http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=1222270/index.html?cid=widgets&att=latestnews_en#record+night+bafana+mokoena
It was a record night for South Africa and captain Aaron Mokoena on Monday as the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ hosts outclassed Guatemala 5-0 in a warm-up match.
The winning margin was the biggest since Bafana Bafana (The Boys) returned to international football in 1992 after 28 years of apartheid-induced isolation, bettering four-goal margins against Chad and Thailand. And it came on the day centre-back Mokoena became the first South African footballer to win 100 caps and wore those figures on the back of his shirt just in case anybody was unaware.
The victory also stretched to 11 matches the unbeaten run of the host nation in friendlies since Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira returned last November for a second spell in charge. Katlego Mphela converted a penalty in each half and Reneilwe Letsholonyane and second-half substitutes Surprise Moriri and Bernard Parker were the other scorers for a team that led 2-0 at half-time.
Though with Guatemala ranked 114 today's opponents are a different proposition to Group A rivals Mexico, Uruguay and France, all top-20 nations. "Technically we were not brilliant but our attitude was very good. Our opponents often had nine men behind the ball so it was good to score five goals," said Parreira.
"I am not in a very good mood, however, as tomorrow I trim my squad from 28 players to 23 and cut some dreams. For three months I have seen wonderful commitment from all my players and I thank them."
South Africa are ready for the World Cup and can defeat Mexico in the opening match. The stage is set for Bafana to have a good run.Guatemala coach Francisco Melgar
Caretaker Guatemala coach Francisco Melgar said: "South Africa are ready for the World Cup and can defeat Mexico in the opening match. The stage is set for Bafana to have a good run." Guatemala lie 31 places below South Africa in the FIFA pecking order suggesting they would struggle to contain the home team and so it proved with early pressure yielding a 12th-minute goal.
Unadventurous full-backs have clipped the attacking wings of South Africa in previous warm-ups and it was pleasing for Parreira to see left-back Lucas Thwala create the second goal with a run and cross that Letsholonyane fired home. The second half was just three minutes old when Moriri added a third, firing past substitute Marvin Barrios from close range after Mphela set up his Mamelodi Sundowns team-mate.
Guatemala were awarded a penalty for handball but captain Guillermo Ramirez made a hash of the spot kick, timidly striking the ball to his right and Josephs guessed correctly to parry a shot that was cleared. The home side had their own penalty on 56 minutes and Mphela sent Barrios the wrong way.
Steven Pienaar struck a post from a free-kick before Parker snatched the record fifth goal eight minutes from full time by unleashing a rising shot from the edge of the area that flew into the roof of the net.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Mexico Blows Beyond Gambia [FIFA]
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=1221548/index.html?cid=widgets&att=latestnews_en#mexico+blow+past+gambia
Manchester United-bound striker Javier Hernandez and Adolfo Bautista each netted twice as Mexico completed their FIFA World Cup™ preparations with a hansome win over Gambia in Bayreuth, Germany.
Having lost successive friendlies to England and the Netherlands, Mexico needed a morale-boosting result and delivered in emphatic fashion.
Gambia kept the deficit to 1-0 at half-time, Hernandez's 18th-minute opener the only goal, but there was a rush of activity in the second period.
Ebrima Bohna made it 3-1 after Hernandez's second and Bautista's first had swelled Mexico's advantage.
Alberton Medina wrapped things up nine minutes from time, shortly after Bautista completed his brace.
Manchester United-bound striker Javier Hernandez and Adolfo Bautista each netted twice as Mexico completed their FIFA World Cup™ preparations with a hansome win over Gambia in Bayreuth, Germany.
Having lost successive friendlies to England and the Netherlands, Mexico needed a morale-boosting result and delivered in emphatic fashion.
Gambia kept the deficit to 1-0 at half-time, Hernandez's 18th-minute opener the only goal, but there was a rush of activity in the second period.
Ebrima Bohna made it 3-1 after Hernandez's second and Bautista's first had swelled Mexico's advantage.
