Review 2004
February: Home-sweet-home as FIFA visit London and Tunisia triumph in Africa
From: FIFA
February saw FIFA pay tribute to the British associations’ contribution to the
game at the 118th Annual General Meeting of the International Football
Association Board in London where extra-time and penalties were brought back as
the method for deciding a match and artificial turf given the thumbs up as a
possible playing surface. Earlier in the month, hosts Tunisia claimed glory in
Africa’s continental showpiece, women’s football among Arab nations was being
heartily promoted by a princess and the audited accounts of world football’s
governing body for 2003 revealed a surplus of CHF 141 million.
While in London, where FIFA’s Executive Committee members had also gathered on
their first stop in FIFA’s 100th birthday centennial tour, an approved format
for the FIFA Club World Championship 2005 was among the key decisions of the
Ex-Co meeting. Elsewhere, the failure of the USA to qualify for the Men’s
Olympic Football Tournament was the latest shock following Brazil’s inability
to make it to Athens. In China, the American women were doing rather better,
capturing the prestigious Four-Nations tournament and suggesting, what they
later proved at the Olympics, that there was still plenty of ambition left
among the former world champions. Down under, Harry Kewell scooped the 2003
award for best Oceania player, while back in wintry Europe, Belarus emerged
victorious at the 12th Malta International Tournament.
FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking
The African Cup of Nations had a major impact on changes in the Ranking with
Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Mali, Senegal, Nigeria all moving on up within
touching distance of Africa’s number one and world number 13 – Cameroon.
2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™
Early preliminary matches in the CONCACAF and Asian regions continued in
February. China, who would later be pipped at the post for a place in Asia’s
final qualifying round, scored a 1-0 victory against rivals Kuwait.
Key dates:
–Febuary 2: FIFA and International Olympic Committee meet in Lausanne and
discussfight against doping
–Febuary 2: USA win Four-Nations cup in China
–Febuary 12: Mexico and Costa Rica make it to Olympic Football Tournament, USA
fail
–Febuary 15: Tunisia beat Morocco and claim their first African Cup of Nations
triumph
–Febuary 20: FIFA report profit of CHF 141 million for 2003
–Febuary 28: 118th Annual General Meeting of the International Football
AssociationBoard in London
–Febuary 29: FIFA Executive Committee meets in London
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※ 編輯: larcism 來自: 61.228.130.157 (01/01 16:59)