2004 FIA GT Brno 500km
The 2004 FIA GT Brno 500 km was the fifth round the 2004 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the Brno Circuit, Czech Republic, on May 30, 2004.


2004 FIA GT Brno 500km, Official results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2004 FIA GT Championship
The 2004 FIA GT Championship season was the 8th season of the FIA GT Championship. It was a series contested by Grand Touring style cars broken into two classes based on power and manufacturer involvement, called GT and N-GT. It began on 28 March 2004 and ended 14 November 2004 after 11 races.


2004 FIA GT Championship, Drivers Championship, GT standings
The GT Drivers Championship was won jointly by Luca Cappellari and Fabrizio Gollin who shared a Ferrari 550 Maranello entered by BMS Scuderia Italia.


2004 FIA GT Championship, Drivers Championship, N-GT standings
The N-GT Drivers Championship was won jointly by Sascha Maassen and Lucas Luhr who shared a Porsche 996 GT3 RSR entered by Freisinger Motorsport.


2004 FIA GT Championship, Teams Championship
Points were awarded separately in both GT and N-GT to the top 8 class finishers in the order of 10–8–6–5–4–3–2–1. At the Spa 24 Hours only, half points were also granted to the leading eight cars at the 12-hour mark. Both cars scored points towards the championship.


2004 FIA GT Championship, Teams Championship, GT Standings
Due to the Maserati MC12 not being homologated, AF Corse was not eligible to score points from Round 8 through Round 10. Championship points were redistributed to other GT competitors, ignoring the placing of the AF Corse cars. At Round 11 the homologation was approved and AF Corse was then allowed to score points.


2004 FIA GT Donington 500km
The 2004 FIA GT Donington 500 km was the sixth round the 2004 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the Donington Park, United Kingdom, on 27 June 2004.


2004 FIA GT Donington 500km
Several competitors from the British GT Championship participated in this event, although the TVR Tuscans were required to run in a separate special class due to the cars not meeting N-GT homologation requirements. The #5 Vitaphone Saleen overtook the #17 JMB Ferrari for the lead, then quickly build up a gap of 8 seconds. In the last lap at the chicane, the #5 had come together with the #99 Porsche and the former suffered a puncture. The damage to the Saleen was enough to lose the win as Jaime Melo retake the lead in the final corner. Matteo Bobbi was able to unlap the #17 Ferrari on the final corner as well and gained a lap advantage.


2004 FIA GT Donington 500km, Official results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2004 FIA GT Dubai 500km
The 2004 FIA GT Dubai 500 km was the tenth round the 2004 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the Dubai Autodrome, United Arab Emirates, on October 8, 2004.


2004 FIA GT Dubai 500km, Official results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2004 FIA GT Hockenheim 500km
The 2004 FIA GT Hockenheim 500 km was the fourth round the 2004 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the Hockenheimring, Germany, on May 16, 2004.


2004 FIA GT Hockenheim 500km, Official results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2004 FIA GT Imola 500 km
The 2004 FIA GT Imola 500 km was the eighth round the 2004 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Italy, on September 5, 2004.


2004 FIA GT Imola 500 km
This race featured the competition debut of the Maserati MC12, with AF Corse entering two cars. The FIA had initially refused homologation of the road versions of the MC12 due to the car being wider than the current regulations allow. However, with agreement from other FIA GT teams, the MC12 was allowed to participate in the GT1 class with revised bodywork, a narrower rear wing, and no ability to score championship points.


2004 FIA GT Imola 500 km, Official results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2004 FIA GT Imola 500 km, Official results
† – #62 G.P.C. Giesse Squadra Corse was disqualified after failing post-race technical inspection. The car's airbox was larger than regulations allowed.


2004 FIA GT Magny-Cours 500km
The 2004 FIA GT Magny-Cours 500 km was the third round the 2004 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France, on 2 May 2004.


2004 FIA GT Magny-Cours 500km, Official results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2004 FIA GT Monza 500km
The 2004 FIA GT Monza 500 km was the first round the 2004 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy, on March 28, 2004.


2004 FIA GT Monza 500km, Official results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2004 FIA GT Oschersleben 500km
The 2004 FIA GT Oschersleben 500 km was the ninth round the 2004 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, Germany, on September 19, 2004.


2004 FIA GT Oschersleben 500km
Following the debut of the MC12 at the previous round in Imola, AF Corse scored their maiden victory here in Oschersleben. The team and their drivers were however still ineligible to score points due to the MC12's homologations problems.


2004 FIA GT Oschersleben 500km, Official results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2004 FIA GT Valencia 500km
The 2004 FIA GT Valencia 500 km was the second round the 2004 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the Circuit de Valencia, Spain, on April 18, 2004.


2004 FIA GT Valencia 500km, Official results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2004 FIA GT Zhuhai 500km
The 2004 FIA GT Zhuhai 500 km was the eleventh and final round the 2004 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the Zhuhai International Circuit, China, on November 14, 2004.


2004 FIA GT Zhuhai 500km
Following three straight races in which AF Corse's Maserati MC12s were allowed to race but ineligible for points, the FIA finally approved the car for homologation. Although this meant that the MC12s were still restricted, Maserati was able to score their first and only points all season.


2004 FIA GT Zhuhai 500km, Official results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2004 FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup
The 2004 FIBA Africa Basketball Club Championship (19th edition), was an international basketball tournament  held in Cairo, Egypt, from November 20 to 27, 2004. The tournament, organized by FIBA Africa and hosted by Al Ahly, was contested by 7 teams in two groups, in a preliminary round robin system followed by a knockout stage.


2004 FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup
The tournament was won by Primeiro de Agosto from Angola.


2004 FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup squads
This article displays the rosters for the participating teams at the 2004 FIBA Africa Club Championship.


2004 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship for Women
The 2004 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship for Women was the 8th FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship for Women, played under the rules of FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, and the FIBA Africa thereof. The tournament was hosted by Tunisia from December 17 to 26, 2004.


2004 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship for Women
Tunisia ended the round-robin tournament with a 6–0 unbeaten record to win their first title  and qualify, alongside DR Congo, for the 2005 FIBA U19 Women's World Cup.


2004 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship for Women, Participating teams
Angola Central African Republic DR Congo Mali Mozambique South Africa Tunisia


2004 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship for Women, Final standings
Tunisia rosterEmna Jlida, Fatma Jouini, Fatma Mahmoud, Hajer Hafsi, Mariem Ouertani, Maroua Boumenjel, Mouna Ghalleb, Nedra Dhouibi, Olfa Ouerghi, Samah Grioui, Saousen Jebali, Selma M'Nasria, Coach:


2004 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship for Women squads
This article displays the rosters for the participating teams at the 2004 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship for Women.


2004 FIBA Africa Under-20 Championship
The 2004 FIBA Africa Under-20 Championship was the only FIBA Africa Under-20 Championship, played under the rules of FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, and the FIBA Africa thereof. The tournament was hosted by Senegal from July 23 to August 1, 2004.


2004 FIBA Africa Under-20 Championship
Nigeria defeated Cameroon 83–82 in the final to win the championship. and secured a spot at the 2005 U-21 World Cup.


2004 FIBA Africa Under-20 Championship squads
This article displays the rosters for the participating teams at the 2004 FIBA Africa Championship.


2004 FIBA Asia Champions Cup
The FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2004 was the 15th staging of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup, the basketball club tournament of FIBA Asia. The tournament was held in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates between May 15 to 22, 2004.


2004 FIBA Asia Champions Cup
The Sagesse team from Lebanon was the first club to win three FIBA Asia Champions Cup titles after narrowly defeating the reigning champions Al-Wahda from Syria in the Final.


2004 FIBA Asia Championship for Women
The 2004 FIBA Asia Championship for Women is the qualifying tournament for FIBA Asia at the women's basketball tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics at Athens. The tournament was held on Sendai, Japan from January 13 to January 19. The championship is divided into two levels: Level I and Level II.


2004 FIBA Asia Stanković Cup
The FIBA Asia Stanković Cup 2004 served as the qualifying tournament for the 2005 FIBA Asia Championship. This competition is distinct from the Stanković Cup intercontinental tournament attended by teams outside the FIBA Asia zone.


2004 FIBA Asia Stanković Cup, Qualification
According to the FIBA Asia rules, each zone had one place, and the hosts team (Chinese Taipei) and Asian champion (China) were automatically qualified. The other three places are allocated to the zones according to performance in the 2003 ABC Championship.


2004 FIBA Asia Under-18 Championship
The FIBA Asia Under-18 Championship 2004 is the 2004 edition of the FIBA Asia's youth championship for basketball. The games were held at Bangalore, India from September 14–23, 2004.


2004 FIBA Asia Under-18 Championship for Women
ABC Under-18 Championship for Women 2004 is the 17th edition of ABC's basketball championship for females under 18 years old. The games were held at Shenzhen, China.


2004 FIBA Asia Under-18 Championship for Women
The championship is divided into two levels: Level I and Level II. The last finishers of Level I are relegated to Level II and the top finisher of Level II qualify for Level I 2007's championship.


2004 FIBA Asia Under-20 Championship
The FIBA Asia Under-20 Championship 2004 is the 4th edition of the FIBA Asia's young men championship for basketball. The games were held at Tehran, Iran


2004 FIBA Asia Under-20 Championship, Qualification
According to the FIBA Asia rules, each zone had two places, and the hosts (Iran) and holders (Qatar) were automatically qualified. The other four places are allocated to the zones according to performance in the 2000 ABC Under-20 Championship.


