1.
Zaandam
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Zaandam is a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the city of the municipality of Zaanstad. It is located on the Zaan, nearby the North Sea Canal, the statistical district Zaandam, which covers the city and the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 72,597. Zaandam was a municipality until 1974, when it became a part of the new municipality of Zaanstad. Zaandam and the surrounding Zaan River region, called the Zaanstreek, in the Dutch Golden Age, Zaandam served as a large milling centre. Thousands of windmills powered saws that were processing Scandinavian wood for the shipbuilding, a statue was commissioned from the Bosnian Serb sculptor Slavomir Miletić in honour of this era, and the statue, “The Woodworker”, was installed on 20 June 2004. Zaandam was a city in the first Industrial Revolution. Into the second half of the 20th century, Zaandam was still an important lumber port, Zaandam is also historically linked with the whaling industry. In 1697, the czar Peter I of Russia spent some time in Zaandam, the house he stayed in has been preserved as a small museum, the Czar Peter House. In 1871, the impressionist painter Claude Monet lived in Zaandam for approximately half a year, during that time, he made 25 paintings of the area, including Bateaux en Hollande pres de Zaandam and A windmill at Zaandam. The first European McDonalds restaurant opened in Zaandam in 1971, football club AZ was founded in Zaandam on May 10,1967. Kuyper, Gemeente Atlas van Nederland, 1865-1870, Zaandam, map of the former municipality, around 1868
2.
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
3.
Club Brugge KV
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Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging, commonly referred to as just Club Brugge, is a football club based in Bruges in Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium. Throughout its long history, Club Brugge has enjoyed much European football success, Club Brugge is the only Belgian club to have played the final of the European Cup so far, losing to Liverpool in the final of the 1978 season. They also lost in the 1976 UEFA Cup Final to the same opponents, Club Brugge holds the European record number of consecutive participations in the UEFA Europa League, the record number of Belgian cups and the record number of Belgian Supercups. 1890, Brugsche Football Club Club created by old students of the Catholic school Broeders Xaverianen,13 November 1891, Club recreated The club was recreated. This has since adopted as the official date of foundation. 1892, First board An official board was installed in the club,1894, Football Club Brugeois Club created by 16 old members of Brugsche FC. 1895, Vlaamsche Football Club de Bruges Club created in the city, 1895–96, the UBSSA set up in 1895. and they went to the UBSSA and took part of the first Belgian national league. 1896, Leaving the UBSSA Financially it was difficult for FC Brugeois,1897, Fusion FC Brugeois joined Brugsche FC but they continued under the name Football Club Brugeois. 1902, New fusion Vlaamsche FC joined FC Brugeois,1912, De Klokke They moved to a new stadium named De Klokke. 1913–14, First cup final FC Brugeois reached their first Belgian Cup final,1920, First time league champions The club became for the first time champions of the first division. 1926, Royal Football Club Brugeois The club get number 3 as their matricule number,1928, First relegation A first low when the club was relegated to the second division. 1930, New statute President Albert Dyserynck changed the statute into a non-profit association. 1931, Albert Dyserynckstadion When president Albert Dyserynck suddenly died they honoured him by changing the name into Albert Dyserynckstadion. 1959, Permanent to the first division RFC Brugeois promoted to the first division,1968, First time cup winners They won the Belgian Cup for the first time against Beerschot AC. 1972, Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging The club changed their name into the Flemisch name Club Brugge KV1975,1976, Highest position in UEFA Cup Under Austrian coach Ernst Happel, Club Brugge reached the finals of the UEFA Cup and lost against Liverpool. 1978, Only Belgian European Cup 1 finalists Still under Ernst Happel and this time it was in the European Champions Clubs Cup final. Club Brugge is the only Belgian club that has reached the finals of the European biggest competition,1992, First goal scorer in the Champions League Daniel Amokachi is the first goal scorer in the Champions League
4.
Ajax Youth Academy
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The Ajax Youth Academy is a football youth academy based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from where the organization manages a total of 13 youth teams. The academy is the youth clinic of Dutch footballing giants Ajax Amsterdam. Central is the style of play, training, behavior and house rules, Ajax has developed the so-called TIPS model, which stands for Technique, Insight, Personality and Speed. For each part there are ten criteria, P and S are generally innate properties, but I and T can always be developed further. Ajax coaching sessions always consists of 8 important football ingredients, together with TIPS, they form the core to the Ajax success philosophy. Moves to beat an opponent 4, small sided games Chairman Hennie Henrichs Head coach Frank de Boer Technical Director Saïd Ouaali Technical Director Patrick Ladru Technical Director Michel Hordijk As of 1 August 2016. Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The entire complex consists of seven fields and a trainings center, established in 2011, the adidas MiCoach Performance Centre is situated on Sportpark De Toekomst. Built by Poly-Ned, it teaches football innovation and training methods and is used by both the first team, as well as the youth teams, here the players are trained in a scientific manner based on motion analytics to enhance speed, distance, dribbling, heading and shooting. On 28 October 2013 the ceiling of the main hall og the facility had collapsed, which the club in turn had to have rebuilt
5.
AFC Ajax
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Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam. Historically, Ajax is the most successful club in the Netherlands, Ajax is historically one of the most successful clubs in the world, according to the IFFHS, Ajax were the seventh-most successful European club of the 20th century. The club is one of the five teams that has earned the right to keep the European Cup and to wear a multiple-winner badge, in 1972, they completed the continental treble by winning the Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, and the European Cup. It also won the first organized UEFA Super Cup in 1972 against Glasgow Rangers, Ajax is also one of three teams to win the continental treble and the Intercontinental Cup in the same season/calendar year, This was achieved in the 1971–72 season. Ajax, Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea are the four clubs to have won all three major UEFA club competitions. They have also won the Intercontinental Cup twice, the 1991–92 UEFA Cup, as well as the Karl Rappan Cup, Ajax plays at the Amsterdam Arena, which opened in 1996. They previously played at De Meer Stadion and the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium, Ajax was founded in Amsterdam on 18 March 1900. The club achieved promotion to the highest level of Dutch football in 1911 and had its first major success in 1917, winning the KNVB Beker, the following season, Ajax became national champion for the first time. The club defended its title in 1918–19, becoming the team to achieve an unbeaten season in the Netherlands Football League Championship. Throughout the 1920s, Ajax was a regional power, winning the Eerste Klasse West division in 1921,1927 and 1928. This changed in the 1930s, with the winning five national championships. In 1956, the first season of the Netherlands new professional league, the team were again Eredivisie champions in 1960 and won a third KNVB Cup in 1961. A year earlier, Johan Cruyff, who would go on to become the greatest Dutch footballer of all time, between them, Michels and Cruyff led Ajax through the most successful period in its history, winning seven Eredivisie titles, four KNVB Cups and three European Cups. Ajax won the Dutch championship in 1966,1967, and 1968, during the 1966–67 season, Ajax scored a record 122 goals in an Eredivisie season and also won the KNVB Cup to achieve its first league and cup double. In 1969–70, Ajax won a fourth Dutch league championship and second league and cup double in five seasons, winning 27 out of 34 league games, after this success, Michels departed to become manager of Barcelona and was replaced by the Romanian Ștefan Kovács. In Kovács first season, Ajax completed a treble of the European Cup, the Eredivisie, in 1973, Michels Barcelona broke the world transfer record to bring Cruyff to Catalonia. Kovács also departed to become manager of the France national team, in 1976–77, Ajax won its first domestic championship in four seasons and recorded a double of the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup two years later. The early 1980s saw the return of Johan Cruyff to the club, as well as the emergence of young players Marco van Basten, the team won back-to-back Eredivisie titles in 1982 and 1983, with all three playing a significant role in the latter
6.
