Latest news with #Euro2000
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Jose Mourinho breaks down in tears as he pays tribute to former Porto captain Jorge Costa who has passed away aged 53
The former defender, who was in his second season as Porto's Director of Professional Football, was rushed to hospital but could not be saved. 'Throughout his life, both on and off the pitch, Jorge Costa embodied the values that define FC Porto: dedication, leadership, passion and an unshakeable spirit of conquest,' the club said in a statement. 'He left his mark on generations of fans and became a symbol of Portismo.' Over his career, Costa played 530 games in all competitions, making 383 appearances for Porto and earning 50 caps for Portugal's national team. The centre-back helped the national side make the semi-finals of Euro 2000 and scored two goals for Portugal. The Portuguese Football Federation said: 'The Portuguese Football Federation deeply regrets the death of Jorge Costa. Footballer, coach, manager, and current director of professional football at FC Porto, Jorge Costa was one of the most remarkable players of a generation fundamental to the establishment of Portuguese football.' We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content As captain, he led Porto to UEFA Cup glory in 2003 and a Champions League triumph in 2004 under manager Jose Mourinho. The defender was one of six players to win five consecutive Portuguese league championships with Porto, alongside Aloisio, Drulovic, Paulinho Santos, Rui Barros and Folha. He earned the nickname 'Bicho', translating to 'animal', from teammate Fernando Couto during their partnership in central defence. Mourinho posted a picture of the pair on Instagram, writing, 'I know what you would say now if you could, 'mister stop crying, tomorrow you have a match and your boys need you ready and strong'. I promise you Bicho, I am going to do it. RIP, because your legacy stay[s] with us.' UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin also paid tribute, saying: 'It is with profound sadness that we have learned of the sudden passing of Jorge Costa. 'A legend of Portuguese football, Jorge was more than a football player – he was a leader and a true warrior who inspired generations. He embodied grit, resilience and loyalty. His unforgettable moment lifting the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2004 remains a legendary tribute to his unwavering dedication and spirit. ADVERTISEMENT 'On behalf of UEFA and the European football family, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, team-mates, and all who are grieving his loss.' The Portuguese prime minister, Luis Montenegro, released a statement expressing his condolences and described Costa as 'an example of dedication and commitment to the teams he was part of and to our national team'. Costa returned to Porto in April 2024 as director under new president Andre Villas-Boas. 'Jorge Costa's legacy will always remain alive in the memory of all Porto fans. You will never be forgotten, Captain,' the club added.
Irish Daily Mirror
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
EXCLUSIVE: Man United's Karel Poborsky on Roy Keane's ultra-competitiveness
Former Manchester United star Karel Poborsky reckons the 1996/97 team had FOUR of the best players in the world on it at that while he may have been the Euro 2006 final Man of the Match he doesn't include himself - count Peter Schmeichel, Roy Keane, David Beckham and Eric he also admits to being a 'secret' Ireland fan since 1998 when the teenage Damien Duff and Robbie Keane made their international debuts against him in in Ireland for a charity match at county Louth's Rock Celtic FC (3pm today), reckons he could see Ireland's future before many in Ireland did as, famously, the match was not televised!"Roy Keane was an amazing player with a true winning mentality, an absolute warrior on the pitch - it was definitely better to play with him than against him," he said."Whether in training or matches, he hated losing and didn't really know how to lose. He was willing to sacrifice anything to win—sometimes maybe a bit too much—but that's what happens when you're driven by passion. "Players