2004 FIBA Diamond Ball
The 2004 FIBA Diamond Ball was a basketball tournament held in Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro, from July 31 until August 3, 2004. The FIBA Diamond Ball was an official international basketball tournament organised by FIBA, held every Olympic year prior to the Olympics. It was the 2nd edition of the FIBA Diamond Ball. The six participating teams were Angola, Argentina, Australia, host Serbia and Montenegro, China and Lithuania.


2004 FIBA Diamond Ball for Women
The 2004 FIBA Diamond Ball was a basketball tournament held in Heraklion, Greece, from August 5 until August 8, 2004. The FIBA Diamond Ball was an official international basketball tournament organised by FIBA, held every Olympic year prior to the Olympics. It was the 1st edition of the FIBA Diamond Ball. The six participating teams were Australia, China host Greece, Brazil, Nigeria and South Korea.


2004 FIBA Diamond Ball for Women
The United States women's team did not participate in the 2004 event although they were  the then-reigning World champions and Olympic champions.


2004 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship
The 2004 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship was the 18th edition of the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. The cities of Amaliada and Pyrgos, in Greece, hosted the tournament. France won the trophy for the first time. Georgia and Germany were relegated to Division B.


2004 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, System of competition
The tournament format changed with the inclusion of the Division System. The sixteen teams from Division A entered the tournament. In the Preliminary Round, the sixteen teams were allocated in four groups of four teams each. The two top teams from each group qualify for the Quarterfinals. The eight teams were allocated on two groups of four teams each, with the two top teams qualifying for the semifinals. The two teams qualified 15th and 16th were relegated to Division B.


2004 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship Division B
The 2004 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship Division B was an international basketball competition held in England and Bulgaria in 2004. Iceland, the winner of Group A (Brighton, England) and Ukraine, the winner of Group B (Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria) qualified for Division A.


2004 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship for Women Division B
The 2004 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship for Women Division B was the first edition of the Division B of the European basketball championship for women's national under-16 teams. 17 teams were drawn into two groups. Group A tournament was played in Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 30 July to 6 August 2004 and Group B tournament was played in Rakvere, Estonia, from 30 July to 8 August 2004. Ukraine and Lithuania won the tournaments and were promoted to the 2005 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship for Women Division A.


2004 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
The 2004 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was an international basketball  competition held in Spain in 2004.


2004 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship
The 2004 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship was the seventh edition of the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. The city of Brno, in the Czech Republic, hosted the tournament. Slovenia won their second title.


2004 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, Qualification
Twenty-five national teams entered the qualifying round. They were allocated in five groups. The first two teams from groups A, B, C, D and the first three teams from group E qualified for the tournament, where they joined Czech Republic (qualified as hosts).


2004 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, Preliminary round
The twelve teams were allocated in two groups of six teams each.


2004 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship for Women
The 2004 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship for Women was the third edition of the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship for Women. 12 teams participated in the competition, held in Vannes, France, from 23 July to 1 August 2004. Russia won their second title.


2004 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship for Women, Qualification
Twenty-three national teams entered the qualifying round. They were allocated in four groups. The first three teams from groups A, B, C and the first two teams from group D qualified for the tournament, where they joined France (qualified as hosts).


2004 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship for Women, Preliminary round
In this round, the twelve teams were allocated in two groups of six teams each. The top four teams qualify for the Quarterfinals.


2004 FIFA Futsal World Championship
The 2004 FIFA Futsal World Championship was the fifth FIFA Futsal World Championship, the quadrennial international futsal championship contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It was held between 21 November and 5 December 2004 in Chinese Taipei. It was the first FIFA tournament held in the country and was the last to feature 16 teams.


2004 FIFA Futsal World Championship
Spain won their second successive title, defeating Italy in the final.


2004 FIFA Futsal World Championship, Top goalscorers
The top 10 scorers from the 2004 FIFA Futsal World Cup are as follows:


2004 FIFA Futsal World Championship qualification
The qualification competition for the 2004 FIFA Futsal World Championship was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oceania), and UEFA (Europe) — was allocated a certain number of the 16 places at the tournament.


2004 FIFA Futsal World Championship squads
This article lists the confirmed national futsal squads for the 2004 FIFA Futsal World Championship tournament held in Chinese Taipei, between November 21 and December 5, 2004.


2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship
The 2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship was held from 10 to 27 November 2004. It was the second edition of the youth tournament for women put together by FIFA, before being renamed FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship for the 2006 edition. The tournament was hosted by Thailand, in two stadiums in Bangkok, one in Chiang Mai and another in Phuket. This was the first FIFA women's tournament held in Southeast Asia.


2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship
Brazil's Marta was the Adidas Golden Ball recipient, as the tournament's most valuable player (MVP), and Canada's Brittany Timko won the Golden Shoe with 7 goals in 4 games.


2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship, Qualified teams
The places have been allocated as follows to confederations: CAF (1), AFC (2), UEFA (4), CONCACAF (2), CONMEBOL (1), OFC (1), plus the host country (1).


2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship, Awards, All star team
Wang Kun  Akudo Sabi  Elena Semenchenko  Supaphon Kaeobaen  Becky Sauerbrunn


2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship, Awards, All star team
Zhang Ying  Marta  Simone Laudehr  Patricia Hanebeck  Lee Jang-mi  Svetlana Tsidikova  Angie Woznuk


2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship squads
This article lists the team squads of the  2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship, held in Thailand from 10 to 27 November 2004.


2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship squads, Group C, South Korea
The South Korea squad consisted of 21 players. Coach: Baek Jong-chul


2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship squads, Group C, Spain
The Spain squad consisted of 21 players. Coach: Ignacio Quereda


2004 FIFA World Player of the Year
The 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award was won by Brazilian Ronaldinho for the first time, Thierry Henry finished second for the second year in succession.


2004 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Final
The 2004 Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Final was held in Birmingham, England in 2004. This was the fourth edition of the World Cup Final. From 2003 to 2004, a series of qualifying events were held, culminating in a final event, the World Cup Final. The different stages, sometimes referred to as World Cup Qualifiers, mostly served the purpose of awarding points to individual gymnasts and groups according to their placements. These points would be added up over the two-year period to qualify a limited number of athletes to the biennial World Cup Final event.


2004 FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Final
The 2004 FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Final was the sixth edition of the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Final, held from November 27 to November 28, 2004 in Moscow, Russia. The competition was officially organized by the International Gymnastics Federation as the last stage of a series of competitions through the 2003–2004 season.


2004 FINA Diving World Cup
The 2004 FINA Diving World Cup was held in Athens, Grece and was a qualifying event for 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.


2004 FINA Men's Water Polo World League
The 2004 FINA Men's Water Polo World League was the third edition of the annual event, organised by the world's governing body in aquatics, the FINA. After a preliminary round, the Super Final was held in Long Beach, United States.


2004 FINA Men's Water Polo World League, Preliminary round
Pool winners advanced to the semifinals, while the second and third placed teams in each pool competed in the quarterfinals. The bottom team in each pool was eliminated.


2004 FINA Women's Water Polo World League
The 2004 FINA Women's Water Polo World League was the initial edition of an annual tournament organized by the International Swimming Federation (FINA). The tournament was held in Long Beach, California from June 23 to June 27, 2004.


2004 FINA World Junior Synchronised Swimming Championships
The 9th FINA World Junior Synchronised Swimming Championships was held August 15–18, 2002 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The synchronised swimmers are aged between 15 and 18 years old, from 31 nations, swimming in four events: Solo, Duet, Team and Free combination.


2004 FINA World Junior Synchronised Swimming Championships, Participating nations
31 nations swam at the 2004 World Junior Championships were:


2004 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships
The 3rd FINA Open Water Swimming World Championships were held November 26 – December 2, 2004 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The championships featured 90 swimmers from 26 countries competing in six races:


2004 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)
The 7th FINA Short Course World Championships were held at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States from October 7 through October 11, 2004.


2004 FIRA Women's European Championship
For the 2004 competition Pool A reverted to a single eight nation knockout, while Pool B was a round-robin. France repeated Netherlands feat of winning as hosts. The tournament took place at grounds in and around the Midi-Pyrénées region of France (near to Toulouse) between 30 April to 9 May.


2004 FIRS Intercontinental Cup
The 2004 FIRS Intercontinental Cup was the eighth edition of the roller hockey tournament known as the Intercontinental Cup, played between 14 and 16 of May, 2004 (after a five-year hiatus). This edition rolled back to a two-legged final. HC Liceo La Coruña won the cup, defeating CDU Estudiantil.


2004 FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix
The 2004 FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix was the 11th Summer Grand Prix season in ski jumping on plastic. The season began on 31 July 2004 in Hinterzarten, Germany and ended on 26 September 2004 in Hakuba, Japan.


2004 FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix
Other competitive circuits this season included the World Cup and the Continental Cup.


2004 FIU Golden Panthers football team
The 2004 FIU Golden Panthers football team represented Florida International University in the 2004 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Panthers were led by head coach Don Strock in his third season and finished with a record of zero wins and seven losses (0–7). In 2008, the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions found major violations within the football program and as such vacated the Panthers' three wins from the 2004 season.


