Sports
The Battalion
Page 3 • Wednesday, June 12, 2002
NEWS IN BRIEF
Sharks recommend
Ming be available
HOUSTON (AP) - The
Shanghai Sharks have told the
Houston Rockets they will rec
ommend the China Basketball
Association grant its approval
for the nation's star player, Yao
Ming, to participate in this
month's NBA draft, the Houston
Chronicle reported Tuesday in
its online editions.
Rockets general counsel
Michael Goldberg told the
newspaper from Shanghai that
Sharks gen
eral manager
Li Yaomin
and owner
Bai Li
pledged
their recom
mendation
following
two days of
and negotia-
MING
social meetings
tions.
Rockets officials in China did
not immediately return phone
messages left by The Associated
Press.
Houston, which won the No.
1 draft selection in the NBA's
lottery last month, hopes to
select Yao June 26 in New York.
"I believe based on our meet
ings that they don't have any
objections," Goldberg told the
paper. "In the very short time
we've been here, we've devel
oped very good relationships."
Goldberg, general manager
Carroll Dawson, coach Rudy
Tomjanovich and director of
media relations Nelson Luis
are in China to meet with
Chinese representatives who
will decide whether the 7-foot-
5 center is allowed to play in
the United States.
France eliminated after second loss
Denmark knocks out defending champs, 2-0
2002 WORLD CUP STANDINGS
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — No goals, no glory.
No more World Cup for France.
The defending champions needed to beat Denmark
by two goals Tuesday to reach the World Cup’s second
round. Instead, the Danes won 2-0 in Incheon, South
Korea, and Les Bleus became the first champions to go
scoreless through a first round. They are also the first
defending titlist to exit after the opening round since
Brazil in 1966.
“It’s the end of a beautiful story,” said
French striker David Trezeguet. “That’s
the law of soccer, you have to accept it.
“We had lots of ambition and we want
ed to do a lot better. It’s a real pity.”
While the Danes won Group A, tournament new
comer Senegal rode three first-half goals into the next
round. The Africans took a 3-0 lead and barely held on
for a 3-3 tie against Uruguay in Suwon, South Korea.
Denmark plays Saturday in Niigata, Japan against
either England, Sweden or Argentina. Senegal plays
Sunday in Oita, Japan against one of those teams.
“I believe a small team can be big,” said Senegal’s
El Hadji Diouf. “Today is a historic day for African
countries.”
Those two joined four-time winner Brazil, Spain,
three-time winner Germany and Ireland in the round
of 16.
Germany, despite playing the final 50 minutes a man
down when Carsten Ramelow was ejected at Shizuoka,
Japan, knocked out Cameroon 2-0 on goals by Marco
Bode and Miroslav Kohse, who now has five goals. The
Germans will play Saturday at Seogwipo, South Korea
against either Spain, South Africa or Paraguay.
“We showed our dedication and commitment and
deserved to win,” Christoph Metzelder said. “Our min
imum target was to get to the final 16.”
Ireland defeated already-eliminated Saudi Arabia 3-
0 in Yokohama to finish second to Germany in Group E.
The Irish, who had never scored more than one goal in
a World Cup game, will oppose either Spain
or South Africa in Suwon, South Korea on
Sunday.
The Irish went through even though their
best player, Roy Keane, was sent home after
a feud with coach Mick McCarthy before
the tournament began.
“We fight against doubters all the time, we fight
against critics all the time,” coach Mick McCarthy said.
“We do it very well.”
With 1998 World Cup hero Zinedine Zidane on
the sideline with a thigh injury, France opened with a
stunning 1-0 loss to Senegal and then tied Uruguay
0-0. Zidane returned for the Denmark game, but
nothing helped the French, who saw two shots
rebound off the crossbar.
At the end, Zidane walked off the field with his head
hanging down, followed by the rest of the French team.
“I didn’t expect to go back home like that after the
first round,” Zidane said. “We’re all very, very disap
pointed, but we won’t stop here. We will have to turn
the page, turn over a new leaf.”
