Editorial:

A Class Act

Interview:
Marcello Lippi

Golden Oldies
and
Golden Youngies

Laying the
Foundations

The Youth Coach –

A different Including

Species?

N EWS LET TE R
F O R COAC H ES
NO. 35
J A N U A R Y 2 0 07
 LI KE FACCH ETTI,
BOBBY CHARLTON HAS ALWAYS

DE SOUZA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
SHOWN CLASS, BOTH ON
AN OFF TH E PITCH.

ROBERTO MANCI N I
WAS VERY I M PRESSED WITH

PA/EMPICS
H IS PRESI DENT,
GIACI NTO FACCH ETTI.

IMPRESSUM
EDITORIAL GROUP
Andy Roxburgh
Graham Turner
Frits Ahlstrøm

PRODUCTION
André Vieli
Dominique Maurer
Atema Communication SA
Printed by Cavin SA

COVER
By beating Benfica in
their last match, Manchester
United (Wayne Rooney)
secured a place in the direct
knockout round of the
UEFA Champions League again.
(PHOTO: ALEX LIVESEY/GETTY IMAGES)

GIACINTO FACCH ETTI,

A PIONEER OF TH E

ATTACKING FU LL BACK.
SABATTINI

2
A CLASS ACT
EDITORIAL which goes with it, doesn’t give you the rich and famous. Coach educators
class – there are other factors to be can also play a part in helping aspiring
BY ANDY ROXBURGH, considered. coaches to concentrate on their pur-
UEFA TECHNICAL DIRECTOR pose, and to recognise that in football,
The character of a player or coach team success comes before personal
(i.e. his personality traits) will ultimately glory. In summary, developing class can
dictate the way he is perceived. In a be encouraged but not manufactured.
word, it is about behaviour. Class acts
Giacinto Facchetti, who passed away are considerate towards other people; People with class, such as Giacinto
recently, was a man of class. The former they are honest, loyal, don’t make Facchetti, speak and perform from the
captain of Inter Milan and Italy may excuses, take responsibility, graciously heart. As Inter Milan’s Luís Figo said
have left us but his spirit remains as handle defeat and victory, don’t try to about Giacinto, his president: “He was
an example to today’s players and be something they are not, and despite someone with a big heart.” A passion
coaches. Class on this level is easy to their success, remain extremely hum- for the game, a caring attitude and a
recognise, but difficult to define and ble. They understand the maxim: if warm personality are therefore at the
to develop. Pelé, Bobby Charlton and you have to tell people you are – you core of such special people. In an era
Eusébio (to name but three) are also in aren’t. Arrogance is the very antithesis when ruthlessness, a “win at all costs”
this rare category of people who have of the humility shown by the person mentality and cynicism are often preva-
displayed class on and off the pitch. of class. Gérard Houllier, the head lent, the players and coaches who
coach of Olympique Lyonnais, empha- show real style and class should be
So what is class? Does it come from sised the point when he spoke of the recognised and promoted – winning
an innate ability and a natural disposi- classy Giacinto Facchetti: “He would does not need to equate with ugliness.
tion for thoughtfulness and respect for give examples of his loyalty and his
others? Or can it be trained? Certainly, huge humility every day”. And Sandro There is no doubt that Giacinto Facchetti
there are two sides to the class “coin” – Mazzola, a European champion with was a role model, on and off the pitch.
the performer (player or coach) on Inter Milan and a Facchetti team-mate,
one side, and the person (the charac- added another brushstroke to Giac- As Gerhard Aigner, the former CEO of
ter) on the other. Both aspects have into’s image when he said: “I remem- UEFA, stated in a tribute to his friend
a part to play in producing “an extraor- ber a young man, serene and tranquil.” Giacinto: “Football has lost one of its
dinary man”, as Roberto Mancini, the Most people can recognise the quali- crown jewels.” Recognising a class act is
head coach of Inter Milan, described ties, but is it possible to train this intan- one thing – replicating it is another.
Giacinto Facchetti. gible thing called class?

On the pitch, class is seen in the Of course, in their formative years,

fluid way a player moves, in his timing, footballers can be nurtured into team-
in his actions under pressure, in his orientated players, be made aware of
ability to read the game and in the the role of others, and be encouraged
eye-catching way he controls and uses to show respect for the game. Sir Alex
the ball. Tommy Gemmell, who scored Ferguson, the renowned manager of
a Facchetti-type goal for Glasgow Celtic Manchester United, is adamant that the
against Inter Milan in the 1967 Euro- coaching staff have a responsibility to
pean Cup final in Lisbon, spoke about influence the attitude of young players.
Giacinto Facchetti’s pioneering role and As he says: “At this club we work
his qualities as a player, when he said: hard to keep the players’ feet on the
“He (Facchetti) was the first of the ground.” However, we must accept that
modern overlapping fullbacks and my it is not just about coaching influences.
manager, Jock Stein, asked me to A lot of a player’s class comes from
copy him – I tried my best, but I don’t his God-given talent, his self-education,
think I was as good as him.” his good upbringing, and a certain atti-
tude which allows him to view life and
GETTY IMAGES

Without entering into that particular the game in a positive light. Much of
debate, most who saw Tommy, the the same can be said about coaches,
pupil, and Giacinto, the master, would although enlightened coach education
agree that they both had style. programmes do urge young techni- Giacinto Facchetti received a plaque from UEFA
But fame as a player or coach, with cians to be themselves, to be genuine, for players who made their mark on the
the cups, medals, glory and fortune and not to become poor copies of Champion Clubs’ Cup/UEFA Champions League.

