SOCCER / JULIE CART : No Ticket Shortage Expected at Rose Bowl
Although World Cup tickets in the first phase of sales have sold out in three venues, there is little chance that will happen at the Rose Bowl.
The Rose Bowl is the largest venue for World Cup 1994, and even though sales have been more brisk than officials had predicted, David Simmons, the venue’s executive director, said that there are enough tickets to go around.
“Remember that the stadiums are not sold out,” he said. “It’s the amount of tickets that are available for the private sale that are selling out.”
The private sale offered to soccer insiders is through the round of 16 only and ends March 31. The public sale will begin in June.
World Cup organizer Alan Rothenberg said last week that because of the overwhelming response to the private sale, officials at some venues were adding tickets to the private sale allotment. Simmons said he didn’t think that would be necessary at the Rose Bowl.
Simmons said World Cup preparations at the venue were going well, but acknowledged one major problem: The Rose Bowl needs to have at least one major international soccer game before the World Cup begins June 17 of next year.
Unlike the eight other World Cup venues, which will be part of this summer’s U.S. Cup or will have some other match or tournament, the Rose Bowl has no soccer on its future schedule. The last international game played at the Rose Bowl was last August.
The need for some sort of World Cup dry run is especially important because the Rose Bowl is the site of the most games, including the third-place game and the final.
“We are all aware that we need to have some run-through game,” Simmons said. “That’s an unwritten mandate.”
But conflicts make it difficult to schedule soccer in the Rose Bowl. Ruling out this summer, with its busy schedule for the national team, the stadium is booked through Jan. 1 with UCLA football and the Rose Bowl game. Add to that restrictions from the city of Pasadena regarding the number of “displacement events” that can be held at the Rose Bowl, and the situation becomes more dire.
Simmons said that he expects at least one soccer event in the Rose Bowl before the World Cup, but notes that it might not involve the U.S. national team.
“We need to work the bugs out before the World Cup,” he said. “At the least, I hope to get one game. If I could get two, I’d be very happy.”
U.S. team notes: The search for a goalkeeping coach for the U.S. national team continues. According to General Manager Bill Nuttall, the field has been narrowed to about three candidates.
Nuttall said that because of unforeseen expenses involving the team’s training center at Mission Viejo, budgeting for the coach became a problem. Nuttall said hiring a coach was a high priority for Coach Bora Milutinovic and a decision would be made as soon as possible.
An announcement also is expected soon on the status of volunteer coach Sigi Schmid. Schmid, the coach at UCLA, currently works with the team two or three days a week. Schmid, who is expected to join the team full time, has not said whether he will leave UCLA or merely request a leave of absence.
Nuttall also said he hoped to have both Thomas Dooley, who is playing for FC Kaiserslautern in Germany, and Hugo Perez, who is playing for Ittihad Club in Saudi Arabia, for the Kirin Cup in Japan.
The U.S. opens play in that tournament March 10 against Hungary.
Heaven can wait, Napoli can’t: According to published reports in Italy, a nun in Naples has been on a hunger strike since being told she will no longer be allowed to attend soccer games. The nun--who has decorated her room in a convent with posters of players from her beloved Napoli team--was told that a soccer stadium was no place for a nun and forbidden to return.
Add Italian League: It has been called the world’s greatest soccer club. One opposing player remarked after AC Milan’s 16th consecutive victory this season: “Only the police can stop them.” The team is unbeaten in Serie A and is undefeated in 55 league games.
Not only is AC Milan the runaway leader in the Italian League, but is also leading in Europe’s Champion’s Cup, a trophy the team has won two of the last four years. The club sold 73,000 season tickets this season and might earn as much as $30 million from ticket sales, television sponsorship and other income.
But the team’s high-flying days might be ending. According to a weekly newspaper, the European, club owner Silvio Berlusconi acknowledged having lost millions on the team last season. This season could be worse. AC Milan spent $60.8 million in transfer fees for eight players. The most expensive was Gianluigi Lentini, whose transfer fee of nearly $20 million set a record.
Then there are wages. Berlusconi said he pays more than $10 million in salaries per year, not including bonuses. If his team can win the Italian Cup, the Champion’s Cup and the European Cup, each player will receive a $760,000 bonus.
World Cup qualifying: Mexico remains in strong position atop Group B in the CONCACAF region. The team leads all World Cup qualifying nations in goal scoring, with 22 goals in six games, and has given up only three goals during qualifying.
Italy bought itself some breathing room with its victory last week against Portugal. The Italians tied both Switzerland and Scotland and needed a penalty kick to beat Malta. Switzerland leads the group, Italy is second and Portugal third.
Soccer Notes
The U.S. national team will play a full international game against Canada on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Orange Coast College. The Canadian team, which is Canada’s World Cup team, is preparing for its first qualifying match. U.S. Coach Bora Milutinovic will be on the sidelines after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last week. . . . The FIFA board recently paved the way for two potentially significant rules changes: instituting sudden-death overtime, and replacing throw-ins with kick-ins. FIFA said it will experiment with the new rules at the under-17 and under-20 World Championships this year, but stressed there would be no changes for the 1994 World Cup. If adopted, the new rules could be in place by 1995. . . . Belgian team Club Brugge has adopted a unique way to prevent its fans from disrupting games. After being fined $158,000 because its fans caused problems during a Champions Cup match against Marseille, Club Brugge has stopped selling tickets to its fans for road games.