like him are vital to a team because they push everyone to their limits. You feed off their hunger and become stronger just by playing alongside them."And then there was a young kid coming through from the reserves that not everyone was quite sure of - but Poborsky had no doubts when rating him from up close"Myself and David Beckham played together but, as for me, we played in the same position, and Beckham was the first choice," Poborsky added. "That's just how it was — I had no chance to compete with him, so I moved on and continued my career elsewhere in Europe."Back then, he was already an amazing player and a huge personality—on and off the field. Even today, he's remained a successful sportsman and has translated his talents into management and various projects."Hats off to him for everything he's accomplished. We are still on friendly terms, whenever we see each other on the pitch, we say hello."Yet another accolade for Beckham and just how good he was; Poborsky played in the Euro 96 final was adjudged Man of the Match albeit the Czech Republic lost on penalties to was one of two chances Poborsky had of international glory, there was Euro 2000 too when they lost the semi-final to Greece."In 1996, the Czech Republic went to the Euros in England as outsiders and, suddenly, we found ourselves standing in the final at the old Wembley, facing Germany."Even though we were leading 1–0 after a penalty (Poborsky was the player fouled) and in the end, we lost 2–1. It was a huge football tragedy at the time, but with perspective, I see it now as a great success."That tournament was a key moment for me — it opened my door to big-time football."Poborsky's Manchester United Legends XI will also feature such as Lee Sharpe, Jaap Stam, Brian McClair, Neil Webb, Keith Gillespie, Wes Browne, Clayton Blackmore, Chris Eagles, Eric Djemba Djemba at Rock Celtic today.A player who had joined Keane and Beckham at Manchester United right after the Euros and in his first season 1996/97 won the title."I truly enjoyed it, I haven't experienced anything quite like that since, the celebration, the fans, the full stadiums—receiving the trophy at home was unforgettable."We had some standout players, definitely Peter Schmeichel in goal, and it's funny but I played with two of the great goalkeepers in football."I've known Petr Čech personally, and we've known each other for many years because of Czech Republic so it's not easy for me to say this but if I absolutely had to choose, I'd go with Peter Schmeichel."He was extraordinary, a huge talent in goal and a true leader on the pitch. It was amazing to have him behind me. With all respect to Petr, I'd say Schmeichel was just a little bit better."Then of course, Eric Cantona, the captain and a driving force. There was a very strong defence led by Gary Pallister."Then you had Keane, Scholes, Giggs—honestly, whoever I mention, I won't be wrong, the whole team was exceptional."The 1996/97 team deserved the title. Careers have moved on, but winning the Premier League remains one of the biggest achievements." Meanwhile Poborsky admits to being an almost accidental follower of Irish football, stemming from an odd played against both the teenaged Damien Duff and Robbie Keane on their international debuts, made on the same day in 19 at the time, started and the 17 year-old Keane was brought in as a second-half sub in a March 1998 Czech Republic-Ireland friendly. "Damien Duff and Robbie Keane were fantastic players. Their success was definitely no accident."Damien's coaching career has been nothing short of admirable too. Hats off to him — it's not easy for a great player to become an even better coach, but he's managed to do just that."Robbie's career was arguably even bigger, especially from a European perspective. He played in the Italian league, for Tottenham, Liverpool, West Ham."He's a good coach because he's been able to draw from his years of experience on the pitch.*Karel Poborsky is with a Manchester United Legends XI for a game and Gala Dinner with Rock Celtic FC. The game kicks off at 3pm at Rock's Sandy Lane ground. The dinner will take place at The Fairways Hotel. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email.
