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World Cup roundup Austria leaves out Israel absentees; Belgium loses Wilmots
VIENNA (Reuters) -- Austria coach Otto Baric has snubbed nine players who refused to fly to Israel for last month's World Cup qualifier by leaving them out of his squad for the playoff against Turkey. Baric announced virtually the same squad on Friday as the one selected for the Israel match to face the Turks in Vienna on November 10 and in Istanbul four days later. The nine players pulled out of the match in Tel Aviv citing security fears due to tensions in the Middle East. The makeshift side scored in injury time to secure a 1-1 draw and finish second in group seven, edging Israel out of the playoff. "I am very sorry about it really," Baric told a news conference. "Because until Israel, those nine players were very good and very important, with a lot of experience." "They are still very good in my opinion but unfortunately at an important moment they did not do the right thing." The new squad includes midfielders Michael Baur of Tirol and Thomas Floegel of Midlothian, who were suspended for the Israel qualifier. TSV Munich midfielder Markus Weissenberger who missed the Tel Aviv fixture as he was suffering from shingles has also been recalled. Weissenberger's club teammate Harald Cerny is back in the squad, having been excused from flying to Israel because his wife was expecting twins. She has not yet given birth. Leading striker Ivica Vastic was also named but will miss the Vienna game as he was booked in the last match. The absentees are Edi Glieder, Alfred Hoertnagl, Robert Ibertsberger, Roland Kirchler and Walter Kogler of FC Tirol, Martin Hiden and Christian Mayrleb of Austria Vienna, Didi Kuehbauer of Wolfsburg and Guenther Neukirchner and Ferdinand Feldhofer of Sturm Graz. Austrian squad: Goalkeepers: Franz Wohlfahrt (Austria Vienna), Alexander Manninger (AC Fiorentina), Roland Goriupp (FC Carinthia) Defenders: Markus Hiden (Rapid Vienna), Thomas Winklhofer (FC Saarbruecken), Gilbert Prilasnig (Aris Saloniki), Robert Golemac (SW Bregenz), Zeljko Vukovic (FC Carinthia) Midfielders: Andreas Herzog (Werder Bremen), Michael Baur (Tirol), Thomas Floegel (Heart of Midlothian), Gerald Strafner (Sturm Graz), Markus Weissenberger, Harald Cerny (TSV 1860 Munich), Stefan Lexa (Unterhaching), Richard Kitzbichler (SV Salzburg), Markus Schopp (Brescia Calcio), Gerd Wimmer (Eintracht Frankfurt), Tomislav Kocijan (LASK) Forwards: Ivica Vastic, Mario Haas (Sturm Graz), Roman Wallner (Rapid Vienna) In training: Martin Stranzl (1860 Munich) Gunes names Turkish squadISTANBUL (Reuters) -- Turkish coach Senol Gunes announced the following squad on Friday for World Cup playoff matches against Austria on November 10 and 14: Goalkeepers: Rustu Recber (Fenerbahce), Omer Catkic (Gaziantepspor), Metin Aktas (Trabzonspor) Defenders: Umit Ozat (Fenerbahce), Bulent Korkmaz (Galatasaray), Emre Asik (Galatasaray), Alpay Ozalan (Aston Villa), Fatih Akyel (Real Mallorca) Midfielders: Abdullah Ercan (Fenerbahce), Hakan Unsal (Galatasaray), Umit Davala (AC Milan), Ergun Penbe (Galatasaray), Sergen Yalcin (Galatasaray) Tayfur Havutcu (Besiktas), Okan Buruk (Inter Milan), Emre Belozoglu (Inter Milan), Tugay Kerimoglu (Blackburn Rovers), Yildiray Basturk (Bayer Leverkusen), Mehmet Polat (Gaziantepspor), Tayfun Korkut (Real Sociedad) Forwards: Arif Erdem (Galatasaray), Umit Karan (Galatasaray), Hasan Sas (Galatasaray), Nihat Kahveci (Besiktas), Ilhan Mansiz (Besiktas), Hakan Sukur (Inter Milan) Wilmots, Mpenza to miss Belgian playoffBRUSSELS (Reuters) -- Belgium will be without the services of captain Marc Wilmots and striker Emile Mpenza when it faces the Czech Republic in a World Cup playoff next week. Coach Robert Waseige, who announced the squad Friday, was forced to leave out injured midfielder Wilmots and Mpenza, who