Michel Zen-Ruffinen

<BODY BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" LINK="#FFCC99" ALINK="#009D74" VLINK="#FF9966"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#CC3300" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website</B></FONT>     |   <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id928.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Michel Platini"><U>Michel Platini</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id984.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Paul Smalley"><U>Paul Smalley</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id944.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Paul Smith"><U>Paul Smith</U></A>   |   <B>Michel Zen-Ruffinen</B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="04658020.gif" border=0 width="600" height="2" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Michel Zen-Ruffinen</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="627" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 3484 WIDTH="621"><div> <B>Michel Zen-Ruffinen - A Man Of Many Talents</B></div> <div> <B>by Jeremy Ruane</B></div> <bR> <div> When New Zealand first encountered Michel Zen-Ruffinen, at the Sky City Theatre on June 14, 1999, we were treated to a five-star show by a consummate professional who literally had us hanging on his every word, be it spoken in English, French, German or Spanish! </div> <bR> <div> At the time, he was conducting the draw for the 1999 FIFA Under-17 World Championship of Football, one of many duties at which the General Secretary of the footballing world's governing body has become adept since succeeding his boss, FIFA President Sepp Blatter, in the role almost eighteen months ago. </div> <bR> <div> "It's a very demanding job", says the forty-year-old happily married father of three, "one at which you work non-stop, because football embraces twenty-four hours of every day of every year. On three days each week, I don't leave FIFA's offices until 11pm at night, because of the need to liaise with different parties in differing time zones". </div> <bR> <div> "At the same time, it is a quite fascinating job, because you discover the impact of the game on both the political and economic worlds, as well as on the sporting world. It is the relations which you build up as a result of all this interaction which is the part of the job from which I gain most satisfaction". </div> <bR> <div> So what exactly does the role of General Secretary entail? "One of my main tasks is to execute the decisions made by FIFA's Executive Committee. As well, I am the head of FIFA's central administration team - we receive daily correspondence from all over the globe which, were it all to be put in a pile, would amount to a stack of paper at least one foot high!!" </div> <bR> <div> "My daily task involves co-ordinating the work of the twenty-four standing committees, and the five divisions of FIFA, namely the competitions, the technical development, communications, finances and marketing. Each of these groups work independently of each other, and the role I play is effectively that of 'link-man', to ensure the smooth inter-relations between these operations". </div> <bR> <div> Suffice to say, there are few quiet days at the office for this former international referee, who joined FIFA thirteen years ago, and was Deputy General Secretary prior to Mr Blatter's promotion to the Presidency in June 1998. </div> <bR> <div> But it must be tough on family life? "Yes, but I'm very fortunate in having three young sons who all love and play football, and a very understanding wife, who is also a football fan, and who is highly appreciative of the demands of this role". </div> <bR> <div> "I am away from my home a lot due to travel. I'm here in Auckland at present, and go to Christchurch on Friday, before returning to Zurich on Saturday to make the final preparations for the 2002 World Cup draw. Then I travel to Seoul in early December, before heading onto Tokyo, where the draw will take place on December 7". </div> <bR> <div> While travelling the globe in the interests of the world game, Michel is often contemplating how to handle the most challenging aspect of the job. </div> <bR> <div> "It's one with which we are all faced, not just myself. That challenge is to ensure that football remains as popular in the years ahead as is the case right now". </div> <bR> <div> "Thousands of people around the world follow football, and while being regarded as the most popular sport in the world brings with it many benefits, particularly in terms of commercial opportunities, we must keep things in perspective". </div> <bR> <div> "We don't want to put ourselves in a position whereby people are turning away from the game because the coverage of it has reached saturation level". </div> <bR> <div> "FIFA will always have its critics, make no mistake. We cannot please all of the people all of the time!! David Yallop's book, "How They Stole The Game", is a case in point, to a point. The writer chose to criticise a particular approach by a particular person, namely FIFA's former President and now Honorary President, Dr Joao Havelange". </div> <bR> <div> Another issue on FIFA's plate, particularly in relation to age-grade tournaments such as the Under-17 World Championships, concerns that very issue - age. How does the world governing body go about policing this issue, particularly in light of the recent revelations concerning young players from Brazil and Ecuador? </div> <bR> <div> "It is a very difficult issue, that is for sure", says Zen-Ruffinen from his temporary office in the Sky City Hotel. "Short of medical means, we have to rely on the accuracy of both the birth and registration certificates provided by the numerous national associations to determine whether or not a particular player is who and how old they say they are". </div> <bR> <div> The reason for the presence of this most able businessman in New Zealand is, of course, the biggest sporting event this country has ever seen, the FIFA Under-17 World Championship of Football. </div> <bR> <div> "I have great expectations for the tournament in New Zealand. On Tuesday evening, FIFA held a banquet at which the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Les Mills, made mention of New Zealand being a 'rugby country'. That is true, but from November 10, New Zealand has become a football country!!" </div> <bR> <div> "There is no doubt that, despite it not being the foremost sport in the country, New Zealand is a nation which likes football - that is something we have seen over time, and which we have chosen to further encourage by way of awarding the hosting of the Under-17 World Championships to this country this year". </div> <bR> <div> Why New Zealand? "FIFA encompasses 203 member nations, and we consider it to be our duty to develop the standing of the game in those nations in which it is not as strong as those in which it is". </div> <bR> <div> "One means by which we