FIFA’s Havelange to Retire in ’98
The 80-year-old president of soccer’s world governing body says he had enough, almost.
Joao Havelange of Brazil said Saturday he would retire as FIFA’s boss, but not until the end of the 1998 World Cup in France.
“Coming in is easy, leaving is difficult, but I must do it,” Havelange said at a FIFA executive committee meeting in Barcelona.
Havelange has been president of FIFA since 1974.
“The announcement was met with silence in the room,” said FIFA secretary general Joseph “Sepp” Blatter. “Everyone was surprised, everyone was perplexed.”
Havelange, a lawyer, came to power in 1974 when he unseated Sir Stanley Rous of England to become the first non-European head of FIFA. Under his leadership, FIFA became a multimillion dollar success, with the game growing enormously in popularity in Asia, Africa and North America.
In other announcements, FIFA dropped its threat to withdraw soccer from the Olympics, but complained about the sport’s treatment in the Atlanta Games.
Blatter made it clear the world soccer body was upset with the way soccer, which drew the most fans of any Olympic sport, was forced to play its games away from Atlanta.
Also, in an expected move, FIFA confirmed that South Korea will be host for the opening game and Japan will stage the final of the 2002 World Cup.
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Top-seeded North Carolina and defending champion Notre Dame earned berths in today’s NCAA Division I women’s soccer title match with semifinal victories Friday night at Santa Clara. Notre Dame beat Portland, 3-2, and North Carolina topped Santa Clara, 2-1.
Baseball
As Saturday’s midnight deadline to offer salary arbitration approached, Moises Alou and John Wetteland were among the five dozen players waiting to find out if they could still re-sign with their former teams.
Of the 65 players facing the deadline, only nine had been offered arbitration by early evening: New York Yankee pitcher Jimmy Key, Boston pitcher Roger Clemens and infielder Tim Naehring, Baltimore pitcher David Wells, Texas infielder Mark McLemore, Atlanta second baseman Mark Lemke and reliever Mike Bielecki, New York Met catcher Brent Mayne and Chicago White Sox pitcher Alex Fernandez.
Those not offered arbitration can’t re-sign from today through April 30.
Former American League rookie of the year Bob Hamelin has undergone corrective eye surgery in an attempt to regain the form that produced 24 homers in 1994.
Winter Sports
Austria’s Renate Goetschl, so fast that even a bobble on the steep slope leading to the finish line couldn’t slow her, claimed a downhill victory in the opening race of a World Cup ski doubleheader at Vail, Colo.
In a super-G held later in the day, Russia’s Svetlana Gladishiva scored her first World Cup victory.
Chris Niccum and Matt McClaine led a 1-2-3 sweep for United States lugers in the men’s doubles in a World Cup meet at Lillehammer, Norway. Chris Thorpe and Gordy Sheer were second. Mark Grimmette and John Martin third.
Russian champion Maria Butyrskaya upset short-program leader Tonia Kwiatkowski of the United States and won the NHK Trophy women’s gold with a graceful free program at Kadoma, Japan. In the pairs event, Americans Jenni Meno and Todd Sand won their first major international title ever. World champion Todd Eldredge of the United States withdrew from the men’s singles event because of an ankle sprain.
Americans Brian Shimer and Randy Jones won the two-man bobsled World Cup race at Igls, Austria.
College Football
Jim Colletto was hired as Notre Dame Coach Bob Davie’s offensive coordinator a little more than a month after announcing his resignation as coach at Purdue. He replaces Dave Roberts, who is seeking a head coaching job.
Linebacker Mark Patterson tackled Chris Turner in the end zone for a safety with 4:17 to play, and Southwestern Oklahoma defeated Montana Tech, 33-31, to win the NAIA championship at Weatherford, Okla.
Ball State gave Coach Bill Lynch a three-year contract extension.
Tennis
Boris Becker and Goran Ivanisevic won their semifinal matches in the $6-million Grand Slam Cup at Munich, Germany. Becker overcame Tim Henman of England, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-1. Ivanisevic, firing 42 aces to match his personal best, rallied from two sets down to beat French Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 6-7 (8-6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
Miscellany
Paul Claxton shot a 72 in Lompoc to cling to a one-shot lead after four rounds of the PGA Tour qualifying tournament. . . . Heavy rains forced the cancellation of the third round in the JCPenney Classic golf tournament at Tarpon Springs, Fla. . . . Axel Schultz of Germany won a unanimous 10-round decision over Jose Ribalta of Cuba in a nontitle heavyweight bout at Vienna. . . . USC defeated South Florida, 15-8, 15-5, 15-6, in an NCAA women’s volleyball championship second-round match at Tampa, Fla.
