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SIFF unveils its new semi-pro league

Friday, 12 March 04, 07:15 AM

HONIARA: The Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) unveiled its new semi-pro soccer competition, the S'League, last weekend with three great matches being played in front of capacity crowd at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara.

The S' League has breathed fresh life into Solomons football. Soccer is regarded here as a religion in the tiny pacific island nation with a population of just over 200,000 and the huge turn out at Lawson Tama was a manifestation of that, despite the rain which did nothing to deter the fans from witnessing the opening matches. SIFF had anticipated a good turn out as each of the franchise clubs has their own large group of followers in Honiara.

Systek Kingz and Eastern Knights opened the league with a very fast paced match. Former Mount Albert Grammar High School student Jerry Allen put the Kingz ahead when he slotted in a Michael Misitana cross before half time. Young Misitana was the same player who provided the lethal cross for Commins Menapi's match winner when they beat rivals Laugu FC in the Honiara Cup Challenge in 2003. He was in a devastating form and had been causing problem for the Knights defenders throughout the entire match.

Going one up into the breather was enough to give Systek boys a push when they returned for the second half.

The Knights, without their inspirational coach player, Andrew Misitomu, missed the clinical finishing despite having an edge in speed in their forward line They came so close to scoring and appeared destined to bring the match to equal terms but were unable to capitalise.

Then the turning point came when match referee, Nelson Sogo awarded Kingz a controversial penalty. Misitana who drove through the Knights defenders appeared to have been brought down inside the 18 yards box and Sogo without hesitation pointed to the penalty box. Knight's players protested and threatened to walk off the pitch, however, their club manager intervened and managed to convince the players to return to the pitch. Allen took the spot kick and booked his second goal for the day and handing the Kingz a 2-0 victory.

In the second match, a youthful East Harbour Strikers humbled Agfa Hana - a club made up of mostly experienced players some of whom are in the youth and senior national team squad.

National Under 23 player Lency Saeni, scored a double with individual goals from Peter Kiriau, Hudson Kwasi and Leslie Kakai to see off a disappointing challenge from Agfa. National team defender Marhlon Hou kept Agfa's danger man Mark Mehau in check all the time making it difficult for him to find his target.

However, Mehau managed to slip past the Strikers defenders and tapped in their consolation goal before fulltime to make the final score 5-1 in favour of the Strikers.

The final match of the evening was between JP Su'uria and Fairwest. JP Su'uria with the services of former Australian NSL stars Commins Menapi, Batram Suri and young sensation Alick Maemae were predicted to win the match and could easily have been dubbed the Real Madrid of Solomons football. The bulk of the players, are members of the senior national team and the Olympic team, which made them a team to watch out for.

Fairwest on the other hand had the service of former national players and a couple of current squad players under the captaincy of senior national team skipper Gideon Omokirio.

Su'uria started on the front foot making raids into the Fairwest territory and Maemae whose skills often kept defenders guessing, slotted home the opening goal with only minutes gone. Menapi, Suri and National Under 23 midfielder George Lui also contributed goals for an easy 4-1 win. Fairwest managed to pick up a consolation goal through young and upcoming talent Clifford Kakai. Kakai had caught the selector's eyes for his speed and skills upfront and it did not come as a surprise when he scored which was just reward for his effort in the losing side. - by Francis Pituvaka/SIFF Media Officer

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Solomons recruit English coach for Cup qualifiers

Friday, 12 March 04, 06:43 AM

SIFF, Honiara: The Solomon Islands Football Federation has announced officially that Mr Alan Gillet of the English FA has been appointed to prepare its senior men's national team for the combined 2004 OFC Nations Cup-2006 World Cup (Stage One: Group 1) qualifying tournament in Honiara.

According to a SIFF media statement, the federation has seen the need to bring in an overseas coach because of the importance of the competition and to bring back some credibility into Solomon Islands soccer after a disappointing finish at the recent OFC Olympic men's (Group A) qualifiers in Sydney back in January.

Mr Gillett's engagement is short-term overseeing the national team preparation for stage one of the qualifiers and subject to their qualification as winner or runner up in the group - to stage two which will be held from 28 May-6 June in Australia between the top four qualifiers from the two group tournaments with seeded teams Australia and New Zealand.

Gillett's short-term assignment is seen as cost effective - a new concept SIFF has been looking into since its former coach, Scotsman George Cowie's departure last year. It is considered appropriate because there are no other tournaments for the senior national side, so SIFF does not see any need for long-term engagement of a national coach.

