U.S. Closer to Learning Fate of Cup
The United States might learn by the end of this week whether it will be selected to play host to the fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup this fall -- but only if no one else wants the event.
World soccer’s governing body Monday established a Thursday deadline for countries interested in staging the 16-nation tournament to submit formal requests. Australia, Brazil, Italy and Sweden have indicated some interest but might already have been scared off by U.S. Soccer’s fast start.
American officials flew to Switzerland and met with FIFA leaders last week and have since, at FIFA’s request, provided a breakdown of their proposal.
“They wanted more details on things like budgets,” Bob Contiguglia, the president of U.S. Soccer, told Associated Press. “The list of requirements is probably 60 or 70 items long. Basically, we’re responding to each of those items. There are a lot of details, ranging from transportation [to] visas [to] hotel arrangements.”
Australia and Brazil are unlikely to be chosen ahead of the U.S., but a bid by a European country might present a challenge.
When it took the scheduled Sept. 23-Oct. 11 tournament away from China because of the SARS epidemic, FIFA promised that China would be the host in 2007. That means Europe would go 16 years without the Women’s World Cup, between the time Sweden was host in 1995 and the 2011 tournament.
Sweden or Italy could make such an argument and it might hold some sway with FIFA, which also has to sign off on whatever quarantine restrictions the 2003 host will impose on Asian teams, most notably China, or, quite possibly, on all teams.
These issues and the difficulty posed by trying to fast-track U.S. travel visas at a time of increased security, could delay a final decision. Andres Herren, a FIFA spokesman, told AP Monday that FIFA “would like to have a decision as quickly as possible, hopefully by the end of the month.”
If no other country makes a bid, and FIFA is satisfied with U.S. answers, that decision could come more quickly.
Seaman Adieu
England Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson failed on Monday to include veteran goalkeeper David Seaman on his roster for upcoming matches against South Africa, Serbia and Montenegro, and Slovakia, leading to speculation that the Arsenal player’s international career has reached an end.
Seaman, who turns 40 this year and has played 75 games for England, has a hamstring injury and sat out the national team’s last two Euro 2004 qualifying games.
West Ham United’s David James has taken over as England’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Makaay Targeted
German champion Bayern Munich has made Dutch striker Roy Makaay the target of its off-season quest to improve before next season’s European Champions League begins.
Makaay, who leads the Spanish league with 27 goals for league-leading Deportivo La Coruna, scored four times against Bayern this season as Deportivo helped knock the perennial German power out of the Champions League in the first round.
“Makaay is the only striker we have in focus,” Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern’s chairman, told the Munich newspaper TZ. “If we don’t get him, we won’t get anyone else.”
Quick Passes
Real Madrid has included Brazilian striker Ronaldo on its squad for Wednesday’s decisive Champions League semifinal against Juventus in Turin, Italy, even though Alfonso del Corral, the club’s doctor, said his chances of playing are very slim because of a calf injury sustained in Madrid’s 2-1 victory in the first game of the series.... Vahid Halilhodzic on Monday quit as coach of Rennes in the French first division. He is expected to be hired as coach of Paris Saint-Germain.
