WORLD CUP USA ’94 / THE FINALS : Someone May Get Consolation Today : Third place: Bulgaria, Sweden hope to avoid ending successful month on a losing streak.
College basketball dumped its consolation game in 1982. The NFL red-carded its “Playoff Bowl” between Western and Eastern Conference also-rans in 1970.
(Die-hards will recall the Rams’ resounding 31-0 victory over Dallas in the last Playoff Bowl.)
Yet, the battle for bragging rights--’We’re No. 3!”--continues in the World Cup.
Today, at 12:30, Sweden and Bulgaria will meet at the Rose Bowl in a consolation game almost devoid of meaning.
Sweden, semifinal loser to Brazil, and Bulgaria, loser against Italy, already have exceeded World Cup expectations.
Yet, today’s losers return home, presumably as heroes, on the heels of consecutive defeats.
So what’s the point?
“We are often asked that question,” Andreas Herren, a FIFA official, said Friday.
There is no financial incentive to win the consolation match. FIFA doles out prize money based on games played, and both Sweden and Bulgaria were guaranteed seven by advancing to the semifinals.
And you can rest assured the players’ clubs, which have much larger financial stakes, cannot be thrilled having them exposed to potential injury.
“We still feel a third match to determine the bronze team is an opportunity for the team to entertain spectators,” Herren said.
FIFA President Joao Havelange said the third-place playoff would remain a feature of the World Cup.
“In a competition of this magnitude it is important to have a third place. It is an honor to be third and that warrants a match.”
Because enormous World Cup pressures have been lifted, Herren reminds that consolation matches are often entertaining. He mentioned France’s 4-2 victory over Belgium in 1986.
One can only hope. Wound tighter than a steel drum against Brazil, Sweden managed only three shots Wednesday.
“The pressure to win is not as high as in the finals,” Herren said. “The teams are more relaxed. The players can be free of thoughts, and the coaches can give some players benched so far some playing time.”
And, every now and then, crops up the occasional angle.
Today, Bulgarian striker Hristo Stoitchkov will be in pursuit of the “Golden Boot,” awarded the player who scores the most goals in World Cup play.
With six goals, Stoitchkov is tied with Russia’s Oleg Salenko, who scored his six goals in three games--five against Cameroon.
Also in the hunt for the “Golden Boot” are Brazil’s Romario and Italy’s Roberto Baggio, each of whom has scored five goals.
They square off in a slightly more important match Sunday.
With his team trailing only 2-1, Stoitchkov left the semifinal game against Italy in the 79th minute, complaining of a slight leg injury.
Two days later, however, Stoitchkov is apparently fit as a fiddle and itching to claim the scoring title.
“He feels fine and will play,” Bulgarian Coach Dimitar Penev said. “He wants to become the leading scorer.”
For the privilege of playing in today’s consolation, the Bulgarians only had to fly cross-country from New York after a tough loss on Wednesday.
Apparently, the honor was theirs.
“No one has approached FIFA about changing the regulations,” Herren said.
“I wouldn’t underestimate the commitment of the players. They’re all pros and want to win.”