Alberton Medina wrapped things up nine minutes from time, shortly after Bautista completed his brace.
England 2 Japan 1 [Manchester Guardian]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/may/30/japan-england-friendly-match-report
It is just as well that friendlies are so often handcuffed to the adjective "meaningless". Fabio Capello would be overjoyed to conclude that nothing seen in Graz has any bearing on the World Cup finals. Then again, why have fixtures of this sort if they are actually inconsequential?
England were much improved by substitutions and Joe Cole came on to make a forceful case for a place in the tournament squad, presumably at the expense of an unused Adam Johnson. It was Cole's ball that Marcus Tulio Tanaka, scorer of the opener, put into his net for a leveller in the 72nd minute of the game. Until then, a scuffed Frank Lampard penalty that was saved had been the most dangerous moment for the team.
After 82 minutes, however, England went ahead with a further own goal as an Ashley Cole delivery sliced off the boot of Yuji Nakazawa. The best that can be said of Capello's side was that it imposed itself far more as the occasion developed. Even so, a header by John Terry still came off his own bar near the end.
There will be agreement that the result itself has no significance, but the details themselves were initially disconcerting. It was, for instance, puzzling to watch Wayne Rooney misdirect a pass so severely that it went far beyond Theo Walcott to run out for a goal-kick in the 44th minute. Anyone in the habit of agonising over England would have writhed anew at the first-half spectacle.
The opener itself was hapless. Yasuhito Endo's low corner from the right found the centre-half Tanaka, and he got in front of Glen Johnson to send a low shot into the corner of the net. David James, starting his first England match since 9 April, must have felt unlucky then to be embroiled in this fixture.
Efforts at a recovery were shaky for a while. The rapport displayed when Rooney fed Aaron Lennon on the left was untypical and the winger's shot went straight to the arms of Eiji Kawashima in the 19th minute. For the most part, the side lumbered in that period and did a disservice to those hoping to make an impression.
Darren Bent, for example, had to scrap to get into the game. His best moment came when a long ball from Rio Ferdinand was not intercepted by the centre-back Nakazawa, but the Sunderland attacker nodded off-target under pressure from Kawashima.
Bent was one of five men withdrawn by Capello at the interval and has presumably failed to force his way into the 23-man party for the World Cup. The alteration saw Rooney becoming a lone centre-forward, with Cole on to prompt him. England went on thwarting themselves for a bit longer.
Japan could even afford the eccentricity of Keisuke Honda, who stuck his arm up in the defensive wall while inside the area and handled Lampard's free-kick. The Chelsea midfielder took the penalty but, following the FA Cup final, failed to convert from 12 yards for a second consecutive time. Kawashima dived to his right and made the save.
While England had more possession, the opposition could have increased the lead too. Joe Hart, on for James, had to move sharply to his left to reach an attempt from the substitute Takayuki Morimoto. Capello's side should go to South Africa free of complacency.
It is just as well that friendlies are so often handcuffed to the adjective "meaningless". Fabio Capello would be overjoyed to conclude that nothing seen in Graz has any bearing on the World Cup finals. Then again, why have fixtures of this sort if they are actually inconsequential?
England were much improved by substitutions and Joe Cole came on to make a forceful case for a place in the tournament squad, presumably at the expense of an unused Adam Johnson. It was Cole's ball that Marcus Tulio Tanaka, scorer of the opener, put into his net for a leveller in the 72nd minute of the game. Until then, a scuffed Frank Lampard penalty that was saved had been the most dangerous moment for the team.
After 82 minutes, however, England went ahead with a further own goal as an Ashley Cole delivery sliced off the boot of Yuji Nakazawa. The best that can be said of Capello's side was that it imposed itself far more as the occasion developed. Even so, a header by John Terry still came off his own bar near the end.
