Argentine football has a new star, a decade after Diego Maradona’s departure from the international stage. Carlos Alberto Tévez is the 21-year-old “wunderkind” and the fans hope his influence will lead to a resumption of glorious times for Argentine football.

Last year the 1.71 metre striker was voted South American Player of the Year for the second time since 2003. Behind him in second place was the nation’s other big hope, namely the same-aged Javier Alejandro Mascherano. Both led their country to the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and are already part of coach José Pekerman’s first team in the South American World Cup qualifying. The two-time World Cup winners are sitting in second place having lost only once in eleven games (3-1 against Brazil) and are firmly on course for the 2006 World Cup finals.

Argentinien

But Carlos Tévez didn’t only make the news last year as Olympic Golden Boot winner. He created just as much of a stir with his 18 million Dollar transfer from Boca Juniors to the top Brazilian club Corinthians Sao Paulo at the turn of the year. He was previously linked for a long time to Bayern Munich but he rejected a move to Europe for family reasons: "I didn’t want to go to Europe because I can’t live far away from my family. If I already miss them during training, what will happen in Europe?”

That the young star has a tendency up to now to be at the centre of escapades and scandals in his private life hasn’t been badly received by the fans. That’s as long as “Carlitos” continues to win important games for the blue, white and blacks. An illegitimate fatherhood, a love affair with a model and diverse fights with photographers in discos have ensured that Tévez, who stems from poor circumstances and who suffered serious burns as a child, was a regular on the front pages of the tabloids.

Tévez and Mascherano (River Plate) are just two names that represent the current new generation in Argentine football. Everything was initiated by the new national coach José Pekerman, who was promoted to head coach in September 2004 after the surprising resignation of the successful Marcelo Bielsa. The 55-year-old had previously only worked in youth football.

Midfielders Andrés D'Alessandro (VfL Wolfsburg), Luis “Lucho” Gonzalez (River Plate) as well as strikers Cesar Delgado (Cruz Azul Mexiko), Mauro Rosales (Ajax Amsterdam) and Javier Saviola (AS Monaco) are all just 23 or 24-years-young. They all embody the youthful freshness and carefree attitude in Argentina’s 2005 national team. A total of ten players in the present squad belong to the golden 1981 age-group, which easily won the U21 World Championship in 2001.

Experience in Pekerman’s “nursery school” (average age: 25.7 years) is provided first and foremost by the defenders where there’s goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri (32, Boca Juniors), captain Javier Zanetti (31, Inter Milan) and Roberto Ayala (31, Valencia). Both aged 26, Walter Samuel (Real Madrid) and Gabriel Heinze (Manchester United) complete the very stable defence. Bayer Leverkusen’s Diego Placente (27) is also justified in having hopes of filling the left wing-back position. Facundo Quiroga (27) from VfL Wolfsburg is a player on the fringe of the team.

In midfield, the experienced Cristian “Kily” González (30) from Inter Milan is sure of a place alongside young stars Luis Gonzalez and Mascherano. Of Pekermann’s squad, Pablo Aimar (25) from Valencia is the most dangerous midfielder in front of goal. But, he has been injury prone over the past few years and his club often hasn’t released him to play internationals.

Argentina’s coach is spoilt for choice in attack, where more than half a dozen top class strikers are competing for the available places. Only Tévez can be sure to be in the starting line up. Surprisingly, AC Milan’s Hernan Crespo (29) was nominated for the friendly international against Germany on 9 February in Düsseldorf after a long absence from the national team. Cesar Delgado, Luciano Figueroa, Mariano Gonzalez, Diego Milito, Mauro Rosales and Javier Saviola: virtually every other national team would love to have just one of them in their line-up. Even old star Claudio Lopez (30), who is playing for FC America in Mexico on loan from Lazio, can have hopes of being included.

Pekerman went without Tévez, Ayala and Samuel for the international against Germany. Instead he selected the 26-year-old midfielder Juan Román Riquelme (Villarreal, Spain) along with the returning Aimar and Crespo.

Argentina has already had its name engraved on the Confederations Cup once. They won the very first competition in Saudi Arabia in 1992 when the tournament was still called the King Fahd Cup. Just four teams took part and Argentina ran out easy winners after beating the hosts 3-1 in the final. Leonardo Rodriguez, Diego Simeone and Claudio Caniggia were the goalscorers. The Argentines have qualified for the 2005 tournament as Copa Americarunners-up as Brazil are taking part as World Cup title holders. Argentina’s Group A matches: 15 June against Tunisia in Cologne, 18 June in Nurembergagainst Australia and 21 June in Nuremberg against Germany.

thank u very much for everything u've posted; however, it'll be nice if u've done all these in one thread

yea ill try... but perhaps i think ill take it the hard way.. i like typing alot...

Nice work Fadzil
Daryl
Forza Argies

Thanks for all the articles, Fadzil, but I'm gonna put them all in this thread. There are too many threads all referring to the same topic. If you have ant more please can you post them all in here? THANKS!

Confederations Cup team: Greece ready to dance again?

The term “sensation” is sometimes overdone in the sports world. When people use it, they are usually only really talking about a surprise. But those looking back on the European Championship 2004 in Portugal are unable to avoid using the word “sensation”. The reason? Greece became European Champions on July 4, 2004. Those players that didn’t want to believe it immediately after the final in Lisbon’s Estádio da Luz, had proof the day afterwards.

Griechenland

Over a half a million people in the Greek capital Athens welcomed the team back home. They celebrated their heroes, who made history the evening before when beating the hosts Portugal 1-0 in the final. They celebrated Angelos Charisteas, who headed home the only goal of a unique evening in the 57th minute. And they celebrated a man whose rudimentary Greek is limited to little more than “good morning” and “good night”. Born in Essen, Germany, team coach Otto Rehhagel, was first and foremost the person responsible for one of the real sensations in football history.

Fans and experts were amazed right from the very beginning of the European Championship. Greece overcame Portugal 2-1. Excessive nervousness on behalf of the hosts was seen as the reason for the defeat. Nobody seriously considered that both teams would meet up again in the final. Even the somewhat bumpy survival of the group stage was celebrated as the Greek football association’s biggest achievement in its 78 year history. What followed afterwards was a never ending fight between the Greek David and the Goliaths from France, the Czech Republic and, for a second time, Portugal. David came out on top each time. And the score was also the same each time: 1-0.

