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Pusanweb World Cup 2002
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Korea 2 Italy 1 ~ Quotes After Italy Game ~ Death to the referee' as Italians smell a rat ~ Korea conquer beyond their wildest dreams ~ Ahn's Italian Coup Earns Him the Sack ~ A Korean Conspiracy? ~ Referee Row Boils Over as World Cup Shocks Go on ~ News of the World Editorial ~ FIFA Dismiss Fix Theory ~ Fair Play, Please ~ Semi-finals Go to Europeans ~ KOREA 2 ITALY 1 - GOLDEN AHN SENDS AZZURRI HOME HUMBLED
Italy will be in shock this morning and Perugia supporters will
be shaking their heads more than most. Ahn Jung-hwan scored just
a solitary Serie A goal for the club last season. Yesterday, with
a flick of his head, he brought the country where he earns his
wages to its knees and caused one of the great upsets of any World
Cup. This was a tournament they could have won. Instead they have suffered one of the most embarrassing defeats in their history. Perhaps North Korea's win over them in 1966 was the last of this magnitude. With three minutes of normal time remaining it had all looked so simple for Italy. They were leading 1-0 thanks to an early Christian Vieri header, barely looked like conceding a goal and had a quarter-final with Spain in their sights. If anyone knows how to defend a slim lead it is the Italians but this time their luck ran out. An 88th-minute error by Christian Panucci allowed Seol Ki-hyeon an equaliser and suddenly the momentum was with Korea. Francesco Totti's extra-time dismissal for a second booking - for an alleged dive - increased the psychological advantage enjoyed by their opponents. The golden goal rule means one mistake or moment of inspiration can decide a match. The gun was pointing at Italy. Giovanni Trapattoni is expected to continue as coach and the feeling among many Italians was that the team was robbed. They pointed to an off side decision against Damiano Tommasi before the midfielder put the ball in the net in extra-time. They all believe Totti was unfairly sent off and it looked too debatable to merit a caution. Other Italians will feel that the fates are against them in major competitions. They lost the final of Euro 2000 to France on a golden goal and suffered defeat on penalties in the previous three World Cups. The truth is, though, that Trapattoni's team have only themselves to blame. A side that relies so heavily on defending a narrow lead always risks being tripped up by the slightest error and Panucci failed to clear a cross to hand an equaliser to a South Korean team that refused to give up. Then Paolo Maldini was beaten in the air by Ahn for the decisive goal. At the other end Italy wasted chances to have secured victory. Vieri somehow missed from six yards in the 90th minute and Gennaro Gattuso saw a shot tipped over in extra-time. In any event, Italy should not be looking to excuses for failing to beat South Korea, however impressively Guus Hiddink's team are performing. Trapattoni's players diced with death in the group stage, squeezing through thanks to a late equaliser against Mexico and Croatia's failure to defeat Ecuador. No problem, it was said, Italy tend to start slowly and build. In fact they were only delaying their embarrassment. The sense of shame in Italy will be especially sharp because these things simply do not happen to the national team at World Cups. There was the North Korea defeat and a loss to Poland in 1974 but the countries that have beaten them in key games since are Holland, France, Argentina, Brazil and France again. When it matters against inferior opponents, Italy invariably know how to do their job. Another success based on professionalism rather than any great style seemed certain here. After Vieri headed in Totti's corner, Italy were largely comfortable, Korea seemed intimidated at first and the Italians' knowhow at getting men behind the ball, closing passing angles and chasing hard in midfield was working. Italy conceded plenty of possession but scarcely a chance to their opponents in the second half. Moments of skill from Totti livened a workmanlike performance. The midfield is not high on creativity but it hardly wants for endeavour and at the back Maldini and Mark Iuliano looked solid. Korea had missed a penalty in the fifth minute, with Ahn - later to be the hero - seeing his spot-kick saved after Panucci pushed Seol to the ground. But as the minutes ticked away Hiddink's players refused to accept that reaching the second round for the first time had been enough. Hwang Sun-hong's cross was missed by Iuliano, Panucci failed to clear and Seol scored with a first-time shot. Reprieved by Vieri, Korea polished Italy off. Totti went after tumbling in the area when challenged by Song Chong-gug and either team might have scored before Ahn jumped ahead of Maldini, playing his last game for Italy, to score from Lee Yong-pyo's cross. This is not an inspiring Italy side but the feeling was that it would be an effective one. In fact it's not even that. Another of the favourites are gone after an Italian legend was found wanting by a fringe player at Perugia. It has been that sort of World Cup. South Korea (3-4-3): Lee W J; Choi J C, Hong M B (Cha D R, 83 min), Kim T Y (Hwang S H, 63); Song C G, Kim N I (Lee C S, 68), Yoo S C, Lee Y P; Park J S, Ahn J H, Seol K H. Booked : Kim N I, Lee C S, Choi J C. Italy (4-3-1-2): Buffon; Panucci, Iuliano, Maldini, Coco; Zambrotta (Di Livio, 72), Tommasi, Zanetti; Totti; Vieri, Del Piero (Gattuso, 62). Booked : Coco, Totti. Sent off : Totti. Attendance : 38,588 Referee : B Moreno (Ecuador). Man of the Match Ahn Jung-hwan HIDDINK: I'M VERY HAPPY
