50th anniversary celebrations in Paris First European trophy for ...

6.0650th anniversarycelebrations in Paris 06First European trophyfor Sevilla FC 08No 50 – June 2006Victory for theRussian Under-17s 11Spanish stranglehold inthe UEFA Futsal Cup 12

COVERFifty years after the firstEuropean Champion Clubs’ Cup final,another Spanish team liftsthe trophy, FC Barcelona beatingArsenal FC in Paris.PHOTO: UEFA-BOZZANIIN THIS ISSUEReferees readyfor the World Cup 04UEFA Champions Leaguefinal in Paris 06UEFA Cup final in Eindhoven 08Eleven questions for Marios N. Lefkaritis 09Under-17 final round 11Boomerang win the Futsal Cup 12News from member associations 16EditorialThe principle of universalityThirty-two years ago, the World Cup was staged in Germany. This year, thesame country will be hosting the 18th finals of that competition, starting on 9 June.The 1974 tournament was the last timethat the finalists included two Germanrepresentatives: East Germanyand West Germanyboth competed, with thelatter going on to lift the trophy.The Slovenian, Croatian and Bosnian playerswho took part were wearing the colours of Yugoslavia.At that time, UEFA had only 34 member associations.Whether as a result of violent conflict or peacefulchange, borders disappeared or were redrawn, changing theface of Europe as the 20th century drew to a close. In themidst of all this upheaval, sport played a major role in preservingthe European unity which it had helped to construct since the 1950s, basedas it is not on purely political, economic and financial considerations but on principlesof a more universal nature.Towards this end, European football has always placed the focus on solidarity.One manifestation of this was the setting up of the East European AssistanceBureau, aimed at ensuring the best possible integration of the new national associationsand enabling them to achieve parity of status as soon as possible with theother national federations, for the sake of maintaining a healthy balance in internationalcompetitions. It was the same concern that led UEFA to extend its assistanceprogramme to all member associations.The presence of Ukraine and Croatia in the upcoming World Cup finals,the victory of CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Cup final last year and the qualificationof a number of Eastern European clubs for the final stages of this season’scompetition show that the efforts made all round are beginning to bear fruit.It would therefore be a pity to see those efforts ruined as a result of rifts causedby individualism that is driven purely by economic and financial considerations.Football must remain a universal sport which is open to all.The World Cup is a wonderful manifestation of this and I hope it will get yoursummer off to the nicest possible start.Ukraine (Sergiy Shyshenko, right) aretaking part in the World Cup finals for thevery first time. Among the opponentsthey eliminated along the way was anothernew nation, Georgia (David Odikadze).SHLAMOV/AFP/GETTY IMAGESLars-Christer OlssonChief Executivewe care about football02 uefadirect 6.06

World Cupin GermanyA monthof football feverFLORIN/AFP/GETTY IMAGESGerd Müller scores for WestGermany against the Netherlandsin the 1974 World Cup final.Germany were the first winnersof the present trophy.EMPICSEIGHT YEARS AFTER IT WAS STAGED IN FRANCE, THE WORLD CUP WILLAGAIN BE PLAYED ON EUROPEAN SOIL, FOR THE TENTH TIME IN ITS HISTORY,WHEN IT RETURNS TO GERMANY THIS SUMMER FROM 9 JUNE TO 9 JULY.On the evening of 9 June, thetournament will kick off with the matchbetween Germany and Costa Rica atthe spectacular stadium in Munich, thefinal being due a month later in Berlin.Among the 32 nations competingfor the title of world champions,currently held by Brazil since their victoryin South Korea/Japan in 2002, therewill be 14 representatives from Europe:apart from Germany, who qualifiedautomatically as the host nation, theEuropean competitors will be Croatia,England, France, Italy, the Netherlands,Poland, Portugal, Serbia & Montenegro,Sweden and Ukraine, who all won theirqualifying groups or finished best runners-up,plus the Czech Republic, Spainand Switzerland, the three play-offwinners.The stadiums of 12 citieswill stage the 64 matches of this finalround. Six of the cities – Dortmund,Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hanover,Munich and Stuttgart – already actedas hosts for the 1974 World Cup inWest Germany, the year when thecurrent trophy made its first appearance,following Brazil’s third victory in1970, which gave them the right tokeep the Jules Rimet trophy. The otherhost cities for 2006 are Berlin, Cologne,Hamburg, Kaiserslautern, Leipzig andNuremberg.The group matches will be playedbetween 9 and 23 June. The top twofrom each group will go through to theround of 16, which will be played from24 to 27 June. The quarter-finals are setfor 30 June and 1 July, after which thesemi-finals will take place on 4 and 5 July.The match for third place will be playedin Stuttgart on 8 July and the final willbe in Berlin on Sunday, 9 July at 8 pm.In 17 editions of the World Cup,only seven different nations have liftedthe trophy: Brazil (1958, 1962, 1970,1994 and 2002), Germany (1954, 1974and 1990), Italy (1934, 1938 and 1982),Uruguay (1930 and 1950), Argentina(1978 and 1986), England (1966) andFrance (1998).03

EMPICSMarkus Merkgets ready to refereethe finalof EURO 2004.HEIMANN/BONGARTS/GETTY IMAGESPhysical fitnessis a crucial aspectof refereeing.World Cup refereesMarkus Merk: enthusiasm is the keyREFEREES PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN FOOTBALL BUT THEY WILL NEVER WIN AWARDS FOR POPULARITY. WORKING INA GAME WHICH GETS FASTER AND FASTER WHILE THE STAKES GET HIGHER AND HIGHER, AND SURROUNDED BY CAMERASWHICH REPLAY EVERY INCIDENT AND DECISION, REFEREES ARE UNDER EVER-GROWING PRESSURE.EMPICSUEFA and FIFA provide elite refereeswith increasingly professional training and supervision.During major tournaments, they stayin the same hotel and are a team in their ownright, united by the same passion and the sameworking language (English), but once they areout on the pitch, they are alone, exposed topublic scrutiny and criticism.Markus Merk will be officiatingat his fourth major international tournamentsince EURO2000. Taking placeon his home turf,this World Cup hasextra piquancy for him, especiallyas he will soon reach the retirement age forreferees. A Bundesliga referee for 18 years, hehas officiated at many top events, including theEURO 2004 final in Portugal. Apart from hisexperience and talent, what is striking is his almostboyish enthusiasm, his infectious passion,made even keener by the prospect of participatingin the World Cup in his own country.“Few referees have an opportunity like this: I willbe fulfilling the dream of officiating in a majortournament in my own country.”– How has the build-up to theWorld Cup been for you?– It feels as though time has been movingfaster in recent weeks and months. As soonas one milestone is reached, you start thinkingof the next one. In 1988, when I started out inthe Bundesliga, I said that anything else thatcame would be a bonus, and that’s still true.I’ve been thinking about this World Cup for along time but without neglecting other events:the final stretch in the Bundesliga,the closing stages of theUEFA Cup and ChampionsLeague … I can’tprepare myself justwith an eye to theWorld Cup. I’m approaching it witha lot of concentration and excitement,while keeping in mind that everythingcan change in an instant but withoutdwelling on the worst things that canhappen or the problems that might arisewhen you go out on the pitch.– What do you hope toachieve at the World Cup?– The tournament is a teamevent for the officials too. It will onlybe a success if people can say at theend that all the referees were excellent,as was the case with EURO 2004 inPortugal. We all have to produce goodperformances, we also have to be oneof the winning teams. In a World Cup,we are an even more cosmopolitangroup than in a European Championshipfinal round and there are twiceas many of us.– Since you started out as areferee, what are the main changesthat have taken place for officials?– The game has become fasterand more athletic, the one-on-oneshave got tougher. Everything is analysedand rehearsed. I won’t say that we’vebecome more professional – that wouldbe insulting to our predecessors. Inmental terms, we are all professional.Over the last 15 years or so, refereeshave become more athletic and havehad to cope with growing pressure.There again, we receive the best possibletraining. But we always have tobe on our toes to progress and be alertto where we can still make small improvements.Otherwise, we start regressing.Finally, experience counts fornothing if you don’t work on yourself,if you don’t get excited about things.04 uefadirect 6.06

