IFHS STATISTICS AND NEWS OF THE WEEK 18
Picture : Paris SG, Official Champion in France with Keylor Navas, Thomas Meunier, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Presnel Kimpembe - Neymar, Angel Di Maria, Idrissa Gueye, Mauro Icardi, Marco Verratti, Kylian M'Bappe.
STATISTICS AND NEWS OF THE WEEK 18
DIDIER DROGBA REJECTED BY FORMER MATES IN FA PRESIDENCY BID
Former Ivorian superstar, and IFFHS legend player, Didier Drogba has been rejected by his former teammates after no one in the 14-member Association of Former Ivorian Footballers cast a vote for him last week in view of the FA Presidency. In Drogba’s bid to become the next boss, 11 members voted for the incumbent, Sory Diabate, while three votes were void in a video conferencing.
The former Chelsea great, and multiple winner of the annual African Golden Boot was tipped favourite after the third candidate, Eugene Diomande withdrew and publicly endorsed the former in a vote-cast that earned nothing for the current Vice President, Idriss Diallo.
However, Drogba who had been endorsed by 48 professional clubs in Ivory Coast looks forward anxiously to the outcome when members of the Active Footballers Association, coaches, referees, and others cast their votes. For now, he is certainly quietly ruminating about the reasons why his following former teammates turned their backs to him: Abdoulaye Traore, Oumar ben Salah, Basile Aka Kouame, Jean Soro, Didier Zokora, Ibrahim Kone, Aliou Badra Siby, Youssouf Fofana, Eugene Beugre Yago, Didier Otokore, Fadel Keita, Lucien Kassi Kouadio, Alain Gouamane, and Zezeto.
TWINS FOR HOPE SOLO AND ALMUTH SCHULT
In 2014, Hope Solo and Almuth Schult won the IFFHS Trophy of THE WORLD’S BEST WOMAN GOALKEEPER of the Year with the same number of votes ! In 2020, they became each mother for the first time with Twins, a girl and a boy !
Former Team USA Goalkeeper Hope Solo has welcomed twins with her husband Jerramy Stevns. Born on March 4, Vittorio and Lozen make the happiness of Hope Solo, four times IFFHS Award Winner, World Champion and Olympic Games Gold Winner !
In the same time, Almuth Schult, Germany’s Goalkeeper, despite a Euro and an Olympic Gold Medal with Germany, not counting four championships, five Cups and an UEFA Champions League with Wolfsburg, the best Goalkeeper in Germany has welcomed twins, also a girl and a boy with her husband.
SAD ANNIVERSARY FOR ZAMBIA NATIONAL TEAM 27 YEARS AFTERWARDS.
This past night of April 27th 27 years ago, the entire national team of Zambia, called then, Kenneth Kaunda-Eleven(KK-11) perished when their plane plunged into the ocean, off the coast of Gabon. It was later to be known that due to the fact that the Zambia FA no longer enjoyed the presidential privileges as when Kenneth Kaunda was Head of State, they always found themselves scouting for financial assistance from elsewhere for the national team to honour their international schedules. For the expedition in question, the Zambia FA had hired a DHC-5 Buffalo aircraft of Zambia Air force to transport 18 players of the national team and their coaches for their 1994 World Cup qualifier away to Senegal in Dakar. The flight was scheduled to make three stops for re-fuelling in Brazzaville, Libreville, and Abidjan.
On the first stop in Brazzaville, an engine problem was noted, but the pilot continued on to Libreville. After the stop, the pilot took off and then the left engine of the aircraft caught fire and failed, prompting the pilot, later declared to have had some fatigue from flying the same plane and team from a game in Mauritius the previous day, to rather shut down the right engine! The plane thus lost power, drastically losing altitude before crashing off the coast of Gabon, some 500 metres away, into the ocean, killing all 30 on board, including 18 members of the KK-11 squad, the national team coach and support staff, as well as every member of the plane`s technical crew.
But, team captain, Kalusha Bwalya, playing professional football then at PSV Eindhoven who had made arrangements to join the team in Dakar as he had an engagement with his professional team, was not part of the doomed expedition. Also surviving the fatal crash was Charles Musonda of Anderlecht who had been out of the squad because of an injury.
