Soccer Made in Scandinavia

 

 

My seat on the Oslo-Zurich flight today was 2A. If I had 1C, I would have to sit next to a famous English referee from England.

He was the referee for the Norway-Suisse match last night and he is on the way to Zurich for a business meeting. He said the meeting was arranged long ago and then when he found out that he was assigned to the match last night, he said to himself 'oh no, I will have to fly to Zurich in a plane full of Swiss fans'

He told me after Zurich, he will return to England to work on a certain Premier League match. I cannot tell you which match but the kick-off time will be 17.30 on Saturday and both teams wear blue shirts at home.

When we left the plane, I congratulated him on a good match. Hopp Suisse!

It was Scandinavian week for the Swiss team as they played Iceland and Norway in their quest to qualify for the World Cup in Brasil.

The Swiss was hoping to get 4 points from these 2 games, a win at home against Iceland and a draw in Oslo.

Before the first game in Bern against Iceland, the Swiss newspapers BLICK wrote that we have the best defense in the world in 2013. And in the 6 WC qualification games so far, our defense had given up only 1 goal.

Last Friday I went to the Swiss team hotel before the match to wish the players good luck. I made photos with some of the players but I did not want to bother all of them.

Now I have to confess that I am not always a fan of Stephan Lichtsteiner, the right back from Juventus. I think he is a great player but I do not like that he often argues with the referee.

But I decided on Friday to make a photo with him as he boarded the team bus going to the stadium.

Now if you asked 100 soccer fans to bet on the result of this match, all 100 would put money on a Swiss victory.

After 60 minutes, it looked really good. Suisse was winning 4-1 and Lichsteiner scored 2 cracking goals. I felt that I am a lucky mascot. By allowing Lichtsteiner to pose for a photo with me, he had scored 2 goals. And he is a defender!

 

But then something happened. Iceland scored 3 goals in the last 30 minutes for an incredible draw 4-4.

The last goal came at the end of the game and it was a superb shot.

So much for the best defense in the world!!!

As a Swiss fan, I was heartbroken. How could my Swiss team fall part like this? We had just beat Brasil a few weeks ago and against Iceland, a team ranked somewhere around 70^th in the world ranking, we could not beat them despite scoring 4 goals.

As a football fan, I had to be happy that some of the truisms about the sport have come true.

Football is a game for 90 minutes – you cannot stop playing after 60 minutes.

You may have a team of stars but your stars have 2 legs just like the opponents.

The post-game analysis was that the coach needed to replace some of the defenders. The 21 year old centre back Schär (in only his second cap) and the left back Rodriguez came under heavy criticisms for their mistakes.

Luckily, the team had another game 3 days later, against Norway in Oslo. I followed the team to Oslo and went to the team hotel again before the game. Some of the players seemed to recognize me.

 

 

Since I was the lucky mascot for Lichtsteiner last Friday, I tested my theory again by going up to Fabian Schär and let him posed for a photo with me.

Then I headed to the Ullevaal stadium, one metro stop away. The stadium was built on top of some shops. You could walk down a pedestrian area with shops on both sides and as you passed a flower shop, there was a door leading you right into your seats.

I had a seat in the Swiss fan section behind the goal and they were really noisy so I moved to the main tribune. I had a good view of the Norwegian goal in the first half.

 

 

Minute 12. Swiss free kick. Inler crossed the ball into the box. Schär scored. 0-1 

Minute 26. Schär fell asleep and let a Norwegian player passed him with only our goalie Benaglio to beat. Benaglio saved!

Minute 51. Swiss free kick. Inler crossed the ball into the box. Schär scored again. 0-2

This is unbelievable! I am the lucky mascot.

Suisse won 2-0 and leads their group with 2 games left.

 



 

 

 

 

in October, the Swiss team will travel to Albania and then they will host Slovenia at home. One win in the last 2 games is enough for the World Cup qualification.

But this is a very unpredictable group of team. The only thing certain is that Cyprus is out and that so far the Swiss has not lost a game. But anything can happen. Look at the form of the teams after 8 games

1. Switzerland 18 points - WWDWDWDW
2. Iceland 13 points - WLWLWLDW
3. Slovenia 12 points - LLWLLWWW
4. Norway 11 points - LWDWLDWL
5. Albania 10 points - WLLWWDLL
6. Cyprus 4 points - LWLLDLLL

do you see a pattern?

see you back here in October

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soccer Made in Vancouver

 

 

When I found out Vancouver was going to host an actuarial conference and at the same time, there was a home match of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, I had to be there.

 

Vancouver also happens to be the home of my good friend Karl, an avid Whitecaps fan. He got me a good seat to a match against one of the 'local' rivalries, Portland Timbers.