Laurent Blanc surrounded by someof those who took part.ChampionsFestivalReturning to the place wherethe first European Champion Clubs’Cup final took place, UEFA commemoratedthe 50th anniversary of itsflagship club competition by offeringParis a five-day football carnival.The Emile Anthoine stadium and theTrocadero gardens were the venuesfor the UEFA Young Champions tournament,in which 744 youngstersaged between ten and 16 played ina five-a-side round-robin competitioninvolving 128 teams, amounting toa total of 216 matches. Laurent Blanc,the former captain of France,dropped in to encourage the participantsin their efforts.Supported by the official UEFAChampions League sponsors andthe French Football Federation, thefestival attracted some 60,000 visitors.Its highlight was a 50-hour non-stopfive-a-side match in which 500 playerstook part, including former tennischampion Boris Becker.As it has done throughout theseason, UEFA also paid tribute, duringthe official dinner the day beforethe UEFA Champions League final, tosome of the instrumental figures ofthe competition, including UEFA’s formerchief executive, Gerhard Aigner.PHOTOS: UEFA/BOZZANIGerhard Aigner was honoured bythe UEFA President, Lennart Johansson.06 uefadirect 6.06

SolCampbell’stoweringheadergivesArsenalthe lead.JulianoBellettiscoresthewinnerforBarcelona.Ronaldinhoreceiveshis medal froma smilingUEFA presidentand CEO.UEFAChampionsLeagueBarcelona victoryin jubilee yearIT WAS 50 YEARS AGO IN PARIS THAT THE FIRSTEUROPEAN CHAMPION CLUBS’ CUP FINAL WAS HELD. THIS YEAR,THE FRENCH CAPITAL AGAIN HOSTED THE CROWNING EVENTOF THE EUROPEAN CLUB COMPETITION SEASON.As was the case 50 years ago,it was a brand-new trophy which waspresented this year to the captain of thewinning team, the previous cup havingbecome the property of Liverpool FClast season after they won the competitionfor the fifth time. And, just like in1956, it was a Spanish club which wasvictorious now.Otherwise, many things havechanged, including the new stadium inSt-Denis replacing the Parc des Princes.Instructions concerning the Laws of theGame have also changed, and the strictand immediate application of the ruleshad a significant impact on this final:Arsenal had to play most of the matchwith ten men, after goalkeeper JensLehmann was sent off for a last-ditchfoul in the 18th minute.Initially, the English team notonly coped with the setback but eventook the lead, thanks to a perfectlydirected header by defender Sol Campbell.After that, however, this anniversarymatch saw the repetition of a familiarscenario from the earlier years of thecompetition: one-way traffic and totaldomination by one team, interruptedonly by occasional, though dangerous,counter-attacks. Arsenal created anumber of chances for dealing the killerblow to the Catalans but were unableto convert them. So ultimately they paidthe price, with the rain in the secondhalf literally putting a damper on thingsafter the pleasant conditions at kickofftime.Having kept a clean sheet fornearly 1,000 minutes of Europeanfootball, the English club conceded twogoals in less than five minutes, SamuelEto’o and Juliano Belletti thus securinga second final triumph for the Spanishclub to add to their 1992 victory in thecompetition. Arsenal no longer hadthe ways and means – or the time – todeny success to a team who have perfectedthe art of keeping possession.Unbeaten throughout thisseason’s UEFA Champions League campaign,Barcelona’s triumph gave Spainits second victory this season in Europeanclub competitions, a week afterSevilla’s victory over Middlesbroughin the final of the UEFA Cup. The nextUEFA Super Cup will thus be an all-Spanish affair – though of course withmany players of other nationalities.In this respect too, times have changed!17 May 2006Paris St-Denis – Stade de France –77,500 spectatorsFC Barcelona – Arsenal FC 2-1 (0-1)Goals: Campbell (37), Eto’o (76),Belletti (81)Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway)07PHOTOS: UEFA-BOZZANI

GETTY IMAGESGoals fromMarescaand Kanoute.EMPICSThe finalwas stagedunder the“unite againstracism”banner.BOZZANIUEFA Cup goesto SevillaBest possible centenary presentTHE UEFA CUP LIKES TO RING THE CHANGES. NOT ONLY DID IT ADOPTA NEW FORMAT TWO SEASONS AGO, COMBINING GROUP AND KNOCKOUTMATCHES, BUT IT HAS ALSO BEEN WON ON THE LAST TWO OCCASIONSBY CLUBS WHICH HAD NEVER WON A SINGLE UEFA COMPETITION BEFORE.This year, it was known evenbefore the final that the list ofwinners of the competition wouldbe extended, since neither ofthe two finalists had ever got thatfar in the competition before.It was also reasonable toassume – and hope – that thefinal would not be short on goals,since, in their 14 matches on theway to the final, Sevilla andMiddlesbrough had notched uprespectable goal tallies of 21and 20 respectively. The only otherprevious Spanish-English UEFA Cupfinal – the 2001 final between Liverpooland Deportivo Alavès (5-4) – alsoaugured well for an entertainingand exciting match.And goals there indeedwere, but not very evenlyspread, with four for Sevillaand none for Middlesbrough,though Sevilla did not havean easy ride, notably at the startof the second half,when goalkeeperPalop’s quick reflexesdeflected Viduka’s volley. At thatpoint Sevilla had only a one goal lead,thanks to a finely angled headerby Luis Fabiano.Even when Maresca scoredSevilla’s second goal, the English fansdid not give up, despite there beingbarely ten minutes left on the clock.After their team’s exploits in quarterfinalsagainst FC Basel and in thesemi-finals against Steaua Bucharest,when Middlesbrough had turnedthe matches round in unbelievablefashion, anything was still possible.However, Sevilla were notunprepared and did not let up; on the10 May 2006Eindhoven – PSV stadium – 32,100 spectatorsMiddlesbrough FC v Sevilla FC 0-4 (0-1)Goals: Luis Fabiano (27’), Maresca (78’, 84’),Kanoute (89’).Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)ROCA/AFP/GETTY IMAGEScontrary, they continued to shine andeven managed to score a fourthgoal and well and truly bag their firstUEFA trophy, and in their club’s centenaryyear at that.The final in Eindhoven wasthe 35th in the history of the UEFACup, which Spanish clubs have nowwon four times in seven finals, previousSpanish winners being RealMadrid (in 1985 and 1986) andValencia (in 2004). Italy still holds therecord, with nine titles to its name.08 uefadirect 6.06

MACDOUGALL/AFPSteaua(Nicolae Dica,in red)versusHertha Berlin(SofianChahed).MIHAILESCU/AFPRapid’s VasileMafteioutpacesHamburg’sRafaelvan der Vaartin the last16 of theUEFA Cup.POUJOULAT/AFPDinamo (SilvioMargaritescu,in red) only justmissed outon a place inthe next round,pipped byOlympiquede Marseille.The Bucharestclubs in UEFA CupA fabulous seasonAS ONE OF THE BEST-REPRESENTED EUROPEAN CAPITAL CITIES IN THE UEFACUP AT THE START OF THE SEASON, WITH THREE CLUBS TAKING PART,BUCHAREST MADE ITS MARK ON THE COMPETITION, EVEN THOUGH NONE OF ITSTEAMS REACHED THE FINAL.Steaua came very close to doingso, though. After winning the home leg oftheir semi-final tie against Middlesbrough,they were well on the way to clinchingthe return leg, only to let qualification slipthrough their fingers in the dying minutesafter an utterly astounding second half.As for Rapid, despite beingknocked out in the quarter-finals by theirlocal rivals, they wrote the finest chapterin their European competition history,contesting 16 matches and claiming thescalps of heavyweights such as Feyenoord,Rennes, Shakhtar Donetsk, PAOK, HerthaBerlin and Hamburg.Finally, only one goal separatedDinamo from qualification for the last 32 ofthe competition.It might also be said that theremarkable run by Cluj in the UEFAA party atmosphere for the European derbybetween Steaua and Rapid Bucharest.Intertoto Cup provided a foretasteof the future exploits of the Bucharest“big guns”!The three Bucharest clubs playeda total of 42 matches, the results ofwhich have propelled Romania into firstplace in this season’s UEFA rankings,yielding a total over five seasons whichwill allow Romania to enter two clubs forthe 2007/08 Champions League.Economic boomApart from the media impact,the performances of the Bucharest clubsin European competitions have createda real economic boom, with gate receiptssupplementing TV revenue. Stadiumswere full for most of the Europeanfixtures and the resulting revenue hasbeen substantial.PRO SPORTBecause of renovation workat their stadium, Steaua played theirlast four European matches at theLia Manoliu stadium (the largest in thecountry) and the club set a new recordfor gate receipts from the crunch matchagainst Middlesbrough – some EUR500,000. Steaua’s total revenue fromtheir European campaign (tickets, TVrights and advertising in the stadium) isestimated at EUR 3.5 million.The Bucharest clubs have alwayshad a strong following and the recentresults have further enhanced their imagethroughout Romania and even abroad.Steaua and Rapid have their own wellorganisedfan clubs, which follow theirteams’ progress closely.The good results and biggercrowds have been accompanied bya boost on the marketing front. In additionto the sales generated by the bigmatches, the clubs have conductedadvertising campaigns and further revenuehas been generated. Apart fromopening shops in the capital, theBucharest clubs are also selling theirproducts in other towns and cities viamobile shops (which cover a large partof the country), as well as online. Thesevirtual shops often display “sold out”signs for a number of popular items!Role modelsThe ripple effect from theimpressive results achieved by theBucharest clubs has been considerable.Enthusiasm was so great that the TVchannels made great efforts to rebroadcastthe matches, leading to a priceexplosion and technical improvements inthis area. Apart from that, discussionsabout the atmosphere surrounding thetwo derby matches have had a clear educationalvalue.The performances of Steaua andRapid in particular will enable other clubsto have more opportunities to take partin future editions of the UEFA club competitions,which are real showcases foremerging talent. Children are also returningto the stadiums and it is to be hopedthat facilities will continue to improveto give them the welcome they deserve.George Gîsca10 uefadirect 6.06

