FIFA boss Havelange praises Asian soccer

FIFA boss Havelange praises Asian soccer

KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): The International Football Federation yesterday indicated that more World Cup tournaments could be awarded to Asian countries because of the good development of the game and facilities in the region.

Nations such as Malaysia had good facilities to host the World Cup in the future, FIFA President Joao Havelange said in Kuala Lumpur. He was attending a meeting of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in the Malaysian capital.

Malaysia had "the facilities to organize such an event, based on what I have seen today," he told reporters after visiting some sports facilities in the capital, which is playing host to the September Commonwealth Games.

Havelange said 24 years ago, when he took over as FIFA chief, Asian soccer was like a "very young child." But now Japan and South Korea were ready to host the World Cup in 2002.

"The appointment of South Korea and Japan shows how FIFA worked very hard to bring the game to this region," he said.

The FIFA chief said this year's World Cup in France would be very different from the 1994 games in the United States.

"They are two different geographical areas. U.S.A. is a continent by itself but France is a country in a continent," he said.

"If one spectator wants to witness a game, he can go to the venues by trains (in France) compared to U.S.A. where you have to take flights to move from one place to another."

Also yesterday Japan's red-headed midfield star Hidetoshi Nakata added the AFC's Asian Player of the Year award to the growing number of accolades he has amassed over the last six months.

Nakata, at 21 the youngest winner of the award in its four- year history, was on international duty and unable to collect the trophy but sent a recorded message to the awards dinner held in his honor.

Nakata, who also won Japan's Player of the Year title, was given the award after his performances in the World Cup qualifying competition when almost single-handedly he took Japan to its first World Cup finals.

The Bellmare Hiratsuka midfielder took control of the Japanese charge for France as its qualification hopes seemed to fade with a virtuoso performance in Asia's third place play-off win over Iran.

Another player on his way to France this summer picked up the confederation's Young Player of the Year award.