International Football
Nigeria’s Flamingos rollicking on Goa’s hybrid pitch 
The Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa, in India where Nigeria’s Flamingos have been overcoming opponents has a hybrid pitch which was installed in just 10 days. Till date, it has hosted 14 matches.
Nigeria’s semi-final clash later this Wednesday, October 26, 2022 will be the 15th match on the pitch. The semi-finals are proposed as double header, hence immediately after Nigeria’s encounter with Colombia, Spain and Germany will slug it out in the second match of the day. The two finalists will play for the trophy on Sunday in Navi Mumbai.
The pitch at the stadium underwent a major makeover ahead of the tournament, and will be in focus for one last time.
In a major decision taken by FIFA in the build-up to the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022, Goa’s’ Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium became the first Indian football stadium to have a hybrid pitch.
Explaining what exactly a hybrid pitch means, FIFA Senior Pitch Management Manager Alan Ferguson said, “In the context of an international football pitch, a hybrid pitch refers to where a synthetic or other medium is added to a natural sand-soil profile to boost the stability. Under the hybrid umbrella, there are 10-12 different concepts which are internationally available, the top among them is pitch-stitching, which was implemeted at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.”
Hybrid pitches have existed for close to three decades and become a norm in European football. Outside of Europe, though, they are still a fairly novel concept.
Things are moving fast however, and Ferguson has spearheaded similar work in Japan, Costa Rica, and South America in recent years. In India, when FIFA decided to develop a hybrid pitch for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022, Goa, the venue that had to host 16 out of the 32 matches became the obvious choice.
“Sixteen matches in such a short time would result in a lot of pitch wear and tear, no matter the age group” said Ferguson. “Added to that, the tournament being held towards the end of monsoons meant that we had to do something to ensure the pitch remained in top condition throughout the tournament.” In comparison to a natural pitch, a hybrid pitch is at least three times more stable.
As a result, not only can more football be played on these pitches, but players can play more freely with less fear of injuries. According to Ferguson, the stability of Goa’s hybrid pitch is visible to even an untrained eye. He said, “You don’t have to be a pitch expert to see the benefits. You look out at the pitch in Goa and you will see no damage, which is not the case in the other two venues despite them hosting fewer fixtures.”
Ankush Arora, one of the Project Directors of the Local Organizing Committee of the tournament, corroborated Ferguson’s assessment. He said, “With 16 matches scheduled here, it was important that we had a hybrid pitch to ensure that we can provide players the best pitches and conditions to play on.
Hence this decision was crucial. So far, 14 matches have been conducted with no wear & tear on the pitch which vindicates the decision taken”
The hybrid pitch was installed in just 10 days from 27 September to 7 October by SISGrass with a five-member team putting in 12-hour shifts. Ferguson’s colleague Kris Puzio has worked closely with the local team in Goa and been responsible for teaching local pitch authorities how to look after, and get the best out of the pitch.
Emphasizing that FIFA’s involvement doesn’t stop with the end of the tournament, Oliver Vogt, FIFA Project Lead for the tournament, said, “We will also care for the pitch, even after the tournament has concluded. Alan and his team are going to be there for advice and to guide the local team working on the pitch.
To deliver fantastic pitches in India was one of our main objectives and I think we have achieved that since the tournament hasn’t been negatively impacted, despite frequent rains.”
Vogt also praised the efforts put in by the team to install the pitch in a very short space of time and hoped that their passion serves as an inspiration to those who will take care of the pitch after the tournament.
“They have seen the work being done on the pitch and had the chance to participate and learn from Alan and his team. They now have all the tools in their hands. So, when we come here in the future, we hope to see the quality of the pitch intact.”
The hybrid pitch of Goa was also picked as one of the biggest legacies of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022™ by Vogt. “Once the tournament is over, I hope that the pitch can result in Goa becoming a new hub for women’s football in the country” he added.
“We built the hybrid pitch for a women’s tournament because we care about women’s football. Ideally, we would like to see the pitch being used by the federation for women’s international matches in future.”
International Football
Players’ union, FIFPRO, wants 20-minute halftimes, more cooling breaks amid extreme heat
Global players’ union FIFPRO is exploring whether extending halftime to 20 minutes and introducing more frequent cooling breaks could better protect players from extreme heat.
Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup face conditions considered “extreme risk” for heat-related illness.
Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Monterrey and Philadelphia are expected to face dangerous levels of heat and humidity, posing player safety concerns and fuelling calls for mandatory cooling aids or schedule changes.
FIFPRO’s heat risk assessments are based on wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), a measure combining temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind speed to estimate how environmental conditions affect the body’s ability to cool itself.
Under FIFPRO guidelines, a WBGT reading above 28 degrees Celsius indicates conditions in which matches should be postponed or rescheduled to protect players’ health.
By comparison, world soccer governing body FIFA’s own guidelines set the extreme risk threshold higher, at 32 degrees Celsius WBGT – but even by that standard, six of the nine cities are still projected to exceed safe limits.
Major League Soccer in the U.S. has a threshold of 29 degrees Celsius WBGT.