3
INTERVIEW
BY ANDY ROXBURGH,
UEFA TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

UEFA-BOZZANI
MARCELLO LIPPI IS THE ONLY COACH WHO HAS WON BOTH THE FIFA WORLD CUP (2006)
AND THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (1996). IN A REMARKABLE COACHING CAREER, SPANNING MORE
THAN THREE DECADES, HE ALSO WON THE SERIE A TITLE FIVE TIMES, THE ITALIAN CUP IN 1995,
FOUR ITALIAN SUPER CUPS, THE UEFA SUPER CUP AND THE 1996 EUROPE/SOUTH AMERICAN CUP – ALL
WITH JUVENTUS. IN ADDITION, HE JOINTLY HOLDS THE RECORD WITH REAL MADRID’S MIGUEL MUÑOZ
FOR FOUR EUROPEAN FINAL APPEARANCES AS A TECHNICIAN. THE FORMER UC SAMPDORIA PLAYER,
WHO PLAYED 239 TIMES IN ITALY’S TOP DIVISION, STARTED OUT AS A YOUTH COACH WITH THE GENOA
CLUB, AND EIGHT CLUBS LATER, HE ARRIVED AT THE ‘OLD LADY OF TURIN’ IN 1994. MARCELLO,
A GRADUATE OF THE ITALIAN FA COACHING SCHOOL IN FLORENCE, TOOK ALL THE NECESSARY STEPS ON
HIS WAY TO THE TOP, AND APART FROM ONE SEASON AT FC INTERNAZIONALE MILANO, HE WAS THE
‘MISTER’ OF JUVENTUS BETWEEN 1994 AND 2004. MARCELLO CAN ALSO BE CONSIDERED AS THE COACHES’
COACH BECAUSE HE IS GREATLY ADMIRED BY HIS ELITE COACHING COLLEAGUES. THE MAN WITH
THE FILM STAR LOOKS IS UNDOUBTEDLY A FOOTBALL WINNER. HE IS A STAR, AND THE NAME IS:

MARCELLO LIPPI
1 • How do you feel about being 1996, I felt I had completed a cycle. 4 • What is the difference between
the first coach to win the World Cup Not that I felt that I was a top-notch coaching at club level and working
and the UEFA Champions League? coach, but I was very satisfied and with a national team?
I didn’t realise that until after we won it gave me greater strength to talk The difference is huge. As a club
the final in Germany. It’s an absolute to my players because I had won coach, you start in the summer and
privilege for me because we are talking something. then you work on a daily basis, trying
about the two most important football to convey your feelings and your
competitions in the world. And if you 3 • How did you train to become ideas to your players – things which
also consider the Intercontinental Cup, a coach? come from your heart and things
then I am even more satisfied. But My career as a player was hon- which come from your brain. You
for me it is not a point of arrival, only ourable but not brilliant. When I was build your team, technically and tacti-
a point of departure. 25 years old I took a coaching cally, every day. You can check your
course because I wanted to under- players’ progress in matches week
2 • What was the moment stand more about what was hap- after week. With the national team,
when you knew you were destined pening in the game. I was inter- we only meet once in a while, and
to become a top-level coach? ested in tactics and what coaches although you are a coach, your main
Well, a coach only becomes a top-level did, and I was already interested in task is the selection of the players –
coach when he achieves some signifi- becoming a coach before I retired you have to recruit the best, but you
cant results. When we won the UEFA from playing. I thought I would have very little time to communicate
Champions League and the Europe/ start out at youth level, which I did. your thoughts to your players, so the
South American Cup with Juventus in But I didn’t stay there too long. work becomes extremely difficult.

4
 STF/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
MARCELLO LI PPI

WITH TH E WORLD CU P.

HERTZOG/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
TH E COACH AN D
H IS M IDFIELD LEADER –

AN DREA PIRLO.

You have to vary the tactics depending man; as long as he has a strong per- he was my first point of reference.
on the players that are available to you sonality and the competence for the I didn’t expect to become like him,
– you have to do that because you job, he will have their respect. but he was definitely the first example
have to take advantage of the character- that I followed.
istics of the players you have chosen. 6 • Who were the biggest influences
So a shortage of time and trying to on your coaching career? 7 • During the World Cup you
make the best use of the players avail- This is a question which I am happy were quite adaptable in terms
able is the challenge. to answer because there was one per- of tactics and selection. What were
son in particular who had a great influ- the reasons for this?
5 • What are the priorities for ence on me. He was my first A-league My first reflection about the World
a coach in professional football? coach and he was very well-known in Cup and the tactics goes back to what
The main priorities for a top-level coach, Italy – but sadly he is no longer with I said about taking advantage of the
especially for someone at a club, are us. His name was Fulvio Bernardini. He talents and best qualities that you
the following: firstly, the players need to was a great player and subsequently have in your team. You must not
have the feeling that their coach is a a great coach. He also became Italy’s choose players who are a photocopy
guide, someone who is competent and national coach in the 70s, and I was of each other – you must pick the
with the necessary experience and per- very impressed with his intelligence, best in the country. If you have variety
sonality that it takes to be at the helm his wisdom, and his educational back- in the selection, you may have to vary
of a group of men. This means dealing ground. He had a degree in business the system of play. Secondly, as you
with top players who have their own and economics, and he had one major know, matches start in one way, they
views, and at club level, who come quality in my view: his personality. All then evolve in a different way, and
from different countries and cultures. too often, however, coaches who have often they finish in a totally different
So the players must feel that they have a strong personality end up by neglect- way. So the important thing therefore
a sure and strong guide. It doesn’t ing the personality of their players, or is to try to capture the moments
matter if they view the coach as a nice are overbearing. He didn’t do that, and when you see the possibility of scor-