Daily Maverick
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
Building a winning system – Unlocking Ghana's football potential for economic and social growth
In July 2010, as the vuvuzelas roared across Johannesburg, the hopes of a continent rested on the shoulders of Asamoah Gyan. With one penalty kick, Ghana could have become the first African nation to reach a World Cup semifinal. He missed. And while Uruguay celebrated, Africa mourned. But that moment — heartbreaking as it was — signalled something extraordinary: Ghana had arrived. Not just as a participant, but as a contender. Fifteen years later, the deeper question lingers: Why haven't we done more with that global capital? In a world where people earn unconventionally from TikTok to tech start-ups, why isn't Ghana strategically monetising its most beloved, most watched, and arguably most exportable asset: football? The answer lies not merely in sports, but in systems — or rather, their absence. Ghana's football story is world class. We've won the Africa Cup of Nations four times. Our under-17s dominated the world in the 1990s. We've produced stars like Abedi Pelé, Michael Essien, Asamoah Gyan and, more recently, Thomas Partey and Mohammed Kudus. Yet their success stories remain largely individual. We have yet to build a system that translates individual excellence into collective, structural progress. The real problem: no functional football development system Football in Ghana is celebrated, not capitalised. Loved, but not leveraged. It remains entertainment, not enterprise. What we lack is a coordinated development ecosystem that converts footballing talent into structured economic, educational, and national outcomes. This disconnect reveals five interlinked failures: Policy failure There is no politically committed, operational strategy linking football to youth employment, education, or national branding. Countries like Senegal have explored this linkage. The Diambars Institute, founded by football professionals including Patrick Vieira, combines academic training with elite football instruction. How it emerged, who drove it, and how it continues to function are questions we should be interrogating, not just to replicate, but to learn from. Institutional fragmentation Key ministries and agencies, including Youth and Sports, Education, and Finance, as well as the Ghana Football Association, operate in silos. No shared targets, no coordinated budgets. The result? No pipeline. No plan. According to the Auditor-General's 2022 report, the Ministry of Youth and Sports failed to fully disburse the budgeted support to community football initiatives. Meanwhile, the Ghana Football Association has faced recurring transparency issues in its financial reporting, which has undermined trust with both the public and private sector investors. Germany faced a similar breakdown after its Euro 2000 debacle. In response, it mandated that all top-tier clubs create licensed academies tied to education. Backed by €680-million, it built a pipeline that produced Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer. By 2014, it wasn't just winning trophies, it was reaping the rewards of an adaptive, learning-driven system. Incentive failure There is little reason for local investors or retired players to build domestic football systems when bureaucracy is opaque, and returns are uncertain. The recent MTN FA Cup final — marred by controversy — only reinforces why some hesitate. Yet, models like Côte d'Ivoire's ASEC Mimosas and Académie MimoSifcom show that football can be both a business and a development tool. Its academy has produced global stars (think Yaya Touré, Gervinho and Emmanuel Eboué), reinvested earnings, and sustained a world-class pipeline. We must ask: What allowed that ecosystem to thrive? And who enabled it? Take also, for example, 13-year-old Camden Schaper, a South African prodigy nurtured at SuperSport United's academy in Pretoria. The club's system — scouting talent from Safa tournaments, offering free education, life-skills training, and elite medical and coaching support — echoes the kind of dual-purpose model Ghana needs. Under this structure, Schaper captained the under‑11s on an unbeaten Spanish tour, drew interest from Sporting Lisbon by age eight, and logged five-star performances in Blackburn's youth ranks before Chelsea reportedly bid £700,000 for him. Yet despite this nurturing environment, he and his family relocated to the UK in 2023 to pursue his dreams, raising compelling questions such as: What stops a system from retaining its talent? If Ghana is to build not just pipelines but ecosystems, we need to understand that question deeply. Who decides when talent leaves? What local capacity was exhausted? And how can pilot models surface those insights in real time. Capability and learning deficit Public agencies often lack the necessary tools and planning systems to implement effective reform. Worse, we've failed to reflect on and learn from our history — the 1991 and 1995 youth triumphs, as well as the 2010 World Cup run — all have vanished into nostalgia without substantive reform. Why it matters: football as industrial policy In the UK, sport contributes more than £99-billion to GDP and supports more