SIGNALS/SENALES/SIGNALS FROM THE FOOTBALL CONFEDERATION SENALES/SIGNALS/SENALES DE LA CONFEDERACION DE FUTBOL News and events from around the Confederation. December 21, 1999. CONFEDERATION MAKES PROPOSAL AIMING TO EXPAND REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS A proposal to dramatically increase funds available to national associations is being made to FIFA for consideration by the FIFA Executive Committee at its meeting in April, 2000. The proposal is to change the rules which currently do not permit sponsor advertising on the shirts of national teams and is being made by FIFA Vice President Jack Warner on behalf of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, of which he is President. “Many, many national associations all over the world still struggle to raise the funds they need for national team programs and development of the game,” said Mr. Warner in advocating the change, “and all national associations, no matter who they are, face steeply-rising costs. Thus every single national body can benefit from this proposal. “It strikes me as archaic that national bodies are prohibited from using a valuable part of their most visible activity, their national team shirts.” Confederation General Secretary Chuck Blazer, who, along with Isaac Sasso Sasso of Costa Rica, is a member of the FIFA Executive Committee, added: “We recognize the need to protect the World Cup and its advertisers but what else is being protected by this universal ban? “Our proposal to FIFA is that shirt sponsorship be permitted for national teams except when the rules of a specific tournament prohibit it. “The current FIFA grants of $1 million to each national association over a period of four years is both generous and welcome and that, together with the recently introduced GOAL program, is of substantial benefit to a lot of national associations,” Mr. Blazer continued. “But our proposal would bring a significantly higher level of revenue to many national associations, maybe as much as twice, even four times the FIFA grant, and there are few, if any, other avenues of revenue for national associations to explore.” President Warner concluded: ” We have first hand knowledge of how much help is needed by many members of our Confederation and of other Confederations, too, and we hope this measure will bring them a considerable level of assistance.” GOLD CUP 2000 ATTRACTS UNPRECEDENTED CORPORATE SUPPORT Gold Cup 2000 has already attracted the strongest group of Official Partners since the inauguration of the region’s premier national team tournament in 1991. With the kick off now less than eight weeks to go, Inter-Forever Sports Inc, of Miami, the Confederation’s marketing partner, has announced a line-up of six Official Partners. They are: American Airlines – The Official Airline Banamex – The Official Bank Budweiser – The Official Beer El Sitio.com – The Official Internet Network Hyundai – The Official Car Radio Unica – The Official Spanish Radio Network Stefano Turconi, C.E.O. of Inter-Forever, said: “This is a sign of the increasing importance of the Gold Cup to the region’s national teams, to the fans and now to companies of national and international significance.” The Gold Cup, featuring nine qualifiers from the Confederation of North, Central American Caribbean Association Football and three invited teams, kicks off in Miami on February 12 with a double header of USA vs. Haiti and Colombia vs. Jamaica and concludes with the Final in Los Angeles on February 27. All reserved seats for the Confederation’s major tournament for national teams will be available through Ticketmaster in each of the three venues with prices for each of the double headers as low as $25. General Admission tickets for Miami, begin at $16 for the double headers at the Orange Bowl. San Diego and Los Angeles General Admission tickets begin at $20. To purchase reserved tickets in Miami, please call Ticketmaster: Dade County (305) 358 5885, Broward County (954) 523-3309, and Palm Beach County (561) 966-3309. For more information and to purchase General Admission tickets call (305) 377-2767. In Los Angeles, call Ticketmaster: (213) 480-3232, (714) 740-2000 or (805) 583-8700. In San Diego, the Ticketmaster number is: (619) 220-TIXS. Or order on line at www.ticketmaster.com. Gold Cup 2000 Groups and Full Schedule of Matches: Group A – Jamaica, Colombia, Honduras – Miami Group B – USA, Peru, Haiti – Miami Group C – Mexico, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago – San Diego/Los Angeles Group D – Costa Rica, South Korea, Canada – San Diego/Los Angeles. Schedule of games: 12.02.00 USA vs. Haiti (19:00); Colombia vs. Jamaica (21:00) in Miami 13.02.00 Costa Rica vs. Canada (12:00); Mexico vs. Trinidad & Tobago (14:00) in San Diego. 