Brazil’s Two-Time World Cup Winner Dies Of Pneumonia

Recognized as one of Brazil’s top defenders who helped the country clinch two (2) World Cup titles, Djalma Santos succumbed to pneumonia at age 84.

Jose Marin of the Brazilian Football Confederation, cannot help but expressed his grief over the death of the renowned player. He described Santos’ demise as a big blow to Brazilian football knowing that the country has lost one of its top icons.

Marin also added that Santos shall not be only remembered on his creative plays on the pitch, but also because of his “discipline and loyalty.”

Santos debuted in the football world in 1948 where he played as one of Portuguesa’s defenders. However, it was in 1958 when he reached the summit of his career, after helping Brazil clinch its first World Cup trophy while playing alongside with Pele and Garrincha.

In the 1958 tournament, Santos only entered the field during the finals. Yet, despite of his short appearance, his contributions were nonetheless, too indispensable to ignore.

Thus, for the second time, he was included in the competition’s All-Star team. Four (4) years before Brazil grabbed the prestigious silverware, Santos was already chosen to be one of the celebrated team members. And in 1962, as expected, he was once again, back in World Cup’s dream team. His third inclusion made him and another football legend, Franz Beckenbauer the only players to have been included in FIFA’s All-Star team in three (3) tournaments.

Overall, Santos had 98 caps and scored three (3) goals. He was also named in Pele’s 2004 list of greatest living footballers.  

Photo Credit: Globo Esporte

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FIFA Ends Cameroon Suspension

FIFA lifted Cameroon’s indefinite suspension on Monday and allowed the squad to continue their bid in next year’s World Cup tournament. 

After suspending the activities  of Cameroon’s Football Federation (Fecafoot) due to political interference, the Indomitable Lions can now travel and face Libya for the final play-off round of the qualifiers this September. Aside from that, Fecafoot can now resume to its previously interrupted activities and concerns.

The decision to lift the ban materialized after a normalization committee has been established to monitor Fecafoot’s ongoing projects. Former Minister of Education, Sports, Joseph Owona was tasked to oversee the committee’s activities.

Cameroon’s suspension came about when John Begheni Nedi sought police assistance after proclaiming himself as the newly appointed Fecafoot leader. Prior to that, the already detained, Iya Mohamed already won the election. But the election appeals committee voided such result.

In accordance with FIFA’s regulation, the presence of the police force extending a helping hand is considered as interference from outside parties. The decision was released several minutes after FIFA announced that Cameroon’s 2-0 defeat against Togo was turned into a 3-0 win. Togo was said to field an ineligible player on the pitch.

Fortunately, for Cameroon, the next FIFA announcement it received brought good news to the squad.

The Indomitable Lions is one of the top African World Cup contenders. The squad has appeared in the said tournament for six times. In 1990, it was the first African team to enter the quarter-finals. Apart from its World Cup appearance, it is also a dominant force in the African Cup of Nations, where it won four (4) trophies. 

Photo Credit: Nexdim Empire

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Ineligible Player Leads To Equatorial Guinea’s 2014 World Cup Exit

Cape Verde’s 2014 World Cup bid continues as FIFA sanctioned Equatorial Guinea for fielding an ineligible player twice.

A sudden turn of events did not only put the Blue Sharks back in the pitch, but also the chance to overcome Africa’s Group B leader, Tunisia. This is after FIFA penalized Equatorial Guinea with two (2) 3-0 win in Cape Verde’s favor.

The decision came about when Emilio Nsue, failed to meet the eligibility criteria and still, played for the Nzalang Nacional during the qualifying rounds. The first incident occurred last March 24 when Equatorial Guinea clinched a 4-3 away victory. The last one took place when Cape Verde scored a 2-1 triumph at home.

The presence of players based outside Equatorial Guinea (mostly in Spain) is nothing new to Nzalang Nacional. They are considered in the squad via the virtue of naturalization or through their parents. Issues such as the one confronted by Nsue often arise since there have been questions on whether the player has actually stayed in the country for five (5) years.

Mallorca striker Emilio Nsue deemed ineligible to play for Equatorial Guinea

As for Nsue’s case, no explanations have been released why the Spanish-born player, who appeared in age-restricted competitions, is ineligible to play for Equatorial Guinea. FIFA’s recent decision includes the country in the so-called 3-0 losers list or countries, which dropped out of the World Cup due to ineligibility concerns. Joining them are Ethiopia, Gabon, Burikina Faso, Togo and Sudan.

Meanwhile, Lucio Antunes’ camp, trailing behind by only two (2) points shall head to Tunisia in September for the final play-off round.

Photo Credit: Zimbio

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Argentina's Strong World Cup Bid

During its two (2) consecutive World Cup appearances, La Albiceleste seemed stuck in the quarter-final. It bowed down to Germany in 2006 and South Africa ousted them in 2010. 

