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Olympic Football Tournament
Topic Started: Apr 20 2008, 07:29 AM (2,349 Views)
Merengue
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All three African teams are waiting to the last moment to name their teams but with the history of African nations at the Olympics, all three, Nigeria, Cameroon and Ivory Coast, should be among the contenders.

Here is an article on clubs preventing their players from competing in the Olympic tournament,

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=ap-e...ov=ap&type=lgns

The German clubs are really taking a hard line even with their U-23 players. Werrder Bremen are going to a sports tribunal to try and keep Brazil's Diego and Serbia's Tosic from going to the Olympics. They claim the Olympics are not a FIFA sponsored event and therefore they don't have the obligation to release their players. FIFA say they are obligated as to U-23 players. My understanding of the Olympics is that while it is an IOC event in total, each competition is run by that sport's governing body, FIFA for football, FIBA for basketball, IAAF for athletics, etc. If that is true then this would be a FIFA event and Werder Bremen and Schalke will be obligated to release their U-23 players.
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SuperEagle
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Nigeria named their team today and they were denied releases of two of their intended over age players, goalie Vincent Enyeama (Hapoel Tel Aviv) and forward/winger Ike Uche (Getafe) so they'll go to China with only 1 player over 23-Osaze Odemwingie. This is Nigeria's team:

Goalkeepers: Ambrose Vanzekin (Akwa United), Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Ocean Boys)

Defenders: Taye Taiwo (Olympic Marseille, France), Onyekachi Apam (OGC Nice, France) Ayodele Adeleye (Sparta Rotterdam, Holland), Monday James (Bayelsa United), Adefemi Olubayo (Hapoel Jerusalem, Israel), Ambrose Efe (Kaduna United), Chibuzor Okonkwo (Bayelsa United)

Midfielders: Sani Kaita (Sparta Rotterdam), Isaac Promise (Trabzonspor, Turkey), Olufemi Ajilore (Groningen, Holland), Emmanuel Ekpo (Columbus Crew, USA)

Strikers: Peter Osaze Odemwingie (Locomotive Moscow, Russia), Obinna Nsofor (Chievo Verona, Italy), Victor Anichebe (Everton, England), Solomon Okoronkwo (Hertha Berlin, Germany),Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi (Hoffenheim, Germany)

On standby: Olufemi Oladapo, Solomon Abwo, Bernard Okoronwanta, Daniel Akpeyi

I discuss the team in more depth in the Nigeria thread in the Africa forum but there is a lot of variations coach Samson Siasia can use with this team and that is something I like about it. But it does look a little green and the central midfield creativity and goalkeeping does concern me. But Nigeria's speed and familiarity with one another (many played together since the 2005 U-20 World Cup) should make this a difficult opponent in China.
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Nkono
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That is a pretty good Nigeria team and as Supereagle states, many of them have played together since the 2005 U-20 World Cup where they were unlucky to lose to a Lionel Messi led Argentina in the final. Nigeria and Cameroon will both have high expectations on their teams after their 1996 and 2000 Gold medals but neither team will end up using many overage players who could spell the difference between winning the tournament.

Cameoron won't name their team until tomorrow just before they fly from their training camp outside Stuttgart, Germany to Hong Kong where they will play the USA and Holland in a pre Olympics warm up tournament. They wanted to name Samuel Eto'o, Jean Makoun and Modeste Mbami on the team as overage players but their clubs shot that down. Turkey based winger Gustave Mbengue now looks to be the only overage player who'll be with Cameroon in China.

Cote d'Ivoire just named their team and they'll be without any overage players. Their squad is similar to the one which finished runner up at the Toulon U-21 tournament two months ago plus they've added Salomon Kalou and Gervais Yao Kouassi, the only two U-23 players with senior national team experience. Their complete roster is available on the Wikipedia link given above. It is a decent but not great Cote d'Ivoire team. On paper at least they look to me the weakest of Africa's 3 entrants.
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rosarino
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Since Ivory Coast are in Argentina's group I was looking for their roster and when even Nkono who follows African football says the team has many unknowns I am surprised by their selection. I imagine like other nations they are having difficulty getting releases for their overage players but other than Kalou there aren't many well known players on the team. This is Ivory Coast's team:

Goalkeepers: Vincent de Paul Angban (ASEC Mimosas), Christian Fabrice Okoua (Africa Sports)

Defenders: Serge Wawa (ASEC Mimosas), Mamadou Bagayoko (Africa Sports), Souleyman Bamba (Dumferline/SCO), Ousmane Viera Diarrassouba (CFR Cluj (ROU), Ladji Mékémé Tamla ((Laval/FRA)

Midfielders: Antoine N'Gossan (ASEC Mimosas), Anthony Moura-Komenan (Libourne St Seurin/FRA), Emmanuel Kouamatien Koné (CFR Cluj/ROU), Kafoumba Coulibaly (OGC Nice/FRA), Hervé Kambou (Charleroi/BEL), Benjamin Angoua Brou (Kipest Honved/HUN),

Forwards: Gervais Yao Kouassi "Gervinho" (Le Mans/FRA), Sékou Cissé (Roda JC/NED), Salomon Kalou (Chelsea/ENG), Abraham Guié Guié (Kispest Honved/HUN), Franck Dja-Djédjé (Grenoble/FRA)
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Nkono
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Yes rosarino I was a little surprised by the lack of "name" players on Cote d'Ivoire's team but this is a group who have played together often and they were very strong in African qualifying without Kalou and Gervinho.