There will be agreement that the result itself has no significance, but the details themselves were initially disconcerting. It was, for instance, puzzling to watch Wayne Rooney misdirect a pass so severely that it went far beyond Theo Walcott to run out for a goal-kick in the 44th minute. Anyone in the habit of agonising over England would have writhed anew at the first-half spectacle.
The opener itself was hapless. Yasuhito Endo's low corner from the right found the centre-half Tanaka, and he got in front of Glen Johnson to send a low shot into the corner of the net. David James, starting his first England match since 9 April, must have felt unlucky then to be embroiled in this fixture.
Efforts at a recovery were shaky for a while. The rapport displayed when Rooney fed Aaron Lennon on the left was untypical and the winger's shot went straight to the arms of Eiji Kawashima in the 19th minute. For the most part, the side lumbered in that period and did a disservice to those hoping to make an impression.
Darren Bent, for example, had to scrap to get into the game. His best moment came when a long ball from Rio Ferdinand was not intercepted by the centre-back Nakazawa, but the Sunderland attacker nodded off-target under pressure from Kawashima.
Bent was one of five men withdrawn by Capello at the interval and has presumably failed to force his way into the 23-man party for the World Cup. The alteration saw Rooney becoming a lone centre-forward, with Cole on to prompt him. England went on thwarting themselves for a bit longer.
Japan could even afford the eccentricity of Keisuke Honda, who stuck his arm up in the defensive wall while inside the area and handled Lampard's free-kick. The Chelsea midfielder took the penalty but, following the FA Cup final, failed to convert from 12 yards for a second consecutive time. Kawashima dived to his right and made the save.
While England had more possession, the opposition could have increased the lead too. Joe Hart, on for James, had to move sharply to his left to reach an attempt from the substitute Takayuki Morimoto. Capello's side should go to South Africa free of complacency.
World Cup Squads
World Cup Squads
Fifa has released the full details of the 30-man provisional squads of each of the 32 World Cup teams. These lists of 30 must be reduced to 23 by 1 June.
Not all teams have named 30 in their provisional squads. Germany have a squad of 27, Mexico and Uruguay have named 26, and Slovakia 29 while North Korea have already formalised their 23-man squad for the tournament.
The youngest players named are the 18-year-olds Vincent Aboubakar of Cameroon, Christian Eriksen of Denmark and Nassim Ben Khalifa of Switzerland. At the other end of the scale, the oldest players are the 39-year-old Holland goalkeeper, Sander Boschker, and England's David James, also 39 and the oldest player at the tournament.
Of all the players, 139 are based in England, 93 in Italy, 94 in Germany, 74 in Spain and 12 in Scotland.
For the full list submitted to Fifa click here.
Fifa has released the full details of the 30-man provisional squads of each of the 32 World Cup teams. These lists of 30 must be reduced to 23 by 1 June.
Not all teams have named 30 in their provisional squads. Germany have a squad of 27, Mexico and Uruguay have named 26, and Slovakia 29 while North Korea have already formalised their 23-man squad for the tournament.
The youngest players named are the 18-year-olds Vincent Aboubakar of Cameroon, Christian Eriksen of Denmark and Nassim Ben Khalifa of Switzerland. At the other end of the scale, the oldest players are the 39-year-old Holland goalkeeper, Sander Boschker, and England's David James, also 39 and the oldest player at the tournament.
Of all the players, 139 are based in England, 93 in Italy, 94 in Germany, 74 in Spain and 12 in Scotland.
For the full list submitted to Fifa click here.
U.S. rallies past Turkey in sendoff match [USA 4 Turkey 2]
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/5232254/ce/us/altidore-dempsey-gave-us-2-1-win-turkey?cc=5901&ver=us
American players lingered on the field, waving to adoring red-white-and-blue clad fans. They hope to be making a similar victory lap when games count next month.
Landon Donovan set up second-half goals by Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, leading the United States over Turkey 2-1 on Saturday in the Americans' last exhibition before leaving for South Africa.
"We're going to be as good as we want to be," Donovan said. "And if we play the way we're capable of playing, we can beat a lot of teams in the world."
