FIFA Women’s World Cup: Historical Rundown to Canada 2015

Last summer we saw the men’s game produce one of the most memorable World Cup’s in history in Brazil, with Germany proving victorious in a tight final against the Argentineans at the Maracana. Twelve months later it is the turn of the women to replicate the excitement of a year ago, in which could be the most significant tournament in the female game to date.

 

Canada will host the seventh Women’s FIFA World Cup with Japan looking to defend their title after lifting gold in Germany in 2011. Both the United States and Germany lead the way with both sides searching for a third crown which will see them become the most successful women’s national side in history. However, breathing down their necks in search for a second title are the talented Norwegians and the exciting Japanese. Unlike in the men’s game, the Spanish and the Brazilians have struggled to reach their full potential on the biggest stage, with both teams still in the hunt for their first major honor as World Champions.

 

In the lead up to this summer’s party here’s the lowdown from the very first World Cup in 1991 right up to giving a preview for this summer’s finals:

 

1991 Women’s World cup champions; United States

China 1991 (16-30 November)

Although the golden age of football began in the early 1920’s where the game came to prominence in the United Kingdom, the idea of a women’s game was ‘put off’ by the FA. It wasn’t until July 1971 that saw the women’s game take lift off. Twenty years later saw FIFA clash their heads together through major influence of the then FIFA president Dr. Joao Havelange to create the very first Women’s World Cup, which was retrospectively awarded to China due to the country hosting a model archetype in Guangdong in 1988.

 

The first World Cup tournament consisted of twelve teams from six confederations, divided between three groups with the top two advancing to the knockout stages, along with the two best third place finishers also advancing. The process saw the fixtures split across six venues in four different host cities.

 

China 1991 can be remembered for the United States setting proceedings alight with a front line dubbed by the Chinese media as “The Triple-Edged Sword”, consisting of captain April Heinrichs, Michelle Akers-Stahl and Carin Jennings, with Jennings winning Player of the Tournament whilst Akers-Stahl bagged an impressive ten goals to win the Golden Boot award. The Americans scored an astonishing twenty-five goals in six games with their most significant victory over quarter-finalists Chinese Taipei in a score-line that read 7-0 with Akers scoring five. She then went onto dispatch both goals for her Country in a 2-1 victory over Norway in the final, held in the Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou with an impressive attendance of 63,000 who saw the Yankees become the first World Champions in the women’s game. Extra-time seemed inevitable before Norway’s Tina Svensson played a tame back-pass to goalkeeper Reidun Seth which Akers pounced on to convert with her right-foot into an open net. Norway’s route to the final did not go unnoticed however, after losing the opening fixture to hosts China 4-0, the runners-up recorded victories over Italy and Sweden, crushing the latter with the score-line finishing at 4-1.

 

Hosts China were eliminated in the quarter-finals by one goal to nil thanks to third-placed Sweden, who beat Germany 4-0 in a game involving both the losing semi-finalists.

 

1995 Women’s World Cup champions: Norway

Sweden 1995 (5-18 June)

 

Four years later took the game over the Scandinavian country of Sweden. The second FIFA Women’s World Cup followed the same format as China 1991 with 12 teams attending. China 1991 was seen as an innovation, bringing women’s football to the forefront whilst Sweden 1995 added sacramental character to the female side of the sport, with proof that both sexualities had the capacity to play intriguing football. It was a tournament that offered two prizes, firstly to become World Champions and secondly the opportunity to automatically qualify for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in 1996. On a more negative note, the competition was deemed a scavenger for low standards with many of the games held near Stockholm, in small, sparsely inhabited towns. However, it is said that the locals made full commitment to the World Cup fever by creating valued communities with fellow supporters to build a sense of atmosphere, most notably with travelers from the continent of Asia.

 

The tournament had an adverse beginning with the home nation feeling discomfort in defeat on the opening day to Brazil with a solitary goal settling the matter through Roseli. The mood swiftly changed with the Brazilians losing momentum and the Swedes turning the tides with victories over both Germany and Japan. There was a real sense of belief after the first round that the natives could go far. It wasn’t to be as China PR gained subsequent revenge in a reunion with the Swedes in the quarter-finals, vanquishing them on their home turf, giving the Blagult’s a portrayal of how they felt four years earlier.

 

The United States were believed to be the most able contenders following their triumphant escapade four years prior to Sweden 1995, an injury to goal hero Michelle Akers harrowed their campaign after the striker was taken off only seven minutes into their opening match. Their tournament took an impetuous twist when beaten finalists from 1991, Norway got payback in the semi-final over the Americans with a 1-0 win in a tight affair which was determined by which defence would slip up, before taking on the Germans in Solna Råsunda Fotbollsstadion in the final.

 

Goals from Hege Riise, who would later go onto to take gold in the Sydney 2000 Olympics with Norway, and Marianne Pettersen four minutes later saw the Gresshoppenes defy the odds after initial doubts that they could achieve such a feat following back-to-back European Championship final losses either side of the 1995 World Cup.

 

The United States took the bronze medal with a 2-0 victory over China PR in Gavle with goals either side of the half-time whistle from Tisha Venturini and American women’s football legend Mia Hamm. The hosting country were again to be eliminated in the quarter-finals as Sweden lost on penalties to China PR preceding an intense draw in Helsingborg.

 

1999 Women’s World Cup champions: United States

USA 1999 (19 June to 10 July)

 

USA 1999 saw the number of teams increased from 12 to 16 with a fourth group added. The top two teams from each group advanced into the quarter-finals.

 

The United States put on a great spectacle which saw a total of 123 goals scored outright and match attendances reaching new heights with the average per-game standing at 37,319, a total of over 660,000, with games being played in huge venues which accrued new-found television audiences. The event saw eight cities taking part in hosting with the final, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, inviting a then record-breaking 90,195 supporters, including former President Bill Clinton who sat directly in the stands, with an estimated 40 million viewers in the U.S alone watching their nation capture a second title. USA 1999 had launched a new era of appreciation for women’s football with a tournament that has fulfilled a huge space in the history books.

 

A trio of teams caught the headlines in a three horse race for the title, with the hosts being thwarted all the way to the final whistle by the impressive Brazilians and the menacing Chinese. The semi-finals produced two wondrous outcomes with reigning champions Norway battered 5-0 by China PR following the United States impressive sweep of the dancing Brazilians in a 2-0 victory in a nail-biting game. The samba ladies would go on to clinch third place with a penalty shoot-out win over the Norwegians following a dull 0-0 affair; the first goalless draw in women’s World Cup history.

 

The Americans recorded their most influential victory in the cup final despite the tie going to penalties. The 5-4 spot-kick victory over the Chinese saw a significant rise in media publicity on the women’s game. The shoot-out saw eight of the first nine penalties converted before Briana Scurry of the U.S. dived to her left to stop China’s third kick taken by Liu Ying. Brandi Chastain sealed the famous victory, with a roaring strike past Gao Hong which was followed by the defender dropping to her knees and whipping of her shirt to reveal her sports bra in jubilation, an image which hit the front pages of many sports magazines and newspapers around the country. This very tournament is said to be the golden-point of prominence which saw many young girls across the world getting involved in the game.

 

The United States’ victory was deemed a majestic overhaul due to China’s potent attacking threat, with the Forceful Roses netting nineteen goals before the final and only conceding two. There were a few scares for the hosts, especially during the extra-time period which saw an almost certain goal by Fan Yunjie cleared at the vital moment by Kristine Lilly after the Chinese defender leaped highest to connect with Liu Ying’s driven corner.

 

2003 Women’s World Cup champions: Germany

USA 2003 (20 September to 12 October)

The 2003 World Cup was formerly awarded to China but was suddenly moved to the United States following the SARS epidemic, a viral respiratory disease which initially appeared in China and Hong Kong in early 2003, claiming 774 lives, with a recorded total of 8,096 cases in thirty-seven countries across a twelve month period. With the United States hosting the Women’s World Cup four years prior and putting on a noble show, it was thought that they would have the best facilities available to re-arrange the schedule in such a short space of time. Rather interestingly the tournament was being used as a safety mechanism in an attempt to save the U.S. Women’s United Soccer Association from entering bankruptcy which threatened to put an end to the women’s professional league in the States.

