2002 Cup Numbers Don’t Add Up for Asia, Oceania

It might still be 3 1/2 years away, but World Cup 2002, the first to be played in Asia and the first to be jointly hosted, already is beginning to take shape.

In the last week, FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, has decided how the 32 participating nations will be divided, angering Asia and Oceania in the process, and also has begun deciding tournament dates.

Europe again will have 15 teams, one of them reigning champion France. Africa again will have five. Asia again will have four, among them co-hosts Japan and South Korea. The Asian confederation wanted five teams this time around but was rebuffed. CONCACAF will have three. South America will have four, definitely, and possibly five.

The 32nd team will be determined by a playoff between the Oceania winner, usually Australia or New Zealand, and the fifth-place finisher in South American qualifying.

“Our preference, clearly, would have been for the Oceania group winner to have been given direct qualification,” said Basil Scarsella, chairman of Soccer Australia. “[But] if we’re not good enough to qualify against the fifth-best team in the South American group, then I don’t think we deserve to reach the finals.”

Former Australia national team captain Paul Wade called FIFA’s decision a slap in the face to Oceania.

Australia lost its chance to take part in France ’98 when it was beaten by Iran in a playoff between the Oceania winner and the fourth-place finisher in Asia.

Meanwhile, FIFA indicated that the 2002 tournament might be shortened by three days and probably will take place earlier than usual.

This year’s tournament took 33 days, from June 10-July 12, two days more than the 1994 World Cup in the United States. FIFA has suggested playing the 2002 tournament from June 1-30, in part to avoid the worst of the rainy season in July.

FIFA President Joseph “Sepp” Blatter indicated during a tour of Japan and South Korea that FIFA would not object if South Korea wants to stage some of its 2002 matches in North Korea.

“We are prepared to conduct dialogue if the politicians make that possible,” he said. “But we will not make the first step. Our statutes prevent us from taking any political action. The first steps must be made by the politicians, not by FIFA.”

WORLD TOUR

CANADA: FIFA approved Winnipeg’s plans for the XIII Pan American Games soccer tournament, July 23-Aug. 8, after organizers agreed to improve the facilities.

ENGLAND: Brian Kidd, who scored a dream goal on his 19th birthday to help Manchester United defeat Benfica of Portugal, 4-1, in the 1968 European Cup Final, was named coach of Blackburn Rovers, which last month fired Roy Hodgson as manager. Kidd, 49, had been Manchester United’s assistant coach.

FRANCE: Inspired by France’s World Cup victory, fans are flocking to French league games in record numbers. Nearly 3 million atched first-division matches between August and November, up more than 500,000 over last season. Olympique Marseille’s Velodrome, whose capacity was increased by a third to 60,000 for the World Cup, has the highest average gate of 52,780. Paris St. Germain has averaged 42,225 at its 48,500-capacity Parc des Princes stadium. The average league gate is 19,728 so far this season.

GERMANY: Winfried Schaefer, coach of VfB Stuttgart, resigned after only five months in charge amid increasing player criticism and poor results. Stuttgart, one of Germany’s wealthiest clubs and a European Cup Winners’ Cup finalist last season, has not won in six games and is 10th in the Bundesliga standings.

ITALY: The Italian soccer federation will celebrate its centennial Dec. 16 with a match at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico between Italy and a World all-star team that will feature:

Goalkeepers--Gianluca Pagliuca, Italy-Inter Milan; Ike Shorunmu, Nigeria-FC Zurich.

Defenders--Dunga, Brazil-Jubilo Iwata; Fernando Hierro, Spain-Real Madrid; Taribo West, Nigeria-Inter Milan; David Nyathi, South Africa-Cagliari; Cafu, Brazil-AS Roma; Lilian Thuram, France-Parma.

Midfielders-Forwards--Julen Guerrero, Spain-Athletic Bilbao; Zinedine Zidane, France-Juventus; Joao Pinto, Portugal-Benfica; Manuel Rui Costa, Portugal-Fiorentina; Ronaldo, Brazil-Inter Milan; Gabriel Batistuta, Argentina-Fiorentina; George Weah, Liberia-AC Milan; Davor Suker, Croatia-Real Madrid; Oliver Bierhoff, Germany-AC Milan; Luis Hernandez, Mexico-Necaxa; Marcelo Salas, Chile-Lazio.

MEXICO: Chivas of Guadalajara shut out UNAM, 1-0, to advance to the final of the Mexican championship. Guadalajara will play Necaxa for the title after Necaxa defeated Atlas, 3-2, in the other semifinal.

MOROCCO: Midfielder Mustapha Hadji, 27, of Morocco was elected Africa’s player of the year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Cairo. Hadji, who plays for Deportivo Coruna in Spain, was cited for his performances at the World Cup and narrowly edged out Nigeria’s Austin Okocha, 76 votes to 74. Nigeria’s Sunday Oliseh finished third.

SWITZERLAND: FIFA’s executive committee confirmed Michel Zen-Ruffinen of Switzerland as its new general secretary, replacing Joseph Blatter, who was elected president of FIFA in June. Zen-Ruffinen, 39, had been Blatter’s deputy since early 1995. A former international referee and lawyer, he joined FIFA in 1986.

FIFA provisionally set a nine-day period in January 2000, for the first edition of a new eight-team World Club Championship and said a proposal to shift the election of the FIFA president out of World Cup years will be discussed July 9 at a special FIFA Congress in Los Angeles.

TUNISIA: Esperance of Tunisia made soccer history when it defeated Primiero Agosto of Angola, 4-2, on aggregate, to win the African Cup Winners’ Cup. The club thus became the first to win the African Champions’ Cup, the Cup Winners’ Cup and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup, achieving the triple in only four years. Esperance’s victory also completes a double for Tunisia this season after CS Sfaxien earlier won the CAF Cup.