European Club Forum HatTrick programme 08 UEFA mourns ...

LégendeLégendeLégende LégeLégende LégeLégendeLégendeLégende LégeLégende LégeLégendeLégendeEuropean Club ForumLégende LégeLégende LégeLégendeLégende???????????????The clubs have their say???????????????The participants – led byJean Fournet-Fayard – head intothe congress centre.MIGUEL RUIZTHE “PLANET FÚTBOL” INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL FAIR PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITYFOR THE EUROPEAN CLUB FORUM TO HOLD ITS FIRST MEETINGOF THE YEAR AT THE PALACIO DE CONGRESOS IN BARCELONA ON 16 AND 17 FEBRUARY.Most of the 102 clubs whichbelong to this body attended themeeting, at which several topical matterswere discussed, including theUEFA club licensing system, which,starting with the 2004/05 season, willdetermine whether a club can takepart in the UEFA club competitions.Clubs will no longer be able to qualifyon sporting merit alone, but will alsohave to have been granted a UEFAapprovedlicence by their nationalassociation (or league).All 52 UEFA member associationshave submitted their clublicensing manuals and been accreditedby UEFA. By 31 May, the associationsnow have to provide UEFA witha list of licence-holding clubs. UEFAwill carry out selective checks withincertain national associations to makesure that the clubs fulfil all thecriteria. These associations will beselected by means of a draw, in additionto which the CEO will have theright to request additional checks.If, as a result, a club is refused accessto the UEFA competitions, it can bereplaced by another club from thesame association, provided, of course,that the replacement club has beenproperly licensed.New UEFA Cup formatThe Forum was also informedabout the conclusions and proposalsof a working group led by Roger VandenStock, Vice-Chairman of the ClubCompetitions Committee, whichwas set up to look into the running,marketing and enhancement of thenew UEFA Cup, which will be playedwith a mixed format of groupmatches and direct knock-out, asdecided by the UEFA ExecutiveCommittee last July. The meetingthen broke into four groups (basedon UEFA’s national associationcoefficient rankings) to discuss differenttopics regarding the newformat. The conclusions of thosediscussions were then summarisedin plenary session by the Forum’sChairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge(FC Bayern Munich).In terms of the competitionformat itself, the Forum fully supportedthe conclusions and proposalsof the working group. Subjectto the approval of the ExecutiveCommittee in March, three geographicalgroups will be formed for00 03

The Forumin plenarysession.Karl-HeinzRummenigge,Chairman ofthe EuropeanClub Forum.Lars-Christer Olsson introducedthe discussion on relations withthe national teams.the draw for the qualifying roundand group matches, the order ofwhich will be determined by groupposition, as in the UEFA ChampionsLeague. The home club will be ableto set the kick-off time for the firstthree match days. Then, to safeguardthe integrity of the competition,matches on the last two match dayswill be played simultaneously, overtwo days.In order to enhance thevalue of the competition, all the discussiongroups agreed that the UEFACup needed to be re-branded centrallyand boosted by a strong visualidentity in the stadiums, to make thecompetition instantly recognisable.This re-branding should be financedfrom sponsorship.In contrast, the idea of centralmarketing as from the quarterfinalsdid not meet with unanimoussupport, mainly because of the problemsit could cause with contractsstill in force.In the end, the Forumagreed with its chairman, who proposedthat the first two seasonsunder the new format should beused to observe, leaving it up to theclubs to market their own matches,and that an evaluation should thenbe carried out before deciding howto proceed.Relations with the national teamsOn the second day of itsmeeting, the Forum considered itscomposition for the 2004–2006period. The member clubs will againbe selected on the basis of the UEFAcoefficients. The corresponding listwill be compiled at the end of May.The Board will continue to consist of11 members, each of a different04 uefadirect 4.04

Groupdiscussion.Thetoptable.nationality, four of whom will alsosit on the Club Competitions Committee.Whereas the Board memberswere appointed on the basis of theclub coefficients for the Forum’s firstterm, this time it will be up to thefour groups to elect Board representativesin September. While it is theclubs that are represented in theForum, Board members are expectedto represent the body as a whole,for the sake of the continuity of itswork. The new Board will elect itsown chairman and three vice-chairmenin September.In the case of both theForum and the Board, terms are fortwo years. The Forum is requiredto meet at least twice a year, and theBoard at least four times.Following a presentation byUEFA Chief Executive Lars-ChristerOlsson, attention turned to nationalteam-relatedissues, including thequestion of financial compensationto clubs for releasing players fornational-team duty for the major internationaltournaments (World Cupand continental championship). Onthis point, the Forum was unanimous,stressing its desire to continue tosupport national-team football, butfeeling that the current situationinconvenienced the clubs and callingfor a solution to be found as quicklyas possible which would make “thewhole football family happy, eventhe clubs,” to quote Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.The same unanimityreigned in respect of any idea tointroduce salary caps. The clubs hadfaith in the laws of the market, andwere also counting on the UEFA clublicensing system to control thesituation.The Forum came out even morestrongly against any involvement in aClub World Championship, despite thefact that it had now been incorporatedinto the FIFA Statutes. The clubs felt thatthere was absolutely no room in thecongested match calendar for such acompetition which, moreover, wouldbe in total contradiction with the recentreduction in the number of UEFA ChampionsLeague matches.Lars-Christer Olssonand Karl-Heinz Rummeniggevisit the fair.The clubs clearly appreciatethis platform for expressing themselvesfreely and making their views and suggestionsknown to UEFA. They thereforewelcomed the idea put forward bythe UEFA Chief Executive of setting upa new UEFA body, in which representativesof the Executive Committee, thenational associations, the professionalleagues and the clubs could processmultilateral problems directly.International football fairAfter the Forum, the participants visited the “Planet Fútbol” internationalfootball fair next door on its opening day.Taking place for the third time, after Barcelona in February 2002and Madrid in March 2003, this vast one-week fair covers the wholefootball environment. The Spanish FA had a stand devoted to fair play,and the big clubs were there too, as were suppliers of equipment andtraining apparatus, the media and other football-related businesses.Mini-pitches gave visitors the opportunity to play a bit of football orfutsal and to test their skills. The fair also includes seminars, and thisyear a management course was organised for the directors of professionalfootball clubs. Visits from top players and special matches, suchas a senior international match between Spain and Peru (2-1), addedto the popularity of the event.PHOTOS: MIGUEL RUIZ00 05

UEFAThe Forumparticipants.AFP/EMMERTSPORTIMAGE/PRESSE SPORTSMany WorldCup goalswere scoredfromset pieces.Women’s footballNational coaches’ forumON 12 FEBRUARY, THE LEADING COACHES IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL MET AT THE HOUSEOF EUROPEAN FOOTBALL IN NYON.The coaches included TinaTheune-Meyer, who led Germanyto the FIFA Women’s World Cup titlelast year, French coach ElisabethLoisel, Hope Powell from England,Italian coach Carolina Morace andRussia’s Yury Bystritskiy. UEFATechnical Director Andy Roxburghchaired the meeting, with KarenEspelund also involved in the discussions.Subjects covered during theproductive afternoon included areview of last year’s FIFA Women’sWomen’s club footballis firmly establishedin some countries,like Sweden(a Svenska Cup tiebetween Djurgarden/Alvsjöand Umea).BILDBYRANWorld Cup, how standards can beraised within the European women’sgame, the future organisation ofUEFA’s women’s competitions anda look at the evolving tactical trendswithin the women’s game.The coaches felt that theWorld Cup had been an excellentadvert for the women’s game,reflecting particularly well onthe European representatives. Bothfinalists came from Europe – Germanydefeating Sweden thanks toa golden goal.It was felt that the top Europeancountries in women’s footballwere benefiting from having strong,well-organised domestic clubstructures, and that this shouldset an example for other countriesto follow. The elite centrerun by the French FootballFederation was cited as a successfulexample of coachingand developing theskills of young femaleplayers. The fruits ofthis were borne inLeipzig in July 2003when France wonthe UEFA Women’sUnder-19 Championshipin some style.UEFA was encouragedto place continualemphasis on marketingand promotion of thewomen’s game andto bring coaches andcoach educatorstogether for regularseminars. Welltrainedcoacheswould producequality women footballers, andefforts should be stepped up toencourage players to becomequalified coaches so they couldpass on their experience to futuregenerations.Some of the top coachesexpressed support for the abolitionof the two strength pools adoptedin European Women’s Championshipqualifying phases, to give morecountries the chance of measuringthemselves at the highest level.Others urged UEFA to considerlaunching a girls’ Under-17 Championshipat some stage in the futureto run alongside the EuropeanWomen’s Under-19 Championship.From a tactical point of view,the fact that more than a third ofthe goals in the last Women’s WorldCup came from set-piece situationshighlighted better delivery of theball, while heading has improveddramatically, together with the standardof goalkeeping at the top level.Skills have progressed at a rapidpace over the last four years.Summarising, UEFA ChiefExecutive Lars-Christer Olssonbelieved that the future developmentof football lies in the national associationsinvesting in the grassrootsof the women’s game. “Women’sfootball has come a long way overthe years, and is now beingaccepted on its own merits – it hasits own appeal,” he said. “It is importantthat we build from the ground,and each country has to investin its basic structures to make thewomen’s game sustainable in thefuture, and to make it possible forUEFA to develop our competitions.”06 uefadirect 4.04

