2008 in association football

The following are the association football events of the year 2008 throughout the world.

Events

• 20 January to 10 February — Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana
• 4 May to 16 May - UEFA U-17 Championship in Turkey
• 7 June to 29 June — Euro 2008 held in Austria and Switzerland
• 6 August to 24 August - Men's and Women's Football Tournaments at the Beijing Olympics
• 30 October to 16 November — Inauguration of FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup held In New Zealand
• 20 November to 7 December — 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Chile

News

January

• 3 – Argentine midfielder Éver Banega leaves Boca Juniors and joins the Spanish club Valencia CF for an estimated fee of €18 million.
• 5 – Everton are knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round by Oldham, a team from Football League One (third division) as Huddersfield Town from the same division beat Birmingham City.
• 6 – Toulouse are eliminated from the Coupe de France by Paris FC, a team from the Championnat National (third division).
• 9 – Sam Allardyce leaves the manager's position at Newcastle United by mutual agreement.
• 11 – Jürgen Klinsmann is unveiled as the new coach of Bayern Munich, effective July.
• 20 – The Africa Cup of Nations begins in Ghana with the hosts beating Guinea 2-1.
• 23 – Tottenham Hotspur defeat Arsenal 5-1 in the semi-final second-leg of the League Cup. This was the first time they had beaten their local rivals since 1999.
• 24 – George Burley is announced as the new coach of the Scotland national football team.
• 28 – Mohamed Sissoko leaves Liverpool to sign for Juventus, costing the Italian team €13 million.

February

• 2 – Frédéric Kanouté is named 2007 African Footballer of the Year
• 4 – Víctor Muñoz is sacked from the managers job of Spanish team Recreativo Huelva; Manolo Zambrano is immediately installed as the new coach of the La Liga team.
• 10 – Egypt win the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations after beating Cameroon in the final 1-0.
• 13 – Giovanni Trapattoni is announced as the new coach of the Republic of Ireland. He will officially take up this role in May.
• 23 – South Korean men's team won East Asian Cup 2008.
• 23 – Japanese J. League Cup winner Gamba Osaka defeated MLS champion Houston Dynamo at the final game of Pan-Pacific Championship 2008 by 6-1, won the champion title of inaugural tournament. Los Angeles Galaxy won the third place match against Sydney FC from A-league by 2-1.
• 24 – Japan won the Women's East Asian Cup 2008 with three straight wins over South Korea, North Korea, and China.
• 24 – Tottenham Hotspur win the Football League Cup, also known as the Carling Cup, after beating Chelsea 2-1 after extra time at Wembley Stadium.
• 24 – Newcastle Jets win the Hyundai A-League Grand Final by defeating the Central Coast Mariners by 1-0 at the Sydney Football Stadium.

March

• 11 – Newport County win the FAW Premier Cup beating Llanelli 1–0 in the final.
• 12 – The United States women's national soccer team wins the 2008 Algarve Cup for the sixth time, beating Denmark 2–1 in the final.
• 16 – Rangers win the Scottish League Cup by beating Dundee United 3-2 in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw at Hampden Park.

May

• 5 – Real Madrid wins the 31st La Liga title after beating Osasuna 2-1.
• 8 – Announced that Frank Rijkaard would leave his managerial post at FC Barcelona at the end of the season and be replaced by FC Barcelona B coach Josep Guardiola.
• 11 – Manchester United wins its 10^th Premier League title after beating Wigan Athletic 2-0 away.
• 17 – Portsmouth wins the 127th FA Cup after beating Cardiff City 1-0 at Wembley Stadium
• 21 – Manchester United won the UEFA Champions League after beating Chelsea FC 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes in Moscow
• 22 – Celtic win the SPL title for the third successive season by 3 points from Rangers on the final day.
• 24 – Avram Grant is sacked as Chelsea manager after just eight months in charge of the Premier League club.

June

• 2 – José Mourinho replaces Roberto Mancini as manager of Internazionale
• 25 – LDU Quito won the first leg of the Copa Libertadores final beating Fluminense 4-2.
• 29 – Spain wins UEFA Euro 2008 after beating Germany 1-0 in the final.

