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| Karl |
Posted - Jul 08 2006 : 08:47:48 AM
8 July 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com
Few people are aware of the amount of logistical preparation that precedes every FIFA World Cup™ match, much less the intense scrutiny associated with the Final, which will be the focus of millions of eyes across the world. To get an idea of what goes into getting everything just right for football's biggest match, FIFAworldcup.com went straight to the source.
FIFA General Coordinator Windsor John is the man in charge in Berlin, and he will shoulder the immense responsibility associated with making sure the Final goes off without a hitch. Having joined FIFA from the Football Association of Malaysia and served as a FIFA Development Officer, John's experience with FIFA competitions runs back nine years to the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.
2006 FIFA World Cup Final preview
FIFAworldcup.com: Is there anything special that will go into the preparations for the Final?
Windsor John: The awards ceremony. I'm involved in the planning and discussion stage. The overall preparation is done by the event manager, but because I am in charge of the pitch itself, once the stage is set and the players are ready, I give the cue to start the ceremony. For the match itself, we have already done several times exactly what we are going to do for the Final.
When do you begin preparations for a match?
Preparation of course goes on every day that you’re here. But, for the Final for example, once we know the teams we contact them with regard to their training sessions one day before the match, and we also inform them of the colours they are going to wear.
What about the day before the match?
There are two major activities going on. Number one is the match coordinator meeting, where we put the two teams together and all the other officials and explain the organisation of the match. We go through the logistics for the match - what time do they arrive, what do they do when they arrive, when do we collect the starting list? The other important activity is the official training session at the stadium where the two teams have a chance to train for one hour. We make sure that they follow the time, that all the necessary equipment is in place.
Can you talk us through the day of the match?
The match day itself, we are in the stadium very early and the day goes as follows...
-9 hours - The first thing that I normally do is of course check the pitch, that's the most important thing. I go through the pitch together with the venue manager, check all the markings to make sure they’re correct, make sure the goals are in place, check the substitute goals. We do it again and again and again – we don't take any chances even though it's the sixth match in the venue. Then I come back to check the changing room areas. Of course, cleanliness is one of the most important things that we ensure.
-7 hours - I go up and have a look from the VIP area, make sure all the flags are in place and chat with all the various managers. After that I come back to the changing room area and have a short meeting with my local counterpart, the venue manager, to discuss any issues, any security concerns, any other important details.
-5 hours - This is where the youth programme kids come. The kids that carry the flags and escort the players rehearse the pre-match ceremony. We do a rehearsal because at every match the kids are different, so we have to explain it all over again. Then I have a quick briefing with the ball kids. I have two ball kid trainers, I have a brief meeting with them and then we train the kids.
-3.5 hours - The security check would have finished by then. The FIFA Security Officer will come to me and give me a short report.
-3 hours - The gates are open, so we get updates from then on to get a feel of the situation.
-2 hours - The next important thing is to wait for the teams. We have briefed the team liaison officers to call us when the team is departing from the hotel, so we know that it'll take about 15 minutes, 20 minutes max to reach the stadium, so that we can get the entrance ready with stewards, make sure that they are prepared to receive the teams.
-90 minutes - I meet the teams and collect the start lists. So far the teams have been very cooperative.
-70 minutes - I take the fourth official to the changing room, where he checks the colours, checks for jewellery and so on, two or three minutes maximum. Then I will wait for the teams to go for the warm-up, that’s usually 45 minutes to 20 minutes before kick-off, but for the Final match we have moved the time forward because we have some ceremonies. I make sure that they follow the time scheduled.
-20 minutes - From now on the clock really goes fast. Once the teams get back into the changing rooms, my assistant will make sure that the tunnel is prepared, the flags, the kids, everybody’s in place.
-15 minutes - When I bring the teams from the changing rooms, everything is in place. My assistant will send the national flags in, then I cue the announcer to welcome the teams.
Kick-off - The final thing that I do before kick-off is give the referee the thumbs-up for kick-off. If you sit at home and watch the telly or if you are sitting in the tribune and you see the match kick-off on time, then we have done our job.
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