Thursday, April 30, 2009

FIFA Statutes

The FIFA Statutes and the accompanying regulations governing their implementation form the Constitution of football's international governing body. They provide the basic laws for world football, on which countless rules are set for competitions, transfers, doping issues and a host of other concerns.

Changes to the FIFA Statutes can only be made by the FIFA Congress and require a three-quarter majority of the associations present and eligible to vote.

The Statutes have undergone several thorough revisions during FIFA's history, giving FIFA a modern and comprehensive legal framework for its increasingly important work.

These Statutes were adopted at the 58th FIFA Congress in Sydney on 30 May 2008 and came into force on 1 August 2008.


www.fifa.com

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Information About INDONESIA on FIFA

Indonesia (IDN)
General Information
• FIFA Trigramme: IDN
• Country: Indonesia
• Country (official name): Republik Indonesia
• Continent: Asia
• Capital: Jakarta
• Major cities: Surabaya, Bandung, Medan, Semarang, Palembang, Ujung
Pandang, Malang, Padang, Surakarta, Kupang, Djokjakarta, Banjarmasin
• Currency: Rupiah
• Official languages: Bahasa Indonesia
• Motto: Unity in diversity (Bhinneka tunggal ika).
Geographic Information
• Surface area: 1,919,440 km²
• Highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030 m.
• Neighbouring countries: Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, East Timor
• Neighbouring seas and oceans: Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean
Population
• Population (in millions): 234.89
• GDP per inhabitant (in US dollars): 3,100
• Density (inhabitants per km2): 122.38
• Average age (in years): 25.8
• Life expectancy at birth (in years): 68.94
Internet
• Internet code: .id
• Number of internet users: 4.4 million (2002)
Big Count
All Players 7,094,260
Registered players 66,960
Unregistered Players 7,027,300
Clubs 83
Officials 1,069
HONOURS
FIFA World Cup™ appearances
1 (1938)

www.fifa.com

Friday, April 10, 2009

Rival passions rage in Rome

(FIFA.com) Thursday 9 April 2009

Few events grip the Eternal City quite like derby nights, when Rome's finest congregate in the majestic and historic surroundings of the Foro Italico. Wherever Lazio and Roma lie in the table, these modern-day gladiators can be guaranteed to set about each other with fierce intent on the Stadio Olimpico turf.

The derby del Campidoglio is much more than simply a sporting contest. For almost 80 years now, the Italian capital has reverberated twice a year with the passions roused by Romans who traditionally hail either from the heart of the city or from the newer neighbourhoods on the outskirts. FIFA.com takes a closer look at this special rivalry, set in a city whose very history has been marked by meetings between its two greatest teams.

The origins
At the start of the 1920s, Rome boasted no fewer than eight clubs in the region's highest division. For Italo Foschi, that was too many, and the Fortitudo Pro Roma President proposed a merger of the kind already tried in Florence, Naples and Bari to help the capital compete with the more powerful teams in the north.

Thus, on 22 July 1927, Alba-Audace, Roman and Fortitudo merged to form Associazione Sportiva Roma, with the capital's iconic Capitoline Wolf used as club emblem and the team sporting the erstwhile colours of Fortitudo, yellow and red. From 1929 to 1940, Roma played at the Campo Testaccio in the southern neighbourhood from which the stadium drew its name, no doubt the most overwhelmingly working-class quarter in the capital. The venue was built by Silvio Sensi, grandfather of the current club President, Rosella Sensi.

Lazio would have joined in the merger too, were it not for the firm opposition of club member General Giorgio Vaccaro, who later became President of the Italian Football Association between 1933 and 1942.

Societa Sportiva Lazio had been in existence since 9 January 1900, in fact, after being originally established by nine young locals at the Piazza della Liberta, where Lazio fans meet each year to celebrate the club's birthday. The founding members drew their inspiration from the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 and had the Greek flag in mind when they settled upon light blue in the team's colours.

Lazio started out as general sports club engaged in over 30 disciplines, with the football section opening in 1902 before earning official status in 1910, making Lazio the sixth oldest outfit in Italy.

The very first Rome derby was won by Roma on 8 December 1929 at the Campo Rondinella, Rodolfo Volk firing in the only goal of the game. Lazio had to wait until 23 October 1932 to celebrate their own first success, a 2-1 victory earned courtesy of strikes by Alejandro Demaria and Jose Castelli.

Facts and figures
Although these encounters tend to be very tight affairs, Roma boast by far the better head-to-head record in league meetings, having recorded 44 wins to Lazio's 33, with 54 draws. The Giallorossi also have the upper hand when other competitions are taken into account, with their 58 triumphs comparing favourably to Lazio's 44 and the other 60 outings ended in stalemate. In those games, Roma have outscored their traditional rivals by 196 goals to 157.

Roma possess the record for the longest run of derby victories as well, thanks to a run of five wins between 30 October 1958 and 13 October 1960 in which they conceded just one goal. That sequence of results read: 3-1, 3-0, 3-0, 1-0 and 4-0. The first derby held at the Stadio Olimpico took place on 29 November 1953, when honours were left even following a 1-1 draw.

Among their other records, Roma can likewise lay claim to the biggest wins both home and away, with the former a 5-0 success in the 1933/34 campaign and latter a 5-1 victory on 11 March 2002.

Tales of derbies past
On 11 March 1956, a fierce snowstorm forced a derby encounter to be postponed, the first time anything of the sort had occurred in the history of football in the capital. Lazio eventually won the rescheduled fixture 1-0 on 4 April that same year, once the sun had returned.

Swedish striker Arne Bengt Selmosson is the only player to have registered in the derby for both teams, having been on Lazio's books from 1955 to 1958 before turning out for their eternal foes from 1958 to 1961. Roma's Vincenzo Montella is the only player to have managed four goals in one game, achieving that unique feat in the 5-1 victory on 11 March 2002.