July

• 1 – Luiz Felipe Scolari becomes the new manager of Chelsea.
• 2 – LDU Quito wins the Copa Libertadores beating Fluminense in penalties 3-1 after a 5-5 aggregate draw.

August

• 8 – Scottish Premier League team Gretna are formally liquidated.^[1]
• 21 – United States women's team win gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics
• 23 – Argentina's men's team win gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics

September

• 1 – Manchester City sign Robinho from Real Madrid for a British record fee of £32.5 million
• 1 – Manchester United sign Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspur for £30.75 million.
• 4 – Kevin Keegan resigns as manager of Newcastle United.

National champions

AFC nations

• A-League: Newcastle Jets
• Bahraini Premier League: Muharraq Club
• Chinese Super League: Shandong Luneng
• Hong Kong First Division League: South China
• I-League: Dempo SC
• Persian Gulf Cup: Persepolis F.C.
• J. League: Kashima Antlers
• K-League: Suwon Samsung Bluewings
• Lebanese Premier League: Al Ahed
• Saudi Premier League: Al-Hilal
• Malaysian Super League: Kedah FA
• Qatar Stars League: Al-Gharafa Sports Club
• S-League: Singapore Armed Forces Football Club
• Thailand Premier League: Provincial Electricity Authority FC
• Turkmenistan Higher League: FC Aşgabat
• Enterprise Football League: Taipower
• UAE Football League: Al-Shabab
• Uzbek League: Bunyodkor

UEFA nations

• Albanian Superliga: Dinamo Tirana
• Campionat de Lliga: Santa Coloma
• Armenian Premier League: FC Pyunik
• Austrian Bundesliga: Rapid Wien
• Azerbaijan Premier League: Inter Baku
• Belarusian Premier League: BATE Borisov
• Jupiler League: Standard Liège
• Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Modriča
• Bulgarian A PFG: CSKA Sofia
• Prva HNL: Dinamo Zagreb
• Cypriot First Division: Anorthosis Famagusta
• Gambrinus Liga: Slavia Prague
• Danish Superliga: Aalborg BK
• Premier League: Manchester United
• Meistriliiga: Levadia Tallinn
• Formuladeildin: EB/Streymur
• Veikkausliiga: Inter Turku
• Ligue 1: Lyon
• Umaglesi Liga: Dinamo Tbilisi
• German Bundesliga: Bayern Munich
• Super League Greece: Olympiacos
• Hungarian National Championship I: MTK Budapest
• Úrvalsdeild: FH Hafnarfjörður
• League of Ireland Premier Division: Bohemian
• Ligat ha'Al: Beitar Jerusalem
• Serie A: Internazionale
• Kazakhstan Premier League: Aktobe
• Latvian Higher League: Ventspils
• A Lyga: Ekranas
• Luxembourg National Division: F91 Dudelange
• Macedonian Prva Liga: Rabotnički
• Maltese Premier League: Valletta
• Moldovan National Division: Sheriff Tiraspol
• Montenegrin First League: Budućnost Podgorica
• Eredivisie: PSV
• Irish Premier League: Linfield
• Norwegian Premier League: Stabæk
• Orange Ekstraklasa: Wisła Kraków
• Portuguese Liga: Porto
• Liga I: CFR Cluj
• Russian Premier League: Rubin Kazan
• Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio: Murata
• Scottish Premier League: Celtic
• Serbian Superliga: Partizan
• Slovak Superliga: Artmedia Bratislava
• Slovenian PrvaLiga: TNK Domžale
• La Liga: Real Madrid
• Allsvenskan: Kalmar
• Swiss Super League: FC Basel
• Turkcell Super League: Galatasaray
• Ukrainian Premier League: Shakhtar Donetsk
• Welsh Premier League: Llanelli