2004 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix
The FIVB World Grand Prix 2004 was the twelfth edition of the annual women's volleyball tournament, which is the female equivalent of the Men's Volleyball World League. The 2004 edition was played by twelve countries from July 9 to August 1, 2004, with the final round held in Reggio Calabria, Italy. Hosts Italy and the top five ranked teams after the preliminary rounds qualified for the last round.


2004 FIVB Volleyball World League
The 2004 FIVB Volleyball World League was the 15th edition of the annual men's international volleyball tournament, played by 12 countries from 4 June to 18 July 2004. The Final Round was held in Rome, Italy.


2004 FIVB Volleyball World League squads
This article show all participating team squads at the 2004 FIVB Volleyball World League, played by 12 countries from 4 May to 18 July 2004. The Final Round was held in Rome, Italy.


2004 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Brazil
The following is the  roster in the 2004 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2004 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Bulgaria
The following is the  roster in the 2004 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2004 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, China
The following is the  roster in the 2004 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2004 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Cuba
The following is the  roster in the 2004 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2004 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, France
The following is the  roster in the 2004 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2004 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Greece
The following is the  roster in the 2004 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2004 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Italy
The following is the  roster in the 2004 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2004 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Japan
The following is the  roster in the 2004 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2004 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Poland
The following is the  roster in the 2004 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2004 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Portugal
The following is the  roster in the 2004 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2004 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Serbia and Montenegro
The following is the  roster in the 2004 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2004 FIVB Volleyball World League squads, Spain
The following is the  roster in the 2004 FIVB Volleyball World League.


2004 FIVB Women's World Olympic Qualification Tournament
The 2004 FIVB Women's World Olympic Qualification Tournament was a women's volleyball tournament to determine which four teams would compete in the women's event at the 2004 Athens Olympics. It was held on 8–16 May 2004 in Tokyo, Japan. The winning teams were  Japan,  South Korea,  Russia and  Italy.


2004 FIVB World Grand Prix squads
This article show all participating team squads at the 2004 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Grand Prix, played by twelve countries from 9 July to 1 August 2004 with the final round held in Reggio Calabria, Italy.


2004 FU162
2004 FU162 is an Aten near-Earth asteroid less than 20 meters in diameter crudely estimated to have passed roughly 6500 km above the surface of Earth on 31 March 2004.


2004 FU162
It was only observed for 44 minutes on 31 March 2004, by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) team at Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site in Socorro, New Mexico, and remains a lost asteroid. The estimated 4 to 6 meter sized body made one of the closest known approaches to Earth.


2004 FU162, Description
On 31 March 2004, around 15:35 UTC, the asteroid is crudely estimated to have passed within approximately 1 Earth radius (R⊕) or 6,400 kilometers of the surface of the Earth (or 2.02 R⊕ from Earth's center). But due to the very short observation arc, the uncertainty in the close approach distance is a large ±15000 km. By comparison, geostationary satellites orbit at 5.6 R⊕ and GPS satellites orbit at 3.17 R⊕ from the center of the Earth.


2004 FU162, Description
As of 2008 this was the third or fourth closest approach. The first observation of 2004 FU162 was not announced until 22 August 2004.


2004 FU162, Description
It was only observed four times in the space of 44 minutes and could not be followed up. Nevertheless, "the orbit is quite determinate and, given the exceptional nature of this close approach, the object is now receiving a designation". No precovery images have been found.


2004 FU162, Description
2004 FU162 is estimated to be approximately 6 meters in diameter. This means that it would burn up from atmospheric friction before striking the ground in the case of an Earth impact.


2004 FU162, Description
On 26 March 2010, it may have come within 0.0825 AU (12.3 million km) of Earth, but with an uncertainty parameter of 9, the orbit is poorly determined.


2004 FU162, Description
Another, larger near-Earth asteroid, 2004 FH passed just two weeks prior to 2004 FU162.


2004 FU162, Description
A closer non-impacting approach to Earth was not known until 2008 TS26 on 9 October 2008.


2004 Fallujah ambush
The 2004 Fallujah Blackwater incident occurred on March 31, 2004, when Iraqi insurgents attacked a convoy containing four American contractors from the private military company Blackwater USA who were conducting a delivery for food caterers ESS.


2004 Fallujah ambush, The ambush
The four armed contractors, Scott Helvenston, Jerry Zovko, Wesley Batalona, and Mike Teague, were killed and dragged from their vehicles. Their bodies were beaten and burned, with their charred corpses then dragged through the city streets before being hung over a bridge crossing the Euphrates River.


2004 Fallujah ambush, Reactions
Photos of the event, showing jubilant Iraqis posing with the charred corpses, were then released to news agencies worldwide, which caused a great deal of indignation in the United States. This prompted the announcement of a counter-insurgency campaign in the city.


2004 Fallujah ambush, Response
The ambush led to the First Battle of Fallujah, a U.S.-led operation to retake control of the city. However, the battle was halted mid-way for political reasons, an outcome which commentators have described as either a stalemate or an insurgent victory. Seven months later, in November 2004, a second attempt at capturing the city, the Second Battle of Fallujah, proved successful.


2004 Fallujah ambush, Response
Intelligence reports concluded that Ahmad Hashim Abd al-Isawi was the mastermind behind the attack, and was not captured until a successful Navy SEAL operation in 2009.   al-Isawi was held for a time by the United States intelligence community and testified at one of the 2010 courts-martial of SEALs he accused of mistreating him while detained at Camp Schwedler. He was subsequently handed over to Iraqi authorities for trial and executed by hanging some time before November 2013.


2004 Fallujah ambush, 2005 lawsuit
The families of the victims filed suit (Helvenston et al. v. Blackwater Security) against Blackwater USA for wrongful death in January 2005.


2004 Family Circle Cup
The 2004 Family Circle Cup was a women's tennis tournament and the 32nd edition of the Family Circle Cup. This WTA Tier I Event was held on outdoor clay courts at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Fourth-seeded Venus Williams won the singles title.


2004 Family Circle Cup, Finals, Doubles
Virginia Ruano Pascual /  Paola Suárez defeated  Martina Navratilova /  Lisa Raymond 6–4, 6–1


2004 Family Circle Cup – Doubles
Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez were the defending champions and successfully defended their title, by defeating Martina Navratilova and Lisa Raymond 6–4, 6–1 in the final.


2004 Family Circle Cup – Doubles
It was the 26th title for Ruano Pascual and the 33rd for Suárez in their respective careers. It was also the 3rd title for the pair during the season, after their wins in the Australian Open and Indian Wells.


2004 Family Circle Cup – Doubles, Seeds
The first four seeds received a bye into the second round.


2004 Family Circle Cup – Singles
Justine Henin-Hardenne was the defending champion, but did not compete this year due to a hypoglycemia.


2004 Family Circle Cup – Singles
Venus Williams won the title, defeating Conchita Martínez in the final, 2–6, 6–2, 6–1. This was Williams' 30th career title.


2004 Family Circle Cup – Singles, Seeds
The first nine seeds received a bye into the second round.


2004 Fareham Borough Council election
The 2004 Fareham Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Fareham Borough Council in Hampshire, England. Half of the council was up for election, with the Conservative Party increasing their majority.


2004 Fareham Borough Council election, Campaign
Before the election there were 18 Conservative and 12 Liberal Democrat councillors, with 15 of the 31 seats being contested. One of the 15 seats, in Fareham South ward, was vacant after an independent, former Liberal Democrat, councillor had stepped down, after being fined for false housing and council tax benefit claims. Fareham South was among a number of wards which were reported as being vulnerable to a change in party control including Fareham East, Fareham North, Portchester West, Stubbington and Titchfield Common. A couple of former councillors who had been defeated in the 2002 election stood again, former Labour group leader Mick Prior in Fareham North-West and Conservative Nick Walker in Portchester West.


2004 Fareham Borough Council election, Campaign
Issues in the election included council tax levels and plans by the government to build 1,000 houses near Sarisbury. The national issue of the Iraq War was also seen as being likely to sway votes in the election.


2004 Fareham Borough Council election, Election result
The results saw the Conservatives increase their majority on the council after gaining 3 seats from the Liberal Democrats. Conservative gains included Stubbington where they won by only 8 votes over the Liberal Democrats after a recount and in Portchester West where Nick Walker returned to the council. The Conservatives also gained a seat in Fareham South from an independent in a seat which had previously been seen as strongly Liberal Democrat. The Liberal Democrats partly blamed their defeats on the election being held at the same time as the European elections, while a defeated Labour candidate said their failure to win any seats was in line with the national performance by the party.


2004 Fareham Borough Council election, Election result
Overall turnout increased to 40.3% with a rise in postal votes to 6,000 contributing to the increase.


2004 Faroese general election
Parliamentary elections were held in the Faroe Islands on 20 January 2004.


2004 Fed Cup
The 2004 Fed Cup was the 42nd edition of the most important competition between national teams in women's tennis.


2004 Fed Cup
The final was held at the Ice Palace Krylatskoye in Moscow, Russia, on 27–28 November. The home team Russia defeated the defending champion France to win their first title after five final appearances.


2004 Fed Cup, World Group Play-offs
The eight losing teams in the World Group first round ties and eight winners of the Zonal Group I sections competed in the World Group Play-offs for spots in the 2005 World Group II.


2004 Fed Cup, Rankings
The rankings were measured after the three points during the year that play took place, and were collated by combining points earned from the previous four years.


2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone
The Americas Zone was one of three zones of regional competition in the 2004 Fed Cup.


