International Roundup

England, Germany and Iran plan Afghan task force

LONDON (Reuters) -- England, Germany and Iran are combining resources to help re-establish organized soccer in Afghanistan after the country formally rejoined the sport's Asian community this week.

Representatives from the three countries will set up a soccer "task force" after talks with world governing body FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Afghanistan FA during the AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

At the Congress Afghanistan's Football Federation was formally re-integrated into the AFC for the first time since 1954.

Afghanistan are one of the few countries in the world never to have entered the World Cup. Their last official matches were in the qualifying competition for the 1984 Olympic Games.

Recommendations

Wednesday's talks focused on recommendations made by the English FA following their exploratory mission to Afghanistan's capital Kabul earlier this year.

The task force would regenerate the game from the provision of infrastructure and materials to the establishment of a league and the development of skills.

David Davies, the FA's newly-appointed Director of International Strategy said: "All parties feel very strongly that enough talking has been done and that the international football community now has to move ahead quickly to deliver support.

"All of us recognize the power for good that football can be in helping Afghanistan after more than 20 years of war.

"Our involvement is part of the international programme that has been developed by the FA in recent years and we look forward to playing a part in the re-establishment of the game in this troubled country."

In February the FA lent their support to a symbolic football match played at the Ghazi Olympic Stadium in Kabul.

Billed as the Game of Unity, the match saw a team from the British-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) beat an Afghan side, Kabul United, 3-1 in front of a 30,000 crowd in the stadium that witnessed horrific events under the Taliban regime.

Former Tottenham Hotspur skipper Gary Mabbutt coached the ISAF team, while Lawrie McMenemy, the former Southampton manager, coached the Kabul United team.

The mission was backed by FIFA who asked the English FA to examine the state of football in Afghanistan and assess its immediate needs.

The Afghans acknowledged and welcomed the support from all parties and said they would work closely with the "task force" on the issue of a study visit to Kabul in the coming months and the creation of a viable action plan.

Strategic plans

Also during the Congress, the English FA presented their Strategic Development Plan for Asian Football.

The FA have made a number of recommendations for the development of Asian football from grass roots to elite player development through to coach education.

FA Chairman Geoff Thompson said: "The whole of the FA has been involved in creating this blueprint for Asian football development which will be incorporated into the AFC's plans to move football forward on the back of a first class World Cup."

New AFC President, Mohammed Bin Hammam, said the AFC would adopt some of the recommendations as early as next year.

Czechs postpone soccer matches due to flooding

PRAGUE (Reuters) -- The Czech Soccer Association said on Wednesday it had postponed all first division matches scheduled for this weekend after the worst floods in centuries hit vast parts of the central European country.

Heavy flooding, caused by torrential rains in the southern part of the country, has swept across the Czech Republic and turned soccer pitches of several teams into swamps.

The association said in a statement on its official website that it has consulted all 16 teams in the first division and rescheduled all the matches for November 24.

Europe's clubs turn to bonds for funds

LONDON (Reuters) -- Europe's soccer clubs, hit by falling TV fee income and sky-high costs, are having to give away future revenues from ticket sales to borrow money now as shareholders can no longer bail them out.

English premier league newcomers Manchester City are expected to be the next club to sell a bond repaid from future ticket sales. The club aim to borrow 44 million pounds ($68 million) secured on ticket sales from its new 48,000 seat stadium.

"The stock markets have given all they are going to for the time being and football revenues are just not stable enough to justify unsecured borrowing," said a senior official at an English first division club.

"If you need a cash injection, that leaves you with expensive bank loans or the secured markets."

So far this year, Everton and Italian club Parma have both sold bonds secured on ticket revenues and bankers say more are being lined up.

Newcastle United, Leeds United and Leicester City as well as Spain's Real Madrid and Turkey's Galatasaray have issued similar bonds.

"Britain is the biggest source of these deals," said a banker involved in one forthcoming transaction. "But we have more Italian deals on the table and a handful from Spain and Germany that might come through next year."

With share prices in freefall and future revenue from television firms uncertain at best, the secured markets are the clubs' best bet.

"A secured deal is relatively cheap and you can borrow more than you could through a bank loan, just as you can get more with a mortgage than you can on a credit card," said the club official.

"But, and it's a big but, you cut out a chunk of your future revenue... Clubs may find themselves with restricted revenue just when they need it most."

Desperate for cash

Whatever the costs, many clubs find themselves in desperate need of cash. The collapse of UK broadcaster ITV Digital, and its screening deal with the Football League, has left 72 professional clubs out of pocket.