is recovering from groin surgery, for the playoffs -- at home on November 10 and away four days later. Fearing more injury problems over the weekend, Waseige has listed a large 20-man squad for the games, which will decide if Belgium qualify for their sixth consecutive World Cup final. Wilmots, who plays for Germany's Schalke 04, underwent knee surgery in September and was injured again in a match last week against Panathinaikos. "It wasn't a complete surprise but I kept hoping right to the end," a disappointed Waseige said on Friday. "There's only one cure for the injury and that's total rest. He's therefore out for 10 days at least, it's very annoying." Mpenza, Schalke's 23-year-old marksman, has been suffering from a swollen lymph node in his groin and, after an operation last week, is expected to be out of action until next year. But Wilmot's woes mean an international recall for his Schalke team mate Sven Vermant and Borussia Moenchengladbach striker Peter Van Houdt gets a chance to play for the national side for the first time since May 1999 in place of Mpenza. Genk goalkeeper Jan Moons has been selected behind Geert De Vlieger. Moons's previous planned international debut away to Latvia was scuppered by passport problems. Squad: Goalkeepers: Geert De Vlieger (Willem II), Jan Moons (Genk) Defenders: Philip Clement (Club Bruges), Glen De Boek (Anderlecht), Eric Deflandre (Olympique Lyon), Jacky Peeters (Ghent), Timmy Simons (Club Bruges), Joos Valgaeren (Celtic), Nico Van Kerckhoven (Schalke 04), Eric Van Meir (Standard Liege) Midlfielders: Danny Boffin (Sint-Truiden), Bart Goor (Hertha Berlin), Marc Hendrikx (Anderlecht), Yves Vanderhaeghe (Anderlecht), Gert Verheyen (Club Bruges), Sven Vermant (Schalke 04), Johan Walem (Standard Leige) Forwards: Michael Goossens (Standard Liege), Wesley Sonck (Genk), Peter Van Houdt (Borussia Moenchengladbach) Filipescu out for RomaniaBUCHAREST (Reuters) -- Romanian defender Iulian Filipescu will miss next weekend's World Cup play-off against Slovenia after suffering an injury in training with his club Real Betis. "Filipescu has a muscle strain in his left leg which will sideline him for the next three to four weeks," national team doctor Pompiliu Popescu said Friday. The central defender has missed three of Romania's last four matches because of injury. Nantes striker Viorel Moldovan, who has a serious thigh injury, is also sidelined. Romanian coach Gheorghe Hagi called up uncapped midfielder Florin Soava of Rapid Bucharest, who can also play in defence, but the rest of his 22-man squad contained no surprises. Defenders Cosmin Contra of Milan and Cristian Chivu of Ajax Amsterdam both return after suspensions, along with Steaua Bucharest defender Mirel Radoi and striker Ionel Ganea of Stuttgart. Veteran midfielder Ovidiu Sabau, 33, in good form with Romanian league leaders Rapid Bucharest, is likely to start on the right. Romania face Slovenia in Ljubljana on November 10 and in Bucharest four days later. The winners qualify for next year's World Cup finals. Squad: Goalkeepers: Bogdan Stelea (Salamanca), Bogdan Lobont (Dinamo Bucharest; Defenders: Cosmin Contra (Milan), Mirel Radoi (Steaua Bucharest), Gheorghe Popescu (Lecce), Bogdan Miu (Steaua Bucharest), Giani Kirita (Dinamo Bucharest), Adrian Iencsi (Rapid Bucharest), Dan Lacusta (Astra Ploiesti), Cristian Chivu (Ajax Amsterdam); Midfielders: Ioan Ovidiu Sabau (Rapid Bucharest), Laurentiu Rosu (Numancia), Dorinel Munteanu (Wolfsburg), Florin Soava (Rapid Bucharest), Mihai Tararache (Grasshopper Zurich), Florin Pirvu (Dinamo Bucharest), Adrian Mutu (Verona); Forwards: Adrian Ilie (Valencia), Adrian Mihalcea (Dinamo Bucharest), Daniel Pancu (Rapid Bucharest), Marius Niculae (Sporting Lisabona), Ionel Ganea (Stuttgart).
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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