Capital Balls FIFA football balls

The associations of Argentina and Brazil recently sent an unequivocal message that they were going to Beijing in search of gold at the Olympic Football Tournament. Argentina, who are out to recapture the title they won in Athens 2004, named an all-star set-up of U-23s, including Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero, and three proven older players in the shape of Juan Roman Riquelme (Boca Juniors), Martin Demichelis (Bayern Munich) and Javier Mascherano (Liverpool). Argentina appointed former 1986 world champion Sergio Batista as their coach. Brazil, for their part, will be hunting the only title that has so far escaped them, in view of which senior team coach Dunga decided to take on the challenge personally. He also chose a star-studded squad alongside three formidable stalwarts over the age of 23: defender Juan, Kaka and Robinho. It feels like a South American final is already on the cards.
The Colombian football association announced that it would launch the Copa Colombia this year, along the lines of the European equivalents, in which 36 teams – 18 each from the first and second divisions – would compete against one another. The tournament will be played from March to November and the prize will be a place in the Copa Sudamericana.
Colombia’s U-17 women’s team received an exuberant welcome home after winning the South American championship in Chile on 30 January. Crowds of fans, relatives and friends swarmed into Bogota’s El Dorado airport to cheer their young heroines, who had won a place in this year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand. “This reception, this joy reflect the passionate way we play because Colombian people are just warm¬hearted, likeable and very welcoming,” declared coach Pedro Ignacio Rodriguez, obviously moved.
The Peruvian football association has decided to increase the number of teams in the first division to 14. Ecuador has also increased the number to 14 (from 12). And in Paraguay, two champions a year will be crowned – the winners of the Apertura and Clausura.

CONCACAF, in collaboration with the United States Soccer Federation, hosted an inaugural team manager workshop in Los Angeles from 18-20 January. A total of 68 team managers representing 34 CONCACAF associations attended the three-day workshop to obtain an overview of the team manager’s role as well as to learn how to raise the quality of team administration within their own associations. The workshop was also designed to further develop team managers throughout the confederation in preparation for events such as the CONCACAF qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and the Olympic Football Tournaments, as well as for the U-20 and U-17 regional qualifying tournaments for both women and men.
CONCACAF recently announced the dates for the 2008 CONCACAF Futsal Championship that will take place at the Domo Polideportivo in Guatemala City between 2 and 8 June. It will be the first CONCACAF tournament in Guatemala since 1996, although the Domo also hosted a total of 80,740 spectators on the 12 matchdays of the 2000 FIFA Futsal World Championship, which was won by Spain. Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA and two more Caribbean teams (from the preliminary qualification in Guyana, 5-9 March) will join the Guatemalan hosts in this year’s CONCACAF tournament that will see three countries qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Brazil 2008.
CONCACAF President Jack Austin Warner recently launched a Caribbean youth development programme called Digicel Kick Start Clinics, with the first of seven stops held in Guyana from 7 to 9 January. The Digicel Clinics, conducted by former England international John Barnes, offered talented Caribbean Under-20 players the chance to learn invaluable skills, while at the same time being afforded the chance to realise their dream of becoming professional footballers. The Digicel Clinics also took place in Haiti from 11 to 14 January before going on to Barbados (16-19 January), St. Kitts and Nevis (21-24 January), Antigua and Barbuda (26-29 January), Suriname (31 January-3 February), Trinidad and Tobago (8-11 February) and finally Jamaica (13-16 February).

Frederic Kanoute has been named African Footballer of the Year 2007. The striker, who becomes the second player from Mali after the legendary Salif Keita to receive the topmost individual prize in African football beat last year’s winner Didier Drogba of Cote d’lvoire and Ghana’s Michael Essien to the title. At the ceremony at the Palais des Congres in Lome, Togo on 1 February, an overwhelmed Kanoute dressed all in white walked up to the stage to receive his award from Togo Prime Minister Komlan Mally, who was assisted by CAF President Issa Hayatou. The other award winners were Clifford Mulenga from Zambia (Young Player of the Year), Cynthia Uwak of Nigeria (Female Footballer of the Year), Armine Chermiti from Tunisia (Inter-Club Player of the Year), the late Yemi Telia of Nigeria (Coach of the Year), Etoile du Sahel from Tunisia (Club of the Year), Cote d’lvoire (National Team of the Year) and Ghana Supporters Club (Best Supporters Club).
The 30th CAF General Assembly was held at the International Conference Centre in Accra, Ghana on 17 and 18 January. The first day of the General Assembly was devoted to honouring past football administrators who had contributed immensely to the development of the game in Africa. Saidi El Maamry, Abdel Majid Chetali, the late Camara N’Famara and Lakhdar Belloumi were honoured by CAF for their contribution towards the current state of football on the continent. El Maamry, the former President of the Tanzania Football Federation, N’Famara, the former President of the Guinea football federation and Chetali from Tunisia were presented with the CAF Gold Order of Merit while Belloumi, a member of the national team of Algeria in the 1980s, was awarded the CAF Silver Order of Merit. FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter was the special guest of honour at the event.