Portugalwon thecompetitionin 2003.The Gaston Petitstadium inChâteauroux,where the finalwill beplayed in 2004.UEFAFFFUnder-17final roundNumerous eventsA MONTH BEFORE EURO 2004 IS HELD IN PORTUGAL IN JUNE, THE EYES OF EUROPEAN FOOTBALL WILL BE TURNED TOWARDSFRANCE, PARTICULARLY THE CENTRE REGION, WHICH WILL HOST THE 2004 EUROPEAN UNDER-17 CHAMPIONSHIP.Having gained tremendousexperience as hosts of previous internationaltournaments (1996 EuropeanUnder-18 Championship in Besan,con,1998 World Cup, 2003Confederations Cup),France was asked byUEFA to organise the3rd European Under-17Championship from4 to 15 May 2004. For nearly twoyears now, the logistical wheels havebeen turning, particularly at regionallevel, in an effort to ensure the eventis a success.The Centre Football Leaguemobilised the whole regional footballfamily to support its bid. And sincebeing selected, the energy put in hasgenerated a real surge of support andparticipation across the whole region.Around 200 people will be employedfull time throughout the tournament,with another 100 to 150 stationedin each stadium on match days. TheCentre Football League is devotingmore than 150 man-hours per week topreparations for the competition, notto mention the work being carried outby partner organisations.Clearly, numerous private andpublic bodies are affected by theevent. The Centre regional council,departmental councils and towncouncils as well as football clubs andassociations will make staff availableto help with organisational taskslinked to the reception of visitors,entertainment and security.As far as private firms areconcerned, at least four hotels andseveral caterers will provide accommodationand food, two transportcompanies will help the officials andteams get from A to B, the event isbeing promoted by a group of threefirms, while the marketing unitis assisted by around 20 companies.Young people, whether footballersor just spectators, will also beinvolved, with plenty of entertainmentto be provided by primary schools(55 classes in Blois on the openingday, 19 classes in Romorantin), secondaryschools and the TrainingCentre for Young Footballers (aged13 to 15), based in Châteauroux.Two months before the startof the competition, the local organisingcommittee is now in a muchmore intensive phase of preparation.Having visited the venues inDecember and again in earlyFebruary, representatives ofUEFA and the French FootballFederation have seen the current stateof progress for themselves.Seven stadiums have beenchosen to stage the matchesbetween the eight finalists: GroupA games (with France the topseeds) will be played inAmboise, Blois and Romorantin, whileGroup B matches will take place inAvoine, Tours and Saint-Cyr sur l’Oire.The semi-finals will be played in Toursand Blois, with the final in Châteaurouxon Saturday 15 May.The next major event, whichwill properly launch the competition,will be the draw, to be held on Friday2 April in the Château de Blois, morespecifically in the “Salle des EtatsGénéraux” (States General Hall), fromwhere the complaints of theFrench people were dispatchedto Louis XVI in 1789.Yann Le GuillardFrance will try to doas well on home groundas they did in 2002,when they reached the final.UEFA07

TheAssistanceProgrammesCommitteemeetingin Nyonin February.UEFAUEFAAssistanceprogrammesUnder the “HatTrick” bannerACCORDING TO ITS STATUTES, UEFA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROMOTING FOOTBALL IN EUROPE, A TASK WHICH REQUIRES NOT ONLYA SUITABLE STRUCTURE AND SPECIFIC EXPERTISE, BUT FINANCIAL RESOURCES AS WELL.EMPICSUEFA draws most of itsincome from two of its competitions:the European Championship finalsinvolving national teams, and the UEFAChampions League for clubs. It isonly fair that the participants in thesetwo competitions should benefitmost from the income they generate.For example, the clubs involved inthe 2002/03 UEFA Champions Leagueshared more than CHF 820 millionbetween them; the 16 participantsin EURO 2004 in Portugal will receivea total of CHF 200 million in prizemoney.In accordance with the solidarityprinciple adopted by UEFA,money from these competitions alsohelps the other national associations,Stadium constructionprojects can benefit fromthe HatTrick programme.leagues and clubs. As far as thenational associations are concerned,UEFA’s primary concern has beento help those with the most urgentneeds, with funds poured into theEast European Assistance Bureau(EEAB) between 1994 and 2003. In2000, an additional programme waslaunched, this time open to allmember associations: the Kioskprogramme provided assistance toenable them to carry out specificprojects.Four-year planDelegates at the 2003Rome Congress wereinformed about a newprogramme, HatTrick,also aimed at all the national associationsand replacing both the EEABand Kiosk. This programme waslaunched in August 2003 and will rununtil 2008. It aims to assist UEFA’smember associations with the fundingof projects designed to developand improve football infrastructuresin general.HatTrick has three mainelements:● direct financial support in theform of one-off grants;● payments for the construction ofmini-pitches as part of the UEFAGolden Jubilee celebrations;● assistance with training.Enhancing infrastructureEach association is entitled toa one-off grant of up to CHF 2.5 million.In order to apply, the associationmust submit to UEFA a project involvingstadium construction or renovation,pitch installation or the developmentof training centres or administrativeoffices for the association; inshort, any project designed to enhancefootball infrastructures. In principle,these projects should be new, sinceprojects that have already been completedand paid for cannot be fundedretroactively; if they are worth lessthan CHF 2.5 million, the nationalassociation concerned may submit upto five projects in all.08 uefadirect 4.04

SPORTIMAGESPORTIMAGEBONGARTSBONGARTSThe UEFA ChampionsLeague (FC Portovs Manchester United)and the EuropeanChampionship (Sloveniavs France qualifier)are UEFA’s two mainsources of revenue.Once they have been examinedby the UEFA administration’sAssistance Programmes Unit, theprojects are submitted for approvalto the HatTrick Board, which comprisesthree Executive Committeemembers (Mathieu Sprengers, Chairman,Marios Lefkaritis and GeoffreyThompson) and three UEFA directors.If approved, the project can belaunched under the supervision ofthe Assistance Programmes Unit.UEFA may transfer the funds in onego or in several instalments, dependingon the nature of the project.It always gives the money to thenational association rather than to thecompanies carrying out the work orsuppliers.By the end of February,projects from eight associations hadbeen approved.Other forms of assistanceAs well as the HatTrick programme,UEFA’s assistance policy isbased on two other initiatives:● the Meridian project, which involvescollaboration with the Africanconfederation (CAF) and has threeelements: the Meridian Cup forfootballers aged under 17 in the twocontinents, direct assistance totwo African national associations(currently Ethiopia and the CentralAfrican Republic) and partnershipsbetween CAF and UEFA nationalassociations;● the charity portfolio: the finesimposed by the UEFA disciplinarybodies in relation to Europeancompetitions (which can exceedCHF 3 million per season) are usedto support football-related charitableprojects.●●●Football Against Racism inEurope (FARE), a network seekingto remove racism from Europeanstadiums;Danish Open Fun Football, aDanish project aiming to improvepeaceful relations betweenchildren in the Balkans and theCaucasus;International Committee ofthe Red Cross (ICRC), whichreceives support from UEFA forprogrammes such as its campaignagainst antipersonnelmines (manufacture of artificiallimbs to facilitate the practiceof sport, for example) or the“Let us play” campaign to protectchildren in countries at war,launched in conjunction withEURO 2004.SolidaritypaymentsUEFA has earmarked morethan CHF 400 million for itsmember associations over the2004–08 period. As well as theHatTrick programme, its associationswill each receive anannual basic solidarity paymentof CHF 500,000.An additional CHF 250,000will be paid, also each year,for the implementation of theclub licensing system; thesame amount (CHF 250,000)will be given to fund the participationof national teams inyouth and women’s competitions(less for associationswhich are not represented in allthe UEFA competitions).The UEFA charity portfolio iscomposed of the following organisations:● Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia(SOEE), which promotes sport forpeople with learning disabilities;At its annual gala inMonaco, UEFA also donates a chequefor CHF 1 million to a charity,which may or may not be part of itsportfolio.The Meridian Cupwas launched in 1997,when the firsttournament took placein Portugal (Spainvs Nigeria in the final).AFP/COTRIM09

UEFAA proudmoment forJacques Georgeswhen hepresented theHenri DelaunayCup to MichelPlatini in 1984(below).SABEAt the ParisCongressafter he hadbeenconfirmedas UEFA’spresident.UEFA in mourningDeath of Jacques GeorgesIN THE MIDST OF THE CELEBRATIONS, UEFA’S GOLDEN JUBILEEYEAR HAS BEEN TINGED WITH SADNESS, FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF ONE OF ITSFIGUREHEADS ON 25 FEBRUARY.ONZE MONDIAL/FLASHPRESSUEFA vice-president at thetime, Jacques Georges becameacting UEFA president following thedeath of Artemio Franchi in aroad accident on 12 August 1983.It was a role for which he was wellequipped, having served the FrenchFootball Federation for many years,including as its president, and thenbecoming familiar with the workingsof UEFA, notably alongsideArtemio Franchi, whom he held ingreat admiration.At the Paris Congress in1984, he was confirmed by acclamationas head of UEFA, and one of hisfirst and proudest duties was topresent the Henri Delaunay Cup tohis compatriot Michel Platini afterFrance had won a major internationalcompetition for the first time in thenation’s history.One year later, his joy becamea nightmare, when the EuropeanChampion Clubs’ Cup final at theHeysel Stadium turned into a tragedybefore it had even kicked off, costing39 spectators their lives and injuringseveral hundred others.The crisis committee’s decisionto allow the match to go aheadappalled some, but Jacques Georgesshouldered their criticism withdignity, knowing that it had beentaken for no other reason than toprevent an even greater tragedy andthat it had absolutely nothing to dowith the purse-lining mentality of“the show must go on”, which wasnot his style at all.Though marked for life bythis tragedy, Jacques Georges foundthe strength to look forward at atime when some were questioningthe very existence of the UEFA competitions.Convinced of the positivevalues of football, he did not wantthe game to be associated with theblot that had marred its landscapeon that sad evening in May 1985and which was so remote from thevery nature of football. It was a timeof reflection, of safety and securitymeasures the likes of which hadnever been seen before, and of difficultsporting decisions, such as theexclusion of English clubs. Nothingless would have enabled football toregain the confidence of the public,the authorities and the businesspartners, though this was certainlynot the main concern of JacquesGeorges, who stood for human andsporting values above all.Without this faith in footballand without these meticulous effortsto improve safety and security, theUEFA competitions would neverhave reached the heights they havetoday, and UEFA would never havebecome the widely recognised institutionthat it now is.10 uefadirect 4.04

