International Roundup

FIFA boss hopes war won't further disrupt sport

LONDON (AP) -- Having already been forced to postpone this month's World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates, FIFA is "crossing its fingers" that the world of soccer won't be further disrupted by an impending war in Iraq, president Sepp Blatter said on Monday.

Although the draw for the preliminary round of the World Cup isn't until late in the year and there aren't any more FIFA connected competitions in the region, Blatter said it was impossible to predict the effects of military action.

"We have already taken one decision to postpone the organization of the World Youth Championship programmed to kick off on March 25. Otherwise we don't know what will happen," Blatter told reporters.

"We know how to react but we don't know what will happen and we cross our fingers as will the majority of the citizens of the world that a war will be avoided."

But Blatter said that he hoped soccer elsewhere would carry on as normal at a time when the news headlines would be all about the conflict to disarm Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

The FIFA president said that a tournament in the Caribbean, which involved a United States team, continued after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington 18 months ago.

"After September 11, there was a Youth Championship organized in Trinidad and Tobago two days afterwards and we kicked off this tournament in Port of Spain with the participation of the U.S. team," Blatter said.

"So we think that football should not be abandoned and we should go on playing football everywhere in the world where it is possible to show that football will give a strong message of better understanding. Let's give a message of peace.

"We have a wonderful opportunity to use football in the world in these very difficult times as a tool for better understanding.

"I wouldn't say that football can maintain a peaceful world," he said.

"But I invite the national associations and the clubs to go on playing football and disseminating the good news in the game which is entertainment but which is also based on discipline and respect which the skill of life."

Blatter rules out Nigeria co-hosting with four others

LONDON (AP) -- FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Monday there was no chance of Nigeria co-hosting the 2010 World Cup with four other nations.

While Nigeria is one of six African nations to be bidding, Blatter dismissed the nation teaming up with Cameroon, Ghana, Benin and Togo.

"They can just forget about that, this will not work," he said.

"Nigeria has made a bid but the others are not on the papers. They are not bidders and nobody from the Nigerian Football Association has made an approach to FIFA to suggest such an idea.

"Anyway it would also be out of our own regulations and we cannot go out of our own regulations."

With the World Cup to be staged in Africa for the first time, Nigeria faces competition from five other African bidders -- Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia.

Blatter said that South Korea and Japan were allowed to co-host the 2002 World Cup in "exceptional circumstances" after each had made individual bids.

Cup sold nearly all tickets despite problems

ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) -- Despite complaints about empty seats and delayed tickets, stadiums at the 2002 World Cup finals were 94 percent full on average, world soccer's governing body said Monday.

In Japan they reached 98 percent, FIFA said.

It announced the findings of an independent study into the ticketing problems that plagued the tournament, hosted jointly by Japan and South Korea.

"There were only four matches out of 64 in which empty seats (were) a problem, and this was only a comparatively small percentage of the capacities of the stadiums concerned," FIFA said.

Although some tickets were delivered later than planned, FIFA received only 20 complaints about non-receipt of tickets out of the nearly three million distributed, said FIFA vice-president David Will, who headed the ticketing committee.

FIFA said there was a perception that there were unused seats because on average the announced capacities of the stadiums were 7 percent higher than the actual usable seats.

In addition, announced attendances were on average 4 percent lower -- and in some cases 25 percent lower -- than the actual figure, according to the study by Ernst & Young.

"FIFA's ticketing services company, Byrom Plc, was subjected to much criticism but the FIFA executive committee recognizes the quality of their work given the enormous complexity of the first co-hosted World Cup, one that used 20 stadiums, most of them new," FIFA added.

Following problems during the first few matches of the finals, local organizers in Japan opened telephone hot lines to offer unsold tickets to fans. In South Korea, FIFA was criticized for making ticket prices too high.

Panathinaikos coach considers Uruguay offer

ATHENS (Reuters) -- Panathinaikos coach Sergio Markarian is considering an offer to take over as Uruguay manager.

The Uruguayan has a contract with the Greek league leaders until the end of the season but could then return to international management.

"There is an offer [from Uruguay] and they want an answer today [Monday]," Markarian told local media. "I have informed the club president, and as my contract expires in the summer I'm free to talk to them."

Markarian is in his second spell at Panathinaikos having rejoined them in November to replace Fernando Santos.

"We expect him to turn the offer down," a club source told Reuters on Monday.

Under the former Paraguay coach, Panathinaikos have climbed to the top of the 16-team first division with a three-point lead over defending champions Olympiakos.

