The Sins of 2002 Cast Shadow on Aussie Loss

By GRAHAME L. JONES

June 27, 2006 12 AM PT

COLOGNE, Germany —

The Aussies should have known it would end this way. It was inevitable.

The seed for Australia’s 1-0 World Cup defeat by Italy on Monday on a blatantly incorrect penalty kick awarded by Spanish referee Luis Medina Cantalejo in the final seconds was sown in South Korea four years ago.

Monday’s devastating blow to the Socceroos was a makeup call.

Anyone with any suspicion of just how things are manipulated at soccer’s highest level, including the outcome of games, needs only to look back to 2002.

That’s when Italy was robbed blind in a 2-1 overtime loss to South Korea in a second-round World Cup game that was atrociously refereed by Ecuador’s Byron Moreno. The South American was so bad that Italians named a row of public toilets after him in Sicily.

The loss eliminated the Italians and -- much to the delight of soccer’s movers and shakers -- sent cohost South Korea on a run that took it to the semifinals and an eventual fourth-place finish.

Given the massive public support for the team, keeping South Korea alive as long as possible was very much in FIFA’s interests. So Italy paid the price.

This time around, the price has been paid back.

Things are all square with Italy. Australia will get the makeup call next time around, at South Africa in 2010, assuming it qualifies.

That’s how it works.

It’s about making hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate sponsorships and television contracts. Fat cats greasing fat cats. It’s not really about sport or sportsmanship. Only the naive believe that.

Think this is the rambling of a conspiracy theorist? Here’s the way the Italians viewed it in 2002:

This from Francesco Totti, who was ejected in the game against South Korea: “It was a scandal. The truth is that he [Moreno] had his mind set against us -- this was a desired elimination. By who? I don’t know -- there are things greater than me, but the feeling is that they wanted us out.”

Or this, from Franco Frattini, then a minister in the Italian government: “The referee was a disgrace. Absolutely scandalous. I’ve never seen a game like it. It seemed as if they just sat around a table and decided to throw us out.”

And finally this, from then-Italy Coach Giovanni Trapattoni: “I said that it would be tough, that we had additional opposition. I am not talking about a plot but about an additional opposition.”

Flash-forward now to Monday afternoon in Kaiserslautern. The Australia-Italy match is nearing the end of its allotted three minutes of stoppage time in regulation. Only seconds remain.

Italy’s Fabio Grosso beats one player and makes a run toward the penalty area. Australian defender Lucas Neill slides to make a blocking tackle but fails to make contact. Grosso continues his run, and purposely trips over the fallen Neill.

No foul has occurred. If anything, Grosso has taken a dive.

But referee Cantalejo points immediately to the penalty spot. There is only time left for the kick. No time for Australia to reply.

And who steps up to take it? None other than the formerly affronted Totti, the victim of 2002’s “scandal.”

Totti scores, and Italy goes through to the quarterfinals. Australia’s first World Cup in 32 years is over.

“I just can’t believe it,” said Aussie midfielder Tim Cahill. “We’re in disbelief, because anyone who watched the game could see that it was not a penalty.”

Teammate Scott Chipperfield goes further. “They look after the big nations,” he said. “They want the big nations through to the semis and final. It’s always the way.”

And this, from Australia assistant coach Graham Arnold: “We’re a small footballing nation that gets no favors. All we asked for was a fair go, and I don’t think we received it.

“From the sideline and what we saw on TV, it was a joke.”

And then there was Australia’s coach, who had this to say: “If you see the replay, there is no doubt that it was not a penalty.”

Australia’s coach is Guus Hiddink. He was on the other side of the “conspiracy” in 2002. Back then, he was South Korea’s coach when Italy was stiffed.

Honest. You can’t make up this stuff. Only FIFA has that talent.

Anyone for rugby? Its World Cup is decided on the field.

World Cup ’06

MONDAY’S RESULTS

* Italy 1, Australia 0

* Ukraine 0,

Switzerland 0

(Ukraine wins

in shootout, 3-0)

Italy and Ukraine

advance to quarterfinals.

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