Carlsberg FanCamps to create Polish 'football towns'

Poland's host cities will each feature a "football town" during UEFA EURO 2012 with the establishment of the Carlsberg FanCamps.

The free-entry FanCamps will offer entertainment, activities and refreshments. There will also be accommodation options for visiting fans to purchase. The locations of Poland's Carlsberg FanCamps are:

Poznan: Arena Hall and Kasprowicza Park
Warsaw: Olympic Centre
Wroclaw: International Sport Centre
Gdansk: Sopot Hippodrome

Every Carlsberg FanCamp will be divided into several areas including: a main tent where live music will take place; giant screens to broadcast the matches; and a beach and bar area. For those after something a little more active, the sport zone will provide football pitches and basketball courts where teams can take part in games or compete in organised competitions.

Wojciech Żabiński, Carlsberg's tournament director in Poland, said: "As a committed sponsor of UEFA EURO 2012, Carlsberg is going to do its best to make the coming tournament the best ever. Thanks to many years' experience of cooperating with the UEFA European Championship, we know how to create a special atmosphere. For the first time ever we are building Carlsberg FanCamps that will let us Poles show ourselves in the best light."

Poland's Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity will also play a lead role in the Carlsberg FanCamps' entertainment and security responsibilities, with the organisation's president Jerzy Owsiak saying: "We have been cooperating with Carlsberg for over a year and are very satisfied with the results. We will proudly take part in this project and hope to create a lot of fun for all visitors."

The catering area will have a buffet open during the day and will also supply breakfast for those staying in the FanCamp. There will be a special effort to have an ecological approach to living in the football towns. "We would like to promote ecologically friendly behaviour within the Carslberg FanCamps," added Owsiak.

Accommodation prices will start at PLN 112 (€25) a night for a tent in the FanCamp, based on a minimum three-night stay. The price for camper cans begins at PLN 112 per person and for trailer coaches at PLN 330 (€80) per person. All prices include breakfast and two beers (or two soft drinks) within the FanCamp. Tickets for Carlsberg FanCamps can be purchased on the Polish Tourist Organisation's website.

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Barcelona and Sporting hit ground running

The four UEFA Futsal Cup finalists are back in domestic action with the European showpiece in Lleida, Spain, only two months away.

FC Barcelona, who will host the knockout finals from 27 to 29 April, were unbeaten at the top in Spain when the league paused for UEFA Futsal EURO 2012. With several of the European champions' squad in their ranks, they have maintained that form.

On 18 February they went to Manacor FS and won 7-2, then on Saturday they prevailed 4-3 at Sala 10 Zaragoza. That second success was achieved despite red cards for Wilde and Saad Assis – and thanks to EURO top scorer Torras, who completed a hat-trick in the last minute. Murcia remain level on points with Barcelona ten games from the end of the regular season.

Marca Futsal, who like Barcelona have made the semi-finals on their European debut, lie second in Italy. A postponed match for Luparense C/5 a week ago allowed Marca to move within five points of the leaders by beating Marina CSA 4-1; and although they needed a Patrick Nora equaliser to draw 1-1 at ASD Asti C/5 on Saturday, rivals Luparense were held 2-2 by visitors TSC Lazio.

Drawing in dramatic style on their return to Russian league action were MFK Dinamo Moskva. Despite a Vinicius hat-trick to turn a game they had trailed 4-1, Dinamo conceded two goals at the death to finish 6-6 at PFC CSKA Moskva.

Coach Faustino Pérez, who had given Nando his debut against CSKA, had more to celebrate earlier last week. A 9-4 victory over MFK Almaz-Alrosa earned them a 15-4 aggregate triumph and a place in the Russian Cup final against TTG-Ugra Yugorsk – Dinamo having lifted this trophy for the last four years.

Sporting Clube de Portugal played their first post-EURO league match on Sunday and won 5-1 at Boavista FC to stay within two points of pace-setting SL Benfica, with both Lisbon sides unbeaten after 18 of their 26 regular-season fixtures. Caio Japa scored twice and Pedro Cary, Alex and Leitao were also on target.

