SUWON, South Korea — For Argentine club Boca Juniors, the trip to play in the eight-team Peace Cup is a welcome relief from one of its worst seasons ever.
The club, which produced such stars as Diego Maradona and Antonio Rattin, took a positive step Saturday night by playing to a 2-2 tie in a dazzling game against English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur at the World Cup Stadium in Suwon.
The Argentine giant also is reported to be short on cash and wants to sign Brazil’s Rivaldo, which makes reaching the final game on July24 in Seoul and winning the $2million prize money all the more tempting.
The Buenos Aires team still is recovering from a humiliating defeat last month in the quarterfinals of Copa Libertadores — South America’s biggest club event — which Boca has won three times in the last five years. After losing 4-0 at Mexican side Guadalajara, Boca was trying to at least get a win against the Mexican team at home.
Instead, the game was abandoned in the 79th minute when angry Boca fans began hurling missiles onto the field following a brawl among players. Boca coach Jorge Benitez, shown on television spitting at a Mexican player, was forced to resign after the game.
In search of restoring its glory during the team’s centennial anniversary, Boca Juniors made 1986 World Cup hero Maradona the club’s vice president. Maradona promptly hand-picked Alfio Basile, who coached Argentina in the 1994 World Cup in the United States, as the team’s new coach.
Maradona, 44, did not make the trip to South Korea but reportedly is faring well after years of struggling with heart and drug problems and obesity.
Boca will play Spanish club Real Sociedad tonight at Busan World Cup Stadium and then face South African club Mamelodi Sundowns in Kwangju on Wednesday.
Pay for Park — Park Ji-Sung, Korea’s most famous soccer player, soon will be the nation’s wealthiest player. The former PSV Eindhoven star will earn more than $70,000 a week after a $7.3million move to Manchester United. Park helped South Korea book its sixth consecutive World Cup appearance last month when he scored in a 4-0 victory over Kuwait.
With Park on board, Manchester United not only has a talented attacking player but also a massive market in South Korea, where Park’s picture is everywhere.
“I want to show my value to United in terms of my ability, not for some marketing strategy for Asia,” Park said. “I am not going to England for business. Manchester United is the most famous club in the world. I am getting the chance to play in the best team with the best players.”
Australia bound — PSV Eindhoven coach Guus Hiddink, who led South Korea to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup, is being dogged by one question: Is he about to become Australia’s new coach?
“I’m thinking about it,” Hiddink said.
Australia is attempting to reach its first World Cup since 1974 and it is rumored Hiddink will take the job after the Peace Cup ends.
The Peace Cup is organized by the Sun Moon Soccer Foundation, which was founded by Rev. Sun Myung Moon.
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