian acquisition, centraldefender Eduardo Ferreira.Ferreira, who featured in all butone of Ajax’s 2008/2009 league fixtures,is a player whose performanceshave undoubtedly added qualityto the PSL and former Urban Warriorscoach Craig Rosslee for one hasno problem with a Brazilian exodusto this country.“Every club has a quota of five foreignplayers, so to me it doesn’t matterwhat country or continent theycome from. It’s the reality all overthe soccer world, they bring a newdimension and add quality to everyleague,” Rosslee said.The ready availability of good Brazilianplayers could however, temptlocal coaches and club bosses intocasting their eyes to South Americain search of quick-fix solutionsfor their squads, rather than investingtime and money in youth development.This emerging trend thereforeneeds to be carefully monitored.Rosslee however, is not too concernedabout the potential damagean over-reliance on foreigners couldhave on local youth development, believingthat if a South African-bornplayer shows enough potential, histalent will ultimately be recognised.“Local development happens regardlessof foreign players, if theyare good enough they will shinethrough anyway.”At Swallows, injury set-backsDefenders: Hani Saied and MahmoudFathalla [Zamalek], WaelGomaa and Sayed Moawad [Ahli],Ahmed Saied [Harras Hodoud],Sherif Abdul-Fadil [Ismaili], AhmedAl-Muhammadi [ENPPI]. Midfielders:Ahmed Samir Farag [Ismaili],Mohamed Aboutrika, Ahmed Fathiand Ahmed Hassan [Ahli], HazemEmam [Zamalek], Mohamed Shawki[Middlesbrough], Hosni Abd-Rabou[Ahli Dubai], Ahmed Khairi andMohamed Hommos [Ismaili], Abdul-AzizTawfik [ENPPI], AhmedEid [Harras Hodoud]. Strikers: MohamedZidan [Borussia Dortmund[,Mohamed Mohsen Abou-Greisha[Ismaili], Ahmed Raouf [ENPPI],Ahmed Abdul-Ghani [Harras Hodoud],Ihab Al-Masri [Arab Contractors],Amr Zaki [Zamalek].Eduardo Ferreira: A true success storysaw the tricky Igor Alves get off toa slow start, but later on in the season,especially in the Nedbank Cupfinal, the skilful left-footed wingerbegan to show glimpses of his potential.Centre-back pairing ViniciusDa Silva and Davi Rancan alsoshone in the final against Tuks, andin general looked pretty decent acquisitionsthroughout last season.Former Birds skipper and BafanaBafana midfielder Goodman Mazibukohighlights the fact that witha mixed-race heritage, Brazilianplayers are in some ways similar totheir South African counterparts.“I think the Brazilian guys at Swallowshave contributed very well tothe team. They bring different thingsto the table a player like Igor Alvesis very skilful,” says Mazibuko.Wits’ midfield maestro Fabricio DaSilva is another player who has putin some polished performances -Mido: Omitted from Pharaohsdespite his tender age he looked aclass act with dominant displays inthecentre of the park in 24 leaguematches last season.However, a look at the statisticsof Golden Arrows’ two Brazilianoutfield players reveals that theyonly featured in a total of 14 leaguematches.The moral of the story here isthat local coaches should remaincautious when buying from the overseasmarket. A Brazilian passportdoes not automatically equate to agreat player - each individual shouldbe assessed on merit and shouldonly be signed if there is no doubtthat he can offer something moreto the team than a local-born player.As Rosslee says: “If they are goodthen pick them, not because they areBrazilian, but because they are goodenough on merit and offer better optionsthan a local player.”Sissokoboost forEaglesmaliJuventus midfielder Momo Sissokohas returned to the Mali squadfor the upcoming Africa Cup of Nationsand World Cup qualifiers.Mali’s Nigerian coach StephenKeshi also welcomes back Nice midfielderDriss Diakite, Reading forwardJimmy Kebe and Le Havrestriker Mamadou Diallo.But he is shorn of the services ofcaptain Mahamadou Diarra as theReal Madrid star is sidelined with aknee injury.The squad face Ghana in Bamakoon June 7 and then welcome Benin tothe same venue a fortnight later inAfrican qualifying Group D.The Eagles earned an away drawagainst Sudan in Omdurman in theiropening fixture in the pool.

10 SoccerWeekjune 04 – june 10, 2009interviewBARKER EYES PSLSteve Barker speaks to Neall de Beer about the wonders he has worked at AmaTuksBarker has the backing of the whole teamNeall de Beer chats to Universityof Pretoria coachSteve Barker, who guidedhis side to an unlikelyNedbank Cup final spot, about hisplans for next season.Why do you think that you were sosuccessful in the Nedbank Cup thisyear?Steve Barker: In all honesty it’s along foundation that has been laidover a number of years. The clubhas been on the rise and progressingin the right direction, it’s justbeen a matter of hard work. We builtup a good quality squad of playersand our preparation and conditioningand organisation have been reallytop. We have been training andthinking and being like a PSL teamin whatever we do and I think all thatis counting in our favour.You showed this season that youcould beat some of the biggest sidesin the country with wins over Chiefs,Ajax and Bloemfontein Celtic. If youcould beat all these sides and competewith them why do you think youfailed to win promotion to the PSL?I don’t think that people realise that,to me in all honesty, it’s easier toplay the PSL teams than to play fellowNational First Division teamsfor whatever reason. I don’t knowif you would be able to do it over awhole season, but the Nedbank fixturesin my opinion have been easierthan playing away to Black Leopardsor Dynamos. It’s the quality ofthe National First Division teams,the hunger they have. Teams thatare playing are fighting for theirlives. Getting relegated down to Vodacomwould be the end of most ofthe players’ careers, so it’s the hungerand the desire not to get relegatedwhen you are playing thoseteams in between the Nedbank fixtures,it’s far more difficult. Maybethe PSL teams underestimated us.So, it wasn’t a question of not beingable to beat the National First Divisionteams, I just found that it wasmore difficult to play against them.Vladislav Heric recently told me thatthere isn’t much of a divide betweenCoach ponders his plan to reach thePremiershipTuks have flourished under Barker’sstewardship❝My number one planis to be in the PSLwith the University ofPretoria Football Club❞the National First division and thePSL. Do you agree with these sentiments?Yes, most definitely. I think your topsort of 15 players in your PSL teamsdeserve to be there, but I think withregard to the reserves it’s safe to saythat the first 15 in my squad are betterthan some of the PSL players. Soin terms of that, I do definitely thinkthat the bridge has definitely closed.Of the PSL sides that you beat in theNedbank Cup, which win meant themost to you?I think definitely Kaizer Chiefs. Youknow to beat a giant in football andthe scoreline 4-3 and having a playerred carded, scoring with 10 men.I think that was probably the mostsatisfying victory of all.You have been linked with a move toa number of PSL clubs, are you keenon a move to the PSL or are you happywhere you are?My number one plan is to be in thePSL with the University of PretoriaFootball Club. Two seasons back wegot to the final of the play-offs andthis year we were close to the playoffsagain, so I feel that I want to givemyself one more year with the Universityside and get them to the PSL.Should we not be able to do that thenI will reconsider my future.How do you plan to keep the team’smomentum going into next season?I think it’s down to retaining theplayers that have been with us andthen making sure that we add evenmore quality to the team. And youknow we are already looking to themarket, looking to hopefully findour African quota of players to addreal quality to the club and obviouslystart the season believing that ifwe can be in the Nedbank final andcome so close to the play-offs. Weneed to do everything in our powerto ensure that we do achieve it.You said you are looking at strengtheningyour squad by bringing in afew players, have you made any signingsyet or are you close to makingany signings?At this stage none, we’re pretty muchjust finalising the season. There area couple of players we would like totarget, but at this stage it would bedifficult to reveal any names or anything.At this stage we have prettymuch given everyone off. We arehaving some trials in the first weekin July. There are a couple of ourown development academy playerswho are still busy training and I’mlooking at. There will be one or twoplayers promoted from our youthstructures and there will be one ortwo players that will come throughthe trials and there are a couple thatwe will sign from other clubs.Of the current crop of players thatyou have, how many do you believecan go on to become future BafanaBafana stars?There are at least three players thathave got the opportunity to one dayplay for Bafana Bafana; Andile Jali,Mpho Matsi and Siya Mngoma.How do you think the Bafana Bafanaside will fare in the upcoming ConfederationsCup?I’m positive that we will do well, I’mlooking forward to it and I wouldn’tbe surprised if we could end up inthe final and it’s going to be tough,but I definitely think we’re semifinalcandidates and, with a bitof luck, we could win a semi finalgame and hopefully play inthe final.Do you think Joel Santana is theright man in charge?It’s difficult for me to say, not beinginvolved on a day-to-day basis.There has definitely been progress.It was unfortunate that Carlos AlbertoParreira left when he did becausethe team was really on the upwardcurve, but there seems to bemomentum and belief that we areheading in the right direction at themoment. It’s too late now to be experimenting,we just have to putfaith in the man and hopefully hecan pull it through for us.What does life outside football consistof for Steve Barker?I have got a newly born daughter, sheis 18 months so it’s always nice to gohome and spend time with her andjust relaxing with friends over theweekend, watching football matchesand not trying to be too active.Your plans during the off-season?I’m going to take a total break andcome back at the end of the monthrefreshed and ready for next season’schallenges.

