the other football

Inside Information from the Holland Camp

Should Uruguay beat Ghana, Holland could be an potential opponent for La Caleste.

My intrepid self worked my way into the Dutch Training Camp to secure an interview with the Mita the Tea Lady.  What's going on with the Dutch?

Gizza Song Supporter Series - Portugal

Another installment from our OTHER FOOTBALL Gizza Opinion, Gizza Song Supporter Series. 

I am asking supporters in South Africa to tell us about their team, how they think their team will do, and to share their song or chant with the world.

Each supporter(s) has a minute.  Portugal came with a duet, but failed to break into song.  It was all about the horn.

Gizza Song Supporter Series - Slovenia

More from our OTHER FOOTBALL Gizza Opinion, Gizza Song Supporter Series. 

I am asking supporters in South Africa to tell us about their team, how they think their team will do, and to share their song or chant with the world.

Each supporter(s) has a minute.  Slovenia, your turn. 

Our three Slovenes all concur.  It's all about team spirit.  They also reckon J.P. Morgan may have got his calculations wrong.

Turn it up full blast!

Gizza Song Supporter Series - Denmark

It's time for more of our OTHER FOOTBALL Gizza Opinion, Gizza Song Supporter Series. 

I am asking supporters in South Africa to tell us about their team, how they think their team will do, and to share their song or chant with the world.

Each supporter(s) has a minute.  Denmark, why are you here?

Michael's view is similar to that I have heard from Australians  He's not confident.  Denmark has aging players.  Denmark has injuries.  Michael belongs to the silly hat fraternity of football supporters.  Trust me, I would not have approached him were he donning a jester hat.  Maybe he will find some serious African headgear or a Makarapa while here.

And what do the judges think of Denmark's tune?

Las Vaqueras Inglés

Cape Town Ladies Looking for a Horse.  Ride 'em Cowboy!  Yeehaw!

I am not sure why these two local ladies choose to express their English affinities and affections by dressing up as the Waco Sisters in Cape Town tonight.  Perhaps it had something to do with their American opponents.  There are probably some things you are better off not understanding.  Nevertheless, there is an interesting story to tell about Cape Town folk and their loyalties.  I will try to break that down for y'all before too long. 

Gizza Song Supporter Series - Holland

Welcome to the OTHER FOOTBALL Gizza Opinion, Gizza Song Supporter Series. 

I am asking supporters in South Africa to tell us about their team, how they think their team will do, and to share their song or chant with the world.

Each supporter(s) has a minute.  Next up, Holland.  Here's Yentl, Veerle and Leonie.  I caught them moments before they tackled some Cape Town Sushi -- always good to see supporters doing their research on Group opponents. 

The ladies were supremely confident of Holland winning the World Cup.  For Leonie it was all about the attack.  Poor Veerle got a little stage fright.  And Yentl showed herself to be a prodigious historian.   

Dank u, dames. Je bent mooi. Het was heel vriendelijk van u een minuut van je tijd met mij te delen.

Andoni Goikoetoxea the Butcher of Bilbao

The man who broke Maradona's ankle.

Who Will Forget The Captain is Black?

The odious John Terry has been relieved of his duties.  There was always something wrong about a character like John Terry lifting the World Cup in South Africa. Fabio Capello has reportedly chosen Rio Ferdinand to replace him.  A Black England Captain leading the Three Lions in Africa!  If Captain Rio lifts the World Cup, who will "forget" he is black?

Organising Commitee Comes Correct

Move over, Heidi.  Johnny Clegg coming.

The FIFA Organising Committee came correct today.  The decision to base the procedure for the Final Draw of the 2010 World Cup on the October 2009 World Ranking is a good one.  The ranking system was raw, but now it is refined and provides a rather useful way to measure the relative successes and failures of the world's footballing nations.

South Africa will be joined by Brazil, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Argentina and England as the seeded teams in Pot 1.

The other 24 teams will be divided into the 3 pots, each with 8 teams.

