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Left-Out Stars Slam ‘Biased' Italy