Gillett with his vast experience is expected to mould a tougher Solomon Islands side for the World Cup qualifiers. Local coaches will be given the opportunity to get coaching instructions and tips from Gillett during his time here. Gillett's last post was national coach of Malawi in Africa.

He has also coached at national level for a number of other countries and was in New Zealand last December to conduct the first OFC Indigenous coaching workshop which was held in conjunction with technical assistance from the English FA.

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PNG gears up to host OFC U-19 women's qualifiers

Thursday, 11 March 04, 10:33 AM

PORT MORESBY: The Papua New Guinea Football Association is full steam ahead in its preparations to host the 2004 OFC Under 19 Women's Qualifying Tournament, set for Port Moresby from 21-25 April, 2004.

The dates were originally 17-25 April but were amended due to the late withdrawal of Fiji which now reduces the field of teams to four; Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

The PNGFA appointed tournament organising committee has confirmed Lloyd Robson Oval to host the qualifiers; the same venue which successfully staged the 2001 OFC Club Championship.

The Club Championship was also the last occasion for the PNGFA to host an OFC tournament and the locals are buzzing with excitement at the prospect of more international football coming their way. Last week, the PNGFA selected its national training squad to prepare for the qualifiers.

The winner of the tournament will represent Oceania at the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in Thailand from 10-27 November. Australia qualified as the last representative at the inaugural U-19 women's qualifiers held in Tonga two years ago. The `Young Matildas' performed well at the 2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in Canada making the quarterfinals.

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Tags: OCEANIA, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu Topics: OCEANIA, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu
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Big wins in NC Cup 5th round

Thursday, 11 March 04, 05:39 AM

NOUMEA: The 18th round of New Caledonia's 2004 division d'honneur national premier league championship was postponed last weekend.

However, there was some soccer action in the New Caledonia Cup with two games played in the fifth round. The other games were postponed due to heavy rain.

JS Baco thrashed JS Ouvea 8-1 in the first Cup fixture while Mont Dore cruised past JS Tieta 4-1.

The championship continues this weekend with the playoff series looming close.

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Ba blasts Nadi, Lautoka continues winning ways

Thursday, 11 March 04, 05:31 AM

SUVA: The fourth week of Fiji's national league saw leaders Lautoka continue their winning way with a 3-2 win over Nadroga, while Ba stepped up a gear to send a message to the rest of the teams with a 4-0 thumping of Nadi at Govind Park.

The Nadi-Ba return match looked headed for a stalemate until Luke Vidovi struck a minute before the break for Ba. The men in black were reduced to 10 men early in the second half after Waisea Nabenu was red carded for dangerous play but that did not affect Ba as they continued to apply pressure on the Nadi defence.

Josaisa Bukalidi was the player causing Nadi all sorts of problems. He scored Ba's second goal then was fouled minutes later in the box with the penalty converted by Keni Doidoi to stretch the lead to 3-0. Bukalidi grabbed his second goal to finish the scoring near full-time.

Leaders Lautoka beat Nadroga 3-2 at Lawaqa Park to win their fourth game in a row. Lautoka went into the break 2-1 up after Nadroga squandered an early lead. Nadroga hit back with a goal from Abdul Fizal but Lautoka had the last say with the match winner in the final quarter.

In other results, Suva won away from home in the return match with Navua. Suva scored both its goals after half-time and showed good touches despite the wet conditions at Thomsen Park.

In the final match of the round, Rewa won a see-saw battle with Nasinu 3-2. Henry Dyer scored the match winner for Rewa after his team were down 1-2 in the second half.

Round 4 results

Ba 4-0 Nadi

Lautoka 3-2 Nadroga

Suva 2-0 Navua

Rewa 3-2 Nasinu

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Season-opening surprises in Samoa

Thursday, 11 March 04, 05:07 AM

SFSF: On a wet and miserable Saturday in Apia, which caused the postponement of many games on field 2, the 2004 Samoa Football (Soccer) Federation season kicked off with a few surprises in the opening GM Bakery Cup fixtures.

In the Women's Cup Kiwi downed reigning Champ of Champs titleholders, Lepea 2-1 with a last minute goal from double goal-scorer, Elisapeta Uitualagi Malota, to retain the Cup. Sogi were saved by a late equaliser from Samoa U-23 rep Kiwi Timo to draw with Moataa to retain the GM Bakery Cup after a tough battle.