5
 MARCELLO LI PPI

WITH TH E PRESIDENTS AN D

CEO S OF FI FA AN D U EFA

UEFA-pjwoods.ch
AT TH E COACH ES’ SYM POSIU M

IN BERLI N.

ing, of winning the game. You try to (he can play other roles), and add a of people who respect each other and
deploy a player (or players) that can fresh player like De Rossi to the mid- who place themselves at each other’s
exploit a weakness in your opponent, field. I therefore was able to preserve service. If nobody acts like a prima
something you have identified. You the technical quality of Pirlo, and with donna, then the group is destined to
may have to change the approach or our other attacking players, to maintain achieve great results. By contrast, if all
the system rather quickly. But in Italy an offensive approach. the players cater to their own self inter-
we have a very good tactical culture est, it is going to be rather difficult; you
and our players are well trained in 9 • From a coach’s perspective, will have some spectacular moments
various systems and they are prepared what does it take to win either of football, but in the end the teams
to adapt. the UEFA Champions League which have a ‘we’ mentality will prevail.
or the World Cup?
8 • Specifically, what was your The most important thing is to have 10 • How did you deal with
reason for the change you made in the ability to involve top-level players. the motivation of the players at the
the second half of the World Cup There is very little a coach can do if he World Cup, particularly with the
final when you moved Andrea Pirlo can’t count on top players – you need difficulties in Italy at the time?
forward and brought Daniele De quality players to produce results. So Well, first of all I have to say something.
Rossi into the midfield? it is about recruitment, selection and I always use this metaphor to define
We were suffering in the second half the ability to gel those players into an what happened in Italian football: if you
against France. We had been very suc- effective team. The more stars you have a nice piece of cheese in the
cessful in the first half, but in the sec- have in the team, the more you need cellar and a small piece goes bad, you
ond period we started to pay the price to work hard to bring the group to- don’t throw out the whole cheese –
for our 120 minutes against Germany gether, to make the team compact and you get rid of the bad bit and keep the
in the semi-final – there was a huge in total harmony. You have to make rest. So although there were problems
energy expenditure in that game both each player feel equally useful, but in Italian football, it didn’t mean that
physically and psychologically. So, I not indispensable. Every time I start everything was bad. This group of
thought I would try to maintain our working with a team, the first thing players was very much affected by what
creative quality by moving Pirlo forward, I emphasise is that a team is made up happened, and they felt they had a
mission to show to the whole world
that Italian football was not what people
read in the papers. The technical and
moral values of Italian football had to
be upheld and that was the attitude
when we set about our task. Our squad
began with a great deal of tension and
therefore difficulty, but we knew that
in time all this would turn to our advan-
tage, and that is what happened.
We turned a negative situation into
positive energy.

11 • What is your view of the

UEFA Champions League?
The UEFA Champions League is some-
thing which is part of me. I had the
good fortune of winning the UEFA
Champions League, but a lot of people
EMPICS

forget that I was lucky to reach the final

Lippi also won the Champion Clubs’ Cup with Juventus in 1996. four times. Only Miguel Muñoz of Real

6
 TH E WORLD CHAM PION

WITH EU ROPEAN COLLEAGU ES

AT TH E U EFA ELITE

UEFA-pjwoods.ch
CLU B COACH ES’ FORU M

IN GENEVA.

behave in an obstinate way and want

to impose their style of football on the
players.

13 • What happens
to Marcello Lippi now?
I have no intention whatsoever of retir-
ing. Let me just say that even before
the World Cup I had informed my fed-
eration that whatever the outcome of
the World Cup I would leave. I want to
stress this because people might think
that I suddenly left triumphantly, just
because we had won. My mission was
to be concluded, irrespective of the
outcome. Now my plan is to rest for a
few months and then I will definitely
go back to my job, which is to be a
coach. I was asked to be the supervisor
of our national teams but that is not
what I want to do. I would like to have
a direct relationship with a new team.
I would like to try to convey to them,
as I said before, what comes from the
heart and what comes from the brain.
BRANDT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

14 • Finally, is football, from

a technical and coaching view point,
in good health?
Technically speaking yes. I think football
is in good condition because there are
Madrid also did that. Getting to four ties of his players. I don’t think the some excellent players around. There
finals was fantastic but winning only coach should adapt the player to his are many players who have evolved
one was very difficult for me to accept. system, but instead he should adapt greatly from a tactical point of view,
The magic, the music, the organisation and work over the months to use the and consequently the coaches have the
of the UEFA Champions League, it is qualities of the players. When I see opportunity to work in any way they
the most wonderful thing that can a coach who is stubborn and insists want. Unfortunately, however, the activ-
happen to a coach in his career, and on playing in a certain way, and every- ity today is so intense, the calendar so
it is equally special for the teams that one realises that these players are crowded, that when top-notch players
participate. So please don’t change not meant to play that way, then that get to the final stages of competitions,
anything – leave it the way it is. annoys me. A coach has to be flexible, especially with their national teams,
be very receptive. We have to under- they are tired and lack the necessary
12 • Is there something in the stand that we are constantly experienc- energy. If there is too much competi-
modern game that annoys you? ing tactical evolution. This even hap- tion, star players can’t be expected
Not the referees because they are like pens in youth football and young play- to perform to their capacity because
people in all walks of life – you get the ers are emerging technically and tacti- they are exhausted. But technically
good and the bad. But, as I said earlier, cally prepared for the modern game. and tactically, the game is certainly in
a coach should try to tap into the quali- I therefore can’t stand it when coaches good condition.

