SOCCER : Would a Renovated Coliseum Pass Cup Inspection?

Officials from soccer’s 1994 World Cup organizing committee visited the Rose Bowl and Coliseum Wednesday as part of a 22-city venue tour, armed with the knowledge that the Coliseum they saw might not be what they get in four years.

Ross Berlin, the organizing committee’s vice president for venues, said both stadiums would be suitable for soccer as they stand with only minor alterations. But he received no guarantees from Coliseum officials that the stadium would be able to accommodate the World Cup if there is a major renovation, which might be required to prevent the Raiders from leaving Los Angeles.

Peter Luuko, general manager of the Coliseum and the Sports Arena, said the organizing committee should have the answers it needs before the Dec. 14 deadline for submitting formal bid documents. He also expressed optimism that the Coliseum, in whatever form, will be available for soccer.

“We don’t have blueprints at this point, but I would think that the Coliseum would be designed for football and soccer,” Luuko said. “Soccer is very important to us. We do 40 games a year right now.”

Berlin said he is comfortable with the Coliseum’s position.

“At this point, we don’t have a problem with it,” he said. “When it comes time to give us some answers in December, I think they’re going to have all their ducks in a row.”

Berlin said that eight to 12 stadiums will be chosen to stage the World Cup, which probably will be held in June and July of 1994. The organizing committee will submit its recommendations in February or March of next year to the sport’s governing body, the International Federation of Football Assns., which will make the final determination in June of 1991.

If both the Coliseum and Rose Bowl are selected, the Los Angeles area could stage as many as 17 of the 52 World Cup games.

The Colombian soccer team, which will play in the Marlboro Cup tournament at the Coliseum on Feb. 20 and 22, arrived in Boca Raton, Fla., Tuesday for a training camp.

Because of death threats against the coach, several players and their families, the Colombian Football Federation reportedly discussed the possibility of canceling the appearance in Los Angeles.

But Clive Toye, president of Mundial Sports Group, said the Colombians will arrive in Los Angeles Saturday as scheduled.

Asked if the team will require extra security, he said, “We always take the necessary security steps.”

A group calling itself Purge Colombian Soccer made the threats because the majority of players on the team are associated with teams that allegedly have connections to the drug cartels. The group reportedly lost considerable money betting on games involving those teams.