Despite the damp conditions which fortunately cleared through the day the heavy overnight rain took its toll on field 2 and to save the magnificent turf from major damage and potential player injury, all games fixtured were postponed.

This however did not dampen the players or supporters whose teams had the good fortune to be playing on the international field. Its superb drainage allowed for all games to proceed and kick off on time.

Newly promoted Central scored 2 second half goals to pip Kiwi 2-1 in an impressive debut in the premiership. 2003 Premier League champion Lepea had to battle against the second promoted side Moamoa, before eventually coming away 2-1 winners, but it was Hosanna who surprised everybody with the win of the day. A 4-1 hiding of Sinamoga will send a few shock waves through the division but it is early days yet and certainly a long way to go.

The young Sinamoga outfit just could not get going and were out muscled and outgunned in most departments. Sinamoga need to take stock but they are sure to improve as the tournament progresses and the bugs in the system have been sorted out.

The feature game of the opening round game saw Moataa challenge the Men's GM Bakery Cup holders. Sogi retained the trophy with a late equaliser from Kiwi Timo. Going into the game Sogi would have been the favourites but a determined Moataa put up a tough battle and went ahead in the first half following a bizarre own goal from Sogi defender Iupeli Iupeli. However Timo's late strike gave Sogi the draw and retention of the cup for at least another week.

The challenge will heat up this weekend when reigning Champ of Champs titleholder Lepea will no doubt turn up with all guns blazing.

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IFAB rules sudden death of the golden goal

Thursday, 11 March 04, 04:56 AM

FIFA: The 118th Annual General Meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) at the end of February brought about a minor revolution in the football world, when the golden goal rule was abandoned in favour of a return to the previous system.

The change has provoked a wide range of reactions amongst coaches and media the world over. During its ten-year reign, the golden goal provided some spectacular dénouements to the top international competitions. FIFA.com takes a look back at its past.

Few of football's regulations have been subject to more tinkering than Law 10 of the Laws of the Game. In 1993, it underwent what amounted to a major overhaul, as the possibility of instant elimination was brought into the equation. Previously, stalemate in a game had resulted in a fixed 30-minute period of extra-time during which any number of goals could be scored, with the team in the lead at the end winning the match. If the scores remained level, the victor was decided by a penalty shootout.

The so-called "golden goal" rule was an entirely new animal, whereby extra-time was terminated as soon as a goal was scored and that team declared the winner. If neither team managed to score, the dreaded penalty shootout came into play once more. Eventually, the IFAB decided to revert to the old system.

The change has led to numerous reactions from around the world, with press, players and coaches queuing up to deliver their verdict on the famous golden goal. The overwhelming feeling was one of relief to be returning to the traditional format, as the main criticism levelled at the golden goal is encapsulated in its nickname of "sudden death". For if truth be told, many found the principle too cruel a blow for the beaten team. From Ottmar Hitzfeld to Inaki Saez, from La Gazzetta dello Sport to Diario Olé, countless interviews and column inches have been devoted to the subject.

What is beyond dispute, however, is that the golden goal has provided world football with its fair share of magic moments, bestowing joy and pain in equal measure. The French have been particular beneficiaries, while the Italians have fallen foul of the initiative in different competitions. From the first-ever golden goal in a major tournament bagged by Oliver Bierhoff to the last netted by Thierry Henry, these unforgettable instants have left an indelible impression on the game.

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Adelaide takes control with big win

Thursday, 11 March 04, 04:53 AM

ASA: Adelaide United has taken control of the Australian NSL Elimination Final tie against Brisbane Strikers after recording its biggest win of the season at Hindmarsh Stadium.

In front of a capacity crowd of 16,258 on Sunday, Adelaide lead 1-0 at the break before scoring twice in the second half to win 3-0 and virtually ensure its passage through to the Minor Semi Final in two weeks time.

It was a bad night for Brisbane, who suffered a triple whammy before and through the game. When defender Adam Webber was ruled out with illness before the match, then in the 29th minute, central defender Josh McCloughan was forced off with a knee injury and then if it couldn't get any worse, Young Socceroo defender Wayne Heath was sent off with just 20 minutes of play remaining.

Goals came from Carl Veart, his 11th goal of the season, in the first half, Fred Agius (67th) and substitute Michael Brooks scored the killer goal two minutes into injury time.

