Uncertainty hangs over World Cup

TOKYO, JULY 16: In 2002, Asia will host its first World Cup. But the way things are going, co-hosts South Korea and Japan may be the only...

TOKYO, JULY 16: In 2002, Asia will host its first World Cup. But the way things are going, co-hosts South Korea and Japan may be the only Asian teams there. Outraged by what they see as a snub to the world’s most populous region, representatives of Asian soccer have announced they will boycott the qualifying rounds unless they are granted a fifth berth in the finals.

And that has so outraged soccer’s governing body that there is speculation they might move the next World Cup out of Asia entirely, perhaps to England, or even the United States.

“We’ve been working so hard. We just refuse to believe it’s going to come to all that,” said Saburo Yamamoto, an official of Saitama Prefecture, a state near Tokyo where some of the games are to be played.

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The battle over berths is hardly the first problem that has befallen the 2002 Cup.

From the start, the preparations have been overshadowed by the logistical difficulties of coordinating the games in two nations — nations that at times aren’t even on veryfriendly terms.

The berth problem is rooted in the unprecedented co-hosting arrangement as well.

Host nations get automatic berths, so Asia has two guaranteed slots for the next World Cup. But that leaves only two berths for the remaining 43 Asian nations.

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UEFA, Europe’s governing body, offered half of one its berths to Asia — meaning that the 14th-place team in European qualifying would face the third-place team in Asian qualifying for a spot in the final round.

But that wasn’t enough for the Asians who walked out of a July 9 meeting of Fifa, soccer’s ruling body, in Los Angeles. Fifa president Sepp Blatter was infuriated by the walkout. “This shows no respect to the institution called Fifa.”

Japanese soccer officials say they hope Fifa and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will be able to work things out.

“I am going to be so sorry if our Asian colleagues boycott Asia’s first World Cup,” said Japan Football Association president Shunichiro Okano.

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Ryo Nishimura, spokesman for theWorld Cup organising committee in Tokyo, says the problem is between the AFC and Fifa — and definitely not something the committee wants to get involved with.

Japanese and South Korean officials opted to walkout with the Asian members. But the situation presented quite a dilemma.

“We are host nations. Yet we are also members of AFC. It’s extremely delicate,” said Japan Football Association spokesman Hideto Teshima.

South Korean and Japanese soccer officials are careful to play down the prospect that they may lose the tournament.

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“We don’t take such speculations seriously. In fact, it’s so absurd it’s not even worth commenting on,” Korean Football Association spokesman Song Kil-Yong said in Seoul, South Korea.

Soccer fans, however, are genuinely worried.

“It won’t be as great an event if the Asian teams don’t come,” said 25-year-old cafe manager Takeo Kiuchi, who has traveled around the world to see the Japanese team play. “Why would I want to go to England to see the World Cup? I’ve beendreaming of seeing the World Cup in Japan.”

Kunishige Kamamoto, a lawmaker and former soccer player who is the Japan Football Association’s vice-president, says the berth allocations reflect the fledgling level of Asian soccer.

South Korea has gone to five World Cups but has never won a game. Japan made its World Cup debut only last year.

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Before offering half of one of its berths to Asia, Europe had 15 of the World Cup’s 32 berths, although France has an automatic berth as defending champion. Even South America, whose players are among soccer’s greatest, has been reduced from five to 4 1/2, requiring a match with the Oceania champion for the fifth berth.

“Asia has 50 years to go, maybe 100 years, before one of its nations can hope to win the World Cup,” Kamamoto said. “Asian soccer is simply not up to world level yet.”