SoccerWeekGallo Images / TeamtalkmediaTekoModiseBafana Bafana

12 SoccerWeekjune 04 – june 10, 2009SoccerWeekthe BIG STORY 13june 04 – june 10, 2009Ahead of the forthcoming 2010 FIFA WorldCup qualifiers, Soccer Week runs the ruleover three regions - Africa, Europe and SouthAmerica - and picks out the key matchesThe roadto 2010AFRICAYaoundé will explode if Cameroonfail to win, writes Lashias Ncube“If we had beaten England, Africawould have exploded. Ex-plo-ded.There would have been deaths. TheGood Lord knows what he does. Me,I thank Him for stopping us in thequarter-finals. That permitted a littlepliancy.”The above rationalisation is attributedto Roger Milla, star of the Cameroonside who won the hearts ofmillions of soccer fans with spiritedperformances at the 1990 World Cupfinals in Italy before crashing out toEngland in the quarter-finals.Perhaps Milla was just being philosophicalin defeat, although somemight argue that nonchalant dismissalof such an excruciating heartbreakis the height of disingenuity.After the shock defeat to Togo intheir opening 2010 World Cup finalstage qualifier, the only form of divineintervention Cameroon wouldbe interested in on June 7 is of thekind that would see them win theirmatch. It is no exaggeration to suggestthat Yaoundé will ‘explode’ ifthe Indomitable Lions lose over theweekend.The African region’s qualifying finalstage is effectively a six-matchsprint to the finish with a very smallmargin for error. All the 20 hopefulsknow that they cannot afford to fallvery far behind in their four-teamgroups. A six-point deficit after tworounds of matches could prove toomuch to overhaul with four gamesto play. That’s the bleak scenarioboth Cameroon and Morocco will behoping to avoid after losing their respectiveopeners. Unfortunately, notonly do these two African giants findthemselves in similar dire positions,they also face each other on June 7.Group A therefore offers intriguingmatch-ups; the opening day’s vanquishedface off in a battle to stayalive, while opening day victors Togoand Gabon clash in a straight fightfor early control of the group.“If we manage to get to the 2010World Cup, which is in Africa, thatwould be the best thing that everhappened in my life,” Togo strikerEmmanuel Adebayor revealed in arecent interview with FIFA.com.Adebayor’s penchant for hyperbo-Chile face ParaguayRonaldo could miss out on 2010le aside, there is no doubt that thehistorical significance of the first-everWorld Cup on African soil is notlost on many African players.Nigeria, after a tepid opening drawin Mozambique, find themselves alreadytwo points adrift of earlyGroup B leaders Tunisia. As theyprepare to host Kenya in Abuja, andnot for the first time in their history,the Super Eagles’ preparationsfor a crucial clash are once againovershadowed by uncertainty overthe long-term future of their coach.Some fans and sections of the notoriouslyfickle Nigerian media haveAdebayor: Dreams of 2010been agitating for Shaibu Amodu’sdismissal.Nigerian sports minister SaniNdanusa, standing in for the coachat a press conference following lastweek’s 1-1 friendly draw with the Republicof Ireland in London issueda suitably cryptic response to thequestion whether Amodu had beensacked.“He is not here now but you shouldnot take it that way,” Ndanusa said.“He was the coach for this match,that is clear.”Nigeria, like Brazil, have an embarrassmentof playing riches andoften many a Super Eagles coachhas also found this to be an encumbrance.Half the time the coach agonisesover the composition of hisstarting line-up.When the draw was conductedthe Nigerians would have singledout Tunisia, who face Mozambiqueon June 6 in Rades, as their main rivalsin Group B. It is the CarthageEagles who look the most likely toprofit should Nigeria fail to rein inthe anarchy that regularly afflictstheir game.Group C is evenly poised with allfour teams level on one point. Africanchampions Egypt, who face atricky trip to Algeria, have the advantageof continuity, a rarity onthe African continent.Coach Hassan Shehata has beenat the helm for four years duringwhich time he has established acrucial rapport with his players.Mido’s omission from the squadmeans that the controversial striker’sfeud with Amr Zaki, real or imagined,will not detract from theteam’s preparations.Apart from Togo and Tunisia,Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon and Ghana allrecorded precious opening roundwins. They therefore go into theirmatches looking to consolidatetheir positions and take firm gripson their respective groups earlyon.With all the major Europeanleagues on hiatus, the good thingfor those African countries relyingheavily on players who earn theircorn in Europe, is that the qualifierstake place without the club-versus-countrynuisance that is often attendanton these matches.EUROPEPortugal are staring down thebarrel, argues Justin ZehmkeOf the 18 World Cups held to date,nine have been won by Europeancountries. One would assume that aEuropean country would be a favouriteto lift the trophy again come nextyear, but that would be ignoring avery interesting fact.No European nation has ever liftedthe most coveted trophy in worldfootball when it has been played outsidetheir home continent. It seemsour friends from the northern hemispheredon’t travel very well.That said, there’s a tradition ofthe home side winning the trophy,a fact that has worked against theEuro sides in many instances as theshowpiece is often held in countries❝Should FIFA WorldPlayer of the YearRonaldo not make itto the World Cup, itwill be a marketingnightmare forthe organisers,especially as LionelMessi may alsomiss out due toArgentina’s poorform❞Maradona:In a spotof botherwho stand a very good chance ofwinning.South Africa offers the best hopeof a European side finally lifting thetrophy away from home soil, withSpain firmly ensconced as favouritesfollowing their Euro 2008 triumphand Barcelona’s recent ChampionsLeague win, a feat achieved with ahost of home-grown players.While traditional powerhouseslike England are on course for easyqualification, there are some bigshocks in the offing, and we may seesome unfamiliar faces come 2010.The biggest potential casualtiesare Portugal who, under the guidanceof former Bafana Bafana bossCarlos Queiroz, have endured a torridqualifying campaign.For a team featuring the likes ofCristiano Ronaldo, Pepe, RicardoCarvalho and Deco, they have hadan unthinkably hard time finding theback of the net, and trail joint Group1 leaders Denmark and Hungary bya daunting seven points.They need to win convincinglyagainst Albania on June 6 to keeptheir faint qualification hopes alive,although even a win may not beenough as their fate may very wellbe decided elsewhere. The Portuguesewill hope that Denmark dropa point or three in their away clashagainst Sweden as Hungary have abye. Adding to Queiroz’s worries willbe the fact that Portugal still haveaway games to play against bothgroup leaders. Should FIFA WorldPlayer of the Year Ronaldo not makeit to the World Cup, it will be a marketingnightmare for the organisers,especially as Lionel Messi may alsomiss out due to Argentina’s poorform. Giovanni Trappatoni’s Republicof Ireland have undergone a revolutionsince the veteran Italian mentortook the helm. They lie second intheir group, two points behind defendingchampions Italy. They travelto Bulgaria knowing that threepoints will go a long way towardssecuring their qualification as oneof the best second-place finishersshould they fail to overhaul the Italiansoutright. Robbie Keane, whohas scored 38 times in 88 games forhis country, will lead the line againstthe Bulgarians alongside Reading’sKevin Doyle. Martin Petrov and DimitarBerbatov are the Bulgarians’best-known players - a fact that atteststo the fact that they are morepotent in attack than defence.The Irish are certainly bullish regardingtheir qualification hopes,with all currently available teamspecifictickets to follow the Republicin 2010 having sold out already.Neighbours Northern Ireland maybe the surprise package as they areon course to qualify for the finals forthe first time since 1982. They topGroup 3, which includes Poland andthe Czech Republic.Elsewhere, it looks to be businessas usual, with Germany and theNetherlands topping Groups 4 and 9respectively.Guus Hiddink’s Russia are secondin their group behind Germany, andThe talented Super Eagles can’t afford failureshould secure a spot amongst thebest runners up if they fail to overtakethe Germans, who they trail byfour points.France have Group 7 top spot intheir sights. They need Serbia, whoare two points clear at the top, to slipup against either Austria on June 6or the Faroe Islands on June 10.The French will hope that thestrain of playing two matches infour days counts in their favour i.e.the Serbs lose after travelling to theFaroes and the Faroes succumb toFrench power on June 12.SOUTHAMERICACan Maradona inspire unpredictableArgentina? Asks Richard FerrarisRound 13 and 14 of the SouthAmerican qualifiers present Maradona’sArgentina with an opportunityto restore their reputation whileParaguay and Chile will look to securetheir status as the continent’snew powerhouses.The CONMEBOL [South American]region is configured differentlyto Africa and Europe as it consistsof just 10 member nations. The qualifyingcampaign is structured like aleague with each team playing allothers home and away. The top-fournations attain automatic qualificationfor the 2010 World Cup in SouthAfrica while the fifth-placed sidegoes into a play-off against a NorthAmerican, Central American or Caribbeannation. Sitting at the summitof the