European values touch the world

Europe may not have supplied the 2002 FIFA World Cup winners - but this continent's influence on the tournament in Korea/Japan was enormous.

Big impact
UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh, who spent the entire month in the Far East observing the tournament, not only says that Europe's competitions prepare many of the players for the World Cup, but also that European coaches, their experience and their coaching philosophies are helping non-European countries make a major impact at world level.

European influence
"Although a South American team, Brazil, won the competition," said Roxburgh, "European influence was constantly there at the final round, through the preparation and development of the players and the methods of the many European coaches who were in charge of the teams."    

Champions League education
Roxburgh told uefa.com that Europe's two major club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup, gave many of the World Cup players an essential education in playing high-pressure, top-level football. "These two top-notch competitions are the club equivalent of the World Cup in terms of standards and competitiveness," said Roxburgh. "The Champions League is the world's number-one club competition, and the world's best players want to play in it.

World Cup finalists
"For example, seventeen of the players who started the game in the World Cup final have played in the UEFA Champions League. And a number of them have taken part in Champions League finals with Real Madrid [CF], [FC] Bayern München and Bayer [04] Leverkusen.

'Honed on the European stage'
"It means that their tactical knowledge and competitive edge are honed on the European stage," added the UEFA technical director. "Many of the World Cup players are 'made in Europe' as a result, because the best South American and African players play on this continent. In fact, because of the Champions League and the education that the players are given, Europe is actually helping countries from other continents to develop - and, in turn, they are now giving European teams problems in major tournaments.

Turkey's development    
"The UEFA Champions League has also helped European countries such as Turkey to develop. Although many people may have been surprised to see them reach the semi-final, you have to remember that a lot of their players have extensive Champions League experience with clubs such as Galatasaray [SK]."

Coaches' success
While the top players fine-tune their skills in Europe for display on the world's top stage, Europe's coaches - educated within comprehensive UEFA and national association training programmes - have brought success to countries from other continents.

Japan and Korea
Roxburgh pointed out that 21 of the 32 coaches in the 2002 World Cup field were Europeans. He said that two fine examples of European football influence being brought to bear on other areas of the football world had been provided by the Korean Republic and Japan, the 2002 World Cup co-hosts.

'Changed mentalities'
"Dutchman Guus Hiddink and Frenchman Philippe Troussier completely changed their countries' footballing outlooks and mentalities," said Roxburgh. "Guus Hiddink brought the European, and more particularly the Dutch coaching school to Korea. The team's playing structure was based entirely on the Dutch way of playing. He also improved fitness levels. Korea were therefore beating European teams as a result of European know-how.

'Competitive spirit'
"Philippe Troussier changed Japan's football mentality, in that their players were previously very polite in demeanour. Troussier installed a European competitive and aggressive spirit in them," he added.

Internal influences
Roxburgh explained that European internal domestic football influences also shone through - none more so than in the opening match, when the African side, Senegal, pulled off a shock victory against the reigning world champions France.

Senegal's French knowledge
"If ever there was team geared to beat France, it was Senegal," said Roxburgh. "They had a French coach in Bruno Metsu, and all of their players were playing in French clubs. They knew everything about France, and prepared the match perfectly. France were beaten by French know-how." 

Learning from others
Despite the massive European spirit hanging over the World Cup, Roxburgh concluded by saying that this continent should also remain open to the influence of others. "We Europeans can learn so much from Brazilian players in relation to their technique and approach to training and playing," he said. "At the World Cup, their squad may have been full of top stars - but they showed a youthfulness and joy in playing that should serve as an example to everyone."