Tutor Preparations
Useful Links:
FIFA bans Barcelona from transfer market: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/26852466
Tax evasion concerning star Brazilian Neymar: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2563903/Barcelona-charged-tax-fraud-tune-7-5m-Neymar-transfer.html
Related Article:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/apr/02/barcelona-transfer-ban-fifa-fine
Warm-up (2-3 minutes)
Use the questions to lead your student to the article topic.
Is football popular among young people in your country? Why or why not?
What is the average age of professional football players in your country?
Unlocking Word Meanings (5 minutes)
Let your student read the items below. Confirm that he/she understood each word. Use additional info/definition/question only when necessary.
1. acquisition [ak-wuh-ZISH-uh n] (n.) – the process of getting something valuable
Example: The team’s recent acquisition of new players will be beneficial in the next tournament.
Additional info: In sport, this term is used to refer to changes of players between teams.
2. underage [uhn-der-EYJ] (adj.) – not yet of proper or legal age
Example: The league’s policy does not allow underage players.
Additional info: The term “minor” commonly refers to underage people.
3. connive [kuh-NAHYV] (v.) – to secretly work together for an illegal activity
Example: The referees connived to help the other team win.
Additional info: The term “connivance” [kuh-NAHY-vuhns] refers to allowing or agreeing to a plan of illegal activity. (e.g. The questionable game happened with the connivance of the referees.)
4. stipulate [STIP-yuh-leyt] (v.) – to cite something according to the rules or agreement
Example: The agreement stipulates that teams cannot sign underage foreign players.
Additional info: The noun “stipulation” can refer to the rules or conditions stated. (e.g. The partners agreed with the stipulation to pay taxes alternately.)
5. committee [kuh-MIT-ee] (n.) – group of people that handles and decides on specific issues
Example: The committeewill soon announce the punishment on the players involved.
Additional info: The term is commonly used in government and sports.
Article (10 minutes)
Let the student read the article aloud. For the Comprehension Questions, you may:
(a) Ask the questions in between. Tell the student ahead of time when to pause from reading.
(b) Ask the questions after he or she finishes reading everything.
For words difficult to pronounce, pronunciation guides are provided beside the word.
FIFA banned the Barcelona Football Club (FC Barcelona or Barca [bar-ka]) from any player acquisitions until 2015 because of its violation of rules on underage players.
Q: Why did FIFA ban FC Barcelona from any player acquisitions?
A: FIFA banned FC Barcelona from signing new players until 2015 for violating their rules on underage players.
FIFA reported that Barca seriously violated rules on underage players after signing up 10 non-Spanish minor players. Aside from the one-year ban that prohibits Barcelona from releasing or signing players, a fine worth $509,000 was also imposed on the team. The football organization gave Barca 90 days to fix the issue concerning this illegal act.
The Spanish Football Association (FA) was also fined $560,000 for conniving in the illegal transactions and was given one year to revise the association’s rules on the transfer of international minors.
Q: What did FC Barcelona do that led to FIFA’s punishment?
A: FC Barcelona signed 10 foreign minor players in their team.
FIFA’s rules stipulate that international players must be 18 before they can transfer and play in another country. However, minors can still be allowed to transfer if they fall under one of the three specific conditions: the player’s parents transferred to the country for personal reasons; the player moved within the European Union only and is at least 16 years old; or the player’s home is less than 50 kilometers from the destination. FIFA’s players’ status committee also needs to evaluate the situation before granting approval of a minor’s transfer.
According to FIFA, they impose such sanctions to protect minors from the risk of abuse and manipulation in a foreign country.
This punishment is a new challenge to the image of Europe’s football industry. A prior incident was the alleged tax evasion concerning Brazilian star athlete Neymar, who also plays for FC Barcelona.
Q: How can minors be able to play for another country?
A: Minors can play for another country if they fall under any of the three specific conditions and have gotten the committee’s approval.
Follow-up (optional)
Use the question below to check if your student understood the article.
What is the article all about?
Viewpoint Discussion (7-8 minutes)
Lead the discussion using the questions below.
Discussion A
· Do you think FIFA’s sanctions on Barca and the Spanish Football Association are enough? Why or why not?
· Is FIFA also at fault for FC Barcelona’s violation of the rules? Why or why not?
Discussion B
· Why do you think some teams like Barca include minors in their group despite the restrictions?
· How can sports organizations ensure that rules are properly followed?