7
 LU IZ FELI PE SCOLARI,

PORTUGAL’S COACH.

GOLDEN
OLDIES
UEFA-pjwoods.ch

AND GOLDEN
YOUNGIES
THE 14TH UEFA CONFERENCE FOR NATIONAL COACHES WAS THE FIRST TO BE JOINTLY STAGED
WITH FIFA AND, BEARING IN MIND THAT THE AIM WAS TO ANALYSE THE FIFA WORLD CUP
UNDER THE SLOGAN ‘2006 AND BEYOND’, WHAT BETTER PLACE TO STAGE THE EVENT THAN BERLIN,
SCENARIO FOR THE ALL-EUROPEAN FINAL BETWEEN ITALY AND FRANCE?

The list of participants – a real Who’s requirement to submit squad lists a

Who of national team coaches from all full 25 days before the event.
corners of the world, included four of
the top five technicians, and the ‘absent When discussion turned towards the
friend’, Jürgen Klinsmann, was beamed future, there was such a wealth of pro-
in from Los Angeles for a satellite inter- posals (priorities tended to vary widely
view with Andy Roxburgh. from continent to continent) that neu-
tral observers had to reach for extra
In-depth discussions on the Laws of notebooks. But the common denomi-
the Game confirmed that there is global nator was a firm conviction that the
concern about some of the issues regu- future of the game hinges on player
larly raised at European get-togethers: development and that more status,
abuse of the ‘passive offside’ ruling, the education and remuneration need to
suspicion that players are sometimes be given to youth coaches – a view
over-punished in ‘penalty, red card and which dovetails with UEFA’s blueprint
suspension’ situations, the abuse of fair for an A youth licence.
play gestures (players going down in
order to persuade opponents to kick The need to have a ‘youth philosophy’
the ball out of play rather than counter- as well as a ‘youth programme’ was
attack), the number of substitutions another thesis which received wide-
(three + goalkeeper?), a certain malaise spread support. There was a call for
about the behaviour of some fourth emphasis to be placed on technical –
GETTY IMAGES

officials, deep concern about simulation, rather than physical or tactical –

a desire to experiment even further with improvement and for youngsters to
reliable goal-line technology, and more be equipped to combine technique Jürgen Klinsmann, interviewed live from
World Cup-specific topics, such as the with speed and to be able to cope Los Angeles by satellite.

8
 TH E NATIONAL COACH ES

UEFA-pjwoods.ch
AN D TECH NICAL DIRECTORS

IN BERLI N.

with tight situations in a game where of 21 teams at an average of two clubs is not necessarily positive for
space is increasingly difficult to find. apiece. That meant 11 squads con- the development of the individual.
Understandably, this was immediately tained no players aged 21 or under.
linked to training facilities and decent This question sits neatly on the
playing surfaces – or rather, the lack However, registering youngsters as debating table next to a comment
of them. Technicians from many coun- ‘present’ at the finals only tells half the by Carlos Alberto Parreira, whose
tries commented that bad pitches rep- story. The other half is about how they Brazilian squad performed before
resent an insurmountable barrier when were used. Germany’s Lukas Podolski sell-out crowds of 4,000 or during
it comes to developing skills and to received the Best Young Player award every session of the pre-World
focus on the creative aspects of playing on the basis of seven appearances Cup training camp in Switzerland.
to win rather than playing not to lose. and three goals in 634 minutes on the “The level at the World Cup was OK,”
pitch. In terms of sheer participation,
The event in Berlin inspired so many he was followed by Portugal’s Cristiano
reflections that there’s a risk of trying Ronaldo (6 games/484 minutes),
to pack everything into an ‘overview’ Tranquillo Barnetta (4/390), Luís Valen-
rather than focusing on a specific topic cia (4/314), Wayne Rooney (4/253),
– like the one raised by Raymond Cesc Fabregas (4/214) and Artem
Domenech during the interview session Milevskyi (4/87). Lionel Messi (122
alongside Luiz Felipe Scolari, Carlos minutes) was one of the eight young-
Alberto Parreira and Angola’s Luís de sters who made three appearances,
Oliveira Gonçalves on the final morning. while 14 of the 41 young bloods (35%)
remained unused on the bench.
“In Germany, we were given proof that
the old-timers can still play,” Raymond Raymond’s viewpoint was supported
commented. “The veterans’ contribution by Luiz Felipe Scolari who, a few min-
to the World Cup was very positive. utes earlier, had remarked “it was a
But can we say the same about the satisfactory World Cup because Portugal