South Korea coach Guus Hiddink:"I'm very, very happy, I'm very satisfied. They are one of the superpowers of football. I think this is unique what the Korean players have done so far." "The dream is going on because we have set another record for South Korea. I am very happy with the boys who had a difficult time in the first half against such an experienced team. "After the first half the players started to cope with Italy and at the end we could dominate. The players are so happy in the locker room and I am glad we could make it for the Korean people." Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni:Insisted that his team deserved to beat South Korea. "We had many more chances but Korea played with their heart. It was a beautiful match but the winner should have been Italy." "Unfortunately, this World Cup for Italy started by going downhill. I've seen certain things which have penalised us. Today we played a good game. I'd say we're going out with our heads held high but with a lot to be bitter about. "It was an emotional, beautiful, game. We had far, far more goalscoring chances than Korea but Korea showed heart. We had a lot of good situations. "We had a player sent off - I don't know why. We played with enthusiasm. We had three of four chances to wrap up the match, we had a chance for a golden goal from Gattuso and from Vieri at the end of normal time. "Perhaps we should have finished the game with those opportunities. That's football, but I think that if one of these teams should have gone to the quarters it should have been us, given what we did in this competition up until now. "You have all seen the match. We started the World Cup with certain negative situations, and things have not changed from match to match. "In fact, we are going out in a bad way. Even the Fifa delegates that I know were incredulous. "I don't speak of a conspiracy, but certainly of negative situations. These linesmen are incapable. "The boys have done a great job and we have shown that we are a great squad. "A moment like this I have not experienced before. I have not cried tears but my heart is crying." Italy defender Fabio Cannavaro:"I think it is a disgrace. We talk of our referees but that one today was really disappointing, it was harsh. It is an unfair elimination because this squad has given everything. "Tommasi's goal was legal and Totti's sending-off was unnecessary."
"Frankly, that was complete robbery." "DEATH TO THE REFEREE" AS ITALIANS SMELL A RAT Rory Carroll in Rome For once the cliche was true and football did unite Italy, but
it was a shared experience of bitterness, dismay and utter certainty
that the nation had been mugged. Byron Moreno's performance was denounced as the nadir of incompetence. Or was it evidence of a plot? Italy had defeated Ecuador in the first round. The debate raged in parliament, on television, in cafes and piazzas. Not since Italy's humiliation by North Korea in England in 1966 had a World Cup exit so hurt but this time, Italians agreed, the players were not to blame. "Death to the referee", chanted hundreds of fans gathered by a big screen at Rome's main train station. Some Koreans made the mistake of celebrating, prompting a cascade of plastic bottles and insults. "Thieves, thieves, you stole the game". Police broke up the scuffles. For 90 minutes viewers and commentators contested Moreno's decisions - South Korea's free-kicks, penalty, equaliser - but it was the sending off in extra-time of Francesco Totti and Damiano Tommasi's disallowed goal which dispelled doubts. "Frankly, that was complete robbery," said Bruno Pizzul, commentating for the state broadcaster Rai. Sergio Campana, the president of Italy's footballers' association, demanded that Italy's football federation register a protest of shame and disgust with the governing body Fifa. Parliamentarians abandoned a debate on assisted fertility. Daniela Santache, of the right-wing National Alliance, was apoplectic. "I always thought Korea was corrupt and this proves it." Italy was a "sacrificial victim" for the hosts, said others. As the insults veered close to racism politicians ushered cameras out of their offices, though not before one had demanded the referee be sent to a Sardinian mine. The captain, Paolo Maldini, said: "It is possible to make mistakes, but today the referee went too far. Sincerely it was scandalous." They will lie low until the mourning passes but that minority of Italians who feel oppressed by their country's passion for football were yesterday serene, verging on content. "Fortunately the nightmare is finished," said Pierluigi Battista, a commentator with La Stampa. KOREA CONQUER BEYOND THEIR WILDEST DREAMS Daniel Taylor in Daejeon Amid the throbbing noise and general pandemonium, one thing stood