However, after a series of changes and improvements, the squad’s supporters have all the reasons to believe that Argentina will soon bring home the elusive World Cup trophy.

One of Argentina’s thresholds of strength is the four-time Ballon d’Or awardee, Lionel Messi. The football superstar has shown tremendous improvements in the international scene—enjoying the same scoring rhythm when he is wearing that Barcelona jersey. In this upcoming World Cup, Messi is undeniably, a great force to reckon with.

Brazil’s proximity to Argentina is also advantageous for La Albiceleste. This means less travel time and more opportunities to gather their strength long before they perform in the pitch.

Likewise, Alejandro Sabella did wonders to Argentina. The squad’s head honcho has developed a formula that carefully balances the team’s defence and offense. During the qualifiers, only five (5) goals have made it through the squad’s goalkeepers. As for the scoring side, Sabella did an outstanding job in bringing the best of Messi.

Lastly, though the Selecaos have been a consistent heavy World Cup favorites, a 2012 friendly against La Albiceleste resulted in a disappointing result. While others claim that  it has no bearing, still, the mere fact that they beat Brazil, delivered a preview of what they can do in 2014.

The World Cup tournament is still, a long way to go. Yet, as for Sabella and his men, such is a great opportunity to strengthen the team.  



Source: World Cup Result
Photo Credit: FutbolRed

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France conquers Uruguay to win FIFA U-20 World Cup

What was initially thought as a Thauvin-centered match came out a little inaccurate after France won over Uruguay in the hands of team captain Paul Pogba (voted best player by FIFA) and goalkeeper Alphonse Areola who successfully saved La Celeste’s first two penalties―from Emiliano Velazquez and Giorgian De Arrascaeta―before Dimitri Foulquier converted the fourth for France, giving the Les Bleuets an overwhelming lead in the FIFA U-20 Final on July 13.

Les Bleuets, FIFA U-20 Final winners | Image source: scmp.com

The rhythm of victory cascaded for the French, amidst a jubilant crowd of supporters waving their favorite team’s flag. Blissful Pogba lifted his side’s trophy and chanted a resounding “this is the World Cup, the World Cup, the World Cup” to boast of a new landmark for his beloved team.

On one hand, France is the sixth European squad to champion the tournament (Spain was the last one to hold the prestige in 1999). On the other hand, Uruguay had to painfully embrace its second defeat in a final after losing to Argentina in 1997.

Pogba led the midfield while strikers Yaya Sanogo, Florian Thauvin, and Jean-Christophe Bahebeck scored nine goals to baptize the French brand as the second-highest scoring team of the tournament with 15 goals in seven matches―one goal short of Ghana, which subdued Iraq, 3-0, earlier to finish in the third spot.

The European side conceded only two goals in the knockout round and kept a clean sheet in the final in spite of Samuel Umtiti―who was sent off for a second booking against Ghana―having been removed from the powerhouse roster.

France earned the U-20 World Cup after posting a draw with Uruguay, 0-0, but later sealed penalty shootout in extra time, 4-1.

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Ghana Dominates The Battle For Third Place, Clinched A 1-0 Victory Against Iraq

Istanbul—Ghana’s “Triple A” thrashed Iraq to clinch the 3rd spot of FIFA’s U-20. Adding more honor to the squad is Ebenezer Assifuah who won the coveted Golden Boot Award for scoring the most goals in the tournament. 

Iraq showed its dominance early in the match. The Young Lions of Messopotamia had several attempts in the 5th minute. However, none of their efforts were duly converted, much to the disappointment of its supporters.

Aware of Iraq’s failed attempts, the Black Satellites patiently took their time and on the 35th, Joseph Attamah broke Ghana’s half an hour silence when he scored a header off Moses Odjer’s corner.

Iraq pressed to get even and pull off an equalizer. However, just when the first half was about to end, Assifuah doubled Ghana’s lead.

The second half saw another scoring attack from the Young Lions. Ali Adnan rose up to the challenge and began to target the net. However, Richmond Nketiah, spotting Adnan’s motive, denied him at once. 

Unwilling to wave the white flag, Ammar Abdulhessein lead another scoring rally for Iraq. Yet, his aggressiveness simply landed the ball into the Ghanian side. Iraq was running out of time and true enough, by the 78th, Frank Acheampong scored Ghana’s final and winning shot in the tournament.

Ghana’s victory can be considered as one of FIFA’s Cinderella stories. After surviving a death-defying qualifier, it trampled Portugal and Chile, but succumbed to France. Nevertheless, although Sellas Tetteh and his men failed to defend its 2009 crown, still, the Black Satellites remained true to the promise of giving something to Mother Ghana that she can be proud of.



