Japan moves to quell row over W. Cup name
Japan moves to quell row over W. Cup name
TOKYO (Agencies): Japan moved to end a dispute with South Korea on Monday over whose name should go first on printed matter for the 2002 World Cup finals, saying it will print Korea before Japan in all official documents in English.
Although the event's official title is the "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan", Japan had angered South Korea with plans to print 'Japan' before 'Korea' on ticket applications for the finals and use the word 'Japan' before 'Korea' in official documents in Japanese.
The official said Japan had made a last minute decision to delete 'Japan' and 'Korea' written in the Japanese language on the ticket application guide for domestic use after receiving "guidance" from FIFA.
Despite triggering the row, an official of JAWOC, the Japanese organizing committee for the finals, told Reuters: "We have never changed, tried to change and will never change the official title. We accept the official title decided by FIFA as a matter of course."
A JAWOC official told AFP: "I heard that there was a demonstration at the Japanese embassy today. I hope that the two countries do not waste energy on such things."
He added: "JAWOC hopes this will be settled as quickly as possible. We understand that FIFA will make a final decision when its top officials are to meet next month.
In Seoul, South Korean soccer fans staged a demonstration outside the Japanese embassy on Monday, demanding the 2002 World Cup Final be taken away from Japan because of a dispute about the tournament's name.
About a dozen placard-waving soccer fans shouted anti-Japanese slogans outside the Japanese embassy in central Seoul. "Japan must return the final to South Korea," said one banner.
Korean World Cup Organizing Committee (KOWOC) co-chairman Chung Mong-joon, a FIFA vice-president, sidestepped questions on the dispute at a press conference to give details of ticket sales which start on Feb. 15.
But he has previously suggested that if Japan continued to argue against using the official title then there should be new talks on the venue of the final.
South Korea threatened to challenge an agreement to hold the 2002 World Cup final in Japan if Japanese organizers continue to insist on relegating the word "Korea" to second place on ticket application forms, Yonhap News Agency reported on Sunday.
"If Japan continues to demand for a change in the title name, we may ask for a review of the agreement to hold the final game in Japan," Yonhap quoted an official of the Korean organizing committee (KOWOC) as saying.
Seoul will stage the opening match and Yokohama the final match of the competition.
The Korea Herald newspaper called for a compromise and said in an editorial "the controversy has already shown signs of developing into a major row between the peoples of the two countries".
FIFA is said to have proposed a compromise saying the Japanese organizers could remove the country names from domestic promotional literature. JAWOC rejected the move.