1.
Mike Frantz
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Mike Frantz is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder for SC Freiburg in the 2. In July 2008, he moved from 1, on 13 June 2014, Frantz joined SC Freiburg. Official website Mike Frantz at 1, FC Nürnberg Mike Frantz at Fussballdaten
2.
Merseburg
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Merseburg is a town in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the river Saale, approx. It is the capital of the Saalekreis district and it had a diocese founded by Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg. The University of Merseburg is located within the town, czech, Merseburk, Meziboř French, Mersebourg German, Merseburg Latin, Merseburga Polish, Międzybórz Sorbian, Mjezybor Venenien was annexed into Merseburg on 1 January 1949. The parish Kötzschen followed on 1 July 1950, since 30 May 1994, Meuschau is part of Merseburg. Beuna was annexed on 1 January 2009, geusa is a part of Merseburg since 1 January 2010. Merseburg was first mentioned in 850, king Henry the Fowler built a royal palace at Merseburg, in the 933 Battle of Riade, he gained his great victory over the Hungarians in the vicinity. Thietmar of Merseburg, appointed in 973, became the first bishop of the newly created bishopric of Prague in Bohemia, Prague had been part of the archbishopric of Mainz for a hundred years before that. Fifteen diets were held here during the Middle Ages, during which time its fairs enjoyed the importance which was transferred to those of Leipzig. Merseburg was the site of an assassination attempt on Polish ruler Bolesław I Chrobry in 1002. The town suffered severely during the German Peasants War and also during the Thirty Years War, from 1657 to 1738 Merseburg was the residence of the Dukes of Saxe-Merseburg, after which it fell to the Electorate of Saxony. In 1815 following the Napoleonic Wars, the became part of the Prussian Province of Saxony. Merseburg is where the Merseburg Incantations were rediscovered in 1841, written down in Old High German, they are hitherto the only preserved German documents with a heathen theme. One of them is a charm to release warriors caught during battle, enterprises, too, blazed a trail in the course of the transformational process. Ultimately, a chemical park emerged at nearby Leuna which is one of the most modern sites of its kind in Europe with high ecological standards, Merseburg was badly damaged in World War II. In 23 air raids 6,200 dwellings were completely or partly destroyed, the historic town centre was almost completely destroyed. Briefly part of Saxony-Anhalt after the war, it was administered within the Bezirk Halle in East Germany. It became part of Saxony-Anhalt again after reunification of Germany, like many towns in the former East Germany, Merseburg has had a general decline in population since German Reunification despite annexing and merging with a number of smaller nearby villages. The cathedral-and-palace ensemble also features a palace garden, other attractions include the Merseburg House of Trades with a cultural stage and the German Museum of Chemistry, Merseburg
3.
East Germany
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East Germany, formally the German Democratic Republic, was an Eastern Bloc state during the Cold War period. The Soviet zone surrounded West Berlin, but did not include it, as a result, the German Democratic Republic was established in the Soviet Zone, while the Federal Republic was established in the three western zones. East Germany, which lies culturally in Central Germany, was a state of the Soviet Union. Soviet occupation authorities began transferring administrative responsibility to German communist leaders in 1948, Soviet forces, however, remained in the country throughout the Cold War. Until 1989, the GDR was governed by the Socialist Unity Party, though other parties participated in its alliance organisation. The economy was centrally planned, and increasingly state-owned, prices of basic goods and services were set by central government planners, rather than rising and falling through supply and demand. Although the GDR had to pay war reparations to the USSR. Nonetheless it did not match the growth of West Germany. Emigration to the West was a significant problem—as many of the emigrants were well-educated young people, the government fortified its western borders and, in 1961, built the Berlin Wall. Many people attempting to flee were killed by guards or booby traps. In 1989, numerous social and political forces in the GDR and abroad led to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the following year open elections were held, and international negotiations led to the signing of the Final Settlement treaty on the status and borders of Germany. The GDR was dissolved and Germany was unified on 3 October 1990, internally, the GDR also bordered the Soviet sector of Allied-occupied Berlin known as East Berlin which was also administered as the states de facto capital. It also bordered the three sectors occupied by the United States, United Kingdom and France known collectively as West Berlin. The three sectors occupied by the Western nations were sealed off from the rest of the GDR by the Berlin Wall from its construction in 1961 until it was brought down in 1989, the official name was Deutsche Demokratische Republik, usually abbreviated to DDR. West Germans, the media and statesmen purposely avoided the official name and its abbreviation, instead using terms like Ostzone, Sowjetische Besatzungszone. The centre of power in East Berlin was referred to as Pankow. Over time, however, the abbreviation DDR was also used colloquially by West Germans. However, this use was not always consistent, for example, before World War II, Ostdeutschland was used to describe all the territories east of the Elbe, as reflected in the works of sociologist Max Weber and political theorist Carl Schmitt
4.