CAF nations

• Algerian Championnat National: JS Kabylie
• Girabola: Petro Atlético Luanda
• Mascom Premier League: Centre Chiefs
• Burkinabé Premier League: Etoile Filante Ouagadougou
• Burundi Premier League: Inter Star
• MTN Elite one: Cotonsport Garoua
• Cape Verdean football Championships: Sporting Clube da Praia
• Chad Premier League: Elect Sport N'Djamena
• Comoros Premier League: Etoile d'Or
• Congo Premier League: CARA Brazzaville
• Linafoot: DC Motema Pembe
• Côte d'Ivoire Premier Division: Africa Sports National
• Djibouti Premier League: Société Immobilière de Djibouti
• Egyptian Premier League: Al-Ahly
• Eritrean Premier League: Asmara Brewery
• Ethiopian Premier League: Saint-George SA
• Gabon Championnat National D1: AS Mangasport
• Gambian Championnat National D1: Wallidan
• OneTouch Premier League: Asante Kotoko
• Guinée Championnat National: Fello Star
• Campeonato Nacional da Guiné-Bissau: Sporting Clube de Batafá
• Kenyan Premier League: Mathare United
• Lesotho Premier League: Lesotho Correctional Services
• Liberian Premier League: Black Star
• Libyan Premier League: Al Ittihad
• THB Champions League: Académie Ny Antsika
• Malawi Premier Division: Silver Strikers
• Malien Première Division: Djoliba
• Mauritanean Premier League: ASAC Concorde
• Mauritian League: Curepipe Starlight
• Botola: FAR Rabat
• Moçambola: Ferroviario de Maputo
• Namibia Premier League: Orlando Pirates Windhoek
• Niger Premier League: AS Police
• Nigerian Premier League: Kano Pillars
• Réunion Premier League: JS Saint-Pierroise
• Rwandan Premier League: ATRACO
• Senegal Premier League: AS Douanes
• Seychelles League: Saint-Michel United
• Sierra Leone National Premier League: Ports Authority
• Somalia League: Elman FC
• Premier Soccer League: SuperSport United
• Sudan Premier League: Al-Merrikh
• Swazi Premier League: Royal Leopards
• Tanzanian Premier League: Young Africans
• Tunisian CLP-1: Club Africain
• Ugandan Super League: Kampala City Council
• Zambian Premier League: ZESCO United
• Zanzibar Premier League: Miembeni
• Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League: Monomotapa United

CONMEBOL nations

• Primera División Argentina: River Plate (C) / Boca Juniors (A)
• Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano: Universitario (A) / Aurura (C)
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: São Paulo
• Primera División de Chile: Everton (A) / Colo-Colo (C)
• Colombian Professional Football: Boyacá Chicó (A) / América de Cali (C)
• Serie A de Ecuador: Deportivo Quito
• Primera División de Paraguay: Libertad (A) (C)
• Primera División Peruana: U. San Martín
• Primera División Uruguaya: Defensor Sporting
• Primera División Venezolana: Deportivo Táchira

(A = Apertura, C= Clausura)

CONCACAF nations

• Primera División de México: Santos Laguna (C) / Toluca (A)
• Major League Soccer: Columbus Crew

(A = Apertura, C= Clausura)

OFC nations

• Football Federation American Samoa Soccer League: Pago Youth

International tournaments

• 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana (20 January – 10 February 2008)
  1.  Egypt
  2.  Cameroon
  3.  Ghana
  4.  Côte d'Ivoire

• Men's East Asian Cup 2008 final in Chongqing, China (17 February – 23, 2008)
  1.  Korea Republic
  2.  Japan
  3.  China PR
  4.  Korea DPR

• Women's East Asian Cup 2008 final in Chongqing, China (18 February – 24, 2008)
  1.  Japan
  2.  Korea DPR
  3.  China PR
  4.  Korea Republic

• 2008 Algarve Cup in Algarve, Portugal (5 March – 12, 2008)
  1.  United States
  2.  Denmark
  3.  Norway
  4.  Germany

• 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship in Turkey (4 May – 16, 2008)
  1.  Spain
  2.  France
  3.  Turkey and  Netherlands

• 2008 UEFA European Football Championship in Austria and Switzerland (7 June – 29, 2008)
  1.  Spain
  2.  Germany
  3.  Turkey and  Russia

