Under-20 Event Is Postponed
The threat of an impending United States-led war against Iraq caused world soccer’s ruling body on Thursday to postpone the FIFA World Youth Championship that was to have been played in the United Arab Emirates March 25-April 16.
“FIFA regrets having to make this decision,” the organization said in a statement released in Zurich, Switzerland, “but FIFA must take into account its responsibilities toward the players, officials and other parties, as well as toward the media and spectators.”
Twenty-four nations, including Canada, Mexico and the U.S., have qualified to take part in the under-20 world championship, which has been staged every two years since 1977, but FIFA did not indicate when it would be rescheduled.
A statement by U.S. Soccer said the federation “applauds” the decision and quoted Coach Thomas Rongen, currently in Portugal with the U.S. team, as saying, “This is a situation that warrants caution.... We will still have this group [of players] ready and prepared for when the time comes to play.”
Wuhan Women
The draw for the fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup, to be played in China Sept. 23-Oct. 11, will be held in Wuhan, China, on May 24, FIFA announced, and will be preceded by a match between China and a world all-star team.
Thailand will play host to the second FIFA Under-19 Women’s World Championship in 2004. The U.S. won the first championship, in Canada last year.
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English Figures
Attendance in England’s Premier League has risen for the 11th consecutive season to a Europe-high 35,151 per game, according to statistics compiled by the european-football-statistics.co.uk Web site.
The same site reported that average attendance this season is 33,014 in Germany, 28,963 in Spain and 25,581 in Italy.
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Mexicans Falter
Two of the Mexican league’s participants in the 16-team CONCACAF Champions Cup stumbled at the tournament’s first hurdle Wednesday night when Club America was beaten, 3-1, by F.A.S. in El Salvador and Necaxa was held to a 0-0 tie by Arnett Gardens in Jamaica.
Club America Coach Manuel Lapuente, showing unwarranted disdain for his team’s Salvadoran opponent, sent a largely second-string lineup and did not make the trip to San Salvador himself.
Club America paid the price, with Alejandro de la Cruz and Jorge Rodriguez scoring for F.A.S. in the first five minutes and Gilberto Murgas adding a late goal to more than cancel out Carlos Quinonez’s goal for Lapuente’s team.
In Kingston, Necaxa also fielded numerous reserve players and was fortunate to leave Jamaica with a scoreless tie, especially after American referee Kevin Terry failed to award the home team a second-half penalty kick that Arnett Gardens fans believed should have been given when Miguel Acosta fouled Kevin Wilson.
The closest Necaxa came to scoring was when Chilean striker Gamadiel Garcia’s shot rebounded off the crossbar.
The Galaxy, one of four Major League Soccer teams in the tournament, begins its campaign March 16, away to CD Motagua of Honduras.
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Quick Passes
The Galaxy was beaten, 3-1, by the Colorado Rapids in a scrimmage at the Orange Bowl in Miami on Wednesday night. Danny Califf scored the only goal for Los Angeles in an ugly game. Referee Gus St. Silva ejected five players, including the Galaxy’s Alexi Lalas, Ezra Hendrickson and Isaias Bardales.... Italian real estate tycoon Matteo Corsini told Reuters he is interested in buying financially struggling Lazio if he can get permission to build the Rome club a new stadium with attached shopping and entertainment venues.
