EGYPT '97 - FIFA.com
EGYPT '97 - FIFA.com
EGYPT '97 - FIFA.com
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each of the U-17 World<br />
Championships since 1985<br />
(up to 1989 it was actually a<br />
U-16 <strong>com</strong>petition) . Of this<br />
year's top four nations, Brazil<br />
have attended the finals six<br />
times, Ghana five, Spain three<br />
and Germany four . Apart<br />
from their first appearance in<br />
Scotland in 1989, when they<br />
were 12th, Ghana have never<br />
finished lower than second<br />
place . Of this years new<strong>com</strong>er's,<br />
Austria, Mali, New<br />
Zealand, and Thailand, only<br />
the African team managed a<br />
positive result with their quarterfinal<br />
qualification ; all the<br />
others were eliminated without<br />
a point to their credit .<br />
A point worthy of note is<br />
that the first three nations in<br />
this U-17 <strong>com</strong>petition all<br />
managed to qualify for the<br />
1997 U-20 World Championship<br />
finals as well . There,<br />
Brazil and Spain were beaten<br />
in the quarterfinals, Ghana<br />
finished up fourth . Others to<br />
achieve this double qualification<br />
in 1997 were Argentina,<br />
and the three CONCACAF<br />
representatives (USA, Costa<br />
Rica and Mexico) . There is<br />
confirmation here of the<br />
steady developmental work<br />
being carried out in these<br />
countries . But it should also<br />
be noted that in other continents,<br />
Europe being a prime<br />
example, the <strong>com</strong>petition<br />
for qualifying places is much<br />
more intense than in the<br />
two confederations just<br />
referred to .<br />
Mali were the team with<br />
youngest average age at 16<br />
years and 8 months, and they<br />
also had the youngest player<br />
of all in their squad, Drissa<br />
CouIibaly, born on 4 . 11 .<br />
1982 . The oldest" teams<br />
were Brazil, hosts Egypt and<br />
Chile, each averaging 17 years<br />
and 4 months .<br />
Although they lost the title<br />
this time, Africa still dominates<br />
this age category. South<br />
America and Europe have<br />
made up ground, but the<br />
other confederations have not .<br />
Work at junior levels within the confederations<br />
Africa was the only continent to get three teams through to<br />
the quarterfinals .A summary of the confederations' progress :<br />
Continent<br />
Africa<br />
For many national associations<br />
in Africa, the success of<br />
their youth teams is of primary<br />
importance . Huge efforts<br />
are made to reach this<br />
objective . In Ghana for example,<br />
there are independent<br />
youth teams that are not attached<br />
to any of the first or<br />
second division clubs . There<br />
are also regional and national<br />
<strong>com</strong>petitions in all age categories<br />
. African footballers<br />
seem to have a inborn talent<br />
for the game, with their fluidity<br />
of movement, their early<br />
physical development, and<br />
the <strong>com</strong>petition of daily life<br />
(not just football) making<br />
them strong and capable<br />
youngsters .<br />
In Europe, young players<br />
are brought on by the clubs<br />
and the best of them are invited<br />
to trials in regional centres<br />
. Up to age 12 there are<br />
5-a-side, 7-a-side and 9-aside<br />
<strong>com</strong>petitions, before<br />
the real game of 11 -a-side is<br />
started . More and more clubs<br />
are running their own development<br />
centres at which<br />
young players can not only<br />
improve their football skills<br />
but also prepare for later careers<br />
.<br />
In South America, the<br />
countries making the most<br />
intensive and most professional<br />
efforts to develop<br />
youth football are Brazil and<br />
Argentina . It is no surprise<br />
that these two countries always<br />
qualify to represent<br />
their continent in U-17 and<br />
U-20 <strong>com</strong>petitions . The other<br />
nations have some leeway to<br />
make up in this respect .<br />
In the other continental<br />
TOURNAMENT ANALYSIS<br />
No . of participating teams<br />
3<br />
15<br />
Number of teams making<br />
the quarterfinals<br />
Asia 3 1<br />
Conmebol 3 2<br />
Concacaf 3 0<br />
Europe 3 2<br />
Oceania 1 0<br />
confederations, work at<br />
youth level does not occupy<br />
such a prominent position .<br />
It's not that there is a lack of<br />
desire but simply the fact that<br />
organisational problems currently<br />
prevent ideas being<br />
put into practice . Sporadically<br />
programmes are started,<br />
but there is a lack of continuity.<br />
In many countries there<br />
are no organised U-17 or<br />
U-20 championships, and in<br />
others school football is in<br />
direct <strong>com</strong>petition with club<br />
football .<br />
Fair Play<br />
An important reason behind<br />
the traditional popularity<br />
of U-17 football was once<br />
again evident in the 1997<br />
<strong>com</strong>petition, namely the fairness<br />
of both players and<br />
coaches . Afew points worth<br />
noting in this respect : only<br />
four direct red cards were<br />
shown in 32 games; Argentina<br />
won the Fair Play Prize for<br />
their exemplary behaviour<br />
(as they did at the 1997 U-20<br />
championships and the Olympic<br />
football tournament Atlanta<br />
'96); when water supplies<br />
in Cairo ran out, Egypt<br />
immediately shared what<br />
they had with their opponents,<br />
Thailand; the disappointed<br />
Spanish goalkeeper Casillas<br />
showed his maturity by congratulating<br />
every one of the<br />
Ghana team individually after<br />
Spain's semi-final defeat; the<br />
German and Austrian delegation<br />
visited the SOS Children's<br />
Villages in Cairo and<br />
Alexandria ; and before the final<br />
on <strong>FIFA</strong> Fair Play Day (with<br />
Sir Bobby Chariton as guest of<br />
3<br />
honour) the two teams involved<br />
posed for a joint picture .<br />
The relaxed atmosphere<br />
of the first tournament twelve<br />
years ago has been maintained<br />
right through at every U-17<br />
<strong>com</strong>petition . And the educational<br />
value of the tournament<br />
was not neglected either; the<br />
players took the opportunity<br />
of being in Egypt to visit<br />
some of the countless important<br />
cultural sites .