UEFAJacques Georgesmet up againwith former UEFAGeneral SecretaryHans Bangerterin Nyon inNovember 2003.ZIMMI-PRESSWith GermanChancellorHelmut Kohlpresentingthe EuropeanChampionshiptrophy to RuudGullit in 1988.Once European football wasback on track, and when the timecame for the English clubs to takepart in the UEFA competitions again,Jacques Georges decided to retirefrom the UEFA presidency as hishealth had been affected by theseevents and he was not a man whowas fond of honours. He did not,however, lose interest in football andcontinued to take a close interestin its affairs. He even returnedto the president’s seat in the FrenchFootball Federation for a while,to help it through a difficult time.At the UEFA Congress in Malta in1990, he was made Honorary Presidentof the organisation.When his health permittedand when there was not too muchIssa Hayatou, Claude Simonetand Lennart Johansson attended the funeral.travel involved, he continued toattend meetings of the UEFAExecutive Committee. He was infact at the Committee’s first meetingof this year in Nyon in February.Although he was not totally infavour of the growing commercialisationof football, he did notlet it show, and he left it up to thecurrent leaders to assume theirresponsibilities just as he hadassumed his, but not hesitating tooffer advice and giving his opinionwhen asked.These meetings were alsoan opportunity for him to meetup with some of those who hadtravelled the same long road withhim in the world of football, a worldin which he will be sorely missed.A life of serviceto footballThe funeral of JacquesGeorges took place in the presenceof many representativesfrom the world of football atSaint-Maurice-sur-Moselle in theVosges region of France, wherehe was born and when he hadkept his roots.Born on 30 May 1916,Jacques Georges, scaled all therungs of the classic career of a football official, after a playing career whichwas disrupted by the war. He served as club chairman as well as at the helmof a regional league; in 1969, he became president of the French FootballFederation, a position which he held until 1972, when he was elected to theUEFA Executive Committee. He became a UEFA vice-president in 1976 and thenstepped into the president’s role in 1983, following the death of ArtemioFranchi. Confirmed as UEFA president at the Congress in Paris in 1984 andre-elected in Cascais in 1986, he stepped down at the Malta Congress in 1990,when he was made Honorary President.Jacques Georges also served as a FIFA vice-president from 1984 to 1994,and then became an honorary member.AFP/VERHAEGENWith former UEFA president Artemio Franchi.TributesMoving tributes have been paid toJacques Georges.UEFA President Lennart Johanssonsaid, “He led UEFA and Europeanfootball through some troubled watersin the 1980s and into a new era.Jacques Georges was a great manand the entire football world willmiss him.”UEFA Chief Executive Lars-ChristerOlsson: “Jacques Georges servedfootball throughout his whole life andwill be sorely missed by all who knewhim or came into contact with him.He will be remembered as one ofthe true pioneers of European footballand a man who had football in hisheart.”Gerhard Aigner, retired UEFAChief Executive: “Jacques Georges wasa real football fan and a gentleman,and gave all his spare time to continuingto be involved in the game. I canonly use his own words to describehis love for the game when he said,’60 years ago I started gettinginvolved in football. I’m completelyintoxicated, I live and breathe footballat all times’.”FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter:“I am deeply grieved by his passing.It was always a privilege for me to beable to rely on his warm-heartedfriendship and loyalty, and his wisecounsel invariably helped me in mycareer.”Claude Simonet, President of theFrench Football Federation: “I am personallygrieving the loss of a genuineand loyal friend, and my ‘spiritualfather’.”UEFA-ARCHIVES11

It isimportantfor detaineesto havecontact withthe outsideworld.Freeoperaalso havetheirloyal supporters.Football in prisonContact with the outside worldBRINGING THE JOHN HUSTON FILM “VICTORY”, IN WHICH PELE APPEARED,TO LIFE, THE ITALIAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION (FIGC) HAS GIVEN A PRISON TEAMPERMISSION TO PLAY IN THE AMATEUR THIRD DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP.Championship match against Bolgiano(in red and white).The team is called “Freeopera”,after the Opera prison on the outskirtsof Milan, which houses 1,400prisoners in a structure which is avanguard of its type in Italy.The idea is the brainchild ofprison governor Alberto Fragomeniand stems from the inmates’ keeninterest in football, a phenomenonwhich arouses great passion andattention in all strata of Italian society,without distinction of sex, age andsocial class. The fundamental aspectof the initiative lies in the use of the30 championship matches as opportunitiesto give people in the outsideworld, and notably the political,social and sports worlds, a closerinsight into prison life.For obvious security reasons,the Freeopera team enjoysthe advantage of playing allits matches at home, on aperfectly conventionalground inside the prisonconfines. The squad consistsof 30 players, whohave been picked for theirskills by former professional footballerMarcho Nichetti, who playedSerie A football with Inter. Among the30 are five foreign players.For each match, the visitingdelegation comprises 50 people –players, technicians, officials andfans, thereby underlining the value ofthe project as a means of establishing,through football, a stable connectionbetween the outside worldand the “inside” world. The idea is togive those inside a clearer pictureof the reality outside the prisongates, a world which the inmates willhave to face again sooner or later.Alongside the prisoners’team, the FIGC has also registereda team of prison officers from thesame prison, called the “FrecceAzzurre” (Blue Arrows). The prisonersand prison officers train togetherand will have the opportunity to meetin a derby, to the great delight ofthe 500 or so spectators (the otherprisoners), who regularly watch thematches. There are even somewomen prisoners in the crowd, whoare just as keen on football astheir male counterparts and leadthe cheering.Sergio Di CesarePHOTOS: UEFA/BOZZANIWide supportThe Opera prison, one of the largest in Italy, houses some 1,400 detainees,including about 70 women. Built in 1988 on a surface area of some 230,000 m 2 ,it employs a workforce of 800 prison guards and specialists.The involvement of the Freeopera team in the championship also owesa great deal to the Brera Calcio club and its chairman Alessandro Aleotti, who islending a hand in terms of administration and organisation, as well as to theFIGC’s Lombardy amateur league, which has secured the agreement of all theteams concerned to play both their home and away ties against Freeopera insidethe prison.The championship got under way on 28 September and concludes in May.12 uefadirect 4.04

BackgroundbriefingThe European ParliamentReportfrom BrusselsThe European Parliament is theonly directly elected institutionof the European Union. Elections takeplace every five years, and the nextare set for 10–13 June this summer.UEFA AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ARE PLANNING TO BRING UEFA’S JUBILEECELEBRATIONS TO BRUSSELS LATER THIS YEAR. WITH THE SUPPORTOF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL MUSEUM, BASED IN THE NORTH-WEST OF ENGLAND,UEFA WILL BE HOSTING A JUBILEE EXHIBITION FROM 20 SEPTEMBER TO 1 OCTOBERIN THE MAIN BUILDING OF THE PARLIAMENT.The exhibition will offer twoperspectives of European football:a historical overview of the importantmilestones both on and off the fieldof play, and, looking ahead, a visionof what UEFA is doing now to helpbuild the future. It will naturally offera fair share of football action. ButUEFA will also encourage this specialpolitical audience to look beyond thegoals and the glory. The exhibitionwill bring to life UEFA’s social andpolitical role, from the fight againstracism to the solidarity mechanismsthat spread prosperity around thefootball family.The timing of the JubileeExhibition could not be better.2004 will be a year of importantpolitical change in Brussels, and UEFAmust be sensitive to the developmentsas they unfold.First and foremost, the eastwardexpansion of the EU becomesa reality on 1 May, when ten newMember States join the club.After five years of tough negotiations,Cyprus, the Czech Republic,Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Sloveniafinally take their place at theEU table. One month later, electionsto the European Parliamentwill take place just as EURO 2004kicks off. The ten new MemberStates will be participating in theseelections for the first time, eachsending its own group of deputiesto the Parliament. Finally, in November,a new European Commissionwill take office.With all these major politicalchanges happening at thesame time, the Jubilee Exhibitiongives UEFA an opportunity tostart building the new relationshipsthat will matter over the nextfive years.Human faces of the EUCHRIS HEATON-HARRIS, MPEChris Heaton-Harris has been a Member of the EuropeanParliament since 1999. This summer, he will be standing for re-electionto one of the Parliament’s 732 seats.In 2003, Mr Heaton-Harris helped UEFA to create the “Friendsof Football”, an informal group of a dozen MEPs with a personalinterest in football. He coordinates the group within the Parliamentand maintains regular contact with UEFA’s Brussels office. He is alsosupporting UEFA’s efforts to hold a Jubilee Exhibition in Brusselslater this year.As a member of the UK Conservative Party, Mr Heaton-Harris belongs to theGroup of the European People’s Party. He is also a ‘Class 1’ football referee in England,where he still officiates games at amateur level.After the accession of ten newMember States on 1 May this year,the Parliament will have 732 Members.The Members of the EuropeanParliament (MEPs) spend a largepart of their time in Brussels, wheremore than a dozen specialist committeesscrutinise proposals for newEU laws. One of these, the CultureCommittee, looks at sports issues.Parliament also meets for one weeka month in Strasbourg, whereplenary sessions involving all MEPsamend and vote new legislation.The new EU ConstitutionalTreaty, which is still on the negotiatingtable, will give the Parliamentnew powers. In addition to theirgrowing role as legislators, MEPsapprove the appointment of theEuropean Commission, decide theEU budget with the member states,monitor spending, approve internationalagreements, and generallyhold the European Commissionto account.MEPs do not sit in national delegationsin the Parliament, but inmultinational political groups. Thecentre-right European People’s Partyand European Democrats (EPP) isthe largest political group, followedby the Party of European Socialistsand the European Liberal Group.The European Parliament’sbudget for the year 2002 wasaround 900 million euros. Thiscovers staff costs, buildings, MEPs’travel allowances and expenses.The Parliament employs around4,000 people, a third of whom workin the linguistic services covering atotal of 11 working languages.13