2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone, Group I
The nine teams were divided into two pools of four and five teams. The teams that finished first in the pools played-off against those that placed second to determine which team would partake in the World Group Play-offs. The four nations coming last or second-to-last in the pools also played-off to determine which would be relegated to Group II for 2005.


2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone, Group II
The nine teams were divided into one pool of four and one pool of five teams. The top two teams of both pools play off to decide which nation is promoted to the Americas Zone Group I for 2005, while the rest played against each other to determine overall placings.


2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Play-offs
The Play-offs of the 2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I were the final stages of the Group I Zonal Competition involving teams from the Americas. Using the positions determined in their pools, the nine teams faced off to determine their placing in the 2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I, the top two countries of each pool played for first to fourth placings, while the bottom two of each pool competed for sixth to ninth. The teams that ended up placing first overall advanced to World Group Play-offs, whilst those coming in eighth were relegated down to Group II for the next year.


2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Play-offs, Promotional Play-Offs
The first and second placed teams of each pool were placed against each other in two head-to-head rounds. The winner of the rounds advanced to the World Group Play-offs, where they would get a chance to advance to the World Group for next year.


2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Play-offs, Fifth
As there were only four teams from Pool A compared to the five from Pool B, the third-placed team from Pool B ( Cuba) had no equivalent to play against. Thus the Cubans were automatically awarded fifth place.


2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Play-offs, Relegation Play-Offs
The last and second-to-last placed teams of each pool were placed against each other in two head-to-head rounds. The losing team of the rounds were relegated to Group II for next year.


2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Pool A
Group A of the 2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I was one of two pools in the Americas Zone Group I of the 2004 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams play for advancement to the World Group Play-offs, while the bottom teams face potential relegation to Group II.


2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Pool B
Group B of the 2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I was one of two pools in the Americas Zone Group I of the 2004 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams play for advancement to the World Group Play-offs, while the bottom teams face potential relegation to Group II.


2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II – Play-offs
The Play-offs of the 2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I were the final stages of the Group I Zonal Competition involving teams from the Americas. Using the positions determined in their pools, the seven teams faced off to determine their placing in the 2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II. The top two teams advanced to Group II for the next year.


2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II – Play-offs, Promotional Play-Offs
The first and second placed teams of each pool were placed against each other in two head-to-head rounds. The winner of the rounds advanced to Group II for 2005.


2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II – Play-offs, Fifth
As there was only three teams from Pool B as opposed to the four from Pool A, the third-placed team from Pool A ( Ecuador) had no equivalent to play against. Thus the Ecuadorians were automatically allocated fifth place.


2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II – Play-offs, 6th to 7th Play-Offs
The last-placed teams from each pool were drawn in head-to-head rounds to find the sixth and seventh placed teams.


2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II – Pool A
Group A of the 2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II was one of two pools in the Americas Zone Group II of the 2004 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams play for advancement to the Group I.


2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II – Pool B
Group B of the 2004 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II was one of two pools in the Americas Zone Group II of the 2004 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams play for advancement to the Group I.


2004 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone
The Asia/Oceania Zone was one of three zones of regional competition in the 2004 Fed Cup.


2004 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone, Group I
The nine teams were divided into two pools of four and five teams. The teams that finished first and second in the pools played-off to determine which team would partake in the World Group Play-offs. The two nations coming second-last and last in the pools also played-off to determine which two would be relegated to Group II for 2005.


2004 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone, Group II
The five teams played in one pool of five, with the two teams placing first and second in the pool advancing to Group I for 2005.


2004 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Play-offs
The Play-offs of the 2004 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I were the final stages of the Group I Zonal Competition involving teams from Asia and Oceania. Using the positions determined in their pools, the nine teams faced off to determine their placing in the 2004 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I, the top two countries of each pool played for first to fourth placings, while the bottom two of each pool competed for sixth to ninth. The teams that ended up placing first overall advanced to World Group Play-offs, whilst those coming in eighth were relegated down to Group II for the next year.


2004 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Play-offs, Promotional Play-Offs
The first and second placed teams of each pool were placed against each other in two head-to-head rounds. The winner of the rounds advanced to the World Group Play-offs, where they would get a chance to advance to the World Group for next year.


2004 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Play-offs, Fifth
As there was only four teams from Pool A as opposed to the five from Pool B, the third-placed team from Pool B ( South Korea) had no equivalent to play against. Thus the South Koreans were automatically allocated fifth place.


2004 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Play-offs, Relegation Play-Offs
The last and second-to-last placed teams of each pool were placed against each other in two head-to-head rounds. The losing team of the rounds were relegated to Group II for next year.


2004 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Pool A
Group A of the 2004 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I was one of two pools in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I of the 2004 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams play for advancement to the World Group Play-offs, while the bottom teams face potential relegation to Group II.


2004 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Pool B
Group B of the 2004 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I was one of two pools in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I of the 2004 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams play for advancement to the World Group Play-offs, while the bottom teams face potential relegation to Group II.


2004 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II – Pool
The Pool of the 2004 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II composed of five teams competing in a round robin competition. The top two teams qualified for Group I next year.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone
The Europe/Africa Zone was one of three zones of regional competition in the 2004 Fed Cup.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone, Group I
The fourteen teams were divided into two pools of three teams and two pools of four. The top teams of each pool played-off against the second-placed teams to decide which four nations progress to World Group Play-offs. The four nations coming last played-off against each other to decide which teams are relegated to Group II for 2005.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone, Group II
The nine teams were divided into a pool of four teams and a pool of five. The top teams of each pool played-off against the second-placed teams to decide which two nations progress to Group I for 2005. The four nations coming last played-off against the second-to-last placed teams to determine which teams would be relegated to Group III for 2005.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone, Group III
The eight teams were divided into two pools of four teams. The top teams of each pool played-off against the second-placed teams to decide which two nations progress to Group II for 2005. The other teams played against each other to determine overall placings.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I – Play-offs
The Play-offs of the 2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I were the final stages of the Group I Zonal Competition involving teams from Europe and Africa. Those that qualified for this stage placed first and second in their respective pools, and also last in their pools.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I – Play-offs
The eight top teams were then randomly paired up the team from a different placing of another group for a play-off tie, with the winners being promoted to the World Group Play-offs. The four bottom teams were also randomly paired up in play-off ties with the losers being relegated down to Group II for 2005.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I – Pool A
Group A of the 2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I was one of four pools in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I of the 2004 Fed Cup. Three teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams advancing to the advancement play-offs and the bottom team being relegated down to the relegation play-offs.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I – Pool B
Group B of the 2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I was one of four pools in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I of the 2004 Fed Cup. Three teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams advancing to the advancement play-offs and the bottom team being relegated down to the relegation play-offs.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I – Pool C
Group C of the 2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I was one of four pools in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I of the 2004 Fed Cup. Three teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams advancing to the advancement play-offs and the bottom team being relegated down to the relegation play-offs.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I – Pool D
Group D of the 2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I was one of four pools in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I of the 2004 Fed Cup. Three teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams advancing to the advancement play-offs and the bottom team being relegated down to the relegation play-offs.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II – Play-offs
The Play-offs of the 2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II were the final stages of the Group I Zonal Competition involving teams from Europe and Africa. Using the positions determined in their pools, the nine teams faced off to determine their placing in the 2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II. The top two teams advanced to Group I for next year, and the bottom two teams were relegated down to the Europe/Africa Zone Group III.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II – Play-offs, Promotional Play-Offs
The first and second placed teams of each pool were placed against each other in two head-to-head rounds. The winner of the rounds advanced to Group I.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II – Play-offs, Fifth
As there was only four teams from Pool A as opposed to the five from Pool B, the third-placed team from Pool B ( Latvia) had no equivalent to play against. Thus the Latvians were automatically allocated fifth place.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II – Play-offs, Relegation Play-Offs
The last and second-to-last placed teams of each pool were placed against each other in two head-to-head rounds. The losing team of the rounds were relegated to Group III for next year.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II – Pool A
Group A of the 2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II was one of two pools in the Europe/Africa Zone Group II of the 2004 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top two teams play for advancement to Group I, while the bottom two teams face potential relegation to Group III.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II – Pool B
Group B of the 2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II was one of two pools in the Europe/Africa Zone Group II of the 2004 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top two teams play for advancement to Group I, while the bottom two teams face potential relegation to Group III.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III – Play-offs
The Play-offs of the 2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III were the final stages of the Group I Zonal Competition involving teams from Europe and Africa. Using the positions determined in their pools, the eight teams faced off to determine their placing in the 2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III. The top two teams advanced to Group II for next year.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III – Play-offs, Promotional Play-Offs
The first and second placed teams of each pool were placed against each other in two head-to-head rounds. The winner of the rounds advanced to Group II.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III – Play-offs, Fifth to Seventh Play-off
The third and fourth placed teams of each pool were placed against each other in two head-to-head rounds. The winner of the rounds were allocated fifth place in the Group, while the losers were allocated seventh.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III – Pool A
Group A of the 2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III was one of two pools in the Europe/Africa Zone Group III of the 2004 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams play for advancement to the Group II.


2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III – Pool B
Group B of the 2004 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III was one of two pools in the Europe/Africa Zone Group III of the 2004 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams and the bottom two teams proceeding to their respective sections of the play-offs: the top teams play for advancement to the Group II.


2004 Fed Cup World Group
The World Group was the highest level of Fed Cup competition in 2004. Sixteen nations competed in a four-round knockout competition. World No. 1 team France was the defending champion, but they were defeated in the final by World No. 5 team and four-time finalist Russia. As such, Russia ascended to World No. 2.