Defender (association football)
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In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposing team from scoring goals. There are four types of defenders, centre-back, sweeper, full-back, the centre-back and full-back positions are essential in most modern formations. The sweeper and wing-back roles are more specialised for certain formations, a centre-back defends in the area directly in front of the goal, and tries to prevent opposing players, particularly centre-forwards, from scoring. Centre-backs accomplish this by blocking shots, tackling, intercepting passes, contesting headers, with the ball, centre-backs are generally expected to make long and pinpoint passes to their teammates, or to kick unaimed long balls down the field. For example, a clearance is a long unaimed kick intended to move the ball as far as possible from the defenders goal, during normal play, centre-backs are unlikely to score goals. In this case, other defenders or midfielders will temporarily move into the centre-back positions, in the modern game, most teams employ two or three centre-backs in front of the goalkeeper. The 4–2–3–1, 4–3–3, and 4–4–2 formations all use two centre-backs, the sweeper is a more versatile centre-back who sweeps up the ball if an opponent manages to breach the defensive line. This position is more fluid than that of other defenders who man-mark their designated opponents. Because of this, it is referred to as libero. For example, the system of play, used in Italian football in the 1960s. The more modern libero possesses the qualities of the typical libero while being able to expose the opposition during counterattacks. The Fundell-libero has become popular in recent time with the sweeper transitioning to the most advanced forward in an attack. This variation on the position requires great pace and fitness, while rarely seen in professional football, the position has been extensively used in lower leagues. Modern libero sit behind centre-backs as a sweeper before charging through the team to join in the attack, some sweepers move forward and distribute the ball up-field, while others intercept passes and get the ball off the opposition without needing to hurl themselves into tackles. If the sweeper does move up the field to distribute the ball, they will need to make a speedy recovery, in modern football, its usage has been fairly restricted, with few clubs in the biggest leagues using the position. Though it is used in modern football, it remains a highly respected. A recent and successful use of the sweeper was made by Otto Rehhagel, Greeces manager, Rehhagel utilized Traianos Dellas as Greeces sweeper to great success, as Greece surprisingly became European champions. The full-backs take up the wide positions and traditionally stayed in defence at all times
5.
VfB Germania Halberstadt
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VfB Germania Halberstadt is a German football club from Halberstadt in Saxony-Anhalt. The club was founded on 26 October 1949 as Betriebssportgemeinschaft Reichsbahn Halberstadt before being renamed BSG Lokomotive Halberstadt in 1950, through the 1970s the team played in the East German third division DDR-Bezirksliga. The club became VfB Halberstadt that year while the footballers went their own way in 1994 as Fußball Club Germania Halberstadt, VfB Germania Halberstadt was formed when the two clubs were reunited in 1997. They went on to win the Oberliga in 2011 and advance to the Regionalliga Nord and that league saw Germania and other northeastern clubs move to the Regionalliga Nordost on its refoundation in 2012 where it played for the next four seasons until relegation in 2016. The clubs honours, NOFV-Oberliga Süd Champions, 2010–11 Verbandsliga Sachsen-Anhalt Champions, 2002–03 Saxony-Anhalt Cup Runners-up, 2009–10, 2012–13 Official website Abseits Guide to German Soccer
6.
1. FC Magdeburg
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FC Magdeburg is a German association football club based in the city of Magdeburg. The club was founded in 1965 and spent all but one season in East Germanys top flight and it is the only East German club to have won a European title, winning the European Cup Winners Cup in 1974. It is the only East German club who won the double, winning the league, after German reunification, the club fell on hard times and only entered professional football in 2015 when the side was promoted to the 3. Football has been played in Magdeburg since the end of the 19th century, on 15 June 1896 SV Victoria 96 Magdeburg was founded, a club that had its best days before World War II, when it participated in the German championship finals on several occasions. Later the club participated in the Gauliga Mitte, after World War II, all sports clubs in the Soviet Occupation Zone were dissolved and a number of smaller clubs were created, which at first competed at a local and regional level. In 1945 players from the disbanded clubs Magdeburger SC Prussia 1899 and this club and SG Lemsdorf came together as the sports club BSG Eintracht Sudenburg, which in turn merged with SAG Krupp Gruson in 1950. The next year the club was renamed BSG Stahl Magdeburg, and then in 1952, in 1957 the football department of Motor Mitte was moved to SC Aufbau Magdeburg, a political decision with the goal of achieving higher standards of performance. In 1965, the department was again broken out of SC Aufbau. This was part of a general – again politically motivated – movement in East Germany towards football-only clubs with the goal of achieving higher standards, FC Magdeburg is the oldest of the football clubs created in this period. SC Aufbau were promoted to the first tier of East German football in 1959, at the beginning of the 1960s, the club usually played in the lower midtable of the DDR-Oberliga, but in 1964 the club had its first major success with a surprise win of the FDGB-Pokal. In the final at Dessau, Magdeburg came back from being 0–2 down to beat SC Leipzig 3–2. The cup win meant the first international appearance of a Magdeburg club, legend reports that the coin first stuck upright in the muddy ground, and only the second toss brought about a decision. SC Aufbau finished mid-table again in the 1964–65 season and managed to defend their cup title as the first team in East German football ever, however, the 1965–66 season, when SC Aufbaus footballers became 1. FC Magdeburg, ended in disaster, The club finished last in the table and was relegated to the second-tier DDR-Liga, with their new manager Heinz Krügel, Magdeburg were immediately repromoted and finished third in 1968 and 1969. With their third win of the FDGB-Pokal in 1969 the club had established itself among the top teams of East German football. During the 1970s, the DDR-Oberliga was mostly dominated by two teams,1, FC Magdeburg and SG Dynamo Dresden. One of the figures behind the success at Magdeburg was Heinz Krügel, under his reign, Magdeburg produced 9 East German internationals between 1969 and 1974 alone, four of which were part of the East German team competing at the 1974 FIFA World Cup. The golden age of Magdeburg football began in 1972, when the won the East German championship with the youngest squad in history
7.