AFP/BARKERAFP/BARKERReigning UEFA Cuptitle-holders FC Porto producedshock in the first knock-outround of the UEFA ChampionsLeague by knocking outManchester United.(Deco up against Darren Flecher.)EMPICSRonaldinhosandwichedbetween twoCeltic playersin the UEFACup match betweenCelticand Barcelona.EMPICS/BUZZIUEFAMeetings andother activitiesTen candidates for seven seatsFranco CarraroViacheslav KoloskovPRECEDED AND FOLLOWED BY MEETINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE,THE XXVIII ORDINARY UEFA CONGRESS OPENS IN LIMASSOL ON 22 APRIL WITHA GOLDEN JUBILEE CEREMONY.UEFAMarios N. LefkaritisVlatko MarkovicUEFAGilberto MadailGerhardMayer-VorfelderUEFAUEFAThe Congress will get downto work the next morning, when oneof the highlights will be the electionsfor the UEFA and FIFA ExecutiveCommittees. (Though the Congressis now an annual event, electionsonly take place every second year.)By the deadline of 22February, UEFA had received tencandidatures for its ExecutiveCommittee, including those of theseven members whose terms areexpiring. All ten candidates are wellknown in European football.● Franco Carraro (Italy), bornon 6 December 1939, presidentof the Italian FA and specialadviser to the UEFA ExecutiveCommittee on EU-related matters.●●●Viacheslav Koloskov (Russia),born on 15 June 1941, presidentof the Russian FA, member ofthe UEFA Executive Committeesince 1994 and also member ofFIFA Executive Committee.Marios N. Lefkaritis (Cyprus),born on 28 November 1946,honorary president of theCyprus FA and member ofthe UEFA Executive Committeesince 1996.Gilberto Madail (Portugal), bornon 14 December 1944, presidentof the Portuguese FA and chairmanof the Euro 2004, S.A.Board, co-opted member of theNational Teams Committee.Joseph MifsudMathieu SprengersUEFAUEFAPer Ravn OmdalUEFAUEFAGeoffrey ThompsonFIFA Executive CommitteeThe UEFA Congress will also be called upon to elect four Europeanrepresentatives to the FIFA Executive Committee. Five candidatureshave been submitted, four of them from the members whose termsare expiring.●●●●●Michel D’Hooghe (Belgium), born on 8 December 1945, memberof the FIFA Executive Committee since 1988.Senes Erzik (Turkey), born on 18 September 1942, member of theFIFA Executive Committee since 1996 and a UEFA vice-president.Viacheslav Koloskov (Russia), member of the FIFA ExecutiveCommittee since 2000 and previously a FIFA vice-president from1980 to 1996 and a FIFA Executive Committee member from1996 to 1998.Michel Platini (France), born on 21 June 1955, member of theFIFA Executive Committee since 2000 and also member of the UEFAExecutive Committee.The fifth candidate is Gilberto Madail (Portugal).14 uefadirect 4.04

UEFAThe UEFACup drawin Nyonon 4 March.BILDBYRANThe designfor theUEFA Cupfinal inGothenburg.UEFAThe 2003 UEFARegions’ Cupwas won by theteam representingthe Piedmont/AostaValley region,who beatLigue du Mainein the final.●●●●●●Vlatko Markovic (Croatia),born on 1 January 1937, presidentof the Croatian FA and memberof the UEFA Technical DevelopmentCommittee.Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder(Germany), born on 3 March 1933,president of the German FA,member of the UEFA ExecutiveCommittee since 2000 and alsomember of the FIFA ExecutiveCommittee.Joseph Mifsud (Malta),born on 13 August 1950, presidentof the Malta FA and memberof the UEFA Executive Committeesince 1994.Per Ravn Omdal (Norway),born on 20 August 1947, presidentof the Norwegian FA, UEFA vicepresidentsince 1996 and memberof the UEFA Executive Committeesince 1992.Mathieu Sprengers (Netherlands),born on 24 May 1938, president ofthe Dutch FA, UEFA treasurer since2000 and member of the UEFAExecutive Committee since 1996.Geoffrey Thompson (England),born on 23 August 1945, chairmanof The Football Association,UEFA vice-president since 2002 andmember of the UEFA ExecutiveCommittee since 2000.Coach educators’ coursein CreteThe 14th UEFA Coursefor Coach Educators will take placein Crete from 29 March to 2 April.Under the theme “footballphilosophies”, the focus will be ondifferent coaching approaches, stylesof play and the role of philosophyin football within the context of coacheducation.All UEFA member associationshave been invited to send a seniorcoach educator to the course, who willthen be able to pass on what he learnsto his colleagues at national level.UEFA Champions Leaguequarter-finalsIn March, the UEFAChampions League moved intoits direct knock-out phase.The first knock-out round producedsome prominent casualties,including three former winners of thecompetition: BayernMunich, ManchesterUnited and one of lastyear’s finalists, Juventus.England, France andSpain still have two representativesapiece in the running, while Italyand Portugal each have one club leftin the race.The draw for the quarter-finalswas made in Nyon on 12 March:A: AC Milan – Deportivo La CoruñaB: Chelsea FC – Arsenal FCC: Real Madrid – AS MonacoD: FC Porto – Olympique LyonnaisThe draw for the order of thesemi-finals was also made:Winners B – Winners CWinners A – Winners D■ In the UEFA Cup, the fourthround was played in March. Meanwhile,on 10 February, the design for thefinal was presented at the Ullevistadium in Gothenburg.The design will be usedinside and outside the stadiumas well as on tickets and aroundthe city. It was unveiledby two former UEFA Cupwinners: ThomasWernerson, who wonthe competition in1982 and 1987 whenhe was playing for IFKGöteborg, and TorbjörnNilsson, who was alsopart of the 1982 winning team.Draws in BloisOn 2 April, the Frenchcity of Blois will be thevenue for three draws,including for the finalround of the EuropeanUnder-17 Championship.There will also be the drawfor the 2004/05 European Women’sUnder-19 Championship, which43 associations have entered, includingfour debutantes: Armenia, Azerbaijan,Croatia and Kazakhstan.The first qualifying round involves40 of the entrants.The other draw concernsthe 4th UEFA Regions’ Cup, which37 associations have entered.For the first time, geographical criteriaare being used for the draw.Announcements■ At its general assembly inFebruary, the Luxembourg FA electeda new president: Paul Philipp.■ The draw for the qualifyinground of EURO 2008 in Austria andSwitzerland will take place in Switzerlandon 27 January 2006.Obituary■ Heinrich Röthlisberger,president of the Swiss FA from 1983to 1989, died on 1 March, aged 73,after a long illness. He was a memberof the Committee for the EuropeanChampionship from 1984 to 1992.Olympique Lyonnais(Florent Malouda, in front)have qualifiedfor the UEFA ChampionsLeague quarter-finalsat the expenseof Real Sociedad.FLASHPRESS15

Gerhard Aignerand the mayorof Nyon,Alain-ValeryPoitry.A multisportfield.Lars-ChristerOlssondisplaysthe UEFAcommemorativestamp.UEFA Golden JubileeOne day, two eventsON 9 MARCH, UEFA INAUGURATED A MINI-PITCH IN ITS HOME TOWN OF NYON AND UNVEILED A SPECIALCOMMEMORATIVE STAMP ISSUED BY THE SWISS POST OFFICE.The day began with theinauguration of the multisport minipitchthat UEFA has offered thetown of Nyon, where the administrationhas been based since 1995.Former UEFA Chief ExecutiveGerhard Aigner handed the facilityover to the Nyon authorities in apitch-side ceremony.The pitch is suitable forfootball, basketball and many othersports. Local schoolchildren demonstratedsome of the possibilitiesoffered by this type of facility duringthe ceremony.Bernard Challandes, coachof Switzerland’s Under-21 team,was invited to the event to representyouth football. He stressed theimportance of supporting the baseof the football pyramid. “Football isnot just the top players; it’s alsoand above all the youth and amateurplayers, which is why it’s soimportant to promote mini-pitcheslikes this”, he said.At midday, attention thenturned to the ceremony to unveil theUEFA Golden Jubilee commemorativestamp. Representatives of the Swisspost office presented the stampofficially to UEFA Chief ExecutiveLars-Christer Olsson at the House ofEuropean Football in Nyon.“This is a very importantevent for UEFA”, said Lars-ChristerOlsson. “It’s an honour for UEFA tofeature on a stamp. This is theculmination of one of the firstprojects proposed three years agowhen we started thinking abouthow to celebrate UEFA’s GoldenJubilee. The fact that UEFA’s nameand the jubilee logo will beappearing on mail being sent inSwitzerland and abroad is anextremely effective way to drawpublic attention to this importantanniversary.”The Swiss post officedecided to commemorate the first50 years of UEFA’s dedication tofootball by issuing a stamp depictingplayers in action, symbolisingthe movement and passion of football.Designer Wolf Henkel said thatit had been a real challenge tocome up with this design; he hadlooked at dozens of photos beforefalling upon the right image andthe right figure with which to producethe final design.On the same day, the Swisspost office also paid tribute to FIFA,which is celebrating its centenarythis year, by issuing a stamp in itshonour. The FIFA commemorativestamp is the first in Switzerlandto be in the shape of a pennant,symbolising the friendship sharedbetween players at the start ofa match. The FIFA and UEFA commemorativestamps are availablefrom all Swiss post offices andstamp dealers, as well as fromwww.poste.ch/philashop.PHOTOS: UEFA/WOODSA giant stamp for a group of Nyonschoolchildren.In April, uefa.comcontinues itsspecial jubileereports on UEFAmember associationsby featuringEngland, Estonia, the FaroeIslands and Finland.16 uefadirect 4.04