Pot 2 will consist of teams from Asia (Australia, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Republic), North, Central America and the Caribbean (Honduras, Mexico, USA) and Oceania (New Zealand)

Pot 3 will include teams from Africa (Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria) and South America (Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay)

Pot 4 will contain the remaining European teams (Denmark, France, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland)

South Africa will be automatically positioned in Group A; the other seeded teams will be drawn into the other groups B-H.

Geographical criteria will also accounted for, ensuring no two teams from the same confederation will be drawn in the same group (except European teams, where a maximum of two will be in a group).

Bring it on.

That Other Hand Ball

Mature Swiss

The Swiss promised this for decades.  The Franco-German-Italiano mix was supposed to produce the perfect football blend.  It never happened.  But throw in a few Albanians, Bosnians, Croats and Serbs, a Chilean, a Congolese, a Ghanaian, a Portuguese, a Tunisian and maybe even the odd Mongolian and hey presto, Switzerland win the U17 World Cup.

Props to the players for their great post match celebration.  They were not afraid of Nigeria and not afraid to give their bald coach a slap. 

The Black Princes of England

England for the Cup?

Check out my piece "The Black Princes of England" on the South African football blog, Football is Coming Home.

Here's an excerpt..."The names of Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney have been written and will be ubiquitous in replica, official and illicit. Yet, such larger than life names cannot conceal a new England reality. England’s conquering football Princes promise to be black, mostly. It is this remarkable contribution from the African Diaspora that will soon transpose itself from the back page columns and blogs to the front-page consciousness of England."

Catholics, Communists and Hat-Tricks

While looking for a picture of Donal Leahy I ran into a fascinating paper on the match between the Repulic of Ireland and Yugoslavia in 1955 by Conor McCabe of the Dublin Opinion blog.  The paper first appeared in Football Studies 11, 1 (2008) and is based on a paper which was presented at the 2005 Irish Sport History Conference.

You can find the paper on the Irish Left Review website.

Here's an excerpt,

"The controversy, however, reveals a clash between classes and culture in 1950s Ireland, rather than one between politics or ideology. This is not to say that 1950s Ireland was bereft of clashes over politics or ideology, but that the Ireland v Yugoslavia game became a protest against an attempt by the dominant Irish conservative forces to interfere with the most popular cultural activity of working class Dublin, rather than one energised by a desire on the part of the working class to confront the government, the Catholic Church, or the permanent secretaries of the Irish civil service. The game also provides an entry into Irish working class life – an area often neglected by Irish historians, and one with a culture that, on this occasion at least, found itself in uneasy conflict with the Irish establishment."

Check it out and give props to Conor McCabe for his cracking research.

Back from the Brink

Apologies for the October break in service. 

I have been back on loan as a player-coach at FC Scouserville, the home town club. 

The fine red wine of 2009 has been having a deleterious effect on the old man.  It required a Wengeresque regime importing cheap young green grapes, supplemented by lashings of Vitamin B Compound and the occasional Catalan quaff during a friendly in Alghero, before returning him to agreeable bog standard beers and stouts.  He is finishing his dinners again, picking winners and reminiscing about growing up in Cork with Donal Leahy of Evergreen United. 

I managed to re read Paul McGrath's "Back from the Brink" during this time.  The book was given to me old china, Mr. Maurice Behan, noted Guinness and Spurs connoisseur of Boston, Massachusetts.  If you are ever in Boston and want to rap about the Spurs and the Boys in Green, drop by The Field in Cambridge.

Qualify or Crucify

Croatia have qualified for three successive World Cups since Independence, reaching the Semi Final in 1998.  It's a remarkable record for a nation of 4 Million.  It could be about to end.  

Croatia may have been resurgent under Slaven Bilić, qualifying emphatically for the EURO 2008 tournament, pimping McClaren's England along the way, but 2007-8 was a long time ago.  Croatia seem not to have recovered from Eduardo's broken leg and losing on penalties to Turkey in the EURO 2008 quarter final in Vienna.

