Security Aided by FBI
The Japanese World Cup Organizing Committee (JAWOC) is taking unprecedented steps to assure that the tournament is not marred by radicals, extremists, hooligans or terrorists. On Tuesday, it acknowledged that a team of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation will provide some assistance at the May 31-June 30 world championship.
“Japan has invited the FBI to help with ensuring security,” a U.S. source told Reuters. “They will focus on preventing terrorist attacks during such as a high-profile event. It could be seen as an opportunity for Al Qaeda.”
Earlier, JAWOC announced that it has rented a ferry boat to ship any hooligans who disrupt the June 7 Argentina-England match in Sapporo back to Tokyo, a distance of 500 miles.
“We decided to use a ferry because we may have to deal with a large number of violent people,” a Japanese Justice Ministry spokesman said. Immigration officials and armed Japanese Coast Guard personnel will be aboard the ferry.
The Coast Guard on Monday held a drill that involved helmeted riot police driving drunken hooligans to the upper deck of a ship in Niigata harbor, where they were then doused by water cannons firing from patrol boats and kept pinned on deck by a low-flying police helicopter.
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While Japanese authorities were thus occupied, Japan’s team was getting a lesson of its own Tuesday in Oslo, where Norway scored three goals in a devastating 14-minute spell late in the game to defeat the World Cup co-host, 3-0, and send Coach Philippe Troussier scrambling to reassess his options on defense.
Europe
Three-time world champion Germany also was dealt a reality check when it was defeated, 1-0, by Wales in Cardiff. Robert Earnshaw scored the only goal. Germany was without four players from Bayer Leverkusen, which faces Real Madrid of Spain today in the European Champions Cup final in Glasgow, Scotland.
In other games involving World Cup-bound teams, Saudi Arabia edged Senegal, 3-2, in Riyadh, and Belgium was held to a 0-0 tie by Algeria in Brussels, a result that left Belgian Coach Robert Waseigi bemoaning his team’s lack of pace and rhythm.
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England lost a second potential World Cup starter when Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerard was told he will need surgery to heal a recurring groin injury. Liverpool’s Danny Murphy will take his place.
Coach Sven Goran Eriksson already had lost Manchester United defender Gary Neville to a broken foot. Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer has been given until Friday to prove his fitness after suffering a knee injury Saturday when fouled by Southampton’s Moroccan defender Tahar El-Khalej, a foul that has Dyer threatening a lawsuit.
England is training in Dubai, where midfielder and captain David Beckham said he finally is able to run again after breaking a bone in his foot April 10.
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Forward Denis Popov, who had been named to Russia’s 27-man World Cup preliminary roster, had his hopes of going to Korea/Japan ’02 dashed when tests revealed he suffered torn knee ligaments while helping CSKA Moscow win the Russian Cup final on Sunday.
Latin America
Argentina Coach Marcelo Bielsa said in Buenos Aires that he believes Glasgow Rangers striker Claudio Caniggia will have regained full fitness by the May 21 deadline for Argentina’s roster to be named, but if not his place would be taken by forward Gustavo Lopez, of Celta Vigo in Spain.
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Paraguay captain and goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert is rounding into World Cup form. The controversial and outspoken Chilavert told a radio show in Asuncion that Spain, one of Paraguay’s first-round opponents, would not have qualified for the World Cup if it had had to do so in South America.
“It’s really easy to get through if you are playing teams like Andorra, Liechtenstein or Israel,” Chilavert said.