“Cooling breaks at the 30th minute and 75th minutes are quite traditional, but from a physiological point of view it does not make sense,” said Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO’s Medical Director.
“Even if you ingest more than 200 millilitres of fluid, you already cannot take it all. So I would definitely like to see some project where we look at the efficacy of perhaps more frequent but shorter cooling breaks – every 15 minutes, rather than only one during each half.”
LONGER HALFTIMES
Gouttebarge also questioned whether the traditional 15-minute halftime interval is sufficient when matches are played in extreme heat.
“You can imagine that halftime of 15 minutes might not be enough in order to decrease the core temperature,” he said.
“It could be a halftime of 20 minutes which would be significant. That has been shown in the laboratory and FIFPRO, together with the national union in Portugal in August, we are going to test this kind of mitigation strategy.”
The urgency of stronger heat protocols became clear at this month’s Club World Cup where two matches — Benfica-Bayern Munich in Charlotte and Chelsea-Esperance in Philadelphia exceeded the WBGT threshold FIFPRO considers unsafe.
“According to our position, those games should have been postponed later that day or rescheduled,” Gouttebarge said.
FIFPRO officials acknowledged that FIFA has responded constructively during the tournament by lowering thresholds for mandatory cooling breaks and improving pitch-side hydration, but stressed that proactive planning is critical.
“FIFA have been quite responsive once the tournament was under way,” said Alex Phillips, FIFPRO General Secretary.
“They have actually modified how they’ve been dealing with heat during the matches based on FIFPRO’s input, which is credit to the work of the team. Obviously, it would have been better if that happened in advance, but it’s better that they have adapted.”
FIFPRO warned that the risks highlighted at the Club World Cup are a preview of what players could face at the expanded 2026 World Cup.
“This is not just affecting the Club World Cup, but also future tournaments either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO Director of Policy & Strategic Relations.
“We need a better balance between commercial interests and the health and safety of players,” he added, referring to earlier kick-off times to accommodate European television audiences.
-Reuters
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Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Ince has been charged with drink-driving, police said on Monday.
Ince, who earned 53 caps for England and won two Premier League titles during his six years at United, has been released on bail and will appear in court on July 18.
“The incident involved a black Range Rover which had collided with the central reservation barrier. Officers attended the scene and arrested a 57-year-old man,” the Cheshire police said in a statement.
“Paul Ince, of Quarry Road, Neston, has since been charged with drink-driving.”
Reuters has contacted Ince’s representative for comment.
After retiring as a player, Ince led Milton Keynes Dons to a League Two title in 2007-08. He most recently managed Reading during 2022-23.
-Reuters
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International Football
From garbage collector to Starman of Ancelotti’s Brazil team: the story of Ribeiro
“I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me.!” Alex Ribeiro
Alexsandro Victor de Souza Ribeiro (Rio de Janeiro, 1999) was, until a few days ago, a semi-unknown to the general public in Brazil.
However, Carlo Ancelotti, impressed by his strong performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League, insisted on calling up the Lille centre-back… and giving him his debut.
Not only that. He started alongside Marquinhos against Ecuador (0-0) and Paraguay (1-0) and helped the Seleçao keep two consecutive clean sheets for the first time in the qualifying rounds.
Alex, as he likes to be called, impressed with his 1.92 meters (6′ 1″) frame and confidence. According to ‘R10Score’, he was the Brazilian player who completed the most actions with the ball (186) and the second with the most cuts (11).
He completed 154 of the 166 passes he made (92% accuracy) and won 12 of the 16 duels he was involved in: 5 of 7 at ground level and 7 of 9 in the air. “A gentleman defender,” boasted the official Ligue 1 Portuguese account.
His path to the elite wasn’t easy. “I don’t think you know this, but this is my first game as a professional in Brazil. Strange, isn’t it? There’s nothing better. To debut in Brazil like this, with a win and qualification,” he boasted after defeating Paraguay.
These first few days with Ancelotti have been unique; I’ll remember them for the rest of my life. I’ve responded well not only to myself, but also to the coach and the Brazilian people. I was able to demonstrate my ability to those who had doubts. Few people give me the opportunity that the manager has given me,” he insists
The Lille centre-back took his first steps in Flamengo’s youth system, where he even met Vinicius.
“When we played against Real Madrid, Vini came up to me and hugged me. He said, ‘I’m glad to see you here, brother.’ That inspired and motivated me even more,” he told ‘Globo Esporte’.
‘Fla’ cut him off. He had to make a living as a street vendor. He also collected trash, especially cans. “I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me, so I went to Europe to play in Portugal’s Third Division.”
Praiense (2018-20), Amora (2020-21), and Chaves (2021-22)—the latter already in the Second Division—were his springboard to Lille. The Bulldogs signed him in 2022-23 for €2 million. He has become a more than worthy successor to his compatriot Gabriel Magalhaes.
“Little by little, my name is spreading. My football is reaching everywhere. This includes Brazil,” he said before making his debut with the Seleçao. Now that he’s made it, he has another challenge: “I want to continue it.”
-Marca
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