TABLE OF CONTENTS

• TALKING POINT: Spotlight on France
• Nominations for 1997 International Match Officials
• FIFA Order of Merit for Udo Jürgens
• Women Play More Fairly Than The Men
• The Futsal Fiesta can begin
• Disciplinary Matters
• Four-country Tournament World Cup Test
• Bulletins and Obituaries

Editorial deadline for this issue: 27 September, 1996

TALKING POINT:
SPOTLIGHT ON FRANCE'98

With the end of the European summer and the re-start of the continental football season has come also a new round of meetings and visits with the organisers of the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, coinciding of course with the kick-off to most of the qualifying matches for the last World Cup of the century.

The decision at the end of May to award the 2002 World Cup to Japan and South Korea and the media attention that historic decision attracted - plus the fact that some prominent candidates have also announced their interest in hosting the 2006 finals - had tended to put France 98 somewhat in the shade.

That was certainly never FIFA's intention. On the contrary, our primary obligation is with those organising the next World Cup, as is only natural in such a four-year cycle.

In the meantime, the French Organising Committee led by its co-chairmen, Fernand Sastre and Michel Platini, together with Managing Director Jacques Lambert has been quietly and efficiently pushing ahead with preparations for the big event in less than two years' time. Spectacular developments like the erection of the first section of the roof of the magnificent new Stade de France in St-Denis near Paris inevitably capture headlines, as indeed they should. But while it is true that most of the work is less media-grabbing, it is no less important.

Meetings on a variety of issues - stadium construction, training grounds, security, television coverage, media facilities, ticketing, hotels, to name but some - have proven that the Paris-based CFO and its subsidiaries in the venues around the country are all well on schedule. And the excitement is beginning to rise.

All the more reason, therefore, to ensure that France 98 enjoys the centre of the World Cup stage for the next couple of years. Preliminary talks for 2002 will of course continue, and the time will come when the first World Cup of the next century will have the leading role.

But right now, the spotlight is on France..

Joseph S. Blatter
FIFA General Secretary

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NOMINATIONS FOR 1997 INTERNATIONAL MATCH OFFICIALS

Nomination forms for the 1997 international match officials were sent to the national associations with circular letter no. 596 on 5 September. The associations may propose male and female candidates for three lists, namely the men's and women's lists of referees and assistant referees as well as the futsal branch of football.

The following conditions apply to the men's lists of referees and assistant referees:

A maximum of ten referees and ten assistant referees (or none at all) may be proposed;

• the maximum age is 45 years (i.e. only match officials born on or after 1 January 1952 may be proposed).

• New referees and assistant referees (ones who have not featured on a previous list) may only be accepted if they have not yet reached the age of 40 (that is, if they were born on or after 1 January 1957) so that they can be assured of at least five years' international activity. Assistant referees must also have officiated more frequently as an assistant referee than as a referee - and in the country's top division - during the previous football season.

As for the women's list of match officials, FIFA has stipulated the following conditions:

A maximum of four referees and four assistant referees (or none at all) may be proposed.

• The nominees must:

• have officiated as a referee or assistant referee in the top division of women's football in the country in question;

• be eligible to officiate as a referee or assistant referee in the men's third division;

• be between 25 and 42 years old (deciding date: 1. January 1997).

For the futsal branch of football, a maximum of four referees (or none at all) may be proposed. The nominees must comply with the following conditions:

• they must have officiated regularly at futsal (indoor football) matches in the highest division of the country concerned for at least two years;

• they must not be older than 40 (born on or after 1 January 1957) so that they can be assured of at least five years' activity;

• they may, but do not have to be, chosen from the 1996 List of International Referees and Assistant Referees and so may feature on both lists at the same time.

National associations were requested to return the nomination forms and other relevant papers (such as marks awarded etc.) to FIFA by 30 October. The FIFA Referees' Committee will decide which of the proposed referees and assistants will be selected for the 1997 lists. The associations will be notified which nominees have been accepted towards the end of this year and the complete lists will be published at the beginning of 1997.

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FIFA ORDER OF MERIT FOR UDO JÜRGENS

The illustrious circle of celebrities who have been awarded the FIFA Order of Merit has expanded. The singer, musician, composer and entertainer, Udo Jürgens, is the first show business personality to receive this distinction from FIFA in recognition of his active charity work (including his commitment to SOS Children's Villages) and his love for football. The Austrian-born singer has frequently bridged the gap between culture and football with such smash hits as "Sempre Roma" and "Buenos días Argentina".

The ceremony was held in the SOS Children's Village in Moosburg, Kärnten near Klagenfurt, Austria on 28 September. Apart from Dr Leopold Graf Goëss, the host and chairman of the Kärnten SOS Children's Village Society, FIFA General Secretary Joseph S. Blatter was also there in person, as were the Austrian Chancellor Franz Vranitzky, Franz Beckenbauer and many other celebrities.

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WOMEN PLAY MORE FAIRLY THAN THE MEN

TThe evaluation of the disciplinary statistics for the Olympic Football Tournaments revealed that the women went about their business more fairly than their male counterparts. In the 16 matches of the women's tournament, the referees waved the yellow card 28 times (an average of 1.75 per match) and the red card only three times and once after two cautions in the same match. The men, for their part, saw yellow 87 times (an average of 2.72), red three times and yellow-red six times in a total of 32 matches.

The cautions will be cancelled in accordance with the Disciplinary Measures. On the other hand, expulsions meted out during the Olympic Games will have an effect on World Cup preliminary competition appearances or the next official competition of the confederation concerned, whichever are sooner (cf. Disciplinary Measures France '98).

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THE FUTSAL FIESTA CAN BEGIN

The futsal fiesta can begin! On 27 September the groups for the final competition of the 3rd FIFA Futsal World Championship were drawn by lot in the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona.