Qualification is no longer in Croatia's hands.  Although Croatians can be quietly confident of England issuing a beating to Ukraine, Croatia may be less sure of themselves in their "must win" in Kazakhstan or advancing beyond the 2nd place playoff where they could face France, Germany or Russia, or even Bosnia-Herzegovina.  The latter would be an intriguing fixture to say the least.

The Bosniaks would be as formidable an opponent as any Croatia could face.  Bosnia-Herzegovina are managed by Miroslav "Ćiro" Blažević (the Bosnian Croat who took Croatia to France in '98).  Ćiro is a charismatic elder with shades of Bill Shankly.  One or two words and one suspects he could create chaos in the minds of the Croatians.  One or two passes and one can be sure Dzeko and Mismiovic will create chaos for the Croatians.  

The hype surrounding such a fixture would be of a Honduran-Salvadoran nature.  War will not be declared, but brawls could be commonplace.  Mostar may not be the best place to watch the match.

Croatia's best hope for reaching South Africa maybe a playoff against the likes of the Irish, Israelis or Latvians.  And then what?  Can Slaven Bilić inspire the always faithful to glory or will Croatia finish another disappointing 3rd in their group? 

Football has proved to be a more crucial adhesive than Catholicism for the Croatian nation.  Former President Franjo Tuđman once declared that "football victories shape a nation’s identity as much as wars." 

Failure to qualify may send swarms of checkered-shirted Croatians back to church next summer, preferring sermons from their priests over Bosniak and Serbian performances on the pitches of South Africa. 

Safari for Shevchenko?

 

(So to Group 6.  Andorra and Kazakhstan will not feature here.  Andorra belong in a preliminary stage, as discussed earlier.  And Kazakhstan are better served keeping Australia company.  Belarus will return as a more dangerous dark horse in qualification for Brazil 2014.)

Ukraine are two points behind Croatia, but have a game in hand and finish their campaign in Andorra.  Pre-Capello conventional wisdom would have pointed to an already qualified England getting turned over in Dnepropetrovsk in October.  An England win will not be the surprise it once would have been.  Ukraine will probably have to rely on the Kazaks keeping the Croats quiet in Astana on October 14.  Goal difference favours Ukraine.

Ukraine were the deeply disappointing dark horses of the last World Cup.  Group results suggest Ukraine have regressed.  Would you trust a Shevchenko retread for a South African safari?

One could, however, argue the recent success of Ukraine's club sides could provide the platform for a resurgence.  Shakhtar Donetsk were worthy winners of the last UEFA Cup.  Unfortunately for Ukraine, Fernandinho, Jadson, Ilsinho, Luiz Adriano, Willan, and Leonardo don't have blue and gold passports.

Youth offers a more promising solution.  Ukraine were deserved winners of the European U19 championships.   Is now the time to introduce the kids?

Kryvtsov and Partsvaniya are imposing central defenders.  Kyrylo Petrov is a rare defensive midfield talent.  But Ukraine's problems are not defensive.  Only 6 goals have been conceded in qualifying.  And if the enormous transfer fees paid by Barcelona and Bayern for Chigrinsky and Tymoschuk, respectively, are any indication, Ukraine already possess two of the better central defenders and defensive midfielders in Europe.

Things may get more interesting for England and Ukraine if Shevchenko and Voronin look over and see Garmash and Korkishko warming on the touchline.

That Best Banks Goal

Argentina in Good Company

 

Papers, podcasts and blogs are full of the demise of Argentina.  Maradona makes good press.  His Anglo detractors remain bitter.  The Argentine domestic game is bankrupt.  Yet, despite the noise, Argentina remain poised to qualify.  The competition in South America is stale.  A home win against lowly Peru should almost certainly seal their South Atlantic passage.

Argentina's poor form has somehow detracted attention from the potential problems of Europe's marquee performers.

It may not be so obvious yet, except in the case of France, but Germany and Italy are also not yet assured of group success, and other notables such as Portugal have been missing in action.  Germany and Italy may currently lead their respective groups, but both nations are responsible for some seriously disjointed football and a second place playoff remains a possibility for all three European football superpowers.  Argentina is in good company.

