International Roundup

North Korea reaches final despite pitch walk-off

BANGKOK (Reuters) -- North Korea secured a place in the King's Cup final on Thursday but only after walking off the pitch in protest during an ill-tempered 2-2 draw with Qatar.

The Korean team staged a 15-minute protest after Qatar scored an equalizing second goal early in the second half, which Korean officials said should have been disallowed for offside.

Thai organizers had to coax the North Koreans back on to the pitch, after the team's coaches and officials had crowded around television screens demanding to see a replay of the incident.

"We went to the TV screen and saw that the Qatar team was offside, but the Thai officials told us we had to carry on," Jang Su Myong, international director of the North Korean Football Association, told Reuters.

"Winning or losing is not important, playing the game is what's important."

Qatar, who staged their own walk-off during a game against hosts Thailand earlier in the week, drew level at 2-2 on 52 minutes when three players ran on to a floated free kick into the box while the North Korean defense tried to spring the offside trap.

Mohamed Salem al Enazi scored with a header, but the draw meant North Korea edged past Qatar into the final of the four team tournament, having taken three points from three games.

Dominant Sweden

Earlier, a dominant second-half display helped Sweden thrash Thailand 4-1 to book their place in the final.

Thailand were unlucky not to go in at halftime a goal up after their captain Terdsak Chaiman had smacked a right-foot drive against an upright in the 34th minute.

But in the second half Sweden ran the Thai defense ragged, taking the lead just 30 seconds after the interval when Thai defender Thannongsak Pajakkata knocked a low cross into his own net.

After 64 minutes, Johan Elmander picked the ball up just inside the Thai half and powered into the box. Thai goalkeeper Kittisak Rawangpa got down well to save at the Swedish forward's feet but Elmander blasted the rebound into an empty net.

Two minutes later, Alexander Farnerud struck a ferocious dipping half volley from 22 metres out, which flew over Kittisak's despairing dive and into the top corner.

With Thailand in complete disarray, Daniel Majstorovic made it four when he powered a header straight at the Thai goalkeeper, who spilled the ball into the net.

With eight minutes remaining, Narongchai Vachiraban grabbed a consolation for the home side with a well hit shot from the edge of the area which dipped just under the bar.

Thailand will play in the third/fourth place playoff against Qatar on Saturday.

Former Australian national soccer coach dies

Thomson, who was suffering from cancer, was a former under-23 Scottish international and played seven years with Heart of Midlothian and five years with Aberdeen in the Scottish Premier Division.

He played one year with the San Antonio Thunder in the North American Soccer League and in Australia with a Sydney-area team. He became coach of the same Sydney City side and later won coach of the year three times.

Thomson coached the Australian national team from 1990 to 1996, including two World Cup qualifying campaigns and two Olympics.

His final years as a coach were in the Japanese J-League where he handled Sanfrecce Hiroshima before returning to Sydney.

Thomson is survived by his wife, Pauline, son Steven and daughter Claire.

Swiss success builds new hopes for Yakin

BASEL, Switzerland (Reuters) -- FC Basel forward Hakan Yakin believes their success against Deportivo La Coruna on Wednesday has breathed new life into the team's Champions' League campaign.

The younger of the two Yakin brothers, whose goal after 30 minutes of the 1-0 group D triumph over the Spaniards won the game, added that it may also have helped him decide his future.

Yakin, who will be 26 on Saturday and is being pursued by several major European clubs, admitted he had talked to another club during the Swiss winter break.

But, he added that he was not making any decisions now and would prefer to concentrate on Basel's defense of the Swiss title and their progress in the Champions League, starting with the return clash in Spain next Tuesday.

"I would normally decide on my future during the winter break," said Yakin. "But I am in no hurry this time. It is very special to be involved in the Champions League in matches like this with FCB and I am happy to stay and wait and see."

Yakin, whose older brother Murat was unlucky not to put Basel ahead after 11 minutes when his swerving free kick rebounded off a post, was a constant problem for the Deportivo defense on a bitterly cold night of sub-zero temperatures.

He created chances, had several shots and scored the decisive goal to keep alive Basel's hopes of a place in the quarter-finals.

Basel are now third in the group with three points, one behind second-placed Juventus. Manchester United lead the group with a maximum nine from three games and Deportivo are last with one point.

"For me, this was a beautiful occasion, but it is more important that we carry our form into the Swiss championship when it restarts because that is the way back to the Champions League next season," said Yakin.

Long break

Basel had not played a competitive game since a 4-0 loss at Juventus on December 11, while Deportivo played 13 Spanish league and cup games in the same period.

The wear and tear of that punishing programme caught up with them at St Jakob-Park where coach Javier Irureta adopted defensive tactics and only brought on Spanish international forward Diego Tristan for the second half.

"We were unlucky not to score in the first half," said Irureta, pointing to saves by Pascal Zuberbuehler who twice foiled Roy Makaay in one-to-one situations at close range.

"It was a difficult game. But it is not all over yet and we can put it right next week."

Irureta said he believed his side could yet overhaul Juventus and take second place behind likely group winners Manchester United.

"Nothing is over at all, not yet," he said. "We still believe in ourselves."

Paraguay's Cuevas set to leave River for China

BUENOS AIRES, Feb 19 (Reuters) -- Paraguayan World Cup striker Nelson Cuevas is to leave Argentina's River Plate and join a club in China on a one-year loan, a River spokesman said on Wednesday.

"Cuevas is not going to continue at the club, he's going to play in China," Norberto Alvarez told reporters, identifying Cuevas's future club only as "Shanghai of China."

Cuevas, who came on as a substitute in the World Cup match against Slovenia last year and scored twice as Paraguay won 3-1 to qualify for the last sixteen, is a popular player at River but has rarely been able to command a place in the starting line-up.

Similarly, the 23-year-old has often been left on the bench by his country, despite habitually livening up the team when he is brought on.

Jamaica player found innocent of manslaughter

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (AP) -- A magistrate's court jury took half an hour to decide that a Jamaica soccer player was innocent of manslaughter and reckless driving charges.

Theodore Whitmore, 28, was accused in the death of former teammate Steve Malcolm, killed in a car crash on Jan. 28, 2001, in the northwestern parish of Trelawny.

A seven-member jury returned with the innocent verdict Wednesday to end the two-day trial at Trelawny Circuit Court, 17 miles (27 kilometers) east of Montego Bay, a north-coast resort town in the Caribbean island nation.

"I am happy that it is over, now I can move on with my life," Whitmore said following the trial. "I am very sorry for what happened because I suffered along with [Malcolm's] family."

The two players and a friend, Charles Hewan, had been traveling in Whitmore's car from Kingston to Montego Bay after a friendly match between Jamaica and Bulgaria when a tire blew out and the car overturned, killing Malcolm and injuring Whitmore and Hewan.

There were conflicting reports about who was driving the car. Whitmore said Malcolm was driving, but police said the former Hull City midfielder told them at the accident scene that he was the driver, but two days later in a statement said it was Malcolm behind the wheel.

The matter was sent to a coroner's court, and a jury ruled that the soccer player be charged.

Whitmore scored two of Jamaica's three goals in the 1998 World Cup in France in a match against Japan. Jamaica was eliminated after losing to Argentina and Croatia.

 

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Both the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.