 

Due to the short preparation time the United States had many of the ties, including the final group games, the quarter finals, semi finals and the final played as same-day doubleheaders. For instance the final and third place play-off both took place on 12 October at Los Angeles Galaxy’s The Home Depot Center in Carson, with the final kicking-off before the decider between third and fourth. Such instances, especially with the final not being the last game of the competition, received unwanted media criticism. It has to be said that the football was not impeded by what was written by journalists and other critics. Despite having three debutantes to the finals with France, Argentina and Korea Republic, the tournament proved to be a close encounter. USA 2003 players had an average age of nineteen, which marked the beginning of a new era, with outstanding talents including Abby Wambach of the United States, Canada’s Kara Lang, Germany’s Kerstin Garefrekes and Josefine Oeqvist of Sweden being recognised as only a few of the emerging talents.

 

As a reparation tag the Chinese were given a free mandate to automatically enter the tournament after losing their right as original hosts. A few shock results were recorded, including one for the Chinese as Canada put an end to an eleven-game losing streak against the slick and artistic Asians with a 1-0 win, which in turn eliminated China in the quarter finals. Established Norway were also taken out with an all-inclusive 4-1 thrashing by a young and aspiring Brazilian side.

 

It wasn’t to be a second successive World Cup success for the United States on their home turf as tournament favourites Germany went on to defeat a brave Swedish side, who led through Hanna Ljungberg’s 41st minute strike before Die Nationalelf came from behind with goals from Maren Meinert in the second half ahead of Nia Kunzer’s Golden Goal which was awarded with the recognition of “Goal of the Year”, putting an end to a 30-year era of the German’s walking away empty handed in all major international competitions. 2003 was seen as the “Rise of Europe” with the final being a dramatic and thrilling encounter. For the first time four of the five European sides made it out of the group stage.

The Americans settled for a bronze medal after seeing off local rivals Canada by 3 goals to 1 in what was the first international tournament meeting between the two sides outside of the Gold Cup.

2007 Women’s World Cup champions: Germany

China 2007 (10-30 September)

 

After the SARS breakout in 2003 China was awarded the 2007 Women’s World Cup as compensation. It was the first time in the women’s game that a voting pole did not take place to decide who should host the spectacle.

 

The tournament began by setting a new record as reigning champions Germany recorded a momentous 11-0 win over Argentina, a score-line which stands as the highest scoring victory in women’s football history. The German’s continued in similar fashion by recording consecutive World Cup titles, a first in FIFA Women’s World Cup history. China 2007 can be remembered for the imposing performances of the two teams who reached the final. Germany and Brazil scored thirty-eight goals between them whilst conceding only 4, each of which hit the back of the Brazilian net. Germany became the first team in Women’s World Cup records to make it through an entire tournament without conceding a goal, a record goalkeeper Nadine Angerer superseded after Walter Zenga went 517 minutes without granting the opposition. The final, held in the Hongkou Stadium in the Chinese capital of Shanghai, which was the first FIFA Women’s World Cup final to be played between European and South American opponents, featured some of the biggest names in the female game with the likes of Marta, Cristiane and Formiga playing in Brazilian yellow going head-to-head with Germany’s Birgit Prinz, Renate Lingor and stopper Nadine Angerer. In what was a glorified final, the German’s shut off Brazil’s core strength before converting smartly and efficiently with goals in the second half by the impressive Prinz and 21-year-old winger Simone Laudehr, who headed in four minutes from time following Marta’s missed penalty which looked to have salvaged something from the game for the Auriverde. Despite Marta proving to be a talismanic dribbler for the Brazilians, which finally cemented some form of recognition for their skills alongside the men’s team, the Germans were clinical, a technique which the Brazilians were renowned for. A new supremacy had been born.

 

In the third place match the United States overcame Norway in a 4-1 victory with all-time women’s American top goal-scorer Abby Wambach scoring two of her team’s goals, another instance which saw the 3rd place play-off and the final featuring on the same day, at the same stadium but this time with the final being rightfully set as the last fixture of the tournament. One positive for the U.S. saw veteran striker Kristine Lilly become the only female international to feature in all five World Cups.

 

2007 did see the rise of the continent of Asia, with terrific mental strength proving to shake the confidence of the world’s best. Korea DPR recorded a 1-1 draw with the USA whilst Japan held the English in a surprise result. Australia took note of this by making it through the group stages, leapfrogging the Canadians. The three-time OFC champions came closing to working their way past Brazil before a late submission to Cristiane who hit a late drive to deny a first semi-final appearance for the Matildas.

 

2011 Women’s World Cup champions: Japan

Germany 2011 (26 June to 17 July)

 

To decorate Germany’s double-winning success at this level the sixth edition to the FIFA Women’s World Cup timeline champions were given the right to host the 2011 tournament back in October 2007, following an oath from German Chancellor Angela Markel to support the bid which successfully saw off interest from Australia, Canada, Switzerland, France and Peru.  2011 became a tournament which saw stadiums hit full attendance due to the top quality football on hand and it was the turn of another nation to record themselves on the shortlist of World Cup Champions.

 

The Germans did not prevail after a shock 1-0 loss to Japan. It was the Japanese who grew with confidence following the group stages to lift their first title, a wonderment to all critics as the Nadeshikos had previously only escaped the first round group stages once in their World Cup history back in 1995, where subsequently they were trounced in the quarter-finals 4-0 by hosts USA. The Americans were brimming with confidence as the out-and-out most successful nation remaining in the competition. Japan recorded a penalty 3-1 shoot-out win over the United States in the final at Frankfurt’s Commerzbank-Arena, coming from behind twice during 120 minutes worth of play, which saw the U.S. miss their first three penalties. The victory was heavily influenced by the brilliance of Golden-boot winner Homare Sawa whose five goals helped break the U.S. and German dominance of proceeding tournaments. Third place was awarded to Sweden who recorded a 2-1 result over France.

 

Japan’s win was seen as a fitting outcome, especially after the deadly earthquake and tsunami which ravaged the country in 2010. The modernization of the feminine side of the game had been born due to Japan’s success, with plenty of surprises deemed to be the catalyst to this. For instance, Norway’s early exit came as the first major shock, whilst Germany’s quarter final display was deemed as horrendous as the Brazilians at the very same stage.

 

Germany 2011 received the largest attraction numbers in terms of media coverage, sponsorship and German cities wanting to be a part of the three-week event. Initially twenty-three cities applied to host World Cup fixtures before the list was whittled down to 12 before Bielefeld, Essen and Magdeburg were taken out of the equation.  Six of the twelve stadiums were home to Bundesliga clubs participating in the 2011-12 season which together with the other six, recorded attendances reaching 845,711, with the opening match at Berlins Olympiastadion drawing in an atmosphere which hosted 73,680 fans. The budget exceeded the £37.7 million mark whilst six major sponsors jumped on board. For the first time in women’s football, all matches were broadcasted in high definition which saw major sporting channels including the BBC Three, Eurosport, ESPN, Univision, Sportsnet, CBC Television and Al Jazeera screen all 32 games.

 

Shuéme, the Great White Owl is Canada 2015’s mascot

Canada 2015 (6 June to 5 July)

 

After coming to prominence in 2003 following a host of disappointing first round exits prior to their semi-final venture that year, the Canadians have been awarded the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. With recent improvements to the standard of their play after winning the Gold Cup in 2010 and finishing with a bronze medal in the London 2012 Olympics, the Canadians were chosen over Zimbabwe to host the 2015 World Cup, the only two nations to raise their interest.

 

Following ongoing campaigns from FIFA President Sepp Blatter following Germany 2011, the number of participants has grown from 16 to 24 after abolishing any criticism over how this would possibly dilute the quality of play. This will see joining the host nation eight European countries, five Asian sides, three African allocations, one of the Oceania region, three from North America and three hailing from South America.

 

Canada will integrate six host cities including Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Moncton with the final being played at Vancouver Whitecaps BC Place, with a capacity of 54,500. Controversy has mounted the tournament with comments on the use of artificial pitches which is renowned for causing injuries to players. It is said over fifty of the professional players participating in the competition are set to protest against the use of plastic pitches on the basis of gender bigotry. Such statements have been dismissed by organisational bodies of the event, including FIFA.

