Former Dunedin Tech player a true journeyman
Incredible stamina. No shame. Yellow Fever.
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Which footballer has played on five continents?Ben McFarland and John Ashdown
Wednesday March 19, 2008
guardian.co.uk
The continent-hopping Romario. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Wednesday March 19, 2008
guardian.co.uk
The continent-hopping Romario. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
"Ghana's Nii Lamptey played for 10 different clubs (Anderlecht, PSV Eindhoven, Aston Villa, Coventry City, Venezia, Union de Santa Fe, Ankaragucu, Uniao Leiria, Greuther Furth, Shandong Luneng, Al Nassr and Asante Kotoko) on four different continents," asks Graham Clayton. Has there been anyone who has played top-flight football on five different continents?"
Many of you (including Dave Holley, Owen Arthur, Saif Ammous and others) cited the Brazilian globe-trotting goal-machine Rom�rio de Souza Faria as notching more than 1,000 goals across five different continents. Having begun his career in his native South America (Vasco de Gama), he ticked off Europe (PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona and Valencia) before taking in Asia (Al-Sadd Sports Club in Qatar), Australia (Adelaide United) and North America (Miami FC). But, says the eagle-eyed David Willbe, the "minor fly in the ointment" of that answer is that the question referred to top-flight football and Miami FC, played in the second tier of US football.
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But wait, David's not finished: "There's one other I can think of, but it's not without controversy." he says, giving with one hand and taking away with t'other. The man he speaks of is Osvaldo Nartallo who began his career at San Lorenzo (Argentina, South America), played for the Orlando Pirates (South Africa, in, Africa) in 1993 and towards the twilight of his career wore the kit of Queretaro (Mexico, North America) prior to their relegation in 2001.
"In the interim he spent some time in Turkey, and this is where it gets a little cheeky," says David, spicing things up somewhat, "even though Turkey is part of Europe in footballing terms, in geographical terms parts of Turkey are in Asia." Osvaldo played one season for Besiktas (in the European part) and one season for the gloriously-named Petrol Ofisi GK Ankara (in the Asian part) who, the season previously, had obtained promotion to the top flight of Turkish football. So, strictly geographically, Nartallo played for a top-flight club on five continents.
Jim Wraith reckons Lutz Pfannenstiel can top that. The goalkeeper, last spotted playing at Clube Atletico Hermann Aichinger, has played on a remarkable six continents. Since 1991, he has appeared for (deep breath) FC Bad Kotzting, Penang FA, Wimbledon, Nottingham Forest, Sint-Truidense, Hamrun Spartans, Sembawang Rangers, Orlando Pirates, Nottingham Forest, TPV, Nottingham Forest (again), SV Wacker Burghausen, Geylang United, Dunedin Technical, Bradford Park Avenue, ASV Cham, Dunedin Technical (again), Bradford Park Avenue (again), Dunedin Technical (and again), Baerum SK, Calgary Mustangs, Otago United, KS Vllaznia Shkod'r, Baerum SK (again), Vancouver Whitecaps, and the aforementioned Club Atletico Hermann Aichinger (and relax).
But it's a case of so near yet so far for Pfannenstiel. Though he has played top-flight football on four continents - in Europe (with Sint-Truidense of Belgium and Hamrun Spartans of Malta), Asia (Penang FA of Malaysia and Sembawang Rangers and Geylang United of Singapore), Africa (with South Africa's Orlando Pirates), and Oceania (Dunedin Technical and Otago United of New Zealand) - his current South American club, Club Atletico Hermann Aichinger, play in the equivalent of the Brazilian fourth division, while his spells in North America with Vancouver Whitecaps and Calgary Mustang, says Liam McGuigan, were in the A-league (the second tier of US football).
Incredible stamina. No shame. Yellow Fever.
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As an aside : Pretty sure he's banned from playing in Singapore anymore after match fixing allegations...
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do we know what seasons he played at Tech?
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do we know what seasons he played at Tech?
Do you trust Wikipedia?
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Milts will be able to tell you Marius...
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I may well retire if I can lay claim to having played against the game's "most wordly" footballer
'96 is our only window though - c'mon Milts
Marius Lacatus2008-03-20 14:04:57
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No... much later. He was the national league keeper in the last 7 years.
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2001 may have been the first time:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/low/football/1410546.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/low/football/1410546.stm
Fifa, world football's governing body, have joined the Singapore
Football Association in banning two players convicted of match-fixing.
Fifa had declined to extend the Asian ban imposed on Mirko Jurilj and Lutz Pfannenstiel but have altered their decision after finding out the players were given a right to appeal.
Originally, Jurilj, of Australia, and German Pfannenstiel were convicted and jailed in January after being found guilty of conspiring with bookmaker Sivakumar Madasamy.
The pair, formerly of Singapore club Sembawang FC, are said to have let Madasamy bet �7,000 on their behalf in exchange for influencing results in three games.
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The matches did not go to plan and the players were jailed for five months but were released for good behaviour.
Fifa had thought that Jurilj and Pfannenstiel had not been given a right to appeal before they were banned for life by the Singapore FA.
"However this viewpoint proved to be unfounded as it was found that the players had actually renounced their right to appeal against the decision," said Fifa spokesman Andreas Herren.
"The lawyers for the two players acknowledged this in their respective petitions and also confirmed that, in order to shorten proceedings, the Football Association of Singapore had based their ruling on the inquiry of the Singapore courts."
FAS general secretary John Koh said: "We shall continue our relentless efforts to stamp out all forms of football corruption by recommending, if not imposing, life bans on players and officials convicted of such offences."
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looks like ill have to dig the boots out again and have another crack at trying to achieve something in this game.
There's always culture kicks!
Marius Lacatus2008-03-20 14:11:26
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Take a bung and you can make the BBC website...
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I may well retire if I can lay claim to having played against the game's "most wordly" footballer
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'96 is our only window though - c'mon Milts
I have already retired having played with and against the game's 'most worldy' player and even got him to instruct other keepers in the small club I temporary managed. This is before he left for Singapore and the States tho.
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Ah Lutz
I remember him tech keeper for about four seasons then OU for season one and two probably the best keeper Otagos seen for a long while
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He was always a busy man at both Tech and Otago United.
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He was always a busy man at both Tech and Otago United.
Yes he got paid to coach the keepers and ran a few rep youth teams as well in his time there. I could never forget the day he turn up with very blench blonde hair with black goatie. I told him "What happen? You looked like a gay" He retorted with "Maybe I look like that to you"
Great shot stopper tho.
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