World Cup ’98 Predictions From ‘Sir’ Pele and Others
While lying in his bed at Buckingham Palace last week, it must have occurred to Pele how quickly the years have flown and just how far he has come.
Was it really 40 years ago next summer that he first burst upon the world’s consciousness in Sweden as the 17-year-old sensation who helped Brazil win its first World Cup?
And look at him now, four decades removed from the dirt streets of his home town of Tres Coracoes, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
Now he is Brazil’s Minister of Sport, hobnobbing with royalty while accompanying Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso on a state visit to England.
And receiving an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth, in the bargain. He can’t call himself Sir Pele, not being a subject of the crown, but he won’t be worried about that while hoisting a pint or two with Prince Phillip and debating the outcome of next summer’s World Cup.
What views the Duke of Edinburgh holds on that matter are unknown--polo ponies not being a big part of the tournament--but Pele has some definite opinions.
“I’m a Brazilian--and I always think Brazil will reach the final,” he said in Marseille, where the France ’98 draw was held Thursday. “They have some problems, and you can’t win the World Cup if you only have stars. You must get the right combination.
“Argentina look to be getting there, but I feel the European teams are in better shape now--the best they’ve been in for three World Cups.
“So I think the last four will be Brazil, and three Europeans. I won’t name them, other than France.”
That was diplomatic, but Pele already had tipped his hand a day or two earlier while in England.
“Neither Germany nor Italy are playing well now but you have always got to respect them,” he said. “They always seem to get it right on the day.
“Spain have been right to stick to the same basic lineup, bringing in players like Raul, who could be the player of 1998, and England have made enormous progress under [Coach] Glenn Hoddle. They have at last learned to be patient.”
So there you have it, Pele’s top seven: Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Except it is not that easy. The World Cup always produces upsets, and France ’98 promises to be the most surprising yet.
FROM HERE TO TEHRAN
Of all the 48 games in the first round, the one that already has caused the most commotion is the United States’ encounter with Iran in Lyon on June 21.
Hank Steinbrecher, U.S. Soccer’s executive director, muddled his Middle East metaphors but got the spirit right when he referred to it as “the mother of all games.”
The U.S. and Iran have had, shall we say, strained relations ever since the Islamic Revolution and subsequent hostage crisis almost two decades ago.
Aside from the security concerns, the game is going to be played a hundred times in the press before the players ever take the field. Already, the war of words has begun.
“When we got Iran,” U.S. midfielder Claudio Reyna said, “it kind of gave us more hope, in all honesty, because we needed a team we felt we could definitely beat.”
Countered Akbar Torkan, head of the Iranian Wrestling Assn. and a former government minister: “The level of U.S. soccer is not at a level that we could lose to them.”
Others are trying to calm the waters before things get out of hand.
“The meaning of FIFA is peace and unity,” said Valdeir “Badu” Vieira, Iran’s Brazilian coach. “We are thinking only of football, not politics.”
Which prompted Alan Rothenberg, president of U.S. Soccer, to add, “Maybe we can have soccer diplomacy like we had Ping-Pong diplomacy with China.”
Sure. And the U.S. will win the World Cup. Speaking of which . . .
“For Iran to beat the U.S. would be like winning the World Cup,” defender Alexi Lalas said. “Soccer and the World Cup reflects a nation’s personality and history, something that will be seen during the game. And that’s what the World Cup is all about. It will show that we can put politics aside and play a good and fair game.”
Maybe, but don’t count on it.
“At the World Cup, we will get what is our right, and help our nation hold its head up high,” Iranian player Ali Daie said.
Lyon had better be ready.
“The only thing missing is if FIFA assigns an Iraqi referee,” Rothenberg joked.
GERMANS IN PARIS
Coach Steve Sampson’s U.S. team is not too thrilled to be facing Germany in Paris in its opening game and Yugoslavia in Nantes in what probably will be its closing game.
But the Germans and Yugoslavs are ecstatic.
Assessing his country’s first-round opponents, German Coach Berti Vogts spoke of Yugoslavia producing “brilliant players” and being “hard to beat.” As for Iran, he said it has “a good team.” The U.S. was dismissed as being merely “an interesting side.”
If that sounds arrogant, listen to Yugoslavia’s coach, Slobodan Santrac: “We got just what we could have wished for. Yugoslavia and Germany are sure to advance to the next round.”
Yugoslav striker Predrag Mijatovic was even more blunt.
“If we can’t beat Iran and the United States, then we certainly don’t deserve to go to the next stage,” he said.
Bulletin board material for Sampson, without a doubt.
THEY SAID WHAT?
A few comments from coaches around the world on the way World Cup draw turned out:
* Mario Lobo Zagallo, coach of defending champion Brazil, which plays South Africa today in Johannesburg: “I don’t want my players walking onto the field as if they were wearing high heels and feeling so proud of themselves; I would rather we played as if we had bare feet.”
* Daniel Pasarella, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 1978 and now his country’s coach: “I’m optimistic about the team, they’re hungry for glory. I hope to develop those small, good things that appeared in the qualifiers.”