Meanwhile, Africa's Black Stars are shining bright, her Elephants are thundering South, her Indomitable Lions have been aroused and are hungry again, and her Desert Foxes have are executing an cunning plan.

Principalities, Rocky Outcrops, and Tax Shelters

(Pictured above: Zaire, Africa's only representatives in the 1974 World Cup finals.)

Thirteen European nations will materialize in South Africa in 2010.  Many deservedly so.  Only five African nations will join them.  I expect after the performances of Africa's representatives, demand for a fairer apportioning of places in future World Cups will be irresistible and undeniable.

The fat is in the UEFA zone, as are the bigger television audiences and mobile credit card carrying supporters.  Trimming UEFA representation in future World Cups could be a gristly experience.  Asia and the Americas have sound claims also.

Less can mean more. 

Europe's contenders add class to the tournament, but we can be less sure of their second tier cousins, composed as they all too often are of cross-country runners and wrestlers masquerading as footballers.

I cannot be alone in being underwhelmed at the prospect of seeing another second rate European team trundle out of the group stages, before ultimately caving in to a predictable 3-0 knock out stage defeat, afraid of their own shadows. 

If Europe's qualification process is more competitive, it follows the calibre of Europe's entrants will be higher. Reducing Europe's quotient from 13 to 10 should produce a more dynamic and entertaining brand of football from the Europeans.

UEFA has 53 members.  Extricating 13 qualifiers from 53 is a confusing and cumbersome process:  9 Group Winners. 8 2nd place teams advancing.  Results against the 8 worst teams in the 8 Groups that contain 6 teams annulled.  Decisions over how the 8 2nd place team engage each other held over, pending a executive committee decision.  And all this to hand places to packs of under performing, overpaid, prefer to play for their club, pouting professionals.

The solution is simple. 

UEFA must act like other federations.  Preliminary match-ups are well established for small Central and South American and Caribbean nations, Pacific Island nations, as well as Asian and African nations.  Exciting, well balanced two-leg fixtures herald the beginning of the tournament in far flung corners of the world.  UEFA's principalities, rocky outcrops and tax shelters need not be any different.

A series of pre-group home and away match-ups between the lowest ranking European nations can simplify UEFA's qualification calculation and still provide a deserving level of competitive football for those supporters in Europe's more quaint dominions.

How would work this work?

Europe's group stage must begin with 50 teams.  UEFA can then draw 10 groups of 5, with 10 Group winners advancing.  A group stage structured as such would reduce per group qualifying fixtures from 10 to 8 and eliminate the second place two-game playoff.  UEFA and FIFA would secure a valuable chit in club versus country tensions.  Creative placement of fixtures can maintain television income.  Less dead rubber fixtures will be appreciated by players, supporters and viewers alike.  And the lower ranking teams (who have the history of the occasional upset) will find their efforts more concentrated with the potential for greater reward in groups containing 5 rather 6 teams.

So how does UEFA get to 50? 

At first glance, it would seem easy to pair up UEFA's 6 lowest ranking teams in three home and away fixtures, with the three winners joining the Group stage.  It would be unfair, however, to let, for example, San Marino (currently UEFA's lowest ranking nation at 203rd) have their World Cup end after just one two-legged fixture.

Two pre-group stages involving UEFA's 12 lowest ranked teams looks to be a more equitable approach.  Using current rankings as a reference, the following competitive fixtures could be structured, with the winners advancing to the Group stage and the six respective losers gaining a another chance through a second round series of match-ups.

Montenegro (96) v San Marino (203)
Georgia (103) v Andorra (195)
Estonia (112) v Faroe Islands (163)
Luxembourg (119) v Liechenstein (150)
Armenia (123) v Malta (146)
Kazakhstan (130) v Azerbaijan (137)

Only one of the above fixtures looks a mismatch and that is because Montenegro (new to UEFA) have an artificially low ranking.  The others look mouth-watering and well-matched affairs, though I would only fancy the Faroe Islands to upset the odds.

