Galaxy Waits, Hopes for MLS Payments
For several months, Major League Soccer had $500,000 sitting in a special bank account. Soon, FIFA is expected to add $250,000.
After that, it’s up to MLS to decide what to do with the money.
By rights, it should belong to the Galaxy, and some should find its way to the players. Whether that eventually happens will be interesting to see.
The money is, in part, compensation to the Galaxy for FIFA’s cancellation of the second FIFA World Club Championship that was to have started later this month in Spain.
The Galaxy was one of 12 teams that qualified for the event, having won the CONCACAF championship in January. But when FIFA’s Brazilian marketing partner, Traffic, failed to secure sponsors or television contracts for the tournament, the event was canceled.
The World Club Championship had offered almost $40 million in prize money, the winner to have received $8 million and every other team guaranteed at least $1 million.
Under threat of lawsuit by several of the qualified teams, FIFA agreed to compensate the clubs for expenses incurred in preparing for the tournament.
Meeting in Buenos Aires last week, FIFA officials revealed that they are considering adding $250,000 to the $500,000 they said already had been given to each of the 12 clubs.
“We received the $500,000 some time ago,” Ivan Gazidis, the deputy commissioner of MLS, said. “What it was was an advance payment on costs and so on, so that teams could go ahead and book flights and all those kinds of things.”
Gazidis said FIFA had deferred a final decision on the additional $250,000 until early August.
“I think what is clear is that for the first time, we’ve received an indication that we’re going to be able to keep the half-million dollars that’s been prepaid,” Gazidis said. “And it sounds as if there will be something in excess of that [eventually awarded in compensation].”
But will any of that money ever reach the Galaxy coaches and players who earned it?
“It may,” Gazidis said, “but that’s going to be a decision that’s made by the [MLS] board of governors.”
One of the teams the Galaxy was to have played in the championship is Real Madrid, the Spanish club that this week splashed out $64 million to buy French midfielder Zinedine Zidane from Juventus in Italy.
Obviously, $750,000 is just loose change to Real Madrid and its millionaire stars.
But to the Galaxy, it’s a sizable windfall, and the players deserve to see at least some of it coming their way.
Under-20 Update
A second-round loss to Egypt knocked the United States under-20 team out of the FIFA World Youth Championship, which was won Sunday by Argentina, the host nation.
That less-than-stellar performance by the American team that will form the basis of the U.S. 2004 Olympic team has revived debate over who should be coaching the team in Athens.
Wolfgang Suhnholz’s star has dimmed somewhat in light of his team’s failure in Argentina. Clive Charles, who took the U.S. to a fourth-place finish in the Sydney Olympics, is not interested.
That leaves, among others, U.S. under-17 national team Coach John Ellinger, who is also said to be keen on an MLS coaching position, and perennial favorite Bob Bradley.
Bradley, the Chicago Fire coach who will lead the West team in the MLS All-Star game July 28 at San Jose, was asked if he wants the Olympic post in 2004.
“I haven’t thought about it at all,” he said. “I haven’t even thought about this All-Star game yet, so you can imagine where that one comes into play.”
Bradley’s name will come up again, however.
The Olympics would be a logical steppingstone for one of the league’s most successful coaches, especially if he one day wants to take over for Bruce Arena as national coach.
Quick Passes
D.C. United and U.S. under-20 national team midfielder Bobby Convey will undergo hernia surgery this week after suffering an injury while playing for the U.S. against Ukraine in the World Youth Championship. He will be sidelined for at least six weeks. . . . Jill Oakes, a 16-year-old midfielder from West Hills and North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake High, was named to the 20-player roster selected by U.S. under-21 women’s national team Coach Jerry Smith. Eighteen players from that squad will represent the U.S. at the 2001 Nordic Cup in Norway July 25-31.