do this is by awarding the hosting rights of our Under-17 and Under-20 competitions to these less-established footballing nations who have put in place the necessary infrastructure, and have reached a stage in their development whereby hosting such a tournament will help them on the way to achieving the next stage in that development". </div> <bR> <div> "The efforts to which New Zealand has gone to prepare for this tournament have been extremely pleasing, from FIFA's point of view. Their relationships with FIFA's marketing partners have been excellent from the very start, and, overall, they compare most favourably with other tournaments". </div> <bR> <div> "At some such events in the past, there has been the occasional dispute with a local operation concerning issues regarding one or other of FIFA's business partners, as a result of which we have had to be quite firm in our handling of these matters". </div> <bR> <div> "No such problems have been encountered with New Zealand, and, generally, we are very happy with what has been done here to date, although we always anticipate unforeseen matters arising which can only be dealt with at the time". </div> <bR> <div> "To that end, while watching the opening ceremony and the tournament's first match, I will also be keeping a watchful eye on a number of other aspects of the event, and advising the Local Organising Committee of any problems they need to address as a result". </div> <bR> <div> Does the impression New Zealand has made on FIFA as a result of these preparatory efforts bode well for our future prospects of hosting, or co-hosting, other such tournaments in Oceania, e.g. the Women's World Cup Finals and the World Cup Finals themselves? </div> <bR> <div> "This is another key issue. It is most important that a nation such as New Zealand has in place the necessary infrastructure, e.g. suitable accommodation, stadia, transport facilities, etc., before they can be considered as a suitable venue for such tournaments". </div> <bR> <div> "Due to the modest-sized stadia in this country, it's unlikely that New Zealand would be able to host one of FIFA's senior age-grade tournaments. Which brings us to the issue of co-hosting a tournament". </div> <bR> <div> "To date, we have yet to see how such an arrangement works. UEFA are experimenting with it in next year's European Championship finals, while the first instance of FIFA co-hosting a tournament will take place in 2002, when Japan and Korea co-host the World Cup Finals". </div> <bR> <div> "That tournament will be a very significant one for FIFA, in terms of whether or not the concept of co-hosting a tournament of such magnitude can actually work to everyone's satisfaction. It is, if you like, our 'guinea-pig' tournament. We shall see what the future holds if the experiment proves successful". </div> <bR> <div> Meantime, New Zealand will have to bide its time till it hosts its next FIFA tournament, with perhaps our best chance, in this regard, being the Confederations Cup Finals. Next year's feature event, as far as FIFA tournaments go, is the Sydney Olympics, while in 2001, the World Youth (Under-20) Championships take place in Argentina, and Trinidad and Tobago will host the 2001 Under-17 World Championships. </div> <bR> <div> Decisions on which nation will host the 2003 World Youth Championships, and the 2003 Women's World Cup - Australia and France are the current candidates - will be made in March, while the announcement regarding the hosting of World Cup 2006 can be expected next July. </div> <bR> <div> "That is a tournament at which Oceania has a very, very good chance indeed of gaining direct qualification for the first time", remarks Zen-Ruffinen. "While it is not up to me to decide, of course, I certainly think that Oceania is most deserving of such recognition". </div> <bR> <div> "What it will mean, of course, is a great deal of delicate negotiation taking place between the six confederations. While there was never any danger of FIFA relieving Asia of its role as host confederation of the 2002 World Cup Finals, despite what some commentators would have you believe, it was certainly a big surprise to witness the Asian delegates walking out of FIFA's congress in Los Angeles, an action which was not one expected of fellow members of the family of football, and which prompted FIFA's President, Mr Blatter, to express his disappointment in no uncertain terms". </div> <bR> <div> "While that situation is now resolved, it is one which will almost certainly be revisited in the future, particularly in light of Oceania's case. In that regard, I believe it's an issue which should be under discussion at present". </div> <bR> <div> Another issue under discussion has been the much-touted harmonised footballing calendar. "82% of this is in place already, regarding the 2002 World Cup qualification competitions. But the remaining 18% is proving most challenging, and requires a great deal of coordination before it can be completed. With tournaments having already been finalised until at least 2004, the earliest time at which we can implement this is 2005". </div> <bR> <div> One of the outstanding highlights for football in 1999 was the success of the Women's World Cup Finals in the USA. "They were brilliant, no question. There is no reason why women's soccer shouldn't be held on a par with the men's game, despite the final being not quite as memorable as many of the other matches at the tournament". </div> <bR> <div> "Sadly, this is something which is becoming more and more prevalent when the stakes are so high - coaches seem to be afraid to send their teams out to win these games. Instead, they prepare their players, first and foremost, not to lose". </div> <bR> <div> Hopefully it will not be the case at New Zealand '99, Football's Future. "One of the great things with football at this age is that the players are not inhibited - they play the game as it should be played, with a freedom and willingness to try things out which tend to be overtaken by issues such as contracts and other professional aspects of the game as they grow older". </div> <bR> <div> "As for a winner, no tips - a referee never gives tips!!" </div> <bR> <div> And what of the future for Michel Zen-Ruffinen? "I've no intention of being General Secretary of FIFA for the next twenty-five years!! I'm forty now, with a wife and young family to consider also. Perhaps in a few, say ten, years time, it will be time for me to move on to another role, not necessarily involving football". </div> <bR> <div> "Right now, however, I continue to enjoy it greatly, and to learn from it too". </div> <bR> <div> Long may this man of many talents continue to do so, for the good of the game. </div> <bR> <div> NB  Michel parted company with FIFA at the conclusion of the 2002 World Cup Finals. </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id826.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Great The Good"><U><B>The Great & The Good</B></U></A></div> </BODY>