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.”
South Korea footballer Hwang Ui-jo faces four years in jail after pleading guilty in court to illegally filming sexual encounters.
The former Nottingham Forest striker asked the judge to show leniency after being charged with recording himself having sex with women without their consent, a trial transcript seen by AFP said on Oct 17.
Prosecutors asked the Seoul Central District Court for a four-year jail term for the 32-year-old when they made their closing arguments in the case this week.
Hwang, who now plays for Turkish club Alanyaspor, had initially claimed he was innocent before admitting to the offences in court.
“Though he now acknowledges the wrongdoing, he had denied the allegations leading up to the trial. We question whether Hwang is sincere in his reflections… for the irreparable damage inflicted upon the victims,” prosecutors said.
Hwang said in a prepared statement to the judge: “I offer my sincerest apologies to the victims who have suffered because of my wrongdoings. I sincerely plead for the utmost leniency.”
He said he would use the incident as a “mirror of reflection” to live diligently as an athlete.
Known as “molka” in Korean, spycam videos are typically made by men who secretly film women in toilets and elsewhere, although the term can also be applied to clandestine footage of consensual sex.
The scandal came to light when his sister-in-law posted private explicit videos of Hwang in an attempt to blackmail him in June 2023. She is now serving three years in prison for blackmail.
One of the victim’s attorneys, Lee Eun-eui, welcomed the prosecutors’ demand for a four-year prison sentence.
“It is at least comforting that the prosecution is seeking a four-year imprisonment,” she told reporters after the trial, noting her client had been “deeply battered” through the entire affair.
Hwang, who has scored 19 goals in 62 appearances for South Korea, has been suspended from the national team since November 2023 when the allegations were made. He is due to be sentenced on Dec 18.
Over in Spain, Real Madrid have, for the moment at least, given their support to star forward Kylian Mbappe since the Swedish media reported that he is being investigated for alleged rape during a visit to Stockholm.
The reigning European champions, who have not commented publicly on the reports, do not appear to be overly concerned over the reports about the player who joined in summer from Paris Saint-Germain.
An internal club source, who spoke to AFP on condition of their identity not being revealed, described the accusations as “the biggest fake in the history of sport”.
On Oct 15, Real were accused of deleting Mbappe from photos they published in a promotional campaign with their jersey manufacturer Adidas.
Real told journalists the reason was simply because Mbappe’s boot sponsor is Adidas’ bitter rivals Nike.
That explanation was questioned on social media though, with many people pointing out that several players in the photos are also under contract with Nike, like Mbappe’s French international teammate Eduardo Camavinga.
In the midst of the media storm – and on the day his lawyer spoke to AFP and other French media to insist her client was “shocked” to be linked to a rape investigation – Mbappe trained with his teammates in Madrid on Oct 15.
This time, the club had no hesitation in posting photos and videos of the Frenchman.
The 25-year-old Frenchman should be available for selection for their La Liga match against hosts Celta Vigo on Oct 19, as he is said to have recovered from discomfort in his left thigh that kept him out of France’s squad for Nations League games.
With a rare few free days on his hands, Mbappe chose to go to Stockholm with a group of friends, arriving on Oct 9 and departing on Oct 11. Reports in several Swedish media say they visited a restaurant and a nightclub. Once the group had left Sweden, a woman went to police to allege she was the victim of rape.
On Oct 14, after Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet became the first media outlet to reveal that a rape probe had been opened, Mbappe slammed the report as “fake news” on his social media and alleged there was a link between the accusations and his financial dispute with his former club PSG. A hearing into the case was held on Oct 15.
“It’s becoming so predictable, the day before the hearing as if by chance,” Mbappe said on X, formerly Twitter.
A Swedish prosecutor has only confirmed that an investigation has been opened, without naming Mbappe.
His lawyer Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard told AFP on Tuesday the 2018 World Cup winner was “at ease” because “he has done nothing wrong”.
She said Mbappe had “asked my office not to leave things as they are because it is impossible to allow yourself to be slandered and defamed in this way”.
“This is why we are going to file a complaint for libel.”
-AFP
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
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