ISRAEL: SOCCER/FOOTBALL - Michel Platini inaugurates a soccer pitch in northern Israel, pays tribute to Ferenc Puskas

Michel Platini, deputy chairman of world soccer's governing body, FIFA, arrived at Ilut village near the Israeli-Arab city of Nazareth on Friday (November 17) to inaugurate an artificial pitch which was built as part of the FIFA Goal (grassroots) project. Former French international Platini, who was the guest of honour at the ceremony, received an award from the mayor of Nazareth after he addressed a crowd of some dozens local residents and soccer fans. As he left the ceremony, Platini said that FIFA is working around the world to built scores of soccer pitches to encourage young people from various backgrounds to find a common language. "You have the big football and you have the small football, and we need the big to help the young players to have a feel to play football, because I trust in the social way of the football. That is I think, that is very important because when people play together they can do everything else," he said. Nazareth, in Israel's north, is the largest Arab population centre in the Jewish state, where about 20 percent of the population is Arab. Nazareth, the town of Jesus, also has a sizeable Christian community, and is the home to the Church of the Annunciation that was built above a sunken grotto where, according to Roman Catholic tradition, the angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary that she was to bear Jesus. Platini also commented on the death of Hungarian soccer great Ferenc Puskas, who died on Nov. 17 saying that he was a soccer legend. "Puskas was an idol of our youth and it's a legend who died this morning. For me it's a big pity because I knew him very well and he is a part of the history of football who has gone away. It's a pity for Hungarian football and for football. He was a very great man," he said. Earlier on Friday, Puskas, the best player of his generation and talismanic member of Hungary's "Golden Team" of the 1950s, died in hospital aged 79 after a long illness. Puskas, who was known as "Little Brother" in Hungary, "The Galloping Major" in England and the "Booming Cannon" by Real Madrid fans, died at 7 a.m. (0600 GMT), his biographer Gyorgy Szollosi told Reuters. Puskas, whose international scoring record of 83 goals in 84 games stood until 2003, won Olympic gold with Hungary in 1952, league titles with his Hungarian club Honved and with Real Madrid, with whom he also won three European Cups. Puskas was the inspiration behind the "Magical Magyars", the Hungarian national side that sensationally beat England 6-3 in 1953, the first foreign side to win at Wembley. As the last millennium drew to a close, Puskas was voted the 20th century's fourth best player by the International Federation for Football History and Statistics. Earlier this month, Platini vowed to make the Champions League more open to less wealthy clubs if he beats his rival Lennart Johansson in their battle for the UEFA presidency. Platini, 51, believes that while the 32-team format of Europe's premier club competition should remain unchanged, the number of clubs from the top leagues should be reduced in order to give more countries a chance to participate.

ITN Source | November 19, 2006

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