Asian soccer chiefs to mull boycott of 2002 World Cup

Asian soccer chiefs to mull boycott of 2002 World Cup

BANGKOK (Reuters): Asian soccer chiefs will decide on Tuesday
whether to heed a call to boycott the 2002 World Cup in emergency
talks on the region's representation in the finals.

Asian nations are furious at being given only four berths in
the 32-team finals, which means only two actual qualifying spots
since Japan and South Korea enjoy automatic entry as co-hosts of
soccer's big event.

The angriest of the lot is Sheikh Ahmad al-Saber, who heads
both the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Kuwait Football
Federation. The sheikh has called for the 40-plus nations in the
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to boycott the tournament en
bloc -- including the two future co-hosts.

"That would mean no World Cup in Asia," Sheikh Ahmad told
Reuters at the OCA's Asian Games headquarters on Sunday.

"They are trying to take more from us than from any others. We
have to fight for our rights."

He added: "The OCA will support the AFC 100 percent whatever
they decide, even if they boycott the World Cup."

The future co-hosts, eager for their month in the spotlight
even if they have to share it with each other, were quick to pour
cold water on the idea of a boycott.

Japan Football Association Shunichiro Okano, a member of
FIFA's World Cup 2002 organizing committee, told Reuters in Tokyo
that the sheikh had no right to speak on behalf of the AFC.

"He is president of the Olympic Council of Asia, not president
of the AFC," Okano told Reuters. "This kind of issue must be
discussed first in the AFC."

China, a rising power in Asian soccer, said on Monday it was
reserving its decision on a boycott.

But He Huixian, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese
delegation at the Asian Games said the present allocations were
unfair.

"We've heard talk of a boycott, but our decision has not been
finalized yet," she added.

The sheikh said the whole problem with qualifying places arose
because of FIFA's "mistake" in jointly awarding the World Cup to
both Japan and South Korea.

He said that decision was only made because FIFA bosses did
not dare choose between the two rival bids when they considered
them in 1996. The two countries spent hundreds of millions of
dollars in a bitter bidding war.

At the 1998 World Cup in France, Asia had three guaranteed
places and earned a fourth when Iran played Oceania winners
Australia in a play-off.

Next time, the Oceanian qualifiers will play off against the
fifth placed team from Latin America, Africa will keep five
places, Central and North America will have three and Europe will
have a total of 15 places.

Peter Velappan, general-secretary of the AFC, said last week
that he thought Asia should get at least another half-place --
meaning that the Oceania winners would play off against an Asian
team rather than one from Latin America.

Another idea to discuss, he said, was simply integrating the
Oceania qualifying tournament into the Asian one to keep the full
extra spot.