 

I was familiar with the Whitecaps from the North American Soccer League days. Growing up, I often watched them on TV. They had well known British players (Phil Parkes, Alan Ball, Peter Lorimer , Willy Johnston, Peter Beardsley, etc.) as well as the legendary Liverpool goalie from Africa, Bruce Grobbelaar.

 

When the Whitecaps was admitted to Major League Soccer in 2011, they bought 3 players from the Swiss League. So for a while, the Swiss media was very interested in this team more than 8000 km away.

 

Of these 3 players, only one is still with the team: Alain Rochat, formerly a defender with FC Zurich. His face was in the local newspapers advertising for the match at BC Place.

 

 

 

When I saw BC place, I had to say it is one of my favorite stadiums in the world. It is located in downtown Vancouver, it is near the water, and from the outside, it reminds me of the stadium in Zurich with these 'candle look alike' features at the top. 

 

 

BC Place, Vancouver

Letzigrund, Zurich

 

I also like this sign inside BC Place, something I have not seen in any soccer match in Europe.

 

 







Vancouver is very civilized!!!!

 

While the stadium in Zurich may be beautiful to look at, it is a terrible place to watch soccer as there is a running track between the stands and the field.

 

In BC Place, the seats are very close to the field.

 

 

I felt like I was sitting in my living room and there was the huge screen hanging over the middle of the field. The match was shown in this screen simultaneously and it was in high definition. As good as the view from my seat was, I spent a lot of time looking at the screen.

 

Before the game, I read in the local newspapers and learned that the games between the 3 Northwest teams, Vancouver, Portland and Seattle are called Cascadia games. At the end of the season, the team with the best Cascadia record wins the Cascadia Cup.

Since joining the MLS in 2011, Vancouver had played 10 Cascadia games and won ZERO.

for their 11th MLS Cascadia game, the Whitecaps started the game with their star defender, Alain Rochat on the bench and with their star striker, Scotland international Kenny Miller injured.

Still the Whitecaps scored 2 fabulous goals and was winning 2-1 late in the game when Rochat came on.  Portland already had defender Futty sent off.



With 5 minutes left, a desperate lob from the middle of the field put the ball near the Whitecaps box. There was only one Timbers player near the ball and there were about 5 Whitecaps players and the goalie around him.

I could not believe it. Portland scored, game ended 2-2 and the Whitecaps remained MLS Cascadia winless.

It was an entertaining match.

The day started with an autograph from and a photo with Kenny Miller outside the stadium. Then I met the Whitecaps mascot at the game. When I got back to my hotel, I found out the Timbers were sleeping at the same place and I met number 5,  the defender Harrington in the hotel Starbucks.

I think he looks like Robbie Savage.

check out the photos!


 

 

 

 

 







The Europa League Final in Amsterdam 2013

can you hear the cheers, Fernando?
I remember long ago another European night like this

I went to Amsterdam with my friend Karl from Canada this past week for the Europa League Final between Chelsea and Benfica.

 



That was the fifth time I saw Chelsea played this year.



At every Chelsea game, I was hoping the fans would sing the Abba song 'Fernando'. They did not.

Both Chelsea and Benfica started this season playing in the Champions League and both were eliminated after the Group phase. But both finished third in their respective group so they were allowed (I think it is a silly rule) to move over to the Europa League.

Chelsea won the Champions League last season so this Final was a bit of a step down for them.

Benfica has not won any European trophy for 50 years. During that time, their rival Porto has won 4.

The Portuguese fans were very loud and passionate during the game, much more than the English. The Portuguese team also outplayed Chelsea for most of the game.

 

but often, rather than try to score directly, Benfica players preferred to pass the ball around.

 

we had great seats for the match, especially when Oscar Cordozo scored for Benfica.

 







The game was tied at 1-1 at 90 minutes and I thought we would have extra time and then penalty kick. The last 2 European Finals involving Chelsea have gone to penalty kick.

I started to dream of the penalty kick taking place in front of us but then the little Brazilian Ramires won a corner for Chelsea in injury time. Juan Mata delivered the corner and the defender Ivanovic got away from his marker, rose up and headed the ball into the opposite corner.

Chelsea beat Benfica 2-1 to become the first English clubs to win all 3 types of European trophies. Only Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Ajax Amsterdam have accomplished this feat.

Karl and I left the stadium before the award ceremony. The subway was full of Benfica fans and it was very quiet. No one was singing.

After seeing Chelsea so many times this year, I had learned a few of the songs popular with their fans (we know who we are - champions of Europe, Jose coming home, super super Frank, there is only one England captain, etc.)

but in the metro after the game, the song I sang in my head was ABBA's Fernando.

