Loss of soccer superpowers will make for a different atmosphere

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Posted 12:35PM on Wednesday, June 19, 2002

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Tired legs or tired excuses? The world's premier soccer stage has been gate-crashed by South Korea, Senegal and the United States - all of whom, incredibly, are just two wins away from the World Cup final. Argentina, France and Italy, who have won six World Cups between them, were eliminated and left licking their wounds. But many observers say the wounds aren't just psychological. And they're cautioning against any hasty conclusions that soccer's pendulum is swinging away from the superpowers. ``There are too many league games ... too many Champions League games, too many qualification games,'' bristles Franz Beckenbauer, head of the organizing committee for Germany's 2006 World Cup and the only man to play on and coach a world champion. ``In South America they have 18 qualifying games for the World Cup, and many of the players are based in Europe. ``FIFA has to react, because this situation hits the World Cup and what do people see? Tired stars. It's not the future, it's impossible.'' Few could deny South Korea's right to be in the last eight after its stunning second-round win over Italy, a reward for its electrifying pace and panache and never-say-die attitude. And few will forget Senegal's exuberance on Day 1 as it vanquished France, its former colonial ruler and merely the defending champion. But what happened to Luis Figo, Juan Sebastian Veron and Patrick Vieira, three midfielders who were supposed to light up the tournament? Or Gabriel Batistuta, David Trezeguet and Francesco Totti, who only managed one goal between them? The list goes on and on. ``It's tough to bring their teams together and find the right forms of fitness,'' says U.S. coach Bruce Arena. ``On the other hand, a country like Korea basically has trained their national team for three or four months. ``They could win a track meet right now they are so fit.'' South Korea's Dutch coach Guus Hiddink paid tribute to the country's K-League clubs who released players back in March to begin World Cup training. Compare that to Europe, where players finished their long club seasons in mid-May, and had little or no rest before traveling to South Korea and Japan. France's Zinedine Zidane played in the Champions League final on May 15, scoring a stunning goal. Eleven days later, he injured his thigh in a friendly game against South Korea and missed all but one of France's three World Cup games. Fellow midfielder Robert Pires, a major loss to France, injured his knee toward the end of the English season. French coach Roger Lemerre immediately blamed the country's heavy schedule. Players are regularly called upon to perform twice a week and only a few coaches can afford the luxury of a squad rotation. England's David Beckham almost missed out altogether after breaking his foot in April in a Champions League game. And Portugal's Figo played most of the season with Real Madrid well below 100 percent due to a nagging ankle injury. Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said he detected an alarming ``tension and tiredness'' in the Portuguese side, which failed to emerge from a group including the United States, Poland and South Korea. Top European clubs can expect to play around 70 matches in a season. In Japan, South Korea or the United States, for example, the number is about half that. Soccer's energy-sapping calendar is determined by television executives, who in turn pump untold riches into the game. Beckenbauer said he hoped the lessons of South Korea and Japan 2002 can be learned when it comes to negotiating future TV deals. ``We cannot solve the problem in the next two or three years because of the contracts. After these contracts expire maybe there will a chance to sort it out,'' he said. Beckenbauer personally lamented not having seen the best of France's Vieira, one of his favorite players. But Arsenal's combative midfielder said fatigue alone could not be blamed for France's humiliating elimination. The defending champion and Euro 2000 winner failed to score a single goal. ``It's true that physically we were burnt out, but I don't think it's the only reason,'' Vieira said. ``Look at England, they also played a lot but they reached the quarterfinals. ``We made a mess of it.''