It was a nervous start by both sides with neither side able to exert any real dominance.

The first chance didn't come until the 25th minute, when Ross Aloisi sent David Terminello clear down the right and his cross was headed by Nick Budin to around the penalty spot, where Richard Alagich fired wide.

Four minutes later, Brisbane had its best chance of the first half when Warren Moon put Joshua Rose into a half opening, but good defending from Michael Valkanis forced Rose to put his shot wide.

Two minutes later came the opening goal when a corner from the left by Terminello, found its way to Veart on the 6-yard line and he headed low and wide of Brisbane keeper Scott Higgins.

The score remained that way till the break with the Adelaide crowd in a boisterous mood.

Brisbane came out firing at the start of the second half, putting consistent pressure on the Adelaide defence, whom were able to hold its shape and keep the Brisbane forwards from getting shots at goal.

The match really came to life in the 55th minute when Adelaide's first meaningful attack of the half somehow saw them come away no reward despite three successive shots at goal. First Aloisi had his shot blocked, then from the rebound Veart weaved his way past two defenders before cracking a shot at goal. Higgins made a great block to save but the ball came out to Aurelio Vidmar, who despite being in the open fluffed his shot wide.

That sparked the game into the life with play racing from end-to-end.

The turning point of the game came in the 62nd minute, when Brisbane looked set to score through David Pilic, but David Scarsella brilliantly saved his blast from 15 metres.

Five minutes young sensation Agius scored one of the goals of the season, when he received the ball some 30 metres out and audaciously curled a shot past a helpless Higgins.

If that wasn't bad enough, Brisbane then had Heath sent off after he ruled the last man in defence when he brought down Veart just outside the penalty box.

However Adelaide decided to stick one further dagger into Brisbane when Michael Brooks brilliantly headed home Alagich's cross to make it 3-0 and leave the Strikers with a monumental task next week at home to somehow retrieve the tie.

All going well, Adelaide's fans should get the chance to see their heroes one more time, if as expected, they get through unscathed next week. They will host the winner of the South Melbourne and Marconi Stallions tie that is level at 0-0 after its first leg match played earlier this afternoon.

Stalemate at Marconi

By Ben Coonan

The Marconi Stallions and South Melbourne will head to Bob Jane Stadium for next Sunday's second leg with all to play for after grinding out a scoreless draw at Marconi Stadium today.

Despite enjoying a healthy amount of chances, the Stallions were unable to penetrate a solid South back line that will take great heart from a performance that has re-affirmed their title ambitions.

For the home side, the result was less than desirable and they now face a tough task in taking a result away from one of the NSL's perennial fortresses.

The first half was a fittingly tight affair, with Stuart Munro's South enjoying the best of the opening minutes.

However it was not until Alex Brosque's header from a Brendan Renaud cross in the ninth minute that either side enjoyed any real chance.

Brosque's header did however breathe life into Marconi's performance and the remainder of the half was highlighted by several chances for the Stallions.

Joe Spiteri came closest in the 36th minute following a neat run from Simon Bell.

Bell's pass found the former Socceroo who was well closed down by former Melbourne Knights' teammate Ante Kovacevic moments before releasing a goal bound strike.

The visitor's best chance came from stalwart Marcus Stergiopoulos in the 18th minute, when the inform midfielder launched a fierce drive from twenty metres.

Ultimately though, the match remained scoreless at the break.

Unfortunately, for both teams, the two most influential players of the opening stanza were forced off the pitch with moments remaining before half time.

Stergiopoulos succumbed to a knee injury sustained after a solid challenge from Renaud, whilst Bell limped off after falling mid-stride unchallenged, after twisting his ankle.

Marconi continued to assert their authority in the second forty five and under the mounting influence of Nick Carle, will consider themselves unlucky not to have hit the back of the net.

Carle was a constant menace to Eugene Galekovic's goal and struck a handful of heavy loaded shots from distance but all to no avail.

Working in tandem with Carle was fellow Under 23 Brosque (pictured left) who was equally unlucky not to opening the scoring on several occasions.

The best of which was in the 65th minute when the Youth International ran onto a neat through ball from Spiteri.

But under the pressure of Levent Osman, Brosque's effort ballooned over Galekovic's open goal and coach Munro breathed a sigh of relief once more.

Aside from Carle's late flurry, South were seldom really stretched and given a slight breeze, the visitor's may well have snatched all three points at the death.