VfL Wolfsburg
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Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V. commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg or Wolfsburg, is a German sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a club for Volkswagen workers in the city of Wolfsburg. It is best known for its department, but other departments include badminton, handball. The mens professional football play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, the DFB-Pokal in 2015, professional football is run by the spin-off organization VfL Wolfsburg-Fußball GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. Since 2002, Wolfsburgs stadium is the Volkswagen Arena, the city of Wolfsburg was founded in 1938 as Stadt des KdF-Wagen to house autoworkers building the car that would later become famous as the Volkswagen Beetle. The first football club affiliated with the autoworks was known as BSG Volkswagenwerk Stadt des KdF-Wagen and this team played in the first division Gauliga Osthannover in the 1943–44 and 1944–45 seasons. On 12 September 1945, in the aftermath of World War II, on 15 December 1945, the club went through a crisis that almost ended its existence when all but one of its players left to join 1. The only player remaining, Josef Meyer, worked with Willi Hilbert to rebuild the side by signing new players, the new group adopted the moniker VfL Wolfsburg, VfL standing for Verein für Leibesübungen. This can be translated as club for gymnastics or club for exercises, within a year they captured the local Gifhorn title. The club made slow but steady progress in the following seasons, Wolfsburg, however, struggled in the top flight, narrowly missing relegation each season until finally being sent down in 1959. Wolfsburg remained a second division fixture over the dozen years with their best performance being a second-place finish in 1970. That finish earned the entry to the promotion round playoffs for the Bundesliga. From the mid-1970s through to the early 1990s, Die Wölfe played as a third side in the Amateur Oberliga Nord. Consecutive first-place finishes in 1991 and 1992, followed by success in the promotion playoffs, Wolfsburg continued to enjoy some success through the 1990s. Early predictions were that the club would immediately be sent back down, but instead, losing 6–1 away to MSV Duisburg in the final fixture, the Wolves finished in sixth place with 55 points and qualified for next seasons UEFA Cup. They also qualified for the Intertoto Cup in 2000,2001,2003,2004 and 2005 and this was followed by a couple of seasons of little success for the club, just narrowly avoiding relegation with two 15th-place finishes in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. This also enabled the Wolves to qualify for the UEFA Cup for only the time in their history
8.
Karlsruher SC
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Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg. KSC rose out of the consolidation of a number of predecessor clubs and they have played in the Bundesliga, but were relegated to the 2. Bundesliga in 1998 and in 2009, in 2012, they were relegated to the 3. Liga through play-offs, and in 2013, they were promoted back to the 2, the most successful of these ancestral clubs was Karlsruher Fussball Club Phönix, formed on 6 June 1894 by dissatisfied members of the gymnastics club Karlsruher Turngemeinde. In 1912, Phönix merged with KFC Alemannia, established in 1897 and it was as Phönix Karlsruhe that the club joined the Gauliga Baden, one of 16 top-flight divisions created in the re-organization of German football under the Third Reich. They slipped from the first division for a season in 1936. In the 1943–44 season, Karlsruhe played with Germania Durlach as the wartime side named KSG Phönix/Germania Karlsruhe. After World War II in 1946, Phönix re-emerged to compete in the newly formed first division Oberliga Süd, the club was relegated the following season. Two other threads in the evolution of KSC were the formation of FC Mühlburg in 1905 out of 1, FV Sport Mühlburg and Viktoria Mühlburg, and the merger of FC Germania and FC Weststadt to form VfB Karlsruhe in 1911. FC Mühlburg and VfB Karlsruhe would in turn merge to form VfB Mühlburg in 1933, the group of clubs which came together to form VfB Mühlburg were an undistinguished lot, sharing just one season of upper-league play between them. The new side, however, started to compete in the first-division Gauliga Baden immediately after the league was established in 1933, a lower-table side through the 1930s, VfBs performance improved considerably in the following decade. The Gauliga Baden collapsed in 1944–45 after playing a reduced schedule in which many teams. After the war the club slipped from top-flight competition until earning promotion to the Oberliga Süd in 1947. KFC Phoenix and VfB Mühlburg united to form the Karlsruher Sport-Club Mühlburg-Phönix e. V. on 16 October 1952, in 1955, they beat Schalke 04 3–2 to win the DFB-Pokal, and repeated the success next year with a 3–1 win over Hamburger SV. That season, they made an appearance in the national final. KSC was Oberliga Süd champion in 1956,1958 and 1960, as well as runner-up in the DFB-Pkal in 1960 and their record earned them admission as one of sixteen founding clubs into Germanys new professional football league, the Bundesliga, when it began play in 1963. Karlsruhe struggled in the top flight, never managing better than a 13th-place finish over five seasons before finally being demoted to the second-division Regionalliga Süd. Over the next three seasons, the team earned a first-place finish as well as two second-place finishes there, but were unable to advance in the promotion rounds, after the 1974 formation of the 2
9.
Eintracht Frankfurt
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The club was founded in 1899 and have won one German championship, four DFB-Pokals and one UEFA Cup. Since 1925, their stadium has been the Waldstadion, which since 1 July 2005, has been called Commerzbank-Arena for sponsorship reasons, both clubs were founding members of the new Nordkreis-Liga in 1909. In turn, Frankfurter FV joined the gymnastics club Frankfurter Turngemeinde von 1861 to form TuS Eintracht Frankfurt von 1861 in 1920. Through the late 1920s and into the 1930s, Eintracht won a handful of local and regional championships, first in the Kreisliga Nordmain, then in the Bezirksliga Main and Bezirksliga Main-Hessen. Eintracht picked up where left off after World War II, playing as a solid side in the first division Oberliga Süd. Eintracht lost 3–7 to Real Madrid in a final that was widely regarded as one of the best football matches ever played. The side continued to play football and earned themselves a place as one of the original 16 teams selected to play in the Bundesliga, Germanys new professional football league. Eintracht played Bundesliga football for 33 seasons, finishing in the top half of the table for the majority of them and their best Bundesliga performances were five third-place finishes, they ended just two points back of champion VfB Stuttgart in 1991–92. The team also avoided relegation on several occasions. In 1984, they defeated MSV Duisburg 6–1 on aggregate, FC Saarbrücken 4–1 on aggregate, in two-game playoffs. Eintracht finally slipped and were relegated to 2, at the time that they were sent down alongside 1. FC Kaiserslautern, these teams were two of four sides that had been in the Bundesliga since the leagues inaugural season. It looked as though they would be out again in 1998–99, FC Nürnberg unexpectedly lost at home to give Eintracht the break they needed to stay up. The club was plagued by financial difficulties again in 2004 before once more being relegated, between 1997 and 2005, Eintracht has bounced between the top two divisions. The 2010–11 season ended with the clubs fourth Bundesliga relegation, after setting a new record for most points in the first half of the season, the club struggled after the winter break. After seven games without scoring a goal, coach Michael Skibbe was doubted, the change, however, did little to change Eintrachts fortunes, as the club achieved only three draws out of the last seven games and were subsequently relegated on the 34th matchday. One year later, Eintracht defeated Alemannia Aachen 3–0 on the 32nd match day of the 2011–12 season, in 2015–16, Eintracht had the 19th-highest attendance in Europe, ahead of such prominent clubs as Atlético Madrid, Celtic and Paris Saint-Germain. The club has enjoyed success in competition outside the Bundesliga
10.