Source: World Cup Result
Photo Credit: Ghana Soccer Net

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FIFA leads new campaign against doping in football, other sports

Aiming to reinforce doping regulations and ensure the effectiveness of sanctions taken against offenders, FIFA has planned to host an event involving the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to be held on November 29-30. The campaign is titled “Time has come to change the strategy of the fight against doping in sport.”


Image source: fifa.com

WADA has received displeasing reception from Olympic sports leaders due to its excessive spending to analyze too many tests but without catching sizable drug cheats. Collaborating with sports organizations like FIFA was the agency’s key action to prove that their intentions are genuine and that they are seriously looking for tools that could help them enhance their function.

The FIFA-hosted conference was announced after a meeting on July 10 between the football body’s medical administrators and WADA director-general David Howman. FIFA confirms that the event will be organized by medical representatives of international team sports federations, the International Olympic Committee, and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations.

The football society makes decisions on their anti-doping program based on the specifics of the game, scientific evidence, and analyses of validated doping statistics.

FIFA’s advocacy against doping is recognized by rigorous doping control regulations, ongoing data collection, and support of evidence-capped research. Based on the total annual number of samples collected and analyzed, football shows a low overall incidence of positive samples―well below 0.4 percent compared to the previous years.

Also in November, WADA will host a conference in Johannesburg to update the World Anti-Doping Code.

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Match Preview: Ghana VS. Iraq (Battle For Third Place)

Date: 13 July 2013, Istanbul
The Verdict: Ghana Claims Another FIFA trophy

Seeing Ghana vie for the top spots in FIFA’s U-20 is rather expected. They are one of the tournament’s heavy favorites and if not for Florian Thauvin’s half-time goal, they could have marched their way into the finals. But going for the 3rd spot is not that bad either. The Black Satellites have had its taste of U-20’s championship title and this year, still, it was able to showcase its power and strength.

In their battle against Iraq, Sellas Tetteh and his men are more than prepared to face their opponents. They have been here before. Rallying for 3rd place is no different from defending a title and given what they have to endure prior to this match, the Black Satellites are in a much better position to secure victory.

Ghana struggled in the beginning of the tournament. It was the dark horse that trampled USA and left the so-called “Group Of Death.” It ended Portugal’s bid and caused a major upset to Chile.

The likes of Ebnezer Assifuah-Inkoom, Richmond Boakye and Michael Anaba can put up a relentless counter attack against Iraq’s Ali Adnan’s seemingly unstoppable goals.

Iraq is an aggressive attacker on the field and the Black Satellites know that. In their upcoming match, expect the squad to pressure Mesopotamia’s Young Lions heavily. Expect Tetteh and his men to build an impenetrable wall, force mismatches, and convert. Ghana is aware that the squad solely depends on Adnan’s scoring and for sure, Eric Antwi shall be on his toes to protect the goal or at best, keep a clean sheet.

As mentioned, since this is not the very first time that Ghana is boiled in hot waters, there is no doubt that it shall employ its experience to have the edge in the match. From a dark horse to a fairy tale spoiler, indeed, this is how Ghana evolves in the tournament. But being a spoiler or dark horse barely matters now. It is the trophy, pride and honor at stake and the heavy favorite shall not pass up on the opportunity to add another title into his belt.

Photo Credit: Zimbio

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Thauvin Redeems Himself, Brings France To U-20 Finals

France is just a match away from being the next European title holders of FIFA Under-20 World Cup tournament after clinching a 2-1 victory over the brave Ghana.

Florian Thauvin, Bastia’s midfielder, turned into an overnight hero after scoring Les Bleuets’ two (2) important goals. Amidst the Black Satellites’ aggressive play, Thauvin netted his first goal several minutes before half-time and on the 74th, Thauvin ended Ghana’s U-20 campaign.

Despite of losing the match, Ghana refused to wave the white flag. Immediately after Thauvin took the lead for France, Ebenezer Assifuah delivered the equalizer. Despite of Geoffrey Kondogbia’s strong defence, Assifuah’s left-footed shot was unstoppable. However, Ghana failed to keep the momentum on the second half. The Black Satellites had several attempts, but to no avail and by the 80th, Samuel Umtiti received a red card and left the field.

A blessing in disguise
Thauvin admitted his “self-doubt” during the tournament. France’s new hero had his share of shortcomings at the onset of the competition. In their first encounter against Ghana, Thauvin had a minor agreement with Pogba that sent him off the field. When they faced USA, his dribbling attempts went too far that Pierre Mankowski needed to pull him out.

But these (blunders) no longer matter. Thauvin redeemed himself with class and style. France is going to the final and it could be the next European team to lift one of the most coveted silverware in football history.



