2003 in association football

The following are the football (soccer) events of the year 2003 throughout the world.

Events

• Confederations Cup: Host nation France wins a tournament marred by tragedy (see Deaths.)
• UEFA Champions League: AC Milan wins 3–2 on penalties over Juventus, after a 0–0 draw at Old Trafford. This was AC Milan's 6th European Cup.
• UEFA Cup: FC Porto wins 3–2 in the final against Celtic, after extra time, with a silver goal by Derlei. This is Porto's first UEFA Cup title.
• European Super Cup: AC Milan beats FC Porto 1–0, winning the cup for the 4th time.
• Copa Libertadores: Boca Juniors of Argentina won the cup for the fifth time against Santos of Brazil in a 5–1 aggregate.
• Recopa Sudamericana: Olimpia of Paraguay won 2–0 in the final against San Lorenzo of Argentina.
• FA Cup: Arsenal win 1–0 over Southampton
• FA Premier league – Manchester United wins the Premier League by 5 points over Arsenal.
• Women's World Cup: Germany wins the final against Sweden 2–1 after extra time.
• 22 January – Dutch club Sparta Rotterdam fires manager Dolf Roks, who is replaced on 7 February by former player Chris Dekker.
• 28 January – Head coach Robert Maaskant leaves Go Ahead Eagles and returns to RBC Roosendaal.
• 7 March – Mexican club Guadalajara appoints Hans Westerhof as their new technical director.
• 26 March – Manager Mike Snoei is fired by Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem to Ajax, and replaced by former player Edward Sturing.
• 17 June – Manchester United sells English football star David Beckham to Real Madrid for €35 million.
• 28 June – Italy's Piedmont wins the third UEFA Regions' Cup, beating France's Maine 2–1 in Heidenheim an der Brenz.
• 8 August – Satellite TV's Rupert Murdoch British Sky Broadcasting pay €510 million for transmission of FA Premier League seasons 2004–2007.
• 10 August – PSV wins the Johan Cruijff Schaal, the annual opening of the new season in the Eredivisie, by a 3–1 win over Utrecht in the Amsterdam ArenA.
• 25 September – Dutch club Zwolle sacks manager Peter Boeve.
• 1 October – Technical director Hans Westerhof is named head coach of Mexican club Guadalajara.
• 20 November – Manager Rinus Israël leaves ADO Den Haag and moves to Al Wahda in the United Arab Emirates. Lex Schoenmaker is his successor in The Hague.
• 28 November – In an Asian Cup qualifier between Iran and Lebanon, Ali Daei scores his 85th goal for the Iranian national team, breaking the record of Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskás.
• 14 December – Boca Juniors wins the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo, Japan for the third time, by defeating Italy's AC Milan on penalties (3–1), after a 1–1 draw at the end of extra-time.

Winners national club championship

Africa

• Algeria – USM Alger
• Cameroon – Cottonsport Garoua
• Ivory Coast – ASEC Mimosas
• Egypt – Zamalek
• Libya – Al-Ittihad
• Mali – Stade Malien
• Morocco – Hassania Agadir
• Nigeria – Enyimba
• Tunisia – Espéance

Asia

• Hong Kong – Sun Hei
• Iran – Sepahan
• Japan – Yokohama F. Marinos
• Qatar – Al-Sadd
• South Korea – Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
• Thailand – BEC Tero Sasana

Europe

• Croatia – Dinamo Zagreb
• Denmark – Copenhagen
• England – Manchester United
• France – Lyon
• Germany – Bayern Munich
• Iceland – KR
• Ireland: Shelbourne
• Italy – Juventus
• Netherlands
  • Eredivisie – PSV
  • Eerste Divisie – Den Haag
• Portugal – Porto
• Russia – CSKA Moscow
• Serbia and Montenegro – Partizan
• Spain – Real Madrid
• Sweden
  • Allsvenskan – Djurgården
  • Svenska Cupen – Elfsborg
• Turkey – Beşiktaş

North and Central America

• Canada – Brampton Hitmen (CPSL)
• Mexico
  • Clausura – Monterrey
  • Apertura – Pachuca
• United States – San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)