People tried to puzzle out how things turned out the way they did. How could the Greeks win with tactics critical observers described as being antiquated? How could they win when not one of their players could be remotely described as a superstar? Goalkeeper Antonios Nikopolidis, sweeper Traianos Dellas (Rehhagel: “the Colossusfrom Rhodes”), defender Giourkas Seitaridis and midfield dynamo Theodoros Zagorakis will presumably never reach the very top, even though they were selected for the All Star Team after EURO 2004. The various analyses showed that an apparently outdated tactical strategy and values such as discipline and team spirit can make a great deal possible in football, if not everything. “To win twice against Portugal has nothing to do with luck,” said forward Charisteas when countering the grumblers and the jealous who viewed the achievement as a fairytale slip-up.

Greek football history before the European Championship and a review the current situation only serve to back up the critics. Only twice previously had the Greeks even qualified for the final stages of a big football tournament. They met Germany in a group match at the 1980 European Championship. The game ended in a 0-0 draw. Both other matches against The Netherlands (0-1) and Czechoslovakia (1-3) were lost. The FIFA World Cup 1994 in the USA was equally disappointing. It was the first time that Greece had qualified for the world’s biggest sporting event. It ended without them scoring a single goal. They didn’t even win a single point this time. The Greeks stood no chance against Nigeria (0-2). Against Argentina and Bulgaria things were even worse. They went down 4-0 on both occasions.

Prior to the European Championship 2004, the team was dismissed as being second class. And only a few months afterwards even the most fanatical amongst the blue-white fans were under no illusions. “We’re not a dominating force in world football.” The sentence was uttered by Otto Rehhagel. Greece was brought back to earth right from the very first World Cup qualifying group match. The European champions lost 2-1 in Albania even though they didn’t have to contend with any radical team upheavals. Two draws followed against Turkey (0-0) and in Ukraine (1-1), before they gained a compulsory win against Kazakhstan (3-1). And in February 2005 they were lucky winners when they beat Denmark 2 : 1 at surprisingly cold temperatures at the game in Athens Kariskaiki stadium (where Continental was present with a group of 160 European motor journalists: more can be found here). The road to Germany is long nevertheless. But getting through qualifying is not impossible. It certainly wouldn’t be a sensation. Participation in the Confederations Cup with first phase duels against Brazil, Mexico and Japan is seen by the Greeks as being a welcome opportunity to get their countrymen and women dancing again, one summer after their sensational coup.

Confederations Cup team: Germany with Klinsmann at the helm (Second Text Section)

The start made by Jürgen Klinsmann has been highly promising. When presented as the new team manager at the German Football Association’s headquarters in Frankfurt/Main in August last year, he explained that his ambitions as national coach coincided with the desires of the supporters. “Football fans would love to see us win the World Cup in 2006. And they have big hopes. And that’s my aim as well,” said Klinsmann. For him everything is clear: the target behind the striving for footballing success can only be the winning of the World Cup at the tournament in one’s home country from 9 June to 9 July.

Deutschland

Klinsmann’s unmistakable intention of wanting to prepare a German team capable of winning a fourth title after 1954, 1974 and 1990 was seen by many observers to be a bold promise. The sobering European Championship experiences, when they didn’t win a single game, were only five weeks old. After Rudi Völler resigned, he himself was only taken into consideration for the post as Völler’s successor less than a week previously. The appraisals as to state of the national team indicated that things were serious. And here was Klinsmann speaking directly and confidently about the World Cup title.

But an assessment was possible at the end of the year: the national side, the nation’s favourite sporting child, is on the way up again. Eighty per cent of the population are interested in how the team does at the World Cup. The survey result is unusual in its clarity. No other sports team and no individual sportsman or woman is capable of triggering similar popularity percentages. However, there are also high expectations. Up to 50 per cent of those surveyed answered that the German team would win the World Cup in the coming year.

Klinsmann can handle the situation. After all it was his intention anyway to kindle a new positive forward looking mentality. And the 40-year-old has achieved just that. Public confidence in the side has increased after five wins (3-1 in Austria, 2-0 in Iran, 3-0 against Cameroon, 3-0 in Japan, 5-1 in Thailand), one draw (1-1 against Brazil) and one defeat (2-3 in South Korea). Klinsmann’s youth policy of fitting in many young players has gone down well. The attractive forward play that the novice coach expects of his players has met with a great deal of approval. And the atmosphere within the team is much improved.

"A sense of togetherness has developed. Everybody wants to be a part of things,” said Klinsmann when talking about the improved team spirit. It is something upon which he places great importance as he does upon the attacking concept on the pitch. On the sporting side of things he was also able to draw up a positive half yearly report. Klinsmann had used 29 players including new caps Frank Fahrenhorst (Bremen), Robert Huth (Chelsea), Per Mertesacker (Hanover), Andreas Görlitz (Bayern Munich), Patrick Owomoyela (Bielefeld), Christian Schulz (Bremen), Thomas Hitzlsperger (Aston Villa) and Marco Engelhardt (Kaiserslautern). If one ignores the experienced Thomas Linke (Bayern Munich), who helped out in the 3-1 win in Austria, Klinsmann has, so to speak, a preliminary World Cup squad with the remaining 28 players.

"These players are at an advantage. They’ve shown what they can do. The door to the national team remains naturally open, also for older players such as Oliver Neuville (Mönchengladbach), Jens Nowotny (Leverkusen) and Dietmar Hamann (Liverpool), all players not invited by Klinsmann to the tour of Asiain December. Another player not considered last year, Paul Freier (Leverkusen) is on the national coach’s short list. Christian Pander (Schalke) gave his A-team debut in a benefit game against a side containing some of the Bundesliga’s foreign players in Gelsenkirchen (2-2) on 25 February. Klinsmann has had to find a replacement for the left side of defence as team regular Lahm is out injured for a while with a broken foot.