Spain scoreagainstGermanyin the matchto decidethird place.JakubHeidenreich(CzechRepublic) outmanoeuvresRussia’sVadimGagloevin the final.Theoutcomerestedon penaltykicks.European Under-17Championship inLuxembourgTriumph for RussiaIN A THRILLING FINAL AGAINST THE CZECH REPUBLIC, RUSSIA WONTHEIR FIRST EUROPEAN YOUTH TITLE SINCE THE BREAK-UPOF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION. TOURNAMENT FAVOURITES GERMANY AND SPAINCAME TO GRIEF IN THE SEMI-FINALS.After a tentative start, the final inthe Josy Barthel stadium was extremelyexciting and took a number of unexpectedturns. Taking the leadshortly after half-time, Russialooked likely winners, until theCzechs managed to equalisein the dying seconds of stoppagetime. In extra time, the Russianswent ahead for a second time, againconceded the lead, but finally came outon top in the penalty shoot-out.Satisfied coachesThe coaches of both finalistswere full of positives after the nervejanglinggame. “It was an amazing, fantasticmatch. This tournament was veryhard for our team and I must congratulatethe players. I really think that at thebeginning of the finals we were not ingood shape but we’ve managed to buildourselves up and we were in the shapewe wanted to be,“ said Russian coachIgor Kolyvanov. His Czech opposite number,Jakub Dovalil, was gracious in defeat.“I said before the match that it is difficultto lose on penalties – and it happened.But my team put on a good performance.Russia defended as expected and playedwell on the counter, they were strongerand won, so I congratulate them on theirperformance.“winners Russia. Before the semi-final,Germany had gone 14 successive matcheswithout defeat and had won Group Bwithout conceding a goal. Butthis final round showed once againthat the teams that triumph in theend may not get off to the best startbut are able to raise their gameas the tournament progresses.Germany and Spain each found theiropponent’s compact and solid defencea hard nut to crack, the former losing1-0 against Russia and the latter sufferinga 2-0 defeat against the Czech Republic.So the two favourites ended up contestingthe match for third place, whichthe Spaniards won on penalties after a1-1 draw in normal time.Positive outcomeApart from the Russian team,the organisers also had every reasonto be happy. Luxembourg are theResultsGroup AHungary – Russia 0-1Luxembourg – Spain 1-7Spain – Russia 3-0Luxembourg – Hungary 0-4Russia – Luxembourg 2-0Spain – Hungary 2-0Group BBelgium – Germany 0-4Serbia and Montenegro – Czech Rep. 1-2Belgium – Serbia and Montenegro 1-1Germany – Czech Republic 0-0Germany – Serbia and Montenegro 4-0Czech Republic – Belgium 3-1Semi-finalsGermany – Russia 0-1Spain – Czech Republic 0-2Match for third placeSpain – GermanyFinalCzech Rep. – Russia1-1, 3-2 pens.1-1, 2-2 a.e.t.,3-5 pens.smallest nation so far to have stagedthe Under-17 Championship finalround and UEFA Youth and AmateurCommittee chairman Jim Boyce was fullof praise for the Grand Duchy when hespoke to uefa.com. “The LuxembourgFA and local organising committee havedone a super job. The stadiums havebeen clean and tidy and the pitcheshave been first class, and they mustbe very pleased with the numberof spectators at the games. The numberof people I’ve seen with footballshirts, they know it’s a big thing forLuxembourg.”The fair play award was wonby Germany.Surprises in the semi-finalsThe group matches had suggestedthat a Germany v. Spain final wason the cards. The Spaniards won Group Awith maximum points, including a3-0 victory over subsequent tournamentPHOTOS: UEFA11

APHOTO SPAIN/LNFSThe three goallead that theytook away fromthe first leg putBoomerangInterviú in a comfortablepositionbefore theirtrip to Moscow.UEFAA clashof BraziliansbetweenMoscow’s Pelé(in white) andBoomerangInterviú’sSchumacher.UEFAThe Madridside celebratevictory.2005/06 UEFAFutsal CupSpain takes the honours againWITH AN AGGREGATE SCORE OF 9-7, BOOMERANG INTERVIÚ TRIUMPHEDOVER DINAMO MOSCOW AND RECLAIMED THE UEFA FUTSAL CUP TITLETHEY WON IN 2004, LEAVING DINAMO MOSCOW TO SWALLOW DEFEAT IN THEFINAL FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW.In the five years that the UEFAFutsal Cup has been played, Spainhas virtually made the competition itsown, with four titles to its name.Action 21 Charleroi from Belgiumare the only club to have brokenthe Spanish strangleholdso far, winning the competitionin 2004/05. The same Spanishclub, Playas de Castellón, won thefirst two editions.Thriller of a finalIn the first leg of the final,Boomerang Interviú had the home advantage,which they made the most of tohead into the second leg with a 6-3 winalready under their belts. The match gotoff to a thrilling start: Dinamo twice cameback from behind to go ahead 3-2, onlyfor the Spanish side to put the ball intothe back of the net twice in the spaceof 12 seconds just before half-timeto take the score to 4-3 in theirfavour. In the second half, bothteams lost their cool somewhat.However, Boomerang managedto keep a better grip on the gameand extended their lead to 5-3 midwaythrough the second half. Then just beforethe final whistle, their Brazilian player,Schumacher, clinched his hat-trick and athree-goal cushion for his club.Boomerang feel the pressureThe return leg in the Russiancapital was even more of a thriller thanthe first leg in Madrid. Dinamo, withseveral strong Brazilians in their line-up,put on the pressure from the very start.However, a brilliant performance fromthe Spanish side’s goalkeeper, Rafa, keptthe score at 1-1 until half-time. TheRussian side tried to step up the pressureand staked everything on one card fiveminutes before the end, when they tookoff their goalkeeper and replaced himwith a fifth outfield player. A real onslaughtfollowed, resulting in five goalsin the last five minutes. Two minutesbefore the final whistle, Dinamo took a4-2 lead, which, on account of the awaygoalsrule, left them needing one moregoal to win the trophy, but a shot fromthe other half of the field into the emptyRussian goal left the Spanish team withthe upper hand in the end.New format for 2006/07Next season, the UEFA FutsalCup takes on a new look, with the29 April, Pabellón Caja, MadridBoomerang Interviú v Dinamo Moscow, 6–3Referees: Ivan Novak (CRO), Károly Török (HUN)Scorers: 5’ Gabriel 1–0, 8’ Sirilo 1–1, 10’ Schumacher 2–1,12’ Pelé 2–2, 15’ Malyshev 2–3, 18’ Daniel 3–3,18’ Schumacher 4–3, 31’ Marquinho 5–3, 40’ Schumacher 6–3.APHOTO SPAIN/LNFSabolition of semi-finals and the final overtwo legs and the introduction of a “FutsalCup Finals” over several days, hostedby one of the semi-finalists. The change isintended to make the final phase of thecompetition more attractive. The 2006/07competition kicks off in Nyon on 6 July,when the draws are made for the preliminaryand main rounds.7 May, Druzhba sports hall, MoscowDinamo Moscow v Boomerang Interviú, 4–3Referees: Giuseppe Buluggiu (ITA), Massimo Cumbo (ITA)Scorers: 8’ Sirilo 1–0, 12’ Julio 1–1, 36’ Joan 2–1,36’ Daniel 2–2, 37’ Maevski 3–2, 39’ Tatu 4–2, 40’ Neto 4–3.12 uefadirect 6.06