UEFA-pjwoods.ch
young players? Are there enough talents proved that they can compete with the
emerging?” top nations, even though 51% of the
players in the Portuguese league are
Raymond Domenech in praise
His question provides food for thought. foreigners. It has reached a stage where
of the veterans.
His French silver-medallists certainly coaches need to be urgently encour-
offered evidence to support his thesis, aged to launch home-grown youngsters he said. “There was not that much
with the likes of Zinédine Zidane (34), into league football so that they have difference between big teams and
Patrick Vieira (30), Claude Makelele a chance of making it into the national small teams, because it was not a
(33) and Lilian Thuram (34) providing team.” World Cup that was dominated by
much of the impetus that pulled Les two, three, four or five outstanding
Bleus out of the group-phase doldrums In Berlin, it was underlined that this individuals. OK, there were stars, but
and into the final. The squad’s average theme is by no means exclusive to they worked for the team. And the
age was 29 years and 2 months. Europe. National-team coaches from strength of Italy was the team itself.”
Marcello Lippi’s gold-medallists aver- other continents commented that
aged 28 years and 9 months. migratory patterns mean that most So the debating points to emerge
nations now have promising youngsters from Berlin were: Are we developing
A statistical response to Raymond’s – or even top players – in other coun- enough top-quality youngsters?
questions can be found in FIFA’s techni- tries. This is not necessarily a disadvan- Are we giving them enough playing
cal report, edited by Holger Osieck, tage. But it can certainly become a opportunities? And are we focusing
where 41 players born in 1985 or later disadvantage if those players are not on the team ethic to the detriment
were listed. They represented 5.5% getting regular football. There was wide- of the individual? The answers
of the ‘workforce’ on duty in Germany spread concern that an incessant drift will be provided on the pitch in a
and were included in the squad lists of top youngsters towards the richest not-too-distant future…

9
 DISCUSSIONS AT A

UEFA-BOZZANI
RECENT U EFA COACH EDUCATION

COU RSE I N FLORENCE.

UEFA CONVENTION
to upgrade their courses and their
programmes and they started to come
on board.”

THE CIRCLE
Apart from documents, programmes
and evaluations, was there a philosophy?
“Very much so. The Executive Commit-
tee’s aims were to raise standards and to
make sure that coaches could move freely

IS CLOSED
between countries, in line with EU law.
In fact, everything we have done has been
in line with EU law. The Executive Commit-
tee felt that the coaches were the key
people in terms of raising standards and
improving football, not only at pro level but
LAST OCTOBER, UEFA’S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, BY ADMITTING right through to amateur and grassroots
TURKEY TO THE UEFA CONVENTION AT ‘B’ LEVEL, CLOSED A CIRCLE. levels. Again, the theory was that outstand-
ing coaches could create outstanding play-
AT THAT POINT, ALL OF UEFA’S MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS WERE ers and outstanding teams. OK, you can
ON BOARD. IT WAS A MAJOR MILESTONE IN A PROCESS THAT HAD leave this to chance. But our philosophy
was to try to achieve this by design rather
STARTED 15 YEARS EARLIER, SO GRAHAM TURNER KNOCKED than by chance. So UEFA’s approach was
to aim for high quality in coach education.
ON ANDY ROXBURGH’S DOOR AND ASKED UEFA’S TECHNICAL
You can argue that there have been great
DIRECTOR TO TELL THE STORY AND TO OUTLINE WHAT FURTHER coaches who didn’t have licences. And that
is true because you always get exceptions
LANDMARKS WE CAN EXPECT TO SEE IN THE FUTURE. to a rule. People in the old days could
be good teachers without being trained
How did the story start, Andy? getting them to live together during long
“It began in 1990, with UEFA’s Executive periods at one central venue seemed
Committee. They thought we should like a mission impossible. Another way
look into the idea of having a pan-Euro- was to pinpoint the federations that were
pean coaching licence. Their attitude leading the field, gather them together,
was that, with more and more areas draw up criteria based on best practice,
being regulated on an international basis and then encourage everybody else
and criteria being built up in all sorts to match up to those standards. That’s
of fields, UEFA should take the initiative what we did.”
rather than run the risk of having some-
thing imposed by non-football agencies. Who was ‘we’?
So they decided to create a working “After the initial working groups, UEFA
group which met for the first time in decided that the only way to effectively
Zurich in 1991 with Dr Vaclav Jira in the drive the project was to appoint a tech-
chair – which is why the group of experts nical director – something UEFA had
who have been instrumental in imple- never had before. I left the Scottish FA
menting the idea is called the Jira Panel.” to take the appointment at the beginning
of 1994. In 1995, we created the Jira
How did you become involved? Panel and held our first meeting in Paris,
“At that time I was still the coach of the with Gérard Houllier as ‘host’ because
national team in Scotland, but they asked he was technical director in France at
me to join the group, along with people that time. Our small group set about
like Rinus Michels and René Hüssy, who designing the criteria and visiting federa-
took the chair after Dr Jira passed away. tions with a view to starting the evalua-
For a couple of years, this little working tions and endorsements that got the
group looked at the possibilities. One project going. In Ghent, on 17 January
idea was that UEFA could run coach 1998, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy,
education courses centrally. The more the Netherlands and Spain were the first
UEFA

I thought about that, the more disturbed six associations to put their signatures
I became! The idea of bringing people to the convention. The foundations were The German FA (DFB) was one of the first asso-
together from 52 countries, with all the in place. After that we proceeded very ciations to join the convention. DFB president at the
language and cultural elements, and quickly to encourage other associations time, Egidius Braun, signs the document in Ghent.