 

The big guns have started strongly in preparation for this summer’s tournament. Frontrunners, the United States have been recording results in modest fashion, whilst European heavyweights Sweden have been in fine form, conceding just one goal in qualifying and dropping no points in the process. One player to watch will be Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Caroline Seger who has had a formidable year. Germany have found a perfect blend of experience and youth which was evident during the UEFA Women’s EURO 2013, being crowned the Queens of the European game. The Japanese will look to defend their title with honour despite not being the bookies number one choice, but having based their 2011 triumph on teamwork and a Barca-like short passing style which surpasses any criticisms over the lack of household names on the team sheet and their inferior build, the reigning champions are said to be a confident group. Norway seem to have recovered themselves to be one the potential dark horses following an notable qualification campaign which saw them record nine wins out of ten in their group thanks to the prolific profile of Isabell Herlovsen. Crossing over to South America, the Brazilians cannot stop scoring having recently being crowned the Copa America champions for the sixth time. An influx of new faces has refreshed the likes of Cristiane and having Marta back to full fitness will be welcomed with open arms. New coach Oswaldo Alvarez, otherwise recognised as Vadao, has introduced a new pressing game to their renowned trickery which has seen a distinct increase in possession statistics which could prove crucial to them.

 

Here is the list of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 competitors:

Group A

Canada, China PR, New Zealand, Netherlands

Group B

Germany, Ivory Coast, Norway, Thailand

Group C

Japan, Switzerland, Cameroon, Ecuador

Group D

United States, Australia, Sweden, Nigeria

Group E

Brazil, South Korea, Spain, Costa Rica

Group F

France, England, Colombia, Mexico

 

List of tournament favourites as per sports.ladbrokes.com:

5/2 United States

7/2 Germany

11/2 Brazil

6/1 Japan

8/1 Sweden

9/1 France

9/1 Canada

20/1 England

25/1 Norway

FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia – Will It Go Ahead?

Russia as a country, as a movement and as a powerful force has one of the most fascinating histories. A self-proclaimed world-empire in the seventeen hundreds, an increase of socialist regimes in the late nineteenth century, the infamous revolution of 1917, the rise and fall of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin and the country’s alliance with Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Germany. Not to mention the consistent battle to discover forms of existence in space over America. Russia has a remarkable timeline and now it seems Vladimir Putin is more than a little eager to add to it with the current conflict that escalated with Ukraine.

 

How much influence has Vladimir Putin had on Sepp Blatter?

To add further content to the country’s literature, a rather controversial bidding process saw the Russian’s gain victory to host the 2018 World Cup. From football’s versatile game-face, every continent deserves their taste of staging the game’s most highlighted international tournament, in particular to those who haven’t had the luxury of hosting the lucrative event before or to those who have a rather poor record in terms of lifting gold at this level. With Vladimir Putin expected to be elected for a sixth term as Russian president, regardless if Russia make an impression on the football front, Putin sees the 2018 World Cup as a chance to prove the country can return to being a strong power on the political stage.

 

Russia seems to have the will power and promise to build the entities required to host the World Cup in 2018. However, there are certain remains that reflect badly on their image and right to serve such an occasion to the rest of the world. To begin, there has been distinctive publication on Russia’s attitude towards racism whilst also being particularly vocal on their opinions on sexual discrimination, regrettably joining those who despise the acceptance of racial and sexual orientation. This is a problem that back-dates from the early nineteen hundreds and the country’s association with the Nazi regime. There was severe criticism surrounding the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi as it was branded that the games were being held on top of a graveyard following the death of several Muslim workers. Human rights issues were of high concern yet the Russian government were said to dismiss any suggestions that Sochi discredited country’s reputation.

 

National Olympic Committee members who fronted the allocation of votes to Sochi were said to receive multiple threats from rebel terrorists who planned to torment the games, which saw increased security surrounding the athletes taking part. Also during the 2014 winter games, Sochi was subject to anti-gay demonstrations. The games became famous for being the most expensive winter Olympics in history rather than for the right reasons, with insinuations on corruption with over-friendly relationships between the Russian government and construction companies which had never been heard of before. Hotels were not up to scratch a week before the opening ceremony, whilst public safety in such resorts was said to be of very low standard. Despite such worries and apparent political influences on the games, the event was seen as being well-organised with changed opinions said to have eradicated any initial criticisms that saw gay protests taking place and suggestions that the Olympics brought reminders of the Russian-Circassian War between 1763-1864.

 

A map of the Russian hosts cities and how close they are to neighbouring countries.

The unconvincing relationship with Ukraine has proven to be very unsettling, whilst being seen as a matter that needs to be addressed before the summer of 2018. It is a matter that has been brewing since February 2014 due to Russia’s intervention of Crimea. War has broken out in areas such as Donbass which has restricted Ukrainian champions Shahktar Donetsk from playing games on their home patch due to heavy bombing which has seen the Donbass Arena lose most of its shape and original foundations. It is said that Ukraine feels constantly under threat, especially as Russia broke the agreement set in place by the Budapest memorandum following the takeover of Crimea which broke promises to protect and keep peace, whilst steering away from divulging in the practice of nuclear weaponry.

 

Both countries have been purposely separated by UEFA during the qualification process for the European Championships to be held in France in next year, whereas there is growing concern towards whether or not the Ukrainians should reach the finals in 2018. There is further worry over safety, not only for the citizens from both nations but for those who intend to travel as fans of other countries during the World Cup in 2018, due to the intense relationship that has been building between Russia and Ukraine over the past twelve months.

 

To add further weight to concerns over Russia’s behaviour, there were allegations surrounding the crash of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur which killed all 285 passengers and the 15 crew members on board. Coincidence or not, the plane plummeted to ground near Torez in Donetsk, Ukraine. The flight is said to have been tracked by the Russians in an attempt to cause further harm following events in Crimea. Clarification on the reasons behind this dramatic incident have never been brought to a conclusion, however it is still strongly believed that Russia was the force behind the tragedy.

 

Beyond the conflict between the two countries there have been allegations to suggest that Russia’s World Cup bidding process was flawed due to apparent corruption, with payments said to be exchanged by the successful bidders and their voters. The Qatar bid has been well documented for its ‘dodgy’ approach to the bidding process, more so than Russia’s campaign, however it is believed that both countries dwelled into impractical methods of securing their rights as hosts by tapping up voters to guarantee their backing. Funny enough both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were drawn out in the same selection process in February 2010 and have both been accused. The Garcia report was never published after investigations on the allegations surrounding both bids was said to have been substantial enough to support any wrongdoing, so it is believed.

 

If Sepp Blatter is successful in his quest to remain as FIFA president ahead of his fellow candidates he has reiterated his stance on the situation, stating that both Qatar and Russia will still stand as hosts in 2018 and 2022. Despite calls for a revote, Blatter has promised to extinguish all concerns and to approve Russia under his authority to carry out the necessary work to stage the World Cup in 2018.

 

Russia failed to advanced through the group stages of Brazil 2014 under Fabio Capello

To give Russia some credibility, it is a country with plenty of leg room to accommodate millions of fans without them having to find habitat in neighbouring countries. However the competition will only be held in a small part of the world’s biggest country and yet is being highlighted as already the most expensive World Cup in history. There will be no games played in Siberia nor will any take place in the North Caucasus region, most notably in Chechnya and Dagestan where impressive stadia has been built which could bring huge investment to the tournament. The area of which the competition is meant to cover is said to be determined by the intense relationship between the east and west, which has subsequently had influence on the current uproar with Ukraine. Originally a determined plan was put forward for a 16-stadium tournament, but this was reduced in October 2011 to 14.

 

The plan then saw another two arenas being cut out of the frame with Krasnodar and Yaroslavi dropping out in September 2012. The tournament will span across eleven cities with two stadiums being centered to the capital in Moscow which stages the Luzhniki Stadium, an 81,000 seater which will host the final, is to be upgraded from holding more than 35,000, one of only three stadiums that can currently accommodate such an audience. A majority of the venues require substantial overhauls and infrastructure improvements. Estimates of the planned construction has recently been quoted at a staggering £4.82bn with this expected to rise to double the total cost Brazil spent on the 2014 World Cup to approximately £12.2bn or above.