Netherlands national under-21 football team
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The Netherlands national under-21 football team is the national under-21 team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association. The team competes in the European Under-21 Championship, held two years. Following the realignment of UEFAs youth competitions in 1976, the Dutch Under-21 team was formed, the team did not have a very good record, failing to qualify for nine of the fifteen tournaments. The team did not enter for the 1978 competition, but since then has reached the semi-finals twice, since the under-21 competition rules insist that players must be 21 or under at the start of a two-year competition, technically it is an U-23 competition. For this reason, the Netherlands record in the preceding U-23 competitions is also shown, the first competitive match was in the Under-23 Challenge, a match which they lost. The team qualified for the last eight of each of the three U-23 tournaments, in 2006 the Netherlands national under-21 football team of coach Foppe de Haan won the 2006 European Under-21 Championship. The following year, Netherlands national under-21 football team successfully defended their title by winning the 2007 European Under-21 Championship in the final against Serbia with 4–1, maceo Rigters was the top scorer of the competition with four goals and Royston Drenthe was the Player of the Tournament. The win meant that the Netherlands qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the team failed to qualify for the 2009 European Under-21 Championship, after losing out to Switzerland in their final qualifying match. The Netherlands were randomly chosen to play cards Bulgaria for the title in a match in Sofia. 17 April 1968, Bulgaria 3–1 Netherlands, Finished 3rd of 3 in qualification group. Finished 2nd of 3 in qualification group, Finished 2nd of 3 in qualification group. Finished 2nd of 4 in qualification group, Finished 3rd of 4 in qualification group. Finished 5th of 6 in qualification group, Finished 3rd of 6 in qualification group. 2000, Finished 3rd of 4 in finals group, Finished 4th of 5 in qualification group. 2006, Winners 2007, Winners 2009, Did not qualify, Finished 2nd of 5 in qualification group. 2013, Semi Finals 2015, Did not qualify, Finished 2nd of 5 in qualification group. The following players were called up for the match against Portugal on 15 November 2016. Names in italics denote players who have been capped for the Senior team, caps and goals updated as 15 November 2016
7.
Belgian First Division A
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The Belgian First Division A is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Following the 2015–16 season it was renamed from the Belgian Pro League, contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Belgian First Division B. Seasons run from late July to early May, with teams playing 30 matches each in the regular season, play-offs 1 are contested by the top 6 clubs in the regular season, with each club playing each other twice. Play-offs 2 are contested by teams ranked 7 to 15 in the regular season, the team finishing in 16th place is relegated. As of 2014 the league was sponsored by AB InBev, brewers of Jupiler beer, and officially known as Jupiler Pro League, the competition was created in 1895 by the Royal Belgian Football Association and was first won by FC Liégeois. Of the 74 clubs to have competed in the first division since its creation,15 have been crowned champions of Belgium, RSC Anderlecht is the most successful league club with 33 titles, followed by Club Brugge KV, Union Saint-Gilloise and Standard Liège. It is currently ranked 10th in the UEFA rankings of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the last five-years. The competition was ranked 3rd when the UEFA first published their ranking in 1979 and also the year in 1980. FC Liégeois became the first champion of Belgium, the first 8 titles in Belgian football were all won by FC Liégeois or RC de Bruxelles. There was no promotion and relegation system at the time but the last two clubs of the league withdrew and a new club entered the competition, during the 1896–97 season, SC de Bruxelles withdrew so the 1897–98 season was played among 5 clubs only. In the seasons 1898–99 and 1899–1900, the association introduced a new format with two leagues at the top level and then a final game in two legs. The format though changed back to one league with 9 clubs in 1900–01, in 1904–05 the championship was organised with one league of 11 teams. In 1906–07, Union Saint-Gilloise won their 4th consecutive title as RC de Bruxelles had from 1899–1900 to 1902–03, both clubs claimed the next 3 titles before CS Brugeois won their first title, finishing one point ahead their rival of FC Brugeois. As World War I approached, Daring Club de Bruxelles confirmed its status of challenger, even winning the title in 1911–12, only Union Saint-Gilloise could face them in that period, winning the 1912–13 championship with a better goal difference. Since 1911–12, two clubs are relegated each year to the Promotion and two clubs from the Promotion are promoted, during World War I, the football championship was suspended. It resumed in 1919–20 with FC Brugeois claiming their first title after 5-second places, among which were 2 lost final games, the challengers at the time were CS Brugeois, Union Saint-Gilloise, Daring Club de Bruxelles and Standard Club Liégeois. Starting 25 December 1932, Union Saint-Gilloise had a record 60 games unbeaten run in the championship, winning the 1932–33, 1933–34, the rival of Union during this period was Daring Club de Bruxelles. They claimed the two championships
8.
Inter Milan
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The club have played continuously in the top tier of the Italian football league system since its debut in 1909. Inter have won 30 domestic trophies as well as local rivals A. C. Milan, from 2006 to 2010, the club won five successive league titles, equalling the all-time record. They have won the Champions League three times, two back-to-back in 1964 and 1965 and then another in 2010 and their latest win completed an unprecedented Italian seasonal treble, with Inter winning the Coppa Italia and the Scudetto the same year. The club has won three UEFA Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup. Inters home games are played at the San Siro stadium, also known as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, shared with rivals A. C. Milan, the stadium is the largest in Italian football. The local team A. C. Milan are considered among their biggest rivals, as of 2010, Inter is the second-most supported team in Italy, and the sixth most-supported team in Europe. The club is one of the most valuable in Italian and world football and it was a founding member of the now-defunct G-14 group of Europes leading football clubs. The club was founded on 9 March 1908 as Football Club Internazionale, following the schism with the Milan Cricket, the name of the club derives from the wish of its founding members to accept foreign players as well as Italians. The club won its very first championship in 1910 and its second in 1920, the captain and coach of the first championship winning team was Virgilio Fossati, who was later killed in battle while serving in the Italian army during World War I. In 1922, Inter remained in the top league after winning two play-offs, six years later, during the Fascist era, the club was forced to merge with the Unione Sportiva Milanese and was renamed Società Sportiva Ambrosiana. The team wore white jerseys around this time with a red cross emblazoned on it, the jerseys design was inspired by the flag and coat of arms of the city of Milan. Their first Coppa Italia was won in 1938–39, led by the iconic Giuseppe Meazza, a fifth championship followed in 1940, despite Meazza incurring an injury. After the end of World War II the club regained its name, winning its sixth championship in 1953. He would transform Inter into one of the greatest teams in Europe and he modified a 5–3–2 tactic known as the Verrou to include larger flexibility for counterattacks. The catenaccio system was invented by an Austrian coach Karl Rappan, herrera would modify it by adding a fifth defenders, the sweeper or libero behind the two centre backs. The sweeper or libero who acted as the man would deal with any attackers who went through the two centre backs. Inter finished third in the Serie A in his first season, second the next year, then followed a back-to-back European Cup victory in 1964 and 1965, earning him the title il Mago. In 1964, Inter reached the European Cup Final by beating Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final, in the final, they met Real Madrid, a team that had reached seven out of the nine finals to date
9.
Frank de Boer
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Franciscus Frank de Boer is a Dutch football manager and former player. A former defender, De Boer spent most of his playing career with Ajax, winning five Eredivisie titles. He later spent five years at FC Barcelona, where he won the 1998–99 La Liga title, before retiring after short spells at Galatasaray, Rangers, Al-Rayyan, De Boer is the most capped outfield player in the history of the Netherlands national football team, with 112 caps. He captained the Oranje to the semi-finals of both the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000, after retiring from playing, he went into management with the Ajax youth team and as assistant to Bert van Marwijk with the Dutch national team. In December 2010, he took over as manager of Ajax, in 2013, De Boer received the Rinus Michels Award for manager of the year in the Netherlands after leading Ajax to their third successive Eredivisie title. A year later, he became the first manager to win four consecutive Eredivisie titles, in August 2016 he was appointed as manager of Internazionale, replacing Roberto Mancini, before being dismissed approximately three months later. He is the brother of Ronald de Boer, with whom he was a teammate at Ajax, Barcelona, Rangers, Al-Rayyan, Al-Shamal. De Boer began his career as a back at Ajax before switching to centre back. He won both the 1991–92 UEFA Cup and 1994–95 UEFA Champions League while at Ajax, in addition to five Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups. However, after signing a contract extension with Ajax for the 1998–99 season, he. Ajax had an agreement that if a lucrative offer for one brother came by. In January 1999, Frank and Ronald de Boer signed for FC Barcelona for £22 million, after winning the 1998–99 La Liga title, they were unable to repeat their earlier triumphs. In 2000, Van Gaal was sacked by Barcelona and Frank suffered the ignominy of testing positive for the substance nandrolone a year later. He was suspended but he was reinstated after a successful appeal and he briefly moved to Galatasaray in the summer of 2003 before joining his brother at Rangers in January 2004. He made a total of 17 appearances for Rangers, scoring two goals, the De Boer brothers left Rangers after UEFA Euro 2004 to play the rest of their football careers in Qatar with Al-Rayyan. De Boer announced his retirement from football in April 2006, having represented his national team 112 times, he was the most capped player in the history of the Netherlands national team, until Edwin van der Sar surpassed him. De Boer made his debut for the Netherlands in September 1990 against Italy, De Boer also played for the Netherlands in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups, and the 1992,2000 and 2004 UEFA European Championships. He is well-remembered for the arching 60-yard pass which allowed Dennis Bergkamp to score the goal that knocked out Argentina in the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup
10.
