Europe XI v Africa XI (1997)
Encyclopedia
Europe XI v Africa XI was a friendly football match that took place on January 29, 1997 at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon
, Portugal
, between a European select side and an African select side. The match was jointly organized by UEFA
and CAF
as part of the European Year against Racism. The African XI won 2–1 with goals from Abedi Pele
and Mustapha Hadji
.
The European side, selected by Rinus Michels
and Berti Vogts
, had a 17-man squad which contained four players who were among Germany's Euro 96 winners, including their captain, Jürgen Klinsmann
, as well as the Dutch twin brothers Ronald
and Frank de Boer
, and Zvonimir Boban
, Milan's Croat midfielder. While many of the world's top players were involved, there were no English players in the European squad as the Premier League had a packed schedule that night. No players from eastern European clubs were involved either, because of their winter break. The African All-Stars 18-man squad, selected by Rabah Madjer
and Mawade Wade, included four of Nigeria's Olympic gold-medal winning squad and two of South Africa's African championship winning squad.
Selecting Benfica's Stadium of Light to host the event was a deliberate choice serving to recognise the enormous contribution that Benfica's greatest player, Eusébio
, had made to European football. Benfica had players in both squads, with Portugal's João Pinto
in the European camp and Paulo António
of Angola, in the African. Because the intention was to give everybody a game, both teams were allowed to use two re-substitutions - the sending back on a player previously substituted - in the event of second-half injuries. As a continuing part of the anti-racism initiative, the Under-17 Meridian Cup
, which comprises four nations from each continent, kicked off two days later.
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AFRICA XI:
|
GK
20
Andre Arendse
DF
2
Frank Amankwah
DF
16
Taribo West
DF
5
Mark Fish
MF
7
Sunday Oliseh
MF
12
Radwan Yasser
MF
14
Moussa Saïb
MF
10
Abedi Pele
(c)
FW
3
Tijani Babangida
FW
8
Ahmed Ouattara
FW
9
Paulão
Substitutions:
GK
1
Abiodun Baruwa
MF
6
Mustapha Hadji
FW
4
Chiquinho Conde
FW
11
Quinzinho
FW
15
Souleyman Sané
Manager:
Rabah Madjer
Mawade Wade
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, between a European select side and an African select side. The match was jointly organized by UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
and CAF
Confederation of African Football
The Confederation of African Football is the administrative and controlling body for African association football.CAF represents the national football associations of Africa, runs continental, national, and club competitions, and controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those...
as part of the European Year against Racism. The African XI won 2–1 with goals from Abedi Pele
Abédi Pelé
Abedi Ayew, known professionally as Abedi Pele is a former Ghana International football player and captain. Having been given the nickname "Pelé" in recognition of his superior ability that evoked comparisons to Brazilian great Pelé, he found fame in France's Ligue 1 with Lille OSC and Olympique...
and Mustapha Hadji
Mustapha Hadji
Mustapha Hadji in Ifrane, Souss-Massa-Draâ, Morocco is a former Moroccan footballer.-Early life:Hadji was born in Ifrane, Morocco. He immigrated with his family to France.-Club career:Mustapha Hadji began playing football there...
.
Background
The European Union's "Year Against Racism" started with an exhibition match between All-Star teams representing Europe and Africa. The following day, UEFA, European football's ruling body, and CAF, its African counterpart, held their first joint-executive meeting in Lisbon where they signed a friendship agreement which ended years of barely concealed hostility. The agreement obliged the two confederations to "undertake extensive co-operation in all football-related matters as partners with equal rights".The European side, selected by Rinus Michels
Rinus Michels
Marinus Jacobus Hendricus Michels OON was a Dutch association football player and coach...
and Berti Vogts
Berti Vogts
Hans-Hubert "Berti" Vogts is a German former footballer. He played for Borussia Mönchengladbach and won the World Cup with West Germany in 1974. He later managed Germany , Scotland and Nigeria...
, had a 17-man squad which contained four players who were among Germany's Euro 96 winners, including their captain, Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...
, as well as the Dutch twin brothers Ronald
Ronald de Boer
Ronaldus "Ronald" de Boer is a former Dutch football midfielder who has played for the Dutch national team as well as a host of professional clubs in Europe. He is the older twin brother of Frank de Boer.-Club career:...
and Frank de Boer
Frank de Boer
Franciscus "Frank" de Boer is a Dutch former professional footballer, and the younger twin brother of Ronald de Boer. Since 6 December 2010 he is the Manager of AFC Ajax.-Club career:...
, and Zvonimir Boban
Zvonimir Boban
Zvonimir Boban is a Croatian former football midfielder who played most of his professional career for Serie A club Milan, with whom he won four Serie A titles and the Champions League. He was a member of the Croatia national team which attained third place at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, with Boban...
