With 12 months to go until the 2006 World Cup, football fans will have an early taste of what to expect when the Confederations Cup starts in Germany on Wednesday.
For Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s team and the World Cup organising committee, this competition serves as a dress rehearsal for the main event.
”Germany must prove it is ready for the big test in 12 months’ time,” said Franz Beckenbauer, who heads the organising committee.
Germany’s hope of having a clean-cut image ahead of the finals evaporated in January when referee Robert Hoyzer revealed German officials were involved in match-fixing.
The tournament has been dubbed the ”mini-World Cup” and the winners, along with World Cup champions Brazil and Germany, will be hoping for a confidence boost ahead of next year’s finals.
South America, Asia, Africa, Oceania, North America and Europe are all represented in the tournament, which runs from June 15 to June 29, and Beckenbauer believes the global appeal will help make the tournament a success.
”The real charm of the Confederations Cup is the coming together of different footballing cultures and approaches to the beautiful game,” Beckenbauer enthused.
While the competition is being hailed as a celebration of football, the 2003 version in France is probably best remembered for the tragic death of Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe.
Foe (28) collapsed on the pitch during his country’s 1-0 semifinal win over Colombia.
Eight nations will contest the Confederations Cup with Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Greece, Japan, Mexico and Tunisia under the spotlight.
They are pooled into two groups with the top two teams from each progressing to the semifinals. The final will be played in Frankfurt.
Germany and Argentina are favourites to progress from Group A with African champions Tunisia and Australia the rank outsiders.
”It may seem unrealistic but we will go into every match aiming to win,” said Australian coach Frank Farina. ”I hope we will be playing more than the three group matches.”
With home support, three-time World Cup winners Germany have high hopes but the hosts will not be complacent, with Mexico in 1999 a painful memory.
Germany lost 4-0 to Brazil and 2-0 to the United States to crash out at the opening group hurdle then.
”The most important thing at the Confed Cup is that we find out we are capable of doing something at the World Cup in 12 months time,” said Klinsmann, whose team are deprived of competitive matches because they get an automatic World Cup place by virtue of being hosts.
The competition offers all the teams the chance to get a closer look at five World Cup venues in Frankfurt, Cologne, Leipzig, Nuremberg and Hanover, and Argentina coach Jose Pekerman said he could see the value of the tournament.
”I like this cup because we can play some good matches without travelling,” he explained. ”But at some stage I will have to consider resting players.”
After a gruelling domestic campaign many have questioned the timing of this tournament, with critics arguing that players need a holiday rather than putting more strain on their limbs.
”Tournaments like this should be abolished because the players are just too tired,” said Brazil and Real Madrid superstar Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has pulled out of Brazil’s squad for the tournament while other stars such as Greece midfielder Theo Zagorakis are still playing for their clubs.
Zagorakis will miss his country’s first two group matches because he is taking part in Bologna’s two-legged Serie A relegation play-off against Parma on Tuesday and Saturday.
World Cup winners Brazil are favourites in Group B, which also contains Mexico, Japan and Greece, and coach Carlos Alberto Parreira hopes to unearth some new talent.
”Someone always makes their name in this competition and we will give some new players a chance,” confirmed Parreira.
The 21-year-old Santos forward Robinho — the most talked about talent in Brazilian football — is likely to be given the chance to shine in Ronaldo’s absence.
In Mexico 1999 a 19-year-old Ronaldinho took the competition by storm and has gone on to become one of the best players in the world with Barcelona.
Having secured qualification for the World Cup, Japan can concentrate on this competition but have lost two key players through injury in SV Hamburg striker Naohiro Takahara and Feyenoord midfielder Shinji Ono.
Argentina are another nation who already know they will be returning to Germany next year, having wrapped up qualification with a 3-1 win over Brazil last Wednesday. – Sapa-AFP