Blatter calls for overhaul of world cup selection process

The selection of Germany was the 10th time that football’s biggest extravaganza has been awarded to Europe while Africa has yet to host the event.

Blatter in his letter suggested: The introduction of a principal which will distribute the competition between the continents; a limitation of the number of candidates from each continent; the simultaneous appointment of the hosts for the next two World Cups; Combining the three principals or the adoption of new legislation which would serve the same purpose.

FIFA also indicated that they had received a letter from the African confederation with principals along the same lines as Blatter’s proposals.

FIFA’s executive committee will meet next on August 3 to “discuss openly all possibilities that would permit FIFA to adopt new politics ”.

Beckenbauer’s no to Berlin

BERLIN: Franz Beckenbauer has rejected a demand by Berlin’s Mayor that the German capital be allowed to stage both the opening game of the 2006 World Cup and the closing one.

“I don’t want to anticipate anything but the opening and closing games have never been played in the same stadium and they won’t be in 2006 either. We will divide things up nicely,” Beckenbauer, head of Germany’s World Cup bid committee, said on Tuesday.

Berlin’s Olympic stadium, which began extensive modernisation renovations last week, has been designated as the venue for the final, while Munich’s Olympic Stadium is likely to get the tournament opener.

No points for SA

JOHANNESBURG: The match commissioner who said South Africa had been awarded the points from an abandoned World Cup tie in Zimbabwe last weekend has been overruled by the organisers.

Egyptian Hisham Al-Azmy told the South African Broadcasting Corporation the three points would go to South Africa, who were leading 2-0 when the match was halted with eight minutes left due to crowd trouble.

Andreas Herren, a spokesman for FIFA, was reported here as saying no decision had been made about the Group E match because several issues needed to be probed.

PSV’s new recruit

BELGRADE: Dutch champion PSV Eindhoven have signed Yugoslav international striker Mateja Kezman from Partizan Belgrade for a fee of 30 million marks ($14.7 million) , Belgrade media reported.

The Daily Sportski Zurnal said 21-year-old Kezman, the Yugoslav league’s top scorer last season and a member of Yugoslavia’s Euro 2000 squad, had signed a five-year contract with the Dutch club.

Munutis’ dream move

MADRID: Spain International winger Pedro Munitis joined Real Madrid from Racing Santander on Tuesday in what he described as “a dream move”.

“I’ve been desperate to come to Real Madrid,” said Munitis after the estimated 1,800 million pesetas ($10.31 million) transfer.

Munitis has long been a target for Real Madrid but the timing of the signing was a surprise as the European champions are in the middle of a bitter presidential battle. But with Deportivo la Coruna also bidding for a player, who had an excellent Euro 2000, club technical director Jose Martinez Pirri decided to close the deal.

Serie A limits challenged

ROME: An Italian Football Federation (FIGC) rule limiting the number of non-European Union players that can be fielded by Serie A clubs risks being declared illegal if an appeal by AC Milan and Lazio is successful, La Gazzetta Dello Sport reported.

Italy’s First Division clubs are currently allowed to sign no more than five non-EU players and can field only three in any National league match.

Milan and Lazio have challenged such a rule, claiming it contravenes both italian and EU law. The case involves Milan’s Ukrainian star, Andrij Shevchenko, and Lazio winger Pavel Nedved of the Czech Republic.

Lawyers acting on behalf of the clubs argue that workers belonging to countries which have applied for EU membership should be equated to EU Nationals and not be discriminated against.

Last week, a Rome magistrate asked that Lazio playmaker Juan Sebastian Veron be brought to trial after it emerged that the Argentinean used a false passport to obtain community status.

Parreira joins Mineiro

RIO DE JANEIRO: Former Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has taken over at Atletico Mineiro, one of the country’s best supported teams, club director Sergio Coelho said.

It is Parreira’s first coaching job since he was sacked by Rio de Janeiro club Fluminense in February. Parreira, who led his country to World Cup victory in 1994, takes over from Marcio Araujo, who resigned last week.

Crespo joins Lazio for $ 55 million

Rome: Argentinean striker Hernan Crespo became the most expensive footballer in the history of the game as he completed a move from Parma to Lazio for 110 billion lira ($55 million), Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti has announced.

The Italian defending champions agreed to exchange the 24-year-old striker with Argentinean midfielder Matias Almeyda, Portuguese winger Sergio Conceicao and 35 billion lira in cash, to be paid over the next three years.

Lazio turned their attention towards Crespo after failing to snatch Christian Vieri, the Italian striker who Lazio sold to Inter Milan last summer for a then-record $50 million.

Crespo, 24, joined Parma four years ago and scored 61 goals in 116 Serie A games. Lazio have already secured experienced goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi and Claudio Lopez of Argentina. (DPA)

Roma line up Emerson

BERLIN: Emerson, the Brazilian international midfielder, is set to join the Italian club AS Roma from Bayer Leverkusen of Germany. Bayer manager, Rainer Calmund, said “We are very close to reaching agreement with AS Roma. I am now assuming Emerson will not be playing for us again.” The club are asking in the region of $25 million for the 24-year-old who joined them in 1997 from Gremio Porto Alegre.

Rai hangs up his boots

SAO PAULO: Rai, the veteran Brazilian midfielder, is to retire from football at the end of the month. Now a 35-year-old grandfather, the Sao Paulo star told a press conference: “I have thought about this for quite a time. I wasn’t sure about quitting because it is a difficult decision to take, but I want to concentrate on personal projects which have nothing to do with football.” The younger brother of another Brazilian star, Socrates, Rai spent the best part of his career with Sao Paulo.