2004 Fed Cup World Group Play-offs
The 2004 World Group Play-offs decided which nations featured in World Group in the 2005 Fed Cup. The play-off winners went on to feature in World Group in 2005, while the losing nations joined Zonal Competition for 2005.


2004 Fiesta Bowl
The 2004 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2004, was the 33rd edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game pitted #7 Ohio State against #8 Kansas State. It was a match-up between a perennial powerhouse in Ohio State, and a school that was only recently accustomed to winning in Kansas State. Despite Kansas State's historically losing record, head coach Bill Snyder had turned around the program in the decade before the bowl game, and K-State was actually making its second Fiesta Bowl appearance in 7 years.


2004 Fiesta Bowl
Kansas State was the Big 12 Conference champion, and came into the game on a seven-game win streak, winning those games by an average of 39–9. In the game immediately before the Fiesta Bowl, Kansas State had soundly defeated #1-ranked Oklahoma 35–7 in the Big 12 Championship Game. However, the K-State team was badly distracted one night before the bowl game when its quarterback and team leader Ell Roberson was accused of sexual assault. (No charges were ultimately filed against Roberson.) In fact, it was not known whether Roberson would play until game time. Kansas State had been favored to win by 7 points, but some casinos pulled the line over the uncertainty about Roberson.


2004 Fiesta Bowl
Despite being outgained 378–337 in the bowl game, and has a turnover margin of -1, Ohio State prevailed 35–28. It was Ohio State's second straight Fiesta Bowl win; they went on to win another one in 2006.


2004 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary
Kansas State won the coin toss and elected to defer. Ohio State's first drive stalled, but its punt gave Kansas State a horrible field position. On Kansas State's first drive, they went 3 and out, and were forced to punt from their 7-yard line. Harlan Jacobs of Ohio State blocked the K-State punt and John Hollins returned it 7 yards for a touchdown, and Ohio State opened up an early 7–0 lead.


2004 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary
Later in the first quarter, Ohio State's quarterback Craig Krenzel fired a pass to Santonio Holmes for a 6-yard touchdown, and Ohio State extended its lead to 14–0. In the second quarter, Krenzel fired a 17-yard pass to Michael Jenkins for his second touchdown pass. At this point, Ohio State appeared to have the game under control, as it had a 21–0 lead. But Kansas State wouldn't quit. The Wildcats' star running back Darren Sproles ran 6 yards for a touchdown to make the score 21–7. Kansas State's defense stopped Ohio State on their next position, and the first half ended with the same score.


2004 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary
With 9 minutes to go in the third quarter, Kansas State quarterback Ell Roberson scrambled 14 yards for a touchdown, and Kansas State closed the gap to 21–14. It appeared as though Kansas State was back in the game, but Ohio State wouldn't be denied. With 4 minutes to go in the third quarter Krenzel found Michael Jenkins again for an 8-yard touchdown. Ohio State's lead went back to 14, and the score was 28-14. Later, with only 36 seconds left in the third quarter, Craig Krenzel found Santonio Holmes again for a 31-yard touchdown, and Ohio State led 35–14.


2004 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary
Kansas State's Ayo Saba ran 2 yards for a touchdown, and the score was 35–21. Later on, Ell Roberson found the end zone for the second time, and the score was 35–28. However, it was too little, too late for the Wildcats, as there was only 2:47 left to go in the game. Ohio State recovered an onside kick, and melted the clock to preserve a 35–28 win. Craig Krenzel, with his 4 touchdown passes, was named the Fiesta Bowl Offensive MVP.


2004 Fingal County Council election
An election to Fingal County Council took place on 11 June 2004 as part of that year's Irish local elections. 24 councillors were elected from six electoral divisions by PR-STV voting for a five-year term of office.


2004 Finlandia Trophy
The 2004 Finlandia Trophy is an annual senior-level international figure skating competition held in Finland. It was held in Helsinki on October 9–10, 2004. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles and ladies' singles.


2004 Finnish Cup
The 2004 Finnish Cup (Finnish: Suomen Cup) was the 50th season of the main annual association football cup competition in Finland. It was organised as a single-elimination knock–out tournament and participation in the competition was voluntary. A total of 386 teams registered for the competition. The final was held at the Finnair Stadium, Helsinki on 30 October 2004 with MyPa defeating FC Hämeenlinna by 2-1 before an attendance of 2,650 spectators.


2004 Finnish Figure Skating Championships
The 2004 Finnish Figure Skating Championships took place between January 3 and 4, 2004 in Vantaa. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, and ice dancing on the senior and junior levels. The event was used to help determine the Finnish team to the 2004 European Championships.


2004 Finnish municipal elections
Finnish municipal election, 2004 was held in Finland on 24 October with advance voting between 13 and 19 October 2004. 11,966 municipal council seats were open for election in 416 municipalities.


2004 Florida Atlantic Owls football team
The 2004 Florida Atlantic University Owls football team represented Florida Atlantic University in the 2004 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The team was coached by Howard Schnellenberger and played their home games at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.


2004 Florida Democratic presidential primary
The 2004 Florida Democratic presidential primary was held on March 9 in the U.S. state of Florida as one of the Democratic Party's statewide nomination contests ahead of the 2004 presidential election.


2004 Florida Gators baseball team
The 2004 Florida Gators baseball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of baseball during the 2004 college baseball season. The Gators competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They played their home games at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium, on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The team was coached by Pat McMahon, who was in his third season at Florida.


2004 Florida Gators football team
The 2004 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Gators competed in Division I-A of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The season was the third and last for head coach Ron Zook, who led the Gators to a regular season record of 7–4 (.636).


2004 Florida Gators football team, Pre-season
For the fifth time in school history, Florida played five of its first six games at home. Four of the last five games were on the road. Florida's record for the two prior seasons under Zook on the road in conference play was an SEC league best 7–1. Eight starters returned and true sophomore Chris Leak would start the first game of the season at the helm for the first time. The Gators opened the season against Eastern Michigan from the Mid-American Conference.


2004 Florida Gators football team, Game summaries, Middle Tennessee State
The match with MTSU was intended to be the season opener for the Gators, but was canceled and rescheduled because of Hurricane Frances. This left the Gators without a regular-season bye week.


2004 Florida Gators football team, Game summaries, Mississippi State
Following this loss, head coach Ron Zook was fired, but allowed to coach the remainder of the season.


2004 Florida Gators football team, Game summaries, Florida State
Ron Zook's last game as head coach of the Florida Gators and spoiled the dedication of the field for Bobby Bowden.


2004 Florida Gators football team, Game summaries, Peach Bowl
Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong was interim head coach for the bowl game.


2004 Florida Marlins season
The Florida Marlins' 2004 season was the 12th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in the National League. It would begin with the team attempting to improve on their season from 2003, where they were the defending World Series champion, having won the World Series in six games against the New York Yankees. Their manager was Jack McKeon. They played most of their home games at Pro Player Stadium. They played two against the Montreal Expos at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field due to Hurricane Ivan. The team started off 8-1, but then collapsed and finished with a record of 83-79, 3rd in the NL East, and missed the playoffs.


2004 Florida Marlins season, Player stats, Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases


2004 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 2004 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University during the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Bobby Bowden and played their home games at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. They were members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).


2004 Florida State Seminoles football team, Game summaries, Miami
Originally scheduled for September 6, 2004, the game between Miami and Florida State was postponed due to Hurricane Frances. On September 10, both teams met at the Orange Bowl in Miami. The Seminoles took the upper hand in the first half with a 45-yard field goal by Xavier Beitia and a 61-yard defensive fumble return by Antonio Cromartie. In the fourth quarter the Miami Hurricanes tied the score with an 18-yard field goal Jon Peattie and a 30-yard pass from Brock Berlin to Sinorice Moss with 30 seconds remaining. In overtime, Frank Gore broke an 18-yard run for the Hurricanes to seal the victory.


2004 Florida State Seminoles football team, Game summaries, UAB
Returning to Tallahassee after a road loss to Miami, Florida State opened the game with a 17-point lead over the Blazers with two short runs from Chris Rix and James Coleman in addition to a 30-yard kick from Xavier Beitia. In the second half, two more short runs by BJ Dean and Leon Washington in addition to a Xavier Beitia kick sealed the score at 34–7.


2004 Florida State Seminoles football team, Game summaries, Clemson
Entering the game as the #8 team in the nation, the Seminoles allowed a 97-yard kickoff return by Clemson's Justin Miller and a 3rd quarter return by Miller that went 86 yards for six points. Florida State responded with a final 17 unanswered points that began with a 35-yard rushing touchdown from Leon Washington.


2004 Florida State Seminoles football team, Game summaries, North Carolina
Florida State balanced offense choose to go to the air against North Carolina as Wyatt Sexton threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns. It was Sexton's first start for the Seminoles. On the ground, Leon Washington rushed for 153 yards on 10 carries, the longest being a 53-yard run.


2004 Florida State Seminoles football team, Game summaries, @ Syracuse
In their first road game in a month, Florida State scrapped out a win against the Syracuse Orange. Going into the half, Florida State trailed 3–10, but provided an explosion of offense with two rushing touchdowns from Leon Washington. The second of two Washington touchdowns came on the second play of a late drive in which Washington ran for 45 yards.


