|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
'New heights' China to host 2004 Asian Cup finals with 16 teams
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- China has won the right to host the 2004 Asian Cup, beating Thailand 10-6 in a vote by the executive committee of the Asian Football Confederation. Three-time champion Iran was also in the running but dropped out of the bid, saying it will try to land the 2008 edition of Asia's showcase soccer tournament. China had never won or hosted the Asian Cup. Lebanon, host to the cup's current 12th edition, was chosen over China four years ago to give the tiny Arab nation an incentive to develop its sports infrastructure as it rebuilds from a ruinous 1975-1990 civil war. "China is a growing part of the world, and the Asian Cup will help develop the standard of football there," AFC secretary general Peter Velappan was quoted as saying by the official Web site of the Asian Cup. "We'll have outstanding stadium facilities with capacities ranging from 40,000 to 70,000 and a guarantee that the stadiums will be full." Full-capacity crowds will be a welcome improvement on the embarrassingly low attendances seen in Lebanon. Except for matches involving the host, which finished bottom of its group and was eliminated, Asian Cup games saw crowds ranging between several hundred an 5,000 in stadiums with a capacity between 22,500 and 50,000. In a thinly veiled criticism of the poor attendances in Lebanon, Velappan said: "The organization of the Asian Cup in China will reach new heights, restoring the image of the Asian Cup back to where it should be." Velappan, a Malaysian, had earlier said that he was disappointed by the low turnout in Lebanon, saying it was hurting the tournament's image and television contracts. A decision halfway through the tournament to admit spectators free of charge to the cheapest seats has made little difference in a country where basketball is by far the most popular sport. "I would like the people of Lebanon to come and fill the stadium tomorrow and bid farewell to this very successful tournament," Velappan told a news conference on Saturday. "It is a dream final that will not disappoint." Japan meets Saudi Arabia in the final on Sunday, while South Korea and China battle for third place. The next Asian Cup finals will involve 16 teams in four groups rather than the current three four-nation groups. Air travel will also be a key part of the tournament. The four proposed venues in China -- the Workers Stadium in the capital Beijing, the Shandong Sports Ceter in Jinan, Chengdu Sports Center and Chongqing Da Tian Wan -- are up to 1,700 kilometers (1,062 miles) apart. The domestic league in China, whose team lost in the semifinals to Japan on Thursday, has boasted an average of 4 million spectators a year since 1996. "We average 70 percent of stadium capacity for domestic China football league matches. We can guarantee 80 to 90 percent of capacity in the Asian Cup," said Xiao Yangzhong, vice-chairman of China's bidding committee. "The number of spectators for Lebanon 2000 has not been too high, but back home the Chinese have been getting up in the middle of the night to watch the matches. There will be no problem with spectators in 2004. It will be a big party." Velappan said that an AFC executive committee meeting on Saturday decided that the Asian Super Cup between Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal and Japan's Shimizu S-Pulse will take place in Japan on Dec. 3 and in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 11. The winner will take part in the World Club championship in Spain in June 2001, he said. The committee also picked up the United Arab Emirates to host the Under-16 Asian Cup in the year 2002 and Oman for the Under-19 version, with Qatar as a possible replacement. The AFC will also organize an Under-19 Asian Cup for women, a decision that Velappan said was made in recognition of the progress made by Asian women's soccer.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
