MALAYSIA: ASIAN FOOTBAL CONFEDERATION (AFC) ANNOUNCES IT'S TO PUSH FOR ANOTHER BERTH AT THE 2002 WORLD CUP

Record ID: 590744

  • Title: MALAYSIA: ASIAN FOOTBAL CONFEDERATION (AFC) ANNOUNCES IT'S TO PUSH FOR ANOTHER BERTH AT THE 2002 WORLD CUP
  • Date: 29th July 1999
  • Summary: KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA (JULY 29, 1999) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. WIDE ASIAN FOOTBALL CONFEDERATION (AFC) GENERAL SECRETARY PETER VELAPPAN WALKS INTO NEWS CONFERENCE 2. CUTAWAY CAMERAMAN 3. (SOUNDBITE)(ENGLISH) AFC GENERAL SECRETARY PETER VELAPPAN SAYING: "I am leaving for Mexico tomorrow to meet him (FIFA president Sepp Blatter) there at the FIFA Confederation Cup. We are exploring everything possible in cooperation with the FIFA president and other FIFA members to get our rights back and this is our mission now. We are not going to create any chaos. We are not up in arms with anybody." 4. CUTAWAY REPORTERS 5. (SOUNDBITE)(ENGLISH) VELAPPAN SAYING: "We fully reaffirm our support for Korea and Japan to host the World Cup. This will be something exceptionally brilliant and different. And I think and I believe this is the precedent for the future. We call this World Cup 2002 the bridge between Korea and Japan. As you know these two countries have been at war and very bitter memories are still in existence. But the World Cup, we hope, will bring them together especially the new generation." 6. CUTAWAY REPORTERS 7. (SOUNDBITE)(ENGLISH) VELAPPAN SAYING: "The boycott is a decision of the executive committee. And this must be discussed by all the Asian national associations. All the 45. Therefore there will be an AFC extraordinary congress on the 10th of October 99 in Kuala Lumpur. This is the supreme body of football in Asia. And they must discuss and decide whether to accept the recommendation of the executive committee or not. So it is not final until the extraordinary congress takes place." 8. CUTAWAY REPORTERS 9. (SOUNDBITE)(ENGLISH) VELAPPAN SAYING: "Therefore we need the World Cup to rub off some of the benefits and boost Asian football. So there are a lot of things going for Asian football and that is why it is all the more important for FIFA to say yes, five seats you are right, considering two hosts and we will make every effort to find you these seats or some amicable solution to the problem." 10. PETER VELAPPAN LEAVING PRESS CONFERENCE Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 13th August 1999 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
  • Country: Malaysia
  • Reuters ID: LVA2WTJM0OTLX75A0CV1WDFTIIJU
  • Story Text: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced
    that the group will push for another seat at the 2002 World
    Cup amid its ongoing row with FIFA.

    Speaking on Thursday (July 29), Peter Velappan,
    Malaysian secretary-general of the AFC, said the 45-member
    nations would decide in October whether to go ahead with their
    threat to boycott the qualifying competition for the finals if
    their demand for more seats was not met.

    FIFA has given Asia a minimum of four places in 2002, the
    same as last year, and a maximum of five.Europe this month
    offered a compromise, agreeing to a play-off with Asia for the
    final qualifying place in 2002.

    But Velappan said the AFC demanded a minimum of five,
    without having to rely on a play-off.

    The boycott is not final until the AFC extraordinary
    congress takes place on October 10, Velappan told a news
    conference in the Malaysian capital.

    Velappan said he would meet Blatter in Mexico on Friday to
    "explore every option possible to get our rights back".

    He said that the AFC continues to support Japan and South
    Korea in jointly hosting the tournament in 2002.

    He said: "We call this World Cup 2002 the bridge between
    Korea and Japan.As you know these two countries have been at
    war and very bitter memories are still in existence.But the
    World Cup, we hope, will bring them together especially the
    new generation."
    Meanwhile, Blatter has written to AFC president Sultan
    Ahmad Shah in an attempt to defuse the row over the allocation
    of places.Velappan declined on Thursday to disclose its
    contents.

    Asia's entire delegation walked out of the FIFA congress
    in Los Angeles this month over the allocations.

    Asian countries said they would boycott the 2002
    qualifying tournament and go into the Cup with only two
    countries -- joint hosts Japan and South Korea -- unless they
    were given five places.


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