Arda Turan put the Turks ahead in the 27th minute on a counterattack after right back Jonathan Spector was dispossessed upfield.
Altidore tied the score in the 58th minute and Dempsey put the U.S. ahead in the 75th before an overwhelmingly pro-American crowd of 55,407 at Lincoln Financial Field.
"We were a little bit rusty at times," Altidore acknowledged.
The Americans depart Sunday for South Africa and meet Australia in a last friendly on June 5, one week before their World Cup opener against England. U.S. coach Bob Bradley used something approaching a first-choice lineup, far different from the backup-filled 11 he put on the field for Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Czech Republic in East Hartford, Conn.
Bradley has put the team through lengthy conditioning since players gathered May 17. Now, the running and weightlifting will ease.
"I think we accomplished everything that we would have wanted here," Bradley said. "The type of game we were in today pushed them very hard."
Dempsey was paired at forward with Altidore in the first half, then dropped back to midfield when Robbie Findley replaced midfielder Benny Feilhaber at the start of the second. The U.S. lagged in the first half, but Findley, midfielder Jose Torres and defenders Oguchi Onyewu and Steve Cherundolo all entered at the start of the second and the game changed.
"Findley coming on with his pace was forcing the defense to drop back, so me and Landon were able to get into those pockets," Dempsey said. "And also bringing Jose into the game, he was able to get on the ball, and I thought he locked very confident and helped keep possession for us and caused them to tire a little bit."
Turan scored after Spector made a run deep upfield from his right back position only to lose the ball. Colin Kazim-Richards' long through ball found Turan open as Spector couldn't catch up. Goalkeeper Tim Howard came out, and Turan slotted the ball in from near the top of the penalty area.
"It's about a team reaction when the ball turns over," Bradley said.
Midfielder Clint Dempsey, who notched the winning goal, looks to make a pass as Turkey's Sabri Sarioglu defends during the U.S.'s 2-1 win Saturday.
The U.S. tied the score on a play that began when defender Jay DeMerit sent a long ball to Findley. He made a precise pass to Donovan, who sprinted down the right side and rounded goalkeeper Volkan Demirel, pulling him off his line. Donovan crossed to Altidore, who banged the ball into the open net from 5 yards for his ninth goal in 25 international appearances.
Cherundolo started the move toward the second goal with a throw-in. Donovan crossed to Dempsey, who fought off Sabri Sarioglu with an arm and scored from about 10 yards.
"I knew it was going to be a 50-50 challenge with the defender," Dempsey said. "I tried to kind of absorb the hit so I was able to get good balance."
Dempsey nearly got another goal in the 87th, putting an open shot off a post after Michael Bradley cut the ball back.
Altidore was playing his first match since April 24, when he received a red card playing for Hull after giving Sunderland's Alan Hutton a head butt because the defender threw the ball at him.
DeMerit made his first appearance following an abdominal strain that had sidelined him since April 17. Captain Carlos Bocanegra was shifted to left back from center, the spot he occupied at the Confederations Cup last summer. It was his first match since sports hernia surgery on May 5.
Clarence Goodson played the first half at central defender before Onyewu replaced him. On Tuesday, Onyewu was slow to react against the Czechs but he looked better Saturday. They were his first two games since tearing his left patellar tendon on Oct. 14 in the final World Cup qualifier.
"The first game I felt OK," Onyewu said. "This game I felt better than first, and I'm just anticipating I'll be feeling better every time I go out there."
Players thought Torres' calming influence was key.
"I had to show Bob I really want to be in the starting 11," he said.
Donovan split the first half between the left -- his usual position with the national team -- and the right, where he played for Everton. He said putting himself on the right in the second half and Dempsey on the left was a late decision.
Players know when the World Cup begins, they can't come out as flat as they did.
"When you go into a tournament like this, the urgency is very apparent," Donovan said. "Every game, every goal, every minute is magnified and very important."
American players lingered on the field, waving to adoring red-white-and-blue clad fans. They hope to be making a similar victory lap when games count next month.
