1985 U-16 World Cup

1985 FIFA U-16 World Cup
FIFA U-16 World Tournament 1985
Number of nations	16  (of 80 applicants)
World Champion	Nigeria (1st title)
venue	China
Opening game	July 31, 1985
Endgame	August 11, 1985
Games	32
Gates	91  (⌀: 2.84 per game)
spectator	735,000  (⌀: 22,969 per game)
Top scorer	Marcel Witeczek (8 goals)
Best player	William
yellow cards	57  (⌀: 1.78 per game)
Red cards	2  (⌀: 0.06 per game)

The first U-16 World Cup (officially: I FIFA U-16 World Tournament for the Kodak Cup ) took place from July 31 to August 11, 1985 in the People's Republic of China . The People's Republic of China was designated by FIFA for the first time to host one of its tournaments. All in all, it was only the second FIFA tournament on Asian soil after the U-20 World Cup in Japan in 1979 . The Chinese Football Association did not return to FIFA until 1980 after leaving in 1958. The year of the first edition was chosen on purpose, as 1985 was the "International Year of Youth".

The first title holder was the U16 national team of Nigeria with a 2-0 victory over the team of the Federal Republic of Germany. Third place went to the youngsters from Brazil.

Venues

Beijing Tianjin Dalian Shanghai

Venues 1985 in China

Four stadiums in four cities along the east coast of China were selected to host the tournament. Each preliminary group played all games in a stadium.

• Workers' Stadium , Beijing : In the multifunctional stadium of the capital Beijing, built in 1959, the group A preliminary matches were held. In addition, a quarter-final game, a semi-final game, the game for third place and the final were played here. With 80,000 seats, the workers' stadium was by far the largest stadium in the World Cup.
• Hongqiao Stadium , Tianjin : The group B preliminary round matches and a quarter-final match were played in the 20,000-seat arena. The Hongqiao Stadium was the smallest stadium in the World Cup.
• Stadium of the People , Dalian : The stadium, built in 1976, was the venue for Group C games. In addition, a quarter-final game was held in the 40,000-seat stadium.
• Hongkou Stadium , Shanghai : The stadium, which was built around 1953, was used for the group D preliminary round matches as well as one game each in the quarter-finals and semi-finals. 30,220 spectators found space in the Hongkou Stadium.

qualification

When creating the competition, FIFA decided to fix the number of participants at 16. Only players born after July 31, 1968 were eligible to play. In contrast to the men's soccer World Cup, the same contingent was granted to all continents (with the exception of Oceania). While 14 of the 24 teams at the Men's World Championships in 1982 and 1986 came from Europe, only three of them took part in the U-16 World Cup. South America, North and Central America, Asia and Africa were each entitled to three starting places. Oceania got a starting place due to the small number of associations. One reason for this distribution is likely to be found in the politics of João Havelange , who was the first non-European FIFA President to try to reduce the influence of Europeans.

Hungary and Bolivia were invited to the tournament by FIFA and therefore did not have to play any qualifying matches. The same was true for host China. Bolivia was invited as a reward for its excellent development in youth work. The team from the Academia Tahuichi Aguilera youth academy was sent to represent Bolivia . Hungary received an invitation because of the death of Árpád Csanádi in 1983. Csanádi was one of Hungary's most important sports officials, a longtime IOC member and a close friend of FIFA President João Havelange.

Germany qualified for the tournament as the winner of the U-16 European Championship in 1984 , the Italians also took part as the winner of the U-16 European Championship in 1982 .

In South America, apart from Bolivia, a league tournament was organized in Buenos Aires between April 1 and April 22, 1985 to determine the two participants , in which nine nations participated (including Bolivia). The tournament was considered the first U-16 South American championship and only Ecuador stayed away from the tournament. In the end, tournament winners Argentina and the second-placed team from Brazil qualified. Both teams only met on the last day of the match and have so far not lost any points. Argentina won the prestigious duel 3-2.