standings is Paraguay whoappear to be on course for a fourthsuccessive World Cup appearance.However, La Albirroja’s credentialswill be tested as they take on thirdplacedChile in Asuncion on June 6and Brazil in Recife four days later.The showdown between GerardoMartino’s Paraguay and MarceloBielsa’s Chile is rightfully seen asone of the picks of Round 13 as bothteams have impressed under theirrespective Argentine managers -with their history providing the subplotto an already intriguing tie.Martino played for Bielsa’s Newell’sOld Boys side of the 1990s andhe will be eager to prove that thestudent can defeat the master. However,he has a catalogue of injuriesand suspensions. Roque Santa Cruz,Claudio Morel and Jonathan Santanaare injury doubts while defendersDario Veron and Paulo da Silvaand forward Salvador Cabanas areall suspended.But Martino is hoping Santa Cruzwill “play one of the two games”.Chile, who so convincingly beatSouth Africa in a friendly earlierthis year, will therefore fancy theirchances - even though they are playingaway - of gaining revenge for a3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture.There is also interest in mid-tablewith Columbia and Ecuador justthree points adrift of fifth-placedUruguay. The former face Argentinaon June 6 and whipping boys Peruon June 10 and will probably needto win both to remain in contention.Ecuador are in the same situationand should dispose of the Peruviansin Lima in Round 13 to put the pressureon the top half of the table.Venezuela are a point behind theaforementioned pair, yet midfielderCesar Gonzalez is refusing to give upon qualifying.“There’s still time in these qualifiersand we haven’t given up yet. Wereally want to go to South Africa,”he told FIFA.com. Five-time worldchampions Brazil, meanwhile, travelto Montevideo before their Round 14meeting with Paraguay. Dunga’s sideare well placed in the standings, butwill be looking for a boost ahead ofthe Confederations Cup.The Samba Boys beat Uruguay 2-1in Sao Paulo earlier in the round-robinthanks to a brace from the leadingscorer in the qualifiers, Luis Fabiano.Although the Brazilians are famousfor their attacking football,they have actually excelled defensivelyand boast the most miserlydefence in South America. Uruguay,meanwhile, have notched up moregoals (21) than any other and manypundits think this clash could producesome memorable football.La Celeste find themselves in fifthand have ambitions of leapfroggingArgentina into the final berth forautomatic qualification. No one willhave forgotten that Argentina werehumiliated in the last round of qualifiersin a chastening 6-1 away defeatat altitude in La Paz, Bolivia. “Eachgoal that they scored was like a daggerthrough my heart,” said coachMaradona after the loss - Argentina’sworst since 1958.Maradona has named a formidablesquad for the home clash againstColombia and the away trip to Ecuador.The former Napoli and Barcelonatalisman knows he needs agood result to banish memories ofthe Bolivian debacle. So Europeanbasedsuperstars Lionel Messi, SergioAguero, Diego Milito and CarlosTevez are included but Luis Gonzalezand Ezequiel Lavezzi [both injured]and Angel Di Maria [suspended]miss out. To counter this posse ofattacking menace, Columbian mentorEduardo Lara has recalled InterMilan defender Ivan Cordoba froma two-year spell in the internationalwilderness. “I’ve been waiting forthis for a while but I never despaired,I always said I had to keep playing tothe same standard and that I wouldbe called up at any moment,” he tolda local radio station. El Diego has itall to do and despite being an Argentinelegend, his countryman will notstand for another embarrassment.And, as if there is not enough pressureon Maradona, the fixture takesplace in Buenos Aires, the scene ofColumbia’s famous 5-0 win over Argentinain 1993.

14 SoccerWeekjune 04 – june 10, 2009the news in europeZlatan won’t commit to Inter MilanITALYZlatan Ibrahimovic has refusedto commit his future to Inter Milanand has hinted he may be ready fora new challenge.The Sweden international helpedJose Mourinho’s men to a fourth consecutiveSerie A title last season andadmits he has achieved all he can inItaly.He finished as the Italian topflight’s top scorer last term, with25 goals, and feels he has taken hiscareer as far as he can at GiuseppeMeazza.“It’s good to end this way, itcouldn’t have gone any better,” Ibrahimovictold Sky Italia following Inter’s4-3 victory over Atalanta on thefinal day of the 2008/09 campaign.“The future? I don’t know. If somethingis going to happen, it will be afterthis match. We will see, I don’tknow yet.“I have won everything in Italy.Ibrahimovic keen on a moveWhen I arrived here many criticisedme, saying I was a fantastic player,but I couldn’t score goals.“Now I have won the Capocannoniere[top scorer] title and provedmyself. I could not have done anyFigo hangs up his bootsbetter than this. I have won five Scudetti[league titles], the Super Cup,I’m missing the Coppa Italia, butthat’s okay.“I don’t know what else I can stilldo in Italy, other than keep goingand build a collection.”Ibrahimovic has been stronglylinked with a move to Spain in recentweeks, with Barcelona and Real Madridboth believed to be keen on acquiringhis precocious talents.The Swede has done little to distancehimself from those reports andadmits he will make a decision regardinghis future once the upcominground of 2010 World Cup qualifiersare out of the way.“We’ll see. Now there are two internationalswith Sweden and thenwe’ll wait and see what happens,” headded.Meanwhile, Portuguese legendLuis Figo has hung up his boots afterplaying his final game in the 4-3win over Atalanta.The 2001 World Player of the Yearplayed for Sporting Lisbon, Barcelonaand Real Madrid before spendinghis last years with Italian outfit Inter.The 36-year-old, who won four SerieA titles at Giuseppe Meazza, alsowon 127 caps for Portugal scoring animpressive 32 times over a 15-yearperiod.Figo, however, has not ruled outa coaching role with Inter and hasalready held talks with club presidentMassimo Moratti over a possiblestay at the club.“I’m happy to be useful to the club,now I don’t know what I will do. Thepresident will tell me.“After these four years I can’t forgetwhat I did here,” he added.In other news Genoa have completedthe signing of Hernan Crespofrom Inter Milan. Crespo has beenrecognised as one of the top strikersin Europe over the last decade buthad become a bit-part player for Interthis season after falling behind inthe pecking order.“We have agreed atwo-year contract (with Genoa) andthat’s an important demonstrationof confidence in Hernan,” said Crespo’sagent.PerezelectedpresidentSPAINReal Madrid have confirmedFlorentino Perez as the club’s presidentfor a second time at the SantiagoBernabeu.Perez was officially presented onMonday afternoon after his rivals forthe presidency all pulled out of therace. The 62-year-old businessmanwill take over from Vicente Boluda,who has been in the post since RamonCalderon stepped down in Januaryin the wake of allegations of votingirregularities at the club’s lastgeneral assembly in December.Calderon’s resignation led to electionsbeing called 12 months earlierthan scheduled, and they had initiallybeen due to be held on 14th June,although that was under the provisothat more than one candidate wouldhave submitted a bid before thedeadline of midnight on 31st May.However, that has not been thecase with the three other candidateswho had originally announcedthey would be mounting bids, EugenioMartinez Bravo, Juan Onievaand Eduardo Garcia, all pulling outof the running in the last fortnight,with the 57.4-million euro [£50-million]bank guarantee seeming to bethe big stumbling block.Garcia was the latest to withdrawon Friday, and that meant that unlessanother valid candidate presentedhimself, then Perez would beelected unopposed on 1st June.“We are working towards and wewill work to create a spectacularproject, and that is to make Real Madridthe best club in the world oncemore,” said Perez during a recentpress conference.“A club like Real Madrid needs tohave several of the best players inthe world and even though I can’tdiscuss names today, we have a spectacularproject on the sporting side.”During his first spell as Real presidentbetween 2000 and 2006, Perezpresided over the ‘Galacticos’ era asthe likes of Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidaneand David Beckham all movedto the Bernabeu.Miguel Veloso facingSporting Lisbon exitportugalMiguel Veloso has indicated thatit is up to Sporting Lisbon whetherhe leaves the club this summer.The Portuguese midfielder hasbeen the subject of heavy criticismfrom some of his team-mates for goingpublic over his wish to move onfrom the Lisbon based club.Pereirinha and Fabio Rochembackhave even gone as far as to blameVeloso’s comments for the club’slack of silverware this season.Sporting coach Paulo Bento admittedon Sunday that Veloso mightleave the Estadio Jose Alvalade andthe player has now hinted that his futureis in the hands of the club.“If the coach said that I am up forsale, that is his choice, not mine,”the 23-year-old told the Portuguesepress. “He is the coach and the onein charge.”Veloso, who made his internationaldebut against Azerbaijan on 13October 2007, noted that he doesnot understand all the commotionsurrounding his quotes, insistingthat others have done the same inthe past.“I think what has been said of meis not correct, maybe they wanted tomake me a scapegoat.“A lot of people have said the sameand I only gave my opinion that Ihave the dream of playing abroad.