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.