than one million jobs. In 2021 alone, sports activities added £53.6-billion in direct Gross Value Added. However, the UK's success isn't just about output; it's about the process. Coalition-building, smart regulation, and patient investment created the conditions for monetisation. We need to understand how they got there, not just what they built. Equally, we must study failure. South Africa's 2010 World Cup offers a cautionary tale. Despite adding 0.5% to GDP and creating temporary jobs, the benefits were highly uneven. Infrastructure served already-wealthy areas. Fifa's rigid sponsorship system allegedly sidelined local entrepreneurs. And tourism returns were dismal. Scholars like Mirele de Aragao argue that the real cost was what was not funded: education, healthcare, and employment systems. The question then becomes, what if we saw football not as frivolous, but as strategic? Where might we begin? Learning, not prescribing A few entry points worth exploring: Could a cross-ministry task force define shared Key Performance Indexes for football and youth employment? Could dual-purpose academies become national learning labs? Could diaspora players co-finance infrastructure through matched public funds? Could football-linked tourism (e.g., Abedi Pele museum) become a new export product? Could a national football data system create value for scouts, clubs, and broadcasters? These are not silver bullets. They're prompts — experiments to be piloted, adapted, or abandoned based on what we learn. None promise transformation alone. But together they could offer iterative learning loops that will quite literally change the game for Ghana and Ghanaians. That's where real reform starts. We've played enough exhibition matches Ghana has the talent. The passion. Even the capital. What it lacks is a system. Football is more than a sport in Ghana. It is identity. Unity. Soft power. But soft power without structure is sentiment. If we want jobs, revenue, and national pride, we must build institutions that treat football not as nostalgia, but as a strategic asset. Reform doesn't begin with blueprints; it starts with confronting uncomfortable truths, asking the right questions, and learning our way forward. Football can be a test case for something bigger — a model for how we rebuild broken systems by building better ones, bit by bit, match by match. The missed penalty in 2010 was painful. However, the greater tragedy would be to continue missing the point. It's time to be strategic, intentional and committed to the sport Ghanaians claim to love so dearly. DM
The Guardian
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Nessun Dorma podcast: a 1980s and 1990s football odyssey
The European Championships of 1980 and 2000 were only 20 years apart. They also belonged, both literally and figuratively, to different millennia. Euro 80 was a violent mess of negativity, apathy and hooliganism, Euro 2000 a joyous, sunkissed celebration of 21st-century football. That jarring contrast was the spark for the latest series of Nessun Dorma: an odyssey through the history of football in the 1980s and 1990s. Our aim is to highlight, via a series of subterranean dives into each football season, how it went from being a 'a slum sport played in slum stadiums and increasingly watched by slum people' – as a Sunday Times editorial called it in 1985 – to a multi-gazillion pound industry. There are multiple episodes per season, as well as deep dives into the major international tournaments and some diversions into the wider world of sport and pop culture. Guests include Pat Murphy, David Goldblatt, Dominic Sandbrook, Kieran Maguire, Tony Evans, Gordon Smith and Scott Murray. There are Patreon exclusives, too: Q&As and a regular weekly feature called, er, This Week, in which we kick around seven dates from football's past. We'll soon be launching a Discord channel in which subscribers can hang out (okay, nerd out) with one another and the Nessun Dorma team. The more subscribers we have, the more we can all bathe in the past and pretend 2025 isn't happening. Think of it as a charitable donation. The main series is ongoing – we're currently at the business end of a quite glorious Euro 84 – and will probably end sometime in 2029. Here's what we've covered so far. We start at the bottom: the European Championship of 1980, a miserable, violent tournament played largely in front of empty stadia in Italy. Then we turn to the 1980-81 season, memorable in this country for the exploits of Aston Villa, Ipswich, Tottenham Hotspur – and Liverpool, who made amends for an unusually dismal league campaign by winning the European Cup for the third time. Euro 80 | Ipswich, Villa and Spurs (pt1) | Ipswich, Villa and Spurs (pt2) | Crystal Palace, Team of the Eighties | Liverpool's European triumph | Man Utd sack Dave Sexton | Cricket: Botham's Ashes? There were underdog stories galore in 1981-82, from Swansea's rise through the divisions to Liverpool rumbling inexorably through the field to win the title. Okay, that's hardly an underdog story but they were 12th at Christmas. We also look at the brief dominance of Spain's New Firm, Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao, and how a young Sven-Göran Eriksson led IFK Gothenburg