International Roundup

One killed, 50 injured in Turkish crowd violence

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -- One man was killed and 50 were injured when rival supporters clashed at a soccer match in the western Turkish city of Izmir.

The trouble flared at a game billed as the Aegean Friendship Cup between the city's rival second-division clubs, Karsiyaka and Goztepe, on Tuesday.

The Anatolian news agency said a 23-year-old Karsiyaka fan died in hospital after being stabbed. Police detained five people.

Eight police officers were among the 50 injured, the NTV television channel said. A Goztepe fan who was also stabbed was being treated in hospital.

"We will take very hard and strong measures to avoid such saddening events and stop them happening again," city police chief Halil Tatas was quoted as saying.

Violence is frequent among passionate Turkish fans and police regularly confiscate weapons, ranging from lighters to kebab cleavers.

Two Leeds United soccer fans were murdered in Istanbul three years ago before a UEFA Cup match.

Ahead of the Euro 2004 qualifier against England in Istanbul on October 11, Turkish and British police are working together in a major security exercise to try to prevent a repeat of the crowd trouble when the two sides met in Sunderland in April.

UEFA have threatened England with expulsion from Euro 2004 if their fans are responsible for any more hooliganism.

Last month UEFA fined the Turkish FA about $37,000 after crowd trouble during their June qualifier against Macedonia.

Georgian chief names himself national team coach

TBILISI (Reuters) -- Georgian soccer chief Merab Zhordania on Wednesday appointed himself as coach of the country's national team for the rest of the year.

Zhordania replaces Croatian Ivo Susak, who resigned as Georgia coach last week after his club Dinamo Tbilisi said he could no longer do both jobs.

"I'll be in charge of the national team through the end of the Euro 2004 [qualifying] cycle," the 42-year-old Zhordania, who has served as president of the Georgian Soccer Federation (GSF) since 1998, told a news conference.

Georgia, who are bottom of Euro 2004 qualifying group 10, have three matches remaining. They face Albania at home and away before taking on Russia in their final qualifier on October 11 in Moscow.

Zhordania said he had asked Georgia under-21 coach Revaz Arveladze, the elder brother of Rangers striker Shota Arveladze, former Newcastle United midfielder Temur Ketsbaia and Lucerne forward Mikheil Kavelashvili to be his assistant coaches.

"Hopefully, it will have a positive effect on the national team as we still have a chance to qualify for the European championship," Zhordania added.

His term as GSF president has been marked by several highly-publicised incidents.

He was charged with tax evasion relating to more than $20 million of GSF money several years ago but the prosecution was unable to prove the charges in court and they were later dropped.

In 1999, he suffered serious head injuries after being attacked in his office, while the following year thieves stole some $42,000 from the GSF headquarters.

Lokomotiv gears up for Champions League

MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russian champions Lokomotiv Moscow showed improved form for the start of their European campaign by posting their third straight victory in domestic competition on Wednesday.

Captain Dmitry Loskov scored with a nicely-taken free kick in the 15th minute to give the railway side a 1-0 win over premier league strugglers Chernomorets Novorossiisk.

The win lifted Lokomotiv into fourth place with 32 points from 21 games as they moved within nine points of premier league leaders and city rivals CSKA after a slow start to the season.

Lokomotiv face the winners of the Shakhtar Donetsk-Sheriff Tiraspol match in the Champions League third qualifying round next week.

Chernomorets continued their slide in the opposite direction as they suffered their sixth consecutive defeat, which left the Black Sea side in 14th place, just one spot above the relegation zone.

Seongnam extends K-League lead with 5-3 win

SEOUL (Reuters) -- Striker Kim Do-hoon scored a brilliant hat-trick as South Korean champions Seongnam Ilhwa won 5-3 at struggling Bucheon SK to go four points clear at the top of the K-League on Wednesday.

Their nearest rivals Ulsan Tigers, who have lost South Korea midfielders Lee Chun-soo and Yoo Sang-chul recently, were held 1-1 away to Chunnam Dragons.