ITV Digital owed 178.5 million pounds for the remaining two years of a three-year contract when it collapsed in April and, despite a new 95 million pound, four-year deal with BSkyB, League clubs are struggling to make up the shortfall.

Around 30 English clubs are in danger of bankruptcy, according to League management, and the picture is no better elsewhere.

In Italy, Fiorentina -- once one of the giants of the European game -- collapsed last month and the game's ruling body in Europe, UEFA, has warned that without strict financial controls no club is safe.

In future, UEFA may bar clubs from European competitions, or remove points if their finances look too shaky.

But the need for cash to fund successful league campaigns has not lessened. Manchester City, for example, has spent 17 million pounds on just two players this summer.

Finding the purchase fee for a player is only half the problem, however. Analysts say that the wages for top-class players can double the cost of a player over the life of his contract.

Armenia cancel Latvia friendly due to visa problems

YEREVAN (Reuters) -- Armenia have cancelled next week's friendly away to Latvia after six of their players with dual citizenship were refused entry visas because they could not prove they were Armenian citizens.

Armenian soccer chiefs said on Wednesday they were forced to pull out of the August 21 match in Riga after the Latvian authorities would not issue visas to the six players.

"They [the Latvians] requested proof of their Armenian citizenship, but we could not provide it," an official with the Armenian Soccer Federation (ASF) told Reuters.

Armenian law prohibits their citizens from carrying more than one passport.

Albert Sarkisyan, Andrei Movsesyan and Andranik Karageldyan, who all have Russian passports, as well as Argentina-born Jose Bilibio, Bulgaria's Armen Ambartsumyan and Mali's Edela Bete were unable to gain Latvia visas.

The ASF said they will try to solve the problem before the start of their Euro 2004 qualifying campaign at home to Ukraine on September 7.

Armenia also face Spain, Northern Ireland and Greece in qualifying group six.

Iraqi soccer team tours Italy amid war fears

NAPLES, Italy (AP) -- As the world wonders if another Gulf War might be on the horizon, the Iraqi soccer team has been quietly roaming around southern Italy, training with local squads and hoping for future sports glory.

But that's not to say war isn't on their minds -- all the players are of fighting age and they know that combat could come long before the 2006 World Cup.

In interviews with The Associated Press on Tuesday, two Iraqi players and the team's coach criticized the international sanctions against Iraq, expressed concern about the prospect of war, and offered no criticism of the government of Saddam Hussein. They all spoke through a translator hired by the team, and it was not clear if they were speaking freely.

"We're preoccupied worrying about our families and children, who are suffering from the embargo," 20-year-old midfielder Hassan Turki said. "If someone messes with our country, we'll all be ready to defend it."

Team captain Haider Mahmad was happy at the opportunity to compete overseas. "This is a great chance, because with the embargo it's been difficult for us to play foreign teams," he said.

The Iraqis arrived in Naples last week and have practiced with five local teams. The squad had been planning to play the area's biggest team, Napoli, on Wednesday, but the Italian club pulled out to concentrate on preparations for its upcoming season. The Iraqis were scheduled to return home Thursday.

Their stint in Italy has been paid for by three Naples-area companies hoping to gain business opportunities in Iraq from the venture: the trading company Fastrecov, building company Construction Progress and financial firm Credit Management and Services.

"This is strictly a commercial venture," said Baio Generoso of the Fastrecov. "As they say in America, 'Business is business."'

On Tuesday, the Iraqis played their last friendly match here, beating the semi-professional team Pro Ebolitana 2-0. About 1,000 fans attended the match in the town of Eboli, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) south of Naples. The announcer introduced it as a night with a "peaceful purpose."

Before and after the match, the two teams traded gifts and embraced. "We have no problem playing them, we're all pacifists," Pro Ebolitana captain Gaetano Chiagano said.

However, accounts of Iraqi soccer do not tell a pure story of sport and camaraderie. The U.S. State Department's International Information Programs says Saddam's son Uday has tortured and jailed members of the national team for losing games.

Uday Hussein took over the team in 1979 and soon it wasn't just about sport, according to Rahman Aljebouri of the Iraq Foundation, a Washington-based pro-democracy group. Players whose families had ties to the Iraqi opposition would have no chance of getting on the team, and those who performed badly could face punishment, he said.

"They use the team for a political agenda for the government," he said by phone from Washington. "The players, if they don't perform or they lose, they get their heads shaved. That includes even the coach and everybody on the team."