KNVB Cup
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The KNVB Beker is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup, outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup. The tournament consists of all teams from the top three tiers of Dutch league football, as well as the 24 semi-finalists of regional amateur cup tournaments, the finals of the tournament traditionally takes place in De Kuip, and has been held there every season since 1988. The winners of the cup compete against the winners of the Eredivisie for the Johan Cruijff Shield, the competition was conceived during a board meeting of the Dutch National Football Association, in the Hague, on 19 January 1898. The tournament began the season, 1898–1899. The first final was played on 9 May 1899 between RAP Amsterdam and HVV Den Haag, in 1946, the trophy was changed to one made out of silver, which was extremely rare in the immediate aftermath of World War II. Like many national cup competitions, the name of the tournament has changed with sponsorship, from 1995, the competition went from being the KNVB Cup Tournament to being known as the Amstel Cup after the then sponsor Amstel. On 16 August 2005, the name was changed to the Gatorade Cup after the drinks company Gatorade, in 2006, the name returned to being the KNVB Cup Tournament with Gatorade remaining as the principal sponsor. Up until 1998, the winner of the cup entered into the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, but with the abandonment of that tournament, the winner now goes into the UEFA Europa League. If the winning team has won the Eredivisie and thus entry into the UEFA Champions League, in 1998, both teams in the KNVB final, Ajax and PSV, had won places into the Champions League. So a game was played between the beaten semi-finalists, SC Heerenveen and FC Twente, to determine who would take the Cup Winners Cup place, in the Netherlands, the KNVB Cup is broadcast by RTL on RTL7 and on the Dutch pay-TV channel Fox Sports Eredivisie. In Spain it is available on beIN Sports. In Australia and New Zealand, the KNVB Cup is currently available on beIN Sports, in Italy, the KNVB Cup is currently available on Sportitalia. In Brazil the KNVB Cup is currently available on BandSports, in Latin America, the KNVB Cup is currently available on Claro Sports. KNVB. nl - Official website KNVB / Netherlands Cup Finals, RSSSF. com RSSSF History of the Dutch Cup Minnows in Cup Finals, RSSSF. com League321. com - National cup results
11.
ONS Sneek
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ONS Sneek is a Dutch football club from Sneek, who play in the Topklasse. ONS stands for Oranje Nassau Sneek, the club was founded on 4 April 1932 and since their foundation played their matches at the Sportpark Leeuwarderweg. Since 1973 they have played their matches at the Zuidersportpark, in 2004 ONS became champions of the Eerste Klasse C in the Netherlands, and were promoted to the Zaterdag hoofdklasse C. From 2008-2012 the club had a working relationship with the professional club SC Cambuur. A famous former player of ONS Sneek is Sandor van der Heide from SC Cambuur, since 2012 the club has terminated their working relationship with SC Cambuur, and have entered a four-year partnership with Eredivisie club SC Heerenveen. On 1 July 2012 the club changed their name to ONS Boso Sneek, as of 1 February 2016 Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality
12.
SBV Vitesse
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Stichting Betaald Voetbal Vitesse, commonly known as SBV Vitesse, Vitesse or Vitesse Arnhem, is a Dutch football club based in Arnhem, which was founded on 14 May 1892. Since 1998, the club has played its games at the GelreDome. The idea of conceiving a football team stemmed from the early roots as a cricket club. In 1990, the club reached its most recent KNVB Cup final when it was defeated by PSV on a penalty kick in the 75th minute from Stan Valckx at De Kuip on 25 April 1990, karel Aalbers was the president of the club from 1984 until February 2000. Aalbers goal was to bring Vitesse from the bottom of the Second League and he developed the basic idea for the Gelredome, a stadium with a sliding pitch that can be moved out of the building. Later, the system was applied in Gelsenkirchen and in Japan. Events such as pop concerts can be held without damaging the grass and it has a roof that can be opened and closed. It is fully climate controlled as well, in the first season after the opening, Gelredomes attendance rose to 20,000, Vitesse ranked top four positions, made profit and showed a solid balance sheet in the final years of his presidency. Aalbers resigned on 15 February 2000, after the sponsor, Nuon. Nuon, as a utility company, owned by local authorities, had trouble explaining why it invested heavily in Aalbers ambitious plans. In a short period of time, Vitesse began to show negative financial results, the club survived numerous financial crises, such as the last one in 2008, when debts were bought of, under the threat of bankruptcy. In 2010, the club was bought by Georgian businessman Merab Jordania and its home is the unique GelreDome stadium opened in 1998, featuring a retractable roof and a convertible pitch that can be retracted when unused during concerts or other events held at the stadium. The stadium was finished in time to host three group matches during the Euro 2000 tournament held in the Netherlands and Belgium. Its current capacity for football is 25,000, the capacity for shows is around 34,000. Their previous home was the Nieuw Monnikenhuize, the clubs training ground and youth development system are based at the National Sports Centre Papendal. As of 2012 the clubs pitches have been renewed, where under-soil heating was introduced, the new accommodation was completed and opened in the first half of 2013. For recent transfers, see List of Dutch football transfers summer 2016 Note, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. For recent transfers, see 2016–17 Vitesse season, Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules
13.
Niklas Moisander
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Niklas Moisander is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a centre back for German club Werder Bremen and for the Finland national team. Moisander was born in Turku, where he played for the local TPS youth team before moving to Ajaxs junior organisation and he is the twin brother of goalkeeper Henrik Moisander, and is the current captain of the national team of Finland. Moisander made his debut for Finland in May 2008, at age 22. He was voted the Finnish Footballer of the Year in both 2012 and 2013, Moisander started his football career together with his twin brother Henrik, both joining local TPS from their home town of Turku in 2001. A year later, he made his debut in the Veikkausliiga and he was selected in the starting lineup on 15 May 2003 in a regular seasons fixture against cross town rivals Inter Turku. He played the full 90 minutes in the 0–2 away win in his first Turku derby match and he went on to make 17 appearances for TPS during the 2002 and 2003 seasons, becoming a regular with his home club at age 17. On 5 June 2003, it was announced that Dutch Eredivisie club Ajax had signed the twins Henrik and Niklas to a two-year contract, at Ajax, they would join the team where both Finland Internationals Jari Litmanen and Petri Pasanen were playing at the time. At first instance, the twins were to join the team of Ajax A1. The twins helped their side secure the clubs eighth A-Juniors league title, under the tutelage, signing a contract extension for an additional year by the end of the season, Ajax eventually won the KNVB Cup in conclusion. On 3 May 2006 it was announced that Moisander would transfer to the Eerste Divisie side FC Zwolle, signing a two-year contract with the club from Overijssel. He made his debut on 11 August 2006 in a 2–0 win at home against Fortuna Sittard in the KNVB Cup match, midway through his first season, his contract was annulled and extended for an additional year, binding him to the club until the summer of 2009. During his stay in Zwolle, he made 75 appearances for the club, scoring five times, where he was an instrumental player for his side. On 11 July 2008, it was announced that AZ had come to terms with Zwolle for the transfer of Moisander. He made his Eredivisie debut on 20 September 2008 for AZ in its 1–0 home win against Dutch giants PSV and he scored his first goal for AZ on 3 October 2008 in the 6–0 regular season victory over Sparta Rotterdam. Moisander quickly came back to help his side win the Eredivisie title, the following season, Moisander made his continental debut, playing in the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League group stage campaign. Playing in five out of the six matches against the likes of Arsenal, Olympiacos and Standard Liège and this was after having won the Dutch Super Cup against Heerenveen at the start of the season. Ahead of the 2010–11 season, AZ had found another replacement in Gertjan Verbeek as the new manager, Moisander played a major role in helping his side to qualify for the 2010–11 Europa League group stage, having appeared in all four games in the qualifying rounds. He also played in four of the six group stage encounters against Dynamo Kyiv, BATE Borisov, the team, however, finished the league in fourth place, thus qualifying for the qualifying rounds once more
14.
