International Roundup

Waseige sacked by Belgium's Standard Liege

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -- Former Belgium coach Robert Waseige has been sacked by Standard Liege, the struggling Belgian first division side said on Monday.

"Following several meetings which took place on Sunday, the management of Standard Liege took the decision to stop its sporting relations with coach Robert Waseige," the club said in a statement on its website.

The club named Waseige's deputy Dominique D'Onofrio as caretaker coach.

"It's absolutely absurd that after four [first division] matches you can take a bulldozer and flatten [me]," Waseige said on Belgian radio.

"It was a blow, like a blow to the solar plexus in the ring. It hurts -- but I'm not knocked out," the coach added.

Liege lost 2-1 at home to Club Bruges on Friday -- their fourth defeat in five league games this season, leaving them at the bottom of the standings with one point.

Standard Liege director Alphonse Costantin said the decision had not been taken lightly.

"We didn't want to take a quick decision blaming one single man," he said. "For several weeks, the board has been worried about the negative results of the team," he added.

However, a string of defeats appear to have sealed Waseige's fate.

Costantin said the board gave the experienced Waseige an ultimatum on Friday: win against Club Bruges or lose your job.

"He was disappointed, as were we," Costantin was quoted as saying by national news agency Belga.

Standard Liege players did not escape criticism for the club's dismal performances this season.

"I told them that a few among them should ask to what extent they were responsible for the departure of their coach," Costantin said.

"It's time they should examine what they did or did not do to succeed, why some were playing at only 40 percent of their potential," he added.

Mixed results

Waseige, an easy-going man with a common touch, was appointed in 1999 to lead Belgium through the 2000 European championships and the 2002 World Cup.

The 63-year-old had mixed results as national coach, with the Red Devils gaining the unhappy distinction of being the only host nation ever to be eliminated in the first stage of the European championships two years ago.

Waseige managed to regain his credibility by leading Belgium through to the second round of the World Cup, where they were knocked out 2-0 by world champions Brazil.

Waseige's move to Standard Liege -- announced before the start of the World Cup tournament -- had been touted as a marriage made in heaven, allowing him to return to the club where he began his career as a schoolboy.

Turkish-Greek Euro 2008 bid offers politics, potential

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -- Turkey and Greece know a major threat to their joint bid to host the 2008 European championship finals is that cooperation between the two historic rivals might prove fragile.

The pair are asking European soccer authority UEFA to gamble that bitter arguments over issues such as Cyprus will not spark a new outbreak of tension and that a joint tournament "in two continents" can help cement a tentative Aegean peace.

"One threat may be an extreme worsening of political ties between Greece and Turkey, but so far that seems a remote possibility because the foreign ministers of both countries support this," Sami Colgecen, Turkish coordinator of the joint bid, told Reuters on Monday.

"They will use this to overcome their difficulties."

Turkey and Greece have a century of conflict, controversial population exchanges and bitter struggles for control of the Aegean Sea they share. Devastating earthquakes in 1999 sparked a shift, however, and a process of talks over scores of issues began. The joint bid was born of that optimism.

European enlargement and stalemate in talks to unite Cyprus -- a Mediterranean island divided into ethnic Turkish and Greek zones -- underline the simmering tensions between the pair.

Both are confident they have the infrastructure to handle a tournament. Turkey has chosen four venues in three coastal cities, all hubs of a well-developed tourism industry that already has the first-class hotels and airports UEFA wants.

Two grounds in Istanbul are ready now. Izmir's Ataturk stadium will be upgraded at a cost of $30 million. In Antalya, a Mediterranean resort familiar to many soccer teams who use it for pre-season training, a stadium will be built for $50 million.

Market potential

The Turkish government will guarantee the money, Colgecen said.

"No Turkish politician can afford to put obstacles in the way of football," he said.

Greece, currently preparing for the 2004 Olympic Games, will provide four more grounds. Istanbul would open the tournament and the final would be played in Athens.

Happy that Turkey's successful World Cup campaign has shown it is a serious soccer nation, Colgecen stresses the joint bid is not just based on international peace and brotherhood.

Turkey's 70 million people, he says, are a huge potential market for the commerce that comes with soccer and more than deserve a tournament in what is for UEFA "virgin" territory.