A look at the individual statistics gives an indication as to who has a good chance of being included in the World Cup squad. The only player to be selected for all seven games was Gerald Asamoah from Schalke. Michael Ballack (Bayern Munich) was the only player to play the full 90 minutes – with the exception of the match against Thailand - in six games. Philipp Lahm (Stuttgart), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich) and Lukas Podolski (Köln) were others to take part in six games, including substitutions. Fabian Ernst, Miroslav Klose, Tim Borowski (all Bremen) and Bernd Schneider (Leverkusen) ran out onto pitch on five occasions.

The hierarchy in the team is fine, whereby the large number of newcomers have made the general atmosphere one that’s far more relaxed. Rudi Völler called up four new caps in the first six months, Klinsmann has selected twice that number. He has also set positive accents in the team set up. Supporting him are assistant coach Joachim Löw, goal-keeping coach Andreas Köpke and general manager Oliver Bierhoff, all people he can rely on. “It’s really enjoyable discussing things with them. I learn a great deal and I get new ideas from them,” explained Germany’s head coach, who has given the training sessions new impulses. Competition for places will be increased this year as the experimental phase is over. The “Mini World Cup”, the FIFA Confederations Cup in June is seen by Klinsmann as a real test for the World Cup. Argentina, Australia and Tunisiaare the group rivals. Brazil, Greece, Mexico or Japan can only be encountered in the semifinal or final. The programme of friendly matches also pitches the German team against quality opposition. They will therefore have the opportunity to prove that they can beat top flight nations after all. Argentina, the Netherlands and France are further opponents in 2005. Slovenia, Russiaand Northern Ireland are the other “sparring partners”.

Confederations Cup team: Germany is Europe’s best team

Three World Cups (1954, 1974, 1990) and three European Championship titles (1972, 1980, 1996) are included in the far reaching chronicles of the Deutschen Fußball Bundes (DFB – the German Football Association). Therefore, Germany is the most successful European team, ahead of Italy. They additionally appeared in the World Cup final on four occasions (1966, 1982, 1986, 2002) and well as appearing twice in the European Championship final (1976, 1992).

Deutschland

Germany is therefore also the second most successful team in the world behind Brazil. Whereby the German team even holds the record for World Cup final appearances. Having played in seven finals, they have taken part in one more than the record World Cup winners, Brazil. “The reputation that German football enjoys in the world is, as it always has been, unique,” said DFB President Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder.

The quarter-finals marked the end of the road for the DFB side at the 1994 and 1998 World Cup finals in USA and France repectively. Participation at the European Championships in the Netherlands and Belgium in 2000 and in Portugal in 2004 led additionally to situations that not only the media described as being a sporting disaster. Prior to the tournaments, the German national team had never been eliminated at the group stage of a big tournament.

When the international football association FIFA introduced the world rankings in 1993, the then World Cup holders occupied the No 1 spot. The German national coach Berti Vogts at the time made fun of the new rating system, which he considered to be ridiculous. Only a little later when his team, who were the title holders at the time, were knocked out in the quarter finals at the FIFA World Cup 1994 in USA, he pointed to German football’s world prestige. His team heads the world rankings, said the former world class defender. His opinion about the FIFA ranking system had changed drastically. Scepticism had turned to pride.

But the German side started to creep slowly down the rankings. First they dropped out of the top ten. Then they hovered around the 12thposition before nose-diving down to 19th in December 2003. The placing is seen by Jürgen Klinsmann – Rudi Völler’s successor as national coach – as being a “joke”. He can’t comprehend why teams like Mexico, Ireland, Uruguay and Japan are higher than his own team. The World Cup winner feels it might be due to the inadequate points system, which disadvantages his team. As World Cup hosts, the German team is not required play qualifying matches.

But Klinsmann also knows that German football has to accept the fact that teams like Turkey and Greece gained better results in the past years. Other teams won crunch games and it’s something the Germans don’t do that often these days. In contrast to the German team’s best times, which lasted almost 40 years, the DFB’s side has simply become too unstable in the last few years. Since October 2000, when England were beaten 1-0 in the final game at the old Wembley Stadium, Germany hasn’t been able to defeat a single top ten national team. Up to the end of 2004, they had more than ten opportunities to do so.

In between the poor European Championship results in 2000 and 2004, the German team however succeeded in causing a coup that not even optimists had expected. At the FIFA World Cup 2002 ™in Japan and South Korea, Rudi Völler’s side forced their way into the final. It came about due to concentrated performances but also due to a fortunate tournament draw, in which strong opponents such as Spain and Italy were eliminated before they were able to take on the Germans.

Three 1-0 victories against Paraguay, USA and South Korea qualified the record European Champions, for whom Oliver Kahn was brilliant between the posts, for the final. The Germans then proceeded to give their best performance against Brazil in Yokohama. Nevertheless the score was 2-0 in the South American side’s favour after 90 minutes. at the end. When the losers arrived back home, they were given such a rousing welcome. It was as if they had won a fourth World Cup.

Looking back, German football appears in a better light than these days, when referees are behind betting and match fixing scandals. Great players such as Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Sepp Maier, Günther Netzer, Wolfgang Overath, Paul Breitner, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Rudi Völler and Lothar Matthäus represent the successful period between 1972 and 1992 in which the German side reached eight World Cup and European Championships finals. Older heroes go by the names of Fritz Walter, the captain of the 1954 World Cup winning side, Helmut Rahn, Max Morlock and Uwe Seeler. The younger members of the 1990 World Cup winning team such as Thomas Häßler, Andreas Möller, Jürgen Kohler and Klinsmann continued to help prevent Germany’s football reputation from becoming permanently rusty for almost a decade.

Enriched by players from the former GDR, such as Matthias Sammer, the national team played wonderfully at the 1996 European Championships despite having many key players missing through injury. They were duly rewarded with the title. And the current situation, one year before the FIFA World Cup 2006 ™, looks better than it did last summer. (Link to the second text on the state of the current team in the Confederation Cup section).

