EGYPT '97 - FIFA.com

each of the U-17 World
Championships since 1985
(up to 1989 it was actually a
U-16 competition) . Of this
year's top four nations, Brazil
have attended the finals six
times, Ghana five, Spain three
and Germany four . Apart
from their first appearance in
Scotland in 1989, when they
were 12th, Ghana have never
finished lower than second
place . Of this years newcomer's,
Austria, Mali, New
Zealand, and Thailand, only
the African team managed a
positive result with their quarterfinal
qualification ; all the
others were eliminated without
a point to their credit .
A point worthy of note is
that the first three nations in
this U-17 competition all
managed to qualify for the
1997 U-20 World Championship
finals as well . There,
Brazil and Spain were beaten
in the quarterfinals, Ghana
finished up fourth . Others to
achieve this double qualification
in 1997 were Argentina,
and the three CONCACAF
representatives (USA, Costa
Rica and Mexico) . There is
confirmation here of the
steady developmental work
being carried out in these
countries . But it should also
be noted that in other continents,
Europe being a prime
example, the competition
for qualifying places is much
more intense than in the
two confederations just
referred to .
Mali were the team with
youngest average age at 16
years and 8 months, and they
also had the youngest player
of all in their squad, Drissa
CouIibaly, born on 4 . 11 .
1982 . The oldest" teams
were Brazil, hosts Egypt and
Chile, each averaging 17 years
and 4 months .
Although they lost the title
this time, Africa still dominates
this age category. South
America and Europe have
made up ground, but the
other confederations have not .
Work at junior levels within the confederations
Africa was the only continent to get three teams through to
the quarterfinals .A summary of the confederations' progress :
Continent
Africa
For many national associations
in Africa, the success of
their youth teams is of primary
importance . Huge efforts
are made to reach this
objective . In Ghana for example,
there are independent
youth teams that are not attached
to any of the first or
second division clubs . There
are also regional and national
competitions in all age categories
. African footballers
seem to have a inborn talent
for the game, with their fluidity
of movement, their early
physical development, and
the competition of daily life
(not just football) making
them strong and capable
youngsters .
In Europe, young players
are brought on by the clubs
and the best of them are invited
to trials in regional centres
. Up to age 12 there are
5-a-side, 7-a-side and 9-aside
competitions, before
the real game of 11 -a-side is
started . More and more clubs
are running their own development
centres at which
young players can not only
improve their football skills
but also prepare for later careers
.
In South America, the
countries making the most
intensive and most professional
efforts to develop
youth football are Brazil and
Argentina . It is no surprise
that these two countries always
qualify to represent
their continent in U-17 and
U-20 competitions . The other
nations have some leeway to
make up in this respect .
In the other continental
TOURNAMENT ANALYSIS
No . of participating teams
3
15
Number of teams making
the quarterfinals
Asia 3 1
Conmebol 3 2
Concacaf 3 0
Europe 3 2
Oceania 1 0
confederations, work at
youth level does not occupy
such a prominent position .
It's not that there is a lack of
desire but simply the fact that
organisational problems currently
prevent ideas being
put into practice . Sporadically
programmes are started,
but there is a lack of continuity.
In many countries there
are no organised U-17 or
U-20 championships, and in
others school football is in
direct competition with club
football .
Fair Play
An important reason behind
the traditional popularity
of U-17 football was once
again evident in the 1997
competition, namely the fairness
of both players and
coaches . Afew points worth
noting in this respect : only
four direct red cards were
shown in 32 games; Argentina
won the Fair Play Prize for
their exemplary behaviour
(as they did at the 1997 U-20
championships and the Olympic
football tournament Atlanta
'96); when water supplies
in Cairo ran out, Egypt
immediately shared what
they had with their opponents,
Thailand; the disappointed
Spanish goalkeeper Casillas
showed his maturity by congratulating
every one of the
Ghana team individually after
Spain's semi-final defeat; the
German and Austrian delegation
visited the SOS Children's
Villages in Cairo and
Alexandria ; and before the final
on FIFA Fair Play Day (with
Sir Bobby Chariton as guest of
3
honour) the two teams involved
posed for a joint picture .
The relaxed atmosphere
of the first tournament twelve
years ago has been maintained
right through at every U-17
competition . And the educational
value of the tournament
was not neglected either; the
players took the opportunity
of being in Egypt to visit
some of the countless important
cultural sites .