“I do not regret anything of whatI said.”Veloso’s agent Paulo Barbosa statedlast week that he had not beengermanySporting to decide on Veloso futureBayern Munich general managerUli Hoeness has slapped a100-million euro price tag on Frenchstar Franck Ribery. The sought-afterwinger has been repeatedly linkedwith Man United while Chelsea arereported to be considering an ofplacedon the transfer list and thathis future would not be decided untilafter this summer’s presidentialelections.The former Benfice youth play-Bayern is eager for Ribery to stayer has previously been linked witha move to the Premier League andreports in the English press on Fridaysuggested Bolton could be preparinga bid.fer in the region of 50-million euro[£43.7-million]. But given the valueput on Brazilian star Kaka duringManchester City’s unsuccessfulattempt to prise him from ACMilan in January, Hoeness reckonsChelsea would have to at least doubletheir offer for Ribery. “If I hearthat there was an offer for 125-milloneuro [£109-million] for Kaka, thenRibery has a market value of at least100-million euro [£87-million],” Hoenesstold the Bild newspaper. “ButI don’t want to talk about a fee wewould consider because we want tokeep hold of Franck. Only FC Bayerndecides what happens, howevermany millions are offered,” he said.Guardiolatalks downcontractofferspainPep Guardiola does not thinkthat Barcelona should pin him downto a new long-term deal just becausehe has helped the club to win an unprecedentedTreble trophy haul thisterm.The Blaugrana coach is convincedthat coaches work better if they haveto constantly prove themselves andproduce results in order to earn anotherseason or two on their contract.In order to demonstrate whyhe feels he should not pen the fiveyeardeal Barca have been mooting,he outlined how football and trophywins can be won or lost so easily.“My case is no different to any other.We could quite easily have notdone everything that we have doneand won the Treble. We could havewon nothing this season,” he is quotedas saying by El Mundo Deportivo.“If we did not win in the Bernabeu[against Real Madrid] then theleague would have been complicatedor if [Jose Manuel] Pinto hadnot saved a certain penalty thenwe could have been out of the cupand if we had not scored in London[against Chelsea] there would havebeen no Champions League.“All that could have meant that myjob would have been different“For those reasons I do not thinkthat the club should be mortgaged bygiving out long contracts. Coachesshould always work with short-termcontracts because it adds motivationand leaves the club’s hands free.“We have had the best year in history,but that does not mean I am thebest coach.”Barca president Joan Laportacould not hide his delight at theclub’s progress and hailed Guardiola’simpact. “We thought he was thesuitable person for the job and nowwith much pride and happiness wecan say that we took the right decision.We have a coach who managesthe team majestically.”

FEATURESoccerWeekjune 04 – June 10, 200915AndrewHallettinvestigatesthe linkbetweenBoro’srelegationand thedeparture ofMarkSchwarzerMiddlesbrough sufferedrelegation to the secondtier of English footballfor the first time in over a decadeat the end of the 2008/09 campaign.After a good few seasons of mid-tablefinishes, the boys from the RiversideStadium failed to come to gripswith strong competition within theleague and dropped down a division.Some sections of the Boro faithfulblame a lack of money availableto manager Gareth Southgate as amajor factor for the club’s relegation,while some believe the man incharge is the one to blame for theirdownfall.However, Mark Schwarzer’s departurefrom the Teeside club coincidedwith their relegation and thisdemands further investigation. TheAustralian international left the clubat the end of the 2007/08 season insearch of a new challenge after 11years with Boro.Without being the most high-profileplayer, Schwarzer went abouthis business between the posts withaplomb and as he has all the attributesof a top-class shot stopper,it was no surprise that the likes ofBayern Munich and Juventus cameknocking when he was reviewing hissituation at Boro.However, the former Kaiserslauternstopper decided that first-teamfootball was more desirable thansitting on the bench at a Europeanglamour club and he therefore decidedto join Premier League outfitFulham.His move to west London has donethe world of good for both player andclub. The Cottagers, who were on theverge of relegation the season beforeSchwarzer’s arrival, secured Europeanfootball by finishing in seventhspot.Their fantastic campaign -which some call a season of overachieving- was built firmly onthe Socceroos star’s superb form.Manchester United’s Edwin vander Sar won nearly all of the plauditsin the goalkeeping stakes, but itis Schwarzer who deserves the highestpraise.He rarely made errors eventhough the Cottagers defence wasnot of the same calibre of the onethat protected the Dutch stopper.Despite this, Schwarzer managed tosave a phenomenal 80 percent of theshots aimed at his goal - a statisticunmatched in the English top flight.Even though Boro conceded roughlythe same amount of goals pergame without Schwarzer as theyleaked in the goalkeeper’s final season,what Southgate’s side lackedthis term was a player who couldproduce match-winning saves,and it is this that made Schwarzersuch a massive asset to the club.Schwarzer’s fantastic form hasprompted him to think about extendinghis stay at Craven Cottage.He admits that he is enjoying one ofthe best spells of his career and believesthat, despite your age, if youare still enjoying your career, whynot extend it?Schwarzer recently told the FulhamChronicle: “There’s been a fewdiscussions. And I feel as good, if notbetter, than when I first signed forFulham. At this stage in my career, ifthe manager backs you and you continueto play week in, week out, thenwhy not continue to play for as longas possible?” With Schwarzer playingarguably his best football at Fulham,it is easy to see why Middlesbroughare regretting ever lettinghim go.Schwarzer is quick to praise hismanager at Fulham, Roy Hodgson,as a major factor behind his memorablefirst season in London. He toldthe Cottagers’ official website: “It’sbeen brilliant. I couldn’t have askedfor a better season really.”He added: “At the beginning of theseason when I signed for Fulham Ihad people questioning my decision,saying ‘what are you doing signingfor a team that have just avoided relegation?’Being the first player thatthe gaffer had signed in the off-season,there was that slight concernthat there might not be too many tofollow. But the manager was very adamantthat he was going to changeAussie phenomenonSchwarzeris enjoyinga fine timeat Fulham❝Hodgson’s beenmentioned as anoutsider for managerof the season andunfortunately it’susually a given thatthe manager of one ofthe top four clubs willget that award❞things around and bring in players,and that the chairman was backinghim to do so, so I was confident thathe would be able to achieve that.“I think we signed eight playersin the summer, all of which haveproved very positive and the teamhas performed very well as a result,so I was always quietly confident thatwe would be more than comfortablecome the end of season.“Now people are talking aboutwhat a season we’ve had, and howthe manager is a real unsung hero,and he is.“He’s been mentioned as an outsiderfor manager of the season andunfortunately it’s usually a giventhat the manager of one of the topfour clubs will get that award, but Ithink you have to look beyond thatand think about it in terms of the resourcesavailable, and the clubs inquestion.”It is not unusual for a club to strugglewhen losing their best player.Since Thierry Henry’s departure toBarcelona, Arsenal have failed to liveup to the heights reached in the seasonspreceding his transfer.Alan Shearer’s mega-bucks moveto Newcastle United had a massiveimpact on Blackburn Rovers, whichultimately cost the team their PremierLeague status.Matthew Le Tissier’s retirementfrom the game is seen by many asthe catalyst behind Southampton’sfall from grace [they have just beenrelegated to English football’s thirdtier and will start next season witha 10-point deficit as a result of goinginto administration].Those are just a few cases ofteams suffering from the departureof a key player and Middlesbroughcan now be added to thoseranks.Schwarzer was the key figurein Boro’s recent history. His consistencyin goal has been sorelymissed by Boro and they havestruggled to settle on a newfirst-choice stopper since.Youngsters Brad Jones andRoss Turnbull have both triedto make the jersey their own,but have failed to stamp theirmark.And this is understandableas the Sydney-born glovemanwas an ever present inthe Boro team and ultimatelybroke the English recordfor the most appearances by a foreignplayer at a single club, passingthe record of 315 matches held byDennis Bergkamp.It is plain to see that Middlesbroughhave suffered since theirnumber one left the north east.Schwarzer was the backbone of theclub.As with Newton’s Third Law ofmotion, Boro’s action in allowing the36-year-old to leave has come back tobite them - hard.They have not been the same sidesince and will have to come to gripswith the reality of relegation as a result.It may take years for Middlesbroughto surface in the PremierLeague and Southgate, and his chairmanSteve Gibson, have to accept theblame.However, there is a lesson to belearned from Boro’s demise.It is vitally important that a clubdoes everything it can to keep theplayers which have benefited it mostor risk a negative reaction and atworst, relegation.