"If the issue is profitability and commerce then without any doubt UEFA should favor Turkey and Greece because... this is an untapped and hungry market," he said.

"We are virgin...In Switzerland all the kids there have already bought their Adidas T-shirts but in Turkey there are millions who haven't even seen one yet."

The Greek-Turkish bid is one of seven. Scotland and Ireland have a joint bid, as do Austria and Switzerland as well as Bosnia and Croatia. Hungary and Russia are bidding alone and Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway offer a four-way pitch.

UEFA is due to make a final decision on December 14.

European officials review Irish 2008 bid

Ahern's plans have been badly dented by his surprise decision last week to withdraw public money for building the intended centerpiece of the bid, a proposed 80,000-seat Stadium Ireland on the Abbotstown outskirts of Dublin.

Ahern, who had been personally committed to the project dubbed the "Bertie Bowl," conceded that rapidly rising government spending and falling tax revenue meant Ireland could no longer afford to spend at least 400 million euros (US$400 million) for the facility.

The government instead placed ads in Irish newspapers appealing for investors to build the stadium, a prospect dismissed by economists as unrealistic.

That left Monday's visiting UEFA officials to inspect an empty Abbotstown field; Lansdowne Road, the antiquated 35,000-seat home for Ireland's national soccer and rugby teams; and Croke Park, a modern 80,000-seat facility whose Gaelic Athletic Association owners are unrelentingly hostile to soccer.

Ahern, who planned to meet the UEFA officials Monday, insists that the GAA must drop its ban on soccer for Euro 2008. His preferred policy is for Croke Park and the unbuilt Stadium Ireland to host the games, because Lansdowne Road is considered far too small and spartan.

The joint Scots-Irish bid requires Scotland to provide six stadiums, Ireland two. The UEFA delegation plans to visit Scotland on Tuesday to inspect the four stadiums already in place there.

Europe's soccer authority expects to name a winner Dec. 13.

Soccer associations from Russia and Hungary also have bid for the event, with additional joint candidacies from Greece and Turkey, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Austria and Switzerland, and a Scandinavian consortium of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

Belgium and the Netherlands jointly staged the last championship in 2000, while Portugal will be the 2004 host.

Gaelic Athletic Association chiefs agreed to allow the UEFA delegation to visit Croke Park on Dublin's north side, but repeated their opposition to allowing Euro 2008 or any other soccer fixtures to be played in the facility.

The GAA, which promotes native Gaelic football and hurling, considers itself a guardian of Ireland's nationhood and traditions. It has permitted U.S. football games and rock concerts at Croke Park, but views soccer and rugby as threatening British imports. The Irish are already huge fans of English Premier League soccer.

Georgia president says Russia match will be safe

TBILISI (Reuters) -- Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze said on Monday he was certain his country's Euro 2004 qualifier against Russia would go ahead without any problems despite tension between the two former Soviet states.

"The match will be played in a normal, calm atmosphere," Shevardnadze told a news conference.

Russian fears about the October 12 match were groundless, he said, as Georgia had considerable experience in staging such events.

Russian football authorities said last week they were considering calling off the match because of a row over Chechen guerillas hiding in a Georgian gorge.

Russia last week threatened to use force unless Georgia dealt with the rebels.

The group 10 match is scheduled to take place in Tbilisi. The other teams in the group for the Euro 2004 finals are Ireland, Switzerland and Albania.

Winless Panathinaikos, new coach under siege

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- When Portuguese coach Fernando Santos moved from AEK Athens to crosstown Panathinaikos this season he set his sights high: bringing back the Greek league trophy.

But the perennial championship contender is still waiting for its first win.

After three rounds in the 16-team first division, Panathinaikos has a 0-0-3 record and zero points. It shares last place with Panachaiki and Ioannina.

Santos has tried to appear optimistic even as fans grow more irate.

"We have a clear conscience that we did everything we could ... We'll continue to fight for our original goal," Santos said after Saturday's 1-0 loss to AEK -- which was one of the preseason favorites for the league title along with Olympiakos Piraeus.

Panathinaikos suffered a 4-1 defeat at PAOK Thessaloniki in the opening round and then a humiliating 1-0 home loss to lowly Proodeftiki.

