The Daily Telegraph from London, Greater London, England • 97

I I Cricket Ghastly for Garcia Open ordeal repeat for young Spaniard Paul Hayward, Sport 2 Plus Martin Johnson on Faldo's day of torture, Sport 3 latae Browned off The Scotland coach fights back Exclusive interview by. Sue Mott. Sport 6 The Daily Telegraph Saturday, July 17, 1999 UNITED Blundering FA turn to young United Holders' youth stand-by for By Henry Winter Football Correspondent IN AN attempt to redress a mess of their own making, the Football Association will allow Manchester United to field their youth team in next season's FA Cup. The competition's fourth round coincides with the visit by United's 22-man squad to Brazil for FIFA's World Club Championship from Jan 5-14. Lancaster Gate and United, the Cup holders, have discussed and rejected various solutions but the FA now believe youth-team deal to be the only possible answer to the controversy, provided Old Trafford agree.

Any competition. Despite their team on desire to have United representing Cup duty playing England's fields interests of FIFA on in the the run-up to the 2006 World Cup decision, there is also request by United to field feeling within Lancaster their youth team in the Gate that the FA Cup FA Cup on Jan 8, holders must defend the assuming they progress trophy, even if it involves from the third round, will fielding a cast of unknowns. be considered and ratified FA Cup rules demand by the FA, according to clubs play their "best sources at Lancaster Gate available" team; if that yesterday. means the youth team If the youth team because Cole and Co are in succeed, then Alex Ferguson Brazil then the FA will can simply restore all or happily accept a teamsome of his first-team squad sheet of teenagers. FA for the fifth round.

officials acknowledge United's two Premiership privately that past United fixtures which clash with youth teams, like the 1992 the Brazil tournament, vintage, now form almost Middlesbrough at home half the senior England and Leeds United away, side. The important thing would be rearranged as is that United planned. represented. Clearly, the FA have Despite FA comments now been swayed by the that this situation will not understandable public occur again, FIFA's illoutcry at the devaluing of advised new championship the world's oldest football will be established on an The Open Championship: Second Round Flying the French flag Van de Velde springs surprise to snatch lead with stunning 68 Lewine Mair Golf Correspondent JEAN VAN DE VELDE missed what Greg Norman called the "docile" part of the day. When the Frenchman was out, the wind was flapping across the fairways sane getting stronger by the minute added a stunningly skilful to his opening 75 to take the half-way lead in the 128th Open at Carnoustie.

The fact that this unsung player is ahead of Tiger Woods and the rest will make the news all over the golfing globe and maybe even in France, where golf ranks behind football, cycling, tennis and a host of other sports. "'If I don't make the headlines at home tomorrow," said Van de Velde cheerfully, "I don't think I'll ever make annual basis, though the FA have been assured that it will definitely not be in January. Unfortunately, the lengthening domestic season and the presence of summer international events mean that future English entrants will run into similar fixture problems as United have. The FA and UEFA are already discussing better dates. The FA were saying little publicly yesterday, though their director, David Davies, commented: "Our hope was Manchester United would go to Brazil to represent European and English football I as well as take part in the FA Cup.

Up to this point, achieving both of those objectives has not proved possible. "Ultimately, any decision has to be for Manchester United to decide in what is a very difficult situation. We remain open-minded." A little local difficulty: Greg Norman, of how, during his days at Stanford University, his fellow students once watched from the clubhouse he practised on the furthermost reaches of the course in a rare bout of driving wind and rain. "What on earth were you doing out there?" they asked when finally he came dripping in to join them. "I'm practising for the British Open," he returned.

England spurned chance to host key world event By Mihir Bose Sports News Correspondent THE Football Association turned down an invitation tat to host the World Club Championship. The event is to be held in Brazil next January, a decision forced Manchester United to be granted exemption from next season's FA Cup. Had England hosted the then United could have played in the championship and defended the FA Cup. In addition, the FA, who claimed their bid for the 2006 World Cup was paramount during their recent negotiations with United over the Brazil trip, could have won much support within FIFA by hosting their inaugural club competition. A month ago, when the FA and Tony Banks were in meetings with Manchester United to try to persuade them to represent England in this competition, it appeared that that the issue had arisen suddenly following United's victory in the European Cup final in Barcelona in May.