In North and Central America, the USA team qualified as the winner of the "CONCACAF U-16 tournament 1983". Nine other nations played the other two qualifiers in Mexico City between May 12 and May 26, 1985 as part of the "CONCACAF U-16 tournament 1985". Ultimately, Mexico and Costa Rica prevailed in the final group against Canada and Honduras.

In Africa qualifying games were held in which a total of eight nations took part (another six had reported but withdrew). The tournament was played in a knockout system with a return leg. In the final pairings, Guinea (against Egypt), Nigeria (against Togo) and the People's Republic of Congo (against Ghana) prevailed.

Asia determined its two other participants by hosting a U-16 Asian Championship in Doha . The hosts Qatar and Saudi Arabia prevailed. The team from China, already qualified to host the 1985 World Cup, also took part, but failed in the group stage.

Oceania held a qualifying tournament for the World Cup back in 1983. Six nations took part, including Taiwan. The tournament was dominated by the Australians who won the tournament without losing points and with 22-2 goals.

Attendees

3 from Europe	BR Germany	Italy	Hungary
3 from South America	Argentina	Bolivia	Brazil
3 from North and Central America	Costa Rica	Mexico	United States
3 from Africa	Guinea	VR Congo	Nigeria
3 from Asia	China	Qatar	Saudi Arabia
1 from Oceania	Australia

Placements of the participants

Teams from German-speaking countries

DFB selection

player	society	Games
01 Alexander Ogrinc	VfB Stuttgart	6 (0)
02 Ralf Lewe	SG Wattenscheid 09	5 (0)
03 Peter Jung	SV Kuppenheim	4 (0)
04 Dirk Konerding	Arminia Bielefeld	6 (1)
05 Martin Schneider	FC Bayern Munich	6 (0)
06 Peter Gartmann	FC Augsburg	6 (0)
07 Rene Schlichting	Eintracht Frankfurt	6 (0)
08 Klaus Mirwald	VfB Stuttgart	6 (1)
09 Marcel Witeczek	Bayer 05 Uerdingen	6 (8)
10 Detlev Dammeier	Hannover 96	6 (1)
11 Ralf Jester	Bramfelder SV	6 (0)
12 Thomas Revermann	Prussia Munster
13 Helmut Gabriel	SC Neheim	5 (0)
14 Sascha Kiefaber	1. FC Kaiserslautern	2 (0)
15 Bernhard Schöfer	VfB Stuttgart	2 (0)
16 Stefan Simon	Eintracht Frankfurt	2 (0)
17 Ralf Sturm	1. FC Cologne	1 (0)
18 Peter Radoyevsky	Fortuna Dusseldorf	3 (0)

• Trainer: Horst Köppel

mode

The 16 participants competed in four preliminary round groups with four teams each. Each team played once against each other team in their group. There were two points for a win and one point for a draw. If there was a tie, the better goal difference decided the placement. The regular playing time was 2 × 40 minutes.

The first two in each group qualified for the quarter-finals. From the quarter-finals onwards, the tournament was played in the knockout system . In the quarter-finals, a group first met a group second.

If no winner was determined in a knockout round after 80 minutes, 2 × 10-minute extra time was played. If no decision was made in extra time, the winner was determined on penalties .

Preliminary round

The group draw took place on April 27th in Zurich, the location of the FIFA headquarters.

Group A

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Diff.	Points
1.	China	3	2	1	0	006: 300	+3	05: 10
2.	Guinea	3	2	0	1	005: 200	+3	04: 20
3.	United States	3	1	0	2	003: 500	−2	02: 40
4th	Bolivia	3	0	1	2	002: 600	−4	01: 50

July 31, 1985 at 7:00 p.m.
China	-	Bolivia	1: 1 (1: 1)
July 31, 1985 at 8:45 pm
Guinea	-	United States	1: 0 (0: 0)
August 2, 1985 at 7:00 p.m.
China	-	Guinea	2: 1 (2: 0)
August 2, 1985 at 8:45 p.m.
Bolivia	-	United States	1: 2 (1: 0)
August 4, 1985 at 7:00 p.m.
People's Republic of China	-	United States	3: 1 (3: 0)
August 4, 1985 at 8:45 pm
Bolivia	-	Guinea	0: 3 (0: 2)

In Group A, China surprisingly prevailed as first in the table. Driven by their own audience, the Chinese surprised with unconditional attacking football and deservedly reached the quarter-finals. Equipped without outstanding individual talent, the team was able to improve from game to game.