16 SoccerWeekjune 04 – June 10, 2009GROUP STANDINGSGroup AP Pts1 Iraq 0 02 New Zealand 0 03 South Africa 0 04 Spain 0 0confederations cupGroup BP Pts1 Brazil 0 02 Egypt 0 03 Ital y 0 04 United States 0 0FIXTURESGroup A14/06/09 South Africa - Iraq 16:0014/06/09 New Zealand - Spain 20:3017/06/09 Spain - Iraq 16:0017/06/09 South Africa - New Zealand 20:3020/06/09 Iraq - New Zealand 20:3020/06/09 Spain - South Africa 20:30Group B15/06/09 Brazil - Egypt 16:0015/06/09 USA - Italy 20:3018/06/09 USA - Brazil 16:3018/06/09 Egypt - Italy 20:3021/06/09 Italy - Brazil 20:3021/06/09 Egypt - USA 20:30Semi-finals24/06/09 Winner Grp A - Runner-up Grp B25/06/09 Winner Grp B - Runner-up Grp AThird place28/06/09 Semi-finals Loser A - Loser BFinal28/06/09 Semi-finals Winner A - Winner BSOUTH AfrICA will be makingtheir second appearance at the ConfederationsCup after taking theirbow in Saudi Arabia in 1997 afterwinning the African Cup of Nationsin 1996.During those giddy times BafanaBafana were a force to be reckonedwith after emerging from Apartheidwith a team brimming with strongand talented players.Fast forward to 2009 and the ConfederationsCup and World Cuphosts are in a far weaker state. Poorperformances at both the World Cupand AFCON tournaments have seenBafana slip down the world rankingsinto near obscurity. Ranked at 16 in1996, they currently float below theworld’s top 70 - an apt illustration oftheir fall from grace.The problems on the pitch stemfrom poor structures off the pitch. Alack of development and inept strategicplanning from the South AfricanFootball Association has seenSouth Africa churn through arounda dozen coaches since AFCON-winningboss Clive Barker left his post.This high turnover has led to a lackof continuity and has, of course, hadan adverse affect on the team’s results.At former coach Carlos AlbertoParreira’s recommendation, SAFAhired Joel Santana and it is he whois tasked with leading South Africato both the Confederations Cup andWorld Cup.Progress has been slow underSantana as the highlights, which includea 3-2 win over Cameroon and a2-1 victory over Norway, fail to makeup for the ignominy of Bafana’s failureto qualify for AFCON 2010.That said Santana and Bafana willbe looking to reach the semi-finalsof the Confederations Cup and boostconfidence ahead of the 2010 showpiece.The current crop would also dowell to cast their minds back to theclass of 1996 - who against all oddsbecame the champions of Africa onhome soil.Coach: Joel SantanaDespite never having coached anational team in his 27-year managerialcareer, Joel Santana took overthe reins of the 2010 hosts from CarlosAlberto Parreira in April 2008.His appointment was met with scepticismby the South African publicBafana need to take a steptowards their former glorydue to his lack of experience and hispoor command of the English language.Success in the Confederations Cupwill do a lot to instil the South Africanpublic with some confidence inthe coach and the team itself.Key Player: Teko ModiseBenni McCarthy and Steven Pienaarare the more recognised footballerswithin the South African setup,but no player contributes more tothe team than Teko Modise.The Orlando Pirates star is almostalways the best player on the field forhis country.Although quite slight in physique,Modise makes up for this with a superbtechnique and clever movementoff the ball.Team News:Joel Santana has been rocked bythe withdrawal of key defender LucasThwala and utility forward SurpriseMoriri. Mzuvukile Tom has replacedthe injured Thwala, but noreplacement was named for Moriri.In other news striker MabhutiKhenyeza was dropped after failingto report for duty on time, with ThulasizweMbuyane replacing him.Honours:1 African Cup of Nations title Can Modise invoke the spirit of 1996?www.soccerweek.mobiSocceron the go!News & InfoEng Prem - PSLLive ScoresResults - FixturesEnglandEuropeSouth AfricaAny WAPenabledphone!Dunga all set to lead thetalented South AmericansBrazil are the most successful nationin World Cup history and arethe defending Confederations Cupchampions.Although the South Americansboast a glorious history that includesa record five World Cup triumphs,they arrive in South Africaat a relatively low ebb by theirstandards.For many years the Samba Boysheld the number one spot in theFIFA rankings, but a period of underachievementhas seen them dropdown the standings.Dunga took over from Carlos AlbertoParreira as coach followingthe 2006 World Cup in Germany -where Brazil fell at the quarter-finalstage - and even though the formerBrazil captain has done well to infusenew players into the fray, hehas yet to win over the support ofthe Brazilian public.Carlos Alberto Parreira shoehornedall of his megastars intohis starting lineup. Dunga, however,has taken a more pragmatic approachand introduced the likes ofElano and Felipe Melo in a bid tosolve the problems that dogged Parreira’segomaniacal side.However, Dunga’s philosophy hasupset some fans as it seemed to ignoreBrazilian football’s roots and itscommitment to the Beautiful Game.Nonetheless, he managed to win theCopa America in 2007 with a teammostly bereft of big-name players.The Festival of Champions willgive Brazil an opportunity to increasetheir trophy count and addmore silverware to their cabinet.But moreover, it will give Dungaand his charges a chance to provethat they have the potential to beas good as the legendary Brazilianteams of old.Coach: DungaRelatively new to the managementgame, Dunga will need to prove himselfto the footballing world in theonly way possible for a Brazilian - bywinning the World Cup.The former Brazil internationalhas won the trophy as a player andwill be keen to lead the team to gloryin South Africa. The ConfederationsCup will give Dunga the platform heneeds to build a successful outfit.Key Player: KakaThe AC Milan star is arguably thebest footballer playing today. His visionis his greatest attribute, coupledwith his ability to create numerousgoals for his team. This makes hima huge asset for club and country.The former World Footballer of theYear will be key to Brazil’s chancesof winning both the ConfederationsCup and 2010 World Cup in South Africa.Team News:Ronaldo wasn’t included in the Brazilsquad for the Confederations Cupdespite pressure from fans and themedia. AC Milan’s Ronaldinho andFlamengo’s Adriano were also missingin the list of 23 players named bycoach DungaOn the omission of the above-mentionedtrio, Dunga pointed out thatthey are “top quality players”, whostill need to regain their best formbefore returning to the national setup.Also: In other news Chelsea defenderAlex has pulled out with a herniainjury and Manchester United midfielderAnderson will also miss outdue to injury.Kleberson of Flamengo has beendrafted into the squad to replace theManchester United star.Honours:5 World Cups2 Confederations Cups8 Copa Americas2 Panamerican ChampionshipsKaka: Is instrumental to Brazilwww.soccerweek.mobi

confederations cupBossing theSelecao:Blessing orcurse?Richard Ferraris and Trevor Kramerlook at Dunga’s squad for theConfederations Cup and evaluateBrazil’s chances of going all the way atthe tournamentThere are 190 million ofthem. Around 10 000 ofthem play professionallyeverywhere around theglobe from Spain to Uzbekistan.They have won the World Cup fivetimes. They call themselves ‘thefootball country’. They are Brazil.The South Americans have a curiousallure to fans, and the mythologysurrounding the famous yellowshirts is irresistible; it represents allthat is great about the world’s greatestsport. Style, skill, purity, flamboyance.The men known as Seleção haveit all, and with the weight of historybehind them, the bookmakers’reckon Brazil will win the ConfederationsCup. It doesn’t matter thatSpain should be the favourites onthe back of a 31 match unbeatenrun, their glorious triumph in theEuropean Championships and theirnumber one position in FIFA’s covetedrankings.Former Dutch international FrankRijkaard has sided with the bookiesand tipped Dunga’s side to be successfulat the eight-team showpiece.“I can think of Brazil. They arealways hungry to win because theyhave demanding fans who always followthem all over the world and theywant to see them winning.”And this is why Dunga’s job is sotreacherous. The Brazilian nation,who have the beautiful game coursingthrough their bodies, demandsuccess as a matter of course. Theformer Brazil captain named his 23-man squad for the ConfederationsCup recently and South Africa’spress, and indeed the world’s, werequick to comment on the absence oftwo names who have inspired theirnation to glory in recent times: Ronaldoand Ronaldinho.Both players were integral to theSamba Boys’ last World Cup triumphin 2002. The former notched a recordeight goals at the tournament while‘Dinho scored a wonder goal to helpBrazil defeat a very good Englandside at the quarter-final stage. Atclub level, the pair have won everythingthere is to win and yet, Dungahas left both players, as well as Adriano,back home.Of course there are good reasonsto leave the star trio out of thesquad. Ronaldo has been at Corinthianssince December as he continuesto recover from yet more surgery onhis troublesome knee. He himself admittedhe is in no shape to play forhis national team.