* Cesare Maldini, Italy’s coach: “We avoided the really dangerous teams.”
* Herbert Prohaska, Austria’s coach: “Italy are difficult opponents, but they had problems in the qualifying. We hope they have the same problems in France.”
* Javier Clemente, Spain’s coach, commenting on ending up in the “group of death” with Olympic gold medalist Nigeria, Bulgaria and Paraguay: “They took the pleasure away with the first ball [drawn]. It was an African team and the best.”
* Anghel Iordanescu, Romania’s coach, on being drawn in the same group as England: “This is just what I didn’t want, and I’m not happy.”
* Henry Kasperczak, Tunisia’s coach, whose Polish team prevented England from qualifying for the 1974 World Cup: “I’ve knocked England out of the World Cup once, so why shouldn’t I do it again?”
* Glenn Hoddle, England’s coach: “Colombia are so unpredictable. On their day, they can produce a massive performance, but the next match they can go out and not play at all.”
* Miroslav Blazevic, Croatia’s coach: “I’m sure that before the draw every Croatian was hoping for Jamaica to be in our group.”
* Rene Simoes, Jamaica’s Brazilian coach: “No matter which group we were drawn in, it was always going to be tough for us.”
THE FINAL 16
No one asked, but here’s the way the eight groups will end up, with the first two teams mentioned being the ones that will advance to the round of 16:
Group A: Brazil, Norway, Scotland, Morocco.
Group B: Italy, Chile, Austria, Cameroon.
Group C: France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Denmark.
Group D: Spain, Nigeria, Bulgaria, Paraguay.
Group E: Netherlands, South Korea, Mexico, Belgium.
Group F: Germany, Yugoslavia, United States, Iran.
Group G: England, Romania, Colombia, Tunisia.
Group H: Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica, Japan.
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THAT FRENCH VACATION
Those hoping to see the U.S. play in France--assuming you are lucky enough to find tickets--have the prospect of visiting these three stadiums:
* Parc des Princes in Paris. Capacity: 49,500, France’s national stadium until next month, when the new 80,000-seater is inaugurated in the suburb of Saint-Denis.
* Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes. Capacity: 40,000. Virtually on the Atlantic but still fighting to keep up the fences that surround the field.
* Stade de Gerland in Lyon. Capacity: 44,000. France’s second-largest city and the country’s gastronomic capital. The wine’s not bad, either.
LOOKING TO 2000
The first game of France ’98 is still six months away, but already Europe is looking ahead to its next huge soccer event.
Euro 2000, the European Championship in the year 2000, will be jointly staged by Belgium and the Netherlands, and on Saturday the seeding was announced.
Defending champion Germany is seeded, as are Spain, Romania, England, Russia, Yugoslavia, Scotland, Italy and Norway.
The countries were selected based on their showing in Euro ’96 and in qualifying for the 1998 World Cup. The draw to divide the 49 teams into five groups of five and four groups of six is scheduled for Jan. 18 at Ghent, Belgium.
Belgium and the Netherlands get automatic berths in the championship and will be joined by the nine group winners and the top second-place team. The other eight second-place teams go into a playoff for the final four berths.
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World Cup Schedule
Following is the first-round schedule for World Cup play, which begins June 10 in France.
Wednesday, June 10
Brazil vs. Scotland
Morocco vs. Norway
Thursday, June 11
Italy vs. Chile
Cameroon vs. Austria
Friday, June 12
Paraguay vs. Bulgaria
Saudi Arabia vs. Denmark
France vs. South Africa
Saturday, June 13
Spain vs. Nigeria
South Korea vs. Mexico
Netherlands vs. Belgium
Sunday, June 14
Yugoslavia vs. Iran
Argentina vs. Japan
Jamaica vs. Croatia
Monday, June 15
England vs. Tunisia
Romania vs. Colombia
Germany vs. United States
Tuesday, June 16
Scotland vs. Norway
Brazil vs. Morocco
Wednesday, June 17
Chile vs. Austria
Italy vs. Cameroon
Thursday, June 18
South Africa vs. Denmark
France vs. Saudi Arabia
Friday, June 19
Nigeria vs. Bulgaria
Spain vs. Paraguay
Saturday, June 20
Belgium vs. Mexico
Japan vs. Croatia
Netherlands vs. South Korea
Sunday, June 21
Argentina vs. Jamaica
Germany vs. Yugoslavia
United States vs. Iran
Monday, June 22
Colombia vs. Tunisia
Romania vs. England
Tuesday, June 23
Italy vs. Austria
Chile vs. Cameroon
Brazil vs. Norway
Scotland vs. Morocco
Wednesday, June 24
France vs. Denmark
South Africa vs. Saudi Arabia
Spain vs. Bulgaria at Lens
Nigeria vs. Paraguay
Thursday, June 25
Netherlands vs. Mexico
Belgium vs. South Korea
Germany vs. Iran
United States vs. Yugoslavia
Friday, June 26
Argentina vs. Croatia
Japan vs. Jamaica
Romania vs. Tunisia
Colombia vs. England
