Olympic Plans Are Lagging
Preparations for the men’s and women’s soccer tournaments at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games are behind schedule, FIFA said Wednesday, and world soccer’s governing body added that the proposed match schedule also needs refining.
The FIFA Organizing Committee for the Olympic Football Tournament met Tuesday in Zurich, Switzerland, under the chairmanship of African Football Confederation President Issa Hayatou of Cameroon and received what it called “a comprehensive report” on the status of preparations from ATHOC, the Athens Olympic Organizing Committee.
In a statement released on its Web site Wednesday, FIFA “expressed concern in this regard, particularly regarding delays in the construction of stadiums and other facilities,” and set up a subcommittee to monitor future progress.
It also said that match schedules “would have to be reviewed for a number of reasons, including the timing of the women’s final.” It did not elaborate.
The 2004 Olympic Games will take place Aug. 11-28, with the soccer tournaments scheduled to be played in Athens, Patras, Volos, Thessaloniki and Heraclio on the island of Crete.
Champions League
Defending champion Real Madrid and the champions of England, Germany and Spain advanced to the final 16 of the European Champions League, bringing the number of teams that have secured a place to nine.
Arsenal slumped to its fourth loss in a row, 2-1, in front of 51,200 at Borussia Dortmund, but both teams went through to the next round because Auxerre was beaten, 2-0, by PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands and cannot catch either team.
French forward Thierry Henry gave Arsenal the early lead, but an own goal by the Gunners’ Brazilian defender Gilberto Silva tied the score. Tomas Rosicky won it for Borussia with a second-half penalty kick.
Spanish champion Valencia earned a 1-0 victory at Liverpool on a goal by Francisco Rufete to clinch its place.
Meanwhile, out-of-form European champion Real Madrid crashed to a 1-0 loss to AS Roma in front of 70,000 in Madrid, where Francesco Totti scored the decisive goal in the 27th minute. AEK Athens’ 1-1 tie at home with Genk of Belgium assured Real Madrid of advancing, however.
In other Champions League games, Inter Milan thumped Rosenberg Trondheim, 3-0, and Ajax Amsterdam shut out Olimpique Lyon, 2-0, in France.
MLS Draft Set
Major League Soccer will hold its 2003 player draft on Jan. 17 in Kansas City in conjunction with the 56th annual convention of the National Soccer Coaches Assn. of America, the league announced.
Washington D.C. United will have the first selection overall.
The league champion Galaxy will pick 10th in the first round.
Pope Has Surgery
D.C. United and U.S. national team defender Eddie Pope will be sidelined for six weeks after having surgery to remove scar tissue from his knee, the MLS club said.
World Cup 2006
Franz Beckenbauer, a two-time World Cup winner for Germany and now chairman of the organizing committee for the 2006 World Cup, said he favors seeing five Asian countries take part in the event rather than four as in Korea/Japan ’02.
“Asian teams have improved significantly,” Beckenbauer said while on a visit to Qatar.
The comment puts Beckenbauer at odds with FIFA President Joseph “Sepp” Blatter, who wants an Oceania team to be given the place left open in the 32-nation event now that the defending champion has to qualify rather than gain automatic entry.