to an emphatic Uefa Cup triumph. Liverpool, Swansea and more | Hooliganism and the Falklands | Sven, Gothenburg and the Uefa Cup | Spanish New Firm If you're aged between 44 and 54 – you are, aren't you – there's a fair chance you'll regard 1982 as the best World Cup of your lifetime. We devoted eight episodes to a festival of football in Spain. England | Scotland | Northern Ireland | Algeria and Cameroon | Brazil | Italy 3-2 Brazil & West Germany 3-3 France | Post-mortem | The draft The shock of the new was a recurring theme of the 1982-83 season. We discuss the other New Firm, the one established in Scotland by Sir Alex Ferguson and Jim McLean, celebrate the rise of Watford and Luton in England, investigate how Hamburg beat Juventus's galacticos to Europe's top table and trace the oft-forgotten origin of the ferocious rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United. We also talk to Brighton striker Gordon Smith about one of the biggest what-ifs in FA Cup history and recall the retirement of English football's unassuming giant: Bob Paisley, who slipped quietly away from Liverpool after winning his sixth title in nine years. 'And Smith must score…' | Scotland's new firm | Origin story: Arsenal and Man Utd | The rise of Watford and Luton | Hamburg winning the European Cup | Bob Paisley's retirement On the morning of 25 April 1984, there was a fair chance that the three European finals that season would be all-British affairs. We cover the dramatic, brain-melting events of that day in a bumper pod, while also devoting episodes to the European runs of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs were making headlines off the field too: we talk to Kieran Maguire about their groundbreaking floatation and the impact it had on football over the next 20-30 years. Nessun Dorma regulars Gary Naylor (Everton) and Mac Millings (Watford) do their best to remain impartial while recalling the 1984 FA Cup final between the sides. And the great David Goldblatt recalls the Los Angeles Olympics of 1984. The Division One season | 25 April 1984 | Kieran Maguire on the Tottenham flotation | Liverpool's European Cup triumph | Spurs' Uefa Cup run | FA Cup final | David Goldblatt on the LA Olympics It's hard to believe now, but the European Championship was an endangered species going into the 1984 tournament in France. Sixteen days of pulsating, unfettered football changed all that – although you wouldn't necessarily have known it in England, where only two of the 15 games were shown live. We've set aside seven episodes to cover the tournament, including two on the qualifiers alone. When you hear some of the stories – like the botched three-on-none attack that cost Bulgaria a place in France – you'll understand why. Qualifiers (pt1) | Qualifiers (pt2) | Group 1 | Group 2 | Semi-final one We are also running a sport draft for every year of our odyssey from 1980-2000. Mike Gibbons, Mac Millings and Gary Naylor each try to capture the sporting year with their choices, while also attempting discreet drive-bys on each other's selections. 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 We've done a handful of other drafts as well, including a couple of World Cups from the 1990s. Cricket World Cups. Division One 1984-85 | England in the 1990s | Premier League 1992-93 | Champions League 1999-2000 | Cricket World Cup 1992 | Cricket World Cup 1999 Since our last Sport Network post – where did those two years go – we've relived USA 94, from the shocking murder of Andres Escobar to the genius of Gheorghe Hagi, Romário, Roberto Baggio and Hristo Stoichkov. Preview | Groups A & B | Groups C & D | Groups E & F | Last 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final and post-mortem Last but not least, there are a number of one-off episodes on a variety of subjects. When Italian Football Ruled Europe | Elton Welsby interview | Gary Lineker | The 1994-95 English season | Remembering Sven Nessun Dorma is available on iTunes, Spotify and Substack. You can also find it on Bluesky and Patreon.
Edinburgh Reporter
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Edinburgh Reporter
Findlay added to new-look Hearts
Defender Stuart Findlay has joined Hearts on loan from English Championship side, Oxford United. The 29-year-old started his career in the Celtic youth system and had loan spells at Morton, Dumbarton and Kilmarnock. He then moved to Newcastle United and was loaned back to Rugby Park, signing for the Ayrshire club on a permanent basis. Findlay has played for Scotland, scoring in the 6-0 Euro 2000 qualifier against San Marino. A spell with Philadelphia Union in America followed before he returned to Britain to play for Oxford United. The centre-half then switched back to Scotland, helping Kilmarnock finish fourth in the league. Derek McInnes, Hearts' head coach, (pictured) said: 'I know his attributes and every aspect of his game and he is a real leader on the pitch.' Meanwhile, Hearts have appointed Ross Grant as their first set-piece coach. He joins from Dundee United and has 15 years of experience to add to the Tynecastle team's coaching team. And Finlay Pollock has signed a one-year extension with Hearts. He is a product of the club's youth academy. Like this: Like Related