Photo Credit: Spox

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FIFA U-20 World Cup Final: France aiming conquest against Uruguay

Fresh from winning their glories in the FIFA U-20 World Cup semifinals, Uruguay and France are now preparing to arm razor-sharp drills to seize the coveted win on July 13 at the Ali Sami Yan Arena in Istanbul, Turkey.

France | Image source: fifa.com

Revered as a tournament favorite by match supporters, Les Bleuets (France) advanced to the final after making their finishing count against a spirited Ghanaian side. La Celeste (Uruguay), meanwhile, came with tight margins with Iraq to post a draw match but was later able to secure an astonishing score on penalties—which has been 28 years since a FIFA U-20 World Cup semi-final produced a winner based on such decision.

At this stage of the competition, Uruguayans have more experience than their European opponents, having reached the final in 1997 to get past Ghana in extra time. In addition, the South American side figured in the final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Mexico 2011. The French team is nevertheless a strong contender. The squad’s close-knit nature is one of its strengths, not to mention that attacking midfielder Florian Thauvin—who is noted for his supreme skill—is under its belt. This is the first time ever that France was qualified for the FIFA U-20 World Cup final.

A tough opening game for the two sides is highly plausible. Both teams have their own performance fluctuations in their past matches. France has high reputation but recently failed to live up to that status, having been eliminated at the group stage at Euro 2008 and recently got beaten by China. Uruguay was able to bag a place in the South American qualifying section, but was one of the last qualifiers to do so.

Although France has had a streak of misfiring attacks, it could still make fiery performances in the finals. It is not as experienced as Uruguay, but it clearly has the better talents.

Predicted winner: France

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FIFA U-20 World Cup Semifinal: Uruguay triumphs over Iraq

Scoring the equalizer in the 87th minute to draw with Iraq 1-1, Uruguay won the penalty shootout 7-6 to reach the final of the U-20 World Cup.

Uruguay | Image source: fifa.com

Uruguay’s triumphant bagging of their semifinal fixture in the FIFA U-20 World Cup was prompted by Iraqi left-back Ali Adnan who unleashed a powerful free-kick to open the scoring. Uruguay substitutes Diego Bueno and Felipe Avenatti, however, were able to net an 88th-minute equalizer for their side, pushing the match beyond 90 minutes before eventually heading into penalties. Saif Salman’s missed penalty was the match’s deciding factor.

Hakeem Al Azzawi’s team started the match with flying colors, boasting of impressive interplays to destroy Uruguay’s defense. But La Celeste also managed to deliver good opening exchanges, with top scorer Nicolas Lopez getting in behind the defense.

Iraqi players may have produced impressive drills during the spot kicks, but their South American opponents were not aiming for a retreat. Uruguay is now headed for their second U-20 World Cup final this Sunday—16 years after they first advanced to that round!

This would be the first time that Iraq will miss the chance to compete in the final of a FIFA tournament.

Earlier, France routed Ghana 2-1 in the first semifinal.

Summary

Iraq Starting XI: Hameed; Adnan, Faez, Nadhim, Jabbar Arebat; Salman, Kamil, Tareq; Qasim, Abdulraheem, Farhan Shakor

Scorer: Adnan (35’)

Uruguay Starting XI: Amores; Silva, Varela, Gimenez, Rodriguez; Pais, Cristoforo, Gino; Arrascaeta, Laxalt, Lopez

Scorer: Bueno (88’)

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Brazil Wins Third Straight Confederations Cup with 3-0 Win Over Spain

Last June 30, Brazil did more than pull the rug underneath Spain’s feet. The team set records for itself, and destroyed some of Spain’s own.

The 2013 Confederations Cup is Brazil’s third since 2005, and its fourth in the entire history of the competition. This makes Brazil the team with the most number of Confederations Cups. Also, this is the 57^th consecutive home match since 1975 that the Canarinho have won—an impressive feat.

On La Roja’s part, this is their first competitive match defeat in three years. Spain had been on a roll since first battling Switzerland in the 2010 World Cup, and has never been defeated by 3 goals since April 1985. This makes Sunday’s loss humiliating for the Spaniards—to say the least.

La Roja was unable to stop either Fred or Neymar from giving their best shot, despite employing their usual tactic of ganging up on opposing scorers. All of Brazil’s goals were made during the first and last minutes of the match’s halves—which are critical times for scoring. Additionally, the red-and-yellow team paid dearly for fouls, one of which ejected Gerard Pique at the 68^th minute for tripping Neymar.

With this win, Neymar holds the Golden Ball, an award given to the tournament’s top player. The 21-year-old striker and his team, armed with a sense of confidence that only comes with defeating a football giant like Spain, now has their eyes on another prize: the 2014 World Cup.

Will Brazil replicate their 2013 Confederations Cup finals performance for the World Cup? Sound off in the comments section below. 

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