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Throw-Ins

FIFA looks to MLS for examples

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Posted: Friday October 08, 1999 01:55 PM

Like I said, everything is relative, and that includes the grass being greener on the other side.

While many of us wail about Major League Soccer's salary cap, there are those across the Atlantic Ocean who would love to see it implemented in Europe. One person is Michel Zen-Ruffinen, the secretary general, the No. 2 man at FIFA.

"They have introduced [something] of what I am dreaming of introducing... namely the salary cap," he said. "This is something I would like to do, but we would have trouble with the European legal system. But I am convinced we would have a system that would be much easier for the clubs which are facing huge economical problems."

FIFA isn't concerned about MLS, even though it has stagnant attendance and TV ratings and it changed commissioners midway through the season.

"It is different," he said of the single-entity league, compared to the ones in Europe. "Your market is so different than the European one. We know in the U.S. that in order to grow at the professional level you have to have a lot of money.

"If you compare the sport to basketball, there is such a gap. It is difficult to attract very big players... For the U.S. market, the attendance is average. It would be in the top 10 in Europe."

And speaking of American innovations, as MLS leadership ponders getting rid of the shootout, FIFA has experimented with the controversial tie-breaker -- instead of penalty kicks -- in the FIFA Blue Star tournament in Zurich, Switzerland, a three-day affair held in May.

"We are not in favor of the shotoout," said Zen-Ruffinen, who still wants to test it.

And the fans' reaction?

"The people were a little bit amazed," he said. "But nobody said anything against it. They seemed to accept the principle. It's one of the possibilities."

And they though the U.S. posed problems?

FIFA will select the host of the 2006 World Cup at its executive committee meeting in Zurich on July 6. South Africa seems to be the favorite, with England, Germany, Brazil and Morocco also vying to be host.

I posed this question to FIFA president Sepp Blatter: The World Economic Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, has said that South Africa has the worst public safety record of any country in the world. How does FIFA deal with that in terms of selecting a host for the 2006 World Cup?

Blatter said that no matter who is selected, they will do a fine job as host and there would be no problems.

"I have to say that I am not surprised that from time to time there [is] information... for reasons that are beyond our control," Blatter said. "When we organized the World Cup in 1978 in Argentina, it was said, 'Don't go to Argentina because there will be a revolution during the World Cup. This will be the end of football.'

"In 1982 in Spain, it was said the so-called war of the Falklands and Maldives and that Argentina and England will play in the World Cup. 'Don't go there because of the tension.'

"In 1986, just 10 months before the start of the World Cup, there was a catastrophic earthquake in Mexico and Mexico City. 'Don't go there because there are problems.'

"In 1990, 'Don't go to Italy because of hooligans in Europe. There was such a problem with hooligans all around Europe.'

"When it went to the United States [in 1994], 'It will be a failure. They don't like soccer. They don't know what it is and so on and so on.

"We went to France. There was supposed to be organization problems.

"Now we go somewhere. I can assure you that it will be fine wherever we go towards for the selection of the World Cup for 2006. There will be reports on this country and that country. These reports are focused on South Africa. They just had the South African games. There was no trouble, at least not more trouble than the World Cup in France.

"We have to trust the future and all of the candidates. If they are chosen, they will make everything possible to organize a proper World Cup. I'm sure our committee will make the right choice."

The crowded calendar

Coaches and players from MLS and across the globe have decried the cramped soccer calendar.

One proposal, from Africa, that FIFA is considering to clean up the crowded international schedule would be to turn qualifying for the various confederation competitions into World Cup qualifiers. In other words, World Cup qualifying and European Championship qualifying would be combined into one. Zen-Ruffinen called it "an encouraging proposal."

Yet another tournament

The United States can now get ready for another FIFA-backed tournament, which won't disrupt the international schedule at all. It would be an Over-35 World Cup, which he expects to be implemented in the not-too-distant future.

"It would be good for spectators as the famous names from the past get together on teams which I am sure would be very skillful," Zen-Ruffinen said.

"It would give FIFA [an opportunity] to bring football to countries in which football is not really breathing."