Thousands of traveling Les Bleus fans fell silent.
Next games - Wednesday, June 12
Argentina vs. Sweden at Miyagi, Japan
Nigeria vs. England at Osaka, Japan
Spain vs. South Africa at Daejeon, South Korea
Slovenia vs. Paraguay at Seogwipo, South Korea
x-dinched spot
in second round
Group A W L T GF GA Pts
x-Denmark 2 0 1 5 2 7
x-Senegai 1 0 2 5 4 5
Uruguay 0 1 2 4 5 2
France 0 2 1 0 3 1
Group B W L T GF GA Pts
x-Spaln 2 0 0 6 2 6
South Africa 10 13 2 4
Paraguay 0 113 5 1
Slovenia
0 2 0
Group C W L T GF GA Pts
x-Brazil 2 0 0 6 1 6
Costa Rica 10 13 1 4
Turkey 0 112 3 1
China 0 2 0 0 6 0
Group D W L T GF GA Pts
South Korea 10 13 14
United States 10 1 4 3 4
Portugal 1 1 0 6 3 3
Poland 0 2 0 0 6 0
Group E W L T GF GA Pts
x-Germany 2 0 1 11 1 7
x-lreland 1 0 2 5 2 5
Cameroon 1112 3 4
Saudi Arabia 0 3 0 0 12 0
Group F
Sweden
England
Argentina
Nigeria
Group G
Mexico
Italy
Croatia
Ecuador
Group H
Japan
Russia
Belgium
Tunisia
W L T GF GA Pts
10 13 2 4
10 12 14
110 1 13
0 2 0 1 3 0
W L T GF GA Pts
2 0 0 3 1 6
1 1 0 3 2 3
1 1 0 2 2 3
0 2 0 1 4 0
W L T GF GA Pts
10 13 2 4
110 2 1 3
0 0 2 3 3 2
0 1113 1
SOURCE: Associated Press
while Danish fans in the opposite comer of the stadium
beat on drums and sang “Ole, Ole, Ole.”
“We had a good day,” coach Morten Olsen said.
Bode and Miroslav Kohse, who now has five goals. The Thousands of traveling Les Bleus fans fell silent. See Upset on page 4
Sorry Ringling Brothers, the World Cup is the greatest show on earth
T'ith all due respect to showcase event fans in Daegu, households tuned in to watch the only time fans there stand
W ith all due respect to
the Ringling Brothers,
someone else has the
greatest show on earth these
days. The real greatest show on
earth does not have tigers, can
nons or trapeze artists. There
are certainly not any baseballs,
basketballs, hockey pucks or
pigskins.
The greatest show on earth
is the pinnacle of the sport of
the world, no matter what most
Americans might tell you.
There is a reason soccer’s
showcase event
is called the
World Cup. No
other event gets
fans across the
globe into as
much of a frenzy
as the once-every-four-years
tournament. For a one sport
event, there is no comparison.
Not the World Series, not the
NBA Finals, not even the
Super Bowl.
Don’t think so? You must
have missed the 66,000-plus
TRUE BROWN
fans in Daegu,
South Korea,
early Monday
morning when
the United States
played South
Korea to a 1-1
draw. Korea’s fans did their
best to make a marooned out
Kyle Field look like a play
ground, singing, cheering and
chanting from the opening
kickoff to the final whistle.
In addition to the crowd in
attendance, 1.36 million U.S.
households tuned in to watch
the game, more than doubling
the average amount of viewers
for the previous 2002 Cup
games.
Monday’s game was not just
a case of fans being loud
because the match was in their
country. America’s fans do it,
as do Brazil’s, Germany’s,
France’s and every country in
between.
The biggest sporting events
in America pale in comparison.
The World Series? About
the only time fans there stand
up is for the National Anthem.
The NBA Finals? Watching
paint dry is about as much fun
as watching the most overpaid
players on the planet throw a
ball in a hoop.
The Super Bowl? Even
though this is the most hyped
sporting event in America,
there is no way the fans are
into the game as much as Cup
fans are.
See Brown on page 4
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