The Athens club face Porto on Thursday in the second leg of their UEFA Cup quarter-final leading 1-0 from the first game in Portugal.

Inter president closes door on Beckham move

ROME (Reuters) -- Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has denied reports that his club is considering making an offer for Manchester United midfielder David Beckham.

Rumours that the England captain was set to join Inter began last week, when newspaper Il Messagero said the player's wife Victoria met Moratti in Milan and had instructed estate agents to find a house in the Italian city.

"People have been suggesting I met the player's wife during her recent stay in Milan, but it's not true," Moratti was quoted as saying in sports weekly Controcampo on Monday.

"All I can say is that he's a great player -- not just because he's English and I like English players, but because he's very skilful and often decisive for his club," Moratti added.

"There's no deal going on. We couldn't afford such an expensive operation."

Moratti also closed the door on Real Madrid striker Ronaldo, who last week said he would consider returning to the Italian club if coach Hector Cuper left.

"Ronaldo is fine at Madrid. I don't believe he'll come back to Inter," Moratti said.

Champions League income cuts Ajax loss

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -- A successful Champions League campaign has helped Ajax Amsterdam cut their net loss in the first half of the 2002/03 season, the reigning Dutch champions said on Monday.

The total net loss came in at 800,000 euros (US$863,500) after a 3.4 million euros loss in the first half of the previous year.

Ajax posted an operational profit of 7.1 million euros, as against a loss of 700,000 euros one year earlier. It is the first positive operational result since the club floated its shares on the Amsterdam bourse almost five years ago.

The Dutch club, currently second in their domestic league, face AS Roma on Wednesday needing just a draw to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

"The achievements in the UEFA Champions League make it justified to upgrade our full-year outlook to an operational profit from an earlier expected break-even result," Ajax said in a statement.

Matches played in the first two rounds of the Champions League boosted first half ticket sales by 3.7 million euros while premium income from the competition brought in six million and television rights a further 1.5 million euros.

But bottom-line net results were dampened by falling income from transfer fees, higher depreciation in the value of contracted players and a higher tax burden, Ajax said.

Ramelow commits future to struggling Leverkusen

BERLIN (Reuters) -- Bayer Leverkusen captain Carsten Ramelow has said he will stay at the club even if they are relegated to the German second division.

"If things go wrong I want to stay and help," the German international midfielder said.

Ramelow, 28, said he was aware he might lose his place in the national team if Leverkusen fail to remain in the top flight.

"I know what it may mean but I owe a lot to the club," he told Monday's edition of soccer magazine Kicker. "I like it here and so does my family. I will not let the people in Leverkusen down."

Last season's Bundesliga runners-up and Champions League finalists lie 15th in the German first division standings -- one spot above the relegation zone.

They entertain Inter Milan on Wednesday in their final game of the Champions League's second phase but have already been eliminated.

Ramelow is wearing the captain's armband in the absence of regular Leverkusen skipper Jens Nowotny, who is sidelined with a long-term knee injury.

Experienced keeper recalled to Czech squad

PRAGUE (Reuters) -- Czech Republic coach Karel Bruckner on Monday recalled experienced Sparta Prague goalkeeper Jaromir Blazek for Euro 2004 qualifiers against the Netherlands and Austria.

Blazek, who last played for the national team against Australia in 2000, will provide back-up for youngster Petr Cech.

The Czechs are joint leaders of Group Three with six points from two matches, but trail the Netherlands on goal difference.

Bruckner told a news conference his team does not fear the much-vaunted Dutch strikers.

"Their strength does not come from individuals... It is not only about [strikers Ruud van] Nistelrooy or [Patrick] Kluivert, it is about the offensive ideas of the whole team which is strongly committed to attacking," he said.

The Czech Republic play the Dutch on March 29 in Rotterdam and host Austria in Prague on April 2.

Goalkeepers: Jaromir Blazek (Sparta Prague), Petr Cech (Stade Rennes)

Defenders: Rene Bolf (Banik Ostrava), Zdenek Grygera, Tomas Huebschman (both Sparta Prague), Marek Jankulovski (Udinese), Martin Jiranek (Reggina), Tomas Ujfalusi (Hamburg)

Midfielders: Richard Dostalek, Patrik Gedeon (both Slavia Prague), Tomas Galasek (Ajax Amsterdam), Jiri Jarosik (CSKA Moscow), Pavel Nedved (Juventus), Karel Poborsky (Sparta Prague), Tomas Rosicky (Borussia Dortmund), Vladimir Smicer (Liverpool)

Strikers: Milan Baros (Liverpool), Jan Koller (Borussia Dortmund), Vratislav Lokvenc (Kaiserslautern), Stepan Vachousek (Slavia Prague)

Servette sacks coach Morinini

GENEVA (Reuters) -- Servette coach Roberto Morinini has been sacked after eight months in charge following a disappointing run of results, the Swiss Nationalliga club said on Monday.