2004 Florida State Seminoles football team, Game summaries, Virginia
The most lop-sided victory of the 2004 year, the Seminole defense dominated Virginia's running game by allowing only 20 rushing yards on 29 plays. #6 Virginia gave up a safety and seventeen points to follow before kicking a field goal as time expired in the 1st half, their only points of the game. The Seminoles than put the Cavs away with 2 unanswered touchdowns in the final quarter. Wyatt Sexton played an instrumental part in the Seminole victory achieving 20 completions on 26 attempts for 275 yards.


2004 Florida State Seminoles football team, Game summaries, @ Wake Forest
In one of the closest games of the year, three turnovers by Wyatt Sexton kept the Demon Deacons ahead of the Seminoles until the final minutes of the game. A 48-yard punt return by Willie Reid put the Seminoles in place for a 20-yard pass from Sexton to Greg Reid. In the fourth quarter, a 46-yard run by Lorenzo Booker led to the game-winning field goal.


2004 Florida State Seminoles football team, Game summaries, @ Maryland
Florida State's 14 game win streak against Maryland was snapped. Maryland aggressively defended the Seminole's running game to 50 yards. Moreover, Wyatt Sexton threw 14 completions for 30 attempts and allowed two interceptions.


2004 Florida State Seminoles football team, Game summaries, Duke
The #13 Seminoles handled the Blue Devils in a lop-sided victory driven by Wyatt Sexton's 220 yard second-half. Florida State's two touchdowns came off a 45-yard pass from Wyatt Sexton to Chris Davis and a 4-yard run by Lamar Davis.


2004 Florida State Seminoles football team, Game summaries, @ N.C. State
With the exception of a 44-yard Gary Cisemsia kick, the Seminoles scored only on the ground with rushing touchdowns by Lorenzo Booker and James Coleman. N.C. State was limited to a paltry 23 rushing yards and 1 for 16 on third down attempts.


2004 Florida State Seminoles football team, Game summaries, Florida
Florida won for the first time in Tallahassee since 1986 under Coach Ron Zook. The Florida State offense was limited to 1 for 15 on third down conversions although Sexton and Rix threw for a combined 314 yards.


2004 Football Conference play-off Final
The 2004 Football Conference play-off Final took place on 16 May 2004 and was contested between Aldershot Town and Shrewsbury Town. It was held at the Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent. A crowd of 19,216 attended the game (a Conference Play-off final record at the time), with just over 12,000 travelling from Shropshire.


2004 Football Conference play-off Final, Match, Summary
Aldershot had the first real chance of the game when Roscoe Dsane got on the end of a ball over the top of the defence and held off Shrews captain Darren Tinson, only to drag his shot wide. Jon Challinor then had a chance but failed to connect properly with Aaron McLean's cutback. At the other end it took a crucial intervention from Dominic Sterling to deny Jamie Tolley after a good surging run from the midfielder.


2004 Football Conference play-off Final, Match, Summary
Aldershot took the lead in the 36th minute when Shots captain Ray Warburton headed on a free kick and McLean powered the ball into the net. However Shrewsbury were level just minutes later, with Duane Darby smashing in an almost identical goal. In the second half the Shropshire side should have taken the lead when Luke Rodgers crossed for Ryan Lowe, who blazed over from inside the area.


2004 Football Conference play-off Final, Match, Summary
With the scores level at 1–1, silver goal extra time was required, and Lee Charles had a couple of chances to win it for the Shots. Ultimately the match needed a penalty shoot-out to be settled. After Rodgers had missed Shrewsbury's first kick, goalkeeper Scott Howie was the hero, saving all three of Aldershot's penalties while teammates Tolley, Jake Sedgemore and finally Trevor Challis scored theirs to send Shrewsbury back into the Football League.


2004 Football League Cup Final
The 2004 Football League Cup Final (known as the Carling Cup final for sponsorship reasons) was a football match that took place on 29 February 2004 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. It was the final match of the 2003–04 Football League Cup, the 44th edition of the Football League Cup, a competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and The Football League.


2004 Football League Cup Final
It was contested between Premier League sides Bolton Wanderers and Middlesbrough, both of whom had never won in their previous appearances in the final. Bolton's run to the final included a win away to holders Liverpool in the fourth round, while requiring extra time against Southampton in the next round and losing the second leg of the semi-final against Aston Villa. Middlesbrough needed extra time against lowly Brighton & Hove Albion in their first game, and later advanced on penalty shootouts against top-flight Everton and Tottenham Hotspur; they then won home and away against league leaders Arsenal in the semi-finals.


2004 Football League Cup Final
Middlesbrough scored two goals in the first seven minutes, from Joseph-Désiré Job and a Boudewijn Zenden penalty. Kevin Davies got a goal back in the first half after an error by Boro goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, but Middlesbrough kept the score at 2–1 for their first major trophy. In doing so, they qualified for the 2004–05 UEFA Cup, their first European competition.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Background
Bolton were playing in their second League Cup Final, having lost the 1995 edition 2–1 to Liverpool. Middlesbrough too had never previously won the competition: in 1997 they lost the final after extra time in a replay against Leicester City, and a year later they lost 2–0 to Chelsea after extra time. In 1997, they also lost the FA Cup final to Chelsea, and were relegated from the Premier League. Although Middlesbrough, founded in 1876, were without a major trophy, Bolton had 4 FA Cups from 7 finals between 1894 and 1958.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Background
Bolton and Middlesbrough had already met once in the league season, at the former's Reebok Stadium on 13 September 2003. The hosts won 2–0 with goals by Bruno Ngotty and Kevin Davies in each half for a first victory of the campaign.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Route to the Final, Bolton
As a Premier League team, Bolton began in the second round, hosting Walsall of the First Division at the Reebok Stadium. They won 3–1 with two goals – one a penalty kick – by Brazilian debutant Mário Jardel. In the next round on 28 October, they again hosted a second-tier team, this time Gillingham, and won 2–0 with goals by Stelios Giannakopoulos and Henrik Pedersen, in front of a notably low crowd of 5,258.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Route to the Final, Bolton
In the fourth round, Bolton had their first trip, and their first game against top-flight opposition, facing Liverpool at Anfield on 3 December. Jardel scored the first goal within five minutes, with Danny Murphy equalising with 20 minutes remaining. Youri Djorkaeff would have put Bolton back into the lead, but referee Mike Riley disallowed it for an earlier handball; they scored minutes later from Jay-Jay Okocha's free kick.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Route to the Final, Bolton
Liverpool got a second equaliser from a 25-yard Vladimír Šmicer strike, but with a minute remaining Salif Diao fouled Kevin Davies in the penalty area and Djorkaeff sent the resulting spot-kick past Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek to win the game. Thirteen days later, in extra time at home to the Premier League's Southampton, Pedersen volleyed the only goal with five minutes remaining.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Route to the Final, Bolton
On 21 January 2004, Bolton hosted Aston Villa in the first leg of an all-Premier League semi-final. Okocha gave them the lead with a second-minute free kick, and further strikes from Kevin Nolan and Stelios gave them a 3–0 lead after 17 minutes, with Juan Pablo Ángel getting one back for the visitors soon after. Ángel got another goal in the second half, before Ngotty's header and a second Okocha free kick gave Bolton a 5–2 victory. Six days later in the second leg at Villa Park, Bolton lost 2–0 to a Villa team who had Gavin McCann sent off in the first half, but advanced to the final 5–4 on aggregate.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Route to the Final, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough, also of the Premier League, began the competition in the second round by hosting Brighton & Hove Albion at the Riverside Stadium, and defeated the Second Division team 1–0 with a goal from Malcolm Christie at the start of extra time. In the next round, they travelled to Wigan Athletic of the First Division and won 2–1 with Massimo Maccarone and Gaizka Mendieta's first goals of the season, despite the hosts at the JJB Stadium scoring a late free kick through Jimmy Bullard.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Route to the Final, Middlesbrough
They met their first top-flight opposition in the fourth round, hosting Everton. After 120 goalless minutes, the match went to a penalty shootout in which Mendieta scored the winner after Middlesbrough goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer saved from Leon Osman. The quarter-final at another Premier League team, Tottenham Hotspur, also went to a shootout. Darren Anderton scored for the hosts within 63 seconds, the first goal Boro conceded for over 11 hours. With four minutes to play, Middlesbrough striker Michael Ricketts equalised after a cross from George Boateng. The shootout, in which Schwarzer denied Mauricio Taricco and Kasey Keller blocked from Mendieta, went to sudden death, in which Middlesbrough's goalkeeper saved from Gus Poyet and Franck Queudrue scored Boro's winner.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Route to the Final, Middlesbrough
In the semi-finals, Boro faced Arsenal, the leaders and eventual unbeaten champions of the Premier League season. In the first leg at Highbury on 20 January 2004, Queudrue exploited a mistake by Arsenal defender Martin Keown and passed to Mendieta, who then assisted Juninho for the only goal of the game. On 3 February, Boro hosted Arsenal in the second leg; Keown was sent off at the end of the first half for a professional foul on Maccarone. In the second half, Boudewijn Zenden put Middlesbrough ahead and Edu equalised. With five minutes remaining, Arsenal's José Antonio Reyes scored an own goal by deflecting Stuart Parnaby's shot, making Middlesbrough advance to the final 3–1 on aggregate.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Match, Pre-match
Bolton manager Sam Allardyce, who was building a reputation for signing unwanted foreign veterans such as Ngotty, Djorkaeff and Iván Campo, predicted that a win would help him sign more players in the summer. However, he thought that success would also lead his 13 players who would be out of contract, to demand more money for a renewal.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Match, Pre-match
On-loan Middlesbrough right-back Danny Mills, a self-acknowledged "hate figure" from opposition fans due to his physical style of play, declared that he would ignore any abuse from Bolton fans.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Match, Summary
Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren had not even sat down when his team took the lead. Mendieta's pass let Zenden run down the left wing and cross for striker Joseph-Désiré Job to put Middlesbrough ahead in the second minute. It was the fastest goal scored in a final, a record broken the following year by Liverpool's John Arne Riise.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Match, Summary
After Job's early goal, Bolton went on the attack, with Djorkaeff forcing Schwarzer to make a near-post save. In the seventh minute however, Middlesbrough won a penalty when Job was tripped in the Bolton box by Emerson Thome, under "minimal contact". Zenden stepped up to take the spot kick and beat Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen, despite slipping and the goalkeeper's foot touching the ball. Later, Thome nearly scored an own goal from Juninho's cross.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Match, Summary
Davies scored for Bolton on 21 minutes when an error by Middlesbrough goalkeeper Schwarzer allowed his shot to go inside his near post. Bolton continued to attack, and Schwarzer made a double save from winger Per Frandsen and Djorkaeff. The latter had two more chances soon after, missing the target with the first. Boro pleaded for a second penalty when Nicky Hunt pulled Job, but referee Riley did not give it.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Match, Summary
The second half had fewer incidents. Schwarzer saved a header from Nolan, while Juninho had two opportunities for Middlesbrough. In the final few minutes, Thome made a crucial block against Mendieta, and at the other side of the pitch Ugo Ehiogu did the same to thwart Stelios.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Post-match
Winning manager McClaren called the victory a "great reward" for Middlesbrough's players, managers and chairman Steve Gibson. Captain Gareth Southgate also dedicated the win to the fans and Gibson, calling the chairman "the biggest fan we've got". Gibson himself called the win "128 years in the making" and predicted the team would "kick on" from it.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Post-match
McClaren praised his goalkeeper Schwarzer for recovering from his error that allowed Bolton's goal, in order to make saves that won the match. He also said that the team should not become carried away by their qualification for Europe, and instead concentrate on the upcoming game against Birmingham City.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Post-match
By winning the final, Middlesbrough qualified for the following season's UEFA Cup, their first European competition. They beat Baník Ostrava in the first round and came first in their group featuring Villarreal, Partizan, Lazio and Egaleo. They then defeated Grazer AK in the third round before being eliminated by Sporting.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Post-match
Columnist Henry Winter The Daily Telegraph wrote that it was the best League Cup Final since Luton Town beat Arsenal in 1988. He praised all four of Middlesbrough's back line for their "alert defending", and noted the hard work in midfield by Boateng that allowed Zenden, Juninho and Mendieta to create chances. He also lauded Bolton's fans and the efforts of Okocha, Djorkaeff and Davies, while noting how Bolton's Campo was effective despite "the odd pantomime dive". Alan Smith of the same newspaper opined that 33-year-old Southgate was the most deserving winner, as reward for his consistency since arriving in an "average" Boro side in 2001. Southgate's only other medal had come in the same competition for Aston Villa eight years prior.