FAFANDORRATheAndorranFA’s standat PlanetFútbol.Newsfrom member associationsANDORRAPresentat Planet FútbolFrom 17 to 22 February inBarcelona, the Andorran FA took part in PlanetFútbol for the first time, giving the thousandsof visitors the opportunity to find outabout the association’s different activitiesand discover how it is celebrating its tenthanniversary.The association’s stand was in themain pavilion, where it rubbed shoulders withthe stands of important associations andclubs such as the Spanish FA, RCD Espanyol,Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. This advantageoussituation ensured that many visitorspassed our way and learned about our tournaments,camps, grassroots football activitiesand national team, among other things.A screen traced the ten-year historyof our association in image, notably ournational team’s matches against France,Brazil, the Netherlands and the Republic ofIreland, as well as various football and futsaltournaments. The stand was decorated withfirst-division shirts as well as pennantsand souvenir shirts from important matches.Our presence at Planet Fútbol alsoallowed the general public and footballprofessionals to see how we are celebratingour tenth anniversary. Among other events,there will be friendly matches against Spainand France, as well as a Francesc Vila memorialtournament in which some renownedEuropean clubs will be taking part.Miquel Angel QuiñonesBELARUSNew cycle forthe national teamThe mid-season breakturned out to be an extraordinarily busy timefor the national teams of Belarus. The managementof the Belarus Football Federation,together with the coaches of the nationalteams at all levels, had prepared a thoroughplan of training camps and friendly matches.The events which attracted greatestmedia and public attention were the participationof the senior national team in internationaltournaments in Cyprus and Malta.After their unsuccessful EURO 2004 qualifyingcampaign, the senior team started its newcycle with a tournament in Cyprus, where,in a deciding match, they defeated EURO2004 finalists Latvia 4-1 to take third place.Belarusian forward Maksim Romashenko, whoplays for Trabzonspor in Turkey, was theleading scorer of the tournament, putting theball into the back of the net five times inthree matches, which in the process alsomade him his country’s leading scorer, witha total of ten goals to date.Earlier, the Under-21 side of YuryPuntus represented their country in the tournamentin Malta and came home with thetrophy – a tremendous feat. After the EuropeanUnder-21 Championship final round inGermany, many of these players will be takingtheir place in the senior national team.Off the field, construction workon the “House of Football” will start soon ona site near to the indoor arena in Minsk.The Belarus FA has already acquired theland, received planning permission and completedother preparatory work regardingthe project. The office is being built withinthe framework of the football developmentprogramme in Belarus and under the personalpatronage of the country’s president,Alexander Lukashenko. It is scheduled forcompletion in December.Sviatoslav KiselevBELGIUMOrganisationof European tournamentsBelgium has always tried to playan active role in the variousactivities of UEFA. It has proved this onceagain by offering to host the qualifying tournamentsfor the European Under-17 andUnder-19 Championships.The Belgian national teams will betrying to qualify for the final round in bothcategories. The Under-17 tournament willbe held in the Liège province from 26 Marchto 1 April, when our young Red Devils willBELARUS The Under-21s won the Maltese tournament.D. AQUILINABELARUSGoalkeeperand captainYury Zhevnovreceivesthe trophyfrom theMaltesetournament.take on Scotland, Belarus and NorthernIreland. This new generation has many qualities,with no shortage of individual talent.“This is the best generation of playersI have come across for many years. We havethe potential to go a long way. Our strikersare exceptional and many players arealready showing a lot of promise for theirclubs,” said Marc Van Geersom, who headsup the management of the junior teams.The Under-19 tournament will beheld in the Western Flanders provincebetween 18 and 24 May 2004. Our RedDevils will face Serbia and Montenegro, theRepublic of Ireland and Norway. According toMarc Van Geersom, qualification is a realpossibility: “This team has enormous potential,although we are finding goals hardto come by. Our players have a genuinechance of qualifying because we should notforget that we have already beaten Italy,Georgia and Estonia. Playing on home soilshould also be a big advantage.”The fact that our national teamsmight rub shoulders with the major nationsproves that Belgian football still has abright future. The results achieved by ourjunior teams in the European competitionstend to suggest that our new training policyis bearing fruit and that we need to step upour efforts to ensure that Belgian sports fanscan continue dreaming of future success.François VantommeBOSNIA ANDHERZEGOVINAClose attention paidto security issuesAlthough the winter breakbetween the two parts of the championshiplasted almost three months, there was norest for the Football Federation of Bosnia andHerzegovina. Work was concentrated onpreparing for the remainder of the championshipas well as for the semi-finals of theBH Cup. But most attention was given to theD. AQUILINA17

F. KRVAVACBOSNIA ANDHERZEGOVINASeminaron safetyand security.HNSCROATIAPero Dujmovic(left) andVatroslavMihacic,the formerand the newdirector of theHNS academy.CFACYPRUSMariosN. Lefkaritispresentsthe trophyto Romania’scaptain.URBSFAlicensing of clubs in the premier leagueand a few clubs in the first leagues of thetwo entities.Auditors are now busy checking thefinancial criteria. The clubs concerned haveto submit their reports to the FF BH by30 April. At the same time, the clubs are dealingwith the infrastructure criteria. This willbe a difficult job for the clubs in Bosnia andHerzegovina, considering the circumstancesin which the clubs were created. Of course,the FF BH is trying to help them as muchas possible.During the break, committees madeprogress with their work too, particularlythose involved in the running of the competitions,such as the Competitions Commission,the Referees Committee and the StadiumSafety Committee.A seminar for referees was also heldin Trebinje, match delegates had a seminarin Mostar, the coaches attended a licencecourse, and the Stadium Safety Committeeorganised a seminar for club representativesinvolving the police ministries of both entitiesand the police departments in the cities wherethe clubs come from. “We want to assuresafety and security at all matches throughoutthe territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina,including before and after the matches.We haven’t had any problems so far. Specialattention is being paid to the organisationof international matches,” FF BH PresidentMilan Jelic told the participants.Fuad KrvavacCROATIAPreparation timeThe beginning of the newseason in the Croatian FootballFederation (HNS) was markedby numerous activities in different areas.However, the most important ones have beenthe preparations for the forthcoming EURO2004 and European Under-21 Championshipfinal rounds, the beginning of the nationalleague, and the General Assembly.Croatia is one of only five otherEuropean nations to have qualified at thesame time for the EURO 2004 and EuropeanUnder-21 Championship final rounds. OurUnder-19 national team are also in the secondqualifying round of the European Under-19Championship in Turkey and therefore alsohave a chance of qualifying for that particularfinal round. Such successes have to be confirmedwith good performances at the respectivefinal tournaments.The traditional camp organised bythe HNS for talented young players took placein Porec at the beginning of the year. In conjunctionwith the camp, a special programmewas also organised for youth coaches. TheCroatian Football Federation accords high priorityto this activity because it is on this levelthat the quality of Croatian football is built.The Coaches Committee has alsoheld an elective meeting and voted FrediFiorentini from Split back in as its chairmanfor the next four-year term. Now that theFootball Academy of the Croatian FootballFederation is producing good results, widerfields of activity are expected from the newleadership of the football coaches, especiallywith regard to work with youth coaches andcoaches of amateur clubs.Vatroslav Mihacic, former professionalplayer who played in the nationalleague and abroad, has replaced the verysuccessful director of the Football Academyof the Croatian Football Federation, PeroDujmovic, who has retired.The first and second division refereeshave had their 24th refereeing course inMakarska. The course was attended by 60 refereesand 74 assistant referees. All of themshowed a high level of fitness preparation andsolid theoretical knowledge. FIFA refereeinginstructor George Courtney also attended thecourse and gave a very interesting lecture.The annual General Assembly hasalso taken place. The activities of theExecutive Committee and its bodies wereacknowledged as very successful. All reportswere accepted unanimously. The assemblypaid tribute to Otto Baric, head coach of thesenior national team, as well as to MartinNovoselac, head coach of the Under-21 team.Ante PavlovicCYPRUSRomaniawin the internationaltournamentRomania won the 8thInternational Tournament organisedby the Cyprus Football Association from17 to 22 February.Eight countries participated in thisspectacular tournament offering high qualityfootball. Romania won the tournament forthe second time. The first time was in 2001.Cyprus has won the tournament twice, backin 1998 and 2000. Poland won in 1997,Greece in 1999, the Czech Republic in 2002and Russia last year.In the final, Romania beat Hungary3-0. Third place was won by Belarus,beating Latvia 4-1. Cyprus finished infifth place.The Cyprus Football Associationis now preparing to host the UEFA Congress,which will take place in Limassol from 22to 23 April. The president of the organisingcommittee, Life President of the CyprusFootball Association and member ofthe UEFA Executive Committee, MariosN. Lefkaritis, is very optimistic and confidentthat the event will be a success.The Cyprus Football Association isalso in the process of organising a Fun Footballtournament in Limassol with the participationof teams in the 10-12 age range,as well as a game with veteran players.The UEFA Congress in Cyprus coincideswith two anniversaries: UEFA’s Jubileeand the 70th anniversary of the CyprusFootball Association. The media in Cyprushave begun promoting this event, whichhas already attracted the interest of theforeign press covering the 8th InternationalTournament.Kyriacos GiorgallisCZECH REPUBLICUEFA Pro LicenceIn cooperation with UEFA,the FA of the CzechRepublic (FACR) preparedand opened its fifth UEFA Pro Licencecourse on 23 February. This official ceremonywas attented by some honoraryguests, such as UEFA Jira Panel membersHoward Wilkinson and György Mezey, FACRGeneral Secretary Petr Fousek, TechnicalCommittee Chairman Ladislav Valasek andrepresentatives of the institutions thathelped organise the course – the Faculty ofPhysical Culture of Palacky University inOlomouc, and SK Sigma Olomouc.Principal course leader isJiri Zalabák from the FACR Coach EducationDepartment. On the basis of the finalresults of the entrance exams, and afternecessary approvals by the relevant FACRauthorities, 27 applicants were acceptedonto the course.18 uefadirect 4.04BELGIUMThe Under-19 national team.