Penalty card
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A penalty card is used in many sports as a means of warning, reprimanding or penalising a player, coach or team official. Penalty cards are most commonly used by referees or umpires to indicate that a player has committed an offense, the referee will hold the card above his or her head while looking or pointing towards the player that has committed the offense. The colour and/or shape of the used by the official indicates the type or seriousness of the offence. By analogy the term is used in non-sporting contexts. For example, the UK Radio Authority spoke of issuing a yellow card to those who broke its rules, the idea of using language-neutral coloured cards to communicate a referees intentions originated in association football, with British referee Ken Aston. Aston had been appointed to the FIFA Referees Committee and was responsible for all referees at the 1966 FIFA World Cup, in the quarter finals, England met Argentina at Wembley Stadium. After the match, newspaper stated that referee Rudolf Kreitlein had cautioned both Bobby and Jack Charlton, as well as sending off Argentinian Antonio Rattin. The referee had not made his decision clear during the game and this incident started Aston thinking about ways to make a referees decisions clearer to both players and spectators. Aston realised that a scheme based on the same principle as used on traffic lights would transcend language barriers. As a result, yellow cards to indicate a caution and red cards to indicate an expulsion were used for the first time in the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. The use of penalty cards has since been adopted and expanded by several sporting codes, a yellow card is used in many different sporting codes. Its meaning differs among sports, however, it most commonly indicates a given to a player regarding his or her conduct. Examples include, Association football, A yellow card is shown by the referee to indicate that a player has been officially cautioned, the players details are then recorded by the referee in a small notebook, hence a caution is also known as a booking. The player may not be replaced by a substitute, Law 12 of the Laws of the Game lists the types of offences and misconduct that may result in a caution or is cautionary. It also states that only a player, substitute or substituted player can be cautioned, for more details, see Yellow card Athletics, In track events, a yellow card used to indicate that the next false start would result in a disqualification. IAAF rules have since abolished false start warnings, false starts now result in immediate disqualification. However, as of 2012, the false start rule is that an athletes hands must leave the track or their feet must leave the starting blocks before the gunshot in order for a start to be given. Therefore, if an athlete makes a twitch, while being in their final set position, Australian rules football, A yellow card is issued against a player for committing any reportable offence, except those listed as serious reportable offences
15.
Feyenoord
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Feyenoord Rotterdam is a Dutch professional football club based in Rotterdam, playing in the Eredivisie. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the changed its name to SC Feijenoord in 1912, SC Feyenoord in 1974, and Feyenoord Rotterdam in 1978. Since 1937, Feyenoords home ground has been Stadion Feijenoord, named De Kuip, Feyenoord is known as a peoples club, with a huge national support. Feyenoord has a rivalry with AFC Ajax, as a clash between the two biggest cities in the Netherlands, which is called De Klassieker. The clubs anthem is Hand in Hand, in 2019, Feyenoord will become a multi-sports club. HC Feijenoord, Sportclub Feyenoord and Rotterdam Basketbal will be a part of the club, the football club Wilhelmina was founded in the pub De Vereeniging on 19 July 1908 and played in blue-sleeved red shirts and white shorts. Between 1908,1910,1911 and 1912, the club underwent a series of changes of name and team colours, becoming Hillesluise Football Club in 1909 and then RVV Celeritas. In 1917, Feijenoord were promoted to the highest level of Dutch football, 1e klasse and moved to the ground Kromme Zandweg. The team enjoyed a string of successes in the half of the decade, taking divisional titles in 1926,1927,1928 and 1929. Feijenoord won their first Dutch Cup in 1930 by scoring the goal in a derby final against Excelsior. They continued to dominate their division with three titles, but were winless in subsequent championship finals. Five years after their first cup win, Feijenoord took the prize for a time in 1935. Feijenoord started to more fans to their stadium at Kromme Zandweg. The club moved to the Feijenoord Stadion in 1937, playing the first match there on 27 March against Beerschot, during this period Feijenoord won three consecutive division titles from 1936 to 1938, with their third and fourth national championships coming in 1936 and 1938. During World War II, Feijenoord played their matches at Sparta Rotterdams Kasteel, when Het Kasteel was unavailable due to clashes with Sparta fixtues, Feijenoord played at their former ground, the Kromme Zandweg. Feijenoords again won a title with a national championship in 1940. During the German occupation of the Netherlands, play continued in Dutch football leagues, during this period, Feijenoords only trophy was a divisional championship in 1943. After the war, Feijenoord did not perform as well as they had in decades, not seriously challenging in their division
16.
FC Barcelona
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Futbol Club Barcelona, commonly known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and Catalan footballers led by Joan Gamper, unlike many other football clubs, the supporters own and operate Barcelona. It is the second most valuable team in the world, worth $3.56 billion. The official Barcelona anthem is the Cant del Barça, written by Jaume Picas, Barcelona was ranked first in the IFFHS Club World Ranking for 1997,2009,2011,2012 and 2015 and currently occupies the third position on the UEFA club rankings. The club has a rivalry with Real Madrid, matches between the two teams are referred to as El Clásico. Barcelona is one of the most supported teams in the world, Barcelonas players have won a record number of Ballon dOr awards, as well as a record number of FIFA World Player of the Year awards. Barcelona is one of three founding members of the Primera División that have never relegated from the top division, along with Athletic Bilbao. In 2011, the club became European champions again and won five trophies, by winning their fifth Champions League trophy on 6 June 2015, Barcelona became the first European club in history to achieve the continental treble twice. On 22 October 1899, Hans Gamper placed an advertisement in Los Deportes declaring his wish to form a football club, FC Barcelona had a successful start in regional and national cups, competing in the Campionat de Catalunya and the Copa del Rey. In 1902, the club won its first trophy, the Copa Macaya and he said in a meeting, Barcelona cannot die and must not die. If there is nobody who is going to try, then I will assume the responsibility of running the club now on. Club president on five occasions between 1908 and 1925, he spent 25 years in total at the helm. One of his achievements was ensuring Barça acquire its own stadium. On 14 March 1909, the moved into the Camp de la Indústria. To celebrate their new surroundings, the club conducted a logo contest the following year, Carles Comamala won the contest, and his suggestion became the crest that the club still wears – with some minor changes – as of the present day. The contest was the most prestigious in that era, from the inaugural year in 1910 to 1913, Barcelona won the competition four consecutive times. Carles Comamala played a part of the four-time champion, managing the side along with Amechazurra. The latter became the clubs first full-time coach in 1917, the last edition was held in 1914 in the city of Barcelona, which local rivals Espanyol won
17.
A.C. Milan
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Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A. C. Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seasons, in the top flight of Italian football, known as Serie A since 1929–30. With 18 officially recognised UEFA and FIFA titles, they are the fourth most successful club in the world, with 18 league titles, Milan is the joint-second most successful club in Serie A, along with local rivals Internazionale. They have also won the Coppa Italia five times, and the Supercoppa Italiana seven, Milans home games are played at San Siro, also known as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The stadium, which is shared with city rivals Internazionale, is the largest in Italian football, inter are considered their biggest rivals, and matches between the two teams are called Derby della Madonnina, which is one of the most followed derbies in football. The owner of the club is former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, the club is one of the wealthiest in Italian and world football. It was a member of the now-defunct G-14 group of Europes leading football clubs as well as its replacement. A. C. Milan was founded as Milan Cricket and Foot-Ball Club on 13 December 1899 by English expatriates Alfred Edwards and Herbert Kilpin, who came from the English city of Nottingham. In honour of its English origins, the club has retained the English spelling of the name, as opposed to the Italian spelling Milano. Milan won its first Italian championship in 1901 and a two in succession in 1906 and 1907. In 1908, Milan experienced a split caused by disagreements over the signing of foreign players. Following these events, Milan did not manage to win a domestic title until 1950–51. The 1950s saw the return to the top of Italian football, headed by the famous Gre-No-Li Swedish trio Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl. This was one of the clubs most successful periods domestically, with the Scudetto going to Milan in 1951,1955,1957,1959 and 1962, in 1963, Milan won its first continental title by beating Benfica in the final of the European Cup. This success was repeated in 1969, with a 4–1 win over Ajax in the final, during this period Milan also won its first Coppa Italia, with victory over Padova in the 1967 final, and two European Cup Winners Cups, in 1967–68 and 1972–73. Milan won a league title in 1979, but after the retirement of Gianni Rivera in the same year. The club was involved in the 1980 Totonero scandal and as punishment was relegated to Serie B for the first time in its history, the scandal was centred around a betting syndicate paying players and officials to fix the outcome of matches. Milan achieved promotion back to Serie A at the first attempt, winning the 1980–81 Serie B title, in 1983, Milan won the Serie B title for the second time in three seasons to return to Serie A, where they achieved a sixth-place finish in 1983–84
18.