Landon Donovan set up second-half goals by Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, leading the United States over Turkey 2-1 on Saturday in the Americans' last exhibition before leaving for South Africa.
"We're going to be as good as we want to be," Donovan said. "And if we play the way we're capable of playing, we can beat a lot of teams in the world."
Arda Turan put the Turks ahead in the 27th minute on a counterattack after right back Jonathan Spector was dispossessed upfield.
Altidore tied the score in the 58th minute and Dempsey put the U.S. ahead in the 75th before an overwhelmingly pro-American crowd of 55,407 at Lincoln Financial Field.
"We were a little bit rusty at times," Altidore acknowledged.
The Americans depart Sunday for South Africa and meet Australia in a last friendly on June 5, one week before their World Cup opener against England. U.S. coach Bob Bradley used something approaching a first-choice lineup, far different from the backup-filled 11 he put on the field for Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Czech Republic in East Hartford, Conn.
Bradley has put the team through lengthy conditioning since players gathered May 17. Now, the running and weightlifting will ease.
"I think we accomplished everything that we would have wanted here," Bradley said. "The type of game we were in today pushed them very hard."
Dempsey was paired at forward with Altidore in the first half, then dropped back to midfield when Robbie Findley replaced midfielder Benny Feilhaber at the start of the second. The U.S. lagged in the first half, but Findley, midfielder Jose Torres and defenders Oguchi Onyewu and Steve Cherundolo all entered at the start of the second and the game changed.
"Findley coming on with his pace was forcing the defense to drop back, so me and Landon were able to get into those pockets," Dempsey said. "And also bringing Jose into the game, he was able to get on the ball, and I thought he locked very confident and helped keep possession for us and caused them to tire a little bit."
Turan scored after Spector made a run deep upfield from his right back position only to lose the ball. Colin Kazim-Richards' long through ball found Turan open as Spector couldn't catch up. Goalkeeper Tim Howard came out, and Turan slotted the ball in from near the top of the penalty area.
"It's about a team reaction when the ball turns over," Bradley said.
Midfielder Clint Dempsey, who notched the winning goal, looks to make a pass as Turkey's Sabri Sarioglu defends during the U.S.'s 2-1 win Saturday.
The U.S. tied the score on a play that began when defender Jay DeMerit sent a long ball to Findley. He made a precise pass to Donovan, who sprinted down the right side and rounded goalkeeper Volkan Demirel, pulling him off his line. Donovan crossed to Altidore, who banged the ball into the open net from 5 yards for his ninth goal in 25 international appearances.
Cherundolo started the move toward the second goal with a throw-in. Donovan crossed to Dempsey, who fought off Sabri Sarioglu with an arm and scored from about 10 yards.
"I knew it was going to be a 50-50 challenge with the defender," Dempsey said. "I tried to kind of absorb the hit so I was able to get good balance."
Dempsey nearly got another goal in the 87th, putting an open shot off a post after Michael Bradley cut the ball back.
Altidore was playing his first match since April 24, when he received a red card playing for Hull after giving Sunderland's Alan Hutton a head butt because the defender threw the ball at him.
DeMerit made his first appearance following an abdominal strain that had sidelined him since April 17. Captain Carlos Bocanegra was shifted to left back from center, the spot he occupied at the Confederations Cup last summer. It was his first match since sports hernia surgery on May 5.
Clarence Goodson played the first half at central defender before Onyewu replaced him. On Tuesday, Onyewu was slow to react against the Czechs but he looked better Saturday. They were his first two games since tearing his left patellar tendon on Oct. 14 in the final World Cup qualifier.
"The first game I felt OK," Onyewu said. "This game I felt better than first, and I'm just anticipating I'll be feeling better every time I go out there."
Players thought Torres' calming influence was key.
"I had to show Bob I really want to be in the starting 11," he said.
Donovan split the first half between the left -- his usual position with the national team -- and the right, where he played for Everton. He said putting himself on the right in the second half and Dempsey on the left was a late decision.