Minute 59. The Chelsea goalkeeper had the ball and made a long throw toward the center circle. Juan Mata tried to control the ball but could not but he got a touch of it. The ball went forward and Fernando Torres beat a Benfica defender to it. He then dribbled past the Benfica captain Luisao and then past the goalie and scored.

It was a beauty.

I was happy for Torres. He had not scored a lot of goals for Chelsea since the move from Liverpool.
Many people said he was not good anymore.

there was something in the air tonight
the stars were bright, Fernando
they were shining there for you and Mata
for Chelsea fans, Fernando
though I never thought that we could lose
there is no regret
if you never score a goal again
i's ok , my friend, Fernando.

from Amsterdam, this is a singing Sebastian

 

 

 

 

March Madness Part 3 - Who will end the Spanish dynasty?

 



 

 

for about 25 Euros, I had tea and the pastry above at the Hotel Bristol in Paris.

 

I do not normally spend this kind of money at tea time but when it includes a meeting with the World Champions and the European Champions in football, well...

 

I came to Paris at the end of March for the 2014 World Cup qualification between France and Spain.

 

These 2 teams have dominated football for the last 15 years. There was a time around 2000 when France were both World Champions and European Champions and people were talking about a dynasty and about how any team could stop them.

 

But then things fell apart for France until 2006 when they made the WC Final, facing Italy.

 

The defining moment of that Final was the reaction by Zidane to the provocation of the Italian defender Materazzi.

 

If you go to Paris today, you can see a sculpture of that encounter outside the Pompidou Center.

 

 

After WC 2006, Spain started to dominate football and now we are talking about the Spanish dynasty and who could stop them.

 

France had a great chance. Already they played Spain in Madrid and came away with a draw.

 

After 4 games, France led the Group with 10 points and Spain was second with 8 points. A draw in Paris would be good enough for France.

 

Inside Hotel Bristol, I met the Spanish team as they were leaving for the bus to bring them to the Stade de France.

 

 

 

 

When Mr del Bosque walked by me, I told him 'Suerte' and he said to me 'Gracias'

 

But I was only polite. That night, I was supporting France. I had just ordered this special shirt and I wore it to the stadium.

 



 

 

The match was a disappointment. France started defensively and was happy to sit back and waited.

 

That worked for almost 60 minutes until Pedro received a pass on the right. He dribbled past several French players to get to the middle and then put a high pass to the left for Monreal. Pedro continued to run past at least 6 French defenders to get into the box.

 

Monreal crossed a low ball and Pedro got to the ball ahead of the passive French defense. Still his soft shot could have been saved by the French goalkeeper but it was pushed into the net.



 

 

Only then did France begin to apply pressure and to attack with more urgent.

Spain held on to win 1-0 and now lead the Group with 3 games left.

After the game, the reaction from the French fans, players and media was too polite. Instead of anger at losing a great chance to beat Spain, the French accepted the defeat like it was a foregone conclusion. The attitude was 'Spain is a great team and it is ok to lose to them. We do not mind losing to Spain'

When Zidane was playing for France, they were a team that instills fear into the opponents.

Today, France is a team that is afraid to win against better teams.

France will not be the team that will end the Spanish dynasty.

March Madness Part 2

20 EUR for 3 course dinner in my hotel in Nicosia, Cyprus.

 

a very nice dinner while the Swiss team ate their dinner in a private room nearby.

 

after dinner, I ran into 3 Swiss stars dressed in shorts and tshirts in the hotel lobby.

 

they looked like they were ready for the beach except it was 11 PM and the beach was at least an hour away.

 

twin brothers?

the Swiss team has a very strict dress code. Suits and ties when traveling and team outfits while in hotel.

 

I came to Cyprus to support my Swiss team in the WC 2014 qualification.

 

somehow UEFA allowed this match to be played one day after the other 2 matches in the same group.

 

so the Swiss knew that a win would put them in pole position for Brasil 2014 at the halfway point.

 

looking at the players on the Swiss team and then the players on Cyprus. before the game, the Swiss was the clear favorite.

 

can you name a player from Cyprus?

 

 

I brought a lot of cash to spend and to help the local economy.

 

Cyprus needs cash and I thought if all the Swiss fans brought in the cash, may be Cyprus will let us leave with 3 points.

 

Cyprus was bottom of the group and is likely to stay there. so they dont need 3 points.

 

 but I had a bad feeling.

 

the Swiss team often has troubles against smaller teams, especially an island in the Mediterranean.

 

Cyprus had some good results over the years against big teams like France, Germany, Spain and Portugal.

 

The stadium was quite empty and the wind was strong.

 

Minute 15, the Swiss star Shaqiri got the ball alone in the box and on his favorite left side. His shot was off target. bad omen.