out behind the goal where Ahn Jung-hwan, ironically the only member
of the South Korea team to play in Italy, had scored his golden
goal. "Welcome to Azzuri's [sic] tomb," said one of
the red-and-white banners. "Porta dell' inferno." Before shuffling away, reflecting on what might have been his last act in office, Trapattoni described the cacophony inside Daejeon's World Cup stadium as something he had never experienced in almost 50 years in the game. For all the raucous screeches of excitement that accompanied every attack, the Korean fans have not quite mastered the art of intimidating opponents. They are far too polite for that. Even the referee's name gets an almighty cheer before kick-off. "And do you know what?" asked their coach Guus Hiddink. "They even clean up after themselves. Can you imagine that? The place is spotless by the time they finish. These are good people and I am so glad we could make it for them." Spain will provide formidable opposition in Saturday's quarter-final, but what began to emerge during their defeat of Portugal last Friday and suddenly became apparent here yesterday is that one of the most erratic and upside-down World Cups ever could, quite feasibly, have its most unexpected winners yet. Korea may be languishing in 40th position in Fifa's world listings (114 ranking points behind sixth-placed Italy) but, just as the Irish had done in Suwon on Sunday, they will face Jose Antonio Camacho's team with heady anticipation. "A couple of months ago I could never have dreamt about a moment like this, not in my wildest dreams," said Hiddink. "We came into the competition thinking that we would have done well if we won one game. But we've beaten Portugal and now Italy, two of the superpowers of world football. "We are normal, humble, hard-working people and the players have worked tremendously hard ever since we got together. I am not thinking about Spain tonight. My first aim is to have a glass of wine, but let's go to the next challenge with optimism. I like my players to be greedy and that is what I will be telling them." Whatever happens now, Hiddink's players have already exceeded their wildest expectations, earning themselves megastar status in a country that has embraced the World Cup with even more enthusiasm than in Japan. Almost three million Koreans took to the streets to celebrate last night, the biggest gathering this country has experienced since the peace marches of 1987. More than 50,000 Korean flags are being sold every day and another banner inside the stadium demanded: Hiddink for President. "I think we got through because of the Korean supporters," said the defender Kim Tae-young. "And I'm sure we will go on to defeat Spain if they continue to give us their support." This sense of belief is spreading through Hiddink's squad. "We are making world history," said the midfielder Lee Yong-pyo. "Nobody expected us to do this well, myself included, but why can't we go to the final? We have shown anything is possible and no one scares us now." Italy would have emerged with far greater credit had they shown
greater dignity in defeat rather than directing their vitriol
towards the referee. "I thought he was very normal,"
countered Hiddink. The truth, he said, was that they had been
the better team. And it was hard to disagree. AHN'S ITALIAN COUP EARNS HIM THE SACK
ROME, June 19 (Reuters) - Italian soccer club Perugia has cut its ties with South Korea's Ahn Jung-hwan after he scored the goal which knocked Italy out of the World Cup, Perugia's chairman was quoted as saying on Wednesday. 'That gentleman will never set foot in Perugia again,' Luciano Gaucci told sports' daily La Gazzetta dello Sport. Italy has reacted with fury to Tuesday's shock 2-1 defeat to South Korea, accusing the referee and soccer's ruling body FIFA of fixing the match. Ahn, who missed a penalty earlier in the match, was hailed as a national hero when he headed home the golden goal winner in the 116th minute. But his goal was viewed in a different light at Perugia in central Italy, where he has been viewed as an under-achiever during his stay at the club. 'He was a phenomenon only when he played against Italy. I am a nationalist and I regard such behaviour not only as an affront to Italian pride but also an offence to a country which two years ago opened its doors to him,' Gaucci was quoted as saying. 'I have no intention of paying a salary to someone who has ruined Italian soccer.' Ahn joined Perugia on loan from the South Korean team Pusan I.cons in the summer of 2000. He scored five goals in 29 appearances. A Perugia spokesman said on Wednesday the club had virtually decided to release Ahn even before the World Cup tie. James Richardson of The Guardian "Infamy, infamy - they've all got it infamy!" Yes,
as Italy's finest (and Giovanni Trappatoni) return home this week,
their fellow countrymen await them aghast at what they are calling
here, "the biggest refereeing disgrace in the history of
the World Cup." Quite simply, the Azzurri have been done
in by a Fiendish International Plot, and since Tuesday the nation
has been talking of little else. In case you weren't part of the