Players know when the World Cup begins, they can't come out as flat as they did.
"When you go into a tournament like this, the urgency is very apparent," Donovan said. "Every game, every goal, every minute is magnified and very important."
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Soccernomics
Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski
Nation Books, New York, 2009, 336 pp., $14.95 (paper).
Are you getting ready for the soccer World Cup in South Africa this summer? Did you know that a nation’s income, population, and soccer experience are the main determinants of a team’s survival of the first round of the World Cup? Don’t rush off and check where your favorite national team stands. These three factors explain only 25 percent of the variation in goal differences; the remaining 75 percent is unexplained random noise or sheer luck—all courtesy of the power of econometrics.
This and many other surprising facts about the world of soccer are discussed in Soccernomics, by Financial Times writer Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski, a leading sports economist. They weave academic analysis and anecdotes from individual players, managers, and teams across the world into a highly readable and entertaining book about the most popular sport in the world. It would have been more fun in undergraduate economics to learn game theory through penalty kicks or regression analysis through soccer examples.
What do large financial institutions such as Lehman Brothers and soccer clubs have in common, and how do they differ? Both are subject to moral hazard (risky behavior is not penalized), because they are usually bailed out. Alas this not always the case—as the example of Lehman Brothers recently showed—but, surprisingly, soccer clubs seldom disappear. Yes, some clubs might go bankrupt (for example, Fiorentina, Leeds United), but according to Kuper and Szymanski, soccer clubs are among the most stable businesses around. Even the few that are not bailed out often reappear with a new name, money, and the same fans and swiftly move up the ranks to the highest league again (Fiorentina, for example). Although banks make enormous profits in good times, soccer clubs are in general unprofitable. The authors find no correlation between league position and profit. Yet, interestingly, soccer players’ salaries explain almost all the variation in English Premier League positions. But the next time your favorite English team announces a multimillion-pound “transfer deal of the year,” don’t get too excited: spectacular transfers do not necessarily correlate with the team’s subsequent league position in the standing.
We also learn that hosting the World Cup or European Cup reduces suicides in European countries, Norway is apparently the most enthusiastic soccer country in Europe, Iraq is among the best overperformers in world soccer, and 50 percent of British ticket holders don’t take up their seats the next season. While bank customers usually stick with their bank unless there’s a bank run, soccer fans don’t seem to be very loyal. In addition, hosting large sports tournaments doesn’t yield any profits or many economic benefits, but it does increase people’s happiness—a finding drawn from the influential field of happiness economics. So even though South Africa is likely to lose money on the forthcoming World Cup, it might be a happier nation this fall—not to mention all the other participating African countries that could reap empowerment, pride, and happiness from the South Africa–hosted World Cup.
What are some of the limitations of the book? The empirical evidence is at times overly focused on England. Economists tend to be a skeptical species (except maybe when it came to rational expectations or efficient markets), so more evidence from other countries would certainly help generalize some of the findings. Also, in general, the explanation of why poor countries do worse at sports—poor nutrition, exposure to disease, lack of networking, and organizational issues—is compelling. But it does not explain why African countries do so well in the FIFA Under-17 and Under-20 soccer World Cups. Nigeria is the most successful U-17 team besides Brazil, with three titles, and the current U-20 world champion is Ghana.
One question for globalizers is when countries such as China and India will make their mark in the soccer world. Brazil, one of their cousins in the so-called BRIC countries—Brazil, Russia, India, and China—has the best national soccer team in the world; the other, Russia, made it to the European Cup semifinals two years ago.
Finally, a word of caution to any soccer manager with a large budget: don’t buy the stars from the World Cup in South Africa. They tend to be overvalued. Buy players in their early twenties and players whose personal problems you can solve (both tend to be undervalued).
Soccernomics is highly recommended not only for soccer fans but for anyone who is interested in how economics tools apply to the wonderful world of soccer.