Hertha BSC
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Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V. commonly known as Hertha BSC, Hertha Berlin or simply Hertha, is a German association football club based in the Charlottenburg locality of Berlin. Hertha BSC play in the Bundesliga, the division of German football. Bundesliga table at the end of the 2012–13 season, Hertha BSC was founded in 1892, and was a founding member of the German Football Association in Leipzig in 1900. The team won the German championship in 1930 and 1931, since 1963, Herthas stadium has been the Olympiastadion. The club is known as Die Alte Dame in German, which translates to The Old Lady, in 2002, the sports activities of the professional, amateur, and under-19 teams were separated into Hertha BSC GmbH & Co. The name Hertha is a variation on Nerthus referring to fertility goddess from Germanic mythology, Hertha performed consistently well on the field, including a win in the first Berlin championship final in 1905. In May 1910, Hertha won a match against Southend United. However, their success was not matched financially and in 1920 the staunchly working-class Hertha merged with the well-heeled club Berliner Sport-Club to form Hertha Berliner Sport-Club. The new team continued to enjoy success in the Oberliga Berlin-Brandenburg. Notwithstanding, Hertha emerged as the Germanys second most successful team during the inter-war years, German football was re-organized under the Third Reich in 1933 into 16 top-flight divisions, which saw Hertha playing in the Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg. The club continued to enjoy success within their division, regularly finishing in the half of the table. It faded from prominence, however, unable to advance out of the rounds of the national championship rounds. Politically, the club was overhauled under Hitler, with Hans Pfeifer, after World War II, occupying Allied authorities banned most organizations in Germany, including sports and football clubs. Hertha was re-formed late in 1945 as SG Gesundbrunnen and resumed play in the Oberliga Berlin – Gruppe C, by the end of 1949, it had re-claimed their identity as Hertha BSC and earned a return to the top-flight. Tensions between the western Allies and the Soviets occupying various sectors of the city, and the developing Cold War, led to chaotic conditions for football in the capital. Hertha was banned from playing against East German teams in the 1949–50 season after taking on several players, a number of sides from the eastern half of the city were forced from the Oberliga Berlin to the newly established DDR-Liga beginning with the 1950–51 season. Through the 1950s, a rivalry developed with Tennis Borussia Berlin. A proposal for a merger between the two clubs in 1958 was resoundingly rejected, with three of the 266 members voting in favour
11.
Hertha BSC II
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Hertha BSC II is the reserve team of Hertha BSC. Historically, during the time the team played in professional football the team has played as Hertha BSC Amateure. Since 2005 it permanently plays under its current name, the team currently plays in the tier four Regionalliga Nordost. The teams greatest achievement is reaching the final of the DFB-Pokal in 1993 – the only team to have achieved this. After relegation in 1971 Hertha BSC Amateure made a return to the league in 1975 and it took part in the 1975–76 German amateur football championship but was knocked out in the first round by Concordia Hamburg. In 1988, after Hertha BSC had returned to the 2, bundesliga the reserve team returned to the Amateur-Oberliga again, where it played for three more seasons until the league was disbanded in 1991. With the German reunion league football in West Berlin was incorporated into the new leagues in former East Germany and this league was disbanded in 1994 and the team qualified for the new Regionalliga Nordost. After two seasons the team dropped back to the Oberliga and now entered the NOFV-Oberliga Nord where it played for three seasons until being promoted back up in 1999 and it played for one more season in the Regionalliga Nordost before this league was disbanded in 2000. The team failed to qualify for the enlarged Regionalliga Nord and instead played in the Oberliga again for three seasons. Since 2012 Hertha BSC II has been playing in the Regionalliga Nordost, the team has played in the German Cup, the DFB-Pokal, on three occasions, in 1976–77, 1992–93 and 2004–05 and is now, like all reserve teams in Germany, banned from the competition. Hertha BSC Amateure, under coach Jochem Ziegert, became the reserve side ever to reach the German Cup final when it eliminated SGK Heidelberg, VfB Leipzig. FC Nürnberg and Chemnitzer FC before losing the final in Berlin 1–0 to Bayer 04 Leverkusen, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The recent season-by-season performance of the club, With the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994, liga in 2008 as the new third tier, below the 2. Bundesliga, all leagues below dropped one tier, in 2012, the number of Regionalligas was increased from three to five with all Regionalliga Nord clubs from the NOFV entering the re-formed Regionalliga Nordost. Official club website Hertha BSC II at Weltfussball. de
12.
Germany national under-21 football team
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Before the reunification of Germany, East Germany and West Germany played as separate entities — the two teams played separately until summer 1990. Following the realignment of UEFAs youth competitions in 1976, international football in Europe began. A West German team, however, did not compete in the U-21 European Championship until the round of the 1982 competition. West Germany competed in the first two competitions, which finished in 1972 and 1974. In effect, the West German team absorbed the East German team to become the Germany national under-21 football team, for these reasons, the record of West Germany for the U-23 and U-21 competitions is shown below. For the East Germany team record, look here, included players from Germany, Goal, Manuel Neuer Defence, Mats Hummels Midfield, Mesut Özil Players born in or after 1994 are eligible for the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. The following players were called up for the matches against England. Note, Names in italics denote players that have called up to the senior team. Caps and goals correct as of 28 March 2017
13.