worldwide conspiracy, here's what all the fuss is about: Tuesday
lunchtime Italy lost 2-1 to South Korea and got knocked out of
the World Cup. Sic Gloria Transit Mundo you might say in your
admirable Latin, as France, Argentina and others have already
discovered - but the Italians claim that unlike the others, they
were deliberately "taken out" by bad refereeing. To be fair, they got it. Two incidents stand out: 12 minutes into extra time, Francesco Totti is brought down in the South Korea penalty area. The game's Ecuadorian referee arrives from the other side of the field and - wrongly - gives the Italy No10 a yellow card for diving, sending him off. Shortly after, 10-man Italy still find a potential golden goal through Tomassi. The match officials, however, call it back - wrongly - for offside. South Korea score their winner shortly after and Italy go home. It's a bitter pill for them to swallow: after three years of dismal results abroad at club level, the three-time World Cup winners were counting on the Azzurri to restore a little prestige. Instead, they got their earliest exit since 1974. Now undoubtedly some of blame for this lies with Italy themselves, and their paranoid tactics: against the South Koreans they grimly defended a 1-0 lead instead of pressing home the advantage. The fact remains though, that with fairer refereeing the Azzurri would still be out east, and would still be unbeaten. Hence a populus that can barely contain its anger. Italy had come to a halt for Tuesday's match - crowds packing city centres the length of the country, braving summer temperatures as high as 40 degrees. The scenes arriving from the Far East saw many jumbo screens destroyed by angry fans. Post-game, while the players talked of "smacking the referee in the face" (Di Livio), Italy's broadsheets echoed the theme: "It's the dirty World Cup" as the Corriere Della Sera's front page cried: "Assassins!" Meanwhile, top sports daily the Gazzetta spoke of "Outrage!", offering on page three "All the names of the conspirators . . ." For the record, this is a mixed bag - FIFA boss Sepp Blatter, Korean sports boss Un Yong Kim and Turkey's FIFA vice president Seres Erzik (in the library, with the lead-piping) - all of whom have their various nefarious reasons for wanting Italy out. For all the controversy, out they will remain. While MPs table questions in the Italian parliament, while the Federation of Italian Housewives call for the head of the FA to be sacked (only in Italy), even while Panini announce the withdrawal of their World Cup sticker collection in protest, all that really remains for Italian fans is to support anyone playing South Korea from now on. That, and pray that Azerbahjan doesn't have any friends in high places. It's against the Eastern minnows that Italy will make their return to international football on September 7th. Should be a long summer. REFEREE ROW BOILS OVER AS WORLD CUP SHOCKS GO ON Jason Burke and Emma Daly Seville of The Observer The World Cup was plunged into new controversy yesterday after
the quarter-final between Spain and South Korea was marred by
contentious refereeing decisions that saw two goals against the
hosts disallowed. Last week, Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, admitted that there was a problem with some match officials. The row over yesterday's match follows bitter criticism of officials by Italian players and coaches after their shock exit, also at the hands of South Korea, last week. Five goals against the South Koreans, 150-1 outsiders at the start of the tournament, have now been disallowed, leading to renewed concerns about the influence of noisy home crowds on inexperienced match officials. Jose Antonio Camacho, the Spanish coach, yesterday criticised Gamal Ghandour, the Egyptian referee who ruled out one goal for an apparent push and another after a linesman said that the ball had gone out of play. Television footage showed that it had not. 'I thought the referee would be fairer in a quarter-final match like this,' Camacho said. 'A scandal? I know. We won the game, because we scored the goals, but they did not want to allow them. Something similar happened to Italy and Portugal, but I thought that it would not be so blatant in a quarter-final because the whole world was watching.' Moments after Hong Myung-bo, the South Korean captain, converted the winning penalty, furious Spanish players surrounded match officials. At home Spaniards marked their team's exit with a torrent of abuse directed at the referee. 