Sixteen teams, split into four groups of four, will compete in the world championship in Spain from 24 November to 8 December 1996. Apart from defending champions Brazil and the hosts, Spain, the following teams have also qualified: China, Iran, Malaysia, Argentina, Uruguay, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Russia, the Ukraine, the USA and Cuba. Only the African representative has yet to be decided.

The match schedule has been arranged so that two groups will contest the first round in each town of Murcia and Segovia. The teams that come first and second in each group will be split into another two groups and go on to contest the next round in Castellon de la Plana before the four best teams advance to the semifinals and finals in Barcelona. The complete fixture list will appear in the November edition of the News. In the meantime, these details and other background information on the world championship in Spain are available on FIFA ON-LINE.

Brazil are the hottest favourites, having won the first world championship in the Netherlands in 1989 by beating the hosts 2-1 and defended their title successfully in Hong Kong in 1992 with a 4-1 victory over the USA. Most of the players are indoor football specialists playing in their own leagues organised by their respective national associations.

The futsal referees are also experts. From among a total of 104 match officials featured on the current international list, the FIFA Referees' Committee has designated sixteen referees to Spain '96 (see the list below), who will officiate either as main or assistant referee. They will be helped by timekeepers who will make sure that the full 20 minutes are actually played in each half.

In accordance with the Laws of the Game, there will not be any rebound boards around the pitch but only goal lines and touchlines. Some of the other rules for this type of football allow each team a one-minute time-out in each half as well as "flying" substitutions, limited time punishments and incur harsher sanctions for accumulated fouls.

ACCREDITATIONS
Media representatives who would like to be accredited for reporting on the Futsal World Championship are requested top apply to the local organising committee in Spain, enclosing two passport photographs with their application:

COL Campeonato Mundial de Fútbol Sala - España '96
c/o Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF)
Calle Alberto Bosch 13
Apartado Postal 347
E-28014 Madrid, Spain
Phone: +34 (1) 420 1362
Telefax: +34 (1) 420 2094

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DISCIPLINARY MATTERS

• Akpalo Gnavor (Togo) suspended from three World Cup preliminary competition matches and fined CHF 2500.- for offensive behaviour towards the public.

• José Fonseca (Costa Rica), sent off in Olympic qualifier El Salvador-Costa Rica; suspension carried over to World Cup so Fonseca suspended from match Trinidad/Tobago-Costa Rica on 1.9.96.

• Adonay Martinez (El Salvador), sent off in Olympic qualifier El Salvador-Costa Rica; suspension carried over to World Cup so Martinez suspended from match Cuba-El Salvador on 8.9.96.

• Fouad Saih (Morocco), sent off in Olympic qualifier Morocco-Senegal; suspension carried over to World Cup so Saih suspended from match Morocco-Burundi on 10.11.96.

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FOUR-COUNTRY TOURNAMENT WORLD CUP TEST

France and LOC France '98 intend to put their stadia and infrastructure to the test for the first time in summer 1997 by holding a kind of "Tournoi de France". With world champions Brazil, Italy, England and the hosts, the four-country tournament will hold a great deal of attraction. The four squads will be contesting a round-robin tournament in Lyons (two matches), Nantes, Lens, Montpellier and in the Parc des Princes in Paris from 3 to 11 June.

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BULLETINS AND OBITUARIES

Bulletins

• The national association in Zaire, Fédération Zaïroise de Football (FEZAFA), has formally announced that any international transfer certificate emanating from its offices must, from now on, show the signature of the association's President and General Secretary to be valid. Any certificate not carrying the two joint signatures is invalid.
• The Senegal association has been fined CHF 10,000 on account of insufficient discipline and order in the stadium during the World Cup qualifier between Senegal and Togo on 15 June 1996. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee also cautioned the association and threatened harsher sanctions if there was a recurrence of such events.
• Disturbances were recorded during the Futsal World Championship qualifier between Argentina and Paraguay. Based on a judgment pronounced by the sports legal body of the Paraguayan league on 21 June, FIFA has extended the following sanctions to have worldwide effect:
  • a two-year suspension on the players, Juan Coronel, Jorge Cespedes, Pablo Romero and Carlos Peralta
  • a twelve-month suspension on the players, Francisco Coronel, Alcides Goncalez and Dario Sanchez
  • a three-month suspension and fines of varying amounts on Daniel Carbrera (head of delegation), Dr Wilfrido Ovelar (a member of the delegation) and Luis Martin Barrientos (Technical Director).
• Because they failed to comply with a decision passed by the Players' Status Committee, the Ukrainian club, FK CSKA Borisfen (Kiev) was fined CHF 10,000 and threatened with relegation if the claim of USD 25,000 made by the player, Alfonso Yanez, is not settled by a given deadline.
• The association of Cuba has announced that the player, Fernando Grinan Rousseaux, has not been issued with a transfer certificate. Any clubs showing interest in the player must contact the Cuban association first.

Obituaries

• FIFA is mourning the loss of its long-serving member of the Referees' Committee, Adolfo Reginato Molina (Chile), who died after a long illness at the age of 64 on 26 August. With the passing of Adolfo Reginato, international football has lost an experienced and ardent proponent of refereeing who first rendered invaluable service as an active referee and then in an advisory capacity.
• Germany's best wing forward of all time is dead. Reinhard Libuda, who had been suffering from cancer for some time, died of a heart attack on 25 August. Libuda, nicknamed "Stan" by his admiring fans because of dribbling skills like Stanley Matthews', experienced many highs and lows during his lifetime. In 1970, he appeared in the World Cup semifinal for Germany in Mexico but in 1972 he was banned for life following his involvement in a bribery scandal. Although the ban was later lifted, Libuda sadly found it difficult to pick up the pieces and put them together again.

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