Association football
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Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies making it the worlds most popular sport, the game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing goal, players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play, unless they are goalkeepers. Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, the team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is level at the end of the game, the Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The Football Association in 1863. Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football, the first written reference to the inflated ball used in the game was in the mid-14th century, Þe heued fro þe body went, Als it were a foteballe. The Online Etymology Dictionary states that the word soccer was split off in 1863, according to Partha Mazumdar, the term soccer originated in England, first appearing in the 1880s as an Oxford -er abbreviation of the word association. Within the English-speaking world, association football is now usually called football in the United Kingdom and mainly soccer in Canada and the United States. People in Australia, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand use either or both terms, although national associations in Australia and New Zealand now primarily use football for the formal name. According to FIFA, the Chinese competitive game cuju is the earliest form of football for which there is scientific evidence, cuju players could use any part of the body apart from hands and the intent was kicking a ball through an opening into a net. It was remarkably similar to football, though similarities to rugby occurred. During the Han Dynasty, cuju games were standardised and rules were established, phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games. An image of an episkyros player depicted in low relief on a vase at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens appears on the UEFA European Championship Cup, athenaeus, writing in 228 AD, referenced the Roman ball game harpastum. Phaininda, episkyros and harpastum were played involving hands and violence and they all appear to have resembled rugby football, wrestling and volleyball more than what is recognizable as modern football. As with pre-codified mob football, the antecedent of all football codes. Non-competitive games included kemari in Japan, chuk-guk in Korea and woggabaliri in Australia, Association football in itself does not have a classical history. Notwithstanding any similarities to other games played around the world FIFA have recognised that no historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe. The modern rules of football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played in the public schools of England
14.
Bundesliga
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The Bundesliga, is a professional association football league in Germany and the football league with the highest average stadium attendance worldwide. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germanys primary football competition, the Bundesliga is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Seasons run from August to May, most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, with a few games played on weekdays. All of the Bundesliga clubs qualify for the DFB-Pokal, the winner of the Bundesliga qualifies for the DFL-Supercup. A total of 54 clubs have competed in the Bundesliga since its founding, FC Bayern Munich has won the Bundesliga the most, winning the title 25 times. However, the Bundesliga has seen other champions with Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, Werder Bremen, Borussia Mönchengladbach, the Bundesliga is broadcast on television in over 200 countries. The Bundesliga was founded in 1962 in Dortmund and the first season started in 1963, the structure and organisation of the Bundesliga along with Germanys other football leagues have undergone frequent changes right up to the present day. The Bundesliga was founded by the Deutscher Fußball-Bund, but is now operated by the Deutsche Fußball Liga, the Bundesliga is composed of two divisions, the 1. Bundesliga, and, below that, the 2, Bundesliga, which has been the second tier of German football since 1974. Below the level of the 3, Liga, leagues are generally subdivided on a regional basis. For example, the Regionalligen are currently made up of Nord, Nordost, Süd, below this are thirteen parallel divisions, most of which are called Oberligen which represent federal states or large urban and geographical areas. The levels below the Oberligen differ between the local areas, the league structure has changed frequently and typically reflects the degree of participation in the sport in various parts of the country. In the early 1990s, changes were driven by the reunification of Germany, every team in the two Bundesligen must have a licence to play in the league, or else they are relegated into the regional leagues. To obtain a licence, teams must be healthy and meet certain standards of conduct as organisations. As in other leagues, there are significant benefits to being in the top division. Bundesliga teams draw significantly greater levels of fan support, average attendance in the first league is 42,673 per game — more than twice the average of the 2. Greater exposure through television and higher attendance levels helps 1, Bundesliga teams attract the most lucrative sponsorships. Bundesliga teams develop substantial financial muscle through the combination of television and gate revenues, sponsorships and this allows them to attract and retain skilled players from domestic and international sources and to construct first-class stadium facilities
15.
2. Bundesliga
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Bundesliga is the second division of professional football in Germany. Bundesliga is ranked below the Bundesliga and above the 3, liga in the German football league system. Bundesliga clubs qualify for the DFB-Pokal, the annual German Cup competition, a total of 125 clubs have competed in the 2. The decision to establish the league as the level of football in West Germany was taken in May 1973. The league started operating in August 1974, then two divisions of 20 clubs. It was reduced to a division in 1981. From the 1991–92 season onwards clubs from former East Germany started participating in the league and it returned to a single division format again at the end of that season and has had 18 clubs as its strength since 1994. Bundesliga are directly promoted to the Bundesliga, while a third promoted club has been determined through play-offs from 1974 to 1991, between 1991 and 2008 the third-placed club in the league was directly promoted. The bottom clubs in the league are relegated to the division which has been, from 1974 to 1994 the Oberliga, from 1994 to 2008 the Regionalliga. The number of relegated clubs has fluctuated over the years, since 2008 two clubs are directly relegated while the third-last team has the opportunity to defend its league place in play-offs against the third placed team of the 3. FC Nürnberg holds the number of championships in the league with four. The club also holds the record for number of promotions from the 2, for the 2015–16 season, an average of 19,176 spectators watched 2. Bundesliga the worlds most-watched secondary football league, the decision to establish the 2. Bundesliga as a professional league below the Bundesliga was made at the annual convention of the German Football Association. The league replaced the five Regionalligas that were at this level from 1963 to 1974, the qualified teams were established through a ranking that took the last five seasons of the Regionalliga into account. Bundesliga was split into a northern and a division with 20 clubs each. Each division had its champion directly promoted to the Bundesliga while the two runners-up would contest a two-leg play-off to determine the promoted team. The first-ever game of the league was played on Friday,2 August 1974 between 1, FC Saarbrücken and SV Darmstadt 98 and ended in a 1–0 win for Saarbrücken, with Nikolaus Semlitsch scoring the first-ever goal of the new league
16.
