Valencia Assails Call Favoring Real Madrid
Spanish refereeing came under fire Monday from the president and coach of Valencia after a dubious penalty kick allowed Real Madrid to snatch a 1-1 tie at home Sunday and thereby deny Valencia the chance to take over first place in the Spanish league.
Valencia led, 1-0, on a headed goal by Argentine defender Roberto Ayala when referee Pedro Tristante Oliva awarded Real Madrid a penalty kick, ruling that defender Carlos Marchena had fouled striker Raul three minutes into injury time.
Luis Figo scored from the spot seconds before the final whistle to give Real Madrid a share of the points and keep it in first place.
“I can’t believe they’ve done it again,” said Jaime Orti, Valencia’s president. “I feel powerless and angry. It is a complete joke, and the same thing happens every year.
“If we are going to be treated like this, we might as well stay at home. Everyone saw what happened. It is a very sad day for Spanish football.”
Valencia Coach Rafa Benitez agreed.
“It is difficult to explain to anyone who saw the game why we didn’t win,” he said. “You could have 100 games like that and nobody would have given that penalty.”
F.A. Cup Draw
If it wins its replay against Portsmouth, Liverpool will play English Football Assn. Cup holder Arsenal in the highlight game of the tournament’s quarterfinals.
Two goals by Michael Owen gave Liverpool a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the 2001 Cup final. Since then, Arsenal has won 17 consecutive Cup games and is seeking to become the first team in 118 years to win the trophy three times in a row.
In Monday’s draw for the tournament’s next round, Manchester United was matched against Fulham or West Ham United, Millwall against Tranmere Rovers and Sheffield United against Birmingham City or Sunderland.
Hooligan Crackdown
Authorities from England and Portugal signed an agreement aimed at preventing hooliganism at this summer’s European Championship in Portugal.
Part of the agreement involves the English government’s confiscating the passports of 2,500 known hooligans and barring them from travel to the 16-nation tournament in June.
Portugal is involved in discussions with Germany aimed at imposing a similar travel ban on 4,000 German hooligans.
In Israel, officials are calling for a crackdown on fan violence at soccer games after a fan suffered a fractured skull when he was hit by an exploding flare at a Saturday game between Hapoel and Maccabi, the two top teams in Tel Aviv.
Violence at soccer matches has been on the increase in recent years in Israel, usually consisting of fistfights and verbal abuse during and after matches. Fans have taken to smuggling firecrackers, flares and other incendiary devices into stadiums.
WUSA Drive
The Women’s United Soccer Assn. began a ticket campaign aimed at gauging support as it prepares to start up again in 2005.
“Our goal is to have 2,500 clubs, organizations or businesses nationwide commit to purchasing a minimum of $1,000 worth of tickets per year for three consecutive years,” said Tony DiCicco, former WUSA commissioner and former U.S. women’s national team coach.
The league, which suspended operations in September, will stage several exhibition festivals in June.
Quick Passes
Jens Lehmann, Arsenal’s German international goalkeeper, was fined $18,850 by the English Football Assn. for “improper conduct” after pleading guilty to throwing a ball at Southampton forward Kevin Phillips in a league match in December. Phillips still faces a hearing in connection with the incident.... Italy Coach Giovanni Trapattoni included three uncapped players in his team for a friendly against the Czech Republic at Palermo, Sicily, on Wednesday. They are defender Stefano Betterini and midfielder Sergio Volpi, both of Sampdoria, and midfielder Simone Barone of Parma. Striker Antoni Cassano withdrew from the team because of knee and thigh injuries and was replaced by AS Roma teammate Marco Delvecchio.... Netherlands Coach Dick Advocaat has called up 19-year-old Ajax Amsterdam defender Nigel de Jong to replace injured veteran Michael Reiziger for Wednesday’s match against the United States at Amsterdam.... Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedved was selected the Czech Republic’s player of the year. Nedved won the Golden Ball award in December as Europe’s best player.... Former Torino and Arezzo player Lauro Minghelli, 31, died Sunday of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease. Minghelli is the 16th player in Italy to die from ALS. A recent government investigation uncovered 46 cases of players with the disease.
-- Compiled by Grahame L. Jones
