ACTUALITE |
28.06.2002
Asia deserves extra World Cup berth says Pele
YOKOHAMA
Football legend Pele believes that the World Cup finals have shown that Asia deserve an extra slot in the 32-nation tournament.
"This is something they have been fighting very hard for," said Pele who is here to take in the World Cup final on Sunday between Brazil and Germany.
"From the performances of Asian sides at this World Cup, they have proven that they should have an additional one."
The number of places allocated to Asia at the World Cup has been a long-running bone of contention.
At the 2002 finals, the region was given two automatic qualifying berths plus the offer of a play-off spot against a European side. With Japan and South Korea qualifying as co-hosts Asia had four representatives.
Asian Football Confederation general secretary Peter Velappan is leading a campaign to have the number of automatic places increased to five.
The AFC`s efforts received a setback early in the World Cup when Saudi Arabia were thrashed 8-0 by Germany during the first phase, a result Velappan described as a `disaster` for Asian football.
But the success of South Korea in reaching the semi-finals, the best performance of an Asian side in World Cup history, as well as Japan`s qualification for the last 16 have strengthed arguments for another place.
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