“It isn’t the right moment to return,because of the problems thatI have,” he told Gazeta Esportiva.Adriano meanwhile continues tobattle demons of his own and is currentlyat São Paulo after a season ofmental torment at Inter Milan. Ronaldinho,too had a mediocre timewith AC Milan and the break canonly do him good. Jose Cabral, aformer Brazilian Futsal player, currentlycoaching at Stellenbosch University,concurs with Dunga’s selectionand believes the coach was rightto exclude the trio. He told SoccerWeek: “I think it was the right decisionbecause they are not playingfor their own clubs. They are not 100percent and when Brazil comes toplay a tournament they need to playwith players that are 100 percent becausethey are coming to win.”Between them these three havescored 121 goals at international level- a truly remarkable statistic by anyone’sreckoning. Few nations wouldmanage to cope with the absence ofthis amount of combined talent, letalone compete for overall honours.This is of course exactly what Brazilwill do simply because they arewho they are.The media, however, were fixatedon those omitted from the touringparty when they should havefocused on the names of those includedin the squad. And herein thebeauty of being the Brazil boss, Dungahas an almost infinite hotbed ofControversial omissionsfootballers who have an intrinsic andalmost preternatural disposition towardsplaying football, and playingit very well.Almost every week fans hear of orsee the next Samba genius, and unlikemany of the ‘next Maradonnas’to come out of Argentina, a startlinglyhigh percentage of these starletsgo on to achieve great things on thepitch. Cabral reckons the relativelyunknown pair of Cruzeiro midfielderRamires and Internacional strikerNilmar are the men who could takeup the mantle of past greats.“Nilmar, who is replacing Adrianois a very good player,” he said. “But itis not certain if he will play becausethey still have Luís Fabiano and Pato.Maybe Nilmar is one for the WorldCup.“Ramires, who is a midfielder, isalso coming through well. This willbe his first chance to play in a tournamentlike this.”Dunga finds himself in a peculiarposition where his blessing is alsohis curse. With there being so manypotential Kakas bearing Brazilianpassports, he has to be particularlycareful about who he calls up forduty. His local media are an unforgivingrabble, and failure at an internationaltournament could spell theend of Dunga’s time in the hotseat.The 45-year-old former midfielderhas already weathered a few stormsDunga’s job has as many perks as headachesand came in for some considerablestick for playing a functional style offootball in the 2007 Copa America -even though his experimental teambattered Argentina into submissionto secure the title.Cabral explained that Dunga’spragmatic approach is a product ofBrazil’s unique culture.“We have different regions and differentways of playing.“Carlos Alberto Parreira is fromRio de Janeiro and Dunga is fromthe south part of Brazil close to Argentina,Paraguay and Uruguay. LuizFelipe Scolari is from the same placeand Dunga is more related to Scolari’sstyle.”“People from the south of Brazillike Dunga and Scolari, they preparefirst their defence and then they willthink about the attacking. The peoplefrom Rio, like Parreira, they willthink first in the attacking and thenthey will prepare their defence,” headded.Parreira was in charge of Brazil atthe disastrous 2006 World Cup andhis tactical naivete in fielding his socalled‘magic quartet’ of Kaka, Ronaldinho,Adriano and Ronaldo iswhat many pundits believe led to theside’s elimination by France.Upon replacing Parreira, Dungamoved immediately to dismantle thequartet and implement a more disciplinedsystem. A combination of injuryand self-effacement means threefrom that famous quartet will missthe Confederations Cup and this allayeda serious selection headache,or perhaps migraine, for the coach.Added to this, the defensive elementDunga expounds could be justwhat they need to challenge Spain, ateam furnished with an almost Samba-esquepizzazz and technical brilliance.Even without a trio of legendaryplayers, Dunga’s team is still thebest equipped to deal with the Spanishthreat because they are Brazil -the football country.SoccerWeekJune 04 – June 10, 2009EllisParkStadiumName: Ellis ParkInauguration: 1927Capacity: 62 000 seatsRecord Attendance: 100 000 (approx.)Location: Johannesburg, GautengProvinceAltitude: 2000m above sea levelAverage June temperature: 21ºC / 70ºFClub: Orlando PiratesThe refurbished stadium17HistoryThe revamped Ellis Park is oneof the oldest stadia in South Africaand was established in 1927 bythe Transvaal Rugby Union. Thevenue was originally named afterMr JD Ellis, who made 13 acres ofspace available for the grounds.The stadium is fondly rememberedby many South Africansas the venue for the 1995 RugbyWorld Cup final in which South Africadefeated New Zealand. UnfortunatelyEllis Park was also thescene of the worst sporting tragedyin South African history when43 soccer fans died in a stampededuring the Soweto derby betweenKaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirateson April 11, 2001.UpgradesAround R500-million was spent onrefurbishing the famous old venue.Upgrades include a new upper tieron the North stand, the replacementof seats, upgrading of dressingrooms, improving the VIP areas,as well as the media andmedical facilities.The re-laid pitch is in good conditionand the new five-level parkadeis also complete. The revampedstadium seats 62 000 fans, increasingits capacity by almost nine percentfrom the previous 57 000.UsageToday Ellis Park is the homegrounds of the Golden Lions rugbyfranchise, football giants OrlandoPirates and is also the premierconcert-event host in South Africa.Confederations CupEllis Park will host the openingceremony, three preliminaryround games, a semi-final and thefinal - as well the closing ceremonyof the tournament.World CupEllis Park will host five groupgames, one second round gameand one quarter-final of the 2010World Cup.www.soccerweek.mobi

18 SoccerWeekJune 04 – june 10, 2009InterviewMark Haskins has enjoyed an impressive season at Moroka Swallows helping them toNedbank Cup gloryHaskins may soon be rubbing shoulders with thelikes of David Beckham and Landon DonovanCan MarkHaskinsbend it likeBeckham?Neall de Beer chats to MarkHaskins about a move to the MLSMoroka Swallows midfielderMark Haskins is set tojoin some of the game’selite players when hemakes his way to Los Angeles fora trial with MLS giants LA Galaxy.After an impressive season forthe Beautiful Birds in which hehelped the famous old Soweto sideto the Nedbank Cup trophy, the EldoradoPark-born player was namedthe Players’ Player of the Season andMost Improved Player at the club’sannual awards ceremony.The 28-year-old’s performancesdid not go unnoticed and he willhave the opportunity to rub shoulderswith the likes of David Beckhamat the American team.Neall de Beer caught up with theinfluential midfielder and spoke tohim about his possible move to Galaxy,the standard of the MLS and hisambitions of playing for Bafana Bafana.Neall de Beer: You have secured atrial with LA Galaxy, when do youdepart and do you think you’ll beable to secure a move?Mark Haskins: Right now I’m justsorting out my visa and as soon asthat is sorted out I will probably beleaving. A trial can be really shortor it can be really long depending onhow well you do. Nothing is cast instone yet so obviously I’ll get thereand then take it from there and seewhat happens.Why the MLS?To be honest I just really wantedto make a move abroad, I turn 28 inApril and I just felt that it was reallymy last chance. I’m not gettingany younger. I have always wantedto play abroad. I actually would havepreferred a move to Europe, but thisis the first opportunity that aroseand it is a good opportunity. It’ssomething I look forward to and thisis a door that God has opened for meand this is the one I’ll walk through.Would you rate the MLS as one of thetop leagues in the world?