Mario Balotelli
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Mario Balotelli Barwuah is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Nice and the Italy national team. He started his football career at Lumezzane and played for the first team twice before having an unsuccessful trial at Barcelona. Inter manager Roberto Mancini brought Balotelli into the first team, but when Mancini left and he had a strained relationship with new manager José Mourinho and was suspended from Inters first team in January 2009 after a number of disciplinary problems. With doubts over his career at Inter, former coach Roberto Mancini had since moved to Manchester City and he joined Manchester City in August 2010, where his performances and off-field activities continued to be enigmatic and unpredictable. Balotelli eventually fell out of favour with Mancini after a training ground bust up between the two in January 2013 and his departure from City and return to Italy with A. C. Milan followed several weeks later. After 18 months at Milan, he returned to the Premier League with Liverpool, an unsuccessful season with the Merseyside club led to his return to Milan on loan and subsequent departure on a free transfer to Nice. Balotelli earned his first cap for Italy in a match against the Ivory Coast on 10 August 2010. Along with Antonio Cassano, he is Italys top-scorer in the UEFA European Championships and he is also Italys top scorer in the FIFA Confederations Cup, alongside Giuseppe Rossi and Daniele De Rossi, with two goals. Mario Balotelli was born in Palermo, Sicily as the son of Ghanaian immigrants, the family moved to Bagnolo Mella in the province of Brescia, Lombardy, when he was two. In 1993, when he was three, Balotelli was placed in care to the Balotelli family when his own family was unable to pay for his health care needs. His foster parents are Silvia, the Jewish daughter of Holocaust survivors and they lived in the town of Concesio, Brescia, in northern Italy. At first, he stayed at the Balotellis during the weekdays and he later was permanently fostered by the Balotellis full-time, and adopted their surname. In June 2012, he dedicated his goals that put Italy in the final of the Euro 2012 football championships to his foster mother Silvia, Balotelli had to wait until his 18th birthday to request Italian citizenship, as his foster family had not adopted him. He officially gained citizenship in Concesio on 13 August 2008, after the ceremony he released the following statement, I am Italian, I feel Italian, I will forever play with the Italian national team. Mario Balotelli Mario has three siblings, Abigail, Enoch, and Angel Barwuah. Enoch Barwuah, two younger than Balotelli, is also a professional footballer. Balotelli began his career at Lumezzane, at the age of 15 he was promoted to the first team, making his first team debut in a Serie C1 league match against Padova on 2 April 2006. Having had a trial with Barcelona at the age of 15
19.
Arjen Robben
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Arjen Robben is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for German club Bayern Munich and is the captain of the Netherlands national team. Robben has appeared at the 2004,2008 and 2012 UEFA European Championships, and he is a forward who usually plays as a left or right sided winger. Robben is known for his skills, speed, crossing ability. Robben first came to prominence with Groningen, for whom he was player of the year for the 2000–01 Eredivisie season, two years later he signed for PSV, where he became the Netherlands Young Player of the Year and won an Eredivisie title. The following season Robbens signature was pursued by leading English clubs, after a third season in England which was punctuated by injury, Robben moved to Spanish club Real Madrid for €35 million. In August 2009, Robben transferred to Bayern Munich for a fee of around €25 million, in his first season in Munich, Bayern won the league title, Robbens fifth league title in eight years, and Robben scored the winning goal in the 2013 UEFA Champions League final. After his first season with Bayern, Robben was also named Footballer of the Year in Germany, in 2014, Robben was ranked as the fourth-best footballer in the world by The Guardian. Robben was born in Bedum, a town of Groningen. He took to football from an age, becoming an adherent of the Coerver Method. Robbens skill in ball control and technical footwork made him a valuable player, here, he developed his distinctive style of cutting inside from the right onto his left foot to score some quite spectacular goals. Groningen placed Robben in their first team for the 1999–2000 season and he scored three goals in league play. During the winter, Robben managed to play himself into the starting lineup, in 18 starts for Groningen over the 2000–01 season, he scored two goals. Robben was named player of the year for his first season with the club, Robben stayed with Groningen and improved steadily during the 2001–02 season, playing in 28 matches and scoring six goals. Robben transferred to PSV for €3.9 million before the 2002–03 season, during his first season for PSV, the 2002–03 season, Robben played 33 matches and scored 12 goals. He was named PSV co-player of the year along with striker Mateja Kežman, with whom he formed an attacking partnership still fondly referred to by PSV fans as Batman and he helped lead PSV to their 17th Dutch title, and won the Talented Player of the Year award. After this good start, PSV could not keep up with rival Ajax and were forced into a fight for second place in the Eredivisie, Robben travelled to London and met with Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson. Almost immediately, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich offered €18 million, the rest of his season with PSV was disappointing, he injured his hamstring twice and missed several games. By the end of the season, Robben scored five times in 23 Eredivisie matches, during this time, he told club doctors that he had noticed an unfamiliar growth on one of his testicles
20.
Gregory van der Wiel
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Gregory Kurtley van der Wiel is a Dutch international footballer who plays for Turkish club Fenerbahçe, as a right back. Born in Amsterdam, he is a product of the renowned AFC Ajax youth system and he plays an attacking right back and is known for his speedy runs down the flank. In 2010, Van der Wiel was awarded the Johan Cruyff Award for Young Player of the Year in the Netherlands and he made his debut for the Dutch national team in February 2009, and participated in the Netherlands runners-up performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Dutch team-mate John Heitinga has labeled him the successor of Michael Reiziger for the Netherlands. Van der Wiel started his career at RKSV DCG in Amsterdam. At the age of seven, the defender was scouted by Ajax. In 2002, Ajax sent the player away to HFC Haarlem due to the player having a mentality problem, talking about his period at Haarlem, Van der Wiel has said, When I was there I realized how spoiled I was. At Ajax everything was well organized. We received a new kit every season and were picked up with minivans, at Haarlem I arrived in a totally different world. The accommodation was much worse, we played in five-year-old outfits, the atmosphere was better though, much more relaxed than at Ajax. The period at Haarlem was good for my social development and it was a wake-up call for me. In 2005 Ajax approached him again and brought him back to the Academy. His second stint at the club proved to be a more successful experience. Following the departure of youth captain Donovan Slijngard, Van der Wiel was made the captain of Jong Ajax, Van der Wiel made his professional debut for Ajax on 11 March 2007 in a 4–1 away win against FC Twente, coming on as a substitute for Jaap Stam. He would play three matches that season. For the 2007–08 season he participated in the 1–0 victory over PSV Eindhoven in the battle for the Johan Cruijff Shield, Van der Wiel started the 2009–10 season well under new Ajax manager Martin Jol, scoring his third league goal for Ajax on 8 August 2009. The goal came in a 4–1 victory over RKC Waalwijk during which Ajax captain Luis Suárez scored a hat-trick and was van der Wiels first goal at the Amsterdam Arena. Van der Wiels second league goal of the season came on 25 October 2009, on 1 November 2009, van der Wiel scored in the klassieker against arch-rivals Feyenoord in a 5–1 thrashing of the Rotterdam side
21.
KV Mechelen
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Yellow Red Koninklijke Voetbalclub Mechelen, is a Belgian professional football club based in Mechelen in the Antwerp province. KV Mechelen plays in the Belgian Pro League and they have won four Belgian championships and one Belgian Cup, as well as the 1987–88 European Cup Winners Cup and the 1988 European Super Cup. They collected all of their honours in the 1940s and in the 1980s, KV Mechelen was founded in 1904 and, in 1921–22, promoted to the first division. After two successive relegation and promotion, they were back for good between 1928–29 and 1955–56, in the 1960s and 1970s, the club had several promotions and relegations between the first and second division. From 1983–84 to 1996–97, they had a successful first division spell, with a title and several 2nd, during that period, they also won a European Cup Winners Cup and they reached the same competition semi-finals as well as the European Cup quarter-finals. KV Mechelen declined in the late 1990s though they had two spells at the highest level from 1999–00 to 2000–01 and in 2002–03. At the end of season, the club did not receive their Belgian professional football license. They were thus relegated to the division with a 9-point penalty. After two promotions in 2004–05 and in 2006–07, KV Mechelen has come back to the first division, the club outfits are a striped yellow and red shirt with black shorts and socks. They play their matches at the Argosstadion Achter de Kazerne. The stadium has been named so because there used to be next to stadium. KV Mechelen fans have a rivalry with KRC Mechelen. The club was founded in 1904, a few months after the birth of city rival KRC Mechelen, the club had a first successful period in the 1940s. During World War II, in 1943, the club won their first domestic title, the second title came a few years later, in 1946, and in 1948 the club was successful again. After that, the club fell back, in 1954, they managed to finish third, only one point behind champions Anderlecht, but that was their last good season. Two years later, Mechelen was relegated to second division, during the 1960s and the 1970s, Mechelen went up and down between the first and second division. The club enjoyed a spell of both domestic and European success in the period of 1987–92, during these 5 seasons, Mechelen won one Belgian championship and one Belgian cup title. They also finished 2nd in the Belgian league twice and lost the Belgian cup final twice, after winning the domestic cup title in 1987, and hence qualifying for the European Cup Winners Cup, they completed the extraordinary achievement of winning this tournament in 1988
22.
