England vs Italy live on 'SCTV'

JAKARTA (JP): Local soccer fans will be given the rare treat of watching live the battle of two European soccer giants, England and Italy, in the qualifying round of the European Cup at Wembley Stadium on Feb. 13.

SCTV will broadcast the match at 3 a.m. West Indonesia Time next Thursday.

Soccer fans are no strangers to these sides, which both have star-rated players and fanatic supporters. The two countries have the biggest soccer competitions in the world, and their leagues are stable and well managed.

The English team, under coach Glenn Hoddle, will rely on striker Alan Shearer of Newcastle United. Shearer is expected to destroy the Italian's defense, under the coordination of Paolo Maldini.

The Italian team, under coach Cessare Maldini, is the team to watch. In its last trial match, Italy defeated Northern Ireland 2-0.

The Italian team has top-class players and its defense is solid.

A spokesman for SCTV said, "For certain, the interviewers will not be disappointed by the match. It will be a thrilling match to watch."

Meanwhile, another Jakarta-based TV station AnTeve will broadcast live Indonesia's matches in the Dunhill Cup soccer championships in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

Zoraya Perucha, AnTeve's corporate communications manager, said yesterday the station would broadcast three of Indonesia's matches.

The first will be on Feb. 22 when Indonesia meets Zimbabwe (at 6.30 p.m. West Indonesia time). Indonesia will then play Vietnam on Feb. 24 (6:30 p.m.) and Bosnia Herzegovina on Feb. 26 (4:25 p.m.).

"We will add more live broadcast time should Indonesia advance to the semifinals and final. We are still deciding whether to air the match on Feb. 28," Zoraya said in statement.

The championships will begin Feb. 13 and end March 2.

The inaugural Dunhill Cup championships is the fourth major soccer event to be held in Southeast Asia, following the King's Cup in Bangkok, Independence Cup in Malaysia and Tiger Cup in Singapore.

Zimbabwe and China will also compete in the Dunhill Cup against the Southeast Asian teams, such as Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.

Perucha said the cup was very important for Indonesia, particular as a warmup to the early rounds of the World Cup and the 19th SEA Games here in October.

"Indonesia will use the Dunhill Cup as a trial to evaluate the strength of its team among countries of Southeast Asia," Perucha said. (lnt)