Guinea presented a homogeneous team, which was characterized by tactical discipline and technically adept football. Equipped with a strong physique, Guinea qualified second for the next round.

The United States failed in the preliminary round. The team, which had already qualified in 1983 and no longer had anything in common with the team at the time, had its weak points, especially on the wings, and ultimately couldn't keep up with China and Guinea.

The team of the Academia Tahuichi Aguilera , which participated as a representation of Bolivia, could not live up to the praise of the advance. After a decent performance in the first game, the team deteriorated physically and mentally in the further course of the tournament and could not qualify for the quarter-finals.

Group B

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Diff.	Points
1.	Australia	3	3	0	0	004: 100	+3	06-00
2.	BR Germany	3	1	1	1	005: 300	+2	03: 30
3.	Argentina	3	1	1	1	005: 400	+1	03: 30
4th	VR Congo	3	0	0	3	004:100	−6	00: 60

July 31, 1985 at 7:00 p.m.
Australia	-	Argentina	1: 0 (1: 0)
July 31, 1985 at 8:45 pm
VR Congo	-	BR Germany	1: 4 (0: 2)
August 2, 1985 at 7:00 p.m.
Australia	-	VR Congo	2: 1 (1: 0)
August 2, 1985 at 8:45 p.m.
Argentina	-	BR Germany	1: 1 (1: 1)
August 4, 1985 at 7:00 p.m.
Australia	-	BR Germany	1: 0 (1: 0)
August 4, 1985 at 8:45 pm
Argentina	-	VR Congo	4: 2 (3: 0)

Australia surprised in group B and prevailed as group winners against the favored teams from Germany and Argentina. Equipped with a good physique and thanks to a team-based performance, the team was able to compensate for its deficiencies in dribbling and ball control. Without losing points, they qualified for the quarter-finals.

The German team qualified for the quarter-finals thanks to the better goal difference. After a convincing win against Congo and a draw against Argentina, they failed to qualify for the next round on their own in the last group game and were dependent on the final result between Argentina and Congo. Ultimately, a goal tipped the balance in favor of the Germans, who built on their good physical condition. Above all, the German team lacked players who could set the tone in the game; only Marcel Witeczek was able to convince on the offensive.

Argentina was one of the big favorites to win before the tournament. But there was already a setback for the Argentines in the opening game against Australia, who only became South American champions in April. After a draw against the FRG, a three-goal win against the Congolese who had already been eliminated would have been enough, but after leading 3-0 at halftime, the result could not be held and ultimately a goal was missing to advance. The Argentine team was characterized above all by an enormous playful potential with many individually strong players who, however, lacked team unity and who also had deficits in fitness.

The team of the People's Republic of the Congo was already considered a blatant outsider in Group B. The players lacked experience in such an international tournament. Despite the two defeats in the beginning and the clear deficit in the last game against Argentina, the team never gave up and thus ensured the surprising end of the Argentines.

Group C

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Diff.	Points
1.	Saudi Arabia	3	2	1	0	007: 200	+5	05: 10
2.	Nigeria	3	2	1	0	004-000	+4	05: 10
3.	Italy	3	1	0	2	003: 400	−1	02: 40
4th	Costa Rica	3	0	0	3	001: 900	−8	00: 60

July 31, 1985 at 7:00 p.m.
Saudi Arabia	-	Costa Rica	4: 1 (1: 1)
July 31, 1985 at 8:45 pm
Nigeria	-	Italy	1: 0 (0: 0)
August 2, 1985 at 7:00 p.m.
Saudi Arabia	-	Nigeria	0-0
August 2, 1985 at 8:45 p.m.
Costa Rica	-	Italy	0: 2 (0: 1)
August 4, 1985 at 7:00 p.m.
Saudi Arabia	-	Italy	3: 1 (1: 1)
August 4, 1985 at 8:45 pm
Costa Rica	-	Nigeria	0: 3 (0: 0)

The Saudi Arabian team prepared intensively for the tournament, including a training camp in Belgium , and made it to the quarter-finals as group first in Group C. The team was technically well-versed and was able to celebrate clear victories over Italy and Costa Rica and thanks to the better goal difference stayed ahead of Nigeria.