Cameroon had a late change in their roster as expected starter Landry Nguemo of Nancy in France had to drop out due to illness. He was replaced by winger Serge Ngal. This is Cameroon's 18 man roster with their now 3 alternates:

Goalkeepers:
Patrick Tingyemb (Tonnerre Yaounde), Joslain Mayebi (Hakoach Ramatgam, Israel)

Defenders:
Antonio Ghomsi (Messina, Italy), Andre Bikey (Reading, England ), Alexandre Song (Arsenal, England), Paul Kingue Bebey (Astres Douala), Alexis Ndoubena Nkoulou (Monaco, France), Alexis Enam (Club Africain, Tunisia)

Midfielders:
Albert Baning (Paris Saint Germain, France), Stephane Mbia (Rennes, France), Georges Mandjeck (Stuttgart, Germany), Franck Songo'o (Portsmouth, England), Aurelien Chedjou (Lille, France), Alain Olle Olle (Freiburg, Germany)

Forwards:
Marc Mboua (Cambuur Leewarden, Holland), Christian Bekamenga (Nantes, France), Gustave Bebbe Mbengue (Istanbul, Buyuksehir, Turkey), Serge Ngal (Uniao Leiria, Portugal)

Reserves:
Henri Elong Ewane (Lille, France), Moussa Pokong (Club Africain, Tunisia), Clovis Bondoa Adiaba (DAC 1904, Slovakia)

One overage player-Mbangue, Alex Song is of course Rigobert's nephew while Franck Songo'o is the son of the former Lions goalie Jacques Songo'o. Mbia, Song and Bikey were all starters on the Indomitable Lions team that reached the last African Nations Cup Finals. Nguemo who will miss the Olympics, was a reserve on that team but was expected to start for this one. I'm going to guess on a starting lineup of: Tignyemb- Nkoulou, Enam, Bikey, Ghomsi- Bebbe Mbangue, Mbia, A. Song, Olle Olle- Bekamanga, Mboua.

Cameoron is deep with midfielders and with Alex Song also being able to play in defense, it is possible Chedjou or Baning could play in midfield with Song dropping back to defense in place of Enam. Bekamanga is Cameroon's big goalscoring hope and he and Mboua will be the players required to carry the offensive load. If they're successful this team could go places. We'll get an idea of what the Lions espoirs can do this week in Hong Kong's ING Cup when they play Holland and the United States.
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Nkono
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In the ING Cup in Hong Kong, a warm up tournament for the Olympics, Holland beat Cameroon 2-0 with a pair of late goals while Cote d'Ivoire and the US drew 0-0. According to this article on FIFA.com, Holland-Cameroon was a pretty even game decided with those two late goals while Cote d'Ivoire controlled the match against the US but couldn't finish it off,

http://www.fifa.com/mensolympic/news/newsi...s+ivorians+draw

We will find out more about these four teams after their next games in this warm up tournament. I know Cameroon for instance, was using a team mixed of expected starters with others who the coach wanted to take a look at. Wouldn't surprise me if the other teams were doing the same. These next games however will be the final tuneups so we may see something more closely resembling their Olympic starting lineups.
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libero
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From the FIFA article nkono linked,

Quote:
 
In the earlier game, Côte d'Ivoire and the USA drew a blank. In an uneventful first half, it was the Africans, looking forward to their first Olympics, who looked the more accomplished.

It took 32 minutes for either team to register a first attempt on goal, and unsurprisingly it came from the boot of Ivorian Kafoumba Coulibaly. The midfielder, who plies his trade in France and has played for the senior national side, shot straight at US keeper Brad Guzan from distance.

Both sides made changes at the break, and the US, previously insipid, suddenly appeared interested.

But it was the Africans who should have taken the lead in the 53rd minute, but captain Gervinho shot wide from close range after Salomon Kalou's free-kick rebounded off the wall.

It was all Côte d'Ivoireafter that, but they failed to score from several good chances.