Confederations Cup teams: Italy has always been a top class team

A map of the country appears to be a pointer as to an Italian’s big love: Italy’s outline is similar to that of a football boot. Between Turin and Milan, Rome and Naples, “Calcio” is the biggest passion. Football is by far the No 1 sport for the country’s 58 million population.

Italien

The Italian Football Association (FIGC) was founded on 16 March 1898 in Turin. The first championship was played in the same year between four north Italian clubs. Genoa 1893 were the winners of the one day tournament.

The association’s milestones gives one a overview of the nation’s football history. Italy’s first international match took place on 15 May 1910 in Milan (6-2 against France). The first big era in Italian football followed in the 1930s after professional football was introduced in the 1929/30 season. The “Azurri” team won the World Cup in 1934 and 1938. In between, the “Sky Blues” also captured the gold medal at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

Guided by the renowned coach Vittorio Pozzo, Italy won the World Cup for the first time on 10 June 1934 when beating Czechoslovakia 2-1 after extra time. Players such as Giampiero Combi, Angelo Schiavio, Giuseppe Meazza, Eraldo Monzeglio and Ramondo Orsi were the guarantors of the victory on home soil in Rome.

Things were even more clear cut when they defended the title in Paris on 19 June 1938. Again coached by Vittorio Pozzo, the team built around Amedeo Biavati, Alfredo Foni and Silvio Piola easily beat Hungary 4-2. The country then had to wait 44 years before they were able to win the World Cup for the third time.

On 11 July 1982 Italy beat Germany 3-1 in the final in Madrid. Coach Enzo Bearzot and players such as striker Paolo Rossi, goalkeeper Dino Zoff as well as defenders and midfielders Claudio Gentile, Gaetano Scirea and Bruno Conti became national heroes. The southern Europeans survived the first group phase without winning before then running into top form. They gave Germany no chance in the final.

Defeat in the last game of the 1994 FIFA World Cup is seen by the Italians as being the country’s most bitter experience in a final. The “Squadra Azzurra” lost on penalties to Brazil (3-2) after an extra time goal-less draw in Pasadena. The loss was bitter but not a disgrace. Just the performance of the Italian stars in the World Cup finals in England in 1966 could be deemed embarrassing. A soldier called Pak Do Ik scored the goal that gave North Koreaa sensational 1-0 win in the group match against the clear favourites. The Italians were eliminated early on and had to endure the wrath of their own fans when returning home.

The FIFA World Cup 2002 ™ was also a sobering experience. When losing to hosts South Korea in the last 16 on the golden goal rule, the Italians felt they had been cheated by the referee.

The name of the legendary goalkeeper Dino “Nazionale” Zoff is associated with the only European Championship title (1968). His team-mates such as captain Giacinto Facchetti, Gianni Rivera, Sandro Mazzola and Gigi Riva were amongst world football’s top stars at the time. Two years later, the team also reached the final of the FIFA World Cup in Mexico. But the Brazilians were too strong and won 4-1. The “Azzurri” had used up a lot of energy in the semi-final played up in the high altitude of Mexico City. The match, which ended in a 4-3 victory after extra time against Germany, is generally considered to be one of the best games of the century.

The basis for the lasting success of the Italian national team has been laid by the country’s club teams. The big northern Italian clubs such as Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan and both of the capital city’s clubs Lazio and AS Rome dictate the league’s proceedings. SCC Naples were also a member of the top flight before they were forced to take a financial and footballing backseat.

Juventus holds the league championship record. They have won the national title on 27 occasions and are also nine-time Italian cup winners. Italian clubs have won more than 40 European competitions. AC Milan heads the list with 15 titles followed by Juventus (10) and Inter (7). Football coaches from Italy are often of a world class standard. The country’s great coaches were Vittorio Pozzo before the Second World War as well as Ferruccio Valcareggi, Enzo Bearzot, Azeglio Vicini, Arrigo Sacchi, Cesare Maldini, Dino Zoff, Giovanni Trapattoni, Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi in “modern times”. “Catenaccio”, the legendary and typically Italian line of defence was however introduced by a foreign coach, namely Helenio Herrera (Argentina) when at Inter Milan.

EURO 2004 in Portugal ended recently in a disaster for the supporters who are spoiled with so much success. The team that was only defeated by World Cup winners France in the final of the 2000 European Championship in the Netherlands and Belgium on the golden goal rule, were knocked out straight away at the group stage. Marcello Lippi, Juventus’ “champion maker” followed in coach Giovanni Trapattoni’s footsteps.

Lippi is one of Europe’s most successful coaches: he guided Juventus to the Italian championship on five occasions between 1995 and 2003 and he also won the Champions League in 1996. He additionally reached the final of the Champions League three times in recent years. “Lippi will bring about the revolution,” wrote the jubilant Milan newspaper “Corriere della Sera”, when Lippi took over the national side. His aim is to lead Italy back to the very top again at the FIFA World Cup 2006 ™ after 24 years without winning a major title. And the coach will go his own way. When nominating his first team, he omitted superstar Alessandro Del Piero but, in the meantime, the Juventus player is back in the squad. Lippi has players in his ranks that every European top club would love to have in their team. But the task of forming a new side into a functioning collective hasn’t quite been accomplished yet. With their abilities, the three-time World Cup winners will again be one of the favourites in Germany in 2006.

Confederations Cup teams: Asia champions Japan and their star director

The best known member of the Japanese national team sits on the touch-line. Zico, the Brazilian star and one of the best midfielders of his generation, has generated new verve in Nippon’s team. Winning last year’s Asian Championship after beating the hosts China in the final has stirred up hope in the land of the rising sun. Japan’s football fans are now optimistic that their team will survive the play-offs and qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2006 ™ in Germany. The team, which includes Naohiro Takahara from Hamburg SV, got through the first 2006 World Cup qualifying stage without being defeated.

Japan

After the enormous initial difficulties following Zico being named team coach – they almost cost the South American his job – the Japanese are the No 1 team again in Asia. The tournament in China was a real test for the team. Japan was subjected to continual booing and, at times, malicious abuse. The rivalry between the two countries is intense with the previous military conflicts playing an important part. But Zico’s side remained calm. They still needed quite a bit of luck to beat China 3-1 and consequently successfully defend the Asian title. It also qualified them for the Confederations Cup 2005 in Germany.

