adminTODAY marks the first Saturday of the 2014 sporting year, a year that will see the most prestigious football tournament in the world take place in Brazil in five months’ time.It’s the year of the World Cup and June 12 will see hosts nation Brazil opening their charge with a tie against Croatia in Sao Paulo.
It’s one of the 12 most important international football days of 2014, and on the African continent, January 11 and February 2 dates are already on people’s lips.
The first date will mark the start and end of the African Nations Championship (Chan) in neighbouring South Africa. Our very own Warriors, under the tutelage of Ian “Dibango” Gorowa will be hoping to lift the spirits of millions of Zimbabweans early into the year by winning the bi-annual event for the first time.
Gorowa has already publicly declared that he is going for the big one.
Below are the 12 most important football dates this year;
January 11 – African Nations Championship kick off in South Africa.
January 13 – Fifa Ballon d’Or Gala: The Kongresshaus in Zurich will host a gala night to pay tribute to the standout performers of 2013. The very biggest names in world football will come together in Zurich to see who takes home the Fifa Ballon d’Or, among other coveted awards.
February 2 – Final of the African Nations Championship where every Zimbabwean will be hoping that our own Warriors will be one of the finalists.
February 8 – The Uefa Futsal Euro will take place in Antwerp, Belgium between January 28 and February 8, with Spain aiming to collect their fifth consecutive continental crown. Can anyone stop the holders and Fifa Futsal World Cup 2012 runners-up?
February 23 – The focus of the European football firmament will be on Nice for the draw for the Uefa Euro 2016 qualifiers. This event is the first step towards the continental championship held on French soil in two years’ time.
April 4 – Women’s football will not be left behind this year, with the young generation kicking off the elite action on March 15 in the Fifa Under-17 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2014. Twenty-one days later comes the title decider in San Jose, where the successors to holders France will be crowned.
May 24 – After a fiercely contested season of action, Lisbon is set to provide a magnificent stage for the final of the Uefa Champions League. The last grand finale was an all-German affair, but who do you think will take home the “cup with the big ears” this time around?
June 12 – This big one. At 17.00 local time in Sao Paulo, host nation Brazil get the 2014 Fifa World Cup up and running when they take on Croatia.
July 13 – The eyes of the planet will be on the Maracana where, from 16.00 local time, the final of the 20th World Cup will take place.
August 13 – Returning to the pinnacle of the club game and, while most European competitions will just be beginning, the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final will be held on this day – with the victors hailed as South America’s finest.
August 24 – After all the excitement of Brazil 2014, Canada will pick up the baton and bring the women’s game back to the fore – with the final of the Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup to be played in the city of Montreal.
Spanning the six previous editions of the tournament, only Germany, USA and Korea DPR have lifted the trophy. Will one of these heavyweights repeat the feat or can we expect a new flag atop the podium?
December 20 – The year will draw to a close with the relatively short but certainly intense competition that is the Fifa Club World Cup, featuring the leading club sides from each of the Fifa confederations. And in the title decider just before Christmas, the name of the next club world champions will be revealed. Sports Reporter/Fifa.com
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