10
 AN DY ROXBU RGH WITH FRAN KIE VERCAUTEREN

PHOTO NEWS
AN D H UGO BROOS AT A CONFERENCE FOR COACH

EDUCATION DIRECTORS I N BRUSSELS I N 2003.

to teach. But the vast majority of people –

even those with innate talent – benefit
from being trained and being part of an
educational process.”

How?
“Apart from the formal input from
coaching courses, there’s also work expe-
rience because, as part of their training,
they have to go and work at a club or with
a national squad. And they work there
under guidance. The third element is that,
ultimately, a coach has to be self-reliant,
so it’s important to write log books, to
devise training routines and programmes.
We aim to encourage that sort of self-
reliance.”

MARCOU/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
By implanting uniform standards,
don’t you run the risk of creating
uniform coaches?
“One thing we have always stressed is
that we don’t agree in any way, shape or
form with the idea of creating a uniform,
stereotyped style of coaching throughout Fabio Capello and his players during a Real Madrid training session.
Europe. Our philosophy, right from Day 1,
has been that variety is good and that Is a UEFA diploma a ‘status symbol’? placency is the first thing we have
national identity is vital to the entertain- “In the most positive sense of the term, to avoid. The task has not ended. If you
ment value of football and the intrinsic I hope it is. In a context where it is easy like, we’ve made Steps 1 and 2 – to
qualities of the game. The last thing to hire and fire technicians, we wanted implement the convention and then
you want is to have everybody with the to improve the status of European to close the circle by getting all 52 asso-
same philosophy, the same mentality and coaches and to protect the coaching ciations actively involved. Now we go
the same style. So our criteria are not so profession. A profession doesn’t really into Step 3, which is to encourage as
much based on what to teach but rather become acknowledged until it has stan- many associations as possible to climb
how to teach football. We try to show best dards, rules and regulations to govern right up to the professional level. And
practice and then leave it to the coaches it. Proper education programmes have there’s a Step 4 based on the renewal
to decide which styles they prefer to use. to be recognised and they have to be policy, which we do every three years.
Whatever he or she chooses, the key ele- compulsory through the licensing sys- Plus a Step 5, which is to add new fea-
ments are the ability to impart knowledge, tems in different countries so that you tures, such as the new ‘A’ level youth
how to train players, how to protect them have qualified people to do the job. specialisation course, which will be fully
from injury, how to structure teams, how We also felt it was important to pool the functional by the end of 2007.”
to motivate them and how to prepare resources of all the national associations.
them for matches. A lot of that will stem The exchange of ideas is important. “We also have to make sure that we
from individual qualities but you can also And we also set out to offer an advisory protect what has been built and pre-
learn a lot. And if you talk to leading lights service about technical matters via the serve its credibility. Therefore, constant
such as Marcello Lippi, Fabio Capello extranet and so on.” improvement on a daily basis has to
or Sir Alex Ferguson, they’ll all tell you be the mentality. In this respect, the
that the formal education courses they But this has been more than a tech- members of the Jira Panel are vital.
attended completely changed their think- nical exercise. There has been a lot of They are experts who go all over
ing because they were obliged to stop administration attached to such a vast Europe to help and encourage national
thinking as players and develop a coach- programme, and my colleagues, such associations. The other people who
ing mentality. They learned an enormous as Maik Kiss and then Frank Ludolph, deserve credit are the national asso-
amount that they didn’t know as players. have, along with our staff, provided ciations themselves. First of all, they
Being a top player is an advantage valuable administrative support in imple- embraced the UEFA concept. And then
because you’ve got all that experience menting the coaching convention. they invested resources into imple-
behind you and it’s also a key that will menting the programmes and making
open doors for you when it comes to Is having all national associations them work. That’s why the convention
getting a job. But, as Frank Rijkaard on board the end of the project? is such a good example of the marriage
said “once you’re through the door, you “No. Even though we have over 170,000 between UEFA and its member asso-
have to prove that you can do it.” technicians with UEFA credentials, com- ciations.”

11
 TONY H IGGINS FROM

TH E SCOTTISH PROFESSIONAL

FOOTBALLERS’ ASSOCIATION.

LAYING THE
FOUNDATIONS
THE 16TH UEFA COURSE FOR COACH EDUCATORS WAS THE FIFTH TO BE STAGED AT COVERCIANO.
SO IT WAS FITTING THAT THE EVENT GOT OFF TO AN EMOTIONAL START WITH A TRIBUTE TO THE FORMER
DIRECTOR OF THE ITALIAN FEDERATION’S NATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE, GUIDO VANTAGGIATO,
AND ONE OF THE LEGENDS OF ITALIAN FOOTBALL, GIACINTO FACCHETTI. IT TURNED OUT
TO BE A VIBRANT, DYNAMIC COURSE THAT BOTH MEN WOULD SURELY HAVE BEEN PROUD OF.