Morinini, 51, moved to Servette from Lugano to replace Lucien Favre last June, but the Geneva club sit bottom of the league after scraping into the final round.

Servette could only draw 1-1 with Young Boys on Sunday as the club's new Stade de Geneve was opened in front of a sell-out 30,000 crowd.

"Servette have separated with coach Roberto Morinini with immediate effect," the club said in a statement.

Morinini's successor is expected to be announced later on Monday.

Moldova recalls Testemitanu for Euro qualifiers

CHISINAU (Reuters) -- Moldova's veteran defender Jon Testemitanu has been recalled to the national squad for the first time in almost two years by coach Viktor Pasulko for two Euro 2004 Group Three qualifiers.

Pasulko also named three newcomers, defender Liviu Andriuta, midfielder Victor Barisev and striker Viorel Frunze, to his 21-man squad for the games away to Belarus on March 29 and at home to the Netherlands four days later.

Testemitanu, who plays for Moldovan champions Sheriff Tiraspol, has not played for the national side since a 6-0 thrashing by Sweden in a World Cup qualifier in June 2001.

He was dropped by Moldovan soccer chief Pavel Ciobanu along with several other veteran players accused of not giving their best for the national team.

But Ciobanu said last week that Testemitanu had played well this season and deserved another outing with the national team.

The Netherlands match will be played in Tiraspol, the capital of Moldova's breakaway Dnestr region, after an inspection by European soccer's governing body UEFA who gave Moldova permission to use the Sheriff stadium last week.

It will be Moldova's first match outside the capital since the country's independence following the break up of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991.

Moldova's main stadium in Chisinau has been judged as inadequate by UEFA and world governing body FIFA to host European or World Cup qualifiers.

The Netherlands are top of Group Three on goal difference ahead of the Czech Republic and Austria after all three teams won their opening two games. Moldova lost their first two matches, while Belarus have no points after three games.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Evgheni Hmaruc (Salamina Larnaca, Cyprus), Adrian Bogdan (Poli AEK Timisoara, Romania)

Defenders: Jon Testemitanu (Sheriff Tiraspol), Alexandru Covalenco (Dynamo Moscow), Valeriu Catinsus (Chornomorets Odesa, Ukraine), Liviu Andriuta (Dacia Chisinau), Ghenadie Olexici and Ghenadie Pusca (both Zimbru Chisinau)

Midfielders: Jurie Priganiuc, Stanislav Ivanov, Vadim Boret and Victor Barisev (all Sheriff Tiraspol), Radu Rebeja (Saturn Ramenskoye, Russia), Serghei Covaliciuc (Karpaty Lviv, Ukraine), Boris Cebotari (Zimbru Chisinau), Serghei Pogreban (Nistru Otaci)

Forwards: Serghei Clescenco (Hapoel Tel Aviv), Victor Berco (Shinnik Yaroslavl, Russia), Viorel Frunze (Zimbru Chisinau), Alexandr Golban (Dacia Chisinau), Eugeniu Patula (Sheriff Tiraspol)

Denmark names squad for Euro qualifiers

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -- Denmark named the following 20-man squad on Monday for their Euro 2004 qualifiers against Romania and Bosnia.

Denmark will play Romania in Bucharest on March 29 and Bosnia in Copenhagen on April 2:

Goalkeepers: Thomas Sorensen (Sunderland), Peter Skov-Jensen (FC Midtjylland)

Defenders: Martin Albrechtsen (FC Copenhagen), Kasper Bogelund (PSV Eindhoven), Thomas Helveg (AC Milan), Rene Henriksen (Panathinaikos), Niclas Jensen (Manchester City), Martin Laursen (AC Milan)

Midfielders: Thomas Gravesen (Everton), Claus Jensen (Charlton Athletic), Christian Poulsen (Schalke 04), Thomas Roll Larsen (FC Copenhagen), Morten Wieghorst (Brondby IF)

Forwards: Peter Lovenkrands (Rangers), Jesper Gronkjaer (Chelsea), Jan Michaelsen (Panathinaikos), Dennis Rommedahl (PSV Eindhoven), Ebbe Sand (Schalke 04), Jon Dahl Tomasson (AC Milan), Martin Joergensen (Udinese)

 

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Both the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.