He said that sending the team abroad also serves domestic propaganda purposes, giving Iraqis the sense that their nation is competing internationally like any other nation.

In Washington, U.S. President George W. Bush has made no secret of his desire for Saddam's ouster, leading to persistent speculation over recent months that the United States might launch a military campaign, more than a decade after the 1991 Gulf War.

Iraqi opposition groups have been meeting with Bush administration officials in recent days, and the leader of an opposition coalition said Tuesday in Washington that the officials "told us that they will help us liberate our country."

"This is commensurate with President Bush's policy of regime change and that is what we want to hear," said Ahmed Chalabi, head of the Iraqi National Congress.

At the match in Eboli, the Iraqi team seemed focused on the game during the 90 minutes of play, with the chief of the Iraqi team's delegation, Aumar Sabaa Wi, on the sidelines fiddling with worry beads. Off the pitch, talk often turned to politics.

Iraqi coach Adnan Hamd said Saddam "is a big fan of sports and soccer."

"There are plans to build stadiums all over, not only for soccer, but other sports as well."

The coach's demeanor grew more serious when local Italian organizer Ferruccio Salvatore Iaccarino proposed a tournament featuring the teams of Iraq, the United States, Israel, and a Palestinian team.

"We would play with the U.S., we don't have anything against America," he said. "But not against Israel, they've stolen land from Arabs that's not theirs."

The Iraqi team's delegate, Sabaa Wi, said officials in his country had made several offers to American soccer teams to play friendly matches, but that they were all turned down. He would not identify the teams.

Politics and fears of war aside, the team showed at times that they have the same dreams of sporting glory shared by aspiring athletes around the world.

Iraq only qualified for the 1986 World Cup, and were knocked out in the first round. For soccer players, there are few dreams more grand than making it to the next World Cup, and the Iraqis were no different.

"That would make a great impression on the younger generation and bring great joy to our people," the coach said.

Russia coach aims to give players time to prove selves

MOSCOW (AP)-- Russian national soccer coach Valery Gazzayev, trying to resuscitate the team after its disappointing World Cup performance, may try out all 22 players on the roster in next week's friendly against Sweden, he said Wednesday.

The Aug. 21 game is the first for Russia since it was knocked out of the World Cup in the first round. Russia's failure to make it past to the knockout stages, even though it played in what was regarded as one of the easiest groups, forced the resignation of coach Oleg Romantsev, who was criticized for using outdated tactics and players past their prime.

Gazzayev in turn ditched many of the team's veterans including midfielders Alexander Mostovoi and Valery Karpin and defenders Yuri Nikiforov and Viktor Onopko, the former team captain.

The final roster will be chosen from a field of 29 candidates after training sessions next week, he told a news conference.

"Everything will depend on how these candidates conduct themselves in the training. There are examples where soccer players who do well in internal championships cannot display themselves well on the national team," Gazzayev said.

He also said that an agreement has been reached with the Swedish team to allow unlimited substitutions and Gazzayev said it was possible he could test out all his players against the Swedes, who advanced out of the World Cup's "Group of Death" before falling to Senegal.

Among the 29 candidates named earlier was midfielder Yegor Titov, but the Spartak Moscow star has been sidelined by injury.

Gazzayev called Titov a "key player of the club ... we hope that the doctors' word that he can take part in general group activities after a week will be confirmed."

Onopko's absence takes away not only the most experienced player on Russia's defense -- historically the team's strong suit -- but also its captain.

The friendly against Sweden will be the new team's only chance to test itself in competition before a Sept. 7 game against Ireland that counts for the European Championships.

Former Russia captain Onopko to bow out against Sweden

MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russia will bid farewell to their long-serving captain Viktor Onopko ahead of next week's friendly international against Sweden in Moscow.

"He will get a farewell reception before the match," Russia coach Valery Gazzayev told a news conference on Wednesday. "We already sent him an invitation to attend."

Gazzayev did not include Onopko nor any of the other senior players in his provisional 29-man squad for the August 21 game at Moscow's Lokomotiv stadium.

The coach said he wants to test younger players, whom he expects to form the nucleus of the team for the 2004 European championships. Russia begin their Euro 2004 qualifying campaign at home to Ireland on September 7.

Onopko, who turns 33 in two months, won his 100th and, in all probability, final cap for Russia in the 3-2 defeat to Belgium on June 14 as his team conceded two late goals to crash out of the World Cup finals in the first round.

Senior players like Onopko, who plays for Spanish second division side Oviedo, were blamed for Russia's early exit by media and fans.

Gazzayev said he had already chosen the new Russian captain to replace the lanky central defender.