Taking the above example further.  I would expect Montenegro, Georgia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Armenia and Kazakstan to advance.  This would generate the following second round series of fixtures. 

Estonia (112) v San Marino (203)
Azerbaijan (137) v Andorra (195)
Malta (146) v Liechenstein (163)

From the above, I would expect San Marino, Andorra and Liechenstein to go out, though I am confident each side would have given a good account of themselves and their supporters been appropriately indulged with competitive, meaningful fixtures.

The rest you can figure out for yourselves.  The top ten ranked European teams would avoid each other in the new draw (as they have largely done anyway), but with second place meaningless, the prospect for more appealing and edgy fixtures would multiply.

How FIFA could best redirect those 3 places between Africa, Asia and the Americas can be the subject of a whole other football anorak discussion.

Fixtures in the Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands have no chance of qualification, but they have as always given a good account of themselves.  They may have only secured 1 point in a draw against Austria, but in conceding only 8 goals, they have proven to be viable opposition.

It would easy to dismiss the contribution of the Faroes in this and recent campaigns.  The Faroe Islands do not even merit a footnote in most World Cup blogs.  Many casual observers of the European game see the inclusion of small nations such as the Faroes Islands as an irritant, a disruption to the seemingly more important business that goes on between football's grandees.

I respectfully disagree.  I am of the opinion that European football is richer because of away fixtures in places like Toftir and Tórshavn.  The Faroe Islands played their first competitive international in Sweden because they were no compliant grass pitches on the islands.  That was only in 1990.  Now powerful football nations like France go to the Faroes and are lucky to come away with a 1-0 win.  (It is noteworthy most of Faroese squad remain home based players, with only a sprinkling of professionals plying their trade in Denmark.  22 year old reserve keeper, Gunnar Nielsen, is on Manchester City's books.)

The Faroe Islands are proof positive of the power of football to be a great leveler.  Nothing can be more leveling than an icy cold draft up a player's shorts waiting for kick-off on a patch of Faroese grass while being casually observed by a flock of sheep from a craggy hill above.

*Above is the first photograph taken in 1909 of a football match on the Faroe Islands.

(NB: My support for first class fixtures in the Faroe Islands does not diminish my view that UEFA is oversubscribed to FIFA's World Cup Finals.  I will propose how best to trim the UEFA quotient in my next post.)

Serbian Surf

There are few teams in Europe who have been as consistent in qualification as Serbia.  Only one defeat, away in Paris.  Serbia have won every one of their other fixtures.

Serbia are virtually assured of advancing, and with two home fixtures to come they should be confident of qualifying as Group 7 winners.  France can change that calculation, but the French seem strangely content to wait for Laurent Blanc.

Serbia are not expected to be serious contenders in South Africa.  Recent devotees of the game will quickly reference their 6-0 demolition by Argentina in 2006 as proof of their being the poor man of Europe. 

But the Serbs are perennial dark horses for a reason.  The Danubian School may provide a nice bit of historical multi-media for football commentators, but the Serbs differ from most of their up river neighbours in their application, passion and the passing on of proven partizan techniques to subsequent generations.

Serbia (like the former Yugoslavia) may not provide fashionable performers a la Ronaldo, but they are always a well cut outfit with a penchant for the occasional dab of flair.  Always in the top ten of the charts. 

We hope not to miss the French Nouvelle Vague, but if you're in Durban next summer, you may run into some Serbian surf.  The blond dude on the surfboard will be Miloš Krasić.  Watch out.

No Hope for Lithuania?

Lithuania began well beating Romania 3-0 and Austria 2-0.  The dream of qualification seemed possible until they were swept away by Serbia’s nouvelle vague.  Three straight 1-0 defeats home and away to France and at home to Romania have probably ended Lithuania’s South African aspirations.

But as long as Raymond Domenech is the coach of France, Lithuania (like Austria and Romania) continue to hope.  If the stars are not aligned to Raymond's liking and France fail to get points from their September fixtures against Romania and Serbia, Lithuania could find themselves will it all to play for in October.  Serbia may provide an accommodating final fixture opponent.

