The Hindu : Bad news for Zidane fans

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 28, 2002

Sport

Sport - Football

Bad news for Zidane fans

YOKOHAMA MAY 27. With the World Cup opener just a few days away, fans face the prospect of not seeing some of the sport's biggest stars in action in the first week of the competition.

In addition to England's David Beckham, the disabled list now also includes France's star playmaker Zinedine Zidane, considered by many the competition's featured attraction, and Italy's star forward Filippo Inzaghi.

A brief list of some other key injured players includes: Argentina's Claudio Caniggia, Beckham's fellow midfielders Kieron Dyer and Nicky Butt, German midfielder Michael Ballack, Ireland midfielder Jason McAteer, Danish forward Martin Joergensen, Croatian striker Alen Boksic and Ecuadorean striker Agustin Delgado.

Zidane injured his leg in France's 3-2 win against South Korea on Sunday. French Coach Roger Lemerre said on Monday that Zidane would stay with the team at least until the extent of the injury to his left leg muscles is known.

``For the time being he is only briefly absent. He is with us and we are hoping to get him back in the team as soon as possible,'' Lemerre said. Zidane asked to be replaced in the first half of Sunday's match after a challenge from a Korean player. The scorer of one of this year's most spectacular goals — for Real Madrid in the Champions Cup final — held an ice pack on his left thigh as he sat on the subs' bench.

``When Zidane asks to come off, it's because he thinks it's the right thing to do,'' Lemerre said. ``It means that in some way he's worried.''

Inzaghi injured his left knee during Italy's 2-1 friendly match victory on Sunday against Japan's Kashima Antlers. A scan showed no torn ligaments, but Inzaghi is still likely to miss Italy's opening match against Ecuador on June 3, coach Giovanni Trapattoni said on Monday.

Teams have until 24 hours before their first World Cup game to make injury replacements in their 23-man rosters.

The first World Cup to be held in Asia will start at about the same point in the calendar as previous editions. But with increased sponsorships and television deals, the world's top club teams and players are playing more matches these days. And that equates to more injuries.

Zidane's winning goal in the Champions Cup final came on May 15, only 11 days before he was injured in a World Cup warm-up.

Argentine forward Caniggia was unable to train with his teammates on Sunday after suffering a reaction to a knee injury sustained in this month's Scottish Cup final. The Glasgow Rangers star pulled up in pain during some short sprints on Saturday at Argentina's training camp in eastern Japan.

England's Beckham has been sidelined since April 10, when he broke a bone in his foot when he was tackled during a European Champions Cup quarterfinal.

The American team has also had its share of injury problems, with key midfielder Chris Armas missing the competition due to a torn knee ligament suffered during another May match. Defender Greg Vanney, slotted to take Armas' spot, then partially tore one of his knee ligaments during a World Cup warm-up just a few days later.

``Losing a player at this time is tough, but you have to be prepared to lose players,'' U.S. Coach Bruce Arena said. ``We'll bounce back. We'll see what happens.''

Meanwhile, Zidane's Real Madrid teammate Fernando Morientes said he regretted the French superstar's injury, saying it would be a great loss if he could not play the World Cup.

``It doesn't please me at all, even if he is a rival,'' said Morientes on Monday. ``He's a colleague, a great player and an excellent person. The World Cup would lose a lot if Zidane were not to play,'' he added.

Morientes teamed up with Zidane to help Real Madrid win its ninth European Champions League this season. "Hopefully, he'll still be able to play the first game,'' said the Spanish striker. — AP

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