Cercle Brugge K.S.V.
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Cercle Brugge Koninklijke Sportvereniging is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges. Cercle have played in the Belgian Pro League since the 2003–04 season, the club play home games at the Jan Breydel Stadium, which they share with fierce rivals Club Brugge. Cercle Brugge won their first national title in 1911, and won two titles before the Second World War. The side also won the Belgian Cup in 1927 and in 1985, Cercle Brugge was founded on 9 April 1899 as Cercle Sportif Brugeois by former students of the Saint Francis Xavier Institute, colloquially known as De Frères in Bruges. Originally, the focused on five sports, football, cricket, lawn tennis. Cercle Brugge became a member of the Royal Belgian Football Association in 1900 and were awarded matricule number 12, Cercle achieved their first success in the 1902 Henri Fraeys Cup, defeating Olympique Iris Club Lillois and US Tourcoing. After winning another few friendly cups Cercle achieved their first big success, Cercle ended a single point ahead of their main rivals FC Bruges, after their confrontation on the seasons last matchday ended in a 1–1 draw. Three years later Belgian football was devastated by World War I, former player Alphonse Six also lost his life. Cercle resumed competitive football in 1919 with an almost completely new team, Louis Saeys was the only player to remain in the team from before the war. Expectations were low, but the finished third in the league. The monument still exists and now stands in front of the Jan Breydel Stadium, in 1923 Cercle extended their stadium facilities again, moving 100 metres from their old pitch to a newly built stadium. This ground, later named the Edgard De Smedt Stadium, became Cercles home for more than 50 years, in 1924 the club changed its name from Cercle Sportif Brugeois to Royal Cercle Sportif Brugeois. The club embarked on a period, led by two key players, Belgian record international Florimond Vanhalme and player-coach Louis Saeys. Cercle led the league midway through the 1925–26 season, but player injuries led to results that saw them finish in fifth place. Cercle made a start to the 1929–30 season, entering the mid-season winter break in sixth place. Nonetheless, by the weekend of the season they had narrowed the gap to a single point. The side then faced a wait for the result of Antwerp against 10th placed Standard Liège. In the end, the news reached team captain Florimond Vanhalme that Antwerp had lost 3–5, meaning Cercle had won their third, because of this title Cercle were invited to take part in the Coupe des Nations, which is regarded as the predecessor of the Champions League
23.
Multiple citizenship
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There is no international convention which determines the nationality or citizen status of a person, which is defined exclusively by national laws, which vary and can be inconsistent with each other. Multiple citizenship arises because different countries use different, and not necessarily mutually exclusive, colloquial speech refers to people holding multiple citizenship but technically each nation makes a claim that this person be considered its national. Some countries do not permit dual citizenship, some countries do not permit a renunciation of citizenship. Some countries permit a general dual citizenship while others permit dual citizenship, similarly, it may not permit consular access by another country for a person who is also its national. Some countries prohibit dual citizenship holders from serving in their military, up until the late 19th century, nations often decided who they claimed as their citizens or subjects, and did not recognize any other nationalities they held. Many states did not recognize the right of their citizens to renounce their citizenship without permission and this meant that people could hold multiple citizenships, with none of their nations recognizing any other of their citizenships. This outraged many Irish-Americans, to which the British responded by pointing out that, just like British law, as a result, Congress passed the Expatriation Act of 1868, which granted Americans the right to freely renounce their U. S. citizenship. Britain followed suit with a law, and years later. As a result, the theory of perpetual allegiance largely fell out of favor with governments during the late 19th century, by the mid-20th century, dual nationality was largely prohibited worldwide, although there were exceptions. For example, a series of U. S. Supreme Court rulings permitted Americans born with citizenship in another country to keep it without losing their U. S. citizenship. It proposed laws that would have reduced both, but in the end was ratified by only twenty nations, however, the consensus against dual nationality began to erode due to changes in social mores and attitudes. By the late 20th century it was becoming gradually accepted again, many states were lifting restrictions on dual citizenship. The rights of citizenship are determined by country, which sets its own criteria for citizenship. These laws may create situations where a person may satisfy the requirements of more than one country simultaneously. This would, in the absence of laws of one country or the other, National laws may include criteria as to the circumstances, if any, in which a person may concurrently hold another citizenship. A country may withdraw its own citizenship if a person acquires a citizenship of another country, for example, historically, citizenship was traced through the father, but today most countries permit the tracing through either parent, and some also through a grandparent. Today, the laws of most countries are based on jus sanguinis. In many cases, this basis for citizenship also extends to children born outside the country, Citizenship by birth on the countrys territory
24.
Dutch Empire
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The Dutch Empire comprised the overseas colonies, enclaves, and outposts controlled and administered by Dutch chartered companies and subsequently, the Dutch Republic and the modern Netherlands. This was reflective of the fact that the network of the Dutch Empire was commercial exchange as opposed to sovereignty over a homogeneous landmass. The companies brief domination of global commerce contributed greatly to a commercial revolution, in their search for new trade passages between Asia and Europe Dutch navigators explored and charted vast regions such as New Zealand, Tasmania, and parts of the eastern coast of North America. Shortly after reaching its zenith, the Dutch Empire began to decline as a result of the Anglo-Dutch Wars, in which it lost many of its colonial possessions and trade monopolies to the British Empire. Nevertheless, some portions of the empire survived until the advent of global decolonisation following World War II, namely the East Indies, three former colonial territories—Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten—are retained as constituent countries within the Netherlands. In 1566, a Protestant Dutch revolt broke out against rule by Roman Catholic Spain, led by William of Orange, independence was declared in the 1581 Act of Abjuration. The revolt resulted in the establishment of an de facto independent Protestant republic in the north by Treaty of Antwerp, the coastal provinces of Holland and Zeeland had for centuries prior to Spanish rule been important hubs of the European maritime trade network. Their geographical location provided convenient access to the markets of France, Scotland, Germany, England, efficient access to capital enabled the Dutch in the 1580s to extend their trade routes beyond northern Europe to new markets in the Mediterranean and the Levant. In the 1590s, Dutch ships began to trade with Brazil and the Dutch Gold Coast of Africa, and towards the Indian Ocean, by attacking Portuguese overseas possessions, the Dutch forced Spain to divert financial and military resources away from its attempt to quell Dutch independence. Thus began the several decade-long Dutch-Portuguese War, in 1594, the Compagnie van Verre was founded in Amsterdam, with the aim of sending two fleets to the spice islands of Maluku. The first fleet sailed in 1596 and returned in 1597 with a cargo of pepper, the second voyage, returned its investors a 400% profit. The success of these led to the founding of a number of companies competing for the trade. The competition was counterproductive to the interests as it threatened to drive up the price of spices at their source in Indonesia whilst driving them down in Europe. As a result of the caused by inter-company rivalry, the Dutch East India Company was founded in 1602. The directors of the company, the Heeren XVII, were given the authority to establish fortresses and strongholds, to sign treaties. The company itself was founded as a joint stock company, similarly to its English rival that had founded two years earlier, the English East India Company. The Spanish-Dutch War was for the Dutch part of their struggle for independence and religious freedom, the Netherlands became part of the domains of the Spanish branch of the Habsburg dynasty when Emperor Charles V divided the holdings of the Habsburg Empire following his abdication in 1555. From 1517, the port of Lisbon in Portugal was the main European market for products from India that was attended by other nations to purchase their needs
25.