14.02.00 Jamaica vs. Honduras (19:00); Haiti vs. Peru (21:00) in Miami. 15.02.00 Korea vs. Canada (19:00); Trinidad & Tobago vs. Guatemala (21:00); in Los Angeles. 16.02.00 Honduras vs. Colombia (19:00); Peru vs. USA (21:00) in Miami. 17.02.00 Mexico vs. Guatemala (19:00); Korea vs. Costa Rica (21:00); in Los Angeles 19.02.00 (Quarterfinal A) Winner Group B vs. Runner up Group A (15:00); (Quarterfinal B) Winner Group A vs. Runner up Group B (17:30) in Miami. 20.02.00 (Quarterfinal C) Winner Group D vs. Runner up Group C (12:00); (Quarterfinal D) Winner Group C vs. Runner up Group D (14:30) in San Diego. 23.02.00 (Semifinal 1) Winner Quarterfinal A vs. Winner Quarterfinal B (20:00) in San Diego. 24.02.00 (Semifinal 2) Winner Quarterfinal C vs. Winner Quarterfinal D (20:00) in Los Angeles. 27.02.00 (Final) Winner Semifinal 1 vs. Winner Semifinal 2 (12:00) in Los Angeles. ROAD TO GOLD CUP 2000 HONDURAS DEFEATS ZAMBIA, 7-1, IN SAN PEDRO SULA. Honduras defeated a weak national side from Zambia in an international friendly played in San Pedro Sula, by a final score of 7-1 on December 9. The match was decided in the first half-hour of play, when the scoreboard read 4-0. The match proved far less trying than had been anticipated, as the African side is ranked 35th by the FIFA-Coca Cola world rankings. Next up for the Honduras, ranked 77th by FIFA, is Atletico Celaya of the Mexican First Division today in Tegucigalpa. MEXICO AND THE USA WILL TAKE ON IRAN. Mexico and the United States will open their 2000 schedule with matches against a common foe: the Iranian National Team. The Iranians will face the two teams in early January. Mexico will take on the Iranians January 9th at the Oakland Network Associates Coliseum (14:00). One week later (January 16, 14:00), the Iranians will face the United States at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The USA match will be part of a double header that also includes the U.S. Under-23 National Team versus Armenia (16:30). Meanwhile. Trinidad & Tobago will visit Bolivia in Santa Cruz on December 17th. Colombia will travel to Morocco to face their national side on December 21. Costa Rica will receive Honduras December 29 in San Jose. EL SALVADOR NAMES BENITEZ AS NEW COACH The Salvadoran Football Federation named Oscar Emigdio Benitez as the new national team head coach. Benitez was formally appointed by the Executive Committee of National Teams following the recommendation of the Technical Commission. Benitez will lead the country’s charge to qualify for the finals of the 2002 World Cup. First up for El Salvador will be preliminary qualifying matches against Guatemala and Belize. El Salvador will be aiming to reach the World Cup finals for the third time. Benitez was selected based in part on the success of his club, league cup finalist Municipal Lime±o, which finished at the top of the standings after two rounds of qualifying. Benitez has also coached national teams of various levels and top clubs FAS, Aguila and Alianza. TWO CONFEDERATION OFFICIALS APPOINTED TO BRAZIL 2000 Referee William Mattus Vega of Costa Rica has been selected to participate in the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship in Brazil, 5-14 January. He is joined by Assistant Referee Hasseb Mohammed of Trinidad & Tobago. JOE PUBLIC IS NAMED TRINIDAD & TOBAGO’S TEAM OF THE YEAR Mt. D’or Big Four Tournament champions, Joe Public, was named “Team of the Year” at the annual Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation Awards held Sunday at Port of Spain. Besides winning the league championship, Joe Public also won the President’s Cup and was runner up in the F.A. Cup. Other award recipients included: C.L. Financial San Juan Jabloteh, PFL Cup winners; Vibe Ct 105 FM W Connection, F.A. Cup winners; and Defence Force, PFL league champions. Joe Public striker Arnold Dwarika was named “Player of the Year.” INAUGURAL CONGRESS OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FOOTBALL FEDERATION DRAWS TOP NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL OFFICIALS AND CAPTURES NATIONAL MEDIA ATTENTION The inaugural National Congress organized by the Dominican Football Federation was attended by top national and international sports officials and executives and garnered significant media attention. “The National Congress was a great success,” said Osiris Guzman, President of the Dominican Football Federation. “All the national newspapers reported on the event which will serve as a catalyst for sustained growth and development of the sport in our country.” Confederation Vice President