 

The Swiss had several chances but nothing on target. The best chance was for Cyprus when a looping shot from the left beat the Swiss goalkeeper but the ball hit the post and came out.

 

the game ended 0-0.

 

it was a game full of action but my favorite moment occurred halfway in the second half.

 

the opposite tribune was empty for most of the game but then a group of protesters entered (how they got in was a mystery!)

 

they had flares and a banner about 'Hands off Cypus.' they sang something. the FIFA official was very nervous.

 

just as quickly as they arrived, the protesters orderly departed after 10 minutes.

 

all the Cyprus fans around me applauded the protesters.

 

 

 

the next morning, the Swiss team ran into me in the hotel.

 

I asked my favorite Europa League goalie Yann Sommer for a photo and wished him good luck against Tottenham.

 

 

then at the airport lounge, the match referee ran into me.

 

if only I had met him before the game. I had a lot of cash on me.

 

but then again, he is from Germany and I am sure all the Germans play by the rules.

 

 

 

 on to Paris for March Madness Part 3.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

after the Brasil-Italia match last Thursday evening, the Italian captain Gianluigi Buffon ran into me in the hotel bar.

 

He was a very nice guy.

 

When I met the team before the match, he was the only player who took time to pose for photos with some fans.

 

and he did it again when he left the bar at 1 AM!

 

Buffon is not only a World Champions, he is a gentleman.



 



 

March Madness Part 1

42 Swiss Francs.

that was the price of the cheeseburger at the hotel I am currently in.

it was a very good cheeseburger.

I had a table looking out to the lake

I did not look around when I got in the hotel restaurant but after I put in my order, I turned around and saw him.

He was with a group of 4 friends and I thought about waiting until they leave to ask for a photo.

then I realized there were others who might want to do the same AND may be the security guard would not allow the photo to be taken.

so I went over to ask for an autograph in English. and then I asked his friend to take a photo for me.

I said THANK YOU to him and he did not know what to say back in English

his friend, the one who took the photo, said YOU ARE WELCOME to me and then told him to say it to me.

tonight ITALIA vs BRASIL

so many classic games between these 2 countries.

this is the first of 3 big games in 1 week for me

March Madness??

I think he has more hair than I

Messi and Ibra

 

in a few hours, FC Barcelona will play AC Milan in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16.

 

I was there in Milano for the first leg. I arrived at San Siro without a ticket and I hung out at the entrance for the away fans. When the Barca fans arrived, they were escorted by the Italian police from the parking lot straight to the gate. They were not allowed to wander around.

 

I knew this and I knew there would be some Barca fans with extra tickets. I found one who was desparate to sell and I bought a ticket for 50 EUR.

 

I was supporting Milan but had to stay quiet in the away section. Milan won 2-0 and Messi did not have a great game.

 



San Siro

 

I have nothing against Messi. I think he is a great player. and a really nice guy.

 

 

meeting Messi in Zurich



 

I just have problems when some fans say the only 'right' way to play football is the Barca way.

 

so many fans seem to fall in love with FC Barcelona. like these Polish fans.

 



 

 

Love is blind and lovers cannot see

the follies that themselves commit

 



four days before watching Messi in Milano, I went to Montbéliard, France to visit the Peugeot Museum and to see the most underrated player today.

 

Peugeot Museum

 

as a teenager, I followed the famous FC Sochaux team who made a great run in the 1980-1981 UEFA Cup and I had a poster of them. That team featured the great midfielder Bernard Genghini (trivia: he is one of only 5 players to have scored 2 goals from a direct free kick in the World Cup- not even Platini achieved this)

 

Genghini in the middle at the front



 

just like in Milano, I went to the stadium without a ticket. The match between FC Sochaux and PSG was sold out. I had to work hard to find a black market ticket for 70 EUR.

 

It was a great match. Sochaux (with a budget of 30 millions EUR) beat PSG (with a budeet of 300 millions EUR) 3-2. Ibrahimovich did not score and did not play well.

 

 

FC Sochaux vs PSG

 

still Ibra is a great player and in some way better than Messi.

 

Messi has achieved a lot but with only one club with players and a system to support him.

 

Ibra has achieved a lot while playing for Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Milan and now PSG.



 

If PSG wins the French league this year, Ibra will have won championships with 6 different clubs.

 

I don't think Messi can do that.

 

Yet for all these achievements, Ibra has never finished in the top 3 of the Ballon d'Or. What a scandal.

 

and it got worse. His overhead goal against England last November was one of the top goals of all time and it was not even nominated among the top 10 goals at the FIFA Gala.

 

I hope next January, Ibra will be nominated for some award at the FIFA Gala. then I can finally meet him and ask him to sign my copy of his biography. and maybe his friend David will be there too.