IFFHS STATISTICS AND NEWS OF THE WEEK 7
Picture : New European Record for Liverpool FC
UEFA AND DISNEY TOGETHER
The European governing body for football, UEFA, and Disney have teamed up to develop a ground-breaking football program for increasing girls’ participation in the sport.The program will use Disney’s world-renowned storytelling to encourage more young girls to exercise regularly and kick start a lifelong love of football.
Inspired by academic research showing the positive role of storytelling in helping children take up the sport, Playmakers also aims to increase the proportion of girls meeting the World Health Organization’s minimum standards for physical activity – currently, just 16%.
Targeting 5-8-year-old girls not currently playing football, seven UEFA national associations – Scotland, Norway, Belgium, Poland, Austria, Romania, and Serbia – will roll out Playmakers through schools, clubs and local communities. More associations are expected to introduce the program later in the year, states a UEFA report.
Unlike traditional football programs, each of Playmaker’s ten initial training sessions follows the narrative of Disney and Pixar’s billion-dollar global box office smash hit, Incredibles 2. Equipped with footballs, bibs, and cones, trained coaches encourage participants to play the roles of popular characters, such as Elastigirl, Violet, Mr. Incredible and Dash, bringing the film’s action scenes to life through movement, teamwork, and their imagination.
“If you’re going to teach football through the power of storytelling and play, you have to do it with the best stories and characters in the world, and Disney is the perfect partner for this,” said Nadine Kessler, UEFA Head of Women’s Football and crowned IFFHS THE WORLD’S BEST WOMAN PLAYMAKER 2014. “As a playmaker on the pitch, you have all the possibilities to shape the game around you, to be creative from so many different perspectives,” .
“We want girls to have the same feeling and be encouraged to create their own game and make their own decisions. This is exactly what this program is about – creating an environment for all girls to flourish and develop, whether that be fundamental movement skills, football basics or life skills and values. We truly believe that this unique program can be the spark for a more active generation of football-loving girls.”
Playmakers represent a first step toward achieving one of the main goals of “Time for Action” the UEFA Women’s Strategy – to double girls’ and women’s participation in football by 2024. In Poland, Disney launched its successful #GetMovingWithDisneyJunior initiative, a campaign spearheaded by local sporting champions, which reached more than 30,000 youngsters. The campaign involved the creation of more than 30 films, which featured children exercising alongside Disney Junior characters.
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BUNDESLIGA ON THE TOP
In the last season 2019/20, the statistics of the most goals / Match in the best Europe Leagues were dominated by the German Bundesliga (3,24 goals/match.). Second in the ranking, Italy’s Serie a with 2,92 and the English Premier League, (2,77). Spain’s La Liga took place ‘ with 2,53 and France’s Ligue 1 registered 2,51 goals/match.
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UEFA SLAMS 2-YEAR BAN, $32 MILLIONS ON MANCHESTER CITY
The European Continental Football-governing body, UEFA, February 14 handed a 2-year ban to Manchester City from the Champions League competition and any other European competition, as well as a fine of 32 million dollars for “breaching Financial Fair Play.” In short, City are accused of telling lies and violation of UEFA financial reporting rules.
The kick off to City`s potential demise was when UEFA began a two-year enquiry into the former`s sponsorship deal with Etihad Airlines, leading to the discovery by the Club Financial Control Body that City inflated their sponsorship revenue with income from their Abu Dhabi-based owner, Sheikh Mansour who used his money to fund the club.
The English top-flight club who have said they are “disappointed, but not surprised at the UEFA decision” have vowed to appeal the penalty at the Court for Arbitration of Sport, CAS.
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LIVERPOOL FC PIP NORWICH CITY 1-0TO SET EUROPEAN RECORD
Liverpool Football Club have set a European clubs record by bagging 76 points from 26 matches, and remaining invincible yet in the current Premier League season.
Senegalese international, Sadio Mane, came up late from the bench on Saturday, after missing two previous matches due to a hamstring injury, to score 12 minutes to the end of the game, landing themselves a 0-1 win against hosts, Norwich, in spite of excellent goalkeeping by Tim Krul.
The Mane goal gave the Reds their 43rd win, six shy of the Arsenal all-time accomplishment of 49, and also puts their 17th straight win one shy of Manchester City`s record. The Reds now need barely 5 wins from the remaining 12 games to clinch their first top-flight league title in 30 years.
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RONALDO SETS JUVE SCORING RECORD
The Portuguese mega-star quickly recovered from the hangover of his 35th birthday celebrations to become the first Juve player ever to score in 10 straight games of the Serie A February 9th.
Although Ronaldo raised the curtains at the 65th minute to put his season tally at 20 goals so far, Maurizio Sarri`s boys received a shock defeat following the equalizer from Hellas Verona at the 76th minute by Fabio Borini, and the winner from the spot at the 86th minute through Giampaolo Pazzini, after the VAR had validated a penalty.
Ronaldo`s achievement put to rest the 15-year-old record of a goal in each of 9 straight Juve games courtesy of David Trezeguet.