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Wednesday,
May 29, 2002, Chandigarh, India
  
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Zidane may miss first round matches
Korea to unveil 12-yr-old dribbler
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Inzaghi to miss
opening match Team ‘better off’
without Keane
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Expert comments — Michael Holding India look to redeem pride Seeds struggle as rain lashes French Open
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Zidane may miss first round matches Seoul, May 28 Zidane and France confirmed that he will miss at least the World Cup gala opening match between the defending champions and Senegal in Seoul on Friday because of the thigh muscle injury suffered in France's 3-2 defeat of South Korea on Sunday. The world's most expensive player said he is hopeful of getting back for the second Group A match against Uruguay on June 6. Doctors indicated however that there is no guarantee that Zidane will even be able to play the third group match against Denmark on June 11. "What is sure is that he will not play in the match against Senegal," French team doctor Jean-Marcel Ferret told a press conference. "Afterwards, anything is possible between this match and, say, the second round." Ferret added though that Zidane was capable of making a speedy recovery. France already has striker Thierry Henry battling knee problems though he is expected to play in the opening match and the loss of Zidane is a major blow to the preparations of coach Roger Lemerre. Zidane was the architect of France's 3-0 win over Brazil in the 1998 final in Paris and has continued to be one of the major players on the world stage. He scored a brilliant winning goal in Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the European Champions League final this month. "The French group is obviously stronger with him. Zidane is an exceptional player and when he is in the team he always gives it life," Lemerre said yesterday. Other players in the squad admitted the injury had been a major fright. But French soccer legend Michel Platini said the injury was a chance for the French team to prove it is really the best. "If France can get Zidane back for the second match that's good. If the French team is really strong it must be able to do without a player like Zidane for one or two matches," he said on the sidelines of the FIFA congress in Seoul. In the worst case scenario, the Real Madrid playmaker could be missing until the second round. If France qualifies from its group, it would play its second round match in Japan on June 15 or 16. Ferret said a daily evaluation of Zidane would be carried out and he would undergo between five and six hours treatment and therapy a day. The doctor said a Magnet Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan had confirmed a small tear of a muscle in the left thigh. Zidane told the French daily Le Parisien of his hopes of being back for the second game. "The MRI scan clearly shows a little (muscle) tear. It's not really a serious injury. I'm feeling pretty confident," Zidane said. "Now I just have to rest three or four days and let nature do its work." Ferret said that after the Senegal game, Zidane's return would depend on "the healing potential of the player to the treatment he will receive," He added: "The top players can heal faster and Zidane even more. He has no history of muscle injuries and I have high hopes." Zidane has already started exercises where his leg is moved without him taking the strain, Ferret said. "Then we will submit the muscle to activity which has already started: some bicycle, some swimming and then running.
AFP |
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Korea to unveil 12-yr-old dribbler Seoul, May 28 The schoolboy from the south-western city of Kwangju who dreams of becoming South Korea's Ronaldo has been to more than 50 overseas tournaments to show off his amazing ball-juggling skills. ''Thunder'' Kim Cheon-doong's dazzling dribbling will get its biggest audience at halftime shows during the May 31-June 30 World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan. ''My record for dribbling so far is 10,700 times without even a second's pause in one performance,'' Kim said. Kim first received international recognition when he was eight years old with a head-turning performance at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok. That show led to his appointment by soccer's world governing body FIFA as a special ambassador to promote the 2002 World Cup, which starts in South Korea on May 31 and ends in Japan on June 30. Demand for the diminutive dribbler was so heavy that Kim's father, Kim Sung-bum, quit his job to start a travel agency which serves the South Korean World Cup organising committee and manages his son's career. ''When he was just 15 months old, I brought him to a company soccer game. He got a ball by chance and, surprisingly, played with it unexpectedly well for his age,'' Kim senior said. From the moment he discovered Kim's talent, he planned to send his son to France or Spain to hone his skills. ''Thunder has about 40 soccer balls with signatures of top players and officials including FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Pele,'' Kim Sung-bum said. ''A ranking official at FIFA called him little Kaiser''. At a recent children's bare foot walkathon in Seoul, scores of young fans flocked around Kim seeking his autograph. ''I really like him because he is so good at playing soccer,'' said a 10-year-old, waving Thunder Kim's signature on his palm. ''I have many soccer heroes, especially Ronaldo,'' the young Kim said, referring to the Brazilian striker. ''I'm so happy that I can see them play in my country.'' Kim, who seems destined to play for his country, wants to start his professional career in his own country. ''I want to become a soccer player in the future and to play first in South Korea,'' said Thunder Kim, who already plays for his school team. During his spare time Kim goes to a language school to learn English so he can communicate with some of the players he expects to meet during World Cup matches in which he will go through his repertoire at halftime.
