Technical Study Group ready for FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023™

For the first time in its history, the football-loving nation of Indonesia will be hosting a World Cup tournament. The FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG) is ready to attend and analyse all 52 matches in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Surakarta, where the final will be played on Saturday 2^nd December.

The last edition of the U-17 World Cup was held in Brazil in 2019 and was won by the host nation, bringing Brazil level with Nigeria as the most successful team since the tournament became an U-17 competition in 1991. Over the years, some of the biggest names in world football have graduated from the FIFA U-17 World Cup, including Victor Osimhen (2015), Neymar (2009), Cesc Fàbregas (2003), Carlos Tevez (2001), Landon Donovan (1999), Esteban Cambiasso (1995), Francesco Totti (1993), Alessandro del Piero (1991) and Luis Figo (1989).

Led by FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger, the TSG’s responsibilities at the tournament include identifying and analysing technical, tactical and physical trends as they emerge, nominating the Player of the Match for each game, and selecting the winners of the adidas Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards. Previous winners of the adidas Golden Ball at this level include Gabriel Veron (2019), Phil Foden (2017), Kelechi Iheanacho (2013) and Toni Kroos (2007).

Pascal Zuberbühler

Pascal Zuberbühler is FIFA’s Senior Football and Goalkeeping expert and brings a wealth of experience to the group, having been a member of the TSG at every FIFA tournament in the men’s and women’s game for a number of years. A former Swiss international who won 51 caps for his country, “Zubi” played most of his club football in his homeland, spending seven years each at Grasshopper Club Zürich and FC Basel before spells with German side Bayer Leverkusen and in England with West Bromwich Albion and Fulham. His excitement about the upcoming tournament is clear:

“My expectations for this tournament are very high,” he noted. “There has been a real transition for many players at this age group, and it is not unusual for players at this level to already be involved with the first teams at their clubs. This is a very interesting development, and it is pushing up the standard of the tournament.

“I expect the European teams to be strong, but Brazil and Mexico have also been very impressive at this level in recent years, so I am keen to see how that development continues. The styles of play and approaches to development across the different confederations are also things we will be interested in, and of course I am always observing the goalkeepers and their connections with their teams,” he explained. 

Julio González

Julio González played for Paraguay at the 2001 U-20 World Cup in Argentina, where his team reached the semi-final before eventually losing out to an Argentina side that would go on to win the tournament on home soil. After making his debut in the Copa Libertadores at just 18 years of age, González moved to Italy to play for Vicenza. He was initially loaned out to Huracán in Argentina, but on returning to Italy he established himself as Vicenza’s top scorer. 

Then, in December 2005, he was involved in a life-changing road traffic accident that forced doctors to amputate his left arm. Despite his injuries, González returned to Paraguay and played professional football again for Tacuary.  In 2008 he retired as a player and became a professional football coach.

Commenting on the upcoming tournament, he said, “I am looking forward to seeing the development and standard of the young players who have the potential to become some of the most exciting players in the world. Playing at this tournament is a huge experience for these players and can be a significant step in their progress as professional footballers.

“I expect the standard of this competition to be very high and the games will be tactically very interesting. This is a development tournament, so I am also interested to see the technical attributes of these young players and to track their progress over the coming years,” he added.   

Gemma Grainger 

Gemma Grainger is the current head coach of the Wales senior women’s national team. Her side narrowly missed out on qualification for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ after a play-off defeat to Switzerland, and currently competes in Group A of the UEFA Nations League. 

Grainger has been coaching for 22 years. She spent 11 years coaching England’s junior women’s teams and has experience at seven major tournaments, including the 2014 U-20 Women’s World Cup and the 2016 U-17 Women’s World Cup.  She was also part of England’s senior women’s coaching staff at 2017 UEFA European Championships. Grainger obtained her UEFA Pro Licence in 2016, and also holds a coaching degree from Teesside University. 

Given all that, it is no surprise that she is especially looking forward to the variety of tactics that will be on show at the U-17 World Cup:

“I am really interested in the tactical approaches of the teams and exploring the game plans and strategies that are employed,” she said. “These young players are in an important development phase of their careers and the experience they will gain from competing in this tournament will be invaluable for them.

“I expect we will see a high standard of technical skill and ability, because many of the players competing will already be in full-time, professional environments at their clubs. There are some exciting teams with strong pedigree and tradition in this competition and I expect it to be a very competitive tournament,” Grainger explained.  

Pape Thiaw

Pape Thiaw played in his native Senegal until the age of 16 before moving to the academy of AS Saint-Etienne in France, where he spent almost four years. After leaving St Etienne he crossed the Alps to Switzerland, where he enjoyed almost five years playing for Lausanne Sport before returning to France to turn out for RC Strasbourg and FC Metz. A move to Spain’s La Liga followed, where he spent five years plying his trade for Deportivo Alavés and Lorca before coming back to France with Créteil for the 2007/2008 season.

Following his playing career, he settled back in his homeland, and he is currently the manager of Senegal’s senior men’s national team. He was recently named on the shortlist for the 2023 CAF Men’s Coach of the Year award.

As he explained, the U-17 World Cup provides an important opportunity for young players to develop. “The U-17 World Cup is a development tournament, so I am interested to see the personalities of the players. By travelling to competitions like this, they discover and engage with different cultures, and this is very important in their development, as is each team’s shared experience together. 

“The tactical culture of each team will be very interesting to analyse and also the concentration that players have on set plays. I’m also interested to see what trends might emerge during the different phases of the game. This a special tournament for all involved, not just the players but also for the coaches,” he explained.

Project Leads
Arsène Wenger – Chief of Global Football Development
Steven Martens – Director of Global Football Development
Tom Gardner – Lead of Football Performance Insights

Technical Experts
Pascal Zuberbühler – Senior Football Expert
Gemma Grainger - Technical Expert
Julio González - Technical Expert
Pape Thiaw - Technical Expert

Football Performance Insights
Harry Lowe - Team Lead Football Performance Analysis
Elliott Stonell - Football Performance Analyst
Jeremy Chor - Football Performance Analyst
Harvey Rutherford - Football Data Analyst

Emma Thomas - Football Operations Manager

Football Content 
Arne Barez – Football Content Manager
Lisa Fallon – Football Content Tournament Lead

The FIFA U-17 World Cup kicks off on Friday 10^th November, when Groups A and B will get underway. Panama will play Morocco in the opening match, with hosts Indonesia taking on Ecuador later the same evening.