1998 Euro Beach Soccer League

The 1998 Euro Beach Soccer League was the first edition of the Euro Beach Soccer League (EBSL), the premier beach soccer competition contested between men's European national teams, originally known as the European Pro Beach Soccer League at the time. The competition was organised by Beach Soccer Company (BSC),[1] the precursors to Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW) who took over organisation in 2001, between June 6 and September 20, 1998 in seven different nations across Europe.

1998 Euro Beach Soccer League
Tournament details
Dates6 June – 21 September
Teams7 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)7 (in 7 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Germany (1st title)
Runners-up Italy
Third place Portugal
Fourth place Spain
Tournament statistics
Matches played28
Top scorer(s) Amarelle (24 goals)
Best player(s) Amarelle
The first EBSL logo was introduced for the league's inaugural season in 1998. It was used as the league's logo throughout the European Pro Beach Soccer League named-era, its last use being in 2003.

The debut season was set up to be a competition with a presence throughout the summer to promote the newly founded sport in Europe through the consistency of a summer-long, professional-level spectacle.[1]

Germany won on the final day of the season, remaining the only time they have won the league title or even finished inside the top four.

Participating teams

Seven teams took part in the inaugural season.

Organisation
Stage 1, Siracusa
Stage 2, Zurich
Stage 3, Budva
Stage 5, Travemünde
Stage 7, Monte Carlo
Locations of the seven stages of the 1998 Euro Beach Soccer League

Format

Matches were split into seven rounds of fixtures known as stages, with one stage hosted in each of the seven countries participating as shown. Four teams took part in each, three joining the host nation of that particular stage, with each individual team taking part in four of the seven stages overall.

Each stage was played as a small knock-out tournament, with semi finals, the final and a third place decider being the fixtures throughout all seven rounds. Teams earned points for their successes per game and per stage which were then tallied up in the final league table.

The team who topped the table after all seven stages was crowned the winner of the league.

Point distribution

Points were allocated for the following achievements in each stage, contributing to the final points total in the league table.[2]

Scenario Points earned
Win in normal time3 points
Win in overtime/penalties2 points
Stage winners3 bonus points
Stage runners-up2 bonus points

Stages

Whilst records are mostly complete, some results are missing from the archives.[3]

Stage 1

The first stage took place in Siracusa, Italy. The hosts won the stage.

6 June 1998
Semi finals
Germany 8–5 Spain
Italy 6–2  Switzerland
7 June 1998
Third place play-off
Spain 9–1  Switzerland
Final
Italy 7–3 Germany

Stage 2

The second stage took place in Zurich, Switzerland. Germany won the stage.

4 July 1998
Semi finals
Germany 6–5 (a.e.t) Portugal
Switzerland  4–2 Italy
5 July 1998
Third place play-off
Portugal 7–6 Italy
Final
Germany defeated1  Switzerland

Stage 3

The third stage took place in Budva, Montenegro, FR Yugoslavia. France won the stage.

18 July 1998
Semi finals
Spain 4–3 Portugal
FR Yugoslavia 4–6 France
19 July 1998
Third place play-off
FR Yugoslavia 7–4 Portugal
Final
France 4–4 (a.e.t.)
2–1 (pen.)		 Spain

Stage 4

The fourth stage took place in Sant Joan d'Alacant, Spain. Italy claimed their second stage win.

25 July 1998
Semi finals
Italy 4–3 (a.e.t) France
Spain 2–3 (a.e.t) FR Yugoslavia
26 July 1998
Third place play-off
Spain 7–4 France
Final
Italy 6–1 FR Yugoslavia

Stage 5

The fifth stage took place in Travemünde, Germany. The hosts won their second stage.

1 August 1998
Semi finals
Germany 7–2  Switzerland
Italy 4–3 France
2 August 1998
Third place play-off
France 7–5  Switzerland
Final
Germany 5–3 Italy

Stage 6

The sixth stage took place in Figueira da Foz, Portugal. These matches were also simultaneously part of the 1998 Mundialito tournament. The hosts won their first stage.

3 August 1998
Semi finals
Portugal 5–0  Switzerland
Spain 4–1 FR Yugoslavia
4 August 1998
Third place play-off
FR Yugoslavia 7–6  Switzerland
Final
Portugal 6–4 Spain

Stage 7

The seventh and final stage took place in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Germany secured the title by beating France in the third place play-off. Portugal won their second stage, the only nation to win two consecutively.

20 September 1998
Semi finals
Portugal defeated1  France or  Germany2
FR Yugoslavia defeated1  France or  Germany2
21 September 1998
Third place play-off
Germany 7–6 France
Final
Portugal 3–2 FR Yugoslavia


Notes:

1. Outcome known, score unknown
2. Exact team unrecorded

Final Table
Pos Team Matches Pts Stages Bonus Pts Total Pts Notes
Pld W W+ L Pld W RU
1 Germany 851217421825EBSL Champions
2 Italy 841314421822Runners-up
3 Portugal 850315420621Third place
4 Spain 840412402416
5 FR Yugoslavia 831411402415
6 France 82158410311
7  Switzerland 8107340125

Winners
 1998 Euro Beach Soccer League
Champions 

Germany
First title

References
  1. "The History and Growth of Pro Beach Soccer (1992 to Present)". beachsoccer.com. 2001. Archived from the original on February 15, 2002. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  2. "European Pro Beach Soccer League (EPBSL)". rsssf.com. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  3. "INTERNATIONAL BEACH SOCCER - MISSING INFORMATION". roonba.com. Retrieved 4 May 2016.

Sources
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