Talismanic Roma captain Francesco Totti has contested 30 Rome derbies, an individual record, but he has also been on the losing side more times than anyone else, with 11 defeats to his name. It is unlikely, but he may take consolation from the fact that he leads that list ahead of the equally legendary Silvio Piola, who suffered ten losses.

"I played lots of derbies in Milan, Madrid and London, but it's in Rome that the passion for the derby is strongest," says Christian Panucci.

The rivalry today
Despite finishing second behind Inter Milan in the last two seasons, Roma experienced a difficult start to the current campaign, but they have been gradually climbing the standings of late. They now lie sixth on 49 points, five points out of the last UEFA Champions League berth. Returning to Europe's premier club competition is vital for the club's finances and failure to do so could result in the sale of many big names.

Lazio have traced the opposite path, meanwhile. Having spent a long time amid the European places, they now find themselves eight points behind Roma ahead of Saturday's derby, in which they will be the nominal home side at the Stadio Olimpico.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Champions League - Ferguson rues late lapse

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/08042009/58/champions-league-ferguson-rues-late-lapse.html

Eurosport - Wed, 08 Apr 10:42:00 2009

Alex Ferguson slammed Manchester United's lack of concentration after Porto claimed a 2-2 Champions League quarter-final first-leg draw.

Mariano grabbed a crucial equaliser for the visitors to Old Trafford with 90 seconds left on the clock, after Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez had responded to Cristian Rodriguez's fine early opener.

"(The result) was about right - first half they were the better side but second half we improved and got more possession," the Scot told ITV1.

"But getting the (second) goal the way they did - we should really have defended that. It was a bad goal to lose.

"It's been a hard two days for them (after playing Aston Villa on Sunday), but they were lacking in concentration."

Ferguson - who revealed centre-half Jonny Evans had limped out with a groin injury - added: "You get a 2-1 lead with four or five minutes left, you really should see it out.

"We've got a game on Saturday (at Sunderland), there's still a lot going for us, but it's a difficult game now in Porto, no question of that."

United now travel to Portugal on April 15 probably needing to win, something no English team has managed in 11 previous attempts, though a high-scoring draw would also be enough to send them through.

"You have to think the last goal was one we could not afford to lose," said Ferguson. It was a terrible goal to give away when you are 2-1 up and seeing the game out."

United, who have looked rocky at the back in recent weeks as they lost successive league games to Liverpool and Fulham and needed a stoppage-time goal to beat Aston Villa 3-2, were again all at sea in the absence of the injured Rio Ferdinand.

Jonny Evans, who has generally been an impressive stand-in at centre back for much of the season, had a night to forget and will be relieved that his catalogue of errors did not lead to more Porto goals.

United's midfield were ineffective for long spells, producing little in attack and looking ragged in preventing

Porto's counter-attacks from ripping through the home side's deep-lying defence.

It was all the more surprising coming only a few weeks after they were breaking records for consecutive clean sheets with Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic being compared favourably with the great Old Trafford centre-back partnerships.

Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar certainly earned his money on Tuesday, especially in the fiery opening half-hour when Porto scored through Cristian Rodriguez and could easily have had three more.

For all the problems, however, Ferguson will take heart from the steel shown by the likes of substitute Tevez and Wayne Rooney, whose 15th-minute equaliser came after he showed a striker's instinct to gamble on Bruno Alves's back-pass, then great technique to turn the gift into a goal.

Ferguson said he was delighted to reach halftime level and, despite the late equaliser to make it 2-2, he recognised it was the least Porto deserved.

The result, and the performance, persuaded bookmakers to lengthen the odds on United retaining their European crown, with Barcelona installed as new favourites.

Porto's home record is formidable but will they will risk a repeat of such a high-energy assault on the holders in the home leg when a 0-0 or 1-1 draw would send them through?

That dilemma is a chink in the armour that United will work on and Ferguson, never more effective than when his back is against the wall, will relish the chance to claim another European landmark.

TeamTalk / Reuters

Sunday, April 5, 2009

James - Capello's Got It Right

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/05042009/4/james-capello-s-right.html
Sun 05 Apr, 12:09 PM

David James acknowledges Fabio Capello's strict regime has been justified by the success England are now enjoying.

Capello has laid down a number of guidelines since taking over from Steve McClaren as England boss with an emphasis on discipline and team bonding.

Far from being an assortment of individuals, England have become unified and the national team now head their World Cup qualifying group with a 100% record after five games.

England goalkeeper James, who has managerial ambitions himself, admits the stricter approach has reaped rewards.

He told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme: "There are rules and regulations which are testing and I don't mean that in a bad way.

"He obviously knows what the winning formula is with regards to preparation and that includes a lot of downtime in the hotel.

"But ultimately it is the end performance that counts.

"We've just had two victories and a justification for everything that went on beforehand."

The former Liverpool and Aston Villa keeper added: "As far as planning goes I would not fault either of the previous two managers.

"We always knew what we were going to do. But it's a very Italian style which I believe Mr Capello enforces.

"People mention the fact the whole team sit down for a meal and won't leave until the last person has finished which is good, it is respect for everyone else at the table in the team.

"It is a little rule which at first you question but in practice it proves to bond the team."

The 38-year-old denies he has been put off management by the fate of his former boss Tony Adams who was sacked after little more than three months at the helm at Fratton Park.

"The situation at Portsmouth was that we needed the change," James continued.

"As with the England manager's situation, it is down to the individual to create that team, that ethos within a club and I would like to think after I have done my badges and get myself into that position that structurally the foundation I would set would be one that would be beneficial to the team I took over.

"I can't be put off by it because until I've done it I won't know what it feels like."

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