Europe XI v Africa XI (1997)

Europe XI v Africa XI (1997) was a friendly football match that took place on 29 January 1997 at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal, between a European select side and an African select side.[1] The match was jointly organized by UEFA and CAF as part of the European Year against Racism.[2] The African XI won 2–1 with goals from Abedi Pele and Mustapha Hadji.[3]

Europe XI v Africa XI
Date29 January 1997
VenueEstádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal
RefereeVitor Melo Pereira (Portugal)
Attendance8,000

Background

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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".[3]

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.[2]

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.[2]

Match

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Europe XI1 – 2Africa XI
Guérin   43' Pele   14'
Hadji   78'
Attendance: 8,000
EUROPE XI:
GK 20   Edwin van der Sar   60'
SW 16   Matthias Sammer (c)   46'
CB 4   Frank de Boer
CB 11   Jürgen Kohler
DM 7   Vincent Guérin
DM 14   Paulinho Santos   46'
RM 2   Zvonimir Boban
AM 15   Rui Costa   46'
LM 5   Ronald de Boer
SS 9   João Pinto   46'
CF 10   Jürgen Klinsmann   46'
Substitutions:
GK 1   Stanislav Cherchesov   60'
DF 6   Stéphane Henchoz   46'
MF 12   Andreas Möller   46'
MF 13   Pavel Nedvěd   46'
FW 3   Pierluigi Casiraghi   46'
FW 6   Domingos Paciência   46'
Manager:
  Berti Vogts
  Rinus Michels
AFRICA XI:
GK 20   Andre Arendse   46'
CB 2   Frank Amankwah
CB 16   Taribo West
CB 5   Mark Fish
RM 7   Sunday Oliseh
CM 12   Radwan Yasser   65'
CM 14   Moussa Saïb   58'
LM 10   Abedi Pele (c)
RF 3   Tijani Babangida   58'
CF 8   Ahmed Ouattara
LF 9   Paulão   64'
Substitutions:
GK 1   Abiodun Baruwa   46'
MF 6   Mustapha Hadji   58'
FW 4   Chiquinho Conde   64'
FW 11   Quinzinho   58'
FW 15   Souleyman Sané   65'
Manager:
  Rabah Madjer
  Mawade Wade

Assistant referees:
João Esteves (Portugal)
Carlos Matos (Portugal)

References

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  1. ^ International Matches 1997 - Other
  2. ^ a b c "Football: Europe v Africa match makes history". The Independent. 29 January 1997. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  3. ^ a b Metcalf, Rupert (31 January 1997). "Football around the world". The Independent. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
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