Mario Eggimann
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Mario Eggimann is a Swiss football defender who is currently a free agent and served most recently Union Berlin of 2. He has also earned caps for the Swiss National team, Eggimann began his career with local side FC Küttigen before moving to bigger local rivals FC Aarau where he began his professional career making his professional debut in 1998. He played at Stadion Brugglifeld for FC Aarau until 2002 when he headed to Germany to play in the Bundesliga for Karlsruher SC, in the 2006–07 season Eggimann was made captain as Karlsruher SC were champions of the 2. In March 2008, Eggimann exercised a clause in his contract by moving to Hannover 96 for €1.4 million and he signed a contract until June 2013. Eggimann was captain of the Swiss U21 national team, on 7 September 2007, he played first for the Swiss national football team coming on as a half-time substitute for Johan Djourou in a 2–1 victory against Chile in Vienna. The match was part of a tournament in Austria, comprising Japan and Austria as well as Chile, Eggimann was selected by then-coach Köbi Kuhn prior to Euro 2008 but did not make the final squad. He has been selected by Ottmar Hitzfeld for the 2010 World Cup, on 20 February 2008, Eggimann became a father for the first time to a baby girl. Mario Eggimann at Soccerway Mario Eggimann at worldfootball. net Mario Eggimann at Fussballdaten Mario Eggimann at Hannover96. de
17.
Hannover 96
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Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. Hannover 96 play in the 2, Bundesliga, the second tier in the German football league system. Hannover 96 was founded in 1896, Hannover have won two German championships and one DFB-Pokal. Hannover 96 has a rivalry with VfL Wolfsburg and Eintracht Braunschweig. The club was founded on 12 April 1896 as Hannoverscher Fußball-Club 1896, upon the suggestion of Ferdinand-Wilhelm Fricke and their initial enthusiasm was for athletics and rugby, football did not become their primary interest until 1899. Most of the membership of Germania 1902 Hannover became part of 96 in 1902, in 1913, they merged with Ballverein 1898 Hannovera to become Hannoverscher Sportverein 1896. Hannoverscher FCs colours were black-white-green, but they played in blue, the newly united team kept black-white-green as the club colours, but they chose to take to the field in red, giving the team the nickname Die Roten. The teams third jersey is in the official colours. HSV continued to field strong sides and make national level appearances on into the 1920s, under the Third Reich, German football was re-organized into 16 top-flight leagues in 1933 and Hannover became part of the Gauliga Niedersachsen. They appeared in the final rounds in 1935 and sent representatives to the national side the next year. They won their first national championship in 1938 in what was one of the biggest upsets in German football history when they beat Schalke 04, the two sides played to a 3–3 draw before Hannover prevailed 4–3 in a tension filled re-match. In 1942, the moved to the newly formed Gauliga Braunschweig-Südhannover. Like most other German organizations, the club was dissolved after World War II by occupying Allied authorities. A combined local side was assembled in August 1945 and the month a mixed group of players from Hannover 96. HSV was later formally re-established as Hannoverscher SV on 11 November 1945 before re-adopting its traditional name on 27 April 1946, the club resumed league play in 1947 in the first division Oberliga Nord and was relegated, but quickly returned to the top-flight in 1949. Hannover 96s next appearance in a final would not come until 1954 when they soundly defeated 1. The beaten side included five of the players who would go on later that year to win Germanys first World Cup in a surprise victory known as the Miracle of Bern. In 1963, the Bundesliga, Germanys new professional football league, Hannover played in the Regionalliga Nord that season, but earned promotion to the senior circuit in the following year
18.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
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Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft 1899 Hoffenheim e. V. The modern-day club was formed in 1945, when gymnastics club Turnverein Hoffenheim, at the beginning of the 1990s, the club was an obscure local amateur side playing in the eighth division Baden-Württemberg A-Liga. They steadily improved and by 1996 were competing in the Verbandsliga Nordbaden, around 2000, alumnus Dietmar Hopp returned to the club of his youth as a financial backer. Hopp was the co-founder of software firm SAP and he put some of his money into the club and his contributions generated almost immediate results, in 2000 Hoffenheim finished first in the Verbandsliga and was promoted to the fourth-division Oberliga Baden-Württemberg. Another first-place finish moved the club up to the Regionalliga Süd for the 2001–02 season and they finished 13th in their first season in the Regionalliga, but improved significantly the next year, earning a fifth-place result. Hoffenheim earned fifth and seventh-place finishes in the two seasons, before improving to fourth in 2005–06 to earn their best result to date. The club made its first DFB-Pokal appearance in the 2003–04 competition and performed well, Bundesliga sides Eintracht Trier and Karlsruher SC and Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen before being put out themselves by another 2. Team owner Hopp clearly preferred Heidelberg, but could not overcome the resistance of local firm Wild, the investment paid off in the 2006–07 season with the clubs promotion to the 2. Bundesliga after finishing second in Regionalliga Süd, the 2007–08 season was Hoffenheims first season in professional football. The team managed to defend their place until the end of the season, as a result of their second-place finish they received automatic promotion to the Bundesliga, the highest tier in German football, after just playing in the 2. The 2008–09 season was Hoffenheims first season in the German top division, ibišević scored a total of 18 goals in 17 matches, being the Bundesligas leading goal scorer after the first half of the season. Hoffenheim was now deprived of their biggest offensive threat and additionally had to deal with a number of other injuries. In the 2009–10 season, Hoffenheim improved their squad by signing midfielders Maicosuel and Franco Zuculini, however, the club again suffered from a large number of injuries and suspensions in the second half of the season and only won four of the 17 matches. The club finished in a disappointing 11th place with 42 points, head coach Ralf Rangnick was criticised in public for the poor results of his team, yet his contract was extended for two more years in May. On 1 January 2011, Hoffenheim sold Brazilian midfielder Luiz Gustavo to league rivals Bayern Munich for a fee of €17 million. Immediately after the transfer had completed, Rangnick resigned and was replaced by Marco Pezzaiuoli. Rangnick had disapproved the transfer in the weeks before since Hoffenheim was in reach of the top five and had reached the quarter-finals of the 2010–11 DFB-Pokal, like in the previous season, the club finished the 2010–11 season 11th and below expectations. Hoffenheim signed former FC St. Pauli manager Holger Stanislawski in the summer of 2011 for the upcoming season, Stanislawski was sacked and replaced by Markus Babbel, who led the team to its third-straight 11th-place finish
19.