"I already picked the man to replace Onopko, but I must first tell him about his new role," he told Reuters. "I will announce the name on Monday."

Gazzayev also ruled Spartak Moscow captain Yegor Titov out of the Sweden friendly because of a knee injury.

"He has a serious injury and we hope he'll be back some time next month," the coach said. "His absence is a big blow for us."

The 26-year-old midfielder injured his right knee in last week's Russian premier league match against Anji Makhachkala.

French soccer faced with surfeit of red cards

PARIS (Reuters) -- Controversy is brewing in the French championship over the level of foul play after the first two days of competition and a direct clash between two of the more glamorous teams, Olympique Marseille and Monaco.

Referees handed out 11 red cards and 91 yellow cards in the 20 games played since the beginning of the new season. At the same period last year, only two players had been sent off and 64 had received a official warning.

But Monaco's assistant coach Jean Petit would have liked another player to be punished when Olympique Marseille's defender Abdoulaye Meite heavily tackled Marcello Gallardo last Saturday.

The Argentine limped off the field 32 minutes into the game. Without their playmaker Monaco lost 1-0 at home. Gallardo will be sidelined for up to five weeks by a torn knee ligament while Meite escaped without a warning.

"They put a price on Marcello's head," Jean Petit told the sports daily L'Equipe. "They already did it two years ago when Gallardo was slapped in the face by a Marseille player before kick-off. One could think they did the same on Saturday."

"No comment, it's pure nonsense," responded Marseille chairman Christophe Bouchet.

Meite pleaded not guilty. "I didn't try to harm Gallardo," he said. "I was about to send him a word of apology but now it's impossible."

Code of conduct

League chairman Frederic Thiriez said the swelling number of red cards was "a non event because referees were given strict instructions to punish foul play more severely."

"It will be a long-term job," he added.

At the beginning of the season, the League introduced a new code of conduct. Players are asked to mingle for a photo opportunity before kick-off and coaches are supposed to shake hands in front of the main stand.

A fair-play commission named "Hands off my sport" has been charged to monitor the matches and to reward the best sporting actions.

Girondins Bordeaux international striker Christophe Dugarry could have been one the first winners when he helped Paris St Germain Andre Luiz to his feet after a tackle last Friday.

Television commentators were quick to celebrate this gentlemanly gesture but a few minutes later they were left speechless when the two players were sent off.

It took them a few minutes to realize that Dugarry and Luiz had been exchanging punches far away from the ball, in a corner of the pitch but under the eyes of a linesman who promptly drew the referee's attention to their misbehavior.

"This code of conduct is a pure symbol. It doesn't mean anything," said Didier Deschamps, the 1998 World Cup-winning captain who is now coaching Monaco.

"It's disturbing the players in their warm-up and has no influence whatsoever on their behaviour during the game."

Bosnia squad for friendly against Yugoslavia

SARAJEVO (Reuters) -- Bosnia national team coach Blaz Sliskovic called up four uncapped players for the August 21 friendly against Yugoslavia in a 21-man squad announced on Wednesday.

Among the 15 foreign-based players midfielder Elvir Rahimic from CSKA Moscow is the only new name while Sliskovic said he had omitted Galatasaray forward Elvir Baljic and several other regulars to test other players.

Three Bosnia-based newcomers are defender Danijel Krivic of Brotnjo Citluk, midfielder Asim Skaljic from Velez Mostar and forward Albin Pelak from Sarajevo.

Goalkeepers: Tomislav Piplica (Energie Cottbus), Almir Tolja (Casino SW Bregenz).

Defenders: Nenad Miskovic (Partizan Belgrade), Zlatan Bajramovic (Freiburg), Mirsad Beslija (FC Genk), Danijel Krivic (Brotnjo Citluk), Vedin Music (Como), Muhamed Konjic (Coventry City), Mirsad Hibic (Atletico Madrid), Sasa Papac (Karnten).

Midfielders: Hasan Salihamidzic (Bayern Munchen), Almedin Hota (Karnten), Asmir Ikanovic (Casino SW Bregenz), Samir Duro (Maribor), Bulend Biscevic (Zeljeznicar Sarajevo), Asim Skaljic (Velez Mostar), Elvir Rahimic (CSKA Moscow).

Forwards: Almir Gredic (Zeljeznicar Sarajevo), Albin Pelak (Sarajevo), Nedim Halilovic (Varteks Varazdin), Samir Muratovic (Saturn Ramenskoye).

