SOCCER / JULIE CART : Playing Host to World Cup Final Carries With It Certain Advantages
Random thoughts at the end of World Cup qualifying:
--It’s good to be the host: The great advantages for the United States in the 1994 World Cup are that it didn’t have to go through qualifying and it included itself among the six top-seeded teams.
Would the U.S. team have been able to beat Mexico in qualifying to represent CONCACAF? Not likely.
Would the United States have been seeded if it weren’t playing host to the party? No way. This week’s FIFA world rankings place the U.S. team 27th. It is customary for the host nation to be seeded, but then again, it’s customary for the host nation to be pretty good.
The last time the World Cup was held in a nation that didn’t qualify as a soccer power was 1954 in Switzerland. Even then, the Swiss didn’t make things easy for themselves and were placed in a group with England, Belgium and Italy.
There could be no complaints about seeding the host teams that followed: Sweden in 1958, Chile in 1962, England in 1966, Mexico in 1970, Germany in 1974, Argentina in 1978, Spain in 1982, Mexico in 1986, Italy in 1990.
--What about the French, hosting the 1998 World Cup after failing to qualify in both 1990 and 1994?
The French had two chances to qualify this time, both at home, only to lose in the last minutes.
Similarly, Japan led the Asian qualifying until the last day, lost in the last moments, and is now rethinking its bid to play host to the 2002 World Cup. South Korea argues with some authority that, after qualifying for three of the last four World Cups, it should get the 2002 tournament. FIFA would like to see a united Korea first.
--England failed to qualify, a loss to soccer tradition, but English coaches did well. Switzerland is coached by Roy Hodgson and Ireland by Jack Charlton. Charlton coached the English to the World Cup title in 1966.
A note to those calling for the head of embattled Coach Graham Taylor: His record with England is 18-7-13, with 62 goals for and 32 against. Nothing shameful in that.
--Denmark, the European champion, failed to qualify. Denmark was the surprise European winner in 1992 and did little in qualifying to lose its flash-in-the-pan reputation. In the crucial game, the Danes could not beat Spain, even though the Spaniards played a man short from the 11th minute on.
Wonder if U.S. Coach Bora Milutinovic would like to retract his hopeful comment, made before his team played Denmark last January: “We would like to be the Denmark of the 1994 World Cup.”
--Teams we’re glad qualified: Bolivia, which should give great credit to Coach Javier Azkargorta; Bulgaria, because of striker Hristo Stoichkov; Romania, because the Romanians need something nice to happen to them; Cameroon, because the Indomitable Lions’ performance in Italia ’90 sparked a revival of African soccer; Colombia, which is going to surprise many; Greece, because the entire nation will get on planes and attend the party.
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By beating Wales and finishing first in Group Four, Romania qualified, unlike France. But the nations share a similar scandal.
Actually, Romania is embroiled in two scandals. Both involve former national coach Cornel Dinu.
Dinu was fired after a World Cup qualifying loss in June. Dinu claimed his contract ran through Nov. 17, and took the federation to court, saying: “I want my reputation to be left intact.”
The federation’s response was unequivocal: “He has a very large ego,” Radu Timofte said. “The football federation is completely right in what it did. It is within the law.”
A hearing is scheduled.
Dinu’s fight to salvage his reputation might be more important to him because the coach has already been found guilty of corruption involving his club team, Progresul Bucharest.
His is an odd twist on the French scandal at Olympique Marseille, where the team bribed opposing players to go easy on them. In Dinu’s case, after his club lost to Farul Constane, the coach blackmailed his players to say a bribe had been offered by Farul Constane.
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Rules changes are difficult to come by in soccer, the sport that proudly boasts it operates with but 17 rules. With that thought, one recent rule change and two proposed changes are encouraging. The 1990 World Cup served as a laboratory for the changes, which should benefit next summer’s tournament.
FIFA has already decreed that players faking injury will be yellow-carded, a welcome measure to maintain the game’s pace. Time wasting was a common strategy in the Italian World Cup, particularly late in games. According to FIFA’s analysis of net playing time in Italia ‘90, less than 50 of the 90 minutes were spent playing.
Additionally, FIFA estimates that 80% of the player injuries on the field don’t require immediate attention. A time analysis revealed that treatment of injuries on the field was averaging four minutes.
Under the new guidelines, only players with cuts or serious injuries will be treated on the field. All others must be taken from the field, with the team playing shorthanded.
Another travesty of 1990 was the point system in the first round. With teams receiving two points for victories and one for draws, there was little incentive to do anything other than play for a tie.
Alan Rothenberg, president of World Cup ‘94, said there’s a good chance that the system will be amended to award three points for victories and one for draws.
This will surely promote more aggressive play, which will be better for fans.
Another proposed change is to allow the substitution of goalkeepers, in addition to the two player substitutes currently allowed.
Soccer Notes
International Sports, Ltd., which filed a fraud suit against soccer star Pele, will pursue the case in Brazilian courts. A New York state Supreme Court judge ruled the case should be heard in Pele’s home nation. . . . The U.S. team will play El Salvador Dec. 5 at the Coliseum and will play the Norwegian club team Kongsvinger in the second half of a doubleheader on Dec. 11 at Cal State Fullerton.
