Olympic Facts - 2008 Olympic Football Tournament

Great Britain did not qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. It won three Olympic titles: Paris 1900, London 1908 and Stockholm 1912. In 2012, Great Britain will serve as organizer of the Olympic Games.

The Brazilian Olympic football team will go to Beijing looking forward the first gold medal. This team will no doubt be the nucleus of the nation's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Brazil did not compete in the Olympic football tournament 13 times: Paris 1900, Saint Louis 1904, London 1908, Stockholm 1912, Antwerp 1920, Paris 1924, Amsterdam 1928, Berlin 1936, London 1948, Melbourne 1956, Moscow 1980, Barcelona 1992, Athens 2004.

From 1952 to 2004, Hungary has won 5 Olympic medals, including 3 golds. It has more gold medals than Brazil (3), Argentina (3) and Nigeria (1).

The Honduran men's national team will travel to Beijing to attend the Olympics. Honduras will make its first appearance in the Peoples Republic of China. Tegucigalpa does not have full diplomatic relations with Beijing. Honduras won the 2008 CONCACAF Olympic Qualification Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee (USA). This Central American country surprised the world with its triumph...

Belgium has had famous football players: Wilfried van Moer, Raoul Lambert, Ruddy Smidts, Marc Emers, Danny Boffin, Marc Degryse and Marc Wilmost. In 1920, Belgium won the Olympic title.

Cote d'Ivoire -also known as Ivory Coast- qualified for the 2008 Olympics. This African team representing Africa at the 2006 FIFA World Championships in Germany. It is one of the best teams in Africa. "We are one of the few African countries to have an organized youth league. Great players have always come out of the Ivory Coast; I'm thinking of Laurent Pokou in the 1970s; and Youssou Fofana in the 1980s. But now the footballing infrastructure is much better and so many youngsters are getting the right coaching", said Henri Michel (former coach of the Cote d'Ivoire national soccer team). Ivory Coast won the African Cup of Nations in 1992.

Argentina has famous coaches: Cesar Luis Menotti, Carlos Salvador Bilardo, Daniel Passarella, Ramon Diaz, Jose Peckerman, Marcelo Bielsa...

The Serbian men's national team will travel to Beijing for its first Olympics. Football is the most popular sport in Serbia (formerly Serbia & Montenegro).

Mexico did not qualify for the 2008 Olympics. It competed in the Olympic Soccer Tournament 8 times: London 1948, Tokyo 1964, Mexico City 1968, Munich 1972, Montreal 1976, Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Athens 2004.

The People's Republic of China made its debut at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in South Korea...

Argentina -FIFA 1978 world champion and junior world champion- boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. It had won the South American Olympic Football Qualification Tournament. Argentina was replaced by Venezuela.

The Italians are Europe's best hope of reaching the finals. Italy won the gold medal at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin. This European country is well known for its great tradition in soccer.

Brazil will have both its soccer teams (women and men) at Beijing 2008.

South Korea will in China to participate in the Olympics. It competed in the Olympic Football Tournament 7 times.

Nigeria is one of the favourites to win the men's Olympic Soccer tournament. The national team won the gold medal at the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA. Nigeria defeated Argentina 3-2 and won the Olympic title for the first time. This African country received an invitation to play in the Olympics in 1980 in Moscow (USSR/ currently Russia). Sunnie Ephraim (journalist from Lagos) says: "Qualifying for the Games is one thing; doing well and winning the gold medal as seen in Atlanta, United States 11 years ago is different ball game altogether.

Argentina is one of the hot favorites for the Olympic title. Why? This Latin American country won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2007(for the second time in a row). Argentina also won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens (Greece). Final standings: 1.Argentina, 2.Paraguay, 3.Italy, 4.Iraq, 5.Mali, 6.South Korea, 7.Australia, 8.Costa Rica. The Argentine team won four matches in the group "C" (Serbia-Montenegro 6-0, Tunisia 2-0, Australia 1-0). In the quarterfinals, Argentina defeating Costa Rica 4-0. In the semifinals, Argentina beat Italy 3-0 and went on to win the final against Paraguay 1-0. The Olympic champions were Mariano Gonzales, Luciano Figueroa, Javier Saviola, German Lux, Wilfredo Caballero, Roberto Ayala, Fabricio Coloccini, Gabriel Heinze, Clemente Rodríguez, Leandro Fernandez, Javier Mascherano, Cristian Gonzalez, Nicolas Medina, Cesar Delgado, Carlos Tevez, Mauro Rosales.