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Čech named Czech No1 once again

Goalkeeper Petr Čech has been named the Czech player of the year for the fifth time and the fourth in succession.

The Chelsea FC custodian topped the annual poll of coaches, players and journalists ahead of two midfielders: VfL Wolfsburg's Petr Jiráček and Arsenal FC's Tomáš Rosický.

It was the 29-year-old's fifth triumph, following previous awards in 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010, moving him level with fellow keeper Ivo Viktor on the all-time list. The FK Dukla Praha stalwart was celebrated as his country's finest in 1968, 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976.

Speaking at the ceremony last night, Čech said: "Last year may have been one of the most successful in my career. I was voted player of the year at Chelsea, which was a great feeling as I was in competition with so many stars. It's also a very good feeling to achieve the same as the legendary Ivo Viktor."

Other prizes given at the annual event included honours for FC Viktoria Plzeň's Pavel Vrba (coach of the year) and AC Sparta Praha midfielder Ladislav Krejčí (young player of the year).

Čech and his Czech Republic team-mates trained at Dukla's Juliska stadium yesterday in preparation for Wednesday's friendly in Dublin against fellow UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers the Republic of Ireland.

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Evergreen Štajner relishes new Czech chance

It is proving a memorable week for Jiří Štajner and the 35-year-old hopes to top it off by stating his claim for a UEFA EURO 2012 place when the Czech Republic visit the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday.

On Saturday the midfielder's two goals gave FC Slovan Liberec a 2-0 victory over 1. FK Příbram which closed the gap on Czech First League leaders AC Sparta Praha to three points. Hours later national coach Michal Bílek called up Štajner to replace the injured Tomáš Rosický. It was an unexpected turn of events for a player whose career seemed over when he left Hannover 96 in summer 2010 to rejoin Slovan after eight years in Germany.

His Hannover move had followed a dream 2001/02 season when his 15 league goals, including 11 in the last 12 rounds, helped Liberec win the title and earned Štajner the scorers crown and an international debut. Now he is back in that form, or maybe even better, giving fans the sight of his bald presence outpacing younger opponents – including for his opening, solo goal against Příbram, which began with a run from his own half.

"I enjoy playing football," said Štajner, who has 11 goals from 17 top-flight outings this term, of his revival. "I have never had problems with stamina and I don't need any special treatment from the coach. I feel good among younger team-mates."

Bílek had previously resisted media clamour to pick Štajner, saying when he originally named his squad: "I know him well, he is a great personality with experience, but I don't need to try him. We have Tomáš Rosický and Daniel Kolář in attacking midfield now, but he could be with us at EURO." Now the coach has hinted that Štajner may start in Dublin, affording the player serious hope of going to his second major tournament after the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

"I am glad to be back in the squad and EURO is a great motivation for me," said the 36-times capped Štajner, before showing his well-known stoic side. "Nevertheless I know there is a long way to go and I am not getting carried away.

"It's true that winning a championship with Liberec and playing at EURO would be the peak of my career," he added, relishing the chance to fill in for Rosický. "The central attacking midfield position just behind the forwards is my preferred role, definitely better than playing on the wings. And I will not be frustrated if I only help the team as a joker for a few minutes."

Bílek himself will be giving as many players as possible a go. "The atmosphere in the squad is great, the players are together as a team," he said. "It would be pointless to put ourselves under pressure due to a bad friendly result. There is a great difference between playing in the Czech league and playing internationals – I want to see how the younger players deal with more demanding situations."

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Dino Zoff at 70: five great games

Dino Zoff celebrates his 70th birthday today, three decades since lifting the FIFA World Cup and 44 years after helping Italy win the 1968 UEFA European Championship. Known as 'Il monumento del calcio italiano' (the Monument of Italian Football), the goalkeeper is one of his country's most respected football figures. Capped 112 times, Zoff also led the Azzurri to the UEFA EURO 2000 final as coach – and says, "I have always preferred deeds to words."