• Baltic Cup in Riga, Latvia (May 30 – June 1, 2008)

1.  Latvia
2.  Lithuania
3.  Estonia

• 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's tournament in China (6 August – 21, 2008)
  1.  United States
  2.  Brazil
  3.  Germany

• 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's tournament in China (7 August – 23, 2008)
  1.  Argentina
  2.  Nigeria
  3.  Brazil

• 2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in New Zealand (30 October – 16 November, 2008)
  1.  Korea DPR
  2.  United States
  3.  Germany

• 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Chile (20 November – 7 December, 2008)
  1.  United States
  2.  Korea DPR
  3.  Germany

National team results

Europe

 Estonia

 Netherlands

 Sweden

South America

 Bolivia

 Ecuador

Deaths

January

• 4 January – Bjørn Odmar Andersen (64), Norwegian footballer
• 4 January – Vyacheslav Ambartsumyan (67), Russian footballer
• 5 January – Louis Hon (83), French footballer
• 9 January – Paul Aimson (64), English footballer
• 11 January – Frank Loughran (77), Australian international footballer
• 12 January – Leszek Jezierski (78), Polish footballer and manager
• 14 January – Johnny Steele (91), English footballer and manager
• 18 January – Wally Fielding (88), English footballer
• 21 January – Billy Elliott (82), English footballer

February

• 1 February – Władysław Kawula (70), Polish footballer
• 2 February – Yiu Cheuk Yin (80), Hong Kong footballer
• 9 February – Guy Tchingoma (22), Gabonese footballer
• 10 February – Ove Jørstad (37), Norwegian footballer
• 12 February – Jean Prouff (88), French footballer and manager
• 12 February – Thomas Grosser (42), German footballer
• 14 February – Len Boyd (84), English footballer
• 15 February – Inge Thun (62), Norwegian footballer
• 17 February – Brian Harris (72), English footballer and manager
• 21 February – Emmanuel Sanon (56), Haitian footballer

March

• 2 March – Carl Hoddle (40), English footballer
• 5 March – Derek Dooley (78), English footballer and manager
• 25 March – Thierry Gilardi (49), French commentator

April

• 3 April – Hrvoje Ćustić (24), Croatian footballer
• 5 April – Wang Donglei (23), Chinese footballer
• 18 April – Erminio Favalli (64), Italian footballer
• 19 April – Constant Vanden Stock (93), Belgian footballer, manager, and executive

May

• 8 May – François Sterchele (26), Belgian footballer
• 15 May – Tommy Burns (51), Scottish former footballer and manager
• 23 May – Heinrich Kwiatkowski (81), German footballer

June

• 6 June – Victor Wégria (71), Belgian footballer
• 11 June – Adam Ledwoń (34), Polish footballer
• 22 June – Ron Stitfall (82), Welsh footballer

July

• 13 July – Rudolf Nafziger (62), German footballer
• 15 July – Gionata Mingozzi (23), Italian footballer
• 18 July – George Niven (79), Scottish footballer

August

• 3 August – Anton Allemann (72), Swiss footballer

September

• 4 September – Tommy Johnston (81), Scottish footballer
• 25 September – Jimmy Sirrel (86), Scottish football player and manager

October

• 21 October – George Edwards (87), Welsh footballer
• 25 October – Ian McColl (81), Scottish football player and manager

November

• 1 November – Dermot Curtis (76), Irish football player and manager
• 17 November – Peter Aldis (81), English footballer
• 27 November – Gil Heron (87), Jamaican footballer

December

• 8 December – John Cumming (78), Scottish footballer
• 9 December – Dražan Jerković (72), Croatian football player and manager
• 9 December – Ibrahim Dossey (36), Ghanaian footballer
• 12 December – Maksym Pashaiv (20), Ukrainian footballer

References

1. ^ "Liquidation signals the final nail in Gretna coffin". The Cumberland News. 2008-08-08. Archived from the original on 2009-09-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5k4HIsalA. Retrieved 2009-09-23.