VfB Stuttgart
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Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V. commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its team which is part of Germanys second division 2. VfB Stuttgart has won the championship five times, most recently in 2006–07. The football team plays its games at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Second team side VfB Stuttgart II currently plays in the Regionalliga Südwest, the clubs junior teams have won the national U19 championships a record ten times and the Under 17 Bundesliga six times. A membership-based club with over 50,0000 members, VfB is the largest sports club in Baden-Württemberg and it has departments for fistball, hockey, track and field, table-tennis and football referees, all of which compete only at the amateur level. The club also maintains a department, the VfB-Garde. Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart was formed through 2 April 1912 merger of predecessor sides Stuttgarter FV, Stuttgarter Fußballverein was founded at the Zum Becher hotel in Stuttgart on 9 September 1893. FV were initially a rugby club, playing games at Stöckach-Eisbahn before moving to Cannstatter Wasen in 1894, the rugby club established a football section in 1908. Rugby was soon replaced by football within the club, as found the game too complicated to follow. In 1909, FV joined the Süddeutschen Fußballverband, playing in the second tier B-Klasse and they eventually advanced to the senior Südkreis-Liga in 1912. Cannstatter Fußballklub was formed as a club in 1890 and also quickly established a football team. This club was dissolved after just a few years of play, the new team joined the Süddeutschen Fußballverband as a second division club and won promotion in 1904. Krone possessed their own ground, which exists today as the home of TSV Münster. The club also made appearances in the final rounds of the SFV in the late 1920s. In 1933, VfB moved to Neckar Stadium, the site of its current ground, German football was re-organized that same year under the Third Reich into sixteen top-flight divisions called Gauligen. The club had a rivalry with Stuttgarter Kickers throughout this period. After a third-place result at the level in 1937, Stuttgart was not able to advance out of the preliminary rounds in subsequent appearances
20.
SV Werder Bremen
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Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. commonly known as Werder Bremen, is a German sports club located in Bremen in the northwest German federal state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. The club was founded in 1899 and has grown to 40,400 members and it is best known for its association football team. Bremens football club has been a mainstay in the Bundesliga, the top league of the German football league system, Bremen have won the Bundesliga championship four times and the DFB-Pokal six times. Their latest Bundesliga championship came in 2004, when they won a double, Bremen have also had European success, winning the 1992 European Cup Winners Cup. Since 1924, Werder Bremens stadium is the Weserstadion, Werder Bremens coach Viktor Skrypnyk was dismissed in September 2016. Werder Bremen has a rivalry with Hamburger SV, another Bundesliga club in northern Germany, the club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of 16 vocational high school students who had won a prize of sports equipment. The students took the name from the seldom-used regional German word for river peninsula. The predecessor to Bremen, known as SV Werder, played its first ever match on 10 September 1899 against ASC1898 Bremen coming away with a 1–0 victory, in 1900, FV Bremen was represented at the founding of the German Football Association at Leipzig. The club then enjoyed some success, fielding competitive sides. They became the first club to charge spectators a fee to attend their games, in April 1914, the club became a department of Allgemeiner Bremer Turnverein 1860 and was briefly known as Sportabteilung Werder des ABTV. The relationship was short-lived, however, and the club went its own way again less than two months later, steady growth after World War I led the club to adopt other sports and, on 19 January 1920, change their name to the current Sportverein Werder Bremen. Football remained their primary interest, so much so that in 1922, the team made regular appearances in year-end NFV qualification round play through the 1920s and on into the early 1930s, but did not enjoy any success. German football was re-organized under the Third Reich in 1933 into 16 first division known as Gauligen. The club scored its first real successes, capturing titles in 1934,1936, and 1937. The shape of the Gauligen changed through the course of World War II and in 1939, SV played in the Gauliga Niedersachsen/Nord where they captured a fourth title in 1942. As the war overtook the country, the Gauligen became progressively more local in character, the Gauliga Niedersachsen/Nord became the Gauliga Weser-Ems and then the Gauliga Weser-Ems/Bremen over the next two years. Werders 1944–45 season was cut short after just two matches, like other organizations throughout Germany, the club was disbanded on the order of the occupying Allied authorities after the war. They re-constituted themselves on 10 November 1945 as Turn- und Sportverein Werder 1945 Bremen, the team played in the Stadtliga Bremen, and after capturing the title there, participated in the northern German championship round, advancing to the quarter-finals
21.