Soccer/ football was first featured at the 1900 Olympic Games.There were nine different champions in the last nine Olympic Games: Poland (Munich 1972), East Germany (Montreal 1976), Czechoslovakia (Moscow 1980), France (Los Angeles 1984), USSR (Seoul 1988), Spain (Barcelona 1992), Nigeria (Atlanta 1996) and Argentina (Athens 2004).

The 1976 Olympic Soccer Tournament were attended by 13 nations: North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Guatemala, Israel, France, Mexico, Canada, Spain, Brazil, USSR/ Soviet Union, Poland and East Germany. Surprisingly, Uruguay -it was replaced by Cuba- did not participate in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Zambia, Nigeria and Nigeria had withdrawn from the Olympics, due to participation of New Zealand.

In the Beijing 2008 Olympic Football Tournament 16 men's teams will compete in four groups:

Group "A": Argentina (South America/ winner of the previous edition), Cote d'Ivoire (Africa), Australia (Oceania), Serbia (Europe).

Group "B": Holland (Europe), Nigeria (Africa), Japan (Asia), USA.

Group "C": China (host country), New Zealand (Oceania), Brazil (South America), Belgium (Europe).

Group "D": South Korea (Asia), Cameroon (Africa), Honduras (Central America), Italy (Europe).

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer. Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry. He has published more than seventy-five research paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso". He is an expert on foreign affairs. Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latin America.

He admires Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), José Gamarra (former president of the Bolivian Olympic Committee ,1970- 1982), Hillary Clinton (ex-First Lady of the USA), and Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA). Alejandro said: "The person who I admire the most is José Gamarra . He devoted his professional and personal life to sport. José played an important role in the promotion of Olympism in Bolivia -it is one of the Third World`s poorest countries- and Latin America. His biography is interesting". The sportspeople he most admire is Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman. "This African-American sportswoman is my idol... "

Uruguay 1930 - South Africa 2010 - The Brazilian Men's Football Team

History:

1900-1948 The national football team did not participate in the Olympic Games (Paris'00, St.Louis '04, London '08, Stockholm '12, Antwerp '20, Paris '24, Amsterdam '28, Berlin '36, London '48).

1920-1979 Brazil only won a South American Cup title.

1930 At the World Cup in Montevideo (Uruguay), the Brazilian squad finished sixth...

1934 The Brazilian national team placed 13th at the FIFA World Tournament.

1938 The national squad finished third in the World Championships in Europe.

1940 Edson Arantes do Nascimento, also known as Pelè, was born on October 23, 1940 in Tres Coracoes, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Under his leadership, Brazil earned three World Cup titles (1958, 1962, 1970). At 17 years old of age, he was already a first class player. He became one of the most famous athletes in the world.

1950 Brazil hosted the World Cup.This was the second time the World Cup had taken place in Latin America. During the World Cup final, the local team suffered one of its most humiliating defeats: Uruguay beat Brazil.

1952 The Brazilian men's soccer team competed in the Summer Olympic Games for the first time. Brazil became the fourth South American country to qualify for the Olympic Games...

1954 The national squad placed sixth at the FIFA World Championships.

1958 World Cup in Stockholm, Sweden. Seventeen-year-old footballer Edson Arantes of Brazil caused a sensation when he led the Brazilian team to World Cup title. Pelè became the youngest Latin American World champion ever...

1959 Pan American Games in the United States. The Brazilian men's soccer team made its first continental appearance...

1960 Rome, Italy. Brazil took part in its second Olympic Tournament.

1962 World Cup in Santiago de Chile. The national squad surprised everyone by finishing first. The soccer star Garrincha, who was born in Rio de Janeiro, was named the Most Valuable Player.Brazil became the second Latin American nation to win the World Cup...

1963 At the Pan American Games in Sao Paulo, Brazil, host country, won the men's soccer tournament...Santos (Brazilian club) won the Intercontinental Cup for the second consecutive time...

1964 The national team qualified for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

1964-1975 Brazil did not win any Copa Libertadores title.

1966 Brazil placed 12nd at the World Championships in London, England...Edson Arantes do Nascimento wrote in Sports Illustrated, "Nobody in the game had more fun than I did when I first became a professional. This honeymoon came to an abrupt end sometime around 1960. I was continually marked the whole time whenever and wherever I played, and if I avoided the marking, the boot went in. I've been kicked from pillar to post, particularly in those up-country league games where the home team decide this is the only way to stop Pelè and Santos. At first I was shocked, and then I became angry. Sometimes I hit back and because my name was Pelè, news of such incidents made every newspaper in Brazil..."