Jose Couceiro, Lithuania's journeyman Portuguese coach, will be sure to take his upcoming trip to Toftir seriously.  He will need all of his violins.

Stand and Deliver

It would be too easy to slot Romania’s Adrian Mutu straight into the “Players Who Won’t Be Missed” in South Africa category. Chelsea.  Cocaine.  It’s classic modern day football material.  


But FICH's "Players Who Won’t Be Missed" in South Africa series has standards. It has to be choc-full of highly annoying characters. To be included one must be convinced that a player’s presence - despite the potential for individual moments of brilliance - would sour the South Africa experience.

The recent decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that Mutu must pay Chelsea 17 Million Euros (the transfer fee Chelsea wrote off when they terminated his contract in 2004 for cocaine use) has somewhat transformed the player into a victim. The sympathies of the football blogosphere seem to be with him.

Still, the millions Mutu owes or does not owe Chelsea is a subtext the South African World Cup can do without. So Mutu makes the squad, just. First change for Berbatov.

Romania has an almost impossible task ahead.  Trips to Paris and Belgrade should end their qualification hopes. Mutu will not be missed. Romanians who care can catch him next summer on re run editions of Romania’s Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Sympathetic football bloggers can cheer for him at the European Court for Human Rights.  

Loose Cocks on the Veld

Somehow or other France managed to lose their opening qualifier 3-1 in Vienna.  (This to the very same Austria who then went to Lithuania and the Faroe Islands on tour with Megadeath.  The Austrians came home with only one point, but they make great party and met lots of pretty blond girls.)  France has since only dropped two points, the result of a hard fought draw in Romania. Some would say a point gained.  A 2-1 home win over Serbia was followed by two dour 1-0 home and away wins against Lithuania. Last week, France won 1-0 in Tórshavn in a game that could have been mistaken for a new age spiritualist retreat.  Readers may begin to see a pattern developing here.  Extracting thirteen qualifiers from this UEFA lot is not pretty. Even the French have become ugly.

FIFA’s website tends to accentuate the positive with respect to the current French outfit, noting their “potential” while reminding readers that “France has always enjoyed a more cyclical relationship with success”.  We too could wax lyrical on the great goalscoring record of Just Fontaine, the “magic diamond” of Tigana, Fernandez, Giresse and Platini, as well as the champion achievements of Blanc, Desailly, Deschamps, Djorkaeff, Thuram, Zidane and Co. Thankfully, there is a more compelling story than the failure of a flaky French coach to harness France’s nouvelle vague.  It is the story of the players themselves. 

If France can advance to and from the 2^nd place playoff, then at the least the World Cup may have interesting French players, if not interesting French football.  It is unfortunate the French nouvelle vague has to contend with an oil slick of management and sulky debris.  South Africa will be richer if the migrant stories of Benzema, Ben Afra, and Nasir are woven into the tournament.  We hope to to be able to share those stories here, though Football is Coming Home's "Players Who Won't Be Missed" series may soon have a sulky French flavour.

I am Hans Krankl

I am reminded of an Austrian story from the 1994 World Cup.  Austria did not qualify, but this did not stop intrepid Austrians from traveling to remote corners of America, like Foxboro, Massachusetts, to follow the World Cup.

Friends of mine boarded a train in Boston only to find half a dozen worldly Austrians also heading to Foxboro to support Nigeria.  My friends were looking forward to securing various Nigerian paraphernalia to show their support for the African nation.  Flags, scarves, rattles.  The usual football fare. 

The Austrians, however, had already taken it to a whole other level and in a way that only Austrians can.  Fuzzy wigs, blackened faces and fake bones clipped on to their noses.  Apparently, they really thought they were being funny.  They just didn't get it.  You just can't make this stuff up.

If Austria don't qualify, South Africa will be spared the lederhosen experience, but officials at Oliver Tambo International should be on high alert and be sure to examine the suitcases of visiting Austrians very carefully.