International Football
BRAZIL’S 1982 WORLD CUP TEAM REUNITE AGAINST COVID-19
Members of Brazil’s 1982 World Cup squad have reunited to ask their compatriots to work together and donate money to help the country’s overcrowded favelas avoid the worst ravages of the coronavirus.
They are just some of the country’s leading athletes, past and present, who are stepping up to help the most vulnerable communities.
In an initiative led by Paulo Roberto Falcao, 19 players, including Zico, Junior and Leandro, recorded a video message appealing for donations.
“The 1982 Brazil team was known for its creativity, union and collective work ethic,” Falcao said. “Now we are springing into action for Brazil again.”
The former Roma and Internacional midfielder said 2.6 million reais (S$719,250) has been raised in less than a week.
His appeal is the latest in a series of efforts by leading current and former Brazilian footballers to help the largest South American nation cope with the effects of Covid-19.
More than 900 Brazilians have died from the virus but doctors fear the death toll could rise exponentially if it gets a foothold in the densely populated favelas, or shanty towns, that dot most Brazilian cities.
The Brazil team at the 1982 World Cup in Spain is widely held to be one of the greatest sides never to win the tournament.
After beating the Soviet Union, Scotland, New Zealand and Argentina, Brazil needed a draw against Italy to move into the semi-finals.
However, a hat-trick from Paolo Rossi gave the Azzurri a 3-2 win and helped them on the way to the final, where they defeated West Germany 3-1.
All the Brazil team except captain Socrates, goalkeeper Waldir Peres and midfielder Batista are still alive and contributed a video for Falcao’s initiative.
Olympic judo medallist Flavio Canto, meanwhile, is among those giving his time and money to battle the outbreak.
“When all this is over, those that have a lot are going to have a lot less but they’ll still have more than most, and they have an obligation to help those who have nothing,” the Rio de Janeiro resident told Reuters.
A bronze medallist in the men’s 81kg category at Athens 2004, Canto is almost as famous in Brazil for his work with the Instituto Reacao, a charity that uses martial arts to help transform young people’s lives.
He is raising funds for a project that will give a monthly stipend to thousands of families in Rio and Cuiaba who are under quarantine or suffering financially due to unemployment or the need to self-isolate. The monthly stipend of around 100 reais comes in the form of a pre-paid cash card that can be used in local supermarkets.
“My charity has 20 years of experience in that field and the other athletes are people with the same profile, who have experience in charity work and therefore credibility,” he said by telephone from Rio.
Dunga urges donations
One such athlete is Dunga, who captained the Selecao to their 1994 World Cup win.
The former Internacional and Fiorentina midfielder is working with business contacts and former players – including ex-Brazil internationals Jorginho and Edmilson and Paulo Cesar Tinga – to help disadvantaged communities in his home state of Rio Grande do Sul.
Like Canto, Dunga has run a charitable foundation for many years, helping orphanages, old folks’ homes and social projects.
In the last few days he has persuaded supermarket owners, food producers and transportation companies to donate and distribute more than 10 tonnes of food to local charities as more and more people suffer due to the virus.
“We saw that there are a lot of people in the favelas who aren’t working and they don’t have food so I called the friends I still play football with and said let’s do something,” he told Reuters.
–Reuters
Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been named the new head coach of the England national team, the country’s Football Association said in a statement on Wednesday.
The German, who is England’s third foreign manager, after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello, will be assisted by Englishman Anthony Barry, the statement added.
“We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him,” FA CEO Mark Bullingham said.
Tuchel replaces Lee Carsley, England’s under-21 manager, who has been in temporary charge since the resignation of Gareth Southgate after England’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final in July.
-Reuters
German Thomas Tuchel has been appointed head coach of the England national team on Wednesday.
Born: Aug. 29, 1973 in Krumbach, Germany.
PLAYING CAREER
* Tuchel played for his local club TSV Krumbach, before moving to FC Augsburg’s academy at the age of 15.
* He never played for Augsburg’s senior side and joined German second division team Stuttgarter Kickers in 1992.
* After eight league appearances for Kickers, Tuchel moved to fourth-tier SSV Ulm.
* Tuchel made 69 league appearances for Ulm as a central defender before he was forced to retire in 1998 at the age of 25 due to a knee injury.
COACHING CAREER
* Tuchel began his coaching career with a youth team role at VfB Stuttgart in 2000, working with future Germany internationals Mario Gomez and Holger Badstuber.
* He returned to Augsburg and took charge of their reserve team for the 2007-08 season.
* Tuchel was appointed Mainz 05 manager in 2009, replacing compatriot Juergen Klopp.
* He guided Mainz to Bundesliga stability during his five-year stint at the club, gaining plaudits for his team’s high energy, attacking style of play.
* Tuchel took over from Klopp as Borussia Dortmund coach in 2015.
* He led Dortmund to a 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2017 German Cup final. He was sacked by Dortmund three days later.
* Tuchel joined Paris St Germain in 2018 on a two-year contract, replacing Unai Emery.
* He won two Ligue 1 titles, including a domestic quadruple in his second season, and guided the club to their first Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
* Tuchel was sacked by PSG on Christmas Eve in 2020, despite the club finishing top of their Champions League group and sitting third in the Ligue 1 table.
* He was named Chelsea manager in January 2021 on an initial 18-month contract following the dismissal of Frank Lampard.
* Tuchel revived the team’s Premier League season and guided the London club to the Champions League final, where they beat Manchester City. Chelsea also won the Super Cup and Club World Cup.
* Chelsea sacked Tuchel in September 2022 following a shock 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in their opening Champions League group game.
* Bayern Munich appointed Tuchel to succeed Julian Nagelsmann in March last year.
* Bayern decided to let Tuchel go at the end of the 2023-24 season despite a contract until 2025. Tuchel steered Bayern to the Bundesliga title in 2022-23, but they finished the last campaign without any silverware for the first time in more than a decade.
* Tuchel will become England’s third foreign manager after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello.
* Tuchel will take over the team in January ahead of the qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup.
-Reuters
Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their Under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.
Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.
Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the Under-18 team is a non-UEFA age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.
He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.
With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.
Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.
While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.
-Reuters
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