, Milan's Croat midfielder. While many of the world's top players were involved, there were no English players in the European squad as the Premier League had a packed schedule that night. No players from eastern European clubs were involved either, because of their winter break. The African All-Stars 18-man squad, selected by Rabah Madjer
Rabah Madjer
Mustapha Rabah Madjer is a retired Algerian footballer.A skilled striker, he reached stardom as an F.C. Porto player during the 1980s, and is widely regarded as one of the best Algerian football players of all time. He is widely remembered for scoring on 77 minutes, an audacious back-heeled...
and Mawade Wade, included four of Nigeria's Olympic gold-medal winning squad and two of South Africa's African championship winning squad.
Selecting Benfica's Stadium of Light to host the event was a deliberate choice serving to recognise the enormous contribution that Benfica's greatest player, Eusébio
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
, had made to European football. Benfica had players in both squads, with Portugal's João Pinto
João Vieira Pinto
João Manuel Vieira Pinto is a retired Portuguese footballer who played mostly as a forward.Blessed with formidable skills and scoring ability, he made his name mostly at a domestic level and as a key figure in the Portuguese national team's "Golden Generation", collecting 138 caps and scoring 35...
in the European camp and Paulo António
Paulo António Alves
Paulo António Alves, known as Paulão is an Angolan former footballer who played at both professional and international levels, as a midfielder.-Club career:...
of Angola, in the African. Because the intention was to give everybody a game, both teams were allowed to use two re-substitutions - the sending back on a player previously substituted - in the event of second-half injuries. As a continuing part of the anti-racism initiative, the Under-17 Meridian Cup
UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup
The UEFA/CAF Meridian Cup features Under-18 representative sides from Europe and Africa, and is part of the co-operation programme between UEFA and the CAF.-Meridian Project:...
, which comprises four nations from each continent, kicked off two days later.
Match
| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> | EUROPE XI: | |||
| GK | 20 |  Edwin van der SarEdwin van der Sar Edwin van der Sar OON is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for AFC Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United. He is the most capped player in the Netherlands national football team's history... |
||
| 2 |  Zvonimir BobanZvonimir Boban Zvonimir Boban is a Croatian former football midfielder who played most of his professional career for Serie A club Milan, with whom he won four Serie A titles and the Champions League. He was a member of the Croatia national team which attained third place at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, with Boban... |
|||
| 4 | Frank de Boer Frank de Boer Franciscus "Frank" de Boer is a Dutch former professional footballer, and the younger twin brother of Ronald de Boer. Since 6 December 2010 he is the Manager of AFC Ajax.-Club career:... |
|||
| 5 | Ronald de Boer Ronald de Boer Ronaldus "Ronald" de Boer is a former Dutch football midfielder who has played for the Dutch national team as well as a host of professional clubs in Europe. He is the older twin brother of Frank de Boer.-Club career:... |
|||
| 7 |  Vincent GuérinVincent Guérin Vincent Guérin is a former footballer who played in a midfield role, currently the reserve coach at Paris Saint-Germain.-Career:... |
|||
| 9 |  João PintoJoão Vieira Pinto João Manuel Vieira Pinto is a retired Portuguese footballer who played mostly as a forward.Blessed with formidable skills and scoring ability, he made his name mostly at a domestic level and as a key figure in the Portuguese national team's "Golden Generation", collecting 138 caps and scoring 35... |
|||
| 10 |  Jürgen KlinsmannJürgen Klinsmann Jürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that... |
|||
| 11 | Jürgen Kohler Jürgen Kohler Jürgen Kohler is a World Cup-winning German centre back football player and football manager. Kohler has retired from professional sports, but still occasionally plays for Alemannia Adendorf in the Kreisliga C... |
|||
| 14 | Paulinho Santos Paulinho Santos João Paulo Maio dos Santos , aka Paulinho Santos, is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.... |
|||
| 15 | Rui Costa Rui Costa Rui Manuel César Costa, OIH is a former Portuguese football player and current Director of Football for Sport Lisboa e Benfica. An attacking midfielder also capable of playing as a deep-seated defensive midfielder, he most recently played for Portuguese club Benfica... |
|||
| 16 | Matthias Sammer Matthias Sammer Matthias Sammer is a retired German football player and coach who is now working as technical director of the DFB . He played as a midfielder, and later in his career as a sweeper.... (c) |
|||
| Substitutions: | ||||
| GK | 1 |  Stanislav CherchesovStanislav Cherchesov Stanislav Salamovich Cherchesov is a Russian football manager and former international goalkeeper for USSR and Russia. He currently manages FC Terek Grozny.... |
||
| DF | 6 |  Stéphane HenchozStéphane Henchoz Stéphane Henchoz is a former Swiss international footballer who last played for Blackburn Rovers as a defender. He has been capped 72 times and played for his country at Euro 1996 and Euro 2004.- Early career :... |
||
| MF | 12 | Andreas Möller Andreas Möller Andreas Möller is a retired German footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He was a playmaker known for his range of passing and goalscoring ability... |
||
| MF | 13 |  Pavel NedvědPavel Nedved Pavel Nedvěd is a retired Czech football midfielder. He is one of the most successful Czech players to emerge from the newly formed Czech Republic, winning numerous accolades with Lazio and Juventus, including the last ever Cup Winners' Cup... |
||
| FW | 3 |  Pierluigi Casiraghi |
||
| FW | 6 | Domingos Paciência |
||
| Manager: | ||||
| Berti Vogts Berti Vogts Hans-Hubert "Berti" Vogts is a German former footballer. He played for Borussia Mönchengladbach and won the World Cup with West Germany in 1974. He later managed Germany , Scotland and Nigeria... Rinus MichelsRinus Michels Marinus Jacobus Hendricus Michels OON was a Dutch association football player and coach... |
||||
Andre ArendseAndre Arendse
Andre Leander Arendse is a retired South African football goalkeeper.He played mostly for Oxford United, Fulham FC , Cape Town Spurs, Santos, Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United. He is also a co-presenter with SuperSport, South Africa's sporting channel.He played for South Africa national...