1968 Mexico City. At the Olympic Games, Brazil disappointed fans by finishing in 11th in place...

1970 Pelè led Brazil to victory in the World Championships in Mexico. The Brazilian squad won all its matches.

1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. Brazil could not qualify for the semi-finals. In the first round, they were beaten by Denmark and Iran...

1974 The national team placed fourth at the FIFA World Championships. They were favorites...

1976 The Brazilian soccer squad was eliminated in the semi-finals at the Summer Olympic Games in Montreal (Canada).

1978 The national team placed third in the World Championships in Buenos Aires-behind Argentina (host country) and Holland. Carlos Roberto de Oliveira and Dirceu Josè Guimaraes were the best players...

1979 The Brazilian team finished fourth at the Youth South American Tournament, but did not qualify for the Youth World Championships in Asia.

1982 World Championships in Spain. Brazil could not win the universal trophy. The Latin American squad was one of the favorites to win the global trophy...

1983 Brazil beat Argentina to take the World title in the men's football at the FIFA World Youth Cup in Mexico City...

1984 The national team claimed silver at the Summer Olympic in Los Angeles, California, USA. In the gold medal match, France beat Brazil 2-0.The best players were Gilmar Popoca and Carlos Caetano Bledorn ("Dunga").

1986 Mexico City. For the fourth time, Brazil failed to win the universal title.

1988 Brazilian people were amazed when they known that the Brazilian men's football team did not win the gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. This South American team was one of the favorites. The best footballer was Romario de Souza.

1990 World Cup in Rome, Italy. The Brazilian men's soccer team placed 10th...

1991 Brazil did not participate in the Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba.

1992 The Latin American squad did not qualify for the Olympics in Spain.

1994 Under the direction of Carlos Alberto Parreira, Brazil became World champion in the United States. This South American nation was the 15th World champion. Ronaldo, 17, was the youngest member of the Brazilian team. Romario de Souza was named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament.

1995 During the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Honduras beat Brazil 1-0.

1996 During the Atlanta Olympic Games, the Japanese men's soccer team defeated team Brazil, which has never won an Olympic gold medal, 1-0. Japan gave a lesson of soccer...The squad South American took part in nine editions of the Summer Olympics between 1952 and 1996.

1996-1997 Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima, the undisputed leader of the Brazilian team, was elected the Most Valuable Player in the world. He has competed for Brazil in the past World Cup and the last Olympic Games.

1998 Paris, France. The national squad was runner-up at the FIFA World Cup. Like France, Argentina and Germany, Brazil was one of the favorites to win the universal title...

2002 South Korea & Japan. The Brazilian men's soccer squad earned the global title. During the World Cup final, Brazil played one of the best matches of its history against Germany. The score was 2-0...

2004 Kakà, whose original name is Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, became the United Nations World Food Program's Youngest Ambassador...The Olympic Soccer Tournament took place without Brazil.

2006 Brazil placed 7th at the FIFA World Cup in Germany...Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, created a task force, with experts of the ministry of foreign relations, human development, justice, economy, tourism and sports, to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Ricardo Teixeira, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), said, "With this procedure we intend to show FIFA, its president Joseph Blatter and the whole world football community how seriously the Brazilian government is working to make Brazil the host country for the 2014 Championship. I believe that, with this support, the process of candidacy is already at an advanced stage".

2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). The local team placed fifth, behind Ecuador (gold medal), Jamaica (silver medal), Mexico (bronze medal) and Bolivia. In the first round, Ecuador beat Brazil 4-2...The FIFA chose Brazil to host the World Cup in 2014-30 percent of the facilities are already in place.

2008 Unlike Argentina (Athens 2004 & Beijing 2008), Uruguay (Paris 1924 & Amsterdam 1928), France (Los Angeles 1984), Great Britain (Paris 1900, London 1908, Stockholm 1912), Brazil did not win the Olympic gold medal... The Brazilian team is one of the favorites to qualify for the World Cup in 2010. This South American squad has qualified for all World Cups (1930-2006).

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer. Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry. He has published more than seventy-five research paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso". He is an expert on foreign affairs. Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latin America.