JUHA TAMMINENFINLANDHJK Helsinkicelebratescoring thewinning goalagainstAC Allianssiin the2003 cup final.EMPICSICELANDGoalkeeperArni Gautur Arasonin actionfor Manchester City.To date, 114 coaches working asnational-team coaches, or as coachesof first-division clubs in the Czech Republicand abroad have acquired this licence.The current educational programmeis mostly oriented towards theuse of the most up-to-date knowledge andexperience in theory and practice. Reputablelecturers from the Czech Republic aswell as from abroad are contributing to theteaching and training.The practical sessions in the firstpart of the UEFA Pro Licence course whichran from 23 to 27 February were led byreputable first-division coaches (Ulicny fromSK Sigma Olomouc, Jarucek from 1.FC Brno,former Under-21 coach Kopecky, formerFC Brno and FK Drnovice coach Vecera andformer FK Jablonec coach V. Palicka, toname but a few). A panel discussion moderatedby Ladislav Valasek also formed partof the introductory programme. Many theoreticalsubjects were also on the studyprogramme during this week (e.g. orthopaedics,psychology and physiology). Thesetopics were also taught by reputable lecturers(such as Hana Válkova, member ofthe Disability Football Panel, Mr Stejskal,and national team physician Dr Krejcí).One weekly block consists of50 hours, split into 15 of theory and 35 ofpractice. The coaching–managerial courseis divided into four phases, each consistingof three parts. The whole course takestwo years to complete and is one of themost extensive within the UEFA Convention.The current course representsanother significant step in the developmentof the education system. The intensity ofthe course as well as the great interest ofthe applicants in coach education ensuresthat the FACR is among those UEFA associationswhere coach education is one of themost important and strategic priorities.Vít PavlusekENGLANDThe FA in AfghanistanThe Football Association’srepresentative in Afghanistanhas accepted an extension tohis contract to continue to assist theAfghanistan Football Federation (AFF) torebuild football in the country after 23 yearsof war. Former British Army Major MichaelMoriarty was appointed in 2003 as partof an ‘International Football Task Force’ towork in Kabul alongside technical expertsappointed by the DFB (German FA). Theirefforts are underpinned by the AFC andby FIFA through their Financial AssistanceProgramme and Goal project, whileMoriarty’s secondment is supported byThe FA’s International DevelopmentProgramme, which funds technical, refereeingand administration assistance inevery continent. It is co-financed by theBritish Foreign & Commonwealth Officeand the British Council.Despite the severity of the challengesfacing the regeneration of football inthe country, The FA’s work has been ableto breathe life into the AFF by providingstructures and systems together with substantialdonations of kit and equipment.Critically, the AFF now has a StrategicDevelopment Plan which will form the backbonefor its growth. The FA has made aninvestment in Afghanistan as part of a multilateralpartnership and we are pleased thatthe foundations have been built. We lookforward to continuing a role in the taskforce to ensure that football is really giventhe chance to take shape in Afghanistan.Jane BatemanFINLANDFinnish Cupcelebrates with UEFAAt the beginning of April,the Finnish Cup kicks offfor the 50th time. The Cup’s anniversarycompetition has been named as the FootballAssociation of Finland’s national UEFAJubilee event.The very first cup competition wasplayed in 1955, after Juuso Walden, FAFPresident from 1953 to 1963, had donated atrophy. Valkeakosken Haka (FC Haka) wonthe first competition. Since then it has wonthe Cup ten times, making it the most successfulteam in the Cup’s history.The new millennium has seen thesteady growth of the competition, with anincrease in the number of participatingclubs. Last season, an all-time high of339 teams entered the competition. And todo real justice to the 50th edition, a recordnumber of 386 teams will be setting out onthe road to glory on 1 April.The Finnish Cup final will end thedomestic top-flight season when it takesplace in Helsinki on 30 October. Last year,it was HJK Helsinki who crowned their victoriousleague campaign by beating ACAllianssi in extra time.“The Cup’s growing popularity isdue largely to enthusiasm among thelower-level clubs. Players appreciate thechance to play against the big namesand professionals,” says Petri Heikkinen,the FAF’s Head of Competitions.Sami TeräväICELANDEnd of secondlicensing cycleAt the time of writing, theclub licensing system is nearing the end ofits second cycle in Iceland. The first clubassessments were made in spring 2003, butthis time around, the whole licensingprocess was brought forward by a couple ofmonths, with club assessments being madein January and February this year. The UEFAlicensing administration has visited theIcelandic FA twice, in October last year andin February this year, to assess the progressmade with regards to the licensing set-upand to make spot checks at clubs. The visitswere a good learning experience and willhelp the Icelandic FA’s licensing administrationgreatly in its work in the future.The Icelandic FA was granted limitedadmission to the UEFA Convention forCoach Education in July last year, and inJanuary this year over 120 coaches weregranted a UEFA B coaching licence. The FAis planning to apply for the UEFA A licencein May this year. In the last few years,coaches and clubs have become increasinglyaware of the need for education in allareas of coaching, and the introduction ofthe licensing system has put extra pressureon coaches to seek education.The national team’s participationin a three-nations cup in Manchester at thebeginning of June, along with England andAsian champions Japan, has generated hugeinterest among the Icelandic public. Ticketdemand is very high as English footballis extremely popular in Iceland. All matcheswill be played at the City of ManchesterStadium, home of Manchester City FC, theclub of Icelandic national-team goalkeeperÁrni Gautur Arason.The FA’s winter tournament, theLeague Cup, got off to an incrediblegoalscoring start. The first eight matchesin the competition, all played on indoorpitches, amassed an incredible 41 goals intotal, compared to last year’s 21 goals inthe first eight matches. The goal feast hasstarted early in Iceland this year.Ómar SmárasonISRAELIdan Tal scoredone of Israel’ssix goalsagainstAzerbaijan.EMPICS19

FSMFYR MACEDONIAPresident Trajkovskisalutesthe national-teamplayers.D. AQUILINAMALTAGreatachievementsunderthe leadershipof JosephMifsud.WITTERSISRAELInternational friendlymatches in IsraelThe Israeli national team had avery successful internationalfriendly match against Azerbaijan in Tel Avivon 18 February. Three referees from Portugalofficiated. The Azerbaijan delegation stayedin Tel Aviv for few days, travelled around andhad a great visit. Our national team is nowlooking forward to matches against Lithuania’ssenior and U21 teams on 30 March andagainst Moldova on 27 April, both in Israel.Our U17 team had the pleasure ofplaying Ukraine in Israel at the end of January,while our U19 team played Romania inFebruary, also in Israel, and are now lookingforward to meeting the Belarus U19 team fora friendly match in Israel in March.On 10 February, FIFA representativeEva Pasquier, Goal Project Manager, came toIsrael and met representatives of the Israeli FAas well as representatives of Ahi Nazereth FC,whose field will be renovated with financialassistance from the Goal Project. The meetingtook place in Nazereth, and the matterwill now be put forward for FIFA’s approvalin March.On 16 February, the Israeli refereeingsector was audited. On behalf of UEFA, theaudit was carried out by René Eberle, SeniorManager, Competition Administration,and Vitor Melo Pereira, member of the UEFAReferees Committee.KAZAKHSTANKazakhstan’sOleg Mussin (left)tries to win theball from LettonVitalijs Astafjevs.In the course of the audit, interviewswere conducted with some of theleading people in the refereeing sector andIsraeli FA, a wide range of matters werechecked, and the importance of the independenceand professionalism of the systemwere stressed. The representatives werevery satisfied and the audit was a success.Adi RosenbergKAZAKHSTANKazakhstan take partin 8th InternationalFootball Tournamentin CyprusFrom 18 to 21 February, the national teamof Kazakhstan took part in the 8thInternational Football Tournament in Cyprus.It was the Kazakhstan team’s first competitionof the year. The team is now preparingto embark on the 2006 World Cup qualifyingcompetition, Kazakhstan’s first officialcompetition as a UEFA member. In Cyprus,Kazakhstan finished sixth out of eight. Theirfirst match was against EURO 2004 finalistsLatvia, which they lost 3-1. They then wontheir second match, against Armenia, 3-2 onpenalty kicks, after a 3-3 result at the end ofnormal playing time. In their last match,Kazakhstan lost to Cyprus 2-1.Some new players made theirdebut for the Kazakhstan national team inthis tournament: defender Dmitriy Lyapkin,midfielders Vitaliy Abramov and SergeyKostyuk, and forward Roman Uzdenov.“I knew that we’d have someproblems. Februaryis not good time forfootball in Kazakhstan.Our footballersare not ready yet; theseason has not begun. Butthey did their best. It was a greatexperience for us,” said head coach LeonidPakhomov.Kazakhstan’s next match will beagainst Azerbaijan in Almaty on 28 April.Alexandr KeplinLITHUANIAHistory never diesThe Lithuanian FootballAssociation has organiseda tournament forfamous bygone footballers – K. Birieta,A. Ziliskas, A. Binkauskas, V. Zitkusand A. Lydeka. They used to play forFC Zalgiris, founded in 1947 and knownas Dynamo at the time.For many years, FC Zalgiris wasthe first team in Lithuania. Many of theclub’s triumphs live on in our memories.When some of these moments wererecalled in the opening ceremony of tournament,the crowd cheered at theserecollections.Eight teams took part in the eightdaytournament held in Kaunas, which waswon by Marijampoles FC Suduva.This tournament attracted a lotof spectators, and relatives of the formergreat players were also present.Vaiva ZizaiteFYR MACEDONIAMourning our presidentAll the football activities in theRepublic of Macedonia scheduledfor the end of Februaryand the beginning of March have been overshadowedby the tragic event which struckour country and our people when we lostour president, Boris Trajkovski, in a planecrash. Mr Trajkovski was a peacemaker,humanist and real leader, as well as a greatfriend of sport.He loved football and it was alwaysa pleasure for him to visit the City Stadiumin Skopje to attend domestic games, to presentthe trophy to the cup winners, to supportour clubs in the UEFA competitions,and to be part of all the matches of ournational team.This great man was always with theplayers, supporting them on their road togreater achievements, using each and everyopportunity to stress their importance asambassadors and the significance of thegame of football in representing the FormerYugoslav Republic of Macedonia all overthe world.The Football Federation of Macedoniaand the football public are grateful foreverything that he did for all of us.Zoran NikolovskiMALTAJoseph Mifsud standsfor re-electionA geographically minisculecountry, whose populationof approximately 400,000 is abundantlysmaller than a medium-sized city in Europe,cannot aspire to match the giants of worldfootball. This is mirrored by Malta’s recordin the international arena.It is through its contribution to theEuropean and world bodies that Malta hasmostly left its imprint, especially since 1984.Behind that has been the central figureof Joseph Mifsud, Malta FA President and alawyer by profession.Appointed as vice-president ofhis country’s football association in 1982and eventually elected president in 1992,Dr Mifsud started serving UEFA in 1984. Hewas elected as a member of the ExecutiveCommittee ten years later and re-elected in1996 and 2000. He is seeking another termat the forthcoming XVIII Ordinary UEFACongress in April. He also served as amember of FIFA Executive Committee from1998 until 2000.20 uefadirect 4.04

