Games in peril of being too dangerous
Source By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff, 3/25/2003
Among the first sporting victims of the war in Iraq was the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. Now the April 5 Iraq-Vietnam Olympic qualifier, previously announced as being relocated from Baghdad to Damascus, is in doubt. The Japanese called off a trip to the US to meet Uruguay in San Diego tomorrow (instead, they will meet in Tokyo Friday) and the US in Seattle Saturday (instead, the US will meet Venezuela).
Even the European Championship 2004 qualifiers are being affected.
England's visit to the Principality of Liechtenstein was on the verge of being postponed, but the Union des Associations Europeennes de Football (UEFA) yesterday confirmed the match. The English team was considered a possible target for protesters and/or terrorists. And there is little chance security will be sophisticated at the 3,548-capacity Rheinparkstadion in Vaduz.
More than 1,500 England supporters are expected in Vaduz, and only 950 have been issued tickets. These numbers indicate this is a small-scale problem compared with the crowd violence of England's visit to Slovakia last October.
But Liechtenstein has only 70 full-time law enforcement officers. Plans have been made to recruit 1,100 officers from neighboring Austria and Switzerland, but those countries' enforcement resources have been stretched because of anti-war protests. And authorities are concerned about what could be a volatile combination of football fans and anti-war demontrators.
France is going to a neutral site, playing qualifiers this week in Palermo, Italy, against Malta and Israel.
And next week's Serbia-Montenegro vs. Wales game in Belgrade could change venues in response to the high-security alert following the assasination of premier Zoran Djindjic.
Most of the Middle East soccer schedule has been unaffected by war. Kuwait suspended its league games in anticipation of war and Lebanon announced a suspension yesterday. But Bahrein, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates continue league play.
Brazilian striker Romario, who last month signed a three-month, $1.5 million contract with Al Sadd of Qatar, said he is staying in Doha. ''The war is really sad and doesn't resolve anything, but if God decides it, nothing will happen to me,'' Romario said in a Planet Football interview.
Iraq was heavily favored to defeat Vietnam, which would set up a second-round matchup with North Korea May 3 and June 7. But coach Bernd Stange, a German, left Iraq in February, citing security concerns. Stange said he also was told he would lose several players to military duty, but Iraqi officials dispute that.
''I was playing during the war against Iran and not one day did I wear a [military] uniform,'' Rahim Hamed, who played for Iraq in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, told the Football Asia magazine Web site.
Finished from the start Since their founding in 1995, the Revolution have been learning most of their lessons the hard way. Their opening match in international tournament play seems to have been another example of that tendency. LD Alajuelense virtually eliminated the Revolution from the Champions Cup with a 4-0 victory Sunday in Costa Rica. The rematch is scheduled for Alajuela tomorrow. The Revolution, who had established their credibility with simplified tactics and solid defending, had not surrendered more than two goals in a game since a 3-2 loss to Colorado July 24. Even during their preseason trip to Brazil, though the Revolution were winless, they were able to take the lead in three of four contests and were able to score against the likes of Sao Paulo powers Guarani and Palmeiras.
Joe Franchino and Rusty Pierce were the top-rated Revolution players by the San Jose daily La Nacion. Since both are defenders, this raises questions about the rest of the team. The Revolution apparently neither attacked nor defended effectively. And they neglected to realize that in total-goal competition, the visiting team simply must limit the goals against in the opening match.
The first round of the Champions Cup, featuring the 16 most successful teams in the region, is a two-game, total-goal competition. Defender Carlos Llamosa and striker Joe-Max Moore are expected to return for the second game against Alajuelense. Llamosa suffered a leg bruise in practice and Moore was in Miami for a magnetic resonance imaging of his ankle.
Further help could be on the way before the MLS season starts with a Revolution visit to Chicago April 13.
Johannes Ngodzo, a 22-year-old midfielder, is expected to arrive for a tryout when the Revolution return to Boston next week. Ngodzo, who plays for Highlanders, was a finalist for Zimbabwe player of the year last year. Ngodzo was recommended by Bruce Grobelaar, Revolution coach Steve Nicol's former Liverpool teammate.
Nicol has been searching for an attacking midfielder since Peter Nowak announced his retirement last month. But the Revolution are less than $100,000 under the MLS salary cap, limiting their chances of finding a Nowak clone.
A match for each other Manchester United vs. Real Madrid is the matchup of the year, the most marketable clubs in the world meeting in the Euro Champions Cup April 8 and 23. The winner advances to the semifinals against either Barcelona or Juventus.
Real Madrid, shooting for the DECIMA (its 10th title), is apparently satisfied with the draw.
''For us, a quarterfinal against Barcelona or Valencia would have been more difficult,'' Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos said. ''It is easier for us to play an English team.''