Self-confidence has grown even though the Japanese are very self critical of their performances. That the round of the last 16 marked the premature end of the road at the FIFA World Cup 2002 ™ on home soil was seen by many Japanese as a disgrace especially as co-organisers South Korea reached the play-off for third place. However, there can be no doubt that the team possesses class. On their tour of Europe before the 2004 European Championships, the team chalked up victories against the CzechRepublic and Iceland as well as a draw against England.

The wins were of particular importance for the talented players not playing in Europe but in the Japanese J-League. “Japan still isn’t a top team. But the standard of the Japanese players has improved enormously,” says the German World Cup winner Guido Buchwald, who once played in Japan and is currently the Urawa Red Diamonds’ coach. The Mitsubishi works team was guided by the former defensive giant to the finals of the Japanese championship in December 2004, where Yokohama Marinos made a successful defence of their title after winning the second leg penalty shoot-out 4-2 (1-0, 0-1). Experts from other countries also confirmed the positive trend in the J-League which was founded in 1993. This year the championship will be decided for the first time on the normal league home and away basis. There will be no finals.

The Japanese viewed the 3-0 defeat against Germany in Yokohama in December 2004 as a bitter defeat. Especially as their opponents subsequently lost to arch rivals South Korea three days later. Zico however had to replace key figures for the fixture against the World Cup runners-up. In addition to Europe legionaries Hidetoshi Nakata (AC Florenz), Shunsuke Nakamura (Reggina) and Shinji Ono (Feyenoord Rotterdam), two strong defenders Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (Gamba Osaka) and Yuji Nakazawa (Japan’s Footballer of the Year) were also out injured.“The Japanese have always been technically good. But they’ve made progress in the tactical and mental areas,” said Buchwald. Two other 1990 World Cup winners – Pierre Littbarski, now coach of second division FC Yokohama and Uwe Bein – ended their playing careers a few years ago in Japan along with the former VfB Stuttgart defender. Top players from other countries such as Zico and Jorginho, a 1994 World Cup winner, also provided “aid” when the J-League was still in its infancy.

Dettmar Cramer sees himself as one of the “co-initiators” of the J-League. He helped lay the foundations for professional football in Japan in the seventies. Highly successful in Germany as a coach, Cramer, who also worked for FIFA, discovered Japan’s best ever player. He then sent him to Jupp Derwall (a former German national coach) as a trainee in the sport academy in Saarbrücken. Kunishige Kamamoto was an outstanding centre forward. He became the focus of the world’s media in 1968 when winning the Olympic bronze medal in Mexico. It was Japan’s biggest achievement. “He could have played in every top European team,” said Franz Beckenbauer, who twice played for Bayern Munich in club friendlies against the outstanding footballer in Tokyo in 1974 and 1975.

Japan currently doesn’t have any players of that quality in their ranks. Nakata, Nakamura, Ono, Takahara and Junichi Inamoto (West Bromwich) put in average to good performances for their European clubs. Goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata), the top Japanese earner in the J-League and the naturalised Brazilian Alex (Urawa Red Diamonds) play excellent football on good days. But Japan’s performances are often highly fluctuating. Nippon’s side will want to prove that the opposite is the case at the Confederations Cup group phase against World Cup winners Brazil, European champions Greeceand versus Mexico.

FIFA Confederations Cup 2005: Match Schedule

FIFA Confederations Cup 2005

Match Schedule

Group A:
We., 15.06.2005 18.00 Cologne Argentina - Tunesia -:-
We., 15.06.2005 21.00 Frankfurt Germany - Australia -:-
Sa., 18.06.2005 18.00 Cologne Germany - Tunesia -:-
Sa., 18.06.2005 20.45 Nuremberg Australia - Argentina -:-
Tu., 21.06.2005 20.45 Nuremberg Germany - Argentina -:-
Tu., 21.06.2005 20.45 Leipzig Australia - Tunesia -:-
Score Games W T L Goals Points
1. Germany 0 0 0 0 -:- 0
2. Australia 0 0 0 0 -:- 0
3. Argentina 0 0 0 0 -:- 0
4. Tunesia 0 0 0 0 -:- 0
_______________ ___________
Group B:
Th., 16.06.2005 18.00 Hanover Japan - Mexiko -:-
Th., 16.06.2005 20.45 Leipzig Brazil - Greece -:-
Su., 19.06.2005 18.00 Frankfurt Greece - Japan -:-
Su., 19.06.2005 20.45 Hanover Brazil - Mexiko -:-
We., 22.06.2005 20.45 Cologne Brazil - Japan -:-
We., 22.06.2005 20.45 Frankfurt Greece - Mexiko -:-
Score Games W T L Goals Points
1. Brazil 0 0 0 0 -:- 0
2. Greece 0 0 0 0 -:- 0
3. Japan 0 0 0 0 -:- 0
4. Mexiko 0 0 0 0 -:- 0
_______________ ___________
Semi-final:
Sa., 25.06.2005 18.00 Nuremberg Winner A - Second B -:-
Su., 26.06.2005 18.00 Hanover Winner B - Second A -:-
_______________ ___________
Third place match
We., 29.06.2005 17.30 Leipzig runner of semi-finals -:-
_______________ ___________
Final:
We., 29.06.2005 20.45 Frankfurt Winner of semi-finals -:-

Argentina aiming to clinch World Cup spot

Friday June 3, 12:21 AM
Reuters

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 2 (Reuters) - Argentina could clinch a place at the World Cup while Peru and Chile's new coaches make their debuts as the scramble continues lower down the table in the South American qualifiers at the weekend.

Argentina, who lead the 10-nation group with 28 points, will guarantee a top four finish and qualify for Germany 2006 on Saturday if they beat Ecuador in Quito and Uruguay fail to win in Venezuela.

Remarkably, all 10 nations are still in with a chance of qualifying with five rounds of matches still to play. The top four go straight to Germany and the fifth plays off against the winners of the Oceania region.
The weekend's games could go some way to sorting out the tangle in the bottom half the table where three points separate Uruguay (16 points) from Bolivia (13), with Chile, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru in between, all on 14.