He admires Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), José Gamarra (former president of the Bolivian Olympic Committee, 1970- 1982), Hillary Clinton (ex-First Lady of the USA), and Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA). Alejandro said: "The person who I admire the most is José Gamarra. He devoted his professional and personal life to sport. José played an important role in the promotion of Olympism in Bolivia -it is one of the Third World`s poorest countries- and Latin America. His biography is interesting". The sportspeople he most admire is Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman. "This African-American sportswoman is my idol... "

World Cup Coaches Who Did NOT Play Football

2010 South Africa FIFA World Cup is fast approaching. Football fans all over the world are no doubt looking forward to the big event that only comes about once every four years. This summer, from 11 June to the final in July, the world will be taken by storm with 32 teams competing and billions watching. 2010 FIFA World Cup is the first ever World Cup Tournament that will take place in Africa. The continent will host the World Cup and will take center stage for a month. So will the 32 teams who will be competing there to win the world cup and declare themselves the ruler of the soccer world.

Football is played on the pitch for 90 minutes but never starts or ends there. The preparations takes months and forming a good, functioning and effective team does not only depend on players but the also on the coach managing the team. The effect of the coaches on the team and the game is usually a curious discussion point. Some say that the game is played on the pitch and the coach effect is never more than ten percent. Others argue that the coach and his tactics are the maker or the breaker for the team. This will be a never resolving issue. What is true however is that the coaches are the first to blame whenever there is failure.

There are 32 countries participating in the world cup and they will go to South Africa after many qualification games that they have played to eliminate the rest of the world to reach the finals. Each country made their best effort to come to South Africa and when starting the campaign for qualifications, they chose the best coach they think is fit for the job. When you look at the list of coaches of the teams attending the tournament this summer, there is a striking domination of ex football players who are now in charge of the teams. Of the 32 teams, 30 coaches have actually played professional football in their day.

There are of course more famous ones like Diego Maradona, the Argentinian coach, or Carlos Dunga, the Brazilian. There are also less known or local ones like the Honduras coach Rueda or Ricki Herbert the New Zealand coach. But they all kicked the ball in the professional sense. The question that comes to mind is 'Do you have to be an ex player to be a good coach?' or rather 'Are all players also good coaches?' Looking at the list of coaches of the 32 teams, you have to say yes.

However, let's look at the 2 coaches that have always been coaches and not ex players. Namely, the United States coach Bob Bradley and Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira coaching the hosts South Africa. Bob Bradley is 52 years old and have been coaching soccer since 1981, almost 30 years. Which also means that he started coaching when he was 22. His first post was Ohio University. After coaching at the university level until 1997, he started his Major League Soccer career. Until 2006, when he took over as the coach of the United States, he had successful seasons with Chicago Fire, Metro Stars and Chivas USA. Bradley was only named as the interim coach to be the future national manager perhaps for the 2014 finals. When the first candidate, Jurgen Klinsmann talks fell through he was named as the interim coach. Although many saw Bradley as a second choice, he quickly went about building a strong foundation for the team, introducing younger players to the squad and approaching the job as though he already was, or would soon become, the permanent manager.

In 2009, Bradley led the U.S. team to a 2nd place finish in the 2009 Confederations Cup, including a 2-0 victory over the world's number one ranked team and European champions Spain, ending their 35 game unbeaten streak and 15 game winning streak.

The second coach at the world cup who is not an ex football player is Carlos Alberto Parreira. Parreira was born in 1943 and started his coaching career when he was 24. He was only 25 years old when he took charge of the Ghana team. He managed many teams since then and actually participated in 5 World Cups so far. In 1982, he coached Kuwait and lost two games and drew 1-1 with Checkoslovakia. In 1990, he was leading United Arab Emirates and lost all three games. Four years later, he was holding up the world cup proudly with Brazil. 1998 saw Parreira coaching Saudi Arabia without any notable success. At the last World Cup in 2006, he was back in charge of Brazil but could not put its mark to the tournament. Brazil lost to France and could not reach the final of the tournament.

Now, Parreira is back with South Africa, the hosts. They are playing a fluent game and no doubt they will be raising some eyebrows when June comes. Both Parreira and Bradley did not play football professionally but both are successful coaches and have impressive careers and much more to promise. We will see and follow them both to find out their performance against the other 30 coaches, all ex football players. The world cup is the scene to decide on the discussion point, we will know if you really need to be a football player to be a top coach.

Edip Uras writes sports comments for the Hurriyet newspaper Internet site. His passions are the soccer game and writing. He is the grandson of Esat Kaner, a famous Fenerbahce player of 1930's. He currently runs his own business in various fields while making as much time to play, follow and research about the game of his passions. At FIFA World Cup Video you can find all videos of World Cup games old and new, with stars, qualification games and many more.

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