SOCCER / JULIE CART : As Usual, FIFA’s Havelange Gets His Way

That Joao Havelange got his way at last week’s FIFA executive committee meeting was no surprise, considering that the question carried potent financial and political ramifications. Expanding the World Cup finals from 24 to 32 teams, as the executive committee unanimously approved for the 1998 tournament, has long been a pet project of Havelange. And Havelange usually gets what he wants.

Politically, the expanded tournament has the same obvious appeal as lowering taxes. Havelange brilliantly appeased both the developing areas of soccer--Africa and Asia--and the powerhouse continent of Europe.

Havelange wanted the expansion in Africa and Asia to reflect the sport’s growth in the developing world, where, coincidently, the voting members see the Brazilian as their champion.

At the same time, Havelange got European officials to approve the change after promising Europe’s allocation would not be cut. Having gained that “concession” from Havelange, the Union of European Football Assns. withdrew its challenge to his reelection next month.

Africa already had gained a third spot in the finals, after the success of Cameroon in the 1990 World Cup. Asia is due at least another place with the candidacy of both Japan and South Korea as host of the 2002 World Cup. It is expected that four of the additional eight teams will come from Africa and Asia.

Europe can hardly complain. Thirteen of the 24 teams in next month’s World Cup are European and, according to one newspaper, The European, Europe will have a shot at the four other new spots through a playoff, with fourth and fifth-place teams from the other zone qualifying.

The officials’ allocation of the new berths is expected in December.

Financially, the idea is a flat-out boon. Ratings in North America notwithstanding, television adores the World Cup and more games involving more countries make television very, very happy. And, as Havelange knows, rights fees can now be raised to reflect the larger tournament.

All very tidy, except for the French, who now have a much larger tournament to organize for ’98. FIFA is quick to point out that even with eight groups of four teams, the World Cup will not be any longer and each team will play the same number of first-round games.

Yes, but the costs associated with eight additional teams will not be small for an already financially unwieldy creature. The organizers of this summer’s World Cup had to cut the stadiums from 12 to nine to keeps costs in line. How will the French cope?

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U.S. goalkeeper Brad Friedel has signed a contract with Newcastle United, which finished third in the English Premier League this season.

He will become the third American keeper working in England and no doubt will be held to the high standards of the two others. Kasey Keller at Millwall, who was recently cut from the World Cup roster, had 17 shutouts and allowed 51 goals in 45 games. Juergen Sommer at Luton Town, who was named to the World Cup team, had eight shutouts and allowed 50 goals in 47 games.

Friedel’s prodigious work habits may impress Newcastle’s coaches more than the U.S. team staff. Friedel has been nothing but professional and focused during the months of speculation about which keeper--he or Tony Meola--will start in the World Cup.

Meola’s reputation is one of slacking off in practice but coming on strong in big games. Friedel is always working hard, but seems to have bad luck in games. Goalkeepers can accept their own mistakes that lead to goals easier than the mistakes of others. Saturday’s game against Bayern Munich was another example of defensive breakdowns leaving Friedel exposed to one-on-one plays.

Whether he starts a game in the World Cup Friedel, at 23, can still have a long professional career. And it is going to pay an immediate dividend.

Because he was not with another pro club and had not signed a contract with the U.S. Soccer Federation, he will get to keep all of his transfer fee, a reported $525,000, instead of giving 90% to the USSF.

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Some snickered at the news that German Coach Berti Vogts opened his team’s training camp with his roster of 22 players, his coaching staff and doctors and . . . a World Cup referee.

Don’t pass the idea off as “German fastidiousness.” Hellmut Krug, a World Cup referee from Germany, will work the team’s scrimmages and, “explain the latest FIFA guidelines,” Vogts said.

This is just the sort of preparation that pays dividends. As in most sports, there are standards of play during the regular season and then there’s what’s allowed in a World Cup game.

Even Germany’s experienced international players will benefit from training under World Cup conditions.

Benefiting even more would be the U.S. World Cup team. The defensive players, in particular, have a habit of sloppy tackling and losing body control in the air. Tackling from behind will not be tolerated and FIFA promises such fouls will be met with a yellow card.

The U.S. team can ill afford to compound its problems with the loss of a player to yellow cards or expulsion.

And, even with all their accumulated international experience, the U.S. players haven’t seen the level of acting from opposing players they will be subject to in the World Cup.

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Other notes to come out of the FIFA executive committee’s meetings: Officials in Washington, D.C. have halted their fence-building at RFK Stadium.

Negotiations are continuing at Dallas regarding the construction of fences around the playing field and at Palo Alto, where a low fence already exists.

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The L.A. County sheriff’s call for a tactical alert--to begin with the June 4 U.S.-Mexico game and run through the World Cup--may be standard at big events, but it’s also clearly timed to offset the L.A. police union’s rejection of a new contract offer.

The union has been using the World Cup as a bargaining chip in its talks with the city and even launched a short-lived advertising campaign pointing out the dangers of living in or visiting Los Angeles.

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Last word: The response of U.S. Coach Bora Milutinovic, now coaching his third different World Cup team, to the expansion of the number of World Cup teams: “It’s good. It means you have more places now to find a job.”