Marcello Lippi set the scene by tracing That final in Poland had been classed The strong emphasis on youth develop-
his own development from youth coach as a ‘meeting of two footballing cultures’. ment was no accident. UEFA used the
at UC Sampdoria to champion of Europe In the auditorium, Ginés and Tommy course in Coverciano as a sounding board
with Juventus and world champion acknowledged that there are fundamen- for reactions to plans for the imminent
with the senior national team. Youth tal differences between Spanish and introduction of an elite youth diploma
development was to be the core feature Scottish youth players but, in their own to be placed in parallel to the A licence
of the four-day event, with ACF Fioren- ways, stressed that man management within the structures of the UEFA coaching
tina ‘lending’ their Primavera squad and motivation are key elements at convention. The schedule is for the details
for two practical sessions – one con- that level. “You don’t stop being young to be fine-tuned at the meeting of the
ducted by their own coach, Adriano when you sign a pro contract,” said Jira Panel in Glasgow on 15 May and
Cadregari and the other by FC Inter- Ginés. “So we work on bringing the for the project to be formally launched
nazionale’s Vincenzo Esposito. Spain’s players to maturity. We encourage them when the coach education directors get
Ginés Meléndez and Scotland’s Tommy to draw up their own code of conduct. together in September.
Wilson (gold and silver medallists at We work on the will to win and on
the European Under-19 Championship) psychological balance. After a training Some national associations – the French
had no such luxury. Their pupils on session, we encourage them to lie for example – have already travelled a long
the pitch at Coverciano were their fellow down and reflect on the positive aspects way down this particular road. Some of
participants on the course… of the work they have done.” the smaller ones have neither the need
nor the resources to do so. Others already
have specific educational offers for youth
coaches – many as modules within existing
coach education structures. So UEFA will
have the task of identifying clear pathways.

There are, of course, initial hurdles to

surmount. Holders of an A youth diploma
will obviously need job opportunities
and, in some countries, clubs will need
to be persuaded that youth development
is a priority. In some cases, there may
even be doubts about who can best
identify the most appropriate educators
for the A youth course.

This is why some of the sessions in Cover-

ciano were of special value to the associa-
tions which have yet to set foot on this par-
ticular path. Nico Romeyn explained how
The participants at the course in Coverciano. the Dutch place emphasis on attitude and

12
 MARCELLO LI PPI

CONTRIBUTED TO TH E COU RSE

I N COVERCIANO.

But mental preparation is also paramount.

“Talent is not enough – you need desire
and intelligence,” says Arsène Wenger.
“The key is to know what to do in every
kind of situation,” says Rafael Benítez.
“The focus of youth development in the
future,” says Louis van Gaal, “will be tacti-
cal training and personality development.”
“As well as being technically good, you
also have to be able to think – and to
think ahead,” says Morten Olsen while,
at the same time, Gérard Houllier main-
tains “young players who have technical
flaws at 16 will find it hard to catch up.”
In other words, there is compelling
evidence to support theories that youth
coaching is an art in itself. The elite

PHOTOS: UEFA-BOZZANI
youth coach is expected to inspire his
or her pupils with:
● Love of the game
● Competitive spirit
● Football knowledge
Vincenzo Esposito runs a practical session. ● Technical mastery
● Athletic proficiency
personality as well as technique and to include educational elements that ● Team mentality
skill. Erich Rutemöller did likewise from will produce a person equipped to move ● Work ethic
his standpoint as head of coach educa- into an alternative lifestyle even if there ● Healthy lifestyle
tion at the German FA. And Jean-Pierre is not enough quality to underpin a ● Mental strength
Morlans passed on the knowledge and professional career or even if there is a ● Capacity for total concentration
experience gained since the French com- career-threatening injury.” ● Inner confidence
mitted themselves to this particular field. ● Leadership qualities
Tony stressed that, these days, there is And, in accordance with the unwritten
The next question raised in Coverciano: social funding available to help players laws of the game, the youth coach will
What happens to the youngsters who are who go through elite youth schemes be judged on results. But, in this case,
engaged in youth development schemes but who, for one reason or another, fail what are the results? Rather than score-
but fail to make the grade? This crucial to make the grade. His message was lines in matches, the criteria might be:
issue was addressed by Tony Higgins, a clear: youth development is not exclu- ● Number of players deemed good
former pro player in Scotland who is now sively about football; it is intrinsically enough for the first team
involved with the Professional Footballers’ interwoven with the development of the ● Number of players sold to other
Association and various government human being. professional teams
bodies. “Those of us who are involved in ● Number of players deemed good
youth development or in soccer acade- The same applies in physical terms. enough for national teams
mies,” he warns, “must bear in mind that, Vincenzo Esposito and Paul Balsom, ● Market value of players developed
of the 16-year-olds who sign a profes- physiologist at the Swedish FA, stressed by the club
sional contract, 85% are out of the pro- that motor skills are learned at very ● Positive value of the youth scheme
fessional game by the age of 21. Of those early ages and that, at youth level in terms of media reporting
who make it into the professional game, “you cannot teach if you do not have ● Success rate in developing ‘players’
70% have unrealistic expectations of their a profound knowledge of the person,” with successful business careers
post-playing career. They say they want in the words of Vincenzo. “You have to ● Positive contributions to local
to stay in the game, but it is obvious that examine the muscular and skeletal or grassroots football/refereeing
the game cannot absorb that number of structures of each individual and draw
people. In an international survey among up a personal work schedule. At the As Andy Roxburgh said in Coverciano,
professional footballers, 40% admit that same time, you have to draft a personal “youth development is all about implant-
they have given no thought to what they psychological profile and you have to ing a philosophy, the pursuit of good
might do when they stop playing. To detect the reasons for under-perform- habits, the spirit of the game and personal
complete the picture, many players are ance. You also need to show the players development. It’s a privilege to work with
actively encouraged to focus 100% the results of their personal tests and youth players because you get caught
on the game and not to pursue any explain exactly what the player needs up with their adventure and their ambi-
alternative. This makes it quite clear that to do in order to avoid injuries derived tion. For me, being a national youth coach
any youth development scheme has from anatomical peculiarities.” was the best time of my life.”