 

There are growing concerns with the country’s logistics, as although Russia holds the facilities, it is said that the organisation and speed of the public transport is more than a little inefficient. It could take some fans more than 24 hours to cover the stretch from Moscow, the country’s capital, to Yekaterinburg, the furthest destination east in terms of the area that the 2018 World Cup will hold. Rumours of a high-speed rail network are said to be in the pre-production stages but with only three years left to erect such a large project there is major concern that the country is leaving itself without enough preparation time.

 

Will the tournament still go ahead? More than likely due to the impracticality of awarding a tournament to a new host with only three years to prepare for it. Three years may seem like a long time, especially when hosts are elected some eight to twelve years prior to an event’s inception, convincing another nation to take on the responsibility could prove tricky. To counter this, as seen in the 2015 African Cup of Nations, hosts Equatorial Guinea organised the competition in just two months following Ebola fears which caused original anchors Morocco to pull the plug.

 

Putin is ready to invite the millions of football fans expected to visit by disabling the need for a visa for those intending on entering Russia. Despite the cooler climate conditions Russia itself is an appealing country, with monuments galore throughout cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, including Saint Basil’s Cathedral and The Kremlin in the country’s capital.

 

With Sochi proving to host a major event and shaking off any criticism with some memorable sporting performances, a football tournament spread around the country should have no problem when it comes to overshadowing the opinions of those who disapprove.

Weekend scores across Europe

Harry Kane’s brace secured a vital North London derby victory over Arsenal, with Roy Hodgson watching in the stands

English Barclays Premier League

Aston Villa 1 v 2 Chelsea

Burnley 2 v 2 West Bromwich Albion

Everton 0 v 0 Liverpool

Leicester City 0 v 1 Crystal Palace

Manchester City 1 v 1 Hull City

Newcastle United 1 v 1 Stoke City

Queens Park Rangers 0 v 1 Southampton

Swansea City 1 v 1 Sunderland

West Ham United 1 v 1 Manchester United

1		Chelsea		24	33	56
2		Manchester City		24	23	49
3		Southampton		24	21	45
4		Manchester United		24	17	44
5		Tottenham Hotspur		24	6	43
6		Arsenal		24	18	42
7		Liverpool		24	6	39
8		West Ham United		24	8	37
9		Swansea City		24	-3	34
10		Stoke City		24	-2	33
11		Newcastle United		24	-6	31
12		Everton		24	-3	27
13		Crystal Palace		24	-8	26
14		Sunderland		24	-12	24
15		West Bromwich Albion		24	-12	23
16		Aston Villa		24	-20	22
17		Burnley		24	-17	21
18		Hull City		24	-13	20
19		Queens Park Rangers		24	-19	19
20		Leicester City		24	-17	17

 

No league games in Scotland this weekend. Celtic lead by the skin of their teeth but have two games in hand over challengers Aberdeen

Scottish Premiership

No games played this weekend due to domestic cup action

1		Celtic		22	31	51
2		Aberdeen		24	20	51
3		Inverness Caledonian Thistle		24	13	48
4		Dundee United		23	16	45
5		Hamilton Academical		26	7	41
6		St Johnstone		24	-4	34
7		Dundee		25	-1	33
8		Kilmarnock		24	-7	29
9		Partick Thistle		23	-4	25
10		St Mirren		25	-21	18
11		Motherwell		24	-30	18
12		Ross County		24	-28	12

 

Vital game this evening between league leaders Lyon and champions PSG in the race for the title

French Ligue 1

Bastia 2 v 0 Metz

Caen 2 v 0 Toulouse

Evian Thonon Gaillard 0 v 1 Bordeaux

Guingamp 1 v 0 Monaco

Montpellier 1 v 2 Lille

Reims 1 v 3 Lorient

Rennes 1 v 1 Marseille

St Etienne 3 v 3 Lens

1		Lyon		23	30	49
2		Marseille		24	21	48
3		Paris St Germain		23	21	47
4		St Etienne		24	9	41
5		Monaco		24	6	40
6		Bordeaux		24	-1	37
7		Montpellier		24	7	36
8		Nice		23	-1	32
9		Nantes		23	-3	32
10		Guingamp		24	-8	32
11		Lille		24	-1	31
12		Rennes		24	-7	31
13		Reims		24	-12	29
14		Caen		24	-2	27
15		Bastia		24	-3	27
16		Lorient		24	-5	27
17		Toulouse		24	-12	25
18		Évian Thonon Gaillard		24	-16	23
19		Lens		24	-8	22
20		Metz		24	-15	21

 

Back to winning ways for Bayern this weekend with a 2-0 victory away to Stuttgart. Robben and Alaba with the goals

German Bundesliga

1.FC Koln 0 v 0 SC Paderborn 07

1.FSV Mainz 05 0 v 2 Hertha BSC

FC Schalke 04 1 v 0 VfL Borussia Monchengladbach

Hamburger SV 2 v 1 Hannover 96

Sport-Club Freiburg 0 v 3 Borussia Dortmund

VfB Stuttgart 0 v 2 Bayern Munich

VfL Wolfsburg 3 v 0 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

SV Werder Bremen 2 v 1 Bayer Leverkusen

1		Bayern Münich		20	36	49
2		VfL Wolfsburg		20	22	41
3		FC Schalke 04		20	9	34
4		VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach		20	10	33
5		FC Augsburg		19	4	33
6		Bayer Leverkusen		20	8	32
7		TSG 1899 Hoffenheim		20	-2	26
8		SV Werder Bremen		20	-9	26
9		Hannover 96		20	-7	25
10		Eintracht Frankfurt		19	-3	24
11		1. FC Köln		20	-4	24
12		Hamburger SV		20	-8	23
13		1.FSV Mainz 05		20	-1	22
14		Hertha BSC		20	-12	21
15		SC Paderborn 07		20	-13	20
16		Borussia Dortmund		20	-6	29
17		Sport-Club Freiburg		20	-9	18
18		VfB Stuttgart		20	-15	18

 

Carlos Tevez scored his 11th goal of the season in a 3-1 over a very poor AC Milan side

Italian Serie A

Fiorentina 3 v 2 Atalanta

Cagliari 1 v 2 Roma

Empoli 2 v 0 Cesena

Juventus 3 v 1 AC Milan

Napoli 3 v 1 Udinese

Sampdoria 1 v 1 Sassuolo

Verona 1 v 3 Torino

1		Juventus		17	27	53
2		Roma		22	37	46
3		Napoli		22	19	42
4		Fiorentina		22	14	35
5		Sampdoria		22	4	35
6		Lazio		21	12	34
7		Torino		22	2	31
8		Palermo		22	1	30
9		Genoa		22	3	29
10		AC Milan		22	3	29
11		Sassuolo		22	-2	29
12		Udinese		22	-4	28
13		Inter Milan		21	1	26
14		Verona		22	-13	24
15		Empoli		22	-5	23
16		Atalanta		22	-10	23
17		Cagliari		22	-13	19
18		Chievo		22	-11	18
19		Cesema		22	-22	15
20		Parma		22	-26	9

 

Atletico Madrid 4 – 0 Real Madrid. Real have only won once against Atletico in their last seven meetings: the Champions League final last season

Spanish La Liga

Atletico Madrid 4 v 0 Real Madrid

Cordoba 1 v 2 Almeria

Deportivo de La Coruna 2 v 0 Eibar

Levante 4 v 1 Malaga

Real Soceidad 1 v 1 Celta de Vigo

Villarreal 2 v 0 Granada

1		Real Madrid		22	48	54
2		Barcelona		21	46	50
3		Atlético Madrid		22	27	50
4		Sevilla		21	11	42
5		Valencia		21	19	41
6		Villarreal		22	17	41
7		Málaga		22	0	35
8		Eibar		22	-6	27
9		Espanyol		21	-5	26
10		Celta de Vigo		22	-3	25
11		Deportivo de La Coruna		22	-14	24
12		Real Sociedad		22	-7	23
13		Athletic Bilbao		21	-8	23
14		Rayo Vallecano		21	-16	23
15		Almeria		22	-14	22
16		Getafe		21	-13	20
17		Levante		22	-21	19
18		Córdoba		22	-16	18
19		Granada CF		22	-21	18
20		Elche		21	-24	17

Who are the nominees for the 2015 Fifa Presidential election?

The countdown has begun to the Fifa presidential election which takes place in Zurich on May 29^th. The current regime under Sepp Blatter has been spoilt by a cord of controversies, in particular including allegations of bribery during the selection process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to be held in Russia and Qatar respectively.

