International Roundup

Red Star Belgrade names Muslin as new coach

BELGRADE (Reuters) -- Red Star Belgrade has named former stalwart Slavoljub Muslin as the team's new coach, the club's director Dragan Dzajic said.

Muslin, who guided Red Star to two consecutive league titles and an FA Cup in 2000 and 2001, has been appointed in place of Zoran Filipovic, whose two-year spell in charge ended in failure to live up to the club's expectations.

Dzajic said Muslin had signed a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee with the aim of recapturing domestic silverware and making an impact in Europe.

"We are very pleased to have Muslin back among us and it is our objective to get back to winning ways in domestic competitions and do well in Europe," he told reporters.

Muslin, a part of the Red Star side that played in the UEFA Cup final in 1979, was released by Levski Sofia in March after steering them to the Bulgarian league and cup double in 2002.

He said he was delighted to return to his home club.

"I am overjoyed to be among my dear friends again and we will do our best to give our fantastic fans lots to cheer about," he said.

"Red Star's ambitions, as always, are to win the domestic double and get as far as we can in European competitions."

The club have surrendered domination of the Serbia & Montenegro championship to bitter city rivals Partizan, who won two consecutive league titles while Muslin was away.

Red Star finished this year's championship 19 points behind Partizan and ended a barren season with a disappointing 1-0 cup final defeat to unfancied Sartid Smederevo.

Ferencvaros fined, ground closed after fan violence

BUDAPEST (Reuters) -- Hungarian club Ferencvaros has been fined four million forints (US$18,070) and ordered to play its home games behind closed doors until the end of the year following a pitch invasion last month.

The club's chief executive officer Jozsef Szeiler was also fined three million forints as the Football League's disciplinary body meted out one of the toughest penalties seen in Hungary, which does not have a long history of serious soccer violence.

Dozens of angry fans rampaged at the end of Ferencvaros' last league game against Debrecen on May 30 after a goalless draw which allowed archrival MTK to clinch the championship. Ferencvaros finished runner-up.

Fans kicked and punched the Debrecen coach, players, stewards and the media. They then turned on some of their own club's players who had tried to intervene.

Several fans were arrested.

Two Ferencvaros players -- striker Attila Tokoli and goalkeeper Lajos Szucs -- later pulled out of Hungary's national squad. Both said they were in no frame of mind to play, and both invited offers from foreign clubs.

The disciplinary body said the general public would be barred from watching any of Ferencvaros' home games at the Ulloi Road stadium until next year.

Ferencvaros fans will also only be allowed at the club's away games if they have a valid official identification pass.

Former under-21 manager Zaugg to coach Young Boys

BERNE (Reuters) -- Former Swiss under-21 manager Hanspeter Zaugg has been named as the first team coach of Young Boys for the 2003-04 season, the Swiss Nationalliga club said Wednesday.

Zaugg, 50, who failed to keep Lucerne in the top flight this season, replaces Marco Schaellibaum as coach after his departure to Servette last month.

Young Boys finished fourth in the Nationalliga and will play in the UEFA Cup next season.

Young Boys sack Brazilian duo over bank theft

BERNE (Reuters) -- Swiss Nationalliga side Young Boys have sacked Brazilians Heverton and Paulinho after discovering the pair stole money from team mate Johann Vonlanthen's bank account, the Berne club said on Wednesday.

Paulinho, 20, and 21-year-old compatriot Heverton illegitimately obtained 11,000 Swiss francs ($8,400) from Vonlanthen's credit card, the club said.

"Paulinho and Heverton do not belong to Young Boys any longer. The two are behind the credit card theft and unauthorised taking of 11,000 francs from the bank account of Johan Vonlanthen," they said in a statement.

Young Boys were made aware of the deception of which their 17-year-old striker Vonlanthen was victim following an investigation by Swiss daily Blick.

"We regret this incident very much," the club added.

Swiss under-21 international Vonlanthen and Paulinho were regulars in the Young Boys side which finished fourth last season, but Heverton played only four times.

Platini: Synthetic pitches can aid grassroots game

HELSINKI (Reuters) -- Artificial turf will be used in FIFA's under-17 championships this year and can help the grassroots game, but there are no plans to use it in World Cups, Michel Platini said on Wednesday.

"I think it is better to play on grass but in many countries... for two to three months fields are closed for new grass to be sown. Young players can't play," FIFA Executive Committee member Platini told Reuters.

"[But] it is not the idea to play a World Cup on synthetic turf in the future. That is not the goal of FIFA," he added.

A former French captain and coach, Platini was in Helsinki to unveil an artificial pitch that will be used in the Under-17 tournament from August 13-30.

Artificial turf has had a checkered history in football, with complaints that the ball bounces differently than on grass and that players can suffer burns from sliding on the pitch.

Queens Park Rangers and Luton Town were among English clubs who laid artificial turf in the 1980s but league rules changed and they were forced to return to grass.

Platini said today's artificial turf was superior to 20 years ago -- among other things players can now get under the ball to curve it around walls from free kicks -- but improvements will continuously be looked for.

 

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