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 - TANZANIA - COACH - Mkwasa named interim coach

AFRICA CUP 2017 QUALIFIERS

 

Tanzania has appointed former international Charles Boniface Mkwasa as interim coach to replace sacked Dutchman Mart Noorj.

The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) President Jamal Malinzi said Mkwasa would be assisted by Zanzibar coach Hemed Morocco.

His position will be reviewed at the end of September.

"He will take us through the matches against Uganda and Nigeria, that's his assignment for now," said Malinzi.

Mkwasa will continue in his role as assistant coach at his former club Yanga, where he works with another Dutch coach in Hans Van de Pluijm.

The caretaker coach's first task it to overturn a 3:0 goal deficit against neighbours Uganda in the second leg of their African Nations Championship qualifier in Kampala in less than a fortnight.

The loss in the first leg cost Nooij his job after a poor campaign as a guest side at the recent southern African championship, the Cosafa Cup, where they lost all three matches.

The former Yanga SC midfielder is expected to overhaul the squad that lost the opening 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifier match to Egypt and pick a new-look team to face Nigeria in the second match in September.

"After losing to Uganda we paid the players their dues and asked them to go home and wait, Mkwasa is at liberty to call whoever he wants," added Malinzi.

Meanwhile, Nooij, who needed police protection to leave the stadium after Saturday's loss to Uganda, blamed the woes on his policy of putting faith in young talents.

"My contract was ending in 2016 but now it has ended in 2015, I have bad feelings of course, my family is here, they were came on Saturday expecting to see the team win game under a successful coach, but they saw their brother failing and team losing," he 
said in pensive mood.

"I did my utmost to bring Tanzanian football to certain level of international football and I would not change anything if I did it again, I have no regrets on the decisions or methods I used, if I should do it again, I would do the same.

"Certainly everything is possible in football, from here you are likely find me somewhere in Africa, in borders of Tanzania or outside Tanzania."

 

 

26 Jun 2015
(BBC Sport, Dar es Salaam by Emmanuel Muga)

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