Capital Balls FIFA football balls

Despite not reaching EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland next June, the national team of Northern Ireland can
be proud of their qualifying campaign, which saw them soar forty places up the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. After heading the group at one stage, the Irish were in with a chance of making it until the very last moment of their final match against Spain, even though coach Lawrie Sanchez, who had revitalised a team that had been in the doldrums for years and struggled even to score goals, departed for English club Fulharn in May 2007. Goals ceased to be a problem, with number nine David Healy scoring more than anyone else in the whole competition, With a total of 13 strikes, Healy was not only top scorer of the entire qualifying campaign but also broke Croatia’s Davor Suker’s previous record of 12 goals, which had stood since 1996. Former national team captain Nigel Worthington took over as head coach for the remainder of the qualifiers.
As Switzerland prepare to kick-off EURO 2008 against the Czech Republic in Basle on 9 June, the Swiss association welcomed delegates from all the participating teams to Lucerne for the final draw. In other news, the country also recently had the satisfaction of registering its 20,000:” female player. As in other European associations, women’s football has undergone a tremendous surge in popularity in Switzerland: from 2,400 licensed players 20 years ago, the number had risen to 5,715 by 1997 before increasing to last year’s total of 20,000.
Players’ health is increasingly a central concern, with the UEFA executive committee deciding that all players taking part in EURO 2008 should have a thorough heart examination. In Wales, all first division players must undergo an echocardiogram, the cost of which will be borne by the Welsh association, which has put aside GBP 50,000 for this purpose.

AS Magenta continued their run for New Caledonia’s Super Ligue title by thrashing ACB Poya 8-1. Meanwhile defending champions AS Manu Lira of Tahiti’s Division Federate climbed back to the top of the league table after a 2-0 win over AS Aorai. AS Tefana and AS Dragon were in hot pursuit of Tahiti’s OFC 0-League representatives with just three points separating the clubs.
The Football Federation of American Samoa (FFAS) has a new general secretariat following the completion of elections held in the territory at the FFAS Extraordinary Congress in December 2007. Newly elected FFAS President lull Alex Godinet took office in the first elections for the national body since 2005. Godinet headed off four other candidates in the race for the top job that included Pou Supapo, Tony Langkilde, Malia Perehni and MaselinoTautu.
The New Zealand Football Championship (NZFC) reached a fascinating stage, with Auckland City FC, Waitakere United and Team Wellington occupying the top three slots approaching the summer break. Waitakere climbed back into a strong position after a 5-1 thrashing of the Wellingtonians in the capital city and a 4-0 victory over bottom-placed Otago United, proving that Chris Milicich’s side was not suffering any after effects of its FIFA Club World Cup experience. Auckland City FC were sitting in first place after a 1-1 draw with Team Wellington.
In the Papua New Guinea Footbalf Association (PNGFA) Telikom National Soccer League (NSL) Cup, Hekari Souths United climbed :nto fourth place of the competition, ied by TL Morobe Kumuls after a shock 1-0 win over Inspac Rapatona. Rapatona slipped to second spot, level on points with the Kumuls, interpreting their recent loss to Hekari Souths United as a serious blow to their title aspirations.

With assistance from the Goal Programme, the Argentinian football association (AFA) is planning to build an enclosed futsal mini-stadium on its magnificent premises at Ezeiza, where all Argentinian national teams are based. At the end of December, the AFA unveiled Horacio Elizondo, who refereed the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ final in Germany, as its new head of referee training. Elizondo set out an ambitious plan designed to introduce a new model for training referees to give a hierarchical structure to the profession through teaching, ranging from technical instruction to interpersonal skills and technology. In particular, Elizondo highlighted the following five main points: 1. refereeing teams must meet before matches, just as footballers do; 2. they must learn English, particularly those who have ambitions to referee internationally; 3. more rigorous fifness training, which from now on will be daily; 4. technical analysis of performances with videos of matches from the previous weekend; 5. the formation of established trios, as was done at the last World Cup. The ex-international referee will have nine staff working under him in the new department, which is entirely based at the training complex at Ezeiza.
The Ecuadorian football association has ruled that first-division teams must field at least one U-19 player in each match, who may not be substituted before the end of the first half unless he is injured. The association has also decided that technical directors may not move from one club to another in the same division once a season is underway.
For the first time ever, ihe Paraguayan
first division has a sponsor, a mobile telephone company which is offering a cash prize of USD 40,000 to the winners of the 2008 Apertura and Ciausura tournaments.