'Robbery', ran the headline over the internet edition of Marca, Spain's leading sports daily. Proceedings at the European Union summit in Seville had been delayed to allow Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and his fellow leaders to watch the game. At a news conference to mark the end of the summit in Seville Aznar told reporters: 'Luck - and a few other things - was missing. I'm not entirely happy today... it was not a field of dreams for us,' he said. Pio Cabanillas, a Spanish government spokesman, said: 'The two goals were so obviously legal that we feel very badly.' In South Korea more than four million people took to the streets to celebrate. Blatter last week suggested reforming the selection process of officials. Currently some less able or experienced officials are selected ahead of others to ensure a good spread of different nationalities. The idea is to have more neutral referees should the bigger, more established nations - which produce the bulk of the most well-known referees - dominate the latter stages of the competition. Blatter suggested this may change. This week a series of possible reforms will be suggested to Fifa's executive committee, including adding two extra linesmen to run the line behind goals. Academic studies have suggested that the modern game is now played so quickly that referees and linesmen are physically incapable of keeping up with it. However, statisticians say that the chance of one team benefiting from five errors by officials in almost consecutive games is 'infinitesimal'. In yesterday's other match, Turkey beat Senegal after extra time. WILL somebody tell Germany how many goals they
will need to score to be Two? Three? Is there indeed a figure? Or will
officials chalk off legitimate Maybe it is all coincidence, the fault of hapless
officials from Egypt, But there remains the suspicion it is something darker. That Korea have become an irresistible force because
the power and influence Don't think it couldn't happen. Does the name
Roy Jones mean anything to He was the American boxer at the Seoul Olympics
in 1988 who was on the Years later the IOC admitted, yes, it was bent.
Years later Jones is still Will this be the fate of Spain? The third nation
after Portugal and Italy to Portugal were dismissed as bad sports after Joao
Pinto punched the referee Italy's protests were undermined when Luciano
Gaucci, president of Serie A But Spain? They won in normal time, they won in
extra time and cynics What are we to think when an official tries to
stop Spanish coach Jose When he then flags a ball out of play that was
a foot in after Fernando When the referee blows the final whistle 30 seconds
short as Spain are The Brazilian side of 1970 would have its work
cut out on this playing At best it's incompetence, at worst it's corruption. Whatever, it will make fans around the world unite
behind Germany on Tuesday Brian Scott on Soccernet.com Football's world governing body last night anxiously attempted to dismiss suggestions that World Cup games are being rigged in favour of South Korea. The latest refereeing errors handed victory to the co-hosts on Saturday as victims Spain saw two goals chalked off in the quarter-final and subsequently lost on penalties. Ivan Helguera spoke for a disillusioned Spanish dressing room, saying: 'Everyone saw two perfectly good goals. If Spain didn't win, it's because they didn't want us to win. I feel terrible about this game.' But, as the Spaniards prepare to lodge an official protest, FIFA vice-president David Will claimed that any criticism is merely sour grapes on the part of losers. 'This is absolute and complete nonsense,' he said. 'Referees and their assistants are totally independent people. They can't possibly influence the progress of teams, nor would they try. This is sour grapes on the part of teams who have gone out.' Spain's complaints came in the wake of Italian fury at decisions which went against them when they lost to the South Koreans in the second round. In addition, Portugal saw two players dismissed when they lost to Guus Hiddink's side. 'Even wrong decisions are part of the game,' Scotsman Will went on. 'If mistakes are made, we know them to be honest mistakes and national associations must learn to take this on board.' The 65-year-old lawyer, recently re-elected for a further term of office, duly acknowledged that an Italian television station was threatening to sue FIFA over Italy's early elimination. 'I'm aware of this,' he said, 'but they've got no chance whatsoever. If you look at the laws of the game, these say that the referee's decision is final.' The Spanish FA, however, have decided to lodge an official protest against referee Gamal Ghandour and his two linesmen. President Angel Maria Villar, who is also a FIFA vice-president, said the match officials had made too many mistakes and robbed Spain of a victory they had earned. 'The referees made mistakes and, if anyone ought to have won, it was Spain,' Villar said. 'There were a lot of important mistakes like the goals we had disallowed. 'We are going to present an official complaint in which we shall say we were prejudiced by the referee. 'The damage has been done, but we have to stop things like this happening again.' Referee Hugh Dallas - who took charge of Germany's quarter-final win over the USA on Friday - added his condemnation of suggestions that match officials were favouring the co-hosts. He told the Daily Record: 'I'm told there is a lot of talk about conspiracy theories. My first reaction is very simple - it's absolute nonsense. 'I can understand exactly why this this stuff starts up. As a football fan I have nothing but sympathy for the Italians, for example. As a referee I cannot defend what happened to them and I cannot explain it but these are genuine mistakes.' He continued: 'There is no question that anyone from FIFA has spoken to the referees and told them to look after Korea and Japan. 