Rafael Salguero was among the top football officials in attendance at the Congress held December 16 in Santo Domingo. Also in attendance Jimmy Garcia, Under Secretary of Sports; Jose Joaquin Puello, President of the Dominican Olympic Committee; and leaders of the corporate and media communities. CANADA WOMEN KICK OFF AMBITIOUS SCHEDULE WITH EUROPEAN TOURNAMENT IN MARCH The Canadian Women National Team will kick off what promises to be a busy year of top level international matches in March at the Algarve Cup 2000 in Portugal. The tournament will feature top international teams, including 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup Silver medallists, Peoples Republic of China, 1995 World Cup Champions-Norway and Finland, all of which have been drawn in Canada’s pool. The 8-team tournament will take place on March 12-18, 2000, with the team traveling to Portugal on March 6th. A training camp will precede this tournament on February 12-20, 1999 in Vancouver, BC. This camp will involve thirty (30) players of which 18 will be selected for the upcoming tournament. This tournament is only the beginning for the Women’s Program as the schedule for 2000 already includes 16 games for the team. The next tournament for the Canadians will be the US Nike Cup in May 2000. PACHUCA EARNS STUNNING WIN OVER CRUZ AZUL AND GARNERS ITS FIRST MEXICAN LEAGUE TITLE Underdogs Pachuca, who began the season with the aim of avoiding relegation, won their first title with a dramatic golden goal win over Cruz Azul in front of a crowd of 45,000 at Estadio Azul. Argentine Alejandro Glaria scored in the second minute of extra time after a goalless 90 minutes in Sunday’s second leg. The first match was a 2-2 draw with Glaria scoring both of his team’s goals. Pachuca had never reached the knockout stages since the current format was introduced in 1970 and this time made the last eight only via a repechage match. They then eliminated defending champions Toluca and Atlas, who had finished 12 points ahead of them in the championship’s first stage. Pachuca won three national titles in the amateur era, 1904-05, 1917-18, and 1919-20, but until yesterday, it had not won a championship since the professional era began back in 1943. The team was founded by British mechanics and miners in 1900 and was originally named: “Pachuca Athletic Club”. The first tournament sanctioned by the Mexican Football League Association began on July 19, 1902. Besides Pachuca, by then known as “Reforma Athletic Club”, they were joined by “El Orizaba A.C.”, “El British Club, F.C.” and “El Mexico Cricket Club”, also founded by British citizens. Pachuca, a city 94 kilometers north of Mexico City, is known as “The Airy Beauty”, because of the strong winds that predominate during most of the year. Pachuca claimed the 1999 Torneo Invierno title of the Mexican First Division, which features two championships. CENTRAL AMERICAN LEAGUES CROWN TWO CHAMPIONS COSTA RICA. Reflecting the level of play shown in the 1999 Champions Cup in Las Vegas, where the team was runner up to Necaxa of Mexico, Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, won the Costa Rican Torneo Apertura on Sunday after defeating Santa Barbara, 3-1. The Torneo Apertura is the first of two tournaments played each season. The “Red-Blacks” will compete in the final of the national championship against the winner of Torneo Clausura, which is set to begin in January. GUATEMALA. Making a strong case for being deemed the “Team of the Decade”, Comunicaciones won their fourth national title in a row with a come from behind, 2-1 win over archrival Municipal. The “Whites” have not relinquished the title since the 1996/1997 season. EL SALVADOR. League sensation Municipal Lime±o advanced to the single-match final of El Salvador’s Torneo Apertura following a scoreless match against Alianza on Sunday. The surprising club will face Aguila on December 26th. NOTE TO THE MEDIA: Credential forms for Gold Cup 2000 can be downloaded directly from our official web site. The deadline to receive all completed applications is January 21. The Confederation of North, Central American Caribbean Association Footbal, is one of six FIFA world Confederations serving as the governing body of soccer in North, Central America and the Caribbean. It is composed of 38 members, spanning from Canada in the north to Surinam in the south. For the latest information about the Confederation please visit our official web site: www.FootballConfederation.com. Also visit the Confederations news section in FIFA On-Line, the official FIFA web site: www.FIFA.com. Issued by the Confederation’s Communications Department. Carlos Giovanni Giron, Press Officer.