BENFICA boss Jorge Jesus couldn’t contain his disappointment when the latest shortlist of 10 coaches vying for FIFA’s world best coach of 2014 was released and his name was conspicuously missing. To the uninitiated, 60-year-old Jesus steered Benfica to domestic treble in Portugal and the Europa League final in May before losing 4-2 to Sevilla on penalties.
“Some weren’t in the European finals, some weren’t even domestic champions,” said a bemused Jesus who won the Portuguese league title, Portuguese Cup and the League Cup last season.
Yet, the mastermind of this multiple success could not grace FIFA’s 10-man shortlist which has coaches like Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho who didn’t win anything last season, or Jurgen Klinsmann, Alejandro Sabella and Louis van Gaal all of whose claims to glory in the calendar year under consideration is leading their countries to barely distinguished outings at Brazil 2014 Mundial.
“I don’t know the criteria used for this choice,” Jesus complained bitterly. “If I did, I would have a better-informed opinion, but I have noticed that there are some on the list who achieved less than I did. I couldn’t help looking to see what some of them did not win.”
I totally agree with Jesus that he deserves to be on that list just as I totally agree with the other six names on the list plus Jesus, of course. And from this sensible seven-man shortlist, I will have no hesitation in picking Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti. Germany’s Joachim Low and Jesus as my final three to contest for the gong.
Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone, Man City’s Manuel Pellegrini, Bayern’s Pep Guardiola and ex-Juve boss Antonio Conte will finish from fourth to seventh in the order above in my reckoning. But, of course, such a gathering would be so boring, and FIFA cannot afford that. Hence the fraudulent inclusion of “glamorous” names such as Mourinho, LVG and Klinsmann!
I have published below the FIFA’s 10-man coach shortlist in alphabetical order with their achievements in the calendar year in question for your perusal so that you can judge for yourself whether there is any merit in Jesus’ disapproval of this list:
| FIFA 2014 Coach of the Year shortlist | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Team | Achievements |
| Carlo Ancelotti | Real Madrid | Champions League, Copa del Rey |
| Antonio Conte | Juventus | Serie A Title |
| Pep Guardiola | Bayern Munich | Bundesliga, German Cup, Club World Cup |
| Jurgen Klinsman | United States | 2014 World Cup last 16 |
| Joachim Low | Germany | 2014 World Cup winners |
| Jose Mourinho | Chelsea | Super Cup runners-up, Champions League semi-finalists |
| Manuel Pellegrini | Manchester City | Premier League Title, League Cup |
| Alejandro Sabella | Argentina | 2014 World Cup runners-up |
| Diego Simeone | Atletico Madrid | La Liga Title, Champions League runners-up |
| Louis van Gaal | Netherlands | 2014 World Cup third place |
If the coach category was controversial, the players 23-man shortlist is scandalous to say the list as only FIFA can justify the inclusions of players like Barca’s Javier Mascherano, Andres Iniesta, Juve’s Paul Pogba, PSG’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Bayern’s Mario Goetze and the “unfair” exclusion (according to Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers) of new Barca boy Luis Suarez!
Yes, of course, all the players I mentioned above won something tangible except Hazard, Iniesta and Mascherano. And ah, yes, Goetze scored that beautiful World Cup winning goal at the Maracana Stadium last July. But, pray, when did scoring a Mundial-winning goal become a strong criterion for being selected to contest for an award meant to crown a year-long excellence?
As for Suarez, who I reckon was the best player in the world this year before his four-month ban following another bite-gate, I can understand why FIFA would not want him to win its most coveted individual award.
But me thinks Mr Joseph Blatter and company missed a trick here. Why not tell the world that Suarez’s name is deliberately omitted on the ground of his ill-discipline. I personally would applaud this and I know a lot of people who would. More importantly, such announcement would send succinct message to players that they would be judged both on performance and conduct if they hoped to win individual awards at the highest level. This step would have undoubtedly helped FIFA’s Fair Play campaign.
So if you take away the six players I mentioned above, who among the remaining 17 candidates do I expect to win the award? Well I won’t be looking further than the trio of Germany and Bayern’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Real Madrid and Portugal’s CR7 and Neuer’s compatriot and teammate Thomas Mueller in that order.
Lionel Messi won’t be in my final three because he has had indifferent year for both club and country going by his own usual high standards. But, of course, his fans may disagree.
FIFA’S 23 BALLON D’OR SHORTLIST
Gareth Bale, Wales, Real Madrid; Karim Benzema, France, Real Madrid; Diego Costa, Spain, Chelsea; Thibaut Courtois, Belgium, Chelsea; Angel Di Maria, Argentina, Manchester United; Mario Gotze, Germany, Bayern Munich; Eden Hazard, Belgium, Chelsea; Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden, Paris Saint-Germain; Andres Iniesta, Spain, Barcelona; Toni Kroos, Germany, Real Madrid; Philipp Lahm, Germany, Bayern Munich; Javier Mascherano, Argentina, Barcelona; Lionel Messi, Argentina, Barcelona;Thomas Muller, Germany, Bayern Munich; Manuel Neuer, Germany, Bayern Munich; Neymar, Brazil, Barcelona; Paul Pogba, France, Juventus; Sergio Ramos, Spain, Real Madrid; Arjen Robben, Netherlands, Bayern Munich; James Rodriguez, Colombia, Real Madrid; Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal, Real Madrid; Bastian Schweinsteiger, Germany, Bayern Munich; Yaya Toure, Ivory Coast, Manchester City.
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