From the eight raw eggs a day his grandmother made him drink to boost his growth when he was only 160cm tall at 14, to the famous cards game he played with Italian President Sandro Pertini, coach Enzo Bearzot and team-mate Franco Causio on the return flight from Madrid to Rome after winning the World Cup, Zoff's exploits earned him cult status in Italy. UEFA.com marks the former Udinese Calcio, AC Mantova, SSC  Napoli and Juventus No1's birthday with five seminal moments from his 22-year career.

10 June 1968: Italy 2-0 Yugoslavia, 1968 UEFA European Championship final replay
Zoff had a spectacular start to his Italy career. Aged 26, he debuted in the quarter-final second leg against Bulgaria as Italy recovered from a 3-2 away loss in Sofia to win 2-0. Confirmed as first choice for the four-team finals in Italy, Zoff was unbeaten again in the semi-final against the Soviet Union, in which the hosts prevailed on a coin toss.

If Yugoslavia dominated the final in Rome, Zoff helped Italy draw 1-1 after extra time to ensure a replay two days later – and on his fourth appearance kept his third clean sheet to become a European champion with a 2-0 victory. "We had enormous problems against Yugoslavia," Zoff recalled. "To be honest, we didn't deserve to draw the first game. But we produced a perfect performance in the replay."

14 November 1973: England 0-1 Italy, friendly
Future England manager Fabio Capello may have scored the best-remembered goal of his playing career, but Italy's first Wembley triumph would not have been possible without a series of superb saves by Zoff. Two came in the first half from Tony Currie, before an even more spectacular stop after the break to deny Emlyn Hughes.

The match came in the middle of Zoff's international world record spell of 1,142 consecutive minutes without conceding. Second behind Johan Cruyff in the vote for the 1973 Ballon d'Or, on the eve of the 1974 World Cup Zoff's picture made the cover of Newsweek magazine with the headline: "The world's best."

18 May 1977: Athletic Club 2-1 Juventus (agg 2-2, Juve win on away goals), UEFA Cup final second leg
Juventus went to Bilbao after edging the first leg 1-0 in Turin and immediately got an away goal through Roberto Bettega. Athletic, however, surged forward at San Mamés and Javier Irureta and Carlos Ruiz took them to within a goal of the overall lead. Only another superlative showing by Zoff made sure it was Juve that lifted the trophy.

"After their second goal, Zoff kicked the ball away from the net," Juve's then coach Giovanni Trapattoni said. "He asked me how long to go. I told him there were 12 minutes left and he didn't hide his disappointment. It was hard to resist until the final whistle. Only then was the greatest goalkeeper in the world smiling again."

15 March 1978: Juventus 1-1 AFC Ajax (agg 2-2, Juve win 3-0 on pens), European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-final second leg
Perhaps Zoff's best display in the European Cup ended with every team-mate hugging him in celebration and the fans chanting "Dino, Dino" after the Bianconeri booked their semi-final place. Ajax converted none of their three penalties, with Zoff saving from Ruud Geels and Pim van Dord.

Juventus would eventually lose in the semis and Zoff was never to collect the trophy, being defeated in two finals, including the surprise 1983 loss to a Felix Magath goal for Hamburger SV in Athens. "The biggest disappointment of my career," Zoff said. "We had a team of champions, most of the players who had won the World Cup the previous year plus Michel Platini and Zbigniew Boniek. We reached the final unbeaten, then that Magath shot."

5 July 1982: Italy 3-2 Brazil, 1982 FIFA World Cup second round
Favourites Brazil needed just a draw to get to the semi-finals from the second group stage and, with Italy ahead 3-2 in Barcelona courtesy of Paolo Rossi's hat-trick, the South Americans attacked in force until centre-back Oscar sent a rocket header towards the Italy goal from a free-kick. Zoff dived to his left and blocked the ball on the line.

"It was not my best save but probably the most important," Zoff said. "I knew the ball never went in, but it was terrible waiting for the referee's decision while the Brazilians were screaming, asking for a goal." That stop allowed Italy to set up a semi-final with Poland, who were beaten before a 3-1 success over West Germany enabled the 40-year-old Zoff to lift the World Cup, the oldest man ever to do so.

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Portugal mourns Jaime Graça

Portuguese football is mourning the death of Jaime Graça, who made his mark on both the European Champion Clubs' Cup and the FIFA World Cup.

