The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ferguson

  • Messi, Ronaldo, Bale on Ballon d’Or shortlist

    Messi, Ronaldo, Bale on Ballon d’Or shortlist

    …Ferguson, Scolari, Mourinho for coach award

    FIFA and France Football on Tuesday revealed the names for the men’s Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards.

    The final decisions, according to fifa.com will be made by the captains and head coaches of the men’s national teams as well as by international media representatives selected by France Football.

    The winners of all of the awards will be revealed at the FIFA Ballon d’Or as part of a televised show at the Zurich Kongresshaus on January 13 2014, during which the FIFA FIFPro World XI, the FIFA Puskás Award – for the most beautiful goal of the year – the FIFA Presidential Award and the FIFA Fair Play Award will also be presented.

    The list of 23 male candidates has been drawn up by football experts from the FIFA Football Committee and by a group of experts from France Football. The list of ten coaches has been drawn up by the Committee for Women’s Football and FIFA Women’s World Cup and by the FIFA Football Committee, as well as by a group of experts from France Football.

    In early December , FIFA and France Football will announce the names of the three men and three women, as well as the three coaches for women’s football and three coaches for men’s football, who have received the most votes (without unveiling the winners).

    The three nominees for the FIFA Puskás Award and the FIFA FIFPro World XI shortlist for the best forwards, goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders will also be unveiled in early December.

     

    Men’s shortlists:

     

    Gareth Bale (Wales), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay), Radamel Falcao (Colombia), Eden Hazard (Belgium), Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Müller (Germany), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Neymar (Brazil), Mesut Özil (Germany), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Franck Ribéry (France), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Luis Suárez (Uruguay), Thiago Silva (Brazil), Yaya Touré (Côte d’Ivoire), Robin Van Persie (Netherlands) and Xavi (Spain).

     

    Coaches’ shortlists:

    Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Paris Saint-Germain FC/Real Madrid CF), Rafael Benítez (Spain/Chelsea FC/SSC Napoli), Antonio Conte (Italy/Juventus), Vicente Del Bosque (Spain/Spain national team), Sir Alex Ferguson (Scotland/Manchester United FC former coach), Jupp Heynckes (Germany/FC Bayern München former coach), Jürgen Klopp (Germany/Borussia Dortmund), José Mourinho (Portugal/Real Madrid CF/Chelsea FC), Luiz Felipe Scolari (Brazil/Brazil national team) and Arsène Wenger (France/Arsenal FC).

     

  • Ferguson: When to ‘step aside’

    SIR: As a Chelsea fan, the news that Sir Alex Ferguson the manager of Manchester United FC has decided to quit his job fills me with great joy ¯ and relief. If there was any man who stood between Chelsea (ok, and other teams) and the English Premier League silverwares it is Ferguson. The man straddled the league like a colossus. I know no greater joy than when he loses. And now the Fergie Time is over!

    When I say Fergie Time do not mistake it with the 27 years he spent as the manager of Manchester United. The Fergie Time I mean was first heard in the 90’s. It is that extra period that referees add that drags a match long enough every time Manchester United need a crucial goal. The first was in 1993 when United got seven whopping minutes of injury time against Sheffield Wednesday and scored to win a first top-division championship since 1967. And after that there have been many of them. To the opposition it is crazy, an injustice, but to Man U fans it is exciting, a miracle.

    Yet, no one can take his managerial capabilities away from him. He is got the charisma. His team looks on him like a father. It is always difficult to defeat a team that believes in a coach and plays for him. He instilled in his boys a comeback, it-is-not-over-till-the-fat-lady-sings mentality that is unrivalled in football. Sometimes you think they get their cue, or even the match plan from the intensity in which Ferguson chewed his gum.

    He was supposed to retire in 2002 but shelved it. Ferguson knows a perfect story. Because that year Arsenal won the league. Ferguson is also smart. He knows it is the last impression that lingers on. He wants history to be forever kind to him. He does not want to sully his status as a Manchester United legend and icon. He is leaving, or do I say ‘stepping aside’ at the right time. His 27 years as Manchester United manager remain glorious, and will be difficult to match.

    He won 38 trophies with Manchester United. That included 13 league titles, two Champions Leagues, five FA Cups and four League Cups. Before this he tasted success in Scotland, first with St Mirren where he won the first division title in 1977, and then Aberdeen, with three Scottish Premier Division titles, four Scottish Cups, three League Cups, and a famous European Cup winners Cup victory over Real Madrid in 1983.

    African leaders can learn from Ferguson. At first, African leaders may come with good intentions for their people. They may improve the lot of their people. Instead of leaving when they should, they wait to be booted out in shame after destroying what they may have built. If only African leaders know that the best time to leave is when they are loved by the people, when they are doing well. This raises the bar for the incoming person and nudges them to want to do better as all eyes will be on them. Success begets success. And failure begets failure, which is why African leadership has had failure in perpetuity. African leaders should borrow a leaf from Ferguson’s book who leaves when the ovation is loudest.

    Yet I could not help the sneaky feeling that Ferguson knows that come next season Jose Mourinho could be coming back to Chelsea. And with Manchester City’s ever bigger dreams? Trophy starved Arsenal? Vengeful Liverpool? Surely there is a knight who knows the best time to ‘step aside’ is now.

    • Dr Cosmas Odoemena,

    Lagos.