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Inzaghi to miss opening match Sendai, Japan, May 28 "Our objective is for him to be ready for the second game. It will be difficult for him to be ready for the first game," Italian team doctor Andrea Ferretti told reporters yesterday. Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni also said he was only expecting the AC Milan forward to be in contention for their second group G match against Croatia on June 8. "Even though it is probable that he won’t be ready for the first game, it is very likely that he will be ready five days later for the second match," said Trapattoni. Inzaghi had tests on his injured left knee at the local hospital after the team returned to base in Sendai on Sunday and the scan showed no torn ligaments. But while the tests ruled out serious damage and there is no swelling around the knee, the player remains in pain and needs seven to 10 days to recover full fitness. "This morning we had another examination of the knee and it is much, much better," said Ferretti. "However, he still feels some pain. He needs two days of physiotherapy and a gradual return to training." Inzaghi picked up the injury in scoring during a 2-1 warm-up win over Japanese champions Kashima Antlers on Sunday. The former Juventus striker had an operation on the same left knee in December and was out of action for three months but Ferretti said further examination of the knee on Monday had ruled out a recurrence of that injury. Trapattoni said there was no question of calling another player into the squad for Inzaghi. "I have asked for no changes regarding replacements. I don’t think a replacement is needed and I don’t plan to call up another player - at any rate we have plenty of other options here," Trapattoni said. To add to his busy morning with the medics, Inzaghi was one of four Italian players chosen for an unannounced dope test by FIFA staff yesterday at the team’s base. Inzaghi looked despondent after Sunday’s game but the Italy coach said his mood improved after learning the injury was not as serious as initially feared. "Pippo was in good humour this morning," said Trapattoni who added that Vincenzo Montella and Alessandro Del Piero had an equal chance of taking over Inzaghi’s role alongside Christian Vieri for the Ecuador game.
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Team ‘better off’ without Keane Izumo (Japan), May 28 "Regrettably, the manner of Roy’s behavior prior to his departure from Saipan and the comments attributed to him since then have left the staff and players with no doubt that the interests of the squad are best served without Roy’s presence," said the statement, which was released during a press conference in Izumo, where the team is gearing up for its first World Cup match on Saturday. The statement, which was unanimously approved by the remaining 22 team members, went on to say that "the players bear no malice towards Keane on a personal level, and are looking forward to a successful World Cup campaign." The players’ statement comes after Keane said yesterday in an interview with Ireland’s state broadcaster RTE he would like to rejoin the team but insisted he had been justified in his foul-mouthed tirade against McCarthy last week while the Irish were on the Pacific island of Saipan. "I’d love to be back. But it’s up to other people," said Keane, who indicated he might take a more conciliatory tone if McCarthy and other senior Irish players were to meet him half way. "I think I was forced into a corner, I really was," Keane said, conceding that his response "was to come out fighting." Earlier today, outside his hotel in Izumo, McCarthy seemed to leave open the possibility, however small, that Keane could return under extraordinary circumstances. But McCarthy said neither he nor anyone else on the team had been contacted by Keane. "I know he has been on television and spoken to 3 million people but he has not spoken to me or to anyone in the squad," the coach said. "I’ve not switched my phone off - everyone knows where I am and people can get in touch with me." McCarthy refused to back down over his decision to send Keane home, insisting he acted with Ireland’s best interests at heart. "The team is bigger than one person, that includes everyone and it includes me as well," he said. "The team for me is paramount."
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Expert comments
— Michael Holding With the first two one-day internationals in Jamaica washed out, the bandwagon rolls on to Barbados where the third game is scheduled to take place. Both games in Jamaica were to be played on a grassless pitch that would have offered no assistance to the bowlers, fast bowlers that is, for surely it would have spun as the Test strip offered turn for those capable of spinning the ball, even with it's generous quantity of live green grass. One would hope that The Kensington Oval pitch will be of a similar nature, as I surely believe one-day internationals are about entertaining the crowds and although we bowlers sometimes like to think that the game is about us, any poll taken will find that the majority prefer a game of 280 versus 281 in the full 50 overs, over a game of 130 all out in 30 overs versus 131 for nine. Both games no doubt would be entertaining but the bat holding sway over the ball will always be preferred. The teams arrived in Barbados on Monday afternoon, with just Tuesday for practice before the game on Wednesday and while the Test players may not have minded the inactivity in Jamaica while the rain poured, the men brought in for the one-day series only, would have been chomping at the bit to at least get into the nets and stretch those muscles. The team that would have suffered the most in that regard would have to be India as the West Indies only made two changes to their squad while India had about five recruits. It will be interesting to see, with the limited practice available, how many of those new recruits India do play in this match, the first game in the now three match series. India no doubt will be going to their old, trusted and proven opening pair of the captain Saurav Ganguly and the great Sachin Tendulkar. It has worked very well for them in the Indian subcontinent and there might have