WORLD CUP USA ’94 ROUND OF 16 : Bloom Is Off the Rose Bowl for Beleaguered Argentina : Today’s game: Plight of Maradona, Caniggia’s injury on Argentines’ minds as they prepare to face Hagi-led Romania.
The Diego-less days of July have not exactly been flying by for Argentina as it prepares for its round-of-16 game against Romania today at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Diego Maradona, the brilliant yet seemingly star-crossed midfielder, might be out of sight but he hasn’t been out of his teammates’ minds since testing positive for using five banned stimulants and being kicked out of the World Cup on Thursday.
Maradona has had plenty to say from his New England hideout in Merrimack, N.H.--mostly ripping FIFA, soccer’s world governing body.
His teammates?
Nada.
Practice was closed Friday. The same was going to happen Saturday but there was a change of heart. But nobody was made available to the press after a light 30-minute workout.
Apparently the players were unhappy they even had to show up at the Rose Bowl to stretch. They wanted to stay at the team hotel and watch the final minutes of Spain’s 3-0 victory over Switzerland. Finally, an appeal from the president of Argentina’s soccer federation got the boys on the bus, according to FIFA spokesman Keith Cooper.
The loss of Maradona hit the Argentines hard psychologically in their 2-0 loss to Bulgaria on Thursday in the final game of group play. And on top of that, the status of forward Claudio Caniggia is a growing concern.
Neither Caniggia nor defender Roberto Sensini practiced Saturday. Sensini, whose injury was not disclosed, did not play against Bulgaria. Caniggia left the Bulgaria match in the 22nd minute, having re-injured his left big toe.
He originally suffered the injury during a pre-World Cup practice at Babson Park, Mass., when a teammate accidentally stomped on his foot. Caniggia, just coming off a 13-month suspension for cocaine use, said he had problems making sudden stops and kicking the ball.
Even though Caniggia has scored twice in three games, the toe has continued to bother him and he also hurt his hamstring because he has been favoring the leg.
Whether he will play today is difficult to say. Some believe Caniggia was pulled from the Bulgarian match because Argentina was already assured of advancing. And he certainly wouldn’t miss anything by not practicing.
Romania, in contrast to the Argentines, had a relatively quiet week. This isn’t to say there was an absence of controversy among the Romanians. Midfielder Ion Vladoiu, a non-starter, was sent home for poor behavior on and off the field.
And Coach Anghel Iordanescu sparred with Romanian reporters at a spirited news conference during the week after being accused by them of playing favorites.
“I am saddened by these accusations of using feelings toward the players,” he said through a translator. “I have no feelings toward anybody.”
Romania is led by star midfielder Gheorghe Hagi, who has scored twice. However, it will be without high-scoring forward, Florin Raducioiu. He received his second yellow card of the first round in the 1-0 victory over the United States.
Money and other perks are being dangled in front of the Romanians. Romania’s starters already have earned as much as $22,000 for reaching the second round. And each starter was given a new Mercedes-Benz by a Romanian businessman before the tournament.
Obviously, Hagi would rather help Romania reach the quarterfinals, which would be its best World Cup performance ever.
“It’s more important to score a goal than to pick up a Mercedes,” he said.