Sablic to play for Dynamo Kiev in qualifying

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -- Dynamo Kiev added Croatian international defender Goran Sablic to its roster Wednesday for the third qualifying round of the European Champions League.

Sablic's first match with his new team was likely to come later Wednesday against Levski Sofia in the Bulgarian capital. The winner of the two-leg tie will qualify for the Champions League.

The 22-year-old Sablic, who signed a four-year contract with the Ukrainian champion, is the third international player acquired by Dynamo in the offseason. In late July, the club signed defender Diego Rincon and forward Leandro Machado of Brazil.

Kiev, the original team of AC Milan's star striker Andriy Shevchenko, has dominated Ukrainian soccer for almost a decade.

Blatter: Long wait for Asia's next World Cup

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -- Asia will probably have to wait beyond 2014 to stage another World Cup with China as possible hosts, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on Wednesday.

The head of the world governing body, who is attending the annual congress of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), praised Asia's enthusiasm for staging another World Cup after the success of this year's finals in Japan and Korea.

But he said other continents were ahead in the queue.

"Make your calculations and you will find you will have to wait a little bit," Blatter told a news conference.

Blatter said after 2006 in Germany the World Cup was likely to move to Africa -- the only continent yet to stage soccer's biggest tournament.

"After 2010 in Africa, somewhere in the Americas they would also like to have the World Cup, and when it moves from West to Asia then Oceania can say "we are also in this region.""

Blatter was asked if China could be the next Asian hosts.

"China is able to organise any sporting event in the world," he said. "They've organised the Olympics, the Asian Games...they will also be able to organise the FIFA World Cup."

He said AFC's request for five places for Asian teams in the next World Cup would be considered at FIFA's executive committee meeting in Madrid from December 17-18.

Blatter also said that FIFA was powerless to stop illegal betting on soccer but would remain vigilant against match-fixing after this year's World Cup threw a spotlight on enormous sums of money taken by Asia's gambling syndicates.

"I'm happy to say that we have not yet been informed of new match-fixing cases since the cases that were discovered in Singapore two years ago," he said.

Juventus striker Trezeguet to miss Serie A start

MILAN (Reuters) -- Juventus striker David Trezeguet will miss the start of the Serie A season with a knee injury.

A statement on the club's official website said the France international, who was joint top scorer in the Italian league last season with 24 goals, would need to rest for 20 to 30 days.

The injury rules him out of the defending champions' September 1 season opener against Piacenza.

Trezeguet picked up the knee injury in a friendly on July 31 and suffered further pain in the back of his right knee during training on Tuesday.

Romania skipper Popescu signs for Dinamo Bucharest

BUCHAREST (Reuters) -- Romania captain Gheorghe Popescu has turned down moves to German and Italian clubs in favour of a two-year contract with Dinamo Bucharest, the much-travelled midfielder said on Wednesday.

"I accepted a two-year contract with Dinamo Bucharest," the 35-year-old, who has won 108 caps for his country, told Reuters.

Popescu said the decision to join the Romanian champions came after clubs from Germany and Italy offered him less attractive terms.

"Dinamo made me the best offer," he said.

He declined to elaborate but sources close to Dinamo said he would pocket a 200,000 euros ($197,400) signing-on fee and would be paid a 300,000 euros in salary over the two years.

Popescu was not called up for Romania's friendly against Greece on August 21, but he said he would return for the opening match of the 2004 European qualifying campaign against Bosnia in September.

"The national team is very important to me. I want to help it to qualify for the Euro 2004 finals," he said.

Popescu became a free agent in June after his contract with Italian side Lecce, who were relegated from Serie A last season, expired.

Popescu has scored 16 goals in his 16 years of international activity, which has included appearances at three World Cups and two European championships.

His club career has taken him to PSV Eindhoven, Tottenham Hotspurs, Barcelona -- who he helped to their 1997 Cup Winners' Cup triumph -- and Galatasaray, with whom he won the UEFA Cup in 2000.

There were also changes behind the scenes at Dinamo on Wednesday with former Romania international Ionut Lupescu being appointed their new general manager, replacing former executive director Cristian Borcea.

The move followed Dinamo's exit from the Champions League in the preliminary round last week after a 4-1 aggregate defeat to Club Bruges.

Lupescu, who played 74 times for his country, retired as a player in 2001 and has acted as honorary president of the Romanian soccer players' trade union for the last year.

He played 183 matches for Dinamo either side of eight years in the German Bundesliga.

 

Related information

Stories

World: Korea's soccer chief may run for president

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video

The Associated Press contributed to this report.