The former Vitória FC, SL Benfica and Portugal midfielder died at the age of 70 after a long battle against illness. Born in Setubal, he debuted for his local club aged 17 and in 1965 scored in their Portuguese Cup final defeat of Benfica.

Ever-present in Portugal's third-place finish at the 1966 World Cup in England, Jaime Graça then moved to Benfica, where he was to win seven league titles and three more Portuguese Cups. He was a key player in their run to the 1968 European Cup final against Manchester United FC at Wembley, equalising on 79 minutes only for Benfica to eventually lose 4-1 in extra time.

In all, he earned 36 caps for Portugal between 1965 and 1972, three years before he ended his career having returned to Setubal with Vitória. He went on to coach and assisted José Torres at the 1986 World Cup, only Portugal's second finals appearance after their bronze-medal placing 20 years earlier.

Jaime Graça was also famous for saving the life of Eusébio and other Benfica team-mates in December 1966. The players were having a hydro massage session when an electrical malfunction caused a short circuit. As a former electrician, Jaime Graça was able to disconnect the current, not in time to prevent the death of Luciano Fernandes but averting an even greater tragedy.

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Sweden's Hamrén wary of Croatia quality

Sweden's Hamrén wary of Croatia quality – UEFA.com LoginE-mailpasswordStay signed inCan't access?Login

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Injuries may have interrupted his plans, but Sweden coach Erik Hamrén is still relishing Wednesday’s friendly meeting with fellow UEFA EURO 2012 hopefuls Croatia, identifying the hosts as "a quality team, just like the ones we'll face at EURO".

Sweden will lock horns with England, France and co-hosts Ukraine in Group D this summer, and they will probably have to do so without Daniel Majstorovic after the Celtic FC defender suffered ligament damage in his left knee during a training session in Zagreb. That came after newcomer John Guidetti had already limped away from the training pitch clutching his hip, but while the Feyenoord striker has been passed fit to face Croatia, Majstorovic is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

"He's a fantastic person, which makes it all the more painful," said Hamrén, whose team doctor Leif Svärd has estimated an eight-month recovery period for the 34-year-old. Majstorovic contested nine of Sweden's ten UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers and Hamrén will have to select a replacement to partner Olof Mellberg in central defence at the Stadion Maksimir. Jonas Olsson is the obvious candidate after taking turns with Majstorovic alongside Mellberg during training.

Guidetti’s availability was confirmed after a scan, meanwhile, and he is set to make an eagerly anticipated debut. The 19-year-old has scored 18 goals in 16 Eredivisie outings for Feyenoord this term, spending the season on loan from Manchester City FC, and the buzz around the youngster echoes the rising excitement felt ten years ago when a young Zlatan Ibrahimović was picked for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

"Everything is just rolling along for him, but he's going to run into a wall at some point," commented Ibrahimović, now an undisputed pillar of the side and team captain. "It happened to me too. That’s when you need to show you can get back up again."

 

Related ItemsMajstorovic's EURO blowIsaksson's Q&A with youBilić expects stiff testIn profile: Erik HamrénIn focus ... SwedenGuidetti gets Sweden nodBilić selects friendly squadPearce faces Dutch testDel Bosque ponders formulaSorensen's pride at centuryTrapattoni sticks to formulaLöw looks for answersŠtajner back in spotlightGraft beats craft for GreeceJeleń eyes historic goalBlokhin's stern Ukraine turnPavlyuchenko ready for Denmark“Everything is just rolling along for him, but he's going to run into a wall at some pointZlatan Ibrahimović on John Guidetti”©UEFA.com 1998-2012. All rights reserved.

Last updated: 28/02/12 21.50CETRelated information  Player profilesJohn GuidettiFeyenoord - NetherlandsDaniel MajstorovicCeltic - Scotland Coach profilesErik HamrénSweden - Sweden Team profilesSwedenNext match: Croatia v Sweden 29/02/2012 CroatiaNext match: Croatia v Sweden 29/02/2012 http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/news/newsid=1761036.html#swedens+hamren+wary+croatia+quality

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