BARON/BONGARTS/GETTY IMAGESThe newclub competitionseasongets underway whenthe WorldCup is infull swing.UEFAAt the beginningof May, UEFAorganised itssixth seminar forreferee talentsand mentors aspart of its refereedevelopmentprogramme.Meetingsand other activitiesClub competitionsresumeTHE REVAMPED UEFA INTERTOTO CUP GETS UNDER WAY ON 17/18 JUNE,WHEN THE FIRST LEGS IN THE FIRST ROUND TAKE PLACE.The return matches are scheduledfor 25/26 June. The secondround matches take place on 1/2 and8/9 July, and the third and last roundon 15/16 and 22 July.Meanwhile, the draw for thefirst and second qualifying rounds of the2006/07 UEFA Champions League willbe made at UEFA’s headquarters inNyon at 12.00 on 23 June. On the sameoccasion, the draw for the first qualifyinground of the UEFA Cup will alsobe made.Germany (Nathalie Bock, No 8,against Spela Vehar of Slovenia)have made it through to theEuropean Women’s Under-19Championship finals again.DOBRIN/BONGARTS/GETTY IMAGESFair play draw in PortugalUEFA’s fair play rankings,which entitle three national associationsto each enter an additional clubfor the UEFA Cup, will be wrappedup on 31 May.The association that tops therankings automatically gets an additionalUEFA Cup place, whereas all the otherassociations which have achieved an averageof eight points or more (and playedenough matches) will go into a drawto decide who gets the other two places.This draw will be made in Portoon 4 June at half-time in the final of theEuropean Under-21 Championship.The three clubs from the associationsin question will start out in the UEFACup 2006/07 in the first qualifying round.Women’s Under-19 finalround in SwitzerlandThe qualifying phaseof the EuropeanWomen’s Under-19Championship concludedat the endof April and the finalistsare now awaiting thedraw in Basle on 27 May which willplace them into two groups.Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany,the Netherlands, title-holders Russia,and Sweden have qualified for the finalround, where they will be joined by the hostnation for a tournament running from 11 to22 July and being staged at six venues:Berne, Langenthal, Schaffhausen,Solothurn, Wil and Winterthur.Report fromBrusselsTwo committees of the EuropeanParliament are battling each otherfor the right to draft a report on theregulation of professional football.The dispute opens a new chapter inthe long-standing debate on theEuropean Union’s involvement in therunning of sport.On the one hand sits the liberal,free-market approach, which arguesthat professional football has becomeso commercialised and its topclubs so wealthy that thesport should be treated likeany other normal business.The Dutch liberal MEPToine Manders most visiblyrepresents this philosophy,and Manders has alreadyproduced a working document, whichcalls on FIFA and UEFA to bring theirstatutes and regulations into linewith the basic principles of EU law.On the other hand, the Parliament’sCulture Committeeargues that sport, and footballin particular, plays asocial and educational rolethat demands special treatmentfrom politicians andregulators. Sport belongs tothe Culture Committee’s variousresponsibilities, and the Committee’smembers are determined thatthey should produce the report.If the Culture Committee is successful,the Belgian MEP Ivo Belet will draftthe document.In his working document, Mandersargues that a level playing fielddoes not exist in European football:some clubs enjoy significant economicadvantages over their rivals becausethey operate in bigger televisionmarkets or because their governmentsoffer various forms of financialsupport. The only way to create truecompetition, according to Manders,is to apply the full range of EU lawsso that, for example, clubs are free tooperate in different leagues, justas companies are free to trade acrossborders.UEFA believes that this internalmarketphilosophy contains severalbasic weaknesses. First, it insists onseparating the professional elite fromthe rest of the sport; it does notrecognise that the grass roots andToine MandersIvo Belet13➜

➜the professional game need and supporteach other. It refuses to see that Europeanfootball is essentially a social movementthat has organised itself freely andopenly from the very beginning.Second, it fails to understand that itis impossible to create perfect competitionin sport. Success on the pitch isinfluenced by numerous factors, notleast the size and prosperity of the localor national population. No governmentcan legislate against these factors;they are a fact of geography and history.Third, it ignores UEFA’s efforts topromote competitive balance through arange of sporting and administrativemeasures. UEFA’s new rules to promotethe local training of players, the recentlyintroduced club licensing system, andthe well-established solidarity mechanismsall aim to keep the sport balancedand competitive.So far, the Parliament has still notagreed which of the two committeesshould write the report. Once thedecision is taken, MEPs will debate thetwo philosophies, liberal and social, overa period of several months. The finalreport, requiring the approval of theParliament as a whole, will not have anylegally-binding effect; neither UEFAnor any other governing body willbe obliged to take any action. But itwill send a clear political signal abouthow the European Parliament sees thedevelopment of our sport, and howit should be governed.Special Olympicsseminar in TurkeySpecial Olympics Turkeyhosted the fourth Special OlympicsEurope/Eurasia (SOEE) coachassistant programme seminar from6 to 9 April at the seaside resortof Kusadasi.Seventeen Special Olympicsfootballers and ten coaches representingnine Special Olympics clubs in Turkey,Bulgaria and Romania participated.The seminar included theoreticaland practical sessions and propertests. The seminar was followed bya Unified Football tournament withpartners from the Kusadasi footballclub. “My schoolfriends and I usuallyplay football in the street after schoolbut this is the first time that I’ve hadformal training. I found it very interesting.Maybe my first session as a coachassistant will be a bit stressful, butI am looking forward to it!” said coachSOEESpecialOlympicsseminarfor coachassistants.Slovakia’sUnifiedSpecialOlympicsteam.assistant Julian Ciortan, 16, from SpecialOlympics Romania.Gabriel Varescu, a coach withthe Romanian Football Federation, whohas coached in the US, Japan andRomania, said: “I have been to manyseminars in my career and this is one ofthe best I have attended. The assistantcoach seminar gives a lot of practicalinformation and offers new opportunitiesfor coaches and coach assistants.The visuals and slideshows at theseminar were very helpful. I am veryimpressed with the quality I saw duringthe event.”Nolwen Grassin, regional athleteleadership programme manager,and Andre Peeters, regional footballand Unified Sports adviser, conductedthe seminar.In the past two years, threecoach assistant seminars have beenheld, in Belgium, Denmark and Poland;45 coaches and 75 coach assistantshave been trained in the process.SO SLOVAKIAPREPARING FOR EURO2008Like lifting ten Boeing 747s all at once...●●● On 6 May, renovation work for UEFA EURO 2008began at Salzburg’s Wals-Siezenheim stadium. The hydrauliclifting of the roof promises to be particularly spectacular.In bridge-building, such lifts are quite normal, but this techniquehas never previously been used in stadium construction.The roof, with a total surface area of 17,000 m 2 andweighing more than1,900 tonnes,will be raised bya total of 10.5 metres.Rather than conventionalcranes,12 large and 56 smalljack lifts will beused, along with steelcables with exceptionalload-bearingcapacity. The roofWork has started at Salzburg’s stadium.weighs the equivalent of ten Boeing 747s or 270 fully grownelephants.It will take between eight and ten hours to raise the roof,probably on 29 June 2006. Good weather (no wind) is a necessity.At first, the 1,900 tonne roof will be lifted by just a few centimetres,then the process will be interrupted for a day or two in order to carryout the necessary structuralchecks. A total ofaround 25 people will beinvolved in the operation.“The main advantage of this method,”explained architectAlbert Wimmer,“ is thatthe fixtures of firstdivision club Salzburgwill not be disrupted.”ALBERT WIMMER ZT-GMBH14 uefadirect 6.06

