Real Madrid Looks Like Club to Beat

Real Madrid is the overwhelming favorite to win its fourth European Champions Cup title in six seasons and a record 10th overall as play begins today and Wednesday for the 2002-03 season.

The Spanish club, with an awe-inspiring lineup that includes Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Raul and Roberto Carlos, opens its Champions League season today at AS Roma--the most eye-catching of the 16 group games across Europe the next two days.

Real, which had an audience with Pope John Paul II on Monday, will be without the recently acquired Ronaldo for its first game. The Brazilian striker stayed in Madrid to work on his fitness.

Roma, coming off a 2-1 season-opening loss against Bologna in Serie A over the weekend, will play without suspended striker Gabriel Batistuta, captain Francesco Totti and midfielder Francisco Lima.

They are banned for fighting on the field after a game against Turkish club Galatasaray in March.

Other key games the next two days include Arsenal (England) vs. Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Valencia (Spain) vs. Liverpool (England), Feyenoord (Netherlands) vs. Juventus (Italy) and Bayern Munich (Germany) vs. Deportivo La Coruna (Spain).

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J-League for Ahn

South Korean World Cup star Ahn Jung-hwan will join Japanese club Shimizu S-Pulse on a one-year transfer, the J-League team announced.

The agreement comes after the popular midfielder was released from Italian Serie A club Perugia.

Ahn scored the decisive goal in his country’s victory against Italy at this summer’s World Cup.

At the time, it caught the ire of Perugia President Luciano Gaucci, who threatened to dismiss Ahn for having scored.

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New Qualifying Plan

As expected, South American soccer leaders voted to maintain the continent’s marathon World Cup qualifying competition in which all 10 countries play each other twice, but plan to spread it out over a longer period.

The system, which requires 18 rounds of matches, was used for the 2002 World Cup and infuriated European clubs because it forced their South American players to make monthly journeys home.

Eduardo Deluca, the South American confederation’s general secretary, said the plan is to begin qualifying in August 2003 and end during the second half of 2005. In the past, qualifying took 18 months.

The proposal, which will take the European calendar into consideration, will be voted on by FIFA next Tuesday.

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Belgian Coach Fired

Robert Waseige, who coached Belgium’s national team to the second round of the World Cup, was fired by his new club Standard Liege after it lost four of its first five games in the Belgian league.

“I don’t understand the ... decision,” Waseige told Agence Belga. “It’s too hasty to [fire] me. I knew there were problems with this team and I was busy sorting them out.”

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Games in Chile

A players’ strike in Chile continues, but the country’s league played games last weekend.

The clubs fielded youth teams and played in mostly empty stadiums. The game between Deportes Concepcion and Colo Colo was ruled a forfeit for Colo Colo because Concepcion players arrived 30 minutes late.

The players are protesting unpaid wages and are angry over changes in the league’s format, including the decision to abolish relegation the next two seasons.

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Romario’s Reaction

When Romario was left off Brazil’s World Cup squad for this summer’s World Cup, he took it as a slap in the face.

Now, he’s slapping back.

Over the weekend, the veteran striker let teammate Andrei have it because of a defensive mistake during a 6-0 loss by Fluminense to Sao Paolo.

“I lost my cool,” Romario said.

But did he apologize?

“I’m not one to say sorry,” he said. “I’ve spoken to him and we are trying to sort things out.”