Con Boutsianis' looping ball from deep fell agonizingly in front of an outstretched Vaughan Coveny, in what was South's most prudent chance of the whole ninety minutes.

The Victorians will now head into next Sunday's decider full of confidence after producing an unlikely result here today.

The goal scoring dearth that has hampered South's title claims in recent weeks is still a major problem, but twelve home matches this season, the boys in blue have lost just three times, making them hot favourites to clinch a berth in the Major Semi Final against either Adelaide or Brisbane.

For Marconi, the chance is still very much there to force their way into the final four, but today's result will only harm their chances.

Since the implementation of the top six playoff series in 1992/1993, sides that have drawn the first leg at home 0-0 have only progressed to the next stage on one occasion.

The Stallions face an uphill task, but if there is one team that has performed when the cards are down this season, its Marconi.

Next Sunday at Bob Jane Stadium promises to be a fitting finale for one of these two proud clubs in 2003/2004.

Elimination Final 1st leg

MARCONI STALLIONS 0

SOUTH MELBOURNE 0

Cautions: nil

Venue: Marconi Stadium

Referee: Eddie Lennie

Crowd: 2,127

Elimination Final 1st leg

ADELAIDE UNITED 3 (C Veart 31', F Agius 67', M Brooks 92')

BRISBANE STRIKERS 0

Cautions: N Budin (AU) 9'

Red Card: W Heath (BS) 69'

Venue: Hindmarsh Stadium

Referee: Ben Williams

Crowd: 16,258

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES WEEK 2 SCHEDULE

Date Club v Club Kick-Off Venue

Sat 13-3-04 Brisbane Strikers v Adelaide Utd 7pm Perry Park

(Elimination Final - 2nd leg)

Sun 14-3-04 Parramatta Power v Perth Glory 3.45pm Parramatta Stadium

(Major Semi Final - 1st leg)

Sun 14-3-04 South Melbourne v Marconi Stallions 7pm Bob Jane Stadium

(Elimination Final - 2nd leg)

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Matildas book ticket to Athens after beating Fiji

Sunday, 07 March 04, 11:23 AM

OFC - Ba, Fiji: Australia has beaten Fiji 7:0 today at Govind Park, Ba to qualify as the Oceania Football Confederation representative to the 2004 FIFA Olympic women's football tournament in Athens, Greece in August.

The Matildas finished as the only undefeated team in the three-team tournament having also accounted for Papua New Guinea in an easy 10-0 win in their first match last Thursday.

The Australians got a tougher test today by the less experienced Fijians but were never troubled as they racked up five goals in the first half to effectively put the match beyond doubt.

In the second half, Lana Harch completed her hat-trick four minutes after the break after scoring the first two goals of the match inside five minutes of the first half. But riding the vocal support from the locals, the brave Fijians managed to hold the Matildas to six goals until the final few seconds of regulation time before substitute Kathryn Gill got a late goal in the 90th minute to finish the scoring.

April Mann also scored a double for Australia in the first half with Gillian Foster also registering on the score-sheet.

Conditions for today's game were much more pleasant for the teams with the Govind Park surface slightly greasy after some rain in the morning which had ceased by the early afternoon before the 3:00pm kick-off. A modest crowd of 600+ turned up to the match to witness the action.

The final standings see Australia comfortable on top with six points from two wins with Papua New Guinea in second place (3) courtesy of their 2-0 win over the hosts last Tuesday. Fiji finishes at the bottom without a win but their performances were a marked improvement from their last outing at the South Pacific Games.

OFC women's football action for 2004 does not end there. The 2004 OFC Under 19 Women's tournament will kick-off in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea from 17-25 April with Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu all confirmed to take part. More details on this tournament will be announced shortly.

Visit the official website linked on the homepage to view match statistics and all other information on this tournament

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FIFA names top 100 players

Saturday, 06 March 04, 04:05 AM

FIFA Zurich - As part of FIFA's Centennial commemorations, FIFA and DUET will present "The FIFA 100" Charity Auction & Tribute Ceremony today at the Natural History Museum in London.

This prestigious awards dinner celebrates "The FIFA 100" - a unique photographic project where `Art meets Football', commemorating the greatest living players chosen by Pelé and approved by FIFA for the 100th anniversary of the world's governing body of football.

