NATIONAL TEAM - SWITZERLAND - 2014 WORLD CUP - Goodbye, Ottmar Hitzfeld. All the best and take care.

Hitzfeld has made a positive impression wherever he has been stationed and his name is still regularly chanted in the stands at Bayern Munich.

“He put together a really good team that will last for many years to come,” Granit Xhaka told FIFA.com, before Josip Drmic added: “He’s done a great job.” 

2 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 19 - LAST SIXTEEN - ARGENTINA VS SWITZERLAND 1:0

LAST SIXTEEN
1st July 2014

Argentina vs Switzerland 1:0

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 19 - LAST SIXTEEN - BELGIUM VS USA 2:1

LAST SIXTEEN
1st July 2014

Belgium vs USA 2:1

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - ARGENTINA - KEY PLAYER - ‪LIONEL MESSI - PROFILE

Lionel Andrés Messi; born 24 June 1987, is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He serves as the captain of his country's national football team.

By the age of 21, Messi had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations. The following year, in 2009, he won his first Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. 

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - USA - KEY PLAYER - ‪JERMAINE JONES - PROFILE

Jermaine Junior Jones, born 3 November 1981, is a German-American footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Turkish club Beşiktaş. He has previously played for Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen, Blackburn Rovers and Schalke 04. He was born in Germany and represented them at U21 and senior level.

1 Jul 2014
NATIONAL TEAM - NIGERIA - COACH - STEPHEN KESHI RESIGNS AFTER EXIT

He becomes the sixth manager to leave his job during the World Cup, following the departures of Honduras's Luis Suarez, Iran's Carlos Queiroz, Japan's Alberto Zaccheroni, Italy's Cesare Prandelli and Ivory Coast's Sabri Lamouchi.

Keshi, who captained Nigeria at the 1994 World Cup finals, was previously in charge of Mali and Togo.

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 18 - LAST SIXTEEN - FRANCE vs NIGERIA 2:0

LAST SIXTEEN
30th June 2014

France vs Nigeria 2:0

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 18 - LAST SIXTEEN - GERMANY vs ALGERIA 2:1

LAST SIXTEEN
30th June 2014

Germany vs Algeria 2:1

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - GERMANY - KEY PLAYER - THOMAS MUELLER‬ - PROFILE

Müller's role can be described as an attacking all-rounder, a player able to play in a variety of forward positions. He can play in any of the attacking midfield roles but usually plays in the center for Bayern Munich, and on the right for Germany.

He has been used as an out-and-out striker on occasion. Müller has been praised for his maturity, pace, technique, awareness and positioning.

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - FRANCE - KEY PLAYER - ‪KARIM BENZEMA - PROFILE

He has been named French Player of the Year twice for his performances in 2011 and 2012. Benzema is a former French youth international and has represented his nation from under-17 level onwards. 

Benzema has earned over 65 caps and represented France at three major international tournaments; the 2008 and 2012 editions of the UEFA European Football Championship and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

30 Jun 2014

NATIONAL TEAM - LIBERIA - NEW COACH DEBBAH PROMISES DISCIPLINE

AFRICA CUP 2015 PRELIMINARIES

The former international, who signed a three-year contract on Friday, has promised a no-nonsense approach.

"We intend to use a more professional approach to instil discipline in the team and everybody will have to follow my instructions," he told BBC Sport.

"In other words, it's going to be my way or no way at all."

Liberia's all-time leading goalscorer replaces caretaker coach Thomas Kojo, who was unable to lead Lone Star past the preliminary rounds of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

"There will be no free meals under my watch, so every player has got to earn their red, white and blue shirt," Debbah added.

"My main goal is to recruit and develop local talents from the annual county sports meetings and the domestic league.

"But as you know we can only do that when the country has been declared Ebola free.

"In the interim, we will be put together strategies and action plans for how we intend to go about this national assignment when the 'green light' has been given by health authorities and the FA for us to start work."

Liberia suspended all football activities in August in order to help prevent the potential spread of Ebola through bodily contact on the pitch and the gathering of large crowds at football matches.

Debbah has a wealth of playing experience having spent time in France for Monaco, Lyon, Nice and PSG as well as in Belgium with Anderlecht before retiring in 2004 with Al-Jazira in Abu Dhabi.

However, his only coaching role so far is with his Liberian club Mighty Barrolle.

Meanwhile, his former team-mate Christopher Wreh, who played for English club Arsenal, has been appointed to take charge of the Under-20 team.

Wreh hopes to raise the profile of Liberian football by producing quality players to feature for the national side.

Liberia have never reached the World Cup finals and only ever been to two Nations Cup tournaments in 1996 and 2002.

 

24 Nov 2014
(BBC Sport, Monrovia by Hassan Kiawu)

Related countries

Related articles