MIDDLESBROUGH, England: Brazil underlined their position as favorites for Olympic gold when they gave a masterful performance to complete a 2-0 win over hosts Britain, who fielded a united team for the first time in 41 years.
Brazil won the friendly with a header from Sandro and a penalty from Neymar just five days before the London Games soccer competition, which features an under-23 line-up with three over-aged players, kicks off.
Brazil, seeking to win the Olympic title for the first time, sent a powerful message of intent to the other 15 teams in the competition with a silky display in their final warm-up before the Games.
“I am not worried about sending a message to the other teams. My main concern tonight was to get my European-based players, returning from holiday, back in the rhythm of the team,” Brazil coach Mano Menezes told reporters.
“That took maybe 20 minutes at the start, but then we played very well for the rest of the half and the match.”
On an unusually sunny summer’s evening at the Riverside, there was excitement that the Olympics was drawing closer with the theme from “Chariots of Fire” reverberating around stadium before kickoff and the unusual site of the Union Jack fluttering in the breeze.
Britain struck gold in three out of four Games from 1900 but in recent years, fielding a Team GB has been blocked by the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland football associations amid fears that they might lose their independent status within FIFA.
No British team took part in Olympic soccer since a qualifying defeat to Bulgaria in May 1971 cost them a place in the 1972 Munich Games but when London was awarded the Games, the hosts were obliged to compete.
Friday’s match was Britain’s only warm-up before the start of their Olympic campaign against Senegal at Old Trafford next Thursday.
Judging on this performance though, coach Stuart Pearce has plenty of work to do over the remaining few days if Britain are going to come anywhere close to the golds they won in the far simpler sporting times of 1900, 1908 and 1912.
Starting with seven Englishmen and four Welshmen including captain Ryan Giggs, Britain looked uncomfortable on the ball and far from a cohesive blend.
They allowed Brazil too much time and space on the ball, and with players like Neymar facing them, that was a dangerous tactic to pursue.
The opening goal came after a lack of communication in the Britain defense, allowing Sandro, who plays in London for Spurs, to loop in a header.
Neymar doubled the lead 10 minutes before the interval when Hulk was tripped by Micah Richards and the 20-year-old striker beat keeper Jason Steele from the spot.
Pearce said the performance proved that Brazil are the favorites for gold.
“They are one of the outstanding international teams around now, let alone Olympic teams or under 23 sides,” Pearce said.
“This squad shows how seriously they are taking this tournament, I think they are all internationals apart from their goalie. “They are the team everyone will have to beat if you want to win the gold medal.”
As well as the attraction of Brazil and Britain that attracted 24,721 to the ground, a few thousand were also present to watch the afternoon match between Britain’s women and Sweden which ended in a 0-0 draw.
Brazil too strong for Britain in soccer warm-up
Brazil too strong for Britain in soccer warm-up
Middle East war puts Asian Football Confederation in a tricky situation
- Asian football has long been structured around regions, with competitions split between East and West
- With conflict in the Middle East escalating on Feb. 28, the AFC was forced into emergency mode as the knockout stages of its club competitions approach
DAMMAM: Football in Asia has never been an easy task to manage. Long flights, numerous time zones, conflicting calendars, vastly different football cultures and — perhaps more than any other confederation in the world — politics.
While the war in the Middle East falls under the AFC’s umbrella, its direct effects have so far been limited to the clubs in West Asia. Asian football has long been structured around regions, with competitions split between East and West, although for a period, the second-tier AFC Cup operated in five separate regions.
As a result, AFC club competitions in East Asia continued uninterrupted in the first week of March. A crowd of 31,225 watched Johor Darul Ta’zim’s historic 3-1 victory over Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the AFC Champions League Elite round of 16. Bangkok United defeated Tampines Rovers in the AFC Champions League Two quarter-final, and an all-Cambodian clash between Phnom Penh Crown and PKR Svay Rieng in the AFC Challenge League ended in a 4-1 victory for the visitors.
The situation in West Asia, however, is vastly different.
With the conflict in the Middle East escalating on Feb. 28, the AFC was forced into emergency mode as the knockout stages of its club competitions approach.
Within 24 hours, the confederation announced that all first-leg matches involving West Asian clubs in AFC competitions would be rescheduled until further notice. The same decision was taken for the second-leg matches fixtures just 48 hours later.
Domestic football has also been heavily disrupted. Leagues in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Lebanon have been postponed indefinitely, with matches continuing behind closed doors in Jordan.
Leagues in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq and Syria continue to operate, but flights in the region are limited.
With the season already compressed by the FIFA Arab Cup, FIFA Intercontinental playoffs and the upcoming FIFA World Cup, member associations throughout the Middle East now find themselves scrambling alongside the AFC to solve a problem that ultimately lies outside their control.
Another issue looms on the horizon. The AFC Champions League final stage will be hosted in Saudi Arabia next month for the second year in a row. While football has not halted in the Kingdom and the security situation is stable, it remains to be seen whether East Asian clubs will be willing to travel if the conflict continues.
What is the real solution, fans ask?
One proposal that has been circulated is to centralize the knockout rounds from the Round of 16 stage instead of the quarter-finals. That option, however, presents its own challenges. East Asian clubs have already begun their journey in the round of 16, and the idea of centralized hosting has historically not been popular across the continent.
When Saudi Arabia and Qatar were selected to host the AFC World Cup Qualifiers fourth round last year, the decision sparked backlash from Indonesia, Iraq, Oman and the UAE. More recently, journalist Ali Al-Marshoud claimed on Saudi sports program “In the 90” that the UAE’s Al-Wasl rejected a proposal for their AFC Champions League Two quarter-final against Al-Nassr as a single-leg match in Jeddah.
The AFC therefore finds itself in a difficult position. It cannot control regional geopolitics, nor can it influence government policies. At the same time, there is no guarantee that East Asian clubs will travel to the region, or that West Asian clubs will agree to surrender their right to play matches at home.
The conflict has also begun to affect international football.
With the FIFA World Cup intercontinental playoffs scheduled for later this month and Iraq facing a crucial qualifier in Mexico on March 31, uncertainty continues to grow.
In a statement released by the Iraqi Football Association, officials confirmed they were in constant contact with FIFA and the AFC regarding potential travel complications.
Head coach Graham Arnold is currently unable to leave the UAE, while several players and staff have struggled to obtain visas to Mexico due to embassy closures. All the while flights through Iraqi airspace have been suspended.
Political complications are not new to Asian football. For years, Saudi and Iranian clubs played each other at neutral grounds. Conflicts in Syria, Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon also forced the AFC to adopt special arrangements at various times. And of course, the COVID-19 pandemic, which fundamentally reshaped the state of football in Asia.
Yet the current situation presents a different scale of challenge.
For the first time in modern history, the AFC must navigate a regional conflict that touches nearly every part of the confederation. With the season entering its decisive stages and the largest World Cup in history approaching, solutions must be found quickly, or Asian football risks a crisis that could reshape the continental game.