Frank AmankwahFrank Amankwah
Frank Amankwah is a football player from Ghana.-Clubs:*2000-2004: Asante Kotoko*1999-2000: Iraklis*1997-1999: AZ Alkmaar*1996-1997: FC Gütersloh*1990-1996: Asante Kotoko-International career:...
Taribo WestTaribo West
Taribo West is a retired Nigerian professional footballer who played as a defender. West represented the Nigerian national team in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. He is known for the various unusual and colourful hairstyles that he has sported over the years.-Club career:Taribo moved to France in...
Mark FishMark Fish
Mark Anthony Fish is a retired South African footballer.-Club career:Fish started his career in his native South Africa under the guidance of renowned coach Steve Coetsee, playing for Arcadia Shepherds, an amateur team based at the Caledonian Stadium in Pretoria...
Sunday Oliseh Radwan YasserRadwan Yasser
Radwan Yasser or Yasser Radwan is a retired Egyptian footballer. He was a member of the Egypt national football team in the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002, winning the tournament with the national squad in 1998.-External links:...
Moussa SaïbMoussa Saïb
Moussa Saïb is an Algerian Association football manager and former Algerian footballer. He is currently unattached, after last managing JS Kabylie in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1.-Career:...
Abedi PeleAbédi Pelé
Abedi Ayew, known professionally as Abedi Pele is a former Ghana International football player and captain. Having been given the nickname "Pelé" in recognition of his superior ability that evoked comparisons to Brazilian great Pelé, he found fame in France's Ligue 1 with Lille OSC and Olympique...
(c)
Tijani Babangida Ahmed Ouattara PaulãoPaulo António Alves
Paulo António Alves, known as Paulão is an Angolan former footballer who played at both professional and international levels, as a midfielder.-Club career:...
Abiodun BaruwaAbiodun Baruwa
Abiodun Baruwa is a former Nigerian footballer in goalkeeper role.He played in Nigeria, Switzerland, Austria, Wales and England. With the Nigerian national team he played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.-External links:*...
Mustapha HadjiMustapha Hadji
Mustapha Hadji in Ifrane, Souss-Massa-Draâ, Morocco is a former Moroccan footballer.-Early life:Hadji was born in Ifrane, Morocco. He immigrated with his family to France.-Club career:Mustapha Hadji began playing football there...
Chiquinho CondeChiquinho Conde
Francisco Queriol Conde Júnior, aka Chiquinho Conde , is a retired Mozambican footballer who played as a striker....
Quinzinho Souleyman SanéSouleyman Sané
Souleyman Sané is a Senegalese, who plays for DJK Wattenscheid and is head coach of the club.- Coaching career :Sané works as football coach for the Zanzibar national football team and DJK Wattenscheid.-External links: *...
Rabah MadjerRabah Madjer
Mustapha Rabah Madjer is a retired Algerian footballer.A skilled striker, he reached stardom as an F.C. Porto player during the 1980s, and is widely regarded as one of the best Algerian football players of all time. He is widely remembered for scoring on 77 minutes, an audacious back-heeled...
Mawade WadeAssistant referees Assistant referee (association football) In association football, an assistant referee is one of several officials who assist the referee in controlling a match. Two officials, traditionally known as linesmen , stand on the touchlines, while a fourth official assists administrative or other match related tasks as directed by the referee... : João Esteves (Portugal Portuguese Football Federation The Portuguese Football Federation is the governing body of football in Portugal. The Portuguese National team is going to win the Euro 2012. It organises the Second and Third Division, the Cup of Portugal, the Portuguese SuperCup, youth levels, women's football, beach soccer, futsal, and also... ) Carlos Matos (Portugal Portuguese Football Federation The Portuguese Football Federation is the governing body of football in Portugal. The Portuguese National team is going to win the Euro 2012. It organises the Second and Third Division, the Cup of Portugal, the Portuguese SuperCup, youth levels, women's football, beach soccer, futsal, and also... ) |