Chile host Bolivia in Santiago, Peru visit Colombia in Barranquilla and Uruguay will try to avenge last year's humiliating 3-0 home defeat by Venezuela when they visit steamy Maracaibo.

The remaining game is on Sunday in Porto Alegre where Brazil, second with 24 points and missing their holidaying striker Ronaldo, host Paraguay, who are fourth with 19 but are still in danger of being swallowed up by the pack below.

Argentina coach Jose Pekerman, with a wealth of riches at his disposal, has pondered fielding an alternative team in high altitude Quito and resting the top players for Wednesday's clash at home to Brazil.

Ecuador, who are well-placed in third with 20 points, have suffered two blows with key striker Franklin Salas and midfielder Edison Mendez pulling out through injury.

ACOSTA CONTROVERSY

Chile, who are missing injured Sporting Lisbon striker Mauricio Pinilla, play their first match under new coach Nelson Acosta, who returns for a second stint to replace Juvenal Olmos -- a decision publicly criticised by striker Marcelo Salas.

Curiously, Acosta began the campaign in charge of Bolivia and resigned after they lost 2-0 at home to Chile last year.

Ovidio Messa, Bolivia's third coach of the campaign, has criticised the rules of the tournament, which allow coaches to change teams.

Bolivia, who have yet to pick up an away point, are expected to field an ultra-defensive lineup against opponents who are without a win in their last seven qualifiers.

Peru are hoping coach Freddy Ternero can install some new self-belief into their side as they attempt to qualify for the first time since 1982.

Ternero, whose techniques when he was in charge of provincial club Cienciano included making his players karate chop blocks of wood with their bare hands, replaces Paulo Autuori, who resigned over political interference in the team.

Ternero has brought in several younger faces and dropped stalwarts such as Jorge Soto, Carlos Zegarra and goalkeeper Oscar Ibanez.

Striker Juan Pablo Angel returns after injury for Colombia, who have scored only twice in their last six qualifiers.

Uruguay will try to continue their impressive recovery under coach Jorge Fossati as they visit Maracaibo where Venezuela, who have never qualified for a World Cup, will be keen to revive their flagging campaign.

"The most important thing is that we have gone back to our roots -- good defence and midfield and strikers who take their chances," said Uruguay captain Paolo Montero, who was not in the side that capitulated in Montevideo.

Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira is expected to field Inter Milan striker A

Klinsmann will continue rotating his goalies

There won't be a guarantee for any of the goalkeepers in the German National Team in the near future. National Team Manager Jürgen Klinsmann will keep on changing between the candidates and give his "third choice" Timo Hildebrand the opportunity to prove his worth, too. "It's clear, that there will be a rotation, Timo Hildebrand will get his chance, too", Klinsmann said on Monday in Munich.

During the last game in Slovenia (1-0) Oliver Kahn stood between the posts, so that on Saturday in Northern Ireland (8.30 pm CEST) Jens Lehmann probably will get his turn. The test against Russia in Mönchengladbach (June 8, 8.45 pm CEST) and at least the three preliminary games at the Confederations Cup (June 15 to 29) will follow.

World Cup fever already begins in Germany

Even a year before the event starts, Germany is struck by a World Cup boom. "More than 90 percent of the population consider the event to become a success for Germany and the interest in the World Cup keeps on growing", Hartmut Zastrow of the Market Research Institute Sport+Markt told during the World Cup Media Meeting of the Deutsche Telekom in Berlin. "Only about ten percent of the German population declare not to be interested in the even at all."

Optimism is unbroken

The optimism of the German fans concerning the performance of their team is unbroken, too. "With 51 percent Germany is absolute title favorite way ahead of Brazil right now", Zastrow said. The huge worldwide interest in the event would electrify the advertising industry, he added. Six Billion Euros altogether are expected to flow into communications by official and non-official investors.

Jürgen Rollmann, World Cup coordinator of the German Government, reported on political plans, pointing out the actual discussion over new elections, besides numerous political programmes to support and secure the World Cup tournament. "All parties agree on the World Cup: It's about the location Germany", said the former Bundesliga goalkeeper.

Qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup GermanyTM: Rest of the World

FIFA World Cup teams from North and Central America, Asia, Africa and Oceania

North and Central America:

38 countries form North and Central America and the Caribbean are united within CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football). Upon the first two qualifying rounds being concluded, the six teams still remaining moved on to the final group stage where they will play each other on a home and away games basis between 9 February and 12 October. The top three in the group will then be certain of a trip to Germany in 2006.

The fourth placed team will then play-off (home and away) against the fifth placed team in the Asian qualifying to determine a further qualifier.

Heading the table after the first three matches in the CONCACAF qualifying group are top favourites, Mexico (7 points) and USA (6 points). A regular for quite a while now in the world’s Top 10, Mexico strolled through the first round winning all seven games with an imposing 37:1 goal tally. The 13th FIFA World Cup finals participation for the side coached by Ricardo La Volpe appears to be a mere formality. USA also went through the previous group phase undefeated but nowhere near as easily as Mexico. Coach Bruce Arena was made extremely worried by the labour dispute between the players and the US’s professional league MLS, which led to the cancellation of a number of friendly matches towards the end of 2004. However, it should still be sufficient for "Team USA", who have been a FIFA World Cup finals regular since 1990. In the group’s first top match, the Mexicans defeated their close rivals 1-0 on Easter Saturday in front of 110,000 spectators in the Aztec Stadium. Four days later however Mexico gave away their first points in FIFA World Cup qualifying. They could only draw 1-1 in Panama, but the draw was enough for them to defend their position at the top of the table. The US team won 2-0 against Guatemala on 30 March and consolidated their second place. Candidates for the third spot are Costa Rica, a FIFA World Cup participant in 1990 and 2002 and Guatemala. After three matches, both teams (4 points) have won one, drawn one and lost one. Costa Rica were only able to draw 0-0 against outsiders Trinidad und Tobago on 30 March after the team also had to struggle hard to beat Panama 2-1.

Latest North and Central America table and top scorers...