SO RUSSIADasha AliyevaAlapayersk:a star in themaking.SO TURKEYTournamentin Turkey.SO FINLANDKeithArmstrong,coach ofHJK Helsinki,gives someadvice toyoung players.Special OlympicsFootball WeekRecordnumber of participantsTHE SIXTH ANNUAL SPECIAL OLYMPICS EUROPEAN FOOTBALL WEEK WASHELD FROM 24 APRIL TO 3 MAY. A RECORD 50,000 PLAYERSWITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES PARTICIPATED IN EVENTS IN OVER50 COUNTRIES THROUGHOUT EUROPE/EURASIA.This year the focus was onyouth participation. In Austria, Poland,Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, andSlovakia, a pilot project, started in 2005,continued during Football Week. Theproject combines SO Get Into It, theSpecial Olympics school curriculum thatencourages understanding and acceptanceamong young people, and “UnifiedFootball“, in which players with andwithout disabilities play on the sameteam. Some of the new Unified teamsresulting from the project will competein the Special Olympics European YouthGames to be held from 30 Septemberto 5 October in Rome. Milan Palencar,16, a Special Olympics footballer in Slovakiawhose team was selected to goto the Youth Games and who was competingin a local tournament duringFootball Week, said, “I like my Unifiedteam because boys from mainstreamand special schools get to play footballtogether and become friends.”Tournamentin Tbilisi.In Lithuania, 650 young playersfrom special schools competed in localevents. In Georgia, a tournament washeld in Tbilisi for four teenage teams,including one from Quality SchoolsInternational. In Spain, 150 SpecialOlympics young players competed ina tournament in Madrid.YOURY MECHITOVIn Finland, over 600 SpecialOlympics footballers participated incompetitions in four cities; in Helsinkithey met players from HJK Helsinki.In Belgium, 300 Special Olympicsplayers competed in “Happy FootballDay” and met René Vandereycken,Belgium’s head coach. In Iceland,former national goalkeeper BirkirKristinsson presented medals to SpecialOlympics players at a tournament inReykjavik organised in cooperationwith the FA. In Luxembourg, thenew Special Olympics football ambassadorManuel Cardoni, the JeunesseEsch midfielder, and all first divisionteams and referees participatedin a solidarity weekend for SpecialOlympics Luxembourg. In Turkey,tournaments were held in seven citiesincluding Istanbul, where 16 teamsplayed in an event supported bythe FA. In Azerbaijan, 150 playerstook part in a national tournamentsupported by the FA. In Kazakhstan,1,500 players participated in14 regional tournaments while250 players took part in a nationalevent. In Uzbekistan, 5,000 spectatorsgathered in Tashkent to welcometeams to a national tournament.In Tajikistan, 400 players competedin tournaments in four cities.Female players continued toimpress everyone with their skills. Forexample, among the 300-player tournamentin St Petersburg, Russia, DashaAliyeva Alapayersk, 13, was a definitestar. “Dasha is one of the best playersI have ever seen,” said Victor Lebiediev,the main tournament referee.The Johan Cruyff Foundationcontinued its support of Football Weekfor the fifth year.As usual, UEFA took part in Special Olympics Football Weekby playing a Swiss Special Olympics team in Nyon on 24 April. Afterwards,the teams went back to UEFA headquarters, where they were able tolook at photos of the match.UEFA15

Newsfrom member associationsARMENIAVisit by the UEFA CEOOn 3 April, UEFA chief executiveLars-Christer Olsson travelled to Yerevanto meet the president of the Football Federationof Armenia (FFA), Ruben Hayrapetyan,and the head of the FFA sports committee,The UEFA Chief Executive was able to see for himselfhow much Armenians of all ages love football.Ishkhan Zakaryan, before going on to meetother federation staff. Presenting the keyareas of UEFA policy, Lars-Christer Olssonunderlined the cooperation with nationalfootball associations of the former USSR,referring in particular to UEFA’s assistanceprogrammes and solidarity between nationalassociations. He also answered questionsabout the club licensing system, and aboutthe involvement of the national associationsin UEFA committees and working groups.In reply to questions concerning thesituation of Armenia and Azerbaijan, theUEFA CEO indicated UEFA’s readiness tosend a group of officials to Armenia andAzerbaijan to analyse the situation and seekFFAa solution. UEFA hoped that these gamescould be played in the host countries,but was aware of the many problems relatingto security.After the meeting, Olsson visitedthe Matenadaran, one of the world’s oldestlibraries, where over 17,000 ancient manuscriptsare stored. After the visit, our guestmet the head of the Armenian Church,Garegin II, before moving on to the Parajanovmuseum.The following day, the UEFA CEOopened a second mini-pitch in Yerevan,accompanied by the FFA president and thedeputy mayor of Yerevan.Under the HatTrick mini-pitchproject, UEFA had already given the ArmenianFA one pitch, which was inauguratedby UEFA vice-president Per Ravn Omdalin November 2004. A total of 20 pitcheswill be built in the capital and another20 in the regions.After the ceremony, Lars-ChristerOlsson visited the headquarters of Banantsto see an example of work being done atclub level. Grass pitches have been relaidand an artificial pitch is almost finished.Reconstruction work has been carried outon an indoor hall, which will house anotherartificial surface. Our guest was also shownthe hotel, training halls and dressing-rooms.He then went on to visit theNairi stadium, scheduled to be a venue forthe European Under-17 Championshipqualifying group matches in Armenia, andthe Pyunik club, where extensive renovationwork is under way.The UEFA CEO also had a meetingwith the Armenian prime minister, AndranikMargaryan, who expressed hisappreciation of UEFA programmes implementedin Armenia and underlinedthe importance attached to football bythe government. The prime minister gavean assurance that the Azerbaijan delegationwould be well received and thatsecurity would be tight for the Armeniav. Azerbaijan EURO 2008 qualifier.In a press conference the sameday, Lars-Christer Olsson again referred tothe matches to be played between Armeniaand Azerbaijan. “We have decided to createa working group consisting of representativesfrom UEFA, Armenia and Azerbaijanto discuss this matter and find the bestway forward. The meeting will be in Mayand we will discuss all possible solutions.The top priority is, of course, security.UEFA would like the games to be played inthe host countries and hopes that they willbe,” he said.In reply to a question aboutwhether he was satisfied with his visit toArmenia, he added, “It’s my first visitto Armenia and it’s very important for me.Apart from dealing with football matters,I have met the head of the ArmenianChurch and visited many cultural places.I welcome the prime minister’s position onfootball development in the country.And who could forget the happy faces ofthe children at the inauguration of themini-pitch? I feel positive about the developmentof Armenian football. It’s importantfor me to be sure that UEFA funding isbeing put to good use.”Arayik ManukyanBELGIUMThe “Open Stadium Fund”The image of football has beenincreasingly tarnished in recent years byacts of violence, anti-social behaviour andexpressions of racism which poison theatmosphere in the stadiums. Unfortunatelythis situation is not confined to our mostpopular national sport but extends to dailylife in general. People everywhere are oftenplagued by feelings of unease and insecurity,which will continue to grow if nothingis done. So it is time to take action torestore the image of football and of societyas a whole.This is the context in which Els VanWeert, Secretary of State for SustainableDevelopment and Social Economy, presentedthe “Open Stadium Fund” in the auditoriumof the Belgian FA on 25 April. All firstand second division clubs across the countryare being invited to tender projectsURBSFA16 uefadirect 6.06

