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Player revolt Nine Austrian players refuse to travel to Israel
Updated: Tuesday October 02, 2001 4:33 PM
LONDON (Reuters) -- Nine Austrian players on Tuesday refused to travel to Israel to play Sunday's World Cup qualifier because of safety concerns, but soccer's world governing body FIFA said it did not plan to intervene. Players refusing to go to the European Group 7 match -- which will decide who makes the playoffs for next year's finals -- blamed the political situation in Israel and added uncertainty following the attacks on New York and Washington last month. "In the present circumstances, we cannot justify flying to Israel to play sport," Tirol Innsbruck defender Walter Kogler told reporters. "It is far too dangerous there." The withdrawals have left team manager Otto Baric with the difficult task of finding new players for his 23-man squad for the Tel Aviv tie which will decide which team qualifies for a playoff against Turkey for the finals in Japan and South Korea. But FIFA, which ruled on Monday the game should go-ahead after receiving security guarantees from Israel, said the affair was a matter for the Austrian federation and its players. Austria had initially asked FIFA to move the match to a neutral venue over concern for the players' safety. "We have contacted the Austrian federation [OEFB] and we understand that they will play the game," FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren said from FIFA's headquarters in Switzerland. "This is a matter between the Austrian federation and the players. The point is that the Austrians are playing the game in Tel Aviv as scheduled." A car bomb exploded in a car park near a Jerusalem shopping district on Monday. But the Israeli Football Association have assured the Austrian squad that they will have police protection from the moment they arrive in the country.
Thoroughly checkedMedia reports said the squad would be accompanied by guards on their flight to Israel and during their time in Tel Aviv and that their hotel and charter plane would be thoroughly checked before the team leaves Austria on Saturday. OEFB president Beppo Mauhart called the nine players' decision "peculiar." "Israel is not a war zone, even the insurance company would cover us," Mauhart said, adding he remained hopeful that a solution could be found and replacement players galvanized into action before the game. The situation is rare in international football although countries have refused to play World Cup games in the past because of politics or sports politics. Israel was involved in political troubles in the Asia-Africa qualifying group for the 1958 finals. In 1954 Israel had taken part in the European qualifying group. But in the 1958 Asia-Africa qualifying, Turkey, Indonesia, Egypt and Sudan, all Muslim countries, refused to play them. The 1966 qualifying competition also witnessed a mass boycott by countries from Asia and Africa because the two continents were allocated just one place for the finals. In 1974, the Soviet Union refused to contest a qualification playoff against Chile in the National Stadium in Santiago because of events there during a coup earlier in the year. Chile kicked off the game and hit the ball into an empty net with no opponents on the field. Since the Soviets could not restart the game it was abandoned and awarded to Chile. Political links between Austria and Israel have been strained since a new coalition was formed between the Freedom Party and Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel's conservative People's Party in February 2000. Israel withdrew its ambassador from Vienna in protest at the inclusion in government of the Freedom Party, which it considers xenophobic and anti-Semitic.
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