Seongnam, chasing a third straight K-League title, improved to 52 points from 24 matches thanks to Kim, who took his goal tally to 14 this season.

Ulsan, runners-up in 2002, have played a game more than Seongnam.

Bucheon, meanwhile, have won just once in 25 matches and are languishing at the bottom of the 12-team league with 10 points.

Elsewhere, Anyang Cheetahs beat Pusan I.cons 2-1 at home to rise to third on 38 points while military side Sangmu Phoenix edged Taegu FC 1-0 in a match between teams who joined the K-League at the start of the 2003 season.

Nakamura returns in style to lead Reggina in Japan

TOKYO (AP) -- Shunsuke Nakamura turned in a solid performance in his homecoming Wednesday as Italian Serie A club Reggina defeated J-League side Yokohama F Marinos 2-1 in a friendly.

Nakamura fed substitute David Di Michele, who got by the Yokohama defenders before setting up Emiliano Bonazzoli's winner late in the 60th minute.

"I tried very hard to please the fans," said Nakamura. "I didn't want them to think my level had dropped since going to Italy. The Marinos have improved a lot and took me by surprise."

Playing before 54,335 fans at International Stadium Yokohama, Reggina took the lead in the first half when Roberto Stellone slotted home after a neat pass from Davide Baiocco.

The hosts pulled even four minutes before the interval when Gianluca Fallsini brought down Yukihiko Sato and Daisuke Oku beat Reggina 'keeper Emanuele Bellardi.

Yokohama, which won the J-League's first division, were missing several key players including Japan international Naoki Matsuda and Yuji Nakazawa.

Nakamura, who played for Yokohama before joining Reggina last summer, took a free kick early in the second half but the ball sailed inches past the post.

Chinese striker tears knee ligaments

MUNICH, Germany (AP) -- Chinese forward Shao Jiayi tore ligaments in his left knee Wednesday and will be out of action until the end of the year, his Bundesliga club 1860 Munich said.

Shao caught his foot in grass during practice and twisted his knee, the club said.

"It's a real setback. Shao is one of our young prospects, he has future," said coach Falko Goetz.

With the season just beginning, Shao is the sixth Bundesliga player to tear knee ligaments.

Helguson back in Iceland Euro 2004 qualifier squad

REYKJAVIK (Reuters) -- Iceland coaches Asgeir Sigurvinsson and Logi Olafsson recalled Watford striker Heidar Helguson on Wednesday for their European Championship qualifier with the Faroe Islands on August 20.

Helguson has not played for Iceland this year because of injuries.

Local players Olafur Orn Bjarnason from Grindavik and Veigar Pall Gunnarsson from KR were also selected as Sigurvinsson and Olafsson made three changes from the squad which beat Lithuania 3-0 in June to put Iceland in contention near the top of Group Five.

Veteran Gudni Bergsson, the former Bolton Wanderers captain, retired after that game. Tryggvi Gudmundsson, who scored the winner in the 2-1 victory over the Faroe Islands in June, is injured, and Gylfi Einarsson was not selected.

Iceland lie second in their group, with nine points from five games, behind leaders Germany, who have 11. Scotland are third with eight points, followed by Lithuania on seven. The Faroes have one point.

Goalkeepers: Arni Gautur Arason (Rosenborg, Norway), Birkir Kristinsson (IBV)

Defenders: Hermann Hreidarsson (Charlton, England), Larus Orri Sigurdsson (West Bromwich Albion, England), Arnar Vidarsson (Lokeren, Belgium), Ivar Ingimarsson (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England), Olafur Orn Bjarnason (Grindavik), Indridi Sigurdsson (Lillestrom, Norway)

Midfielders: Runar Kristinsson (Lokeren, Belgium), Arnar Gretarsson (Lokeren), Thordur Gudjonsson (Bochum, Germany), Brynjar Gunnarsson (Nottingham Forest, England), Johannes Gudjonsson (Real Betis, Spain)

Strikers: Helgi Sigurdsson (Lyn, Norway), Eidur Gudjohnsen (Chelsea, England, captain), Heidar Helguson (Watford, England), Marel Baldvinsson (Lokeren, Belgium), Veigar Pall Gunnarsson (KR)

Romania call uncapped player for friendly

BUCHAREST (Reuters) -- Romania has named uncapped forward Nicolae Mitea of Ajax Amsterdam among 12 overseas-based players for this month's friendly against Ukraine, the Romanian Soccer Federation (FRF) said on Wednesday.

