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Questions remain for 2002 World Cup
PARIS (AP) -- The opener and final have been decided. Venues have been decided. The worrisome things remaining for the co-organizers of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea are issues such as marketing, scheduling and avoiding the big problem that France 98 encountered -- ticketing."There are no special ideas about ticketing. France had difficulty," said Choi Chang-shin, secretary general of the Korean organizing committee or KOWOC. "It was a lesson to us. We must study this. We must organize a system and structure on ticketing."
France's problems grew out of its location in Europe and the high demand for tickets from people in neighboring countries. With about 38 per cent of the 2.6 million reserved for the French public, another 25 per cent for commercial affiliates and VIPs, less than 950,000 were available to fans in the rest of the world.
That led to scandals, one resulting in three employees of a French subsidiary of FIFA's marketing company, including its president, being arrested for fraud.
Choi also notes that matters such as information, telecommunications, accommodations and transportation also must be decided.
So far, both sides say the acrimony that existed between the two countries before FIFA forged their co-hosting has not recurred.
"Both wanted to be the single host," Japanese organizing committee (JAWOC) spokesman Ryo Nishimura said. "After the decision was made to co-host, Japan and Korea have changed their minds. They are co-operating on building a great World Cup. Even the minds of the general public have changed gently.
"In Seoul last year, when Japan went to Seoul for the second leg of its qualifying series, and Korea already had qualified and Japan had not yet, there was a big sign in the stadium from the Korean people: 'Let's Go To the World Cup Together.' It showed the Korean people's attitudes have changed."
At least the matter of where the games will be played has been settled.
Beside the opener in Seoul and the final in Japan, both Japan and South Korea will use 10 stadiums each, with the eight first-round groups divided evenly: four in Japan, four in South Korea.
Japan has decided to use the cities of Sapporo, Miyagi, Niigata, Ibaraki, Saitama, Yokohama, Shizuoka, Osaka, Kobe, and Oita. South Korea will play games at Seoul, Inchon, Suwon, Taejon, Taegu, Chonju, Ulsan, Kwangju, Pusan and Sogwipo.
For the second round, the eight second-placed teams that advance will travel to the other country; four teams will travel again for the quarter-finals, and two more for the semifinals.
Japan still has to decide between 70,000 capacity Yokohama International Sports Stadium on the central eastern coast and the 63,000-seat Saitama Prefectural Stadium in the Tokyo suburbs for the final.
South Korea is building all 10 stadiums it will use for the World Cup at a cost of 1.3 trillion won ($1.5 billion Cdn), according to Choi.
Japan is building seven stadiums and renovating three more.
Despite the cost and the even more important Asian economic crisis, Choi and Nishimura played down any impact the region's financial woes would have on the World Cup.
"Many people have asked about this," Choi said. "As far as we're concerned, it will take such a small part of our national economy, it will not be affected."
"It has not caused any damage," Nishimura said. "Of the new stadiums, two already are completed."
FIFA apparently is not as convinced. After earlier in the World Cup dismissing any potential problems, president Sepp Blatter said Friday that a fact-finding team will be sent to the region in September and issue a report to the executive committee in December.
"The governments and football authorities must guarantee to FIFA the stadia, infrastructure, technical resources and other logistics, including hotels" Blatter said. "So far, none of these areas have become a problem. We will send a group this fall to assess it."
The schedule of games still has to be determined as well as certain marketing decisions, such as a mascot or mascots.
"Scheduling is a big issue," Nishimura said. "Urgent decisions are needed. We hope to have them by the end of this year."
NEXT ROUNDS: Round of 16 || Quarter-finals || Semi-finals
GROUP A: Brazil, Morocco, Norway, Scotland
GROUP B: Austria, Cameroon, Chile, Italy
GROUP C: Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
GROUP D: Bulgaria, Nigeria, Paraguay, Spain
GROUP E: Belgium, Holland, Mexico, South Korea
GROUP F: Germany, Iran, United States, Yugoslavia
GROUP G: Colombia, England, Romania, Tunisia
GROUP H: Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica, Japan