Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
WORLD CUP 2014

WORLD CUP

‘Tiki-taka is our style, we’ll live or die by it’

Midfield maestro Xavi Hernández insisted Spain will stick to its famous style of fast passing play, the so-called tiki-taka, when his side kicks off their World Cup campaign against Holland on Friday night.

Published: 13 June 2014 10:29 CEST
'Tiki-taka is our style, we'll live or die by it'
Xavi fights for the ball with Netherlands' defender John Heitinga during the 2010 World Cup football final. Photo: Pierre Philippe Marcou/AFP

Spain manager Vicente del Bosque has dismissed suggestions his side are past their best as they attempt to win a fourth consecutive major tournament at the World Cup in Brazil.

The world champions get their campaign under way against the Netherlands on Friday in Salvador in a repeat of the final four years ago in South Africa which was decided by Andres Iniesta's solitary goal in extra-time.

"We have a mature team and young players. We are not afraid of anything and we are in our prime," said Del Bosque.

"I don't have any fear for the future either because we have an under-21 team that are winning things and there are plenty of replacements that will ensure a bright future."

Whilst Del Bosque could name a side containing just one change to the side that started the European Championships final in 2012, the Netherlands are a much changed outfit in recent years with coach Louis Van Gaal introducing a wave of young players with little experience at international level.

And understandably it is the more experienced trio of Robin Van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben that concerns Del Bosque.

"A lot has changed in four years. We have had a relatively stable side since 2010, but Van Gaal has stimulated them a lot and conserved the essence of Dutch football. We know that up front they have very dangerous players."

Midfielder Xavi Hernandez also highlighted the threat of the Dutch front three, but is hoping Spain's normal dominance of possession will snuff out their threat.

"They have three very experienced players up front. They will sit in and then look for very quick counter-attacks. We know Spain will have more of the ball.

"That is our style and we know we will live or die by it. Hopefully it will allow us to make history."

Captain Iker Casillas is also confident of becoming the first side since Brazil in 1962 to retain the World Cup.

"We will try to repeat what we did in South Africa. We have the role of favourites and we know all the other teams want to beat Spain.

"We are motivated to win a second star on our shirt for our country. Spain have been the best team in the world for the past four years and, if we have the humility and ambition that we did in South Africa, the team will be strong and have a clear chance of defending the title."

Del Bosque confirmed that Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba will be fit to play despite suffering from foot blisters and toothache.

That leaves the former Real Madrid boss with just one major decision over whether to start with a recognised centre forward in Diego Costa or opt instead for Cesc Fabregas as a "false nine".

Fabregas completed his move from Barcelona to Chelsea on Thursday and expressed his relief to get his future sorted ahead of the start of Spain's campaign.

"It was extremely important to me that this transfer was completed before the World Cup so that my mind will only be focused on hopefully helping my country try to retain the trophy," he told his official Facebook page.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

SPORT

Norway’s football clubs to vote on Qatar World Cup boycott

Will Norwegian football star Erling Braut Haaland stay home or play on what fans have dubbed a "cemetery?" This Sunday, a meeting of Norway's football community will decide whether to boycott next year's World Cup in Qatar.

Published: 18 June 2021 11:27 CEST
Norway's football clubs to vote on Qatar World Cup boycott
Norway's forward Erling Haaland (L) and teammates wear jerseys reading "Fair play for migrant workers" before the international friendly football match between Norway and Greece at La Rosaleda stadium in Malaga in preperation for the UEFA European Championships, on June 6, 2021. JORGE GUERRERO / AFP

Under pressure from grassroots activists the Norwegian Football Federation(NFF) has decided to hold an extraordinary congress to decide on whether to pass up football’s showpiece event all together.

The games on the pitches in the Middle Eastern emirate will “unfortunately be like playing on a cemetery,” according to Ole Kristian Sandvik, spokesman of the Norwegian Supporters Alliance (NSA), invoking a commonly used metaphor among opponents of Norway’s participation.

Norway, which has not qualified for a major international competition since Euro 2000, is currently fourth in its World Cup qualifying group behind Turkey, the Netherlands and Montenegro. 

So while qualification seems an uphill task, the result of the vote could have an impact on whether Norway and its young star Haaland — one of the rising stars of world football — continue to play qualifying matches. 

The movement calling for a boycott began north of the Arctic Circle when football club Tromso IL spoke out against turning a blind eye to alleged human rights abuses at the end of February.

“We can no longer sit and watch people die in the name of football,” the first division club proclaimed.

Qatar has faced criticism for its treatment of migrant workers, many of whom are involved in the construction of stadiums and infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup, with campaigners accusing employers of exploitation and forcing labourers to work in dangerous conditions.

Qatari authorities meanwhile insist they have done more than any country in the region to improve worker welfare.

“There is no doubt that this World Cup should never have been awarded to Qatar,” Tom Hogli, a former professional footballer turned public relations officer for Tromso IL, told AFP.

“The conditions there are abominable and many have lost their lives,” he added.

In March, a spokesman for the Qatari organisers put the number of deaths on the construction sites at “three” since 2014, with another 35 having died away from their workplaces, challenging the heavy toll reported by some rights groups.

Push from fans
The Tromso call began gathering pace in Norway, where clubs operate under a democratic structure, and under pressure from fans, many teams now say “nei” (no).

According to Sandvik, the fans feel that the deaths on the World Cup sites would have been avoided “if they had not had to build hotels, railways and stadiums”.

Nearly half of Norwegians, 49 percent, now say they are in favour of a boycott, while only 29 percent are against it, according to a poll published by newspaper VG on Wednesday.

The Nordic country’s national squad has already protested conditions in Qatar, but stopped short of calling for a boycott.

Before recent Norway games, Borussia Dortmund superstar Haaland, captain Martin Odegaard and the rest of the team have worn t-shirts with slogans like “Human rights on and off the pitch.”

Other countries, like Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark have also followed suit.

FIFA, on the other hand, argue that awarding the hosting of the World Cup in Qatar has opened the door to social progress.

“We know there is still work to be done, but we need to recognise the significant progress achieved in a very short time,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in May.

‘Few successes’ 
While the executive committee of the NFF have said they regret Qatar being awarded the World Cup, they oppose a boycott.

President Terje Svendsen said he thought it was “not the right tool to improve the human rights situation or the working conditions in Qatar,” when speaking at the federation’s ordinary annual congress in March.

According to the NFF, a boycott could end up costing Norway 205 million Norwegian kroner ($24 million, 20 million euros) in fines and compensation as well as lost revenue.

Feeling the pressure from grassroots campaigns, the NFF referred the matter to an extraordinary congress which on Sunday will bring together the eight members of its executive committee, representatives of 18 districts and of hundreds of professional and amateur clubs.

The discussions will be revolve around the findings of an expert committee which, with the exception of two members representing fans, has also come out against a boycott.

“For a boycott to succeed, you need a critical mass behind it, an opposition that calls for it in the country, the UN to put pressure on the
authorities, the business world, the trade unions and civil society to put pressure on it in the long term,” committee chairman Sven Mollekleiv said in a debate hosted by broadcaster TV2.

“Historically, there are few successes,” he said.

Rather than a boycott, the committee recommended 26 measures to consolidate and further the gains made in Qatar but also to ensure that FIFA doesn’t become complicit in so called “sportswashing” — the polishing of a country’s public image through a major sporting event.

Some initial supporters of a boycott, like Tromso’s Hogli, have since sided with these conclusions, although calls for a complete boycott remain.

SHOW COMMENTS