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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 July 2000 Issue No. 489 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 July 2000 Issue No. 489
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region Focus International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Euro briefs
Heavy fines, lengthy bans
THE UEFA has imposed heavy penalties on the Portuguese National Association and three members of the Portuguese team following pushing and shoving incidents which took place at the end of the semi-final against France.In the 116th minute of a match in which five Portuguese players had been cautioned, the referee and his first assistant were pushed, spat at and harassed by Portuguese players, suffering bruises and scratches. The fourth official, who intervened in a bid to protect his colleagues, was also harassed, pushed in the back and pulled by his clothing. The referee, advised by his assistant, had awarded the French team a penalty for handball. The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body imposed a fine of 175,000 Swiss francs on the Portuguese National Association. Three players also received lengthy suspensions: Abel Xavier was suspended from all matches in UEFA competitions for nine months (until the end of March 2001), Nuno Gomes was suspended from all UEFA competitions for eight months (until the end of February 2001), and Paulo Bento was suspended for six months (until the end of December 2000).
Vuller to coach Germany
RUDI VULLER has been named as the new coach of the German national team, replacing Erich Ribbek, who resigned following Germany's early exit from the championship. A German Football Federation spokesman said the former striker would take charge on a caretaker basis until 2001. Christoph Daum, the Bayer 04 Leverkusen boss, would then take over when his contract with the club ended. The announcement came as a surprise, as Vuller has no previous coaching experience.Vuller won a World Cup-winners' medal with Germany in 1990, and was a World Cup finalist in 1986. He was one of his country's most prolific goalscorers, scoring 47 goals in 90 games. During a playing career that spanned 18 years he played for seven clubs. He was German footballer of the year in 1983, the year he topped the Bundesliga scoring chart.
Italian voted out
THE DAY before Italy played France in the European Championship final, the nation's long serving member of the UEFA executive committee, Antonio Matarrese, was surprisingly ousted. A member for 12 years, the Italian, 60, left the Congress stunned and without comment. "We were very shocked," said Luciano Nizzola, chairman of the Italian Soccer Federation. "I cannot give an explanation. We thought we had at least 40 votes and we feel betrayed by the smaller and medium-size countries." Matarrese, who had been on the UEFA executive for 12 years but remains a FIFA executive committee member, polled 25 votes. Matarrese was the leading campaigner of UEFA President Lennart Johansson in the unsuccessful election campaign to replace Joao Havelange as FIFA president two years ago, making his ousting all the more surprising.Van Gaal the favourite
TWO DAYS after the shock resignation of Frank Rijkaard as coach of the Dutch national team, everything points in the direction of former Ajax and Barcelona coach Louis van Gaal in taking over the position.Van Gaal is out of a job after his acrimonious departure from Barcelona last month and he has long said the national team job is high on his list. "Everything seems to lead in the direction of Van Gaal," said Rijkaard. The current crop of players, too, were pointing in the direction of the coach who brought the European and Intercontinental cup to Ajax in 1995, four years after starting his stellar rise with the Amsterdam club. With Ajax, he also won three national titles and the UEFA Cup. He left for Barcelona in 1997, winning two national titles for the Catalan club. He failed to deliver the European Champions Cup though and left amid a barrage of mudslinging at the end of this season. He packed Barcelona with Dutch players and many of them are firmly backing him as national coach. Former great and proven coach Johan Cruyff had quickly said he had no interest in taking the high-pressure job.
Europe's best
UEFA HAS announced 16 of the players it has selected for the Eurocard-Mastercard All-Star Team of the tournament. "We were looking for the players who had the most consistent contribution throughout the tournament," said Andy Roxburgh, head of the UEFA Technical Study Group, which also included Roy Hodgson, Gerard Houllier, Anghel Iordanescu, Rinus Michels and Jozef Venglos.Goalkeepers: Fabien BARTHEZ (FRA), Francesco TOLDO (ITA).
Defenders: Laurent BLANC (FRA), Frank de BOER (HOL), Fabio CANNAVARO (ITA), Marcel DESAILLY (FRA), Alessandro NESTA (ITA).
Midfielders: Edgar DAVIDS (HOL), Luis FIGO (POR), Josep GUARDIOLA (ESP), Patrick VIEIRA (FRA), Zinedine ZIDANE (FRA).
Forwards: Thierry HENRY (FRA), Patrick KLUIVERT (HOL), NUNO GOMES (POR), Raul GONZALEZ (ESP).
The names of six more players will be announced following the final.
