Capital Balls FIFA football balls

CONMEBOL
The President of the Bolivian football association, Carlos Chavez Landivar, has announced that the association’s Centre of Excellence will be inaugurated on 21 November in Cochabamba, which is known as “the city of eternal spring” because of its pleasant and temperate climate. The establishment of such a centre has long been a dream of the Bolivian football association and it is being constructed with funding from FIFA’s Goal development programme. Chavez has announced that FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter will cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony. The new centre will provide training facilities for the various national teams, in particular the youth sides, as well as an ambitious plan to train young players. Cochabamba, home to the football association’s headquarters, is situated at an altitude of 2,570m, has almost 1.5 million inhabitants and, in sporting terms, is neutral territory between arch rivals Santa Cruz and La Paz. The long-standing first-division clubs Jorge Wiistermann and Aurora are both from Cochabamba.
The President of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), Nicofas Leoz, has announced that the South American Football Museum is to open on 30 January 2009. Joseph S. Blatter will again be in attendance, as will various guests of honour, including a number of footballing legends. The 61st CONMEBOL Ordinary Congress is also to be held on the same day. The museum is attached to a state-of-the-art convention centre. The building, to which finishing touches are currently being applied, is located opposite the CONMEBOL headquarters, on an 11-hectare site acquired by South American football’s governing body.
Edgardo Bauza, coach of Liga de Quito, recently crowned winners of the Copa Libertadores, gave a talk to students at the Ecuadorian football association’s (FEF) Technological Institute. Bauza shared his professional experiences as a player and technical director. The first group of football monitors to graduate from the Technological Institute were to be awarded certificates on completion of level one of their studies at the end of September.

CONCACAF
There were several historic firsts during the preliminary-round matches for the 2008-2009 CONCACAF Champions League in late August. Edwin Aguilar of Panama scored the first goal of the inaugural Champions League in Tauro FC’s 2-0 win over Chivas USA in Panama City. Also on 26 August, Mauricio Castro of Honduras scored the first penalty kick for USA’s New England Revolution in their 2-1 loss to Joe Public FC of Trinidad and Tobago in Macoya. Meanwhile, Javier Orozco of Mexico was credited with the first-ever hat trick in the CONCACAF Champions League as his local club CD SC Cruz Azul defeated Hankook Verdes of Belize 6-0. Other historic feats included the fastest goal ever in the tournament by Edgardo Aguilar of El Salvador, who scored for AD Isidro Metapan just 40 seconds into their 2-2 draw with CD Marathon of Honduras in San Salvador on 27 August. Later that day, goalkeeper William Guadette of USA made the first penalty kick save in history by stopping Costa Rican Windell Gabriel’s 12-yard shot late in the match to give the Puerto Rico Islanders a 1-1 draw against the hosts LD Alajuelense in Alajuela.
Panama travelled to Bolivia for a friendly but lost 1-0 to their hosts at the Estadio Ramon Taguichi in Santa Cruz de la Sierra on 20 August. After a goalless first half, Diego Aroldo Cabrera notched the winner for Bolivia with 12 minutes remaining. Panama are preparing to host the UNCAF Nations Cup, which serves as the Central American qualifying tournament for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, early next year.

CAF
During a meeting on 21 August, the organising committee of the Africa Cup of Nations (COCAN 2010) in Luanda, Angola, expressed satisfaction at the pace of construction of the four stadiums for the competition. The announcement was made by the executive director of COCAN 2010, Antonio Mangueira, at the end of a meeting headed by the Prime Minister, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos. Mangueria said that the stadiums and other infrastructures would be ready by October or November 2009, while admitting that construction might be delayed in the northern Cabinda province. A total of 100 houses will be built in Camassango, Cabinda, to accommodate the teams, while Luanda and the other provinces will construct new hotels and social housing to meet requirements. He explained that the Africa Cup of Nations would be held in four Angolan cities (Luanda, Benguela, Cabinda and Lubango) as planned, and that the government was doing everything in its power to avoid any hold-ups.
Amadou Diakite, a member of CAF’s Executive Committee and a former member of FIFA’s Executive Committee, was recently appointed technical advisor on sports issues to the President’s office by the government of Mali. Meanwhile, in Guinea, Almamy Camara Kabele, a member of CAF’s Executive Committee, was appointed Defence Minister in Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Soure’s new government.
CAF President Issa Hayatou has sent a message of condolence to the football association of Cameroon (FECAFOOT) following the death of Petcha Laurent, a longstanding member of CAF’s Referees Committee. Laurent passed away in Yaounde on 25 August. Hayatou described Laurent as “a hardworking CAF official who devoted almost his entire life to the development of refereeing in Cameroon and across the continent”. He continued: “His death is not only a loss to his family and to FECAFOOT but also to the entire African football family.”