South America

• Argentina
  • 2002–03 Clausura – River Plate
  • 2003–04 Apertura – Boca Juniors
• Bolivia – Bolívar
  • Torneo Apertura – The Strongest
  • Torneo Clausura – The Strongest
• Brazil – Cruzeiro
• Colombia – Once Caldas
• Ecuador – LDU Quito
• Paraguay – Club Libertad
• Uruguay – Peñarol
• Club Alianza Lima

International tournaments

• UNCAF Nations Cup in Panama (9–23 February 2003)
  1. Costa Rica
  2. Guatemala
  3. El Salvador
• Baltic Cup in Estonia (3–5 July 2003)
  1. Latvia
  2. Lithuania
  3. Estonia
• Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (2–15 August 2003)
  • Men's Tournament
  1. Argentina
  2. Brazil
  3. Mexico
  • Women's Tournament
  1. Brazil
  2. Canada
  3. Mexico
• FIFA U-20 World Cup in United Arab Emirates (27 November – 19 December 2003)
  1. Brazil
  2. Spain
  3. Colombia
• FIFA U-17 World Championship in Finland (13–30 August 2003)
  1. Brazil
  2. Spain
  3. Argentina
• Afro–Asian Games in Hyderabad, India (22–31 October 2003)
  1. India
  2. Uzbekistan
  3. Zimbabwe

National team results

Europe

Estonia

Main article: Estonia national football team 2003

Sweden

Main article: Sweden men's national football team 2003

South America

Bolivia

Main article: Bolivia national football team 2003

Ecuador

Main article: Ecuador national football team 2003

Births

• 9 January – Ricardo Pepi, US international
• 18 January – Devyne Rensch, Dutch international
• 19 January – Ilaix Moriba, Guinean international
• 21 January – Hannibal Mejbri, Tunisian international
• 23 January – Arian Moreno, Venezuelan footballer
• 27 February – Juan Ignacio Cabrera, Uruguayan footballer
• 16 March – Killian Camélé, French professional footballer
• 23 March – Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson, Icelandic international
• 4 April – Harvey Elliott, English footballer
• 12 April – Simon Ngapandouetnbu, Cameroonian footballer
• 19 April – Rareș Ilie, Romanian youth international
• 21 April – Xavi Simons, Dutch footballer
• 27 April – Zidane Iqbal, Iraqi international
• 1 May – Charlie Savage, Welsh international
• 2 May – Marcos Leonardo, Brazilian youth international
• 4 May – Florian Wirtz, German international
• 7 May – Kevin Paredes, US youth international
• 31 May – Benjamin Šeško, Slovenian youth international
• 1 June – Jan Kuźma, Polish professional footballer
• 2 June – Yusuf Demir, Austrian-Turkish footballer
• 11 June – Antonio Bokanovic, Austrian footballer
• 28 June – Brandon Aguilera, Costa Rican international
• 29 June – Jude Bellingham, English international
• 11 July – Vishva Shinde, Indian professional footballer
• 12 August – Martín Luciano, Argentine club footballer
• 2 September – Kauã (Kauã Jesus Tenório), Brazilian footballer
• 28 October – Antonio Miuțescu, Romanian professional footballer
• 5 November – Shea Charles, Northern Irish footballer
• 7 November – Milos Kerkez, Hungarian international

Deaths

January

• 10 January – Julinho (73), Brazilian footballer

February

• 26 February – Antoni Torres (59), Spanish footballer and manager
• 28 February – Albert Batteux (83), French footballer

April

• 17 April – Jean-Pierre Dogliani (60), French footballer
• 24 April – Gino Orlando (73), Brazilian forward, 9 times capped for the Brazil national football team.

May

• 10 May – Pepillo (69), Spanish footballer

June

• 26 June – Marc-Vivien Foé (28), Cameroonian footballer

July

• 31 July – John Aston, Sr., English defender, England squad member at the 1950 FIFA World Cup. (81)
• 31 July – Bigode, Brazilian defender, runner-up at the 1950 FIFA World Cup. (81)

August

• 1 August – Guy Thys (80), Belgian footballer and manager
• 8 August – Jimmy Davis (21), English footballer
• 13 August – Lothar Emmerich (61), German footballer
• 14 August – Helmut Rahn (73), German footballer
• 31 August – Pierre Cahuzac (76), French footballer

October

• 1 October – Cheung Yiu Lun (25), Hong Kong footballer

November

• 21 November – Emil Pažický (76), Slovak footballer