aimed at using the impact of football toachieve social objectives. The schemeis managed by the King Baudouin Foundationand chaired by Michel Preud’homme,member of the Belgian FA’s executive andtechnical committees. Bids must be submittedto the Foundation by 15 August andmust demonstrate the added value ofthe respective programmes in social, environmental,democratic and/or participatoryterms. An independent panel will thenevaluate the projects and select those theyconsider the best. The candidates willbe informed of the outcome in earlySeptember and successful applicants willqualify for financial assistance.As this initiative gets under way,there are high hopes for change, with theprospect of our clubs becoming sociallycommitted enterprises which stand to gainfrom their new status. Indeed, their imagewill be enhanced and this will enable themto attract sponsors and supporters moreeasily, their security costs will be lower, etc.Now, the ball is in their court.Pierre CornezBOSNIA ANDHERZEGOVINANK Orasje win the cupIt has been a busy time in footballrecently, especially on the domestic front.The premier league stepped up a gear, withmatches on both Saturday and Wednesday,a change of pace that the players acceptedbetter than expected.The domestic cup competitionwas also still in full swing. In the two-legfinal, NK Orasje beat NK Siroki Brijeg aftera goal-less first leg at the Pecara stadiumand a 3-0 win in the second leg at theGoal stadium in Orasje. It was a doublecelebration for NK Orasje, as the clubis also marking its tenth year of existence.“This is a great success for ourteam. It wasn’t easy. But we beat the newpremier league champions and havewon a place in the UEFA Cup,” said DavorMladina, head coach.In the women’s cup, ZNK SFK2000 met ZFK Borac from Banja Lukain the final, played at the Grbavica stadiumin Sarajevo. ZNK SFK 2000 won 2-0.Indoors, the futsal cup was wonby MFK Partizan from Sarajevo, whobeat MFK Leotar from Trebinje 5-2 at theSkenderija hall.The futsal league competition hasalso finished. Three teams took part in thefinal tournament, which took place inBihac: MNK Seljak from Livno, MNK Partizanfrom Sarajevo and MNK Banja Luka.F.KRVAVACCup winners NK Orasje.MNK Partizan emerged as champions,ahead of MNK Seljak and MFK Banja Luka.In the youth sector, the Under-21splayed a friendly in Modrica against Slovenia,which they won 1-0. The Under-18s,led by Nikola Nikic, did not do so well,losing three of their four recent matches,one against FYR Macedonia (2-0) and twoagainst Croatia (3-0 and 4-1). In theirsecond match against FYR Macedonia,they managed a goal-less draw.The Under-16s met their counterpartsfrom the same two countries, butwith slightly better results, one win and onedraw. They lost their first match againstFYR Macedonia 2-0 but won the returnmatch 2-1. Against Croatia, they manageda 1-1 draw to begin with, but then lost thesecond match 2-1.These results are cause for concernfor those responsible for youth footballin Bosnia and Herzegovina; however, it wasdecided that only players from domesticclubs would be fielded for these matches.Not to be left out, the seniornational team play South Korea in Seouland Iran in Teheran at the end of May inpreparation for the EURO 2008 qualifiers.Fuad KrvavacCROATIACroatian football celebratesits deep rootsSpring has been a busy time inCroatian football in all respects. The greatestfocus of attention has been preparationsfor the third consecutive participationof the Croatian national team in the WorldCup. Amid this atmosphere of optimismfor a successful performance by our nationalteam, an ordinary general meeting hasbeen held. The gathering was also anopportunity to put on an impressive presentationcelebrating the history of Croatianfootball, 125 years since the first footballarrived in the town of Zupanja fromEngland, and 100 years since Zagrebbasedclub PNISK played their first match,which was against Hungarian club FTC inBudapest. It is also 66 years since the firstmatch of the Croatian national team,which played Switzerland in Zagreb on2 April 1940, a match they won 4-0. Thegeneral meeting was attended by the onlysurviving participant from that match,Milan Antolkovic, an excellent internationalplayer in his day, not to mention a successfulcoach, long-standing president of theassociation of Croatian coaches and alwaysa promoter of fair play in sport. Eventoday, at 91, his vitality still shows through.Milan Antolkovic received a very warmwelcome from the participants, andVlatko Markovic, president of the CroatianFA, presented him with a specialnational team shirt.Just one month after that firstsenior national team match, Croatia’sUnder-18 team played their first matchagainst their Hungarian counterparts.This shows that great attention has alwaysbeen paid to youth in Croatian football.Returning to the present, we are gratefulto UEFA for entrusting us with the organisationof an elite round mini-tournament inthe 2005/06 European Under-19 Championship,when our team will be pittingtheir skills against Israel, Portugal andFYR Macedonia. The tournament is beingplayed in the Zagreb region. To date, wehave received nothing but praise for all thetournaments we have hosted.Vlatko Markovic, president of the Croatian FA,presents a souvenir shirt to Milan Antolkovic.At grassroots level, a new Veterans’Football Committee has been appointed.Veterans’ football has a long tradition andhuge following. The aim is to bring veteransfootball under the umbrella of theassociation and its regional organisationsand make it an integral part of our grassrootsactivities and of UEFA’s goals in thisrespect. Further good cooperation hasbeen achieved with the Open Fun Footballschool, especially in terms of getting girlsinvolved in football. This area is a priorityconcern for the association, with aview to accelerating the developmentof women’s football.Ante PavlovicHNS17

CYPRUSBusy times for the associationA wide range of activities andevents were organised recently by theCyprus Football Association (CFA) as partof ongoing efforts to enhance the statusof football on the island.One of the most successful tournamentsever staged by the CFA was thetenth international tournament for seniornational teams, which took place from27 February to 2 March and featured eightsenior squads divided into two groups.The group winners were Romania (aheadof Slovenia, Cyprus and Armenia) and the2004 European Champions Greece (aheadof Kazakhstan, Finland and Belarus).An Under-17 elite round minitournamentwas hosted in Larnaca from23 to 27 March with the participationof Cyprus, Spain, Wales and Moldova.Interest was high until the last matchday, when Spain emerged as the team toqualify for the finals in Luxembourg.AE Kokinochorion, winner of the 2005/06women’s championship.The coaching front has seenplenty of activity too. A UEFA B licencecourse with 36 participants was heldfrom 27 February to 17 March. This wasfollowed by a youth development seminarfrom 17 to 21 April, which was attendedby 75 youth coaches, all of whom werekeen participants. Next, the first sessionof a 12-day UEFA A licence coursewill begin on 5 June.The 2005/06 women’s championship,which featured eight clubs forthe first time in this eighth edition, is nowover, AE Kokinochorion winning thecompetition for the second consecutiveseason. Back in February, the completionof the 7th futsal championship yieldeda new champion for 2005/06, ParnassosStrovolou putting an end to the reignof AGBU Ararat, who won the title fivetimes in the last six seasons.The schedule for next season’sfirst division matches has now beenfinalised. For the first time ever, the leagueCFAwill comprise 14 clubs. It starts on theweekend of 12/13 August, with the traditionalSuper Cup match to be staged aweek earlier, on 5 August.Kyriacos GeorgallisENGLANDPromotional campaignThe FA is launching a campaignat the end of May to encourage Englishfans watching the World Cup this summerto get actively involved in football. This isThe FA’s first campaign to promote itsfootball development initiatives to all childrenand parents.HRH Prince William, Patron ofThe FA and a keen football player, has becomean ambassador for Get into Football.The FA is aiming to inspire, informand engage football fans during theWorld Cup by using a poster-led campaign,featuring real people from football– from local coaches, volunteers, mums,young players, to three England players –Michael Owen, Eniola Aluko and a memberof the England blind team. It aims toappeal to parents by promoting the storiesof those people involved in the grassrootsgame, showing how football can makea positive difference to people’s live.There will be a separate illustrated designaimed at 5-11-year-old children to promoteclub football and a fair play message.The promotional materials willdirect fans to TheFA.com, which willsee a relaunch of its grassroots sectionto have all the support informationneeded for putting people in touch withtheir local playing, coaching or volunteeringopportunity.Promotional material will beused to push the campaign in schools,through the support of commercialpartners, media advertising and alsothrough a strong PR strategy.Find out more at TheFA.com/getintofootballBeverley WardFINLANDUEFA site visit in AprilA UEFA delegation conducteda site visit in April with a view to theWomen’s European Championship finaltournament in 2009, for which Finland isone of the candidate host associations.During the four-day visit, the facts presentedin the bidding documents were studied,and the hotels, stadiums and trainingSite visit to assess the Finnish bid on the spot.grounds in the centres of Helsinki, Tampereand Turku were inspected.In its favour as prospectivetournament hosts, Finland can boast thetotal support of the whole football family;excellent cooperation with the government,cities and stadiums; and considerablemedia interest; not to mention thegrowing popularity of women’s football inthe wake of the success of the senior nationalteam (semi-finals of Women’s EURO2005) and the Under-19s (semi-finals ofthe 2004/05 European Women’s Under-19Championship and qualification for theU-20 Women’s World Cup). Successfulindividual players like Anne Mäkinen andLaura Kalmari, who have both representedtheir country at senior level more than100 times, have also helped raise the profileof women’s football in Finland. Duringthe last five years, the numbers of playersand spectatorshave risen steadily at all levels of the game.Finland promises that it wouldorganise an all-time European Women’sChampionship final round in 2009, withmodern and well-designed infrastructure,top-class and reliable organisation andgood cooperation with all parties, a solideconomy based on sold-out stadiums,and, above all, a relaxed and friendlyatmosphere. If selected as hosts, Finlandwould set itself the target of breakingall the records by staging top-level matchesin an excellent atmosphere, ensuring thebest media coverage ever and attemptingto draw 300,000 spectators altogether,which would constitute a new recordin European women’s football. The tournamentwould be promoted as an eventfor all the family and a legacy for Europeanfootball characterised by the Finnish spiritof equality.The UEFA Executive Committeewill decide on the host association at itsmeeting in July.Outi SaarinenSPL18 uefadirect 6.06