Nigeria deserved to come second in the group. The team played a technically demanding football and was also physically well trained. Equipped with a strong will to win, the Africans easily prevailed against Italy and Costa Rica .

Italy showed a poor performance and were eliminated in the preliminary round. Equipped with good players, there was a lack of coordination. The attempt to score goals from a strong defense with quick counterattacks did not work out and ensured that the team had to leave after three games.

Costa Rica disappointed across the board at the 1985 U16 World Cup. Both in terms of tactics and fitness, the Central American team was unable to keep up with the other teams. With three clear and performance-related defeats, they were eliminated from the table without winning points and ended up in last place in the final ranking.

Group D

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Diff.	Points
1.	Hungary	3	2	1	0	004-000	+4	05: 10
2.	Brazil	3	2	0	1	004: 200	+2	04: 20
3.	Mexico	3	1	1	1	003: 300	± 0	03: 30
4th	Qatar	3	0	0	3	002: 800	−6	00: 60

July 31, 1985 at 7:00 p.m.
Qatar	-	Brazil	1: 2 (0: 1)
July 31, 1985 at 8:45 pm
Mexico	-	Hungary	0-0
August 2, 1985 at 7:00 p.m.
Qatar	-	Mexico	1: 3 (1: 1)
August 2, 1985 at 8:45 p.m.
Brazil	-	Hungary	0: 1 (0: 0)
August 4, 1985 at 7:00 p.m.
Qatar	-	Hungary	0: 3 (0: 2)
August 4, 1985 at 8:45 pm
Brazil	-	Mexico	2: 0 (0: 0)

Surprisingly, Hungary was able to qualify as first in Group D ahead of Brazil. The Hungarian selection coped best with the difficult space and climatic conditions during the monsoon season in Shanghai. In addition, the Hungarians managed to prevail with tactically disciplined performances against the more technically experienced teams from Brazil, Mexico and Qatar.

Brazil had to settle for second place after losing to Hungary. In the decisive game against Mexico, the Brazilian selection prevailed sovereignly and thus made it into the last eight. Due to the difficult space conditions, however, the technically high-class game never developed to its full potential.

Mexico was eliminated in the group stage despite a strong performance. The Mexicans were never able to develop their short passing game on the wet ground and had to admit defeat to Brazil.

The team from Qatar showed promising approaches, but were too inexperienced to hold their own against these group opponents.

Final round

Quarter finals

In the quarter-finals, none of the four group winners could qualify for the semi-finals.

August 7, 1985 at 7:30 p.m. in Beijing
China	-	BR Germany	2: 4 (2: 3)
August 7, 1985 at 7:30 p.m. in Tianjin
Australia	-	Guinea	0: 0 n.v. , 2: 4 i. E.
August 7, 1985 at 7:30 p.m. in Dalian
Saudi Arabia	-	Brazil	1: 2 (0: 1)
August 7, 1985 at 7:30 p.m. in Shanghai
Hungary	-	Nigeria	1: 3 (1: 1)

The German team managed to beat hosts China 4-2 in front of 80,000 spectators in the workers' stadium. As in the preliminary round, the guarantee of success was the striker Marcel Witeczek , who scored three goals. With the German team, the team with the greater experience prevailed.

Australia only lost to Guinea on penalties after no hits were scored for the entire regular time. The game was played very defensively, especially by the Australians, who were keen not to concede. In the penalty shoot-out, the Guinean goalkeeper saved two penalties and thus made the semi-finals.