Ukraine national under-16 football team
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The Ukraine national under-16 football team is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. The team participated in tournaments like the Aegean Cup since its formation after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, as of 30 January 2006 Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality, yuri Kalytvyntsev Ukraine national football team Ukraine national under-21 football team http, //ukrainiansoccer. net/news/news_article. asp. ID=22239
26.
France national under-17 football team
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The team competes in the annual UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship and the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which is held every two years. The under-17 team also participates in local and international tournaments, such as the Montaigu Tournament and the Toto Cup. France have won the FIFA U-17 World Cup once in 2001, however, of the 18 players that played on the championship-winning team, only one of them has played in the senior team of France, Florent Sinama-Pongolle. Several players on the team, such as Hassan Yebda, Mourad Meghni, Chaouki Ben Saada, the under-17 team has also won the UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship twice, in 2004 and 2015. The championship-winning team began a new generation for the national team as it was composed of several players who have established themselves as French internationals. Samir Nasri, Karim Benzema, Jérémy Menez, and Hatem Ben Arfa have all gone on the represent the senior team, the 2012–13 international under-17 campaign began in August 2012 and will end following the conclusion of the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup if France qualifies for the competition. The current under-19 team is coached by Patrick Gonfalone, a football player, notably with Angers, Auxerre. Prior to coaching for the French Football Federration, Gonfalone had domestic coaching tenures at SC Abbeville, the current captain of the team is Nice attacker Neal Maupay. The following players have called to participate in the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship Head coach, Bernard Diomède Caps. *Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shootout, **Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won. Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil
27.
2010 UEFA European Under-17 Championship
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The 2010 UEFA European Under-17 Championship was the ninth edition of UEFAs European Under-17 Football Championship, held in Liechtenstein from 18 to 30 May 2010. Germany was the 2009 title holder, but failed to qualify, in the final, England defeated Spain by 2–1, and achieved their first ever under-17 European title. The final tournament of the 2010 UEFA European Under-17 Championship was preceded by two stages, a qualifying round and an Elite round. During these rounds,52 national teams competed to determine the eight teams, czech Republic England France Greece Portugal Spain Switzerland Turkey Despite being hosts, Liechtenstein did not participate in the finals. They withdrew from the competition after raising concerns with UEFA that their U-17 side would not be competitive, for the complete list of players, see 2010 UEFA European Under-17 Championship squads
28.
Region of Murcia
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The Region of Murcia is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeast of the state, between Andalusia and Valencian Community, on the Mediterranean coast. The autonomous community consists of a province, unlike most autonomous communities. Because of this, the community and the province are operated as one unit of government. The city of Murcia is the capital of the region and seat of government organs, except for the parliament, the Regional Assembly of Murcia, the autonomous community and province is subdivided into municipalities. The Region of Murcia is bordered by Andalusia, Castile–La Mancha, the Valencian Community, the community measures 11,313 km² and has a population of 1.4 million, of whom one-third live in the capital. The highest mountain is Los Obispos, the region is a major producer of fruits, vegetables, and flowers for the rest of Spain and Europe. Wineries have developed near the towns of Bullas, Yecla, and Jumilla, Murcia is mainly a warm region which has made it very suitable for agriculture. The region is located in the part of the Cordilleras Béticas mountains. These mountain ranges are divided as well in the Prebética, Subbética and Penibética mountain ranges, approximately 27% of the Murcian territory can be described as mountainous, 38% as intramountainous depressions and running valleys, and the remaining 35% as flat lands and plateaux. The Region of Murcia enjoys a Mediterranean climate of semi-arid type, with mild winters, the average annual temperature is 18 °C. With little precipitation of about 300 to 350 mm per year, april and October are the months with the most precipitation, there being frequent heavy downpours in a single day. The city of Murcia holds the temperature of the 20th century in Spain. It reached 46.1 °C on July 4,1994, the winter of 2005 was the coldest in a long time, with snow even falling on the Murcian coast. The hydrographic network of the region is made up of the Segura river and its affluents, Mundo, alhárabe and its affluent, the Benamor. Due to the water supplying incapacity of the Segura river basin, contributions to this basin are made, originated from the basin of the Tajo river. The greatest natural lake of Spain can be found in the region and it is a salt water lagoon, adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea. Its special ecological and natural characteristics make the Mar Menor a unique natural place, with a semicircular shape, it is separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a sand strip 22 km in length and between 100 and 1200 m wide, known as La Manga del Mar Menor. The lagoon has been designated by the United Nations as a Specially Protected Zone of Importance for the Mediterranean and its coastal perimeter accounts for 73 km of coast in which beaches follow one another with crystal clear shallow water
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France national under-19 football team
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The France national under-19 football team is the national under-19 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team competes in the annual UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship and they were the 2010 champions of the competition having won on home soil. The under-19 team also contests the qualification matches needed to play in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, France have won the UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship twice in 2005 and 2010. In 2005, striker Abdoulaye Baldé was awarded the Golden Player award, two players, Djamel Abdoun and Moussa Sow, have played for other national teams for which they were eligible. In 2010, the team was crowned champions on home soil after defeating Spain 2–1 in the final in Caen, gaël Kakuta was named the tournaments Golden Player. The 2012–13 international under-19 campaign will begin in August 2012 and will end following the conclusion of the 2013 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, the current under-19 team is coached by Ludovic Batelli, a former football player, notably with Valenciennes and Lorient. Prior to coaching for the French Football Federation, he had domestic coaching tenures at Troyes, on 6 July 2016, France named their squad for the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. Head coach, Jean-Claude Giuntini Caps and goals as of 27 March 2017 after the match against Israel, *Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shootout. **Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won, red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil. UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship,1949,1983,1996,1997,2000,2005,2010,2016 Official site
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Israel national under-19 football team
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Israels national Under-19 team, also known as Israel Under-19s or Israel U-19s, is considered to be the feeder team for the Israel national under-21 football team. This team is for Israeli players aged 19 or under at the start of a two-year UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship campaign, so players can be, also in existence are teams for Under-21s and Under-20s and Under 17s. As long as they are eligible, players can play at any level, making it possible to play for the U-19s, senior side and it is also possible to play for one country at youth level and another at senior level. Israel U-19s do not have a permanent home and they play in stadia dotted all around Israel in an attempt to encourage fans in all areas of the country to get behind Israel. Because of the lack of appeal compared to the national team. The idea to form a team first came about in 1957. The youth team, a squad, played its first match against its England equivalent on 20 May 1962. Two days later, the team recorded its first victory, winning 2–1 in a rematch against England, in 1964, the youth team participated for the first time in AFC Youth Championship, sharing the cup with Burma in its first tournament. The team went on to win the cup five times in the next 8 years. In 1992, as Israel was admitted to UEFA, the youth started participating in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship, UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship Israel national football team Israel national under-21 football team Israel national under-18 football team Israel national under-17 football team
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Kickboxing
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Kickboxing is a group of stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from Karate, Muay Thai, Kun Khmer, and Boxing. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general fitness, or as a contact sport, Japanese kickboxing originated in the 1960s, with competitions held since then. American kickboxing originated in the 1970s and was brought to prominence in September 1974, historically, kickboxing can be considered a hybrid martial art formed from the combination of elements of various traditional styles. There is no international governing body. Consequently, there is no single kickboxing world championship, and champion titles are issued by individual promotions, such as K-1, Glory, SUPERKOMBAT, Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, among others. Bouts organized under different governing bodies apply different rules, such as allowing the use of knees or clinching, the term kickboxing can be used in a narrow and in a wide sense. The narrow use is restricted to the styles that self-identify as kickboxing, i. e. Japanese Kickboxing, Dutch Kickboxing, and American Kickboxing. In the wider sense, it includes all combat sports that allow both punching and kicking, including Muay Thai, Kun Khmer, Savate, Adithada, Lethwei, Sanda. The term was also adopted by the American variant. Arts labeled as kickboxing in the general sense include, The Indochinese family of kickboxing sports including, Thai Muay Boran – Predecessor of Muay Thai, allows the use of headbutts. Thai kickboxing or Muay Thai – the modern Thai martial art with emphasis on knee. Burmese Lethwei, a traditional Burmese martial art of which has now grown into a popular kickboxing event with strong emphasis on knee, elbow strikes, any part of the body may be used to strike and be struck. It is also known as Bando kickboxing, Laotian Muay Lao – Laotian boxing which is similar to Muay Thai Filipino Yaw-Yan – Sayaw ng Kamatayan is the proper name for Yaw-Yan, a Filipino martial art developed by Napoleon Fernandez. The art resembles Muay Thai in a sense, but differs in the hip torquing motion as well as downward-cutting nature of its kicks, indian Musti yuddha and Adithada, a form of kickboxing that uses knee, elbow and forehead strikes in Southern kalaripayattu. French Savate, a sport which developed in the 19th century. Any style of Full contact Karate Sanda – The applicable component of wushu/kung fu of which takedowns, shoot boxing – A Japanese form of kickboxing which allows throwing and submission while standing, similar to Sanda. Since kickboxing is a term that can be used both in a wide and narrow sense, this can make understanding the history somewhat difficult. Some of the earliest forms of kickboxing included the various Indochinese martial arts especially muay boran, however, in terms of modern competition, it was during the 1950s that a Japanese karateka named Tatsuo Yamada first established an outline of a new sport that combined karate and muay thai
