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Scotland coach blasts Faroes' pitch Posted: Tuesday September 03, 2002 2:56 PM
DUMBARTON, Scotland (Reuters) -- Scotland manager Berti Vogts has lodged a complaint about the pitch his side will play on in their opening European championship qualifying game against Faroe Islands on Saturday. The German wanted the match to be played in the new Torsvollur Stadium in Torshavn rather than the Svangaskard Stadium in Toftir, a remote venue in the country where Scotland drew 1-1 in a previous European championship qualifier in 1999. Germany, one of Scotland's rivals in qualifying group five, are due to face the Faroe Islands in Torshavn next June, but UEFA have ruled Scotland must play in the host's choice of venue. "Why are we not playing in the new stadium? Why are they playing the Germans in the new stadium?," Vogts asked at a media conference on Tuesday. "We sent a letter to UEFA, but they said it is up to the Faroes and there is nothing we can do about it. "We'll be playing on a very bad pitch. The pitch is not long enough...I am very disappointed." The lack of an established goal scorer is another problem for Vogts. Top scorer in Scotland's 25-man squad is West Ham United defender Christian Dailly with three goals. Scotland will still start as favourites to beat the Faroes -- a side ranked 123 in the FIFA standings -- but Vogts says his young side should not expect an easy game. Different world "You have to look at the situation in the Faroes. You [have to] go by bus on the match day for more than one-and-a-half hours. "The pitch is not like Celtic Park, Ibrox or Hampden. It's a different world," said Vogts, who has yet to win a competitive game as Scotland manager since replacing Craig Brown in April. Scotland have lost to France, Nigeria, South Korea, South Africa and Demark under Vogts, the worst sequence of defeats in their history. But despite seeing Scotland drop to an all-time low of 60 in the FIFA rankings, Vogts is optimistic his side can enjoy a successful campaign in a group that also includes Iceland and Lithuania. "It's the first qualification match in our group and the first game is very important for the team," he said. "We need three points and I'll be very happy if we beat the Faroes by 1-0 or 2-0." Vogts is confident Leeds United captain Dominic Matteo will be fit after injuring an ankle in Saturday's English premier league match with Birmingham City. Everton's Gary Naysmith and Rangers' Barry Ferguson are also likely to be fit, but West Bromwich Albion midfielder Derek McInnes may miss the match with a knee injury. "There would be no excuse for Scotland not to win the game and we are looking for a successful team," added Vogts. "There is no pressure on my players, only on me. I think the Denmark team is a world class team, but I can't tell the players the Faroes are a world class team."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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