❝I am prepared.I kind of knowwhat to expectand I’m prettyconfident goingforward❞Europe is considered the first worldof football, so I can’t say where Iwould rank it. We don’t get a lot ofcoverage of the MLS in South Africaand I can’t say exactly how competitiveit is. The thing I do know aboutthe league is that there are some bigplayers playing there and there area lot of South Americans playing inthe league. It should be a pretty goodleague, but I can’t really judge it andcompare it to other leagues in theworld. I don’t know enough about itto make that comparison.Do you think you will be able toadapt to the playing conditions in theUnited States?I do have some experience of being inthe States, even if it was just at collegelevel. I got a scholarship just outof high school to go to varsity in theStates.I have a bit of experience of whatfootball is like in the States. I amprepared. I kind of know what to expectand I’m pretty confident goingforward.How much does it mean to you goingon trial at a world class club thathas some of the world’s best playersin the form of David Beckhamand Landon Donovan?It will be really nice to rub shoulderswith some of the best playersin the world and just to gainexperience from doing that. As afootballer you are always learning.If you look at a player likeDavid Beckham, you know thereis so much to learn from him, so I’lljust be looking to learn a lot fromthis experience and get the most Ican out of it.You played under Jomo Sono, whowas a huge success in the UnitedStates, at Jomo Cosmos, are you excitedabout following in his footsteps?Him [Sono] and Kaizer [Motaung]played there and they really madebig names for themselves and theyestablished themselves there, theyare now pioneers of the local game.Who knows, anything can happen.Do you see this as a steppingstone for playing in Europeand for getting into theBafana Bafana side?I really can’t say orpreempt what couldcome from this, buthopefully it will bea step to greaterthings, so if it opensthe door to Europe,if it opens the doorto Bafana, thatwill be awesome,but I’mjust going togo and makethe most ofthis opportunityandwherever itleads I’ll justbe grateful andall praise to God.How do you rate your chances ofmaking it into the Bafana Bafanaside before the 2010 World Cup?To be honest, I don’t know, there area lot of quality players and so I can’tcontrol it. As players we can’t controlwho gets selected.All I can do is continue workinghard and continue playing well andjust try to be as consistent as possibleand hopefully I’ll get the call youknow. I can’t really say that I will beselected or I won’t.I just need to do what I can do andcontrol what I can control and I can’tcontrol the selection, but I can controlmy performance and that’s all Iwill be doing.

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20 SoccerWeekjune 04 – june 10, 2009 where are they now?Steven Mervis looks at what former Man Utd star Eric Cantona has done since hanging up his bootsCantona:MercurialmasterturnedthespianThe world of football is inhabitedby a number of controversialcharacters withnone more so than EricCantona. Steven Mervis profilesthe masterful playmaker’s life.The mercurial Frenchman capturedthe imagination of ManchesterUnited fans after joining the RedDevils from rivals Leeds in November1992. Cantona’s impact at theclub was almost immediate and inhis first two seasons he helped SirAlex Ferguson’s team to two leaguetitles and an FA Cup success.Although the Paris-born striker isfondly remembered for what he didwith the ball at his feet, his careerwas also littered with incidents thatresulted in his name being splashedacross the back and front pages ofthe country’s newspapers for all thewrong reasons.Cantona’s most infamous momentcame in his second season in Manchester.On 25 January 1995, theFrenchman was given his marchingorders after a rash challengeon Crystal Palace defender RichardShaw.Whilst making his way off the SelhurstPark pitch the striker suddenlylashed out at one of the home fans.In one of the most notorious and violentscenes of the Premier Leagueera, Cantona performed a kung-fustyle kick at one of the Palace supporterswho was giving him abusefollowing his dismissal.The incident was huge newsthroughout the United Kingdom.Many called for Cantona tobe banned for life or to becharged as a criminal forthe offence. He was eventuallysentenced to 120hours of communityservice and bannedfrom football fornine months.C a n t o n a ’ ssuspension wasseen by many as the primaryreason for United relinquishingtheir grasp onthe Premier League titleto Blackburn in the lastfew months of the season.His return coincidedwith Fergie’s ‘kids’ winningthe Premier Leagueand it was he who scoredthe winner in the FA Cup finalagainst Liverpool. A spell ascaptain followed but at theEric Cantona has lost none of his exuberance and still craves being in the limelightCantona: Remains popular❝Cantona’s impact atthe club was almostimmediate and in hisfirst two seasonshe helped Sir AlexFerguson’s team totwo league titles andan FA Cup success❞reasonably young age of 30 he announced,much to the dismay of fansaround the globe, that he was to retirefrom the game.Despite the somewhat abrupt endto his playing career, Cantona hadlittle trouble in keeping himself inthe limelight, albeit in differing capacities.Unlike many former playerswho opt to contribute to the gamethrough business ventures or management,Cantona decided on a completechange in career path. Alwaysknown as a showman in his playingdays, it came as little surprise thenwhen he chose to turn his attentionsto launching an acting career in hishomeland.Since his retirement, Cantona hasappeared in 14 French films, playingpredominately minor roles, where hehas been given freedom to channelhis creativity into the artistry of acting.One of the highlights of his silverscreen career was his brief roleas French ambassador Monsieur deFoix in Elizabeth, a film starring Oscar-winningactress Cate Blanchett.At the turn of the century Cantonawas also featured in many televisionadvertisements worldwide includingan appearance in a British televisionadvert for a new model of theRenault Laguna.However, his most famous workcame in the form of two campaignsto promote Nike football. In the firsthe played the organiser of an undergroundcage football tournament beingplayed out by some of the world’sbest players such as Ruud van Nistelrooy,Thierry Henry and RobertoCarlos.His role in the second Nike campaign,however, was more prominent.The striker was hired forthe apparel company’s ‘JogaBonito’ campaign. Nike’sdrive for the campaignwas to encourage footballersto play the game withflair and respect, and to ridthe game of the play-actingthat has plagued soccer over thelast few years.In the advertisements Cantonaplayed the campaign’s ambassador,explaining the true wayfootball ought to be played,proving that the fly-kickingFrenchman had mellowedsomewhat inhis retirement. Aforay into the musicindustry followedin 2007 when Cantona appearedon art-rock band Dionysos’studio album ‘La mécanique ducœur’ where his voice was used inthe ‘epilogue’.That said, Cantona has not stayedcompletely away from the game.Over the last decade he has beenheavily involved in the French NationalBeach Football team.He captained the team soon afterleaving Manchester, however hisgreatest success came on the sand asa manager.In 2005 Cantona took the Frenchside to the inaugural FIFA BeachSoccer World Cup in Rio De Janeiro.His influence was similar to thatof his playing days with his side becomingWorld Champions beatingoff Portugal in the final. He continuedto manage the side up until 2008,but was unable to recreate the successhe brought in his first year atthe helm.In 2009 Cantona will once againmake an appearance on the bigscreen. He stars as himself in a Britishfilm called Looking For Eric,where the former Red Devils staracts as a ‘spiritual sage’ for an obsessedfan who is dealing with disasterin his own life.The film could be a major successfor Cantona, with the Daily Telegraphtipping the Ken Loach directedpiece as a potential winner of theprestigious Palme d’Or prize at theCannes Film Festival later this year.Eric Cantona has achieved a greatdeal since calling time on his playingcareer at Manchester United.While fame could be just aroundthe corner for the former forward, itis his mesmerising performances onthe pitch and his infamous disciplinaryproblems that will always keephim in the hearts and minds of fansof the game across the globe.Eric CantonaFact file:Date Of Birth: 24 May 1966Place Of Birth: Paris, FranceHeight: 6ft 2in (1.88m)Position: ForwardCareer Matches: 432Career Goals: 161Honours:French League: 1Coupe de France: 2English League: 5FA Cup: 21994 PFA Players’ Player of the Year1996 FWA Footballer of the YearDid you know?Cantona was capped 45 times forFrance and scored 20 goals for LesBleus. However, his nine-month bandue to the kung-fu kick left himunavailable for selection throughmost of 1995. Zinédine Zidane usurpedCantona during this period with coachAimé Jacquet deciding instead tobuild the French team around ‘Zizou’.Cantona did not play for France againand Jacquet’s side, inspired verymuch by Zidane, ended up winning theWorld Cup in 1998.