It is expected to be the most intense and intriguing election process in years with an expected 209 member countries voting for their preferable choice. With the reputation of Fifa declining at a formidable pace due to Sepp Blatter’s unsavoury leadership skills during his fourth term, the importance of choosing the correct candidate has never been so crucial, in what is without question the most crucial occupation in the game.

Each nominee needs a requirement backing of five nations or more to sustain a formal nomination, with applications needing to be submitted, with the five nations backing before Thursday 5^th February.

Here we assess the profiles of each campaigner, only 105 votes needed:

Sepp Blatter

Age: 78

Nationality: Swiss

Current Occupation: President of FIFA.

Blatter is currently serving his fourth term as President of FIFA and is looking to continue onto a fifth after overturning his retirement claims. The 78-year-old joined FIFA in 1975, first as Technical Director (1975-1981) before becoming the General Secretary of FIFA in 1981, serving for seven years.

Following his election to the Presidency in 1998 he was re-elected in 2002 before being standing again in 2007 for another four years after being unopposed. History suggests he is the favourite, especially having a majority of the Confederation of African Football behind him which could consist of 53 votes but he has never had a run-in like this before for his job.

Since assuming office seventeen years ago, Blatter’s leadership has been blasted with controversy.. with bribery claims ascending from the beginning in his victory over Lennart Johansson, the 1998 UEFA President. His biggest party trick occurred most recently during the 2010 election process which saw both Russia and Qatar ‘produce’ successful campaigns to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Since then investigations have taken place into allegations of corruptions and deceit which has questioned Blatter’s power and capability to lead such a large corporation.

Blatter has made some significant changes to the rules of the game, replacing the golden goal with the silver goal, denying the winner of a World Cup automatic qualification for the next tournament, introducing immediate suspensions for players who receive a red card in a game or are caught on camera acting maliciously after a game. This led to the introduction of players being booked from 2004 for removing their shirts when celebrating a goal. Finally he advised that no football game should take place more than 2500 metres above sea level, which was later increased to 3000 metres due to implications it had on the Bolivia national side. In favour of Blatter, he has the history and trust of the small nations after breaking the mould of dominance by Europe and South America., Whoever tackles the 78-year-old will have to build new found relationships that Blatter has already accumulated.

He has also been at the heart of some unreasonable comments regarding the women’s game, the John Terry affair scandal whilst also being accused of financial mismanagement. His reputation has quickly diminished with the likes of Gary Lineker putting across strong arguments as to why there needs to be a change at the top.

Blatter informs that he believes his work is “not finished”. He has the backing of the AFC (Asia), the CAF (Africa), the CONMEBOL (South America) and the Oceania Federation. He wants to bring in new movement to increase the capacity of the game, especially into unknown territories. Although loathe, especially across Europe the current President bags a strong cause for re-election.

Jerome Champagne

Age: 56

Nationality: French

Current occupation: Speaker

Jerome Champagne is a former French diplomat and consultant to the international game. He served FIFA from 1999 to 2010.

For eleven years Champagne was FIFA’s deputy secretary general and personal assistant to Sepp Blatter. Despite scepticism arising during his tenure and connections to the current FIFA regime he has somewhat installed him reputation and is seen as a strong contender. Controversially or not, he has been using his contacts at FIFA to manage international relations, focusing on the politics of the game rather than the personalities in it.

He believes the problems dig beyond Blatter’s personality. His advantage over fellow candidates sees him picking out specific proposals on how he would try and improve the state of the organisation. He has already he would remove the 2022 World Cup from Qatar despite Blatter stating there would not be a re-voting process in 2014. Whether such content dislodges Blatter and his underlying party depends on the conviction of his pitch, which to be fair has been recommended from interview to interview.

His advantage with working under Blatter is that he acknowledges the cracks in the Swiss’ leadership, suggesting that the last twenty-years under the current President has been “a dangerous cocktail of deregulation, globalization” (Champagne, Which FIFA for the 21^st century?) He wants to review the relationships between clubs and players, the water parting between varying football nationalities, in particular between Europe and World football, the balance between league and international football, whilst also reviewing the level of grass roots football up to the professional level.

Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein

Age: 39

Nationality: Jordain

Current occupation: President of the JFA, President of the WAFF and Vice President of FIFA.

Al Hussein has an impeccable pedigree and some impressive relations which allows him to be a credible campaigner. He is the founder of the WAFF (West Asian Football Federation) which has built his profile as an important figure in the progression of the game in Asia, bringing reformed ideas and uniting the profile of the Asian game globally.

He has the backing of UEFA President Michele Platini to acclaim power over Sepp Blatter but lacks the support from his own Asian Federation. However, he has been a leading voice on the corruptions in FIFA and is in full support of a ‘change’ at headquarters. He was disgusted by the state of Blatter’s reaction to the Garcia report, believing a full publish should have been made to reveal the true nature of the current regime.

Despite holding an impressive profile, without the backing of his own he is unlikely to push Blatter all the way.

Michael van Praag

Age: 67

Nationality: Dutch

Current occupation: Dutch sports director, member of the Executive Committee of UEFA and Chairman of the Royal Dutch Football Association.

Van Praag is a strong candidate, announcing his willingness to prize the title of FIFA President away from Sepp Blatter in January 2015.

He was the Chairman of Ajax for 14-years, which saw the Amsterdam-based side life both the UEFA Champions League 1995 and the UEFA Cup in 1992, during the clubs second most successful era, that behind his father’s tenure. He has been at the helm of the Dutch Presidency since 2008 and is heavily involved in UEFA’s executive committee.

The Dutchman is “very worried about the deteriorating situation at FIFA”. He intends to look at the public opinion of the game and turning all negative frames of the game on their heads. UEFA believes there should be an open and public debate which they believe van Haag can produce. In their eyes he is a credible nominee, however, they cannot be involved in the backing of the Dutchman’s campaign.

Blatter must be happy to have van Praag as a candidate, with the Dutchman splitting the anti-Blatter vote. Both UEFA and the CONCACAF will have to revise their decision. Despite pushing for a strong profile, especially with the blessing of some of Europe’s leading national associations, including the Scottish FA which he feels needs revised attention, he is unlikely to feature in the latter stages of the vote.

David Ginola

Age: 48

Nationality: French

Current occupation: Head of ‘Team Ginola’, football pundit.

The former Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Everton midfielder became a challenger to Sepp Blatter following a publicity stunt by professional betting firm Paddy Power. He was paid £375,000 to take part in what was confirmed on January 30^th 2015 to be a failed bid due to falling short of the backing of five football associations as required to be considered a serious contender to the throne.

FIFA has ruled that candidates cannot be associated with betting or gambling firms whilst also needing to have worked within football administration for at least two years, something that Ginola does not have of his curriculum vitae.

Despite having his beliefs there is no reason why he cannot put forward his opinions to those he supports over Blatter. He has been seen to be a close companion to Jerome Champagne and answered with knowledge when interviewed by former employers TalkSPORT, suggesting he would ‘open the doors of FIFA to allow people to express their ideas’.

If he miraculously found himself with enough backing, the Frenchman would have found himself in unfamiliar territory.

Luis Figo

Age: 42

Nationality: Portuguese

Current occupation: UEFA representative

A late and very unexpected entry, however the 2000 Ballon d’Or winner and 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year has already secured six national backing and is set to book visits with other to grow his profile.

Some believe the former Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Sporting Lisbon attacking midfielder’s crusade to the presidency is a little more than hollow. Nonetheless his bid is seen as being refreshing whilst he has built a good reputation having worked within UEFA’s administration, working in several roles with Inter Milan and the Portuguese national side. The support from continents including Asia and Africa could prove crucial to secure votes whilst the golden generation that Figo came from will back the former Portuguese international to give Blatter a run for his money.

He strongly believes football deserves better and doesn’t like the reputation FIFA has accrued through Sepp Blattter’s reign. Football is Figo’s passion and he wants to change the issue whilst implementing a refreshing new system. He has declared he is willing and open to new ideas and learning on the job. He dislikes the idea that the Garcia report was not published and sees the number one priority to ask each Federation what they need and to tie up FIFA’s financial reserves.