13
 UEFA-pjwoods.ch
J EAN-PIERRE MORLANS

THE YOUTH COACH –

A DIFFERENT SPECIES?
“WE BEGAN TO WORK WITH YOUNG PLAYERS, FIRST AT VICHY AND THEN AT CLAIREFONTAINE.
WE WERE THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD TO INTRODUCE A SPECIAL DIPLOMA FOR COACHING
YOUNG PLAYERS AND THAT HAS BEEN THE KEY TO OUR SUCCESS.”

The words belong to Raymond Domenech, coach of the French national team ● Self-confidence
that has reached two of the last three FIFA World Cup finals. His opponent in ● Psychological and motivational skills
last summer’s Berlin final, Marcello Lippi, also acknowledged in Coverciano that
● Ability to listen, observe and read
youth coaching is a fundamentally different job. “It is not a stop-gap profes-
the game
sion,” he told his colleagues. “It is a mission for people who deeply believe in
what they are doing; for people who can remove from their heads everything ● Passion and creativity
to do with coaching a senior team. You have to dedicate yourself totally to ● Role-model characteristics
improving young talent. The reason I left youth coaching after three years was
because I realised that I preferred the risks, the tension, the need to get results. In more football-specific terms, the
That’s why I started my great adventure.” profile of the ideal youth coach is
based on:
In Coverciano, Jean-Pierre Morlans explained how and why the French became ● Knowledge (of football and phases
active in the field of specialised qualifications for youth coaches – something of player development)
which has been on the French federation’s agenda since 1992.
● Methodology (teaching skills)

The move stemmed from the realisation that coaching a team and developing ● Player assessment
youth players are fundamentally two different jobs. Using a big brush, the ● Open-mindedness (self-reliant but
pictures could be painted in the following way: always ready to re-educate)
● Specialised skills in the training
‘A’ licence coach ‘A’ licence youth coach of youth players
Usually a ‘temporary’ short-term Long-term project based on club
job philosophy Coaches and players alike felt that
Uses players rather than develops Total focus on player development having played the game at pro level
them can be an advantage in terms of
feeling at home on the pitch, gaining
Emphasis on collective qualities Emphasis on individual qualities
the respect of ‘pupils’ and fulfilling the
Judged on short-term competition Judged on players brought into ‘role model’ requirement. But human
results first team and educational aspects outweighed
the playing component in a profile
On the final day of the course in responses from young players who which, as Andy Roxburgh remarked in
Coverciano, the participants were invited had been asked to name the qualities Coverciano, “some qualities are inher-
to draw a profile of the youth coach. they look for in a youth coach. ent, some qualities can be trained,
The picture which emerged indicated Their vision is of someone with the and some qualities develop with time.”
unequivocally that, in youth coaching, right human qualities to become The profile strongly suggests that the
human and pedagogical qualities carry something between a father figure technicians most likely to gravitate
much more weight than the technical/ and a friend. towards the ‘A’ youth licence may be
tactical abilities which mark the career a slightly different species from those
● Honesty
of an ‘A’ licence team coach. And this who use the normal ‘A’ licence to
was borne out when Andy Roxburgh ● Humility access the professional game as a
combined the coaches’ views with the ● Patience and understanding team coach. Time will tell…

14
 VOGEL/BONGARTS/GETTY IMAGES
TH E OLYM PIC STADIU M

IN ATH ENS WI LL HOST TH E 2007 U EFA

CHAM PIONS LEAGU E FINAL.

TRAINING AG E N DA
2007
January 25–26

Counter- XXXI UEFA Congress (Düsseldorf)

Attack
February 26 – March 1

UEFA
UEFA/CAF Meridian Cup/
Conference (Barcelona)
BY TOMMY WILSON April 2–6
Scotland Under-19 Coach and Glasgow Rangers Youth Coach 7th UEFA Grassroots Conference
(Helsinki)

April 21
UEFA Women’s Cup final:
first leg (Umeå)

April 26–28
UEFA Futsal Cup finals

April 27 or 29
UEFA Women’s Cup final:
second leg

May 2–13
6th European Under-17 Champion-
ship final round (Belgium)
Aim ● When players are on the sidelines,
● To break quickly, when possible. they have a maximum of two May 15
touches and play for the team in UEFA Jira Panel meeting (Glasgow)
● To exploit a disorganised defence.
possession.
Numbers May 16
Coaching Points UEFA Technical Development
● 3 teams of 5 players each.
● When two of the teams change Committee meeting (Glasgow)
● 2 neutral goalkeepers.
roles following a goal, the team
in possession must try to break May 16
Area quickly in order to take advantage UEFA Cup final (Glasgow)
● 70 metres x 45 metres. before the ‘new’ defence gets
organised. May 23
Rules ● The defending team tries to
UEFA Champions League final
● 5 v 5 on the field and 5 players on intercept the ball and to launch (Athens)
the sides. a counter-attack whenever
possible. May 24
● For example, if the red team scores
UEFA Champions League Technical
in goal A, they retain possession ● The counters must be quick
Study Group meeting (Athens)
and then attack goal B. and direct, with combination play
● When a team concedes a goal, or fast dribbling. June 10–23
they immediately leave the field ● Various combinations should European Under-21 Championship
and are replaced by the side be employed to support the final round (Netherlands)
players (i.e. the third team). striker(s).

15
UEFA
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