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22 SoccerWeekjune 04 – jUNE 10, 2009Top Ten » The season’s ten big storiesWith both the Premier League and PSL done and dusted, SoccerWeek looks back at some of the sub-texts within the 2008/09 storythe lighter sideMEDIAMIKEWITH MICHAEL HUNTThe evidence suggests...When some people get a thought in their head, it’s oftenvery difficult to persuade them of anything else.A thought is certainly in the collective head of The Sun,in particular the bonces of hacks Ian McGarry and NeilCustis.‘Cristiano Ronaldo is set to throw Manchester Unitedinto turmoil and demand a move out of Old Trafford,’said the duo.Their proof? Quotes that one might describe as ‘ambiguous’,at best. Quotes that go thusly: “I’ve played manygames under a lot of pressure. The future? We’ll see.”Really?And you got ‘demand’ from that?For a more definitive word on Ronaldo’s future, let’s seewhat the man himself has said about the matter:“Yes, I am staying,” when asked by Sky Sports News.And in The News Of The World he said: “ManchesterUnited is my home”.First timersShearer: Too little, too late1. The St James’ Park circusThe season was disastrous, even by Newcastle’sstandards. The campaign startedwith Kevin Keegan at the helm, only for‘the Messiah’ to quit in September, withJoe Kinnear roped in as his replacement.Kinnear did an admirable steadying jobbefore health problems took him out ofcommission. Enter Alan Shearer. Eightgames and five points later Newcastle exitedthe top-flight with a whimper.2. Harry Houdini saves SpursTouted as top-four hopefuls before theseason, eight games into the campaignTottenham were looking anything but.Juande Ramos was axed and then Portsmouthboss Harry Redknapp answeredSpurs’ SOS. Under ‘Arry’s tutelage Spurswould only lose nine more games all season.Victory on the last day of the seasonat Liverpool would have seen them clincha place in the Europa League to crownwhat on the whole was still a remarkableturnaround.3. City bust credit crunchThe arrival of the Abu Dhabi UnitedGroup at Manchester City marked thestart of an exciting new era. Suddenly,City were the richest club in the world.The deadline-day arrival of Robinho wasa statement of intent as the club flauntedits newfound wealth. However, results onthe pitch failed to match expectations andCity even slumped to 18th place at onestage. A recovery saw Mark Hughes’ sidefinish in a respectable 10th place.4. Stamford Bridge bluesIn Luiz Felipe Scolari, a World Cup winnerwith Brazil, Chelsea thought they hadidentified the ideal man to preside overtheir fortunes. The Blues flattered to deceive,with new recruit Deco grabbing theearly headlines for some breathtakinggoals before the wheels started to fall off.Reports of player unrest born of unhappinesswith Scolari’s training methods andtactics, coupled with inept performancessaw the axe fall on the Brazilian. GuusHiddink stepped into the breach, galvanizedthe players and led the Blues to thesemi-finals of the Champions League andFA Cup final triumph.Giggs: Still going strongRobinho: A sign of things to come5. Sundowns disappoint - againOwner Patrice Motsepe funded the recruitmentof 18 new players, among themSibusiso Zuma. The striker was reportedlyon wages of R200 000 a month forwhich he repaid his employers with 10appearances and one goal. The poor returnon Motsepe’s investment was onlymatched by Henri Michel, the Frenchmanwho commanded a reported R720 000-amonthsalary. Michel was axed after supportersmade it violently clear they wantedhim out five months after his arrival.Ted Dumitru took over and could onlylead Sundowns to a ninth-place finish duringa trophyless campaign.6. United re-write historybooksManchester United came agonisinglyclose to landing an unprecedented quintuple.League, League Cup and Club WorldCup titles were secured, while they onlyfell in the semi-finals of the FA Cup andthe final of the Champions League. Muchof United’s success was built on a recordbreakingdefence. United became the firstclub to go 11 consecutive games withoutconceding a goal in the Premier League,before going on to break the English topflightrecord.7. Rafa v Sir AlexThe media lapped up the slinging matchbetween Rafael Benitez and Sir Alex Ferguson.First Rafa launched his calculated‘It’s a fact’ attack, alleging that matchofficials favoured United. Fergie in turnaccused Benitez of being ‘rude and disrespectful’for his hand gesture duringLiverpool’s victory over Blackburn. Rafathen refused to congratulate his rival followingUnited’s title triumph.8. Twists and turns in PSLraceHalfway through the season Ajax CapeTown looked on course to claim the titleonly for SuperSport to move into pole position.Resurgent Orlando Pirates thentook the race down to the wire, with Matsatsantsafinally prevailing on goal differencefor their second successive title.9. Giggs scoops top gongRyan Giggs, the most decorated player inMotsepe: Ringmaster at the circusThe birth of a great rivalryPremier League history, was voted thePFA Player of the Year. While the Welshmanput in some sterling performanceswhenever he played, last campaignhe was very much a bit-part player forthe Red Devils with his outings carefullyhand-picked. Still, the 35-year-old wasvoted the league’s top performer by hisfellow professionals.10. Villa shake things upAston Villa threatened to gatecrash thetraditional top-four party. By the middleof February, Martin O’Neill’s men satthird in the table. Surely nothing couldstop them now? Wrong. A nine-gamewin-less run followed and Arsenal overtookthem to give the top-four a familiarlook.Said Ryan Giggs: “We will look to get to a third consecutiveChampions final [next season] which no-one hasever done. That is the challenge we have got next year.”Yep, no-one has ever done it. Apart from Real Madrid(1956-59), Benfica (1961-63), Ajax (1971-73), Bayern Munich(1974-76), AC Milan (1993-95) and Juventus (1996-98).Use your head next timeJeff Powell wrote a piece in The Daily Mail about TerryVenables and his time in Spain, which closed with El Teloffering his thoughts on the Messi/Ronaldo debate:“If it does come down to Messi against Ronaldo, well,Messi is one of the best players in the world, but giveme Ronaldo. Messi is wonderful on the right but Ronaldois terrific on the right, the left and through the middleas well.“He also scores goals with his head, which Messicouldn’t do even if they put a top hat on him.”More on Ronaldo and Messi...The question of who is the best footballer in the worldwill run and run, and will have no definitive conclusion,but The Sun’s Neil Custis sure did nail his colours to themast just before the Champions League final.‘Cristiano Ronaldo v Lionel Messi - it’s no contest is it?’quotes Neil.‘There is a reason why Barcelona’s Argie star Messifinished runner-up to United ace Ronaldo in both theWorld and European Player of the Year awards - he isnot as good a player.’Like El Tel, we wonder if Mr Custis is feeling a little sillynow?Hey big spenderIntro from The Sun: ‘The Arab tycoon taking over Portsmouthhas vowed: We will spend more than ManchesterCity!’Actual quotes attributed to Pompey’s new owner, SulaimanAl Fahim: “I’m excited about the club and I’vesigned the memorandum. I was involved in the City purchasebut this one is now mine.”Worst headline of the week‘Weng In Stu Over Theo’ - The Daily Star gets it everso wrong when reporting on Arsenal manager ArseneWenger’s concerns about Theo Walcott’s involvement inEngland’s senior and Under 21 teams.An exclusive exclusiveReported Shaun Custis, EXCLUSIVELY in The Sun:‘ALAN SHEARER has told Newcastle’s flops - see youon July 1 for training.’The following papers on Fleet Street secured exactly thesame ‘exclusive’.The Times: ‘Shearer called in his players to the club’sLongbenton training ground at 9.30am yesterday. Over45 minutes, they were provided with summer fitnessprogrammes and told that pre-season training will commenceon July 1.’The Daily Mirror: ‘Shearer has ordered his players toreport back for training earlier than usual, on July 1,and back room staff including Chris Hughton and ColinCalderwood are likely to move on.’The Independent: ‘The players were then given theirsummer training schedule and told to report back on 1July.’

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