This doesn't sound good for the US team. Insipid is definitely not an adjective you want associated with your team's play! As nkono says, however, this second game from this warm up tourney is where we may see the teams playing closer to the lineups they'll expect to use in their Olympic openers.
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Merengue
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Thanks to CelesteBlanca in the Argentina forum we have this list for US viewers of the telecasts chedule for the Olympic Football Tournament.

http://www.worldcupblog.org/world-football...and-online.html

Feel free to post a TV schedule from any other country here too.
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SuperEagle
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Nigeria have fallen victim to the same problems Argentina have with Messi and Brazil with Diego and Rafinha. Marseille are withholding Taye Taiwo from the Olympic team but are using a unique argument to do so. They claim that Taiwo, who was born in April 1985 is no longer an U-23 player and thus they are not obligated to release him for the games! But FIFA have said any player born on or after 1 January 1985 is considered an U-23 player for Olympic purposes. Marseille stated they would wait until CAS, the sports arbitration tribunal rules on the matter of releasing U-23 players later today. But Taiwo, unlike Messi and Diego, was not permitted by his club to train with his country so Nigeria have said arriving a day before the first game is not going to cut it and they have dropped Taiwo from their Olympic roster (much to Marseille's satisfaction) and have replaced him on the roster with alternate Olufemi Oludapo, a midfielder with Boavista in Portugal.
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raconteur
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I haven't seen a decision from CAS yet, has anyone else? Well Marseille probably wanted to frustrate Nigeria with Taiwo's release so much that they felt a delay would just make Nigeria throw in the towel and say we need to move forward and name another player in his place. In the end that is what happened so Marseille's strategy of delay paid off.

I was looking through the rosters on the wikipedia link provided here and New Zealand has 2 US college players plus ex MLS players Ryan Nelsen and Simon Elliott on it's roster. Honduras with Carlos Pavon ahs another ex MLS player while Nigeria has a current MLS man on it's roster Emmanuel Ekpo.

Of the four leading contenders, Argentina, Brazil, Holland and Italy it is Italy with only Tommaso Rocchi who have less than the permitted number [3] of overage players on it's team. The others all have named 3 overaged players.
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rosarino
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CAS decision came down today and it was in favor of Barcelona, Bremen and Schalke,

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/s...ov=ap&type=lgns

Quote:
 
CAS secretary-general Matthieu Reeb said the three-member panel ruled in favor of the clubs because the Olympic tournament is not on FIFA’s match calendar, and because there was no evidence that the football body’s executive board obliged the clubs to release the players.

FIFA ruled on July 30 that the players must be released for the Olympic tournament because they are under 23.


According to the article, both Bremen and Schalke despite their court victory will allow Diego and Rafinha to stay with Brazil while it is still not certain whether Barcelona will recall Messi or let him stay in China. What a mess this has all become. It seemed as if FIFA had cleared this up beforehand but CAS thought otherwise. This is a real blow to FIFA and it makes you think unless they straighten this eligibility question up in time for the next Olympics, this could be the end of football at the Olympic Games as now no club will want to release it's players in the future.
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Merengue
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Surprising as you don't see FIFA lose cases too often. Barcelona hold the cards now with Argentina's Olympic fate. Frankly with the way they are playing in their preseason they don't need Messi to defeat in leg 1 of the Champions League either Beitar Jersualem or Wisla Krakow (the Olympics should be over in time for leg 2). Messi wants to play in the Olympics, keep your star happy and let him stay there. In the end the club will win out with that stance.
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Manzanares
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Messi is playing with Argentina and is standing out, he scored one and set up the other in an exciting 2-1 win over Ivory Coast. Good game between two good teams. Here is an article summarising the first day of play,

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-...uters&type=lgns

These were the first day scores:

Australia 1-1 Serbia
Argentina2-1 Ivory Coast

United States 1-0 Japan
Holland 0-0 Nigeria

Brazil 1-0 Belgium
China 1-1 New Zealand

Italy 3-0 Honduras
South Korea 1-1 Cameroon
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shelsoccer
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Interesting that there was a win and a tie in each group. That obviously puts a lot of pressure on the four losers and some on the four teams with a single point for Round 2.
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rosarino
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shelsoccer,Aug 7 2008
10:50 AM
Interesting that there was a win and a tie in each group.  That obviously puts a lot of pressure on the four losers and some on the four teams with a single point for Round 2.

Good point and an interesting way that these first round games all played out. shel is right that the four losing teams today won't have much room for error in their remaining games but when you look at Ivory Coast and Belgium, both of whom were narrow losers against two of the favorites, they may actually end up looking forward to their remaining games which should, on paper at least, appear easier than today's games were.

Brazil struggled against Belgium but finally broke through with 6 minutes left to win 1-0 against a 10 man Belgian team. Later Belgium had another player sent off too. That's twice now in the last 6 years in Asia where Belgium have not had the refs on their side against Brazil (remember Brazil's controversial 2002 World Cup win?) I am trying to resist saying it isn't surprising as Brazil often get help from the refs but I don't want it construed as sour grapes by an Argentina fan! :D

Argentina were pushed hard by a good Ivory Coast team but Lio Messi had the street smarts to take a quick free kick, got the ball back and the rebound from his shot was put in by Acosta to win the game for Argentina. A difficult opening game win against a tough opponent but it is 3 points and Argentina showed some flashes of what they can be in this tournament.

Also somewhat surprising there was only 1 mismatch on the opening day, Italy's 3-0 win over Honduras.
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