All of "The FIFA 100" players present will be presented with a special recognition award by Michel Platini on behalf of FIFA and Pelé. The evening will commence with a charity auction organised by Christie's with the proceeds to be dedicated to the FIFA Goal Programme, which currently supports 160 football infrastructure projects around the world. Following the tribute ceremony, the band Duran Duran will be presenting a special new song associated with the evening's celebrations for "The FIFA 100".

To celebrate FIFA's Centennial, 18 of the world's leading photographers were commissioned to make a portrait collection of the world's most influential living players; after much deliberation, Pelé arrived at a list of 125 players, 75 retired and 50 active. The photos were taken over the last six months - with the exception of six archive photos for FIFA 100 players who were unavailable for the shoots - and will be shown for the first time at "The FIFA 100" Charity Auction & Tribute Ceremony.

"The FIFA 100" will then be exhibited around the globe, opening in Paris at Charles de Gaulle Airport in May 2004. The tour will then move to London to mark a "summer of football" from June to August 2004 with two exhibitions, "The FIFA 100" at the Royal Academy of Arts (6 Burlington Gardens) and "Pelé - The Art of a King" at the County Hall Gallery. In October, the exhibition will head to Japan, appearing in Tokyo's Roppongi Hills. From November 2004 to May 2005, "The FIFA 100" will be part of the Football Exhibition at the International Olympic Committee Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

A commemorative "The FIFA 100" photo book has been produced and will be distributed worldwide by Royal Academy Publications. "The FIFA 100" photographs can be seen from 4 March onwards at www.the-100.com.

The full FIFA top 100 list is:

Russia (former Soviet Union) Rinat Dassaiev

Scotland Kenny Dalglish

Senegal El Hadji Diouf

Spain Emilio Butragueno, Luis Enrique, Raul

Turkey Emre Belozoglu Rustu Recber

Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko

Uruguay Enzo Francescoli

USA Michelle Akers Mia Hamm

Ghana Abedi Pele

Hungary Ferenc Puskas

Ireland Roy Keane

Italy Roberto Baggio Franco Baresi Giuseppe Bergomi Giampiero Boniperti Gianluigi Buffon Giacinto Facchetti Paolo Maldini Alessandro Del Piero Alessandro Nesta Gianni Rivera Paolo Rossi Francesco Totti

Christian Vieri Dino Zoff

Japan Hidetoshi Nakata

Korea Republic Hong Myung-bo

Liberia George Weah

Mexico Hugo Sanchez

Netherlands Marco van Basten Dennis Bergkamp Johan Cruyff Edgar Davids Ruud Gullit Willy van de Kerkhof Rene van de Kerkhof Patrick Kluivert Johan Neeskens Ruud van Nistelrooy Rob Rensenbrink Frank Rijkaard Clarence Seedorf

Nigeria Jay-Jay Okocha

Northern Ireland George Best

Paraguay Romerito

Peru Teofilo Cubillas

Poland Zbigniew Boniek

Portugal Rui Costa Eusebio Luis Figo

Romania Gheorghe Hagi

France Eric Cantona Marcel Desailly Didier Deschamps Just Fontaine Thierry Henry Raymond Kopa Jean-Pierre Papin Robert Pires Michel Platini Lilian Thuram Marius Tresor David Trezeguet Patrick Vieira Zinedine Zidane

Germany (and former Federal Republic of Germany) Michael Ballack Franz Beckenbauer Paul Breitner

Oliver Kahn Juergen Klinsmann Sepp Maier Lothar Matthaeus Gerd Muller Karl-Heinz Rummenigge Uwe Seeler

Argentina Gabriel Batistuta Hernan Crespo Mario Kempes Diego Maradona Daniel Passarella Javier Saviola Omar Sivori Alfredo Di Stefano Juan Sebastian Veron Javier Zanetti

Belgium Jan Ceulemans Franky van der Elst Jean-Marie Pfaff

Brazil Carlos Alberto Cafu Roberto Carlos Falcao Junior Pele Rivaldo Rivelino Romario Ronaldinho Ronaldo Djalma Santos Nilton SantosSocrates Zico

Bulgaria Hristo Stoitchkov

Cameroon Roger Milla

Chile Elias Figueroa Ivan Zamorano

Colombia Carlos Valderrama

Croatia Davor Suker

Czech Republic (and former Czechoslovakia) Josef Masopust Pavel Nedved

Denmark Brian Laudrup Michael Laudrup Peter Schmeichel

England Gordon Bank David Beckham Bobby Charlton Kevin Keegan Gary Lineker Michael Owen Alan Shearer

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