Panathinaikos last season reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League, losing to Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona. But its last Greek League title was in 1996. Olympiakos took the last six trophies.

Panathinaikos' suspended president, Angelos Filippidis, met Santos after Saturday's game to express his support. Filippidis was suspended for one year in April for his alleged involvement in a post-match melee.

But Panathinaikos fans have started showing their anger.

Fans at AEK's Nikos Goumas stadium set fire to the stands at the end of the game and hurled broken plastic chairs onto the field. Some chanted slogans demanding Santos' departure.

"Panathinaikos walks on thin ice," said Ethnosport magazine.

On Thursday, Panathinaikos goes to Bulgaria to play Litex Lovech in a first-leg game for the UEFA Cup. That match, along with a league one against Ionikos over the weekend, could be key to whether Santos will remain with the club, Greek media reports speculate.

But all Greek League play could be in jeopardy. The league organizers plan a general assembly Tuesday to vote on whether to begin a lockout Sept. 28 because of lost revenue from the collapse of a pay-TV channel that broadcast many of the games.

South Korea's Ahn agrees terms with Shimizu S-Pulse

TOKYO (Reuters) -- South Korea striker Ahn Jung-hwan has agreed to join Shimizu S-Pulse on a one-year deal, officials of the J-League club said on Monday.

Ahn, who helped co-hosts South Korea reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, is unlikely to see out that contract. The 26-year-old has said he will seek a move to Europe in January.

S-Pulse did not reveal financial details of the deal.

Ahn, scheduled to arrive in Japan on Tuesday, agreed terms with S-Pulse after a public row with Italy's Perugia and visa problems that halted a move to England's Blackburn Rovers last month.

The forward had been loaned to the Italian club by K-League side Pusan I.cons but was told by Perugia president Luciano Gaucci that he would "never set foot in Perugia again" after scoring the golden goal that knocked Italy out of the World Cup.

Gaucci later back-tracked, but by then Ahn had refused to return to Perugia after two years at the Serie A club.

The Tokyo-based company Professional Management paid Perugia around US$1.3 million to release Ahn earlier this month.

By signing Ahn to a one-year deal the J-League club could demand a transfer fee if and when the player decides to leave.

Ahn did not appear in enough Serie A matches to qualify for a British work permit, scuppering a possible move to Blackburn.

At Shimizu, Ahn will team up with Japan midfielder Alex, whose move to premier league club Charlton Athletic also collapsed due to visa problems last month.

Istanbul derby put back because of European fixtures

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -- Turkey's Football Federation has postponed next weekend's Istanbul derby between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce because both teams have European club fixtures this week, an official said on Monday.

Galatasaray will be in Russia on Wednesday for their Champions League group H match against Locomotiv Moscow, while AIK Stockholm host Fenerbahce in a first round first leg UEFA Cup match on Thursday.

The derby between the crosstown rivals has been postponed to November 6, the federation official told Reuters.

Galatasaray's Super League championship triumph last season gave it a record 15 titles since 1959, while Fenerbahce has 14 titles.

Five weeks into the season, Galatasaray are second behind Ankara club Genclerbirligi, while Fenerbahce are seventh.

Villarreal appoint Floro as new coach

CASTELLON, Spain (Reuters) -- Former Real Madrid coach Benito Floro was unveiled as the new coach of Spanish first division side Villarreal on Monday.

Floro takes over from Francisco Garcia Gomez, who was appointed as caretaker coach following the sacking of Victor Munoz last week.

It is the 50-year-old Spaniard's second spell at the Mediterranean club, which he managed 13 years ago when they were still in the third division.

"It is a real reward for me to come back to the club," Floro told reporters on Monday.

"Villarreal is a very attractive club for any coach. I am really looking forward to the challenge and will do everything I can to make sure I don't disappoint those people that have brought me back."

Floro was first appointed Villarreal coach in 1988, but lasted only a season before moving to Albacete. There he made his reputation as a coach by steering the modest side from the third to first division in just three seasons.

He was snapped up by Real Madrid in 1992 and guided them to victory in the 1993 King's Cup, but was fired the following season after a string of poor results.

Villarreal have taken just one point from their first two league matches and were eliminated from the King's Cup by third division Hercules last week.

 

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.