Mitea, 18, who joined Ajax last month after just five matches in Romanian championships with Dinamo Bucharest, is the only newcomer to the squad. Midfielder Paul Codrea of Palermo has been dropped for the first time in three years.

Another teenager, 19-year-old central defender Gabriel Tamas, is included and could win his second cap in the match in Donetsk on August 20.

The Romanian squad will be completed with the addition of players from the domestic league after the opening round of matches this weekend.

Romania, third in the Euro 2004 qualifying Group Two, will host bottom team Luxembourg on September 6 before travelling to Denmark to take on the group leaders four days later.

Romanian squad (overseas players only):

Goalkeepers: Bogdan Lobont (Ajax Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Bogdan Stelea (Salamanca, Spain)

Defenders: Cosmin Contra (Atletico Madrid, Spain), Gabriel Tamas (Galatasaray, Turkey), Cristian Chivu (AS Roma, Italy), Razvan Rat (Shakhtar Donetsk, Ukraine)

Midfielders: Alin Stoica (Bruges, Belgium), Lucian Sinmartean (Panathinaikos, Greece), Dorinel Munteanu (Wfl Wolfsburg, Germany)

Forwards: Daniel Pancu (Besiktas, Turkey), Adrian Mutu (Parma, Italy), Nicolae Mitea (Ajax Amsterdam)

Necaxa ties Roma of Italy 1-1 in friendly

AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico (AP) -- Roberto Espinoza scored with six minutes remaining as Necaxa of Mexico salvaged a 1-1 draw with Italy's Roma in a friendly match Tuesday.

Roma used the match to try out a new starting line up full of young and inexperienced faces, but still dominated throughout most of the evening.

Necaxa goalkeeper Ruben Ruiz pounced on a penalty shot by Francesco Totti in the 14th minute, delighting the small but loud crowd of 18,000 at Aguascalientes' Victoria Stadium.

One of the few early chances for the home team came in the 19th minute, when a long, looping offering from Argentine Jose Tabares bounced off the post.

After several other near-misses, Antonio Cassano put Roma ahead 1-0 in the 25th minute, working an efficient give-and-go with Totti, then rebounded his own blocked shot and finding the back of the net from the right side at close-range.

Roma used a swarming defense to frustrate Necaxa for most of the rest of the game, but momentum began to shift when one of its defenders, Walter Samuel, was expelled for arguing after he was pushed to the ground.

Espinosa slipped deep into the Roma zone, controlled a centering pass and knocked in a close-range shot from the left side in the 84th minute to even the game at 1-1.

Tuesday's contest marked the second match of a weeklong Mexican tour for Roma, which is looking to tuneup for the start of Italian league play next month. The club lost to Mexico's Santos 2-1 on Sunday and next travels to the northern city of Monterrey for a match with Atletico de Madrid before meeting home town squad Monterrey. ---

Lineups:

ROMA: Ivan Pelizzoli; Christian Chivu, Walter Samuel, Vicent Candela, Alessandro Amantin; Damiano Tommasi, Oliver Dacourt, Emerson Ferreira, Francesco Totti; Jonathan Zebina y Antonio Cassano.

NECAXA: Ruben Ruiz Diaz; Miguel Acosta, Jose MarÄéa Higareda, Juan Reynoso, Mario Perez; Braulio Luna, VÄéctor Ruiz, FabiÄan EspaÉna, Gamadiel Garcia, Jose Tabares y Alfredo Moreno.

Referee: Marco Antonio Rodriguez, Mexico.

 

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Both the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.