Controversial Referee Says It’s Time to Quit
Byron Moreno, the referee from Ecuador whose controversial decisions during last year’s World Cup and in league play in Ecuador brought him into frequent conflict with authorities, has quit the sport after having been suspended twice in the last year.
Moreno, 36, blamed the poor marks he has received from Ecuador Football Federation (FEF) refereeing assessors for his decision.
“I deserved better marks and I feel that way because I think I’ve been doing a good job,” the FEF quoted him as saying.
“With these marks, it will be difficult for me to get back my FIFA badge. That’s why retiring is my best choice.
“I’m leaving through the front door with my head held high. I prefer to die standing up than to live kneeling down.”
Moreno incurred the wrath of Italian players, coaches and fans last year when he ejected Italian striker Francisco Totti and disallowed an apparently valid goal by Italy during its 2-1 World Cup loss to South Korea.
He subsequently was suspended for 20 games after adding 12 minutes of injury time to an Ecuador league match involving a team from a city in which he was running for political office.
Portugal Prevails
Helder Postiga, the 20-year-old striker who helped FC Porto win the Portuguese league championship and the UEFA Cup this season, vastly improved his chances of playing in Euro 2004 when he scored two of Portugal’s goals Tuesday in a 4-0 victory over Bolivia in Lisbon.
With Portugal Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari electing to rest many of his leading players, among them Luis Figo, Rui Costa and Deco, it was left to Postiga and Pauleta to lead the attack.
Portugal scored twice in the first 14 minutes against an outmatched Bolivian team. Jorge Andrade gave Portugal the lead in the eighth minute and Fernando Couto doubled the advantage six minutes later.
Postiga scored his first goal five minutes before halftime -- Portugal’s third on a header -- and netted his second on a volley two minutes after the break.
Women’s World Cup
North Korea, trying to qualify for the fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup in the United States this summer, got off to a flying start when it routed Hong Kong, 13-0, in the Asian Women’s Championship in Bangkok, Thailand.
The North Korean attack was paced by Ri Kum-Suk, who scored six of the goals.
Neighboring South Korea, meanwhile, earned its second victory of the tournament, shutting out host Thailand, 6-0, with Park Eun-Sun adding two goals to the four she scored in an 8-0 rout of Hong Kong on Sunday.
Romario Regrets
Back with Fluminense in Brazil after a disastrous, albeit lucrative, stint in Qatar, 1994 World Cup winner Romario said it had been a mistake to leave the Brazilian league.
“If I had known it was going to be so bad, I wouldn’t have gone,” the striker told Reuters in Rio de Janeiro. “Professionally, it was not a positive season.”
Romario, 37, was paid almost $1.2 million for his three-month spell with the Qatari team Al-Sadd but played in only three games for the Doha-based club and scored no goals.
“‘My problem was the coach [Belgium’s Luka Peruzovic],” he said.
“Everything else was perfect.”
Quick Passes
Brazilian Ricardo Ferretti resigned as coach of Universidad de Nuevo Leon (UNL) after leading the Tigers into the Mexican league semifinals but losing to local rival Monterrey, whose two-game championship series against Morelia begins today.
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Major League Soccer’s Dallas Burn acquired South Africa national team forward Nkosinathi Nhleko, 23, from SK Brann in Norway.
