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WORLD CUP 2014: GERMANY VS. ARGENTINA

BRAZIL

Klose to turn ‘party animal’ if Germany win

The World Cup's top-scorer Miroslav Klose has threatened to abandon his strict fitness regime and become a "party animal" if Germany win Sunday's final in Brazil against Argentina.

Published: 11 July 2014 08:43 CEST
Klose to turn 'party animal' if Germany win
Klose celebrates his goal against Brazil. Photo: DPA

The 36-year-old is the sole survivor from Die Mannschaft's last  World Cup final in 2002 and is eager to taste victory at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium in his fourth World Cup finals.

He scored a record 16th World Cup goal, his 71st for Germany, in Tuesday's 7:1 semi-final rout of Brazil.
   
The Poland-born striker is poised to win his 137th cap in Rio and says all his focus is on Argentina – but the World Cup title may stir his inner party animal.
   
"I can't really guarantee anything, but if we do win the trophy, I can imagine that I will relax and there is a party beast, even in me," he quipped on Thursday.
 

   
But 12 years after losing the 2002 final, the last thing the veteran wants is to add Rio heartache to the bitter defeat in Yokohama.
   
"We enjoyed the win against Brazil, but we ticked it off after 24 hours," said Klose.
   
"In the next game, we have to again play to the best of our abilities. It feels really awful to lose a final, so it's our time to win this one."
   
A diligent trainer, Klose puts his career longevity down to his daily fitness regime, and has a gym in his home.
   
Having made his debut in 2001, he equalled, then broke Ronaldo's record of 15 World Cup goals during Brazil 2014. But Klose said it will all count for nothing if Germany lose to Argentina.
   
"It's a hugely emotional thing for me, but people who know me, know that my focus is already on Argentina – 100 percent," he said.
   
"Yes, I have overtaken Ronaldo as the best goal-scorer, but that is something to take on board another day.
   
"If we lose the final, my joy as the top-scorer will be significantly dampened."
   
Despite having witnessed Brazil's Ronaldo score both goals in their 2:0 victory, Klose said he will not use the 2002 defeat as motivation.
   
He says the current squad are unified in their desire to become world champions.
   
"That was 12 years ago and I was really young, then as now, I just try to soak everything up, but you can't compare the two matches," said Klose.
   
"Each match is unique, especially for a final. The key factor here has been the performances in training. You see the degree of respect and commitment the squad has for each other.
 
"There is no 'B team' or 'A team', where the first team are sure of their places, and there is little difference between the guys on the bench and those on the pitch.
   
"'Team spirit' is not an empty expression, no one is begrudging towards the others. They are all very professional and mature, even if some of them are only 25 or 26."
 
 

 
'Fantastic Messi' 
   
This is the sixth time Germany will meet Argentina at the World Cup and the third time in the final.
   
Klose scored twice when Germany won the most recent World Cup meeting as Diego Maradona-coached Argentina were routed 4:0 at South Africa 2010.
   
Germany lost the Mexico 1986 final 3:2 to Argentina, then took revenge four years later by winning the Italia 1990 final 1:0 when Argentina finished with nine men in Rome.
   
Argentina legend Maradona played in both matches, but Klose insists neither has any relevance now.
   
"You can't really make comparisons, Maradona was one player, but (Lionel) Messi is just as fantastic and they are absolutely on a par," said Klose.
   
"We have to come up with a few surprises of our own and I am just looking forward to an exciting game, which will be marked by tactics and a bit of trickery."
 
100,000 Argentinians 
 
As many as 100,000 Argentine fans are preparing to descend on Rio for the final, hoping to see Messi lead his team to victory.
   
Argentina were back at their Belo Horizonte base on Thursday with manager Alejandro Sabella anxious to refresh his weary team in time for the final.
   
Sabella believes Germany may have an advantage because of their extra day's rest and the fact that their semi against Brazil was effectively won in the incredible first 29 minutes, when they raced into a 5:0 lead.
   
"The match is extremely difficult and I repeat the fact they haven't played extra time and we've played two, and played one day after Germany," Sabella said.
   
"The Germany game was decided in the first 45 minutes, so they could ease off in the second half, whereas we had to spend all the effort, and every last drop of sweat to reach the World Cup final."
 

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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.

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