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Instagram
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In August 2015, version 7.5 was released for mobile devices, allowing users to upload media captured in any aspect ratio, but not at full size. Users can also apply various digital filters to their images, the service rapidly gained popularity, with over 100 million active users as of April 2012 and over 300 million as of December 2014. Support for the app is available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Windows 10 devices and Android handsets, while third-party Instagram apps are available for BlackBerry 10, the service was acquired by Facebook in April 2012 for approximately US$1 billion in cash and stock. In 2013, Instagram grew by 23%, while Facebook, as the parent company, Instagram began development in San Francisco, when Systrom and Brazilian Krieger chose to focus their multi-featured HTML5 check-in project, Burbn, on mobile photography. As Krieger reasoned, Burbn became too similar to Foursquare, and for that, Burbn pivoted to become more focused. The word Instagram is a portmanteau of instant camera and telegram, on March 5,2010, Systrom closed a $500,000 seed funding round with Baseline Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz while working on Burbn. Josh Riedel then joined the company as Community Manager, shayne Sweeney joined in November 2010 as an engineer and Jessica Zollman was hired as a Community Evangelist in August 2011. In January 2011, Instagram added hashtags to help users discover both photographs and each other, Instagram encourages users to make tags both specific and relevant, rather than tagging generic words like photo, to make photographs stand out and to attract like-minded Instagram users. In September, version 2.0 went live in the App Store and included new and live filters, instant tilt–shift, high resolution photographs, optional borders, one-click rotation, the deal valued Instagram at around $25 million. On April 3,2012, Instagram was released for Android phones running the 2.2 Froyo version of the OS and that same week, Instagram raised $50 million from venture capitalists for a share of the company, the process valued Instagram at $500 million. Facebook made an offer to purchase Instagram, along with its 13 employees, for approximately $1 billion in cash and stock in April 2012, with a plan to keep the company independently managed. Britains Office of Fair Trading approved the deal on August 14,2012, and on August 22,2012, on September 6,2012, the deal between Instagram and Facebook was officially closed. On April 12,2012, Facebook acquired Instagram for approximately $1 billion in cash, the deal, which was made just prior to Facebooks scheduled IPO, cost about a quarter of Facebooks cash-on-hand, according to figures documented at the end of 2011. Mark Zuckerberg noted that Facebook was committed to building and growing Instagram independently, according to multiple reports, the deal netted Systrom $400 million based on his ownership stake in the business. The exact purchase price was $300 million in cash and 23 million shares of stock, on December 17,2012, Instagram updated its Terms of Service, granting itself the right—starting on January 16, 2013—to sell users photos to third parties without notification or compensation. In January 2013, it was confirmed that Instagram had asked for identification as a form of verification due to unspecified violations. In September 2013, Instagram reaffirmed its commitment to free and open access to its app for users. On October 3,2013, Instagram announced that it would be adding advertising to its platform
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UEFA
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The Union of European Football Associations is the administrative body for association football in Europe, although several member states are primarily or entirely located in Asia. It is one of six continental confederations of world footballs governing body FIFA, UEFA consists of 55 national association members. Until 1959 the main headquarters were located in Paris, and later in Bern, in 1995, UEFA headquarters were transferred to Nyon, Switzerland. Henri Delaunay was the first general secretary and Ebbe Schwartz the first president, UEFA was founded on 15 June 1954 in Basel, Switzerland after consultation between the Italian, French, and Belgian associations. The European football union began with 25 members, that number doubled by the early 1990s, UEFA membership coincides for the most part with recognition as a sovereign country in Europe, although there are some exceptions. Some UEFA members are not sovereign states, but form part of a recognized sovereign state in the context of international law. Some UEFA members are transcontinental states, countries which had been members of the Asian Football Confederation were also admitted to the European football association, particularly Israel and Kazakhstan. Additionally some UEFA member associations allow teams from outside their associations main territory to take part in their domestic competition, saarland Football Union 1954–1956 German football association of the German Democratic Republic 1954–1990 Football Federation of the Soviet Union 1954–1991, in 1992 became Russian Football Union. The newly independent 14 Soviet Republics created their own football associations, Football Association of Yugoslavia 1954–1992, became Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia became independent, Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro 1992–2006, became Football Association of Serbia. Montenegro, which became independent, created its own football association, the main competition for mens national teams is the UEFA European Football Championship, started in 1958, with the first finals in 1960, and known as the European Nations Cup until 1964. It is also called UEFA or the EURO, UEFA also runs national competitions at Under-21, Under-19 and Under-17 levels. For womens national teams, UEFA operates the UEFA Womens Championship for senior sides as well as Womens Under-19. UEFA also organized the UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup with CAF for youth teams in an effort to boost youth football, UEFA launched the UEFA Regions Cup, for semi-professional teams representing their local region, in 1999. In futsal there is the UEFA Futsal Championship and UEFA Futsal Under-21 Championship, the Italian, German, Spanish and French mens national teams are the sole teams to have won the European football championship in all categories. A second, lower-ranked competition is the UEFA Europa League and this competition, for national knockout cup winners and high-placed league teams, was launched by UEFA in 1971 as a successor of both the former UEFA Cup and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. A third competition, the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, which had started in 1960, was absorbed into the UEFA Cup in 1999, in womens football UEFA also conducts the UEFA Womens Champions League for club teams. The competition was first held in 2001, and known as the UEFA Womens Cup until 2009, the UEFA Super Cup pits the winners of the Champions League against the winners of the Europa League, and came into being in 1973
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Eredivisie
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The Eredivisie is the highest echelon of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of football in the Netherlands. At the end of the 2015–2016 season it was ranked the 13th best league in Europe by UEFA, the top division consists of 18 clubs. Each club meets every other club twice during the season, once at home, at the end of each season, the club at the bottom is automatically relegated to the second level of the Dutch league system, the Eerste Divisie. At the same time, the champion of the Eerste Divisie will be promoted to the Eredivisie. The next two clubs from the bottom of the Eredivisie go to separate promotion/relegation play-offs, the play-offs are played in two groups. Each group has one Eredivisie club and three high-placed clubs from the Eerste Divisie, in both promotion/relegation play-off groups, each club plays a home-and-away series with the other clubs. The winner of each group plays in the following seasons Eredivisie. The winner of the Eredivisie claims the Dutch national championship, AFC Ajax has won most titles,24. PSV Eindhoven are next with 18, and Feyenoord follow with 9, since 1965, these three clubs have won all except for three titles. Ajax, PSV and Feynoord are known as the Big Three of Dutch football and they are the only ones in their current forms to have appeared in every edition of the Eredivisie since its formation. A fourth club, FC Utrecht, is the product of a 1970 merger between three of that clubs, one of which, VV DOS, had also never been relegated out of the Eredivisie. From 1990 to 1999, the name of the league was PTT Telecompetitie. From 2002 to 2005, the league was called the Holland Casino Eredivisie, since the 2005–06 season, the league has been sponsored by the Sponsorloterij, but for legal reasons its name could not be attached to the league. Within this deal the five largest Eredivisie clubs should receive 5 million euros per year for the duration of the contract, from the foundation of the Dutch football championship until 1954, the title was decided through play-offs by a handful of clubs who had previously won their regional league. The competition was purely an amateur one, the Royal Dutch Football Association rejected any form of payment, the call for professional football grew in the early fifties after many national team members left to play abroad in search for financial benefits. The KNVB would usually suspend these players, preventing them from appearing for the Dutch national team, after the North Sea flood of 1953, the Dutch players abroad organised a charity match against the French national team in Paris. The match was boycotted by the KNVB, but after the assembled Dutch players defeated the French, to serve the growing interest, a dissident professional football association and league were founded for the 1954–55 season