1997 IN FOOTBALL (SOCCER)

The following are the 'football (soccer)' events of the year '1997' throughout the world.

Contents

Events

Winner national club championships

Europe

South America

International tournaments

Deaths

Events

★ January 1 – Manager Leo Beenhakker is named technical director at Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem and replaced as a manager by Sparta Rotterdam head coach Henk ten Cate.

★ Copa Libertadores 1997: Won by Cruzeiro after defeating Sporting Cristal on an aggregate score of 1-0.

★ Scottish FA Cup Kilmarnock FC beat Falkirk 1-0.

★ February 25 – Manager Hans Westerhof is sacked by FC Groningen.

★ April 30 – Striker Boudewijn Zenden from PSV Eindhoven plays his first international match for the Netherlands national football team, when Holland defeats San Marino (0-6) in Serravalle.

★ May 17 – Chelsea wins the FA Cup by defeating Middlesbrough 2-0.

★ May 18 – Éric Cantona, the famous and controversial French footballer in the Premiership, announced his retirement from football.

★ July 20 – Gudjon Thordarson makes his debut as the manager of Iceland with a loss (0-1) against Norway.

★ August 17 – PSV Eindhoven wins the Johan Cruijff Schaal, the annual opening of the new season in the Eredivisie, by a 3-1 win over Roda JC in the Amsterdam ArenA.

★ November 2 – Borussia Dortmund wins the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo, Japan by defeating Brazil's Cruzeiro: 2-0. The goals for the Germans are scored by Michael Zorc and Heiko Herrlich.

Winner national club championships

Europe

★ Bulgaria – PFC CSKA Sofia

★ England – Manchester United

★ Italy – Juventus

★ Netherlands

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★ Eredivisie – PSV Eindhoven

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★ Eerste Divisie – MVV Maastricht

★ Portugal – FC Porto

★ Spain – Real Madrid

★ Turkey – Galatasaray S.K.

South America

★ Argentina

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★ Clausura – River Plate

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★ Apertura – River Plate

★ Brazil – Vasco da Gama

★ Paraguay – Olimpia Asunción

International tournaments

★ UNCAF Nations Cup in Guatemala City, Guatemala (April 16 – April 27, 1997)
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★ Tournoi de France in France (June 3 – June 11, 1997)
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★ Copa América in Bolivia (June 11 – June 29, 1997)
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★ FIFA U-17 World Championship in Egypt (September 5 – September 21, 1997)
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Deaths

★ June 18 – Héctor Yazalde (51), Argentinian footballer

★ November 1 – Roger Marche (73), French footballer

★ November 9 – Helenio Herrera (80), Argentine-French footballer and manager

★ October 18 – Ramiro Castillo (31), Bolivian footballer

★ December 7 – Billy Bremner (55), Scottish footballer