been fears originally that the more bouncy pitches in the Caribbean would find out the captain, especially after his dismissal by the short ball route in the first Test in Guyana. But he seems to have put that weakness fairly and squarely behind him since then and they should form a formidable opening partnership. There have also been indications that Rahul Dravid will be asked to keep wickets instead of a regular specialist wicketkeeper in order to strengthen the batting. It may seem a reasonable move but I don't think it's one that's really necessary considering the inclusion of Sehwag in the squad and more than likely the final XI. With just 50 overs per side, with Ganguly, Tendulkar, Sehwag, Laxman and the same Dravid as specialist batsmen plus hard hitting tail-enders like Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan who exhibited his hitting skills when required to do so in Barbados, a place could be found for a specialist wicketkeeper. It would be unwise to have Dravid keeping wickets and drop a batsman of the caliber of a Lara or Hooper who then ends up winning the game for the West Indies. We have already seen how costly the reprieves given to Hooper in the Test series have been. Then we come to the psychological factor for India, of playing in Barbados. Much has been said and written about their poor record playing in the island. The captain, Ganguly did say before the Test, that it would not play on his team's minds but the batting display in the first innings belied that statement and it's up to him and his management staff to get the team to focus purely on the job at hand. I did say in my last article that I thought the team that batted second in these one-dayers should be favourites, perhaps with the addition of the aforementioned factor, it's even more imperative that India win the toss and chase a target. (Gameplan) |
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India look to redeem pride Bridgetown (Barbados), May 28 Unlike in Jamaica, where it had been raining continuously for the last few days, conditions in Barbados are bright and sunny. Even though scattered showers have been forecast for tomorrow, there is no major threat to the game as of now. Unfortunately, the venue of the third one-dayer tomorrow has not been a very happy hunting ground for the Indians. They have lost seven of the eight Tests, the last one coming in the just concluded series which saw West Indies neutralise a 0-1 deficit, and both the one-dayers. The Indian batsmen have generally struggled to come to terms with the extra pace and bounce in the pitch here. Having strenghthened their batting department with a few one-day specialists joining the squad, the Indians would be hoping they are able to put up a good total on the board this time. All indications are that Rahul Dravid would be asked to double up in the role of a wicketkeeper to
accommodate an extra batsman. Even though there was no official word on it from the team management so far, among the five new arrivals, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh as also all-rounder Ajit Agarkar are likely to feature in the final eleven. Coach John Wright was concerned with India’s inability to chase totals and was chalking out new strategies to remedy this aspect. As part of the gameplan, India may also go in for a change in the world’s most successful opening combination of Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. There are reports that either Sehwag or Dinesh Mongia, who did not get to play in the Test series despite being in the squad, would be asked to open the innings with Ganguly if India bat second and Tendulkar would come later in order to provide greater stability to the middle order. With the pitch set to favour the fast bowlers, Agarkar is most likely to form the pace troika with the two left-arm seamers Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra while offie Harbhajan Singh would be the lone spinner. Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik and Mohammad Kaif, the other two to join the squad for the one-dayers, are likely to be left out.
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Seeds struggle as rain lashes French Open Paris, May 28 Three-times champion Seles had to fight back from a set down to beat Angeles Montolio 6-7, 6-3, 6-0 while Clijsters advanced by the skin of her teeth with a 3-6, 6-3, 8-6 win over Tatiana Poutchek. But British sixth seed Tim Henman illustrated his new-found expertise on clay, beating Spanish baseliner Galo Blanco comprehensively 6-4, 6-3, 7-6. Men's 14th seed Jiri Novak also advanced smoothly, ousting Russia's Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-4, 7-6. An early rain delay meant 22 first round matches were put back to Wednesday, including the tie between third seed Serena Williams and Slovak Martina Sucha. Clijsters struggled from the off on a damp Court Suzanne Lenglen. Runner-up to Jennifer Capriati last year, the Belgian fourth seed looked to be headed for the exit as she sprayed a series of unforced errors around the arena. Earlier, yesterday American veteran Pete Sampras was plunged into complete despair here when his latest attempt to add an elusive French Open title to his list of 13 Grand Slam crowns ended in another miserable failure. The 30-year-old, trying for the 13th time to break his jinx on the slow red clay here, went down in the first round losing to Italy’s Andrea Gaudenzi 6-3, 4-6, 2-6, 6-7 (3/7) after three hours under the gloomy skies. Teenage tennis sensation Richard Gasquet was sent packing by Albert Costa. The experienced Spaniard, playing in his ninth Roland Garros, dismissed the 15-year-old hopeful 3-6, 6-0, 6-4, 6-3 in two hours and 21 minutes of a match which was in many ways too big, too soon for men’s tennis most promising player. Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson, the ninth seeded Swede, enjoyed a 6-2, 7-6 (8/6), 6-2 win against Argentine Franco Squillari. Tenth seed Amelie Mauresmo, who crashed in the first round last year, won an all-French battle against wild card Camille Pin 6-4, 6-1, as former French Open champion Iva Majoli of Croatia ousted American Kristina Brandi 6-4, 6-3.
Reuters, AFP |
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Izumo (Japan), May 28
