Basel have won the 71st Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup. A 6,000 crowd watched the renowned Swiss club edge a thrilling final against Grasshopper Club Zurich by the only goal of the game.
The ten teams at the two-day tournament provided rich entertainment for the good crowds at the Buchlern sports facility. Last year’s winners FC Zurich completed a Swiss clean sweep with victory in the third-place play-off against Brazilian starlets Flamengo.
The Basel youngsters made sure last year’s defeat in the final was consigned to history courtesy of a goal from Xherdan Shaqiri shortly after half-time. Basel claimed the trophy for the second time following a previous success in 1997.
Players from Swiss clubs also dominated the individual awards. The Player of the Tournament accolade went to four-goal Basel sharpshooter Pascal Schuerpf, while the Best Goalkeeper was Grasshopper Club’s Steven Deana.
Potential stars are born here. Players are delighted to take part in this tournament. It’s a showcase for their talent, which is extraordinary in some cases.FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter attended both days of the tournament. Speaking after the final, he was full of praise for all the talented youngsters who took part.
The FIFA President lauds the FIFA/Blue Stars tournament.
"All the teams are extremely advanced tactically, so picking out stars or outstanding individuals is far from easy. I was here in 1955, the same tournament as Sir Bobby Charlton, one of the greatest personalities in world football. We didn’t have the superb infrastructure back then, but we were still desperately keen to be part of it.
"Potential stars are born here. Players are delighted to take part in this tournament. It’s a showcase for their talent, which is extraordinary in some cases. There are lots of scouts here, but also a number of personalities from the world of football, who keep coming back to support and watch the youngsters," a visibly satisfied Blatter commented.
Participating clubs in 2009
Flamengo
Fenerbahce
Hertha Berlin
FC Zurich
FC Blue Stars
Real Madrid
Manchester United
Beijing Guo An
Grasshopper Club
Basel
Source: Fifa.com
Also in the neews
Zimbabwe: Sports Stadium Not Ready for Matches
by Fanuel ViririDESPITE being used for the Independence celebrations last month, the National Sports Stadium is not fit to host Premier Soccer League matches and has been shut down again.
The Ministry of Local Government, Urban and Rural Development is battling to import some of the materials to start the resurfacing of the turf to meet Fifa approved standards.
The Ministry could not give a deadline, when the stadium would re-open as clubs battle to secure affordable venues to host premiership matches.
Project Engineer Tendai Chiwanza said the re-opening of the giant stadium, when it hosted Independence Trophy between Dynamos and Njube Sundowns on April 18 was "temporary" as more work needs to be done to the facility.
"We have closed the stadium for the second phase of reconstruction. We are working on the resurfacing of the pitch. I cannot give a deadline, when we will complete the works because most of the materials are being imported.
"We need to work on the drainage system. We have to dig up the whole system as you know our league matches are played during the rainy season," Engineer Chiwanza said.
He added that the contractor was also working on the irrigation system at the stadium.
"It's not a high school pitch and we have to work on the pitch to meet Fifa approved standards. We need to have a proper drainage system and irrigation equipment.
We do not want the pitch to be flooded because the league is played during the rainy season.
"However, I cannot give the deadline when the stadium will open because most of the materials are imported. We have to source the material first and this is beyond our control," Chiwanza said.
He said they would be retaining the natural grass, as the facility was a multi-purpose stadium. The contractor will also need to import the tartan track -- the all-weather synthetic track surfacing for athletics -- made of polyurethane.
The delays are also expected to worsen as the laying can only be undertaken when it's not raining. The same work is set to be carried out on the outside B Arena, which is used for training sessions.
The "no deadline" news put a damper on the government's plans to woo participating nations at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa to use the facility as a training ground. The world soccer showcase across the Limpopo is only 13 months away.
The domestic league is expected to be hit hard by the closure of the National Sports Stadium.
Several teams were expected to switch base to the cheaper facility shunning the Harare City Council-run stadiums such as Rufaro and Gwanzura. The municipality currently collects 20% of gross gate takings at league matches.
The National Sports Stadium is the only football facility that can match world football standards if the renovations are complete. The stadium, which was constructed by the Chinese government and opened its gates to the public in 1987, was closed for repair work in November 2006, with authorities indicating the stadium would be closed for 20 months.
It reopened for the Independence celebrations on April 18.
Source: The Standard
Comments
Post a Comment