The Hindu : Zooming in on the finale

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

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Sport - Football

Zooming in on the finale

YOKOHAMA (Japan) MAY 27. Twenty-three cameras? That's how many will be used to cover the June 30 World Cup final in Yokohama, the company selling the broadcasts said on Monday.

Television coverage of the World Cup will reach a record 215 countries and territories, KirchSport said. And a staff of 2,500 will handle the telecasts of 1,000 hours of World Cup soccer, up from 200 hours at France '98.

KirchSport, based in Switzerland, is responsible for worldwide marketing and sales of broadcast rights for the 32-team tournament, which starts on Friday with the France vs Senegal opening in Seoul, South Korea.

KirchSport says it has contracts with 300 broadcasters, compared with the 140 that bought rights in 1998. It also plans to offer four minutes of match highlights daily on the Internet at www.FIFAworldcup.com.

Red Devils splash in hot springs

In an attempt to beat Japan in its World Cup opener on June 4, Belgium is turning to Japanese tactics.

The Red Devils got close to the fire on Monday, travelling to the surroundings of the crater of Mount Aso for some Japanese hot water treatment. ``You soak in it for 20 minutes and the rumour is that you are a new human being,'' said coach Robert Waseige.

Many of Belgium's injured players also splashed about in the hot springs, one of the most popular attractions on southern Kyushu island — one of Japan's four major islands.

Poll and Voeller

German coach Rudi Voeller is brimming with optimism. However, his fellow countrymen don't seem very sure about this World Cup.

A poll by the respected Emnid Institute showed 12.2 per cent of those questioned believe Germany will not advance from the preliminary round. In April, only 5.5 per cent thought the three-time champion would stumble in the first round.

Only 12.1 per cent think the three-time champion will reach the last four. In April, 21.2 per cent thought so. And just 7.7 per cent believe the Germans are good enough to make the final, another drop from April (10.1).

The Germans have come to the World Cup with lower expectations than usual, and Voeller has said the team's minimum goal is making it to the second round.

``People in Germany always expect us to contest for the title. But we reached the quarterfinals in the last two editions and that was considered as an underachievement.'' Voeller was a striker on the 1990 team, the last to win the title for Germany.

Not so serious

The injury to Jason McAteer isn't as bad as thought. The Ireland midfielder went down on a rough tackle on Saturday in a warm-up game with Hiroshima, but a scan has shown the knee injury was not serious.

Bilong, a former Cameroon international, apologised later for the tackle during Ireland's 2-1 victory.

``I was worried that I might have a serious injury but that is not now the case,'' McAteer said.

Ireland can't afford any more problems. Coach Mick McCarthy kicked star midfielder Roy Keane off the team last week in the most controversial moment of the World Cup preparation phase.

Ireland opens on Saturday against Cameroon in Niigata, Japan.

Eagles' motivation

Tunisian players will receive 60,000 Tunisian dinars ($41,500) if they make the second round.

Advice? Don't start counting the money yet.

This is Tunisia's third appearance in the World Cup finals and the team known as the ``Carthage Eagles'' has yet to make it past the group stage. In 1978, Tunisia was the first African country to win at the World Cup finals.

Tunisia is in Group H with Japan, Russia and Belgium.

Japanese pain

Japanese midfielder Shinji Ono checked into a local hospital on Sunday with stomach pain. The Feyenoord player complained after Saturday's 1-1 draw with Sweden.

A Japanese team spokesman said the ailment did not appear to be serious.

Japanese defender Toshihiro Hattori had stomach surgery earlier this season and forward Akinori Nishizawa recently had his appendix removed.

Duped by duplicate

The man who posed as a reporter for Britain's Sunday Mirror to get a credential from World Cup organisers is believed to be a 33-year-old American, police said on Monday.

Michael Paul Smith was issued the accreditation at the main press centre in Seoul on May 16, posing as Paul Michael Smith of the British newspaper, said Lim Min-Chul, an official at the National Police Agency.

Police officials from South Korea, Japan and the United States are investigating the case.

The man left for Japan on May 20, officials said. Quoting unidentified police sources, the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported on Monday that the man left for Los Angeles on Friday.

The case was divulged when the real British reporter visited the press centre on Friday to get his credential, police said.

Fearing a possible terrorism plot, police formed a special task force to hunt down the man. The card allows access to all matches of the May 31-June 30 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Match first, love next

The wives of France squad players arrive in Seoul on Thursday but they will not be allowed to see their husbands or companions before Friday's opening match against Senegal, team manager Henri Emile said on Monday.

``They will be here on Thursday and they will be able to spend one or two days with the players after the first match,'' Emile said. — AP & Reuters

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