Off the pitch
Reduce league programmes says Beckenbauer
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| German football legend Franz Beckenbauer addresses a press conference on the Football World Cup 2006, hosted by Germany, in Basel 02 June 2004, ahead of a pre-Euro-2004 friendly match between Switzerland and Germany. |
Franz Beckenbauer believes the major footballing powers have slumped at Euro 2004 because their stars play too many league matches.
"The best-known players came to the Euro already tired because of the length and the intensity of their championships," said the German, who won the World Cup as a player and coach.
Players have to play so many games both for club and country and it can mount up to a maximum of around 80 matches," he added.
Italy, Spain, England, Germany and France all failed to make the semi-finals of the tournament.
High hopes for Roteiro
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| Handout drawing released 04 June 2004 shows the different layers of new Euro 2004 football "Roteiro", made by sports equipment maker Adidas together with German chemicals giants Bayer. Bayer provided the raw material, such as the polyurethane-resins of which the ball is made. The ball is supposed to recover its shape after each shot and in case of rainy weather conditions. The opening match of the Portugal held European championships is on 12 June 2004 opposing Portugal to Greece in Porto. AFP PHOTO HO |
The manufacturers of the Euro 2004 official ball Roteiro believe they will shift a staggering six million copies of the ball before year end at a whopping 100 euros a throw.
The ball has proved unpopular with goalkeepers during the tournament and may, at that price prove just as unpopular with schools and parents.
Rehhagel the Greek
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| Greece's coach, German Otto Rehhagel (L) gives advices to his players during a training session at the Rio Ave stadium, in Vila Do Conde, 10 June 2004, two days before the opening ceremony of the European Nations Championship. Greece will face Portugal in the Euro 2004 opening game. |
Greek Minister for the Interior Georges Voulgarakis suggested Sunday that German coach Otto Rehhagel should be offered the chance of naturalisation for services rendered in leading their football team to the semi-finals.
"He has showed Greek spirit'" explained Voulgarakis.
Others would suggest just the contrary, that he has taught a German spirit to the team. The Press have made a big thing out of Rehhagel's success in bringing a sense of discipline to their play.
Eusebio sees Portugal destined for title
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| l'ancien international français de football Just Fontaine (D) plaisante avec l'ancien joueur du Benfica de Lisbonne, le Portugais Ferreira Eusebio, le 17 mars 2003 à Toulouse, à l'occasion de la treizième "table de Justo", repas où sont conviés les anciennes gloires du football mondial des quarante dernières années pour fêter le record mythique de treize buts marqués par Fontaine lors de la coupe du monde de 1958 en Suède. AFP PHOTO PASCAL PAVANI |
Potrtuguese legend Eusebio is convinced the Euro 2004 hosts are destined to win the title.
"I am convinced we are going to get through to the final and feel sure the cup can come to Portugal.
The 'Black Pearl' also compared Portugal's defeat in the 1966 World Cup when he finished as top scorer to last Thursday's win over England.
The tears I wept last Thursday after the England game were different from those of 1966. At Wembley I suffered the bitter taste of an unjust defeat."
Blanc winning race for France job
Laurent Blanc and Jean Tigana have emerged as the favourites to succeed Jacques Santini following France's humiliating early exit from Euro 2004.
Tigana had emerged as the favourite to succeed Santini on Saturday.
However 24 hours later the president of the French Football Federation (FFF), Claude Simonet, hinted that Blanc may now be in pole position.
"Blanc's dossier should be examined thoroughly. Some of my close entourage believe that he (Blanc) could be a good coach for the international team," Simonet told French radio.
Asian press quick to turn on Beckham
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| England captain David Beckham (L) leaves the field after Portugal beat England, 24 June 2004 during their European Nations Championship quarter-final football match between Portugal and England at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. |
After years of helping to make David Beckham the most popular sports figure in Asia, the region's media turned on the English captain after his disappointing campaign.
"Blow it like Beckham," read the front-page headline of Singapore's Straits Times. Its sister paper, the Sunday Times, followed up with a description of Beckham as a one-sided player whose slide to mediocrity began the day he met his pop-star wife, Victoria.
"Footballer, pop star, philanderer, flop - said the Times.
Another tabloid blasted: "No-one is more over-hyped than David Beckham. And no-one is more underachieved,".
Foe's death marked in Yaounde
The first anniversary of the death of Cameroon international footballer Marc-Vivien Foe, who died of heart-related problems while playing football, was marked by a service attended by 2,500 people in Yaounde on Saturday.
Foe died aged 28 on June 26 2003 while playing for Cameroon against Colombia in the semi-final of the Confederations Cup in Lyon, France.
Swedish press take defeat on the chin
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| Dutch forward Arjen Robben celebrates after scoring the winning penalty kick despite Swedish goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson (L), 26 June 2004 at the Algarve stadium in Faro, at the end of the Euro 2004 quarter final match between Sweden and The Netherlands at the European Nations championships in Portugal. The Netherlands won by 5 penalties to 4 during the penalty time. AFP PHOTO Mladen ANTONOV |
A Swedish sense of fair play was evident in Sunday's press coverage of the nail-biting Euro 2004 quarter-final penalty shootout defeat by the Netherlands.
"Penalties brought Sweden down," said Dagens Nyheter's front-page headline.
Dagens Nyheter said it was 'unlucky' that Sweden went down this way, especially after Henrik Larsson and Freddie Ljungberg hit the post and the crossbar during extra time, which ended 0-0.
Svenska Dagbladet hailed the match as "an unbelievable thriller" and praised Dutch keeper Edwin van der Sar calling him "the Dutch wizard between the goalposts"
Economic benefit proves elusive
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| An English fan blends into a group of Swedish supporters in central Lisbon early 12 June 2004 ahead of the 2004 European Nations Championship. Host nation Portugal take to the field here Saturday to bring the curtain up on the 31-match European championships when they face rank outsiders Greece. |
The Euro 2004 tournament looks set to have only a marginal impact on Portugal's economy as it struggles to pull out of a recession.
At least 211,000 extra visitors will travel to the country which have helped boost sales at restaurants, bars and hotels across the country and are expected to generate some 112 million euros (135 million dollars) in tourist revenues.
Beer sales have especially taken off but while the extra flush of cash is welcome by shopkeekers, the football finals are expected to contribute just 0.08 percent to economic growth in 2004.
Maniche: Portugal's 'Great Dane'
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| Portugal's midfielder Maniche (C) celebrates with his teammate forward Sabrosa Simao (L) as Russian midfielder Andrei Karyaka (R) reacts after scoring a goal against Russia, 16 June 2004 during their match at the European Nations football championships at the Da Luz Stadium in Lisbon. Portugal and Russia are competing in Group A with Spain and Greece. AFP PHOTO ADRIAN DENNIS |
Even if their paths do not end up crossing at Euro 2004, Portugal can thank Denmark for part of their success story in the form of Maniche.
The Luso-Danish connection regarding the 26-year-old Porto midfielder, full name Nuno Ricardo Oliveira Riberio, goes back to 1983.
It was then that Danish journeyman Michael Manniche joined Benfica, with whom he went on to win two Portuguese league titles and after whom Maniche takes his nickmame.
Friends of Maniche joke that he and Manniche look similar, but the Dane says of his quasi-namesake: "He is not as tall as me, nor as much of a specialist in the air as I was".