GLOBAL FOOTBALL INTELLIGENCE
1 ROMARIO’S RETURN
Former Brazil striker Romario made his return to the pitch at the grand old age of 58. As club president of America-RJ, a team that plays in the second tier of the Rio State Championship, the legendary forward had the authority to fulfil one of his dreams by playing alongside his son, Romarinho. And, on the first day of the league season, a 2-0 victory over Petropolis, he did so, coming off the bench for the dying minutes. Though it is likely to be his only cameo of the season, Romario’s return has reportedly attracted a number of new sponsors.
2 BORDER DISPUTE
Provocations between warring neighbours Algeria and Morocco spilled over into the football realm and look to have cost USM Alger a decent chance of retaining their CAF Confederation Cup title – all because of a shirt design.
Their semi-final opponents, RS Berkane, have been wearing a kit with a map of Morocco on the chest throughout this season’s competition. The map includes the disputed region of Western Sahara, which Morocco annexed almost 40 years ago but where Algeria supports a struggling liberation movement. This is the basis for frosty relations that have led to the border between the giant North African countries being closed.
When Berkane arrived in Algiers for the first leg of their semi-final, customs confiscated the kit, calling it “political”. Berkane went to the stadium for the match but refused to come out of the changing room. CAF’s disciplinary committee sided with Berkane and awarded them the game 3-0. USMA appealed and have since sought relief from CAS. They then travelled to Morocco for the return leg but refused to play in a little tit-for-tat. That match was also awarded a 3-0 walkover to Berkane.
The Moroccans went on to lose to Egyptian giants Zamalek in the final, while USMA are hoping CAS might overturn CAF’s rulings and allow them to compete in a re-arranged final.
3 INKED INTO HISTORY
Following their unbeaten title-winning season, Bayer Leverkusen are offering aunique opportuni
