2003 in association football
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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
Portugal – Porto
Russia – CSKA Moscow
Serbia and Montenegro – Partizan
Spain – Real Madrid
Sweden
Turkey – Beşiktaş
North and Central America
South America
Argentina
Bolivia – Bolívar
- Torneo Apertura – The Strongest
- Torneo Clausura – The Strongest
Brazil – Cruzeiro
Colombia – Once Caldas
Ecuador – LDU Quito
Paraguay – Club Libertad
Uruguay – Peñarol
International tournaments
- UNCAF Nations Cup in Panama (9–23 February 2003)
- Baltic Cup in Estonia (3–5 July 2003)
- Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (2–15 August 2003)
- FIFA U-20 World Cup in United Arab Emirates (27 November – 19 December 2003)
- FIFA U-17 World Championship in Finland (13–30 August 2003)
- Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad, India (22–31 October 2003)
National team results
Europe
South America
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, Brazilian forward, 9 times capped for the Brazil national football team. (73)
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
- 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