And if the Club World Championship in Brazil in January is a success, there are eight candidates to hold future tournaments, at least one country from each confederation. The list includes the U.S. (CONCACAF), Mexico (CONCACAF), Saudi Arabia (Asia), Turkey (Europe), Brazil (South America), Egypt (Africa) and Tahiti (that's right -- Tahiti, from Oceania).

An embarrassing sight

Just seconds after Necaxa secured the CONCACAF Champions Cup last Sunday, hundreds of fans poured onto the field at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas to celebrate their team's triumph. While it was an innocent show of jubliation by the fans and nothing drastic happened -- the Necaxa players bolted to the locker room amidst the commotion, delaying the post-game award ceremony -- there could have been trouble.

Even CONCACAF president Jack Warner called the incident, "embarrassing."

You have to wonder where were the police and security at the stadium. I counted three policemen who, from the stands, watched the fans celebrate on the field.

Counting the house, Part I

The U.S. women's national team pulled in an impressive crowd for its 6-0 thumping over Finland in front 36,405 spectators, a record crowd for soccer at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night. To put the crowd into perspective, the Kansas City Wizards have 116,079 total, for its first 15 games of the season, for an average of 7,739.

Counting the house, Part II

Then there's Lamar Hunt's other team (remember, multiple ownerships are allowed in MLS). The Columbus Crew enters its final game of the regular season striving seeking two important milestones. A victory over the Chicago Fire on Sunday would secure the team's first 20-win season. Moreover, a crowd of at least 17,970 and D.C. United drawing less than 24,104 would give the Crew the MLS attendance title, playing at Columbus Crew Stadium in its first season.

The Galaxy, which has completed its home schedule, leads everyone at 17,632 per match. The Crew trails at 17,610. D.C. United, which hosts the New England Revolution, is not far behind at 17,201.

The postman never stops knocking

Catching up on a several bags of mail:

--My column about John O'Brien sparked several interesting responses. John Avinof San Francisco wrote: It seems like a tremendous opportunity to be even asked for an Ajax youth team tryout. Making it is another thing. However, to make it to the senior team is incredible. Ajax recruits only 100 new players every year out of 500,000 possible candidates in Netherlands... and not to mention international ones as well. Ajax does not give players over the age of nine to tryout because by then they are probably not good enough for Ajax. My question is what does Ajax do to make top soccer players? Can it turn any average player into a star or it only recruits top players?

Lewis: John, Ajax recruits top players, at least players at the age of nine who show potential to be top players. The team goes after only attacking players. The best ones are put at forward, the second best at midfield and the third best on defense. The key to Ajax's success is that there is one philosophy for the entire club -- from youth to the first team -- play attacking soccer.

-- Bill Waldorf of Buffalo, New York, wrote that his son played with the Willem II reserves in the Netherlands for a year. He is an unusually hard worker, and fully expected to get some space on the first team," he wrote. "However, as it turned out, being American really blunted his opportunity, regardless of skill or effort. The coach didn't believe that a non-European had sufficient competency to hit the pitch.

"It was an experience for him, and very educational, having been a [NCAA] Division II keeper and having been accorded some honors. His team at Gannon University had many internationals -- Dutch, South African, Canadian -- that he was very comfortable in an international atmosphere. His coach, however, never warmed to that, and he came home after a year.

Waldorf's son, an attorney with a Houston oil company, now plays indoors with the Houston Hotshots.

-- Robert Vega of Austin, Texas, had a comment. I just wanted to let you know that I've enjoyed reading your last few articles... In fact, your latest comment on the "save" by San Jose's keeper was right on the mark! I had the same reaction and was a bit mystified by the fact that absolutely no one else in the media seemed to bring it up (especially since Scurry's version garnered so much attention). Keep up the good work.

-- Max of Menlo Park, California, asked: What is the name of the wild bunch of U.S. soccer fans that followed the men's and women's National Teams all over the world to cheer and beat the drums?

Lewis: Max, that "wild bunch" is called Sam's Army. For more information, see www.sams-army.com/.

Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News and is editor of Soccer Magazine.

To submit a question or comment to Michael Lewis, click here.

 

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