Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 5 Num 101 Fri. September 03, 2004  
   
Sports


FIFA Fussball-Weltmeisterschaft, Deutschland 2006
Solano's theory, Bielsa's rage


Peru captain Nolberto Solano said on Wednesday that World Cup qualifying opponents Argentina were not unbeatable.

Argentina have beaten Peru twice in the last two months and could field up to seven members of the Olympic team which took the gold medal in Athens by winning all six games without conceding a goal.

Marcelo Bielsa's team also reached the final of the Copa America in Peru in July, knocking the hosts out in the quarter-finals, and only lost to Brazil on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

Peru face them again in Lima on Saturday.

"They're a team who always want to win. Their players are never satisfied," Solano told reporters.

"But we have our strong points and with a lot of optimism and determination, we can do it (beat them).

Argentina are second in the South American World Cup qualifying group with 12 points from seven games while Peru are seventh with nine points.

"We have to play with intelligence and try to stop them getting the ball," Solano said.

"If we get caught out of position and leaving spaces, they're going to make things complicated."

Meanwhile, Bielsa angrily hit out at Spanish champions Valencia on Wednesday after their midfielder Pablo Aimar failed to arrive for training with the South Americans.

Aimar was due to begin training with his country on Tuesday for Saturday's qualifier away to Peru.

"There's been a clear alteration of the rules on Valencia's part," said the normally placid Bielsa. "He played (in a league match) against Villareal on Monday when he shouldn't have done. He should be here with us."

His absence appeared to be a tit-for-tat reprisal after central defender Roberto Ayala, another Argentine international who plays for Valencia, was injured while playing at the Olympic Games.

Valencia said on Monday that Ayala would be out for up to two months after suffering knee ligament damage in the Olympic final against Paraguay in Athens on Saturday.

The injury came after Ayala had spent three months with Argentina, playing two World Cup qualifiers in Brazil and Argentina, the Copa America in Peru and Olympic Games in Greece as an over-age player -- all within FIFA rules.

The episode is the latest in a long history of club-versus-country disputes involving European clubs and South American national teams.

The Argentine sports daily Ole quoted a Valencia spokesman as saying that Aimar would stay in Spain.

"We went through all the necessary procedures, they didn't send him, they ignored the regulations and I don't know what will become of this situation," added Bielsa.

He added that Valencia were justified in being upset about Ayala but said that no rules had been broken.

"Valencia feel they have lost out because of the recent call-ups for Ayala and, it's true, he's been at the service of the national team for 90 days and this conspires against Valencia's interests," he said.

"But the rules say that I, as coach of the national team, am authorised to select a player for World Cup qualifiers, for the Copa America and the Olympic Games.

"So I selected him in accordance with the aforementioned regulations."