That was when the FA realised that if United did not play in the World Club Championship then Bayern Munich, the runners-up in Barcelona, would represent Europe. With Germany already representing Europe in the Confederation Cup in Mexico starting next Saturday there, they are standing in for France this would have given the Germans a tremendous advantage in the bidding to stage the 2006 World Cup. MANI XS CHAMPIONSHI NORMAN with caddie Tony Navarro, negotiates the rough at the 17th, Van de Velde, when he arrived here make a huge difference to on Monday, took one look at the long ity of the game in France. grass tossing in the wind and decided On a personal level, it to play just the one practice round. an end a wager struck "The more you play, the more fairways Five Nations tournament.

you miss, the more you worry," he The arrangement was explained yesterday. won the wooden spoon, he If he were to become the first French to carry a wooden spoon player to win the Open since Arnaud variety in his golf bag Massy in 1907, he suspects it would time as he won another T'S 100 vitamin YOU vitamin A OR PI From A Centrum Complete to Zine Because you don't always eat as you should, take Centrum: contains 31 essential vitamins, minerals and other micro-nutrients, with 15 of them at precisely of the EC RDA. There's no more complete multimineral multivitamin. WHITEHALL real story is more complicated. In March, FIFA contacted the FA, along with other countries, asking if they would be prepared to host the event in January 2000.

By this stage United were in the Champions' League semi-final. However, the FA decided dates were not suitable. David Davies, the FA's executive director, said: "At that stage it wasn't an issue for us. It was a general invitation from FIFA and UEFA hadn't even said it wanted to participate." The FA did not focus on the competition and only became aware of it when they realised that Bayern might represent Europe. It is quite clear FIFA were struggling to get a major country to bid for what Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA, considers a prestigious event.

Initially nine countries expressed interest: Tahiti, Paraguay, China, USA, Turkey, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Uruguay. But of those, five Tahiti, China, Paraguay, USA and Turkey dropped out. Brazil, who are also bidding for the 2006 World Cup, emerged as favourites but the formal decision to grant them the tournament was not made until the emergency committee meeting of FIFA in Cairo on June 7. It seems that had England expressed an interest then they probably would have got the nod ahead of Brazil. United learnt that the FA had turned down the chance to host the tournament on Monday evening.

Club officials were surprised and concerned that they were not told about it before they made their decision to go to Brazil. The FA will argue that they could not have done anything else but had they thought about hosting the World Club Championship then United could have played in that and the FA Cup. Picture: RUSSELL CHEYNE Angel Cabrera, of Argentina, is lying in second place and Jesper Parnevik third. Still more pertinently, perhaps, Woods and Norman are no worse placed than three shots off the lead. Meanwhile, Jose Maria Olazabal, with his injured fingers and injured pride, was one to miss the cut.

Nick Faldo was another, the former Open champion finishing on 157 or 15 over par for his first missed cut in 25 Opens. Sergio Garcia followed his opening 89 with an 83 which left him twice as badly placed as Faldo. The best in Ireland two weeks ago, the engaging young Spaniard was far and away the worst here, at least among those who failed to make the half-way cut. Seldom can there have been a time when the option of getting his head stuck into his schoolbooks seemed more attractive. Early yesterday morning Gary Player fell into conversation with Woods on the driving range.

Player told the American: "I I can't believe that SO many players have been rubbishing the course. What good does them? They all have to play it, so why don't they get on with it?" Woods, after a childhood spent in southern California where the sun shines every day, revels in the chance to use his imagination in different conditions. In fact, there is the true story where the Australian dropped three shots the popular- France won the Five Nations, now the Six Nations. would bring to Cabrera started out as a caddie at during rugby's Mar del Plato, the Buenos Aires course where Henry Cotton, who won the 1937 that if France Open over Carnoustie, once went to the would have club captain to complain that some the kitchen woman had booked a hundred lessons until such tournament or Turn to Sport Two.