GERMANYExecutive president Theo Zwanziger.DFBtion will ask us about it. We will have to seewhether the sports associations can worktogether to build on the progress alreadymade in coming to terms with the past.”Stephan BrauseKAZAKHSTANNew youth tournamentOn 5 April, the “Coca-Cola BylgaryDop” was launched in Kazakhstan. Organisedby the Football Union of Kazakhstan,the Ministry of Education and Science,and Coca-Cola, teams from 8,000 schoolsin all parts of the country will take partin this tournament.A new youth tournament.It is open to young footballers whowere born in 1991/92, 1993/94 and1995/96. The final rounds will take place inTaraz in June, Karagandy in July and Almatyin August.At the opening ceremony, the firsttouch of the ball was made by formerFC Kairat Almaty defender and USSR internationalSeilda Baishakov and FC KairatAlmaty KTZH captain and internationaldefender Samat Smakov.“It’s a great idea. I hope that the“Coca-Cola Bylgary Dop” will help us to findnew talents,” said Samat Smakov.Alexander KeplinLATVIAThe way ahead for the federationThe conclusions of a three-dayCom-Unity seminar jointly organised by FIFAand the Latvian Football Federation (LFF)clearly pointed the way ahead for the developmentof football in Latvia. Apart fromsetting itself the goals of improving coachingstandards at all levels, scouting for newtalent more efficiently and obtaining advicein relation to the everyday work of theassociation, the LFF has hired a professionalS.KUZNETCOV“Football under the Swastika”symposium is a great successOn 7 and 8 April, the GermanFootball Association (DFB) held a symposiumin Bad Boll entitled “Football under theSwastika – Learning from History”. At theconference, organised with the help of theBad Boll Protestant Academy, leaders fromthe fields of sport, business, politics and thechurches debated how associations andfederations should go about rememberingthe period from 1933 to 1945. The DFB executivepresident, Theo Zwanziger, waspleased with how it all went. “During thetwo days, we wanted to have a closer lookat this dark chapter from the past. Thanks tolots of discussions, many of which werecontroversial and critical, we managed thisvery successfully. I would like to emphasise,however, that dealing with the DFB’s pastduring the time of National Socialism is anongoing process and this conference markedneither the start nor the end of that.”In a panel discussion, Germany’sInterior Minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, madeit clear he was pleased to see the DFBputting its past under scrutiny. “It is goodthat the DFB is facing its past. This kind ofthing can even be a liberating experience.”In his speech, the minister went on to pointout that football has always had to set anexample, and that it still has this role to playtoday. “I don’t know of any area in societythat does as much as football in terms ofreally integrating people. Even so, I still thinkthat the concept of fair play should be givenmore prominence in today’s game.”Manfred von Richthofen, the presidentof the German Sports Confederation(DSB), agreed that the symposium representeda step in the right direction. “The DFBneeds to tackle its past in connection withtwo totalitarian regimes, National Socialismand the former East Germany. Dealingwith such things is not as easy as it maysometimes seem, but we must keep tryingbecause at some point the younger generafootballconsultant from the United Kingdom,Les Reed. At his first meeting with theLFF’s communications department and otherassociation employees, Reed said thathe plans to concentrate on three main areaswhich are all designed to improve playerdevelopment in Latvia. The first is to boostcoaching qualifications, the second is toenhance the development of new players,and the third is to draw up guidelines foryouth academies. After meeting LFF generalsecretary Janis Mezeckis and other officialsduring two fact-finding visits to Latvia,the British consultant will establish criteriafor further development in the contextof his contracted 90 days’ work per yearon LFF matters.Under UEFA’s Top Executive Programme,delegates from the KazakhstanFootball Federation (KFF) and UEFA came toRiga on a two-day visit in early May to exchangeexperiences with the KFF generalsecretary and officials from the youth developmentand marketing departments. TheKFF delegates were informed about theLFF’s vision and plans, media work, websiteconstruction and other activities. Their visitcoincided with the Latvia Under-17 teamsecuring the runners-up spot in the “TorneoEuropa Unita” and the senior nationalteam’s friendly match against the USA.The opening of the Latvianpremier league (“LMT Virsliga”) season thisyear saw Finnish referees officiating, witha Latvian referee reciprocating in FinlandLes Reed and Janis Mezeckis.on 25 May. On the same day, a Latvianreferee was in charge of Pakhtakor’s50th anniversary game against TorpedoMoscow in Tashkent. In addition, for a twodaytournament starting in Kyiv on 12 May,the only foreign referee involved was topLatvian official Romans Lajuks.Finally, a seminar in coachingpsychology was held at the end of April forLatvian coaches to enable them to honetheir skills for working with youth players.Martins HartmanisLFF19

LIECHTENSTEINInternational football VIPsin LiechtensteinOn 27 April, the new premises ofthe Liechtenstein Football Association(LFV) in Schaan were officially opened.In attendance at the inauguration wereFIFA president Joseph S. Blatter, FIFA andUEFA Executive Committee member MichelPlatini, UEFA chief executive Lars-ChristerOlsson and UEFA Executive Committeemember Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder. Numerousother leading figures were representedat the solemn ceremony conducted byRev. Markus Kellenberger.Lars-Christer Olsson, Joseph S. Blatter,Michel Platini and Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelderat the inauguration.Thanks to generous financialsupport from FIFA and UEFA, the LFV hasacquired one floor of an office block atLandstrasse 149 as its headquarters. LFVpresident Reinhard Walser was pleased towelcome the VIP guests and was visiblyproud to be able to show them the state-ofthe-artoffices. “We want to be a seriouspartner, to do everything we can to collaboratein an efficient and reliable way,” he said.The FIFA president was highlyimpressed with the latest developmentsat LFV headquarters. Joseph Blatter saidthat he had been deeply moved by theceremony, which was an expression of thehope that we can achieve somethingthrough football. He added that there areno longer any small associations in FIFA,only members.Lars-Christer Olsson welcomed theimprovements to the infrastructure of theLFVLFV. “This is a classic example of whatcan be achieved through teamwork,” saidUEFA’s chief executive.Judith FrommeltMALTASolid foundationsIndoor five-a-side football, nowknown universally as futsal, has becomeincreasingly popular in recent years.In many countries the rapid growth ofthis sport and a more streamlined insightinto the coaching, refereeing and administrativesectors have enhanced indoorfootball.Conscious of new developmentsin this sport, the Malta FA, through itsfutsal department, has held comprehensivecourses for coaches and referees.This event, organised under the auspicesof FIFA, was opened by the MFA president,Joseph Mifsud, who spoke aboutthe way futsal was growing and the importanceof such courses.The courses, scheduled over fourdays, were conducted by Mico Martic andPerry Gautier, FIFA officials who specialisein coaching and refereeing respectively.The intensive programme comprisedtheoretical and practical sessions inboth the coaching and refereeing fields,including a thorough study of technicaldevelopments in this sport.A distinguished speaker wasPetr Fousek, chairman of the UEFA FutsalCommittee, who gave spoke aboutadministrative and organisational matters.His talk was very useful for the futsal clubadministrators, who were very keen toknow more about running their set-ups ina modern and more efficient way.The participation in these courseswas very encouraging and provided evidencethat futsal in Malta is being laid onsolid foundations.Alex VellaPetr Fousek gives his presentation.D.AQUILINAMOLDOVACoaching school foundedCoach and club licensing inMoldova has received a great boost sincethe executive committee of the FA ofMoldova founded a coaching school inB licence course.February under the leadership of theexperienced Ivan Daniliants. The younggeneration of Moldovan coaches nowhave vast opportunities to improvetheir knowledge and subsequently toapply them in practice.Since February, the school’sdirector, Ivan Daniliants, has alreadyconducted three UEFA B licence coursesat the national team technical centrein the city of Vadul-lui-Voda. The fourthsuch course began on 18 May.UEFA sent experienced lecturersSivek Zdenek, a member of its TechnicalInstructors Panel, and Mircea Radulescu,director of the Romanian Football Federation’scoaching school, to help run thesecourses, both of them making valuablecontributions. In tackling differentsubjects with the course participants,the lecturers emphasised the mentalityand positive qualities that coaches needto achieve good results.Very interesting and usefulwere the lectures given by the FA ofMoldova’s own lecturers, who includedBoris Bogus, doctor of psychology,Vladimir Antonov, a member ofUEFA’s Referee Observers Panel, PavelPobornyi, a lecturer at the nationalinstitute of physical and sports education,and Valentin Veselov, nationalteam doctor.Another two similar coursesare planned before the end of the year.At the moment, the FAof Moldova is awaiting permission tostage UEFA A licence courses.Vasile VatamanuB.HARCENCO20 uefadirect 6.06