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Asia:

Asia’s football confederation – the so-called AFC (Asian Football Confederation) – covers 45 nations and is allowed to send four or five teams to the FIFA World Cup finals. Eight teams were left over after the first two qualifying phases and they have now been put into two groups of four. The matches will be played between 9 February and 17 August 2005. The top teams in each group will then be on their way to Germany in 2006 whilst the third-placed teams will meet in a play-off (home and away). The winner will then go on to play the fourth-placed team in the North and Central Americaqualifying group in order to determine a further FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Asian qualifying has already seen one memorable game. In a dramatic second qualifying round encounter, the little oil sheikdom Kuwait overcame China, one of the top favourites. In the end, just a single goal prevented the Chinese side from reaching the next phase.

Group A (South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Kuwait):

South Korea are clear favourites to win the group. But the 2002 FIFA World Cup fourth-placed team lost 2-0 on Easter Saturday in Saudi Arabia. A 2-1 win against Uzbekistan put the co-organisers of the last FIFA World Cup back on top of the group as Saudi Arabia could only draw 0-0 in Kuwait. The group continues to be very exciting. Only Uzbekistan, guided by the German coach Hans-Jürgen Gede, are no longer in with a chance of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. But the team may well ruin the hope’s of others, especially at their home games in Tashkent.

Group B (Japan, North Korea, Bahrain, Iran):

Again a strong group, it is headed by Iran (7 points) after three matches. Japan (6 points) and Bahrain (4 points) are just behind. North Korea have no chance of qualifying in the meantime after picking up three defeats. The group’s top game on Easter Saturday saw Iran beat Asian champions Japan2-1. The game was overshadowed by a mass panic breaking out at the end. Six people lost their lives. Four days later the Japanese beat Bahrain 1-0 through a Mohamed Salmeen own-goal in a repeat of the 2004 Asian Championship semi-final. Coached by the Brazilian Zico, the team, who were under a enormous pressure, therefore kept their hopes alive of reaching the FIFA World Cup finals in Germany. The 2002 FIFA World Cup co-organisers had previously strolled through the first qualifying phase with six wins scoring 16 goals and conceding only one in the process.

Latest table and top scorers in Asia ...

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Africa:

Africa’s 52 nation strong football confederation CAF (Confederation Africaine de Football) will send five teams to the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. Qualifying comprises of five groups of six. The round began on 4 June 2004 and comes to an end on 9 October 2005. The turn of the new year marked the half-way stage of the African qualifying competition. With six matches already played up to 26 March, only one team – Morocco– has remained undefeated in the five groups. On the whole, the top favourites have hardly shown any weaknesses. South Africa have consolidated their leading position, as have the Ivory Coast. Group 4 has seen Nigeria replace Angola at as group leaders.

Group 1: The three horse race involving Senegal, Zambia and Togo, who are all equal on 13 points, is still on after the sixth round of group matches. Congo, Liberiaund Mali have squandered their chances. Senegal, conquerors of France at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, won 6-1 against Liberia. The favourites head the group due to a superior goal difference. Headlines were provided by unpleasant incidents taking place at other matches. Zambia were 2-0 up against Congo when a swarm of bees caused a mass panic amongst the 20,000 spectators in Chililabombwe Stadium. 18 people suffered minor injuries. Mali’s 2-1 win over Togo was on the verge of being abandoned after rioting broke out within the 50,000 crowd. Mali hooligans stormed the pitch after Cherif-Toure Mamam scored the winner for the guests in the 91st minute. Outbreaks of violence then continued in the town after the game. The wrath of the hooligans is thought to have been directed at their own team after the 2004 Africa Championship semi-finalists ruined their chances of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup.

Group 2: In addition to South Africa, who took over at the top of the group, three other teams – the Cape VerdeIslands, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo – all still have a chance of taking part in the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. Burkina Faso and Uganda are now out of the running. In spite of the 2-1 win over bottom team Uganda, South Africa, the hosts of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, were forced to recognise the fact that they weren’t yet firing on all cylinders. Cap Verde also had a narrow win in Burkina Faso, whilst the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana drew 1-1 in the match between the pursuers.

Group 3: The very tense group is headed by the Ivory Coast with a four point lead over Cameroon, Egypt and Libya. Sudan and Benin have already lost any chance of reaching the FIFA World Cup finals. Cameroon kept up their hopes of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup finals for a sixth time since 1982 with a 2-1 win against Sudan. The “untameable lions” – the new lion-tamer is the Portuguese coach Artur Jorge – have put in some quite moody performances in qualifying. Previously guided by the German Winfried Schäfer, they gave away important points in Libya, Egypt and Sudan. The Ivory Coast’s 3-0 defeat of Beninwas their fifth victory in six games. A group victory would lead to the West Africans, for whom Chelsea’s Didier Drogba scored two goals, being able to take part in the FIFA World Cup finals for the very first time. Egypt gave their first totally convincing performance in qualifying, when beating neighbours Libya 4-1. However, they only turned it on after falling behind seven minutes into the second half. Goals from star striker Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam from Tottenham Hotspur (55 mins), Emad Motab (56 and 80) as well as Ahmad Hassan Besiktas Istanbul (76) ensured victory.

Group 4: Nigeria are firmly on their way to the FIFA World Cup. Captained by Jay-Jay Okocha, the “Super Eagles" defeated Gabon 2-0 through late goals from Julius Aghahowa (79) and Nwankwo Kanu (81). Previous group leaders Angolawere handed their first defeat when losing 2-0 to Zimbabwe in Harare. Despite the victory, Zimbabwe are still five points adrift of Nigeria and only have a minimal chance of qualifying. The situation for Algeria, the one time African football power is even more hopeless. After their first win in the group, the North Africans are only placed fourth in the group.