Bankruptcy: Footballers gone bust

Playing football and getting paid for it doesn’t come much better for those who become a professional. Not for some though, especially after retirement due to uncontrolled finances or gambles throughout their career which sees them enter bankruptcy after retirement. The power and prestige footballers attain due to the astronomical amounts of money they earn during a career which spans no more than thirty-years has proven be a toxicant to some, having to rebuild their lives after their short careers in the game. In 2015 it was declared that up to 40 per cent of retired footballers had entered negative equity, whilst the need to seek financial advice also increased.

It can become a common subject, ‘what would I do with the money if I won the lottery?’. The common question for those judging a footballers income is whether what they earn to much money? Across the top four leagues in Europe a staggering average of £120,318 is earned on a weekly basis, £1,443,816 a year. The highest paying league in the world is the Premier League with players trading in their skills for somewhere in the region of £2.3 million a year, £43,717 a week, over £15,000 more than its nearest European competitor Germany, which sees players earn £1.46 million a year, £28,011 a week. Next come the Italians taking an average of £1.3m annually (£23,263 a week) followed by the Spanish with a wage of £1.2m a year (£23,327 a week). The middling wage of Britain’s worker forks out at around £26,500 a year. The frustration with footballers from the views the general public can be strongly backed-up, especially when one of them enters bankruptcy, which to the average citizen immediately connotes that all football players are avaricious. How a footballer earns over double the average worker’s yearly wage in a week is quite astonishing.

There are a number of factors, both sympathetic and aggravating which contribute to the downfall of a footballer’s finances. Severe addiction to gambling and alcoholism are common stories which can lead to austere depression. Injury to a player can be costly in the long run, whilst they are paid during their career injuries, should the problem cause early retirement their illustrious finances soon dry up. Some choose to invest their fortunes which paid off for the likes of Thomas Gravesen, however some are badly advised and their gambles dry up their finances quicker than their ambitions. A huge problem for many players is the lack of opportunity in employment following retirement. Punting a football around a field does not qualify someone to walk straight into another industry because they once had fame and hoarded wealth.

HMR and Customs revealed of late that the money owed for tax reliefs by retired professional lies somewhere around the sum of £300 million, spreading across more than 100 individuals. There has been blame aimed at the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) for seemingly concentrating on helping those still working in the profession, whilst leaving those who have hung up their boots to contend with their own financial capacities.

Examples of bankruptcy

David James became one of the most notable bankruptcy cases in the game

David James

Currently plying his trade in India, former goalkeeper for England, Liverpool, Manchester City, Aston Villa, West Ham United and Portsmouth.

James had career earnings of £20 million after playing at the highest level for both club and country. He has played over 800 games during his club career for ten clubs, whilst being selected for over 50 caps for his country. A divorce in 2005 on top of overgenerous spending sprees during his 26-year career forced James to file for bankruptcy. The former goalkeeper issued a lack of support during the prominent stages of his career to be one of the features to his downfall. The inability to maintain several properties and a run-in with divorce saw James having to sell off a host of sporting memorabilia plus his treasured DJ equipment.

He still exists in the game as a player-manager for Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters FC.

Gillespie played 495 games for 12 clubs before retiring in 2013 with Langford Town

Keith Gillespie

Former midfielder for Manchester United, Newcastle United.

Gillespie started his career in luxurious fashion playing alongside the likes of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs Gary Neville and Paul Scholes under the golden generation known as the ‘Class of 92’. He was part of Newcastle United’s UEFA Champions League run in the late nineties whilst also walking out for his country, Northern Ireland on more than 80 occasions.

By the age of 35 Gillespie lost his financial power of £7,215,975 million through intense gambling and bad management on property developments.

He rekindled some of his money by having his book ‘How Not to be a Football Millionaire’ which was published in May 2014 but has never reached the luck his once accrued.

Friedel’s career has spanned over 21-years and is currently the oldest player in the ranks of the Premier League

Brad Friedel

Current goalkeeper for Tottenham Hotspur, former Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa stopper.

The veteran American goalkeeper was declared insolvent during his days at Aston Villa in January 2011 before moving to White Hart Lane to play for Tottenham Hotspur.

In 2007 Friedel launched a non-profitable football academy in his hometown of Ohio, costing him $10,000,000, which provided tutoring and coaching for scholars from the age of 12 and upwards. A severity in debt through the academy saw Friedel’s liabilities rise, with exertions toiled by the global financial crisis from 2008 to 2011.

With his playing days still in existence despite being at the age of 43 and a media career with the BBC and Setanta Sports, it seems safe to say that Brad Friedel will see it through.

Riise recorded 321 Premier League appearances whilst building 110 international caps

John Arne Riise

Current left-back for APOEL, former Norway, Liverpool, AS Roma and Fulham defender.

The former Norwegian international filed for legal advice following a loss of fortune during the height of his career. At 26-years-of-age and earning £50,000 a week during his Liverpool days it was announced that Riise failed to occupy debts to his former agent Einar Baardsen over invested cash after Baardsen cancelled his contract to represent the player in 2005. The case was linked to an alleged £3 million fraud investigation running through the courts in Riise’s native homeland. The debts were also thought to be linked to failed business enterprises, most notably a hotel.

Now playing in Cyprus for APOEL after departing Fulham following relegation from the Premier League in 2014, Riise has made eleven appearances so far this season.

Martin Odegaard: From Norway to Madrid

80,000 a week for a player who only turned 16-years-old a month ago must suggest that Europe has found a new wonderkid. Real Madrid coughed up £2.3m to secure young Martin Odegaard who has been likened most to Barcelona’s Lionel Messi. Although the Catalan club was the Norwegian’s apparent first choice, he opted to join their biggest rivals to play at the Santiago Bernebeu. Whether earnings of £4,160,000 a year for a 16-year-old is too much for the youngster, there are some impressive attributes he has shown in the 23 games he played for Stromsgodset in his home country.

Odegaard scored 5 times for Stromsgodset in 23 appearances

The first comparison to Lionel Messi came from current Stromsgodset manager David Nielsen, a team-mate of Odegaard’s last season, labelling him as a “superhero”. He quickly became recognised for his ability to judge situations when under threat from a defending tackle, making a swift move to switch his position or style to beat his adversary. Former Blackburn Rovers winger Morten Gamst Pedersen dubbed the attacking midfielder the most talented player he has played alongside.

Current Celtic boss Ronny Deila gave Odegaard his debut last season for Stromsgodset at the age of 15 years and 117 days in a league game against Aaelsund in April 2014. From his debut game he exemplified his talents, proving a handful and confidently taking on player after player in his pursuit towards the opposition goal. His first goal came just a month after his debut with a refined finish from outside of the box against Sarpsborg. His international debut featured not long after against the United Arab Emirates becoming Norway’s youngest ever performer before he broke a 31-year European record set by Sigurdur Jonsson for Iceland against Malta in 1983 at the age of 16 years and 251 days, with Odegaard featuring as a second-half substitute against Bulgaria in Oslo at 15 years and 300 days old.

On 30 September 2014, Odegaard was called up to Norway’s UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying matches against Malta and Bulgaria

The demand for the Liverpool fan was more than recognisable with 30 named clubs scouting him. Liverpool did show interest by inviting Odegaard to train with them, however the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Dutch side Ajax began to watch him in action. His father’s stringent 20-hour-a-week training policy as Bayern Munich had been said to be tapping up the youngster from the age of 14, having heard of the player who started training with the first team at Stromsgodset at 13-years-old. His father has also been rewarded for his commitment to his son by being offered a role as a coach at Real Madrid’s youth development programme.

He has stated that he is not worried as to whether he plays for the first or second team at Real Madrid, although with the hype and expectation from someone who is as advanced as he is at such a young age it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the left-footer marks his debut alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in the near future. Is there genuine belief he can break into the first team and save Norwegian football or is this going to be a short-lived story which sees the 16-year-old become the next ‘wasted talent’? Will he be bigger than Barcelona’s latest young acquisition, Croatian midfielder Alen Halilovic? What can be said is that he has the backing of Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo who has praised his left foot.

Watch the YouTube video below which has accumulated over 2 million views to make your mind up:

The road to Wembley no longer exists

The road to Wembley no longer exists.