NORWAYConference against racismOne of Norwegian football’spriorities is to kick racism, intolerance andviolence out of football. To this end,a conference was organised with the topclub Vålerenga to equip the clubs for thischallenge.The Norwegian FA (NFF) has by farthe largest number of youth members of anyorganisation in Norway, with approximately250,000 active boys and girls in a countryof a population of 4.5 million. Like manyother countries in Europe, Norwegian societyconsists of many different ethnic groups.This fact is also reflected on the footballpitch, and the NFF is working with the footballclubs to ensure that every boy and girl,regardless of colour, religion or sexual orientation,feels welcome in the football family.The Minister of Culture and ChurchAffairs, Trond Giske, opened the conference,which was held at the Ullevaal stadium inOslo in March.“Sport is an important arena forequality and fellowship, as demonstratedby the NFF in taking the initiative toorganise this conference,” said Mr Giskein his opening speech.The general secretary of the NFF,Karen Espelund, left no room for misinterpretation:“There is no place for racists inour organisation. The NFF will use the necessarysanctions to wipe out racism, intoleranceand violence. I’m confident thatwe will achieve our goal with the help ofthe 1,822 football clubs in Norway,” she said.The conference brought togethermore than 100 participants and was alsobroadcast live on web TV, where it wasfollowed by 9,000 viewers. The Anti-RacismCentre in Oslo pointed out some of thechallenges ahead.“It’s on a day-to-day basis thatthe fight for tolerance must be won.It’s therefore important that the NFF makesit clear that the work against racism mustbe given high priority throughout the organisation,”said the centre’s director of communications,Henrik Lunde.Roger SolheimROMANIAPartnership with Special OlympicsThe Romanian FA is getting moreand more involved in cooperation withvarious bodies, some of them governmental,others non-governmental or even fromother countries.After the huge success of themeeting organised by the Romanian FAahead of the UEFA Cup quarter-finalmatches between two of Bucharest’s leadingclubs, Rapid and Steaua, which involvedseveral Romanian agencies whose aim is totackle racism and violence in sport, theRomanian FA has become a partner of thewide-ranging and important internationalSpecial Olympics movement. As is wellknown, this organisation, which is supportedby UEFA and USAID (the US Agency forInternational Development), has among itspromoters famous names from the worldof football and sport, such as Johan Cruyffand Nadia Comaneci.Recently, a joint press conferencewas given at the FA’s headquarters inBucharest by our association, represented byFlorin Prunea (director of the foreign relationsdepartment), Special Olympics Romaniaand USAID. Mr Prunea said: “When wewere asked if we would like to join the noblecause of supporting sportsmen and sportswomenwith disabilities, we jumped atthe opportunity, because we are well awareof the importance of such action. We areall sportsmen. The only differences betweenus are of God’s making. But we are allhuman beings and we have to respect andhelp less able-bodied athletes”.For several days, Bucharest was thecentre of activities during European SpecialOlympics Football Week, one of the highlightsof which was an exhibition match on3 May in which several high officials ofthe FA participated, all of them famous formerinternational players, including IonutLupescu (general director), Florin Prunea,Daniel Prodan (sports director) and MiodragBelodedici (technical director of the nationalyouth teams).These activities are just the startof things to come, because in the future,the Romanian FA plans to become far moreinvolved in all kinds of social activities.Paul ZahariaSLOVAKIAFormer stars serving the associationFrantisek Laurinec was re-elected aspresident of the Slovak Football Association(SFZ) for another four-year term by the SFZcongress in February 2006, while three-timesSlovak “Player of the Year” and formernational team captain Dusan Tittel continuesas the SFZ general secretary. In the refereeingdepartment, the new man in charge is IgorSramka, who is well known for his workwith Lubos Michel, who has officiatedin UEFA and FIFA competitions. Slovak footballinglegend Joe Venglos, the formercoach of the Czechoslovakia and Slovakianational teams and, at club level, of AstonVilla, Benfica, Celtic, Fenerbahce and SlovanBratislava, as well as being the currentvice-chairman of UEFA’s Technical DevelopmentCommittee, was voted in as the technicalstudy committee’s representative onthe SFZ executive committee.In a few months’ time, anothergreat name in Slovak football will beback. One of the most popular Slovakplayers ever, with spells at Nitra, St-Etienneand Celtic, Lubos Moravcik has beenappointed as coach of the national Under-17team. Apart from having great talentas a coach, he is also a huge icon for manyyoung players.This is another example of themajor effort that the SFZ is putting into thedevelopment of youth football. Last year,more than 70 mini-pitches were built aspart of the project of that name and by theend of 2006, another 40 will have beenbuilt. As a further part of the mini-pitchproject, the “Slovakia Mini-ChampionsLeague” has been set up. The SFZ is alsoinvolved in the organisation of anothereight tournaments for primary schools andyouth clubs. Meanwhile, for some of theolder youth players, the main internationalevent this year is the elite round of theEuropean Under-19 Championship, whichtook place in Bratislava, Trnava and Senecfrom 19 to 23 May.In other news, the nationalstadium in Bratislava is due to undergomajor reconstruction. The modernisation,which will be completed by 2008, willgive the 28,000-seat Tehelne Pole stadiumUEFA four-star status, with an increasedcapacity of 30,000, improved safety, andextra comfort and amenities.Klaudo SlancoSLOVENIAWomen’s football takes centre stageAt the end of April, the FootballAssociation of Slovenia hosted a secondqualifying round mini-tournament in the2005/06 European Women’s Under-19Championship. Apart from the host nation,the other participants were Germany,the Republic of Ireland and Scotland. Thematches were played in Murska Sobotaand Krizevci, in the northeast of Slovenia,which is known for its good football players– men and women – and especially forenthusiastic football fans. Those fans wereable to see some great women’s footballduring the mini-tournament; however,21

they weren’t quite as visible as the Irishfans, who came to Slovenia fully adornedand truly dominated the tournament offthe field of play.The matches were also refereedby women: besides referees from Slovenia(Ana Fajic and Tanja Subotic), there weretwo referees from Turkey (Dilan Gokcekand Necla Akdogan), two referees fromthe Czech Republic (Martina Blahova andDagmar Zakova) and two referees fromFinland (Emilia Parviainen and SaijaRaatikainen). The UEFA delegate and UEFAreferee observer were Svetlana Shkil fromUkraine and Jozef Marko from Slovakia.The favourites and winners of thetournament were Germany, ahead of Scotland,the Republic of Ireland and Slovenia,all of whom demonstrated, however, thatthe quality of women’s football is steadilyimproving. The positive “side effect” of sucha tournament is also the popularisationof women’s football in Slovenia, which isone of the goals of the Football Associationof Slovenia.Irena Ilesic CujovicThe women’s Under-19 team.SWEDENOverwhelming demand for ticketsSweden will have a new nationalstadium by 2010/2011. The current, almost70-year-old Råsunda stadium in Stockholmwill be replaced by a new venue a fewblocks away in the Solna station area.What is wasteland at present will betransformed with the building of the newarena, which will be a state-of-the-artconstruction project.The new national stadium, equippedwith a retractable roof, will accommodate50,000 spectators on football nightsand 57,500 for concerts. Construction costsare estimated at around EUR 200 millionNZSWhat the new stadium will look like.and the assignment of construction rights ispart of the financing. With this solution,the national team and local club AIK Solnawill be able to use the old Råsunda while thenew stadium is being built.“This decision is an important landmarkin Swedish football history. The newarena meets our demands and providesfacilities for concerts and other major eventsin the Stockholm area,” said Lars-ÅkeLagrell, the Swedish FA president. “I takegreat pride in the fact that Solna will housethe most modern events arena in Europe,”added Lars-Erik Salminen, chairman of Solnacity council.Otherwise, World Cup fever hasgripped Sweden since January, when thepublic were offered the chance to applyonline for tickets to the 2006 World Cup.The response was astounding, with 133,961people requesting a total of 304,366 tickets.For the Sweden v. Paraguay game alone,98,039 fans wanted a ticket – meaningthat more than one percent of the country’sentire population wanted to see the gamein person.In fact, Swedish fans could easilyhave filled the entire stadium at all of theircountry’s matches this summer. But giventhe harsh reality of ticket quotas, it wasa lottery draw which decided the luckyrecipients of the 28,000 tickets allocated toSweden.Thomas Saleteg/Andreas NilssonUKRAINEA football festivalOn 29 April, the traditional“All-Ukrainian Day of Football” was celebratedthroughout the country. It wason this day 14 years ago that the Ukrainesenior national team played its first internationalmatch.SvFFCities and districts everywherehosted more than 1,000 football tournamentsand competitions for children’steams, school and street teams, and alsosides composed of amateurs, veterans,disabled people, fans and supporters.Coaches, professional players and variousother footballing personalities took partin the events.In Kyiv, the football festival atthe children’s club was opened byGrygoriy Surkis, president of the FootballFederation of Ukraine, Yuriy Pavlenko,Minister for Family, Youth and Sport,and senior officials from the Ministry ofEducation and Science and the NationalOlympic Committee.Donetsk also celebrated theday in style. The festival of street footballinvolved many youth and adult playersplaying matches on the artificial turf minipitchesin the central square of the city.In Sevastopol, in the contextof a tournament for street teams playedon the city’s mini-pitches, the localfootball association made a contributionto charity. Medical equipment worthUSD 10,000 was presented to theSevastopol sports centre and dispensary.The Volyn region staged aparade and tournament for boardingschool orphans. The event was publicisedand the FFU president’s message wasrelayed at the stadiums where professional,amateur and children’s/youth teammatches were being played.Valeriy NykonenkoThe All-Ukrainian Football Day was a popularevent across the generations.FFU22 uefadirect 6.06

UEFARoute de Genève 46CH-1260 NyonSwitzerlandPhone +41 848 00 27 27Fax +41 848 01 27 27uefa.comUnion des associationseuropéennes de football