The Soccerphile World Cup 2002 Archives Click here to go to the current Soccerphile.com
It's been a busy week for staff at Manchester United and the powers that
be.
Firstly South African police declared that manager Sir Alex Ferguson had no case to answer over allegations of indecent assault by 21-year-old student Nadia Abrahams, who claimed Sir Alex had repeatedly squeezed her thigh in an interview with British tabloid 'The Mail on Sunday'.
Club captain Roy Keane was not so fortunate, as an FA disciplinary committee found the 31 year-old Irish midfielder guilty of two charges of bringing the game in to disrepute over a claim in his autobiography that he deliberately set out to injure Manchester City's Alf Inge Haaland in the Manchester derby in April 2001. Keane was fined a record US$233,000 and banned for 5 games.
United's French international goalkeeper, Fabien Barthez is being sued by
a Leeds United fan, Colin Richmond, who alleges he was struck in the face
by a water bottle kicked at him by Barthez during the Leeds-Manchester United
match on September 14 at Elland Road.
A one-time East German police informer, Bernd Stange, is poised to take over as coach of the Iraqi national team, in a move that has drawn widespread criticism back home in Germany. The 54-year-old Stange, a former Hertha Berlin and Oman national team manager, is in negotiations with Udai Hussein - son of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and head of the Iraqi Football federation - over the terms of a four-year contract. German national team coach, Rudi Voeller, described the news as 'unfortunate' in view of a possible US attack on Iraq. Peter Neururer, coach of Bundesliga club Bochum added: 'We Germans should show solidarity with our allies, The United States. I wouldn't coach Iraq for all the money in the world.'
South Korea's coach Park Hand Seo has been sacked by the Korean FA after the national team could claim only the bronze medal at the recent Asian Games in Busan won by Iran. Park, who was assistant to Guus Hiddink at the 2002 World Cup is likely to be replaced by another domestic coach, though the KFA have not ruled out hiring another foreigner.
Portugal and Real Madrid star Luis Figo threatened to quit international soccer on the eve of Portugal's 3-2 friendly win in Sweden this week over delays in choosing a new coach and a percieved lack of planning by the Euro 2004 hosts. 'I'm here to look ahead. But if I see there's no plan then I prefer not to come. I have my prestige, and if I come to the national team to lose prestige, then I just prefer not to come.'
A visiting FIFA inspection team gave high marks to a joint Greece-Turkey bid for the 2008 European Championships following a 3-day tour of the proposed venues. There are also competing bids from Russia, Hungary and four more joint bids from Scotland and Ireland, Switzerland and Austria, Croatia with Bosnia and a four-way Nordic bid from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
Despite reported losses of over US$250 million over the last 5 years US Major League Soccer announced that its financial plight had eased over the previous season and that the League was eying an expansion from 10 to 20 teams with possible new franchises in Atlanta, Cleveland, Houston, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Philadelphia, Seattle and Minneapolis.
MLS commissioner Don Garber gave no timetable for the growth in the seven-year old league but was upbeat in a statement before the MLS cup final between New England Revolution and Los Angeles Galaxy: Our business is in better shape than it ever was. As long as we remain moving in the right direction, our investors will remain interested.'
Los Angeles Galaxy Carlos Ruiz won the MLS MVP award after scoring 24 goals
in his first season for the club.
Monochrome Images from the Far East
The Soccerphile World Cup 2002 Archives
Click here to go to the current Soccerphile.com
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