2013-14 Deloitte findings: Problems with the wealth of the Premier League

The football rich list has recently been published and illustrates some staggering findings. All 20 Premier League clubs, including the three relegated sides from last season: Norwich City, Fulham and Cardiff City, featured in the top 40 richest teams in the world. Fourteen of the twenty Premier League sides are included in the top thirty. Relegated Cardiff City, now in the Championship raked in £62 million last term for finishing bottom, seeing their earnings go beyond those of clubs around Europe such as Valencia and Lazio, two teams who have bigger histories and higher profile players.

Old Trafford is the 24th largest stadium by capacity

There are a number of factors Deloitte use to formulate their findings including attendance, broadcast coverage, on-field success and more. With Sky and BT dishing out the pounds, the Premier League has become the biggest entity in world football. The Premier League saw its escalation in television deals exceed the £1 billion mark. It hosts the biggest attendances, the highest transfer fees collectively between the twenty clubs, whilst also paying some of the most extortionate wages out there. The revenue gained from each of the Premier League clubs it truly mesmerising. For instance, Manchester United, the second richest club in the world behind Spanish giants Real Madrid, with a turnover revenue of €518 million from the 2013-14 season averaged attendances of 75,203 from which they accumulated £108.1m from match-day sales across the campaign, the highest match-day revenue across the world. Broadcasting saw them rake in £135.8m, commercial revenue brought in £189.3m. With the continuing growth of commercial outlets plowing their money into Premier League clubs, we are seeing a rapid rise in long term partnerships between the parties involved. The Red Devils agreed a seven-year world record deal with Chevrolet whilst striking a stunning £750m shirt sponsorship with Adidas ready to commence next season for a 10-year term. Thanks to a new cycle of broadcasting contracts across the Premier League and UEFA has seen the profit ascend. Manchester United saw their broadcast rights increase by 34% despite finishing seventh last term to £34.2m. The difficulty other European countries will now find is matching the broadcasting power of the English due to significant increases over the past twelve months. The interesting point which does not receive enough coverage is how much of this accumulated revenue is given back to those who are most important the club, the supporters and future players.

Jozy Altidore played 42 games for Sunderland, earning almost 90,500 each game across the 18 months he spent at the Stadium of Light. He scored just once.

One issue that is concerning is the lack of concentration on grass roots football. It is evident we have a super rich government who can spend upwards of £500 million on a stadium to host an Olympic games and then allowing it to be inherited by a Premier League side free of charge. On top of this clubs are paying more expensive wages for home grown player brought up through their youth systems due to the lack of quality shining through, whilst scouring the other six continents to simply fill in an gaps and to suggest they have a thorough explanation for squad rotation. There are too many average, foreign players in the Premier League earning ridiculous amounts of money. Jozy Altidore sat on a comfortable weekly salary of almost £50,000 before leaving Sunderland for Toronto in exchange for Jermain Defoe. The logic in this is mind blowing. Others below average players on big wages include the following: Fabio Borini of Liverpool earns £60,000 a week, Anderson rakes in the same amount for sitting on the bench at Manchester United. Whilst some English players including overrated James Milner earns yet more standing at £80,000 a week, the same as World Cup winner Jesus Navas.

A survey from the 2013-14 season showed how players in the Premier League earned an average of £2.3 million, an common fortune of £43,000 a week. It was the first time the £2 million barrier had been broken and comfortably more than professionals in Germany, Italy and Spain. The season before in 2012-13 saw the average earns reach £1.5 million. The closest contender to the Premier League last season was Germany with a £1.5m average, followed by Italy (£1.3m), Spain (£1.2m) and then France in fifth (£1m). Even England’s second division, The Championship saw average weekly wages of £10,000, tabling it at the eighth highest earning league in the world.

It is said by the Football Association that the Premier League and the government induce £36m a year into youth football

The government should be encouraging Premier League clubs to drop ticket prices and use the money they could get from veering away from purchasing average players and putting that cash into a collective youth development kitty to help improve the future of the English game on an international level. In respect of this the government could quite easily dip their hands into their pockets to help the cause. The country and it’s top footballing sides need to encourage children to play the game. As a country England is increasingly suffering from obesity, more so with children which can only be stopped if young people are encouraged from a small age to get involved in the sport.

The penalty: psychology and numbers

Do we love them or truly despise them? Goalkeepers are said to be fond whilst players seen to loath the experience, however the psychological aspect of the whole process is truly fascinating. They are a critical time of judgment for all parties actively involved in either taking a penalty or attempting to save one. The full notion of kicking the football from no more than twelve yards happens within a quarter of a second, travelling at speeds of up to 125mph. This often sees a goalkeeper having to decide on which way they are going to dive before the ball is even struck. There is a science to the penalty kick, which in hindsight seems like a effortless task for the man kicking the ball into the net from no more than twelve yards, however, the simplicity of it all is the most difficult thing to overcome when under severe pressure and trying to maintain composure. The importance of goalkeepers studying their opponents and their decision making whilst running up to strike the ball has become imperative in order to stop the ball from getting passed them. Reading a player’s body language on approach tends to be a good sign but most saves from the penalty spot are based on experience.

 

Although there have been pleas to remove the penalty shootout altogether there hasn’t been a doable replacement to settle a game. If two teams are still level after 120 minutes of football then it would seem very unlikely that one of them take the initiative beyond that. The statistics are truly fascinating when studying the mathematics behind the shootout. There is a 60 to 40 better chance of winning the contest for the team who goes first. This could be because they are the side putting their opponents under more pressure to hit the back of the net if they score before them. On the reverse side, if the first team misses their antagonist feels the increasing concern of having to take advantage which can often cause the nerves to jangle.

 

Furthermore, there is a higher probability of a team winning if they have netted an equaliser to make the score level in normal playing time. This is due to the characteristics that accompany the momentum of the team which has just taken an opportunity. The equalising team installs renewed belief that they can win the game despite the penalty shootout symbolising the lottery. For instance, a really good example would be to review the emotions of the Bayern Munich players once Chelsea eqaulised in the dying embers of the game in the 2012 UEFA Champions League final. The Germans were on their home turf and looking comfortable before Didier Drogba struck to cancel out Thomas Muller’s 83rd minute goal with no less than 120 seconds left of the ninety remaining. Despite playing a further half-an-hour due to extra time taking place the Bayern players looked defeated as soon as play resumed following Drogba’s goal. Chelsea went on to lift the European Cup after their Ivorian striker sunk a double sided bullet into the Germans with a crisp penalty with the shootout finishing 4-3 to Roberto Di Matteo’s side. It is said that 65% of the final penalty takers score without the tie having to reach sudden death, with Didier Drogba proving to be on the right side of that marker.

 

Rather interestingly Chelsea missed their first penalty through Juan Mata that evening, which counteracts the truth behind the success of the first penalty taker of each team being the most successful from the spot as they are more likely to score than any of their teammates. Philipp Lahm was the first Bayern Munich player to step up and volunteer, converting without hesitation. Although it is said those first up have the hardest task, the opportunity to score is more likely due to the pressure undeniably building as the course of the shootout progresses. If the first penalty taker misses then there is more of a opportunity for revival as a team’s position can be relinquished by the proceeding twelve yard kicks. If a player misses on penalty number four of five, the pressure is on the fifth volunteer to score whereas the first shooter has four men to follow him to change the score line.

 

The most popular area of the goal for a player to shoot at and score successfully is the bottom left hand corner, with a success rate of almost 19%. The old saying ‘hit is low and hard’ is most certainly the favourable choice with almost half of players shooting low to encourage the goalkeeper to get down low into the corners to stop the shot, which in truth causes them to work harder. The left side of the goal sees just over 40% of penalties scored, with 35% aiming for the right with success and only 24% opting for the centre of the goal with a positive outcome. Despite the bottom left proving the most successful option it is actually the lower right which most players choose to put their shot, a figure 40% to be precise. Retrospectively, a figure of around half of all penalty takers opt for the bottom of the goal, 29% choose the roof of the net and less than a quarter plant the ball in the mid-drift. The least flattering option is to shoot directly at the centre of the goal, half way between the goal line and the crossbar. This suggests there is a lack of confidence from the shooter, assuming that the goalkeeper is going to move completely from the centre of his goal, the one position where they are told to stand before the penalty is taken. A goalkeeper’s save rate automatically increases when stood in the middle from a 13% chance of saving a penalty to 33%. Most penalties are saved in the bottom right hand corner of the goal whilst not many are clawed away when the ball angles to one of the top corners which tend to be out of most goalkeepers’ reach. Around 70% of all penalty saves are made with the goalkeeper diving low but the conversion rate still proves ‘low and hard’ to be stronger avenue to take. Whilst the bottom left of most penalties is the triumphant option there is a high probability it is also the choice which sees players dragging the ball wide, which is surprising as the most off target shots would presume to be blazed over the bar. Aside the kick-takers statistics, a goalkeeper will dive to either his right or his left 94% of the time. They tend to guess correctly around 40% of the time on the direction of a shot but only save between 25-30% of those. Goalkeepers are said to be more forgiving of shots beating them on an angle rather than seeing the ball role past in the centre of their goal posts.