All those who perished in that disaster were buried just outside the Independence Stadium in Lusaka at a place later named Heroes` Acre.
Reports later showed that the doomed aircraft had entered service in 1975, but then had been out of service again from late 1992 to April 21, 1993. It had test flights on April 22nd and 23rd to clear it for service; but then, in spite of checks that showed engine defects with `carbon particles in the oil filters, disconnected cables, and trace of heating,` the aircraft was allowed to effect the journey. It was also later to be learnt from a Gabonese report ten years on that causes for the crash had also included faulty warning light, and a pilot carrying fatigue with him!
FRENCH LIGUE 1 FINISHED , PARIS SG CHAMPION !
The French football league (LFP) has formally ended its season after calling a board meeting last week, clearing the way for Paris Saint-Germain to be declared champions again. The crisis meeting follows this week's announcement by the French Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, that "professional sports leagues, notably football, cannot restart" because of the risks linked to the coronavirus pandemic. Large gatherings remain banned until September with more than 24,000 people having died from the virus in France, one of the highest death rates worldwide.
"The league is following government directives, and the government has decreed that the leagues be stopped," explained one board member. The LFP has decided to determine the final standings in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, that will be done on average points per game. That may only be formally decided at a General Assembly of the league at a later date but, if agreed, it will confirm PSG as champions for the seventh time in eight years.
The season was suspended in mid-March with 10 rounds of matches remaining in the top two divisions. PSG were top, 12 points clear of Marseille at the time and with a game in hand. Marseille and Rennes would also go into the next Champions League, with Lille and maybe Reims in the Europa League. If promotion and relegation are maintained, Toulouse and Amiens would go down with Lorient and Lens coming up to the top flight.
In Europe, France is the second country after the Netherlands to cancel the season due to the coronavirus. For the Women clubs, 10 countries in Europe (Austria, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Czech republic, Luxembourg, Israel, Portugal and Malta) and 1 in South America (Argentina) have already cancelled.
INDIAN LEGENDARY PLAYER GOSWARI PASSED AWAY
Indian legendary footballer Subimal Goswami, who captained India to the 1962 Asian Games Gold medal victory passed away today at Kolkata. He was 82. He was fondly referred to as Chuni Goswami by his vast legion of fans.
India, under the leadership of Chuni, scripted a historic 2-1 victory against South Korea (Korea Republic) in the final to win India its second gold medal in Asian Games history.
Goswami, a fascinating striker, made his International debut against Burma (now Myanmar) in the Asian Games in Tokyo in 1958. He even scored on debut as India rallied to win 3-2 on the day. He went on to represent India in 36 official International matches, captaining in 16 of them, and netting 13 goals.
Besides two editions of the Asian Games, Goswami was also part of India’s Olympic squad in the Rome Olympics in 1960. He also captained India to the final of the AFC Asian Cup in Tel Aviv in 1964 and was part of India’s campaign in the pre-Olympic qualification in 1959 (in Kabul), 1960 (in Kolkata and Jakarta), 1963 (in Colombo as captain), and in 1964 in (Tehran and Calcutta).
He also played in the Merdeka Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 1961, and 1964 (as captain).
Goswami won the Arjuna Award in 1963 and was awarded the prestigious Indian civilian award, Padma Shri in 1983.
At the club level, he represented Mohun Bagan for 15 consecutive years – from 1954 to 1968, and scored 200 goals for the Green and Maroons .
The versatile sportsman that he was, he also represented Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, India's oldest and renowned national cricket tournament, and even captained Bengal in 1968-69 season. He also played for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy, another prolific regional cricket tournament.
He also served the Tata Football Academy as its Director and was appointed the Sheriff of Kolkata in 2005. In the same year, he was awarded the Mohun Bagan Ratna. The Indian postal department also honoured Goswami with a commemorative stamp on his 82nd birthday earlier this year. All India Football Federation (AIFF) condoles the death of former India captain.
Mr. Praful Patel, the President of the All India Football Federation, in his message said: “He will stay synonymous with the golden generation of Indian football. Chuni-da, you will remain alive in our hearts,”
Souvenir with PELE.