Group 5: Top of the table Morocco remain undefeated They are four points ahead of Kenya and five in front of Tunisia, who have to play each other in a game previously postponed. Fourth-placed Guinea might still have a word to say about who qualifies for the FIFA World Cup finals, whilst Botswana and Malawi have missed the boat. African champions Tunisia easily disposed of the bottom team, who are without a win, 7- 0 in Tunis. Brazilian born, Francileudo Silva dos Santos Lima – 'Santos' – hit the back of the net four times (12, 52, 75 and 77 mins). Haykel Guemamdia (3), José Clayton (pen 60) – also Brazilian born – and Kaies Ghodhbane (80) also scored. African Championship runners-up Morocco won their important home game 1-0 against their closest rivals Guineawith a goal from SC Bastia’s Youssef Hadji (65). The closest of all possible results gave Kenya their third win in three home games in the match against Botswana. 20-year-old “wunderkind” Dennis Oliech scored the goal just before half-time that ensured victory

Fourth FIFA Anti-Discrimination Day on 24-26 June
3 June 2005
FIFA will hold this year's worldwide FIFA Anti-Discrimination Day in connection with the FIFA Confederations Cup Germany 2005 and the FIFA World Youth Championship Netherlands 2005 on 24-26 June. The event will be marked by activities designed to demonstrate a firm stance against racism, not only in football, but also in society in general.

Although rejection of any form of discrimination should apply all year round, the FIFA Anti-Discrimination Day gives the football family the opportunity to join together and amplify its voice in condemning this blight on society all around the world.

FIFA will dedicate both semi-finals of the FIFA Confederations Cup Germany 2005 on 25/26 June as well as the quarter-final matches of the FIFA World Youth Championship Netherlands 2005 on 24/25 June to a special activity on the pitch.

Before kick-off at those matches, both team captains will read a declaration condemning and rejecting discrimination in football and society and firmly saying 'no to racism'. The teams and the match officials will also pose jointly with a banner displaying the unequivocal 'Say No to Racism' message as part of the official pre-match protocol.

Given the large number of qualifying matches for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ taking place this month and their importance, FIFA has also encouraged its member associations to help spread this message worldwide by joining this action and adopting the same declaration by the captains and activities on the pitch at the occasion of their international matches in June.

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter said: "Racism is still rearing its ugly head in society and unfortunately, football is not immune to this scourge. Thankfully, we are not powerless against this blight. Sport – and especially football – has the unique ability to use its unifying power to combat social ills such as racism and violence, and FIFA, as the world governing body for football, is totally committed to taking steps to fight these pernicious trends not just on the pitch, but in society as well." In 2001, FIFA passed a resolution against discrimination

Argentina hoping to celebrate on day of debuts

The latest round of South American qualifying games kicks off on Saturday with four highly charged matches. Argentina will book their ticket if they win in Ecuador and Uruguay fail to beat Venezuela, while Peru and Chile's recently appointed coaches will be making their debuts against Colombia and Bolivia respectively.

Sunday's clash between Brazil and Paraguay will round off the weekend's matches before Tuesday and Wednesday bring the next round of games with the clash between eternal rivals Argentina and Brazil the highlight. After two years of gruelling competition, Jose Pekerman's Argentina could confirm qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ if they can pick up maximum points in a tricky game away to Luis Suarez's third-placed Ecuador, who are unbeaten so far at the Atahualpa Stadium in Quito.

The equation is a simple one: Argentina need the three points to guarantee at least a play-off spot against the winner of the Oceania Zone. Should they win and Uruguay only draw away to Venezuela, then the Albicelestes will be celebrating qualification for Germany 2006. "We're in a fairly comfortable position for sure, but we can't afford to be complacent. We'll wait until it's a mathematical certainty," Pekerman told FIFAworldcup.com. The omens would appear to be on the coach's side. Back in August 2001 Marcelo Bielsa's charges sealed their place at Korea/Japan 2002 with a victory in Quito.

STATISTICS

S. American Zone

Top Scorers
Player Goals
RONALDO(BRA) 9
CARDOZO Jose(PAR) 7
MORAN Ruberth(VEN) 5
MENDEZ Edison(ECU) 5
KAKA(BRA) 5
FORLAN Diego(URU) 5
CRESPO Hernan(ARG) 5
CHEVANTON Ernesto(URU) 5
BOTERO Joaquin(BOL) 5
SOLANO Nolberto(PER) 4
FARFAN Jefferson(PER) 4
VALENCIA Luis(ECU) 3
PINILLA Mauricio(CHI) 3
PAREDES Carlos(PAR) 3
FIGUEROA Luciano(ARG) 3
CASTILLO Jose(BOL) 3
ARANGO Juan(VEN) 3
AIMAR Pablo(ARG) 3
URDANETA Gabriel(VEN) 2
SOTO Jorge(PER) 2
SORIN Juan(ARG) 2
RONALDINHO(BRA) 2
PACHECO Victor(COL) 2
OVIEDO Frankie(COL) 2
NAVIA Reinaldo(CHI) 2
MIROSEVIC Milovan(CHI) 2
MENDOZA Andres(PER) 2
GUERRERO Jose(PER) 2
GRISALES Freddy(COL) 2
GAMARRA Carlos(PAR) 2
DELGADO Agustin(ECU) 2
DE LA CRUZ Ulises(ECU) 2
CRISTALDO Luis(BOL) 2
BUENO Carlos(URU) 2
AYOVI Marlon(ECU) 2
ANGEL Juan Pablo(COL) 2
ADRIANO(BRA) 2
ZANETTI Javier(ARG) 1
YEPES Mario(COL) 1
VILLARROEL Moises(CHI) 1
VIELMA Leonel(VEN) 1
VACA Joselito(BOL) 1
TENORIO Carlos(ECU) 1
SUAREZ Roger(BOL) 1
SAVIOLA Javier(ARG) 1
SANTACRUZ Roque(PAR) 1
SALAS Franklin(ECU) 1
ROSALES Mauro(ARG) 1
ROMERO Adrian(URU) 1
RODRIGUEZ Cristian(URU)1

Takahara called up for Japan

Naohiro Takahara yet has to wait for his holidays to begin. The striker of Hamburger SV forms part of the Japanese squad for the World Cup Qualifiers in Bahrain on June 3 and against North Korea in the Thai capital of Bangkok five days later.

The team of Brazilian coach Zico is currently in second place of Qualifying Group B, one point behind leaders Iran (7 points). Only the two best teams of each group qualify directly for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.