W. Cup road paved with problems for Asian giants
W. Cup road paved with problems for Asian giants
DUBAI (AFP): All eyes are on troubled giants China, Iran and Saudi Arabia as the crunch second phase of Asia's 2002 World Cup qualifying competition kicks off Thursday.
Qatar and Oman launch the latest round of qualifiers with a Group B tie in Doha - but most interest surrounds the fortunes of the big three of China, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
China's footballers will attempt to cap a remarkable sporting year for the world's most populous country following Beijing's successful 2008 Olympic bid, by winning Group A and reaching its first ever World Cup.
On paper the Chinese are favorites to win a Group which also includes the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Uzbekistan and Oman.
But China, which get its campaign underway on Aug. 25 with a home match against the UAE, has suffered a series of below-par performances that has led to calls for the sacking of Serb coach Bora Milutinovic.
"Even at this critical stage, Milu is fiddling around with the line-up and assessing players," bemoaned one Chinese official.
China, fourth in last year's Asian Cup, could only draw with North Korea before losing a penalty shoot-out in a warm-up tournament for the World Cup qualifiers.
Despite calls for his removal, Milutinovic, who has coached Mexico, Costa Rica, Nigeria and the United States at the finals in a colorful career, is unconcerned.
"I'm very meticulous and my job is to correct players' bad habits," he said. "A coach is like a painter who must notice each stroke in painting to reach his goal.
"I want to be there at the party. I love the game and I'm really excited about the challenge of taking China to the World Cup."
In Group A, Saudi Arabia and Iran are on course to battle it out for the top spot.
The Saudis, beaten finalists at last year's Asian Cup, are missing three star players through knee injuries as they bid to reach the finals for a third successive time. They face Bahrain in Riyadh on Friday in their opener.
Goalkeeper Mohammad Deaya, a veteran of those campaigns in the United States in 1994 and in France in 1998, is absent as is midfielder Nawaf al-Temyat, Asian footballer of the year in 2000, who has undergone knee surgery, and Mohammad al-Shalub, injured in a friendly against Singapore.
The Saudis are never far from controversy and this time round is no exception - thanks to the legacy of the 1990 Gulf War.
They have refused to play against Iraq in Baghdad and the venue of that match has been switched to Bahrain. Jordan will host the return leg.