RoadToRussia 2018: Recent Episodes
Silvyamichelle
In the last decade, China have established themselves as a super power by investing in various European clubs and building a new potentially formidable league of their very own. Despite having gained attention with their overseas investments, and attracting famous players and trainers from the best world football leagues, the performance of their national team has not evolved as much in this time. We spoke with Yibing Huang, ceo of the the company China Spain Know how, who gave us more insights about football in China.
En la última década, China se ha destacado en el fútbol internacional a base de inversiones millonarias con la adquisición de varios clubes europeos y la creación de una potencial y formidable liga China. Recientemente se especula una probable salida del Barcelona de Javier Mascherano, con la intención de defender los colores del Hibei Fortune, que en 2016 ya se hizo del internacional argentino, Ezequiel Lavezzi, que se convirtió en el jugador más caro de la liga cina, con un salario de 53 millones de euros por los 23 meses de su contrato. Sin embargo, estas inversiones no se han traducido en una evolución y mejoría de los resultados deportivos de la selección nacional China. Hemos descubierto más sobre el fútbol en China con Yibing Huang, CEO de la empresa China Spain Know how.
Iran’s football national team are on their way to Russia 2018 having automatically clinched a spot for the finals in the AFC qualifiers, and having already broken a record. The “team Melli”, as named in Iran, have established a new FIFA world cup qualifying record by keeping a clean sheet in 9 games, in group A over Korea Republic, Syria, Uzbekistan, China and Qatar, before Syria stopped their run by drawing 2-2 in their last qualifier. We spoke with Hamid Reza Safari, researcher professor of the Kharazmi University of Teheran, who gave us more insights about football in Iran.
Iceland, on their road to Russia 2018 as the smallest nation that will play in the final stage of the football World Cup, has shown their ability to compete with much larger countries.
Iceland, home to three hundred thousand twenty nine people, with their distinctive glaciers, geysers, hot springs, volcanoes, and waterfalls, is a far stretch from the ground where you would imagine kids learning to play football in the streets. In this nordic landscape, there are 179 full size pitches, which means a standard pitch every 1800 inhabitants.
Their accomplishments go beyond football, and include silver medal success in the 2008 Olympics in handball, as well as in basketball, reaching the first group qualifying level for Eurobasket in 2015.
Iceland didn’t delay much in matching this record in major football competitions. During Euro 2016, they established themselves as the new gem of European football by clinching the round of 16 after a perfect qualifying and group campaign. They received an astonishing result by defeating the Netherlands and England, and achieving a draw with the Portugal before losing to France. We spoke to Arnar Bill Gunnarsson, the technical Director of the Icelandic football association, who gave us some more insight.
La Svizzera, dopo l’uno a zero conquistato a Belfast,sul discusso rigore di Rodriguez, entrerá al St Jakob park decisa a terminare il suo lavoro e staccare il biglietto definitivo per Russia 2018. Tuttavia i giochi non sono ancora decisi e i nordirlandesi potrebbero sfruttare qualche azione su palla inattiva per pareggiare il risultato di Belfast. Breve intervista con Alain Valnegri, commentarista di BeIN Sport e espero in calcio internazionale