SPORTSFILEREPUBLICOF IRELANDIrish clubrepresentativeslaunchingthe first summerseason in 2003.EMPICSROMANIARomania’sConstantin Galcain EURO ’96,shadowed byBulgaria’sLuboslav Penev.During these years of internationaloffice, his honesty and eagerness to servethe interests of UEFA and FIFA have stoodout like a shining beacon. Other influentialposts on several UEFA committees havealso earned Dr Mifsud high esteem in UEFAand FIFA circles.In Malta, the MFA president commandsrespect for his dedication to enhancingthe game at all levels, not least from thegrassroots. In terms of infrastructure, Maltacan now boast of a modern national complexwith facilities for training camps, accommodation,and high-level meetings, all within theprecincts of Ta’ Qali. Most of these facilitieshave been built and upgraded duringDr Mifsud’s tenure of office as president.Certainly, the man’s qualities as ahard-working official are widely acknowledged.The Malta FA therefore had no hesitationin presenting his card as a candidate forthe next UEFA Congress when they submittedhis nomination for re-election as a memberof the UEFA Executive Committee.Alex VellaREPUBLICOF IRELANDSecond seasonof summer footballAfter many weeks of discussionand negotiation, the way has beencleared for the eircom league, the domesticleague in the Republic of Ireland, to start onschedule at the end of March.The club licensing issue was thedifficult hurdle that clubs in the Republic hadto clear before they could be assured thatthe go-ahead would be given for the newseason to commence.This is the second season of summersoccer in the Republic and it would havebeen a tragedy if the senior game wereto have virtually collapsed because clubswere not qualified or had failed to meet therequirements laid down by UEFA in orderto receive their licences to play.It is no secret that clubs in theRepublic of Ireland find it very difficultto exist due to a lack of financial strength.The demands created by running costs,wages and general overheads make life difficultfor Irish clubs.Most clubs playing at the top levelof the game struggle for their very existenceand it is a constant battle to meet theirfinancial commitments each week.Now that those demands haveincreased and have been intensified by therequirements put on them by the introductionof the club licensing system, that battlefor life will become even more difficult.Yet it would have been regrettablefor clubs to have lost out on league footballbecause of their failure to secure a licence.But the governing body, the FootballAssociation of Ireland, came to therescue and the all-clear was given for thedomestic league to go ahead.All clubs, however, have had sanctionsattached to their licences and if theseare not met the FAI has the power to withdrawa club’s licence at any time.Brendan McKennaROMANIAMircea Angelescuand football honouredOn 8 February, in the UnionHall of the “Cotroceni” presidentialpalace, the president of Romania,Ion Iliescu, presented Mircea Angelescu withthe Order of Sporting Merit (Second Class).It was the first time the order hadbeen awarded since its recent introductionand it was conferred “in recognition ofMircea Angelescu’s remarkable career as aRomanian football official; as vice-presidentand president of the Romanian FA, hisname has been associated with the majorsuccesses of the Romanian football team.”Born in 1938, Mircea Angelescujoined the Romanian FA (FRF) as vice-presidentin 1967. Within a year, he was electedpresident. During his first term as president,which ran until 1976, he led the Romanianteam to the 1970 World Cup finals in Mexicoand the quarter-finals of the 1974 EuropeanChampionship. In 1974, he became a memberof the FIFA Amateur Football Committee, aseat he held for 15 years.In 1986, he was re-elected presidentof the FRF and again led the national team tothe World Cup finals, this time in Italy in 1990.Immediately after the revolutionin December 1989 which overturned communismin Romania, Mircea Angelescu wasappointed Minister for Youth and Sport.In August 1990, the FRF GeneralAssembly made him Honorary President.In 1992, when the professional football leaguewas created, Mircea Angelescu became itspresident and, in this capacity, automaticallybecame vice-president of the FRF.He remained close to the national team andhelped them qualify for another two finalrounds: the 1994 World Cup finals in the USAand EURO ’96 in England.Sadly, serious illness forced him toretire in early 1996. Now fully recovered,Mircea Angelescu is dealing with the historyof Romanian football. He has already writtentwo books and others are already in thepipeline.Dan CristeaSERBIA ANDMONTENEGROKit man celebrates30 years of serviceWhen a jubilee celebration ismentioned or a long sporting career celebrated,people always think of famous players,coaches, presidents, general secretaries,technical directors, etc. Those who are not sofamous, who are out of the limelight, butwhose contribution is none the less essentialto the success of an association,also celebrate anniversaries. One such celebrationhas just been celebrated in the FAof Serbia and Montenegro on 1 March,when the national team’s kit man StankoNikolic, better known by his nickname, Lala,celebrated 30 years of non-stop servicewith the association. Nikolic (born in 1946)took care of the team’s kit for the firsttime back in 1974 for Yugoslavia’s matchagainst the USSR.During the past three decades,Nikolic has witnessed many importantmatches, taken part in world and Europeanchampionships, Olympic Games, officialand friendly matches, stood by manyfamous coaches and true aces of Serbianand Montenegrin, formerly Yugoslav football.He has always performed his duties inthe most professional manner, with a greatlove for the game of football and understandingof the players, who have cometo recognise and appreciate Lala’s work,finding in him not only a sports associate,but also a true friend with whom they haveremained close even after finishing theircareers. Lala is also a real chronicler of allevents relating to the national team, alwaysready to seriously talk about football, butalso always prepared to be funny and usehis special charm to recount various footballstories and anecdotes. There are manywho think that lot of these stories couldmake an interesting book.SERBIA AND MONTENEGROStanko Nikolic on national-team duty.FS SCG21