Heiko Hesse
Economist, IMF; former professional soccer player for Borussia Dortmund; and featured in the German documentaries Die Champions and the forthcoming HalbZeit
Nation Books, New York, 2009, 336 pp., $14.95 (paper).
Are you getting ready for the soccer World Cup in South Africa this summer? Did you know that a nation’s income, population, and soccer experience are the main determinants of a team’s survival of the first round of the World Cup? Don’t rush off and check where your favorite national team stands. These three factors explain only 25 percent of the variation in goal differences; the remaining 75 percent is unexplained random noise or sheer luck—all courtesy of the power of econometrics.
This and many other surprising facts about the world of soccer are discussed in Soccernomics, by Financial Times writer Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski, a leading sports economist. They weave academic analysis and anecdotes from individual players, managers, and teams across the world into a highly readable and entertaining book about the most popular sport in the world. It would have been more fun in undergraduate economics to learn game theory through penalty kicks or regression analysis through soccer examples.
What do large financial institutions such as Lehman Brothers and soccer clubs have in common, and how do they differ? Both are subject to moral hazard (risky behavior is not penalized), because they are usually bailed out. Alas this not always the case—as the example of Lehman Brothers recently showed—but, surprisingly, soccer clubs seldom disappear. Yes, some clubs might go bankrupt (for example, Fiorentina, Leeds United), but according to Kuper and Szymanski, soccer clubs are among the most stable businesses around. Even the few that are not bailed out often reappear with a new name, money, and the same fans and swiftly move up the ranks to the highest league again (Fiorentina, for example). Although banks make enormous profits in good times, soccer clubs are in general unprofitable. The authors find no correlation between league position and profit. Yet, interestingly, soccer players’ salaries explain almost all the variation in English Premier League positions. But the next time your favorite English team announces a multimillion-pound “transfer deal of the year,” don’t get too excited: spectacular transfers do not necessarily correlate with the team’s subsequent league position in the standing.
We also learn that hosting the World Cup or European Cup reduces suicides in European countries, Norway is apparently the most enthusiastic soccer country in Europe, Iraq is among the best overperformers in world soccer, and 50 percent of British ticket holders don’t take up their seats the next season. While bank customers usually stick with their bank unless there’s a bank run, soccer fans don’t seem to be very loyal. In addition, hosting large sports tournaments doesn’t yield any profits or many economic benefits, but it does increase people’s happiness—a finding drawn from the influential field of happiness economics. So even though South Africa is likely to lose money on the forthcoming World Cup, it might be a happier nation this fall—not to mention all the other participating African countries that could reap empowerment, pride, and happiness from the South Africa–hosted World Cup.
What are some of the limitations of the book? The empirical evidence is at times overly focused on England. Economists tend to be a skeptical species (except maybe when it came to rational expectations or efficient markets), so more evidence from other countries would certainly help generalize some of the findings. Also, in general, the explanation of why poor countries do worse at sports—poor nutrition, exposure to disease, lack of networking, and organizational issues—is compelling. But it does not explain why African countries do so well in the FIFA Under-17 and Under-20 soccer World Cups. Nigeria is the most successful U-17 team besides Brazil, with three titles, and the current U-20 world champion is Ghana.
One question for globalizers is when countries such as China and India will make their mark in the soccer world. Brazil, one of their cousins in the so-called BRIC countries—Brazil, Russia, India, and China—has the best national soccer team in the world; the other, Russia, made it to the European Cup semifinals two years ago.
Finally, a word of caution to any soccer manager with a large budget: don’t buy the stars from the World Cup in South Africa. They tend to be overvalued. Buy players in their early twenties and players whose personal problems you can solve (both tend to be undervalued).
Soccernomics is highly recommended not only for soccer fans but for anyone who is interested in how economics tools apply to the wonderful world of soccer.
Heiko Hesse
Economist, IMF; former professional soccer player for Borussia Dortmund; and featured in the German documentaries Die Champions and the forthcoming HalbZeit
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