Ronaldo Goes After Next Cup
Real Madrid of Spain and Olimpia of Paraguay, both founded in 1902 and celebrating their centenary this year, will play today at the International Stadium in Yokohama, Japan, in the annual Toyota/Intercontinental Cup.
The game, between the champions of Europe and South America, gives Real Madrid the chance to win the mythical world club championship for the third time.
It also gives Ronaldo the opportunity to complete a rare double in the same stadium. He scored twice against Germany to win the World Cup for Brazil in Yokohama in June and now has his sights set on this trophy.
“It is my chance to return to the scene with Real Madrid and I hope I can repeat what I did with Brazil,” he told the Spanish daily Marca.
Real’s previous victories were against Penarol of Uruguay in 1960 and Vasco da Gama of Brazil in 1998. It lost to Boca Juniors of Argentina in 2000.
Olimpia is making its third Toyota/Intercontinental Cup appearance. It defeated Malmo of Sweden in 1979 and lost to AC Milan of Italy in 1990. Coach Nery Pumpido won a World Cup with Argentina in 1986 and is not in awe of the Spanish team.
“Real Madrid are the best team in the world. So what?” he said. “We have great respect for them, but at the same time we are confident we can win. I have said that all along.”
Argentina Fan Killed
Hours after his team had won the Argentine championship for the first time in eight years, Independiente fan Miguel Angel Franco, 42, was shot to death by a supporter of rival Boca Juniors, police said Monday.
The assailant, identified only as a 36-year-old man, began firing two handguns after an argument in Villa Itati, about 20 miles outside Buenos Aires. Franco was struck and killed and another fan celebrating with him was injured.
The shooter was arrested and charged with “murder, injury, using a firearm and resisting arrest,” police said.
Krough Retires
Goalkeeper Mogens Krough, who played on Denmark’s 1992 European Championship-winning team and its France ’98 World Cup squad, announced his retirement at 39, after playing his last game Sunday for Brondby IF, a team with which he won three Danish league titles.
Most of Krough’s international career was spent as a backup to Peter Schmeichel, limiting him to 10 games for his country.
South African Violence
South Africa’s shortcomings as a potential World Cup host nation were again exposed over the weekend when fan violence erupted at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg during a cup final between Jomo Cosmos and Kaizer Chiefs.
Players and game officials were pelted with bottles and other debris, and the incident sparked angry words between league and government officials.
“The whole issue of security surrounding our football games, or major games, is just not adequate,” Trevor Phillips, head of South Africa’s Premier League, told the South African Broadcasting Corp. (SABC). “There are not enough trained security people in the country, not enough coordination between the police and the security.”
Ngconde Balfour, the country’s Sports Minister, criticized Phillips during Saturday’s match.
“I am very angry, quite disgusted, at the scenes from FNB,” Balfour told the SABC. “I am not sure why Trevor Phillips and all the officials did not stop the game and allow these thuggish people to go home.”
Phillips hit back on Monday.
“It’s all very well government ministers ... moaning about what are we doing about this, what are we doing about that,” he said.
“We have, throughout the country, a total lack of infrastructure as far as soccer is concerned.”
South Africa is bidding to stage the World Cup in 2010.