Brazil beat Saudi Arabia 2-1. Both teams played tactically very disciplined and from a strong defense, which resulted in only a few scoring opportunities during the entire season.

Nigeria prevailed 3-1 against Hungary. The Hungarian team took the lead after a goalkeeping mistake, but were clearly inferior to the Nigerians, especially in midfield. The Nigerians finally turned the game against exhausted Hungarians and made it to the semi-finals.

Semifinals

August 9, 1985 at 7:30 p.m. in Beijing
BR Germany	-	Brazil	4: 3 (1: 2)
August 9, 1985 at 7:30 p.m. in Shanghai
Nigeria	-	Guinea	1: 1 n.V. (1: 1, 1: 1), 5: 3 i. E.

The game between Brazil and Germany was the best of the entire tournament. Both teams showed challenging offensive football. The Brazilians were deservedly 2-1 in front at halftime, but missed to make the preliminary decision. In the second half, the German team turned the game around after the Brazilians were increasingly unable to concentrate. On the part of the German team, Marcel Witeczek appeared again , who scored three goals as in the quarterfinals.

Nigeria won against Guinea on penalties. Nigeria took a 1-0 lead in a good game and subsequently missed a penalty. Guinea equalized in the middle of the first half. For Guinea it was the second game over 100 minutes within three days and the team tried to slow the game down again and again. On penalties, the Nigerian selection was lucky enough to reach the final.

3rd place match

August 11, 1985 at 5:30 p.m. in Beijing
Brazil	-	Guinea	4: 1 (1: 0)

Brazil clearly defeated Guinea 4-1 in the small final. The Brazilian team was superior in all respects and dominated the game from the start. The Guinean team was at the end of their game and could not do anything to oppose the Brazilian style of play.

final

August 9, 1985 at 7:30 p.m. in Beijing
BR Germany	-	Nigeria	0: 2 (0: 1)

In the first final of the so-called Kodak Cup , the reigning European champions Germany and Nigeria faced each other. The Nigerian U-16 team became the first ever African team to reach the final of a FIFA competition. Nigeria took the lead after a corner from Jonathan Akpoborie in the 4th minute , were then very sure on the defensive and never let the German team develop. The decision in favor of Nigeria came in the 79th minute after a counterattack that was completed by Igbinoba.

Best goal scorers

Below are the top scorers of the 1985 U-16 World Cup. They are sorted alphabetically according to the number of hits or if the number of goals is the same.

space	player	Gates
1	Marcel Witeczek	8th
2	William	5
3	Billa Momoh	4th
4th	Guo Zhuang	3
	Abdulaziz Al Razgan	3
	Bismark	3
	Victor Igbinoba	3

Awards

Brazilian midfielder William was awarded the Golden Shoe for best player of the tournament. With five goals, he scored the second most goals and, as a game designer for his team, was also involved in other goals. The German Marcel Witeczek was awarded with eight goals with the Golden Shoe as top scorer of the world championship.

The FIFA Fair Play Award “Sport Billy” went to the German team, who received only one yellow card in the entire tournament ( Ralf Lewe against Argentina).

Conclusion

FIFA viewed the tournament as a complete success. The mostly offensive style of play of the teams ensured attractive games and the associated high number of spectators during the tournament. Overall, most of the teams were at about the same level, but the teams from Nigeria, Argentina, Brazil and Germany were highlighted as the most mature overall.

The high technical ability of most of the players was also emphasized, which hardly showed any difference to the adult sector. The deficits of most teams lay in the neglect of the defensive area and in tactical understanding.

The FIFA Technical Study Group criticized the lack of interest from the national press in the participating countries. In addition, the sometimes large gap between qualification and the World Cup was criticized, which meant that some teams had to be completely changed. The small distance between the individual missions of the teams was highlighted negatively. A break of just one day between games was not enough for the young players to regenerate.

Web links

• Official website of the FIFA competition
• FIFA Technical Report: Part 1 (PDF file; 10.5 MB) - Part 2 (PDF file; 12.5 MB)