SLOVAKIAThe nationalteam aregetting readyfor the2006 WorldCup qualifyingcompetition.TURKEYThe AtatürkOlympicStadium.SLOVENIABrane Oblak,newUnder-21coach.SFZFFUTFFNZSStanko “Lala” Nikolic is definitelymuch more than an ordinary football kit man.Everybody in our association is certain thatLala will keep on working for our nationalteam for many years to come and be part ofthe team that has great ambitions to return tothe top flight of European football in the nottoo distant future.Nebojsa IvkovicSLOVAKIATraining campand coursesThe Slovak national team, ledby new coach Dusan Galis,used the February international date fora training camp at the national training centrein Senec, which provided very good conditionsfor training and rehabilitation.The camp programme was intense: trainingsessions, two sample matches, a lecture byDr Pavol Malovic regarding healthy nutrition,hydration, and doping. Coach Dusan Galisinvited along 29 players – candidates fromamong whom a final squad of 18 will be chosenfor friendly and qualifying matches. Therewere 19 players from foreign leagues, amongthem Stano Varga from Celtic, VratislavGresko from Blackburn Rovers and SzilárdNémeth from Middlesborough. The three-daycamp fulfilled its aim according to Galis, andlaid a good base for building a successfulnational team.“A positive sign for me is the goodteam spirit and the fact that the youngplayers who successfully represented us atthe U20 World Championship in the UnitedArab Emirates fit well into the team. I personallyfeel that it is a generation which hasthe potential to satisfy the demands ofSlovak football fans,” Galis said after thecamp. The next event for the Slovak nationalteam will be an international against Austriain Bratislava on 31 March.UKRAINEGrigoriy Surkis (left).Meanwhile, within the association,a refresher course for coaches is under way.This first such course, which started inJanuary, is being followed by holders of theSlovak A Licence who want to acquire theUEFA Pro Licence. Among those participatingare national-team coach Dusan Galis, U21coach Ladislav Jurkemik, Panionios Athenscoach Jozef Bubenko and Groclin Grodziskscoach Dusan Radolsky. Some youth coachesare also taking part. Jozef Venglos, Chairmanof the UEFA Technical Committee, waspresent at the opening of the course, whichfinishes in June.Karolína Ducká-LamacováSLOVENIAFinal phaseof the Under-10 competitionOn 23 February, the final phase of the2002/03 winter Under-10 competition called“I love playing football” took place in Sencurnear Kranj. The final tournament, involvingthe best four teams, from Tisina, Maribor,Kranj and Ljubljana, ran smoothly and in aspirit of fair play, although the young playersdid not lack competitiveness. The winners’trophy went to the young players of NKTriglav Kranj and was presented to them bythe head coach of the Slovenian nationalteam, Bojan Prasnikar. The competition wasbeing played for the third time this seasonand involved 4,500 children playing for145 different football clubs and elementaryschools. On the basis of what we saw duringthe many tournaments organised throughoutSlovenia, it is clear that all those involveddeserved the winners’ trophy, the players aswell as their coaches, officials and the numerousorganisers and referees who helpedassure the high standard of the competition.Now we are looking forward to thenew youth competition season, bearing inmind that the competition is intended in thefirst place to let children have fun and thento meet new friends and gain the necessaryexperience for the future.Irena Ilesic CujovicTURKEYUEFA Champions Leaguefinal in IstanbulThe Turkish Football Associationand the city of Istanbulare extremely honoured to have beenchosen to stage the UEFA Champions Leaguefinal in 2005.The Atatürk Olympic Stadium,where the final will take place, is a brand-newstadium with a huge capacity of 80,000seats. It has just been added to UEFA’s list offive-star stadiums. During a visit by a UEFAdelegation regarding our bid, the governorof Istanbul strongly expressed his fullsupport of the event, as did the mayor ofthe city. Very much aware of the magnitudeand importance of the event, they will useall their power to prepare the city for amemorable festival of football.The Sultan Ahmet area, which iswithin walking distance of Saint Sophia, theBlue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace museumand the famous closed bazaar, is beingenvisaged as the fan festival area. We believethat this festival will be a milestone forUEFA Champions League finals to come.Furthermore, at a recent meetingbetween Haluk Ulusoy, President of theTurkish FA, and Mehmet Ali Sahin, DeputyPrime Minister, who is also in charge ofsport, the programme and details of theevent were discussed. Mr Sahin has alsopledged the full support of all the governmentbodies concerned.An office large enough to accommodatethe LOC (Local Organising Committee),UEFA and its commercial partner,TEAM Marketing, is being set up and will beoperational by mid-March 2004.Apart from the above, the TurkishFA is also very proud to be chosen to hostthe 2005 UEFA/CAF Meridian Cup. Theassociation plans to stage this tournamentin the Aegean city of Izmir and its beautifulsurroundings.Aisha ZumrutUKRAINEFFU help for youthcustody centresIn February, the FootballFederation of Ukraine(FFU) and the StatePunishment Enforcement Departmentsigned an agreement of cooperationwhereby youth custody centres have beensupplied with 260 balls with pumps andliterature for football lessons. In the nearfuture, the FFU will provide the centreswith modern football grounds with artificialturf, so that activities can go on year-round.The regional football federations are alsoinvolved, offering practical assistancefor the organisation and running ofmatches between teams from the youthcustody centres and the children’s/youthfootball league.The FFU will assist the StateDepartment to provide the conditions forfootball lessons and to organise footballevents for young offenders. Each youth custodycentre will have between six and tenteams. “Our aim is to involve youngstersin youth custody centres in regular footballlessons. We hope this initiative willbe as successful as our scheme to bringfootball to village schools and orphanages,”says FFU President Grygoriy Surkis.Valeriy Nykonenko22 uefadirect 4.04

BirthdaysAssistance Programmes Committee ChairmanJan Peeters (Belgium) celebrates his 70th birthdayon 2 April. Alfred Sengle (Germany), memberof the Security Officers Panel, follows suit on27 April. Prof. Jan Ekstrand, Vice-Chairman of theMedical Committee, will be 60 on 5 April. He willbe joined at this milestone by Gisela Gattringer(Germany), member of the Women’s and Girls’Football Panel, on 7 April. Henk van de Wetering(Netherlands) member of the Jira Project Panel,reaches the half-century mark on 27 April, followedthe day after by Zdzislaw Krecina (Poland),member of the Security Officers Panel. UEFA alsowishes many happy returns to:● Carlo de Gaudio (Italy, 1.4)● Kaj Østergaard (Denmark, 3.4)● Markus Schaper (Liechtenstein, 3.4)● William Attley (Republic of Ireland, 5.4)● Arie van Eijden (Netherlands, 5.4)● Régis Pukan (France, 5.4)● Lennart Wangel (Finland, 5.4)● Damir Matovinovic (Croatia, 6.4)● Isak Mikladal (Faroe Islands, 7.4)● Jacques Devismes (France, 8.4)● James Fleeting (Scotland, 8.4)● Zoran Petrovic (Serbia and Montenegro, 10.4)● Mart Tarmak (Estonia, 10.4)● Vlastibor Minarovjech jr (Slovakia, 10.4)● Umberto Gandini (Italy, 11.4)● Eduard Dervishi (Spain, 11.4)● Chingiz Ismaylov (Azerbaijan, 12.4)● Rodger Gifford (Wales, 12.4)● José Romão (Portugal, 13.4)● Jean-Paul Houben (Belgium, 14.4)● Georgios Bikas (Greece, 15.4)● Dusan Fitzel (Czech Republic, 15.4)● Pierre Schmit (Luxembourg, 16.4)● Béla Brünyi (Hungary, 17.4)● Peter Buckley (Republic of Ireland, 17.4)● Oguz Sarvan (Turkey, 18.4)● Jean Appietto (France, 20.4)● Sekip Mosturoglu (Turkey, 20.4)● Paolo Bergamo (Italy, 21.4)● Vitor M. Melo Pereira (Portugal, 21.4)● Alexandru Burlac (Moldova, 21.4)● Patrick Fenech (Malta, 22.4)● Jan Damgaard (Denmark, 22.4)● Morgan Norman (Sweden, 22.4)● José Ignacio Saez Ruiz (Spain, 23.4)● Martin Bodenham (England, 23.4)● Roland Tis (Belgium, 23.4)● Prof. Mehmet Binnet (Turkey, 23.4)???????????????LégendeLégende LégeLégendeLégende LégeLégendeLégende LégeLégendeCommunicationsBirthdays – Calendar● Dimiter Shoilev (Bulgaria, 24.4)● Jan Carlsen (Denmark, 27.4)● Conal Hooper (Republic of Ireland, 28.4)● Ingi Jonsson (Iceland, 29.4)● Moshe Avivi (Israel, 30.4)Upcoming eventsMEETINGS2.4.2004, Blois (France)Draw for the preliminary and qualifyingrounds of the 2004/05 UEFA Regions’ CupDraw for the 2004/05 EuropeanWomen’s Under-19 ChampionshipDraw for the final round of the 2003/04European Under-17 Championship21-22.4.2004, LimassolExecutive Committee22-23.4.2004, LimassolXXVIII Ordinary UEFA Congress23.4.2004, LimassolExecutive Committee26-29.4.2004, Espinho/PortoEURO preparatory referees’ course27.4.2004, NyonProfessional Football CommitteeCOMPETITIONS6-7.4.2004UEFA Champions League: quarter-finals(return legs)8.4.2004UEFA Cup: quarter-finals (first legs)14.4.2004UEFA Cup: quarter-finals (return legs)20-21.4.2004UEFA Champions League: semi-finals(first legs)22.4.2004UEFA Cup: semi-finals (first legs)New publications???????????????LégendeLégende LégeLégendeLégende LégeLégendeLégende LégeLégendeYOUTH FOOTBALLDEVELOPMENT IN PRACTICEYouth football training is oneof the main concerns ofnational associations, and theMalta FA is no exception.Compiled by Stephen Grima, a coachwith the Malta FA, under the guidance ofnational coach Horst Heese, this guideis intended especially for youth coaches.Richly illustrated with sketches, it containsexercises for young players rangingfrom the Under-10s to the Under-18s.Youth Football Development in Practicecan be ordered from the Malta FA,280 St Paul’s Street, Valletta.IFC ANNUAL REPORT 2003The Independent Football Commission(IFC) is responsible for studying the selfregulatingstructures of football inEngland and for suggesting improvementsto its governing bodies. In itsannual report for 2003, the IFC makes37 recommendations in areas such asfinance, anti-racism and facilities for disabledsupporters. These recommendationsare intended for The FootballAssociation in England as well as theFootball League abd Premier League, butcould also be relevant in other countries.(IFC, tel. +44-1642 342750 /fax +44-1642 3427519)Match agentsThe Licensed Match Agents Panel hasgranted a licence to:Charles MamboFootball Agent International2 Peterscroft100 Hay Lane, KingsburyGB - London NW9 0LFTel/fax +44 20 8205 3348Portable +44 7973 121107The Panel has also extended the licencesof each of the following agents for eightyears:● Cornelis Guliker (Netherlands)● Michael D’Arcy (England)● Otmar Sommer (Austria)● Rüdiger Schmitz (Germany)UEFAwe care about footballOfficial publication of theUnion des associationseuropéennes de footballCommunications and Public Affairs DivisionEditor André VieliProduced by Atema Communication SA, CH-1196 GlandPrinted by Cavin SA, CH-1422 GrandsonEditorial deadline: 12 March 2004The views expressed in signedarticles are not necessarily theofficial views of UEFA.The reproduction of articlesor extracts of any informationpublished in uefadirectis authorised, provided thesource is indicated.

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