 

Overall the average success rate of a penalty being converted lies at just under 87%, which suggest at least three of the ten takers will miss from the spot. Players including Chelsea’s Eden Hazard have continued to impress from the penalty spot with a 100% dominant record, whilst the runner-up in the Ballon d’Or 2014, Lionel Messi has missed only 6.9% of all the penalties he has taken from the white dot.

 

 

 

Weekend scores across Europe

Southampton claimed their first win at Old Trafford in 27 years following Dusan Tadic’s 69th minute goal

English Barclays Premier League

Arsenal 3 v 0 Stoke City

Burnley 2 v 1 Queens Park Rangers

Chelsea 2 v 0 Newcastle United

Crystal Palace 2 v 1 Tottenham Hotspur

Everton 1 v 1 Manchester City

Leicester City 1 v 0 Aston Villa

Manchester United 0 v 1 Southampton

Sunderland 0 v 1 Liverpool

Swansea City 1 v 1 West Ham United

West Bromwich Albion 1 v 0 Hull City

1		Chelsea		21	27	49
2		Manchester City		21	25	47
3		Southampton		21	20	39
4		Manchester United		21	13	37
5		Arsenal		21	12	36
6		Tottenham Hotspur		21	1	34
7		West Ham United		21	7	33
8		Liverpool		21	2	32
9		Swansea City		21	1	30
10		Newcastle United		21	-8	27
11		Stoke City		21	-5	26
12		Everton		21	-4	22
13		Aston Villa		21	-12	22
14		West Bromwich Albion		21	-9	21
15		Crystal Palace		21	-9	20
16		Sunderland		21	-13	20
17		Burnley		21	-14	20
18		Hull City		21	-7	19
19		Queens Park Rangers		21	-14	19
20		Leicester City		21	-13	17

 

Aberdeen took a four point lead over champions Celtic this weekend

Scottish Premiership

Dundee 4 v 1 Motherwell

Kilmarnock 1 v 2 Inverness Caledonian Thistle

St Mirren 0 v 2 Aberdeen

1		Aberdeen		21	5	46
2		Celtic		19	3	42
3		Inverness Caledonian Thistle		21	6	41
4		Hamilton Academical		20	5	39
5		Dundee United		20	6	38
6		St Johnstone		20	9	29
7		Kilmarnock		21	10	27
8		Dundee		21	8	25
9		Partick Thistle		19	8	21
10		Motherwell		21	14	17
11		Ross County		20	13	11
12		St Mirren		21	16	11

 

Shock of the weekend saw PSG defeated by Ligue 1 strugglers Bastia, leaving the champions 4 points adrift of the top

French Ligue 1

Bastia 4 v 2 Paris Saint-Germain

Evian Thonon Gaillard 1 v 1 Rennes

Guingamp 2 v 0 Lens

LOSC Lille Metropole 1 v 0 SM Caen

Montpellier 2 v 1 Olympique de Marseille

Nantes 0 v 0 FC Metz

Nice 3 v 1 FC Lorient

Olympique Lyonnais 3 v 0 Toulouse

Stade de Reims 1 v 2 AS Saint-Etienne

1		Olympique Lyonnais		20	26	42
2		Olympique de Marseille		20	20	41
3		AS Saint-Etienne		20	11	39
4		Paris Saint-Germain		20	17	38
5		AS Monaco		19	5	32
6		Nantes		20	2	31
7		Bordeaux		19	-1	31
8		Montpellier		20	3	29
9		Rennes		20	-3	29
10		Stade de Reims		20	-6	28
11		LOSC Lille Metropole		20	0	27
12		Nice		20	-3	25
13		Guingamp		20	-9	25
14		Bastia		20	-5	21
15		Toulouse		20	-10	21
16		FC Lorient		20	-7	20
17		FC Metz		20	-10	20
18		Évian Thonon Gaillard FC		20	-13	20
19		Lens		20	-6	19
20		SM Caen		20	-11	15

 

No games took place in the Bundesliga this weekend due to the country’s winter break. With Borussia Dortmund languishing in the relegation zone the club have said they will not be sacking manager Jurgen Klopp

German Bundesliga

No Games

1		Bayern Münich		17	37	45
2		VfL Wolfsburg		17	16	34
3		Bayer Leverkusen		17	8	28
4		VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach		17	9	27
5		FC Schalke 04		17	7	27
6		FC Augsburg		17	1	27
7		TSG 1899 Hoffenheim		17	4	26
8		Hannover 96		17	-5	24
9		Eintracht Frankfurt		17	0	23
10		Paderborn		17	-5	19
11		1. FC Köln		17	-6	19
12		1. FSV Mainz 05		17	-4	18
13		Hertha BSC Berlin		17	-11	18
14		Hamburger SV		17	-10	17
15		VfB Stuttgart		17	-12	17
16		Werder Bremen		17	-13	17
17		Borussia Dortmund		17	-8	15
18		Freiburg		17	-8	15

 

Juventus can spread their lead at the top to three points should they defeat SSC Napoli this evening

Italian Serie A

AS Roma 2 v 2 SS Lazio

Atalanta 1 v 1 Chievo Verona

Cagliari Calcio 2 v 1 Cesena

Fiorentina 4 v 3 Palermo

Hellas Verona 3 v 1 Parma

Internazionale Milano 3 v 1 Genoa

Sampdoria 1 v 0 Empoli

Sassuolo Calcio 1 v 1 Udinese Calcio

Torino 1 v 1 AC Milan

1		Juventus		17	27	40
2		AS Roma		18	18	40
3		SS Lazio		18	12	31
4		SSC Napoli		17	11	30
5		Sampdoria		18	6	30
6		Fiorentina		18	8	27
7		Genoa		18	4	27
8		AC Milan		18	6	26
9		Internazionale Milano		18	4	25
10		Palermo		18	0	25
11		Sassuolo Calcio		18	-3	24
12		Udinese Calcio		18	-3	23
13		Hellas Verona		18	-7	21
14		Torino		18	-6	19
15		Empoli		18	-6	18
16		Chievo Verona		18	-7	18
17		Atalanta		18	-10	17
18		Cagliari Calcio		18	-12	15
19		Parma		18	-21	9
20		Cesena		18	-21	9

 

Goal of the weekend came from Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale with a stunning free-kick against RCD Espanyol in their 3-0 victory

Spanish La Liga

Athletic Club Bilbao 1 v 2 Elche

Celta de Vigo 1 v 1 Valencia CF

Levante UD 0 v 0 RC Deportivo La Coruna

Malaga CF 1 v 1 Villarreal CF

Real Madrid CF 3 v 0 RCD Espanyol

Eibar 2 v 1 Getafe

UD Almeria 0 v 2 Sevilla

1		Real Madrid CF		17	44	42
2		FC Barcelona		17	33	38
3		Club Atlético de Madrid		17	19	38
4		Sevilla		17	11	36
5		Valencia CF		18	17	35
6		Villarreal CF		18	13	32
7		Málaga CF		18	4	31
8		Eibar		18	-1	26
9		RC Celta de Vigo		18	-2	21
10		RCD Espanyol		18	-8	20
11		Rayo Vallecano		17	-13	20
12		Real Sociedad		18	-4	19
13		Athletic Club Bilbao		18	-8	19
14		Getafe		18	-10	17
15		RC Deportivo La Coruña		18	-13	17
16		UD Almería		18	-12	16
17		Levante UD		18	-20	16
18		Córdoba		17	-14	14
19		Elche		18	-18	14
20		Granada		18	-18	14