Torsten Frings
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Torsten Klaus Frings is a German former footballer, and current manager of Darmstadt 98. He played 79 matches for the Germany national team from his debut in 2001, a regular in his first term at the Westfalenstadion, Frings also played 12 times in the UEFA Champions League, scoring home and away against Lokomotiv Moscow. Fringss 2003–04 season only began on 30 January when he played against Schalke 04 and he took over from Tomáš Rosický in the playmaking role and scored four times in 16 games before signing a three-year contract with Dortmunds rivals, Bayern Munich. In June 2005, he rejoined Bremen for a fee on a three-year deal. On 29 June 2011, it was announced that Frings had reached an agreement to join Major League Soccer team Toronto FC as a designated player, during the press conference in which Frings was presented to the Toronto media, the club also announced the signing of Danny Koevermans. Frings made his debut for Toronto on 20 July 2011 in a 1–0 home defeat to FC Dallas, on 29 July 2011, Frings made his CONCACAF Champions League debut against Real Esteli in which he was given the honour of wearing the captains armband for Toronto. Frings became the permanent captain of the club following Maicon Santoss transfer to Dallas, on 27 June 2012, Frings scored his first MLS goal in a 3–0 away victory over Montreal Impact, blasting a free kick in the 52nd minute from 22 yards out. Frings missed the latter portion of the 2012 season after sustaining a hip injury which required arthoscopic surgery, frings’ subsequent recovery progressed slower than expected, ultimately leading to his decision to retire from football in February 2013. Club president, Kevin Payne indicated that the wanted to maintain a relationship with Frings not just for next season. Frings himself said he wants to return to the game as a coach, Frings represented Germany at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea, where the German team reached the final, only to be defeated 2–0 by Brazil. Frings also took part at UEFA Euro 2004 and at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup on home soil, Frings was later also called up to Germanys squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup on home soil. On 9 June 2006, Frings scored Germanys fourth goal in a 4–2 win against Costa Rica in the match of the World Cup. Frings answered to the accusations in an interview, This is all politics, the Argentinians attack us, I defend myself and the Italians get worked up. With this suspension, FIFA just wanted to show that Germany doesnt get special treatment as the World Cup hosts and he played his last international match on 11 February 2009 in a 0–1 home defeat against Norway. In total, he earned 79 caps for Germany, Frings was an all-action, well-rounded and versatile midfielder. He was usually deployed as defensive midfielder, however, where he excelled due to his tough tackling playing style, in addition to his defensive attributes, Frings was also known for his leadership on the pitch, as well as his explosive, powerful shot from distance. Frings is planning on being a coach at Werder Bremen. Werder Bremen Ex-CEO Klaus Allofs stated that he can learn the profession for us from the bottom up
22.
Thomas Schaaf
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Thomas Schaaf is a German retired footballer who played as a defender, and a current manager. A true one-club man, he spent his playing career with Werder Bremen. He started coaching the team in 1999 and stepped down in 2013, born in Mannheim, Schaaf arrived at SV Werder Bremens youth academy in 1972, turning professional six years later. Schaaf went on to play in 260 top flight games in the following seasons, during his time with his only club, he helped the Hanseatic club win two national championships and as many DFB-Pokal. In the 1991–92 edition of the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, he was on the bench in the final against AS Monaco FC, Schaaf began his managerial career while still an active player, taking care of Werders youth sides. Schaaf led Werder to the double in 2003–04, as well as the teams first-ever DFB-Ligapokal two years later. From 2004 the club managed to qualify five times for the UEFA Champions League, coming short in 2008–09 but winning the cup. That same season he guided the club to the 2009 UEFA Cup Final. On 14 December 2009, Schaaf signed a new contract with Werder Bremen. He led the side to the place in the league and the playoff stages in the 2010–11 Champions League, as well as to a second straight German Cup final. I would like to thank everyone who accompanied me along the way, I wish Werder Bremen a successful future. On 21 May 2014, after one out of football, Schaaf was appointed head coach of Eintracht Frankfurt. During the course of his first season he led his team to a ninth-place finish, Schaaf resigned on 26 May 2015. His final match was a 2–1 win against Bayer Leverkusen and he finished with a record of 12 wins,10 draws and 14 losses from 36 games. Schaaf was appointed as the coach of Hannover 96 on 28 December 2015, signing an 18–month contract. He took over a team that was in 17th place, after they took 14 points from a possible 51 when he was hired and his first match was a 2–1 home loss against SV Darmstadt 98. Hannover then failed to score a goal in their four matches. Schaaf was sacked on 3 April 2016, after a 3–0 defeat to Hamburger SV and he finished with a record of one win and ten losses
23.
Northern Ireland national under-21 football team
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The Northern Ireland national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Northern Ireland. Caps and goals updated as of 11 October 2016, the following players have been called up for the team and remain eligible. Note, Club represents the permanent clubs during the time in the Under-21s. Note, Club represents the permanent clubs during the time in the Under-21s. Players who have won 15 of more Northern Ireland Full caps after playing for Northern Ireland U21 * Player still active, NI U21 Appearance Details from NIFG
24.
Sweden national under-21 football team
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The Sweden national under-21 football team is the football team representing Sweden in competitions for under-21 year old players and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association. Swedens home ground is Swedbank Stadion in Malmö and the team is led by Håkan Ericson, the Swedish U21 team came into existence, following the realignment of UEFA European Under-23 Championship, which changed to be a Under-21 competition in 1978. Sweden made their first European Under-21 Championship appearance in 1986, in 2015, Sweden became champions for the first time. They finished second in 1992 and they reached the semi-finals in 1990 and 2009. Oscar Hiljemark is the most capped player for the Swedish U21 team, ola Toivonen is the best goalscorer for Sweden U21, having scored 13 goals between 2006 and 2009. *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks, **Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. ***Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil, the following 21 players were called up for the friendly matches against Serbia on 24 March 2017 and against Czech Republic on 27 March 2017. Caps and goals updated as of 28 March 2017, the following 30 players have also been called up to the Sweden U21 squad and remain eligible. Players in bold text are available to play for the Swedish U21 team. Players in bold text are available to play for the Swedish U21 team
25.
Fussballdaten.de
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Fussballdaten. de is a German language website which predominantly collects comprehensive statistics on the top five tiers of German football. The website offers statistics on every Bundesliga,2, liga match and team squad since the leagues foundation in 1963,1974 and 2008, respectively