'If that was the case you'd have to ask why haven't Japan also gone through?' Despite Will's assertion that FIFA are relaxed about the standard of officials, the governing body are also keeping a watchful eye on the situation. FIFA chairman Keith Cooper said: 'The chairman of the referees' committee, Senes Erzik, says there have been one or two major mistakes which have been a cause for concern.' But Cooper denied the notion there was any plot to get the co-hosts as far as possible in the tournament. He said: '99 per-cent of conspiracy theories cases prove to be unfounded.This is one of those 99 per-cent of occasions.' Jeff Powell in Gwanju The great game robbery goes on and on, clouding this World Cup spectacle with dark suspicions of fraud and conspiracy. The South Korean phenomenon can no longer be taken at face value. Something sinister seems to be lurking beneath the story-book facade of this odyssey of the underdog. Romantic though the Red Devils might appear and refreshing as their whirlwind football may be, they have no right appearing in tomorrow's semi-final. The Koreans have been beaten twice in everything but name. That, after being given more outside assistance towards an earlier victory than an old man in a wheelchair would need to climb Mount Everest. They have made history not on merit but by some mysterious intervention which, if not divine, has to be dubious. Once can be an accident. Twice could be coincidence. But South Korea have benefited three times from decisions which, when viewed together, give the impression of being as biased as a crown green bowl. The Portuguese claimed they had been cheated. Then the Italians. Now the Spanish. Sour grapes? Not after the most grievous injustice at the weekend. Portugal had two players sent off. Italy had a valid golden-goal winner disallowed, and now, most grotesquely of all, Spain have had two good goals, any one of which would have prevented their quarter-final going to penalties, and probably a normal-time penalty ruled out. To make it all the more sickening, Spain had begun to look like the class act of a World Cup in bad need of quality superseding surprises in its final stages. The term upset has taken on a different meaning from when it was used to describe the premature elimination of Argentina and France. Not only are the Portuguese, Italians and Spanish upset but also everyone who wants to believe the global game is as honest as it is beautiful. FIFA has received almost half a million angry e-mails and no doubt more are on their way from Spain. The writers mostly suspect that influences even more powerful than the rabid Korean crowds are being brought to bear on the referees and linesmen. Although the most common accusation is that the World Cup organisers want an Asian team to prosper to keep public interest here alive, the protesters may have an unexpected ally. FIFA president Sepp Blatter is himself talking critically of the officials. In so doing, he may be taking an oblique swipe at one of the richest and most ambitious power brokers in Asia. Chung Mong-Joon was one of the most outspoken opponents of Blatter's re-election. He is also thought to be using his positions as president of the Korean Football Federation and co-chairman of their World Cup organising committee to launch his political bid to become president of the country. To that end, Dr Chung is riding the wave of patriotic fervour by using such words as 'emancipation and liberation' to describe how 'football has been the catharsis through which we have discovered that we are one people again'. The question is whether the means are as noble as those ends. The Korean people dismiss doubters, especially the Italians, as bitter whingers. But if something is amiss, they would also be victims of a terrible deception. England rigged the 1966 draw so they could play every game at Wembley and there will always be a vigorous debate as to whether the vital second goal in Geoff Hurst's World Cup Final-winning hat-trick really crossed the German line. But we have never seen anything which looks as blatant as this. Now, unless everything about tomorrow's game in Seoul is transparently fair, we shall find ourselves in the contrary position of rooting for the Germans. The Guardian Fifa have responded to the hysterical criticism that has been
heaped on the World Cup's match officials by appointing two seasoned
Europeans to take charge of the semi-finals. The Fifa president Sepp Blatter yesterday said he had asked the referees' committee to appoint "the best" officials for the semi-finals and hinted that this had not been its prerogative before the quarter-finals. Blatter told Australian television: "What we have witnessed
in past matches, and specifically matches where the home team
of Korea was involved, I have to say I have difficulties understanding
our referee committee concerning the designation of the referees
and the linesmen."
This guide was created and is maintained by Johnny
Hotspur. Updated June 24, 2002 |
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