2004 Football League Cup Final, Post-match
In June 2013, Juninho said that winning the League Cup with Middlesbrough was better than when he won the FIFA World Cup with Brazil in 2002.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final
The 2004 Football League First Division play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 29 May 2004 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, between Crystal Palace  and West Ham United. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League First Division, the second tier of English football, to the FA Premier League.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final
The top two teams of the 2003–04 Football League First Division season gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the clubs placed from third to sixth place in the table took part in play-off semi-finals; West Ham ended the season in fourth position while Crystal Palace finished sixth. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2004–05 season in the Premier League. Ipswich Town and Sunderland were the losing semi-finalists. Winning the final was estimated to be worth up to £30 million to the successful team.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final
The 2005 final was played in front of a crowd of 72,523 and was refereed by Graham Poll. After a goalless first half, Crystal Palace took the lead with a goal from Neil Shipperley in the 62nd minute. West Ham twice had goals ruled out for offside and were denied a penalty late in the second half, and Palace held on to win 1–0.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final
West Ham finished the following season in sixth place in the Championship and gained promotion through the play-offs, beating Preston North End in the final. Palace were relegated on the final day of the following season finishing in 18th place in the table, making an immediate return to the second tier.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final, Route to the final
West Ham United finished the regular 2003–04 season in fifth place in the Football League First Division, the second tier of the English football league system, two places and one point ahead of Crystal Palace. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the Premier League and instead took part in the play-offs, along with Sunderland and Ipswich Town, to determine the third promoted team. West Ham finished twelve points behind West Bromwich Albion (who were promoted in second place) and twenty behind league winners Norwich City.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Crystal Palace manager Iain Dowie had been appointed in December 2003 with the club in 19th position, before losing just six times in the final half of the season to finish sixth, a turnaround in form described by the BBC as "a remarkable transformation". Their qualification for the play-offs was secured in injury time of the final game of the season when West Ham's Brian Deane equalised against Wigan Athletic. Palace faced Sunderland in their play-off semi-final with the first leg being played at Selhurst Park on 14 May 2004.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final, Route to the final
After a goalless first half, Sunderland took the lead early in the second through a Marcus Stewart penalty. Within a minute, Neil Shipperley equalised with a header before Danny Butterfield's deflected shot gave Palace the lead ten minutes later. Kevin Kyle levelled the tie with five minutes to go before Andrew Johnson restored Palace's lead two minutes later, with the match ending 3–2. The second leg took place at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland three days later.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Although Palace's Aki Riihilahti hit the woodwork in the sixth minute, Kyle scored in the 42nd minute to level the tie on aggregate. Stewart scored with a header just before half-time to make it 4–3 to Sunderland before substitute Darren Powell's header made it 4–4 on aggregate and sent the semi-final to penalties. John Oster and Jason McAteer both missed penalties for Sunderland while Mart Poom saved twice, from Shaun Derry and Wayne Routledge. Jeff Whitley then failed to score and Michael Hughes struck the winning spot-kick.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final, Route to the final
West Ham's play-off semi-final opponents were Ipswich Town, and the first leg took place at Portman Road in Ipswich on 15 May 2004. Ian Westlake's shot was cleared off the line by West Ham's Andy Melville in the first half, which ended goalless. Twelve minutes into the second half, Darren Bent scored with a header after Richard Naylor's initial shot rebounded off the crossbar, and the game ended 1–0. The return leg was played at the Boleyn Ground three days later.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Bent missed an early chance to extend Ipswich's lead and Steve Lomas hit the post for West Ham, the first half ending goalless. In the 50th minute, Matthew Etherington scored from inside the Ipswich penalty area with a strike described by the BBC as a "screamer" to level the tie. Twenty minutes later, an Etherington corner was poorly defended by Ipswich, and Christian Dailly's shot was deflected into the Ipswich goal off Tommy Miller's heel. Westlake hit the post in the last minute but West Ham held on to win the semi-final 2–1 on aggregate to qualify for the final.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Background
This was Crystal Palace's fourth appearance in the second tier play-off final, with their most recent being in the 1997 final at the old Wembley Stadium which they won 1–0 against Sheffield United. Palace had also won the 1989 final (over two legs) against Blackburn Rovers and had lost the 1996 final in extra time against Leicester City. West Ham were making their first appearance in a second-tier playoff final. Crystal Palace's Johnson was the league's leading scorer with 27 goals in the regular season, while his teammate Dougie Freedman was the club's second highest scorer with 13. West Ham's top scorer was Marlon Harewood who had struck 25 goals during the regular league season, although 12 of them were for his previous club, Nottingham Forest, from whom he moved in November 2004.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Background
During the regular league season, both sides won at home in the matches between them: in October 2003, West Ham won 3–0 at Boleyn Park while six months later, Palace triumphed 1–0 at Selhurst Park. The referee for the match was Graham Poll representing the Hertfordshire County Football Association. Winning the final was estimated to be worth up to £30 million to the successful team. It was the fourth time the second tier play-off final was hosted by the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
The match kicked off around 3 p.m. in front of a Millennium Stadium crowd of 72,523 spectators. Early in the first half, Dailly fouled Riihilahti and from the resulting Palace free kick, Butterfield's shot was just wide of the West Ham goalpost. On 17 minutes, Johnson's free header from a Routledge cross went over the crossbar despite Shipperley being in a better position. Palace defender Danny Granville subsequently missed a chance after West Ham's goalkeeper Stephen Bywater fumbled a Shaun Derry corner.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
In the 20th minute, Michael Carrick's chipped through-ball sent Bobby Zamora free but his shot was straight into Nico Vaesen's legs. Approaching half time, Routledge played in a cross and Hughes' initial strike was blocked. His second attempt from the rebound beat Bywater but was cleared off the line by Tomáš Řepka. Zamora then saw a penalty appeal denied after he felt he was fouled by Mikele Leigertwood on the edge of the Palace box. The first half ended goalless.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
Early in the second half, West Ham increased the pressure with Vaesen saving a 25 yards (23 m) Lomas shot, and Melville's appeal for a penalty was turned down mafter his shot was blocked. The deadlock was broken in the 62nd minute as Shipperley scored for Palace. Johnson twisted and struck a shot through Dailly's legs which Bywater failed to hold, allowing Shipperley to tap the ball in from close range. David Connolly and subsequently Zamora then saw goals disallowed for offside. Carrick's shot from distance was then saved by Vaesen.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
In the 68th minute, West Ham made a double substitution with Deane and Nigel Reo-Coker coming on to replace Zamora and Harewood. A minute later Palace brought on Powell for Butterfield before Palace made their third and final substitution, with Don Hutchison replacing Connolly. In the 83rd minute, Leigertwood appeared to bring down Carrick in front of Poll, but no penalty was awarded. Palace held on to win 1–0 and secure promotion to the Premier League.


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final, Post-match
Winning manager Dowie was quick to praise his team: "The players have shown great commitment and desire. We showed today that we are a good football side and now we have to take on the superpowers". He was realistic about the forthcoming season, noting "we have got to come up with a format for keeping us in the Premier League; it is a huge ask". His counterpart Alan Pardew described it as a "dark day" for West Ham, suggesting: "all our fans, their dreams and ambitions for the club, have been ended and it hits your right between the eyes".


2004 Football League First Division play-off Final, Post-match
West Ham finished the following season in sixth place in the Championship and gained promotion through the play-offs, beating Preston North End 1–0 in the final. Palace were relegated on the final day of the following season after a 2–2 draw with Charlton Athletic consigned them to 18th place in the table and assured their immediate return to the second tier.


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final
The 2004 Football Second Division play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 30 May 2004 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, between Brighton & Hove Albion and Bristol City to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League Second Division to the Football League Championship.


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final
The top two teams of the 2003–04 Second Division season, Plymouth Argyle and Queens Park Rangers, gained automatic promotion to the Championship, while the teams placed from third to sixth place in the table took part in play-off semi-finals; the winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2004–05 season in the Championship. Brighton and Bristol defeated Swindon Town and Hartlepool United, respectively, in the semi-finals.


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final
The final kicked off around 3 p.m. in front of a crowd of 65,167 and was refereed by Richard Beeby. The first half ended scoreless:  Brian Tinnion's free kick was kept out by Brighton's goalkeeper Ben Roberts, and after Tommy Doherty fouled Nathan Jones in the 43rd minute, Leon Knight's curling free kick from 20 yards (18 metres) struck the Bristol City crossbar. Neither side made any changes to their personnel during the interval. On 84 minutes, Chris Iwelumo was brought down by Danny Coles in the Bristol City penalty area. The referee awarded a penalty which Knight struck past Steve Phillips in the Bristol City goal. Bristol City pressured late but could not score, and the match ended 1–0 with Brighton being promoted to the newly renamed Football League Championship (formerly Football League First Division).


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final
Brighton ended the next season in twentieth place in the First Division, two places and one point above the relegation zone. Bristol City manager Danny Wilson left the club the week after the final. In their following season, Bristol City finished in seventh position in the Second Division and missed out on the play-offs by one place and one point.


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Bristol City finished the regular 2003–04 season in third place in Football League Second Division, the third tier of the English football league system, one place ahead of Brighton & Hove Albion. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the Football League Championship and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the third promoted team. Bristol City finished one point behind Queens Park Rangers (who were promoted in second place) and eight behind league winners Plymouth Argyle.


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Brighton's opponents for their play-off semi-final were Swindon Town with the first match of the two-legged tie taking place at the County Ground in Swindon on 16 May 2004. In the 35th minute, a shot from Swindon's Sammy Igoe hit the Brighton goalpost, and midway through the second half, Tommy Mooney's strike hit the underside of Brighton's crossbar. With 18 minutes remaining, Richard Carpenter's deflected shot beat Rhys Evans in the Swindon goal to secure a 1–0 victory for the visitors. The second leg was played four days later at the Withdean Stadium in Brighton.


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Route to the final
After a goalless first half, Sam Parkin put Swindon ahead with a close-range shot in the 81st minute. With the aggregate score level 1–1 at full time, the game went into extra time, and midway through the first period, Rory Fallon put Swindon ahead with a low shot under Brighton's goalkeeper Ben Roberts. A diving header from Adam Virgo in the last moments of extra time made it 2–2 on aggregate and sent the match to a penalty shootout. Mooney missed his penalty and Andy Gurney's spot kick hit the post, and with all the other shots being converted, allowed Brighton to progress to the final with a 4–3 win on penalties.


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Route to the final
In the second semi-final, Bristol City faced Hartlepool United; the first leg took place at Victoria Park in Hartlepool on 15 May 2004. The visitors took the lead after four minutes when Tony Rougier headed in Lee Peacock's cross. Joel Porter equalised for Hartlepool in the 74th minute to secure a 1–1 draw. The second leg was held three days at Ashton Gate in Bristol. Five minutes before half-time, Adam Boyd hit Bristol City's goalpost and the half ended goalless. Midway through the second half, Hartlepool's Antony Sweeney scored with a header from an Eifion Williams cross. With two minutes remaining, Marc Goodfellow levelled the match with a header before Christian Roberts made it 2–1 to Bristol City in the last minute, sending his side to the final with a 3–2 aggregate victory.


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Match, Background
Brighton had participated in one play-off final prior to 2004, when they lost 3–1 to Notts County in the 1991 Football League play-offs. This was Bristol City's fourth involvement in the play-offs and their second final; they had lost in the semi-finals in 1997 and 2003, and in the 1988 Football League Third Division play-off Final 4–0 by Walsall after a replay. Brighton had been relegated from the First Division the previous season so were aiming for an immediate return, while Bristol City had played in the Second Division since suffering relegation from the First Division in the 1998–99 season.


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Match, Background
In the matches between the clubs during the regular season, Bristol City won the game at the Withdean 4–1 in November 2003, while the game the following April at Ashton Gate ended in a goalless draw. Brighton's top scorer during the regular season was Leon Knight with 25 goals, all in the league. For Bristol City, Peacock led the scoring with 16 goals (14 in the league and 2 in the League Cup).


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Match, Background
Brighton manager Mark McGhee expressed hope that his club's exposure at a major final would bring publicity to their aim to build a new ground, saying he believed "the final would be a fantastic platform to demonstrate how badly we need a bigger stadium". McGhee had lost in three previous play-off semi-finals and was "happy for City to be favourites" to win this final. He had taken the job as Brighton manager in October 2003, having left Millwall two weeks earlier "by mutual consent".


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Match, Background
His counterpart, Danny Wilson, had been in charge at Bristol City since 2000, and had led the team to victory in the 2003 Football League Trophy Final at the Millennium Stadium. He said: "There's so much at stake, it'll be very tense. What I will guarantee is that we'll give everything ... All that work we did as far back as last July now hinges on 90 minutes or even one penalty kick."


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Match, Background
Peacock's availability was in doubt for Bristol City with an injured ankle while Mickey Bell was suffering from a jarred knee. The final was broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports and live commentary was available on BBC Radio 5 Live. Both sides adopted a 4–4–2 formation. The referee for the match was Richard Beeby.


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
The final kicked off around 3 p.m. at the Millennium Stadium on 30 May 2004 in front of a crowd of 65,167. According to Nick Szczepanik, writing in The Times, the first half was "a half of fouls and free kicks". Brian Tinnion's free kick was kept out by Ben Roberts. In the 33rd minute, Virgo was shown the first yellow card of the game. In the 40th minute, Roberts dropped a cross from Craig Woodman only for Tony Butler to shoot over the crossbar. Knight went closest to breaking the deadlock in the 43rd minute: Tommy Doherty had fouled Nathan Jones, and Knight's curling free kick from 20 yards (18 metres) struck the Bristol City crossbar. The first half ended goalless.


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
Neither side made any changes to their personnel during the interval. On 62 minutes, both sides made their first substitutions, with Brighton's Paul Reid coming on for Carpenter and Scott Murray replacing Lee Miller for Bristol City. In the 69th minute, Doherty became the first Bristol City player to be booked. On 78 minutes, Brighton made their second personnel change with John Piercy for Jones. Four minutes later Bristol City's Luke Wilkshire was brought on for Tinnion. On 84 minutes, Chris Iwelumo ran into the Bristol City penalty area, where he was brought down by Danny Coles.


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
The referee awarded a penalty which Knight struck past Steve Phillips in the Bristol City goal to make it 1–0 to Brighton. It was his 26th goal of the season and made him the highest scorer in the league. In the 88th minute, Goodfellow came on for Butler. Bristol City could not score despite late pressure, and the match ended 1–0; Brighton was promoted to the newly renamed Football League Championship (formerly Football League First Division).


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Post-match
McGhee claimed the best team won, saying: "They never hurt us and I cannot remember any critical saves that Ben Roberts had to make ... To be a part of a day like this is incredible – as good as anything you will ever experience in football." Knight, the winning goalscorer, said he was confident that he was going to score the decisive penalty, recalling his recent success rate: "I have taken eight this season and scored every one." The Brighton chairman Dick Knight reiterated the importance of the new stadium to the club and its fans: "I just hope John Prescott realises just how much this means to the people of Brighton." Some of Brighton's players dropped the trophy while celebrating, damaging it.


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Post-match
Wilson suggested both disappointed and that the game was even: "There was nothing between the two clubs and they've just had that little bit of luck that gave them the win ... It was always going to take something like a penalty to win because it was so nervy." He left Bristol City the following month with club chairman Stephen Lansdown, confirming that the play-off final defeat "unquestionably caused the momentum of the club to falter", and that "the board believes it is time for a change".


2004 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Post-match
Brighton ended the next season in twentieth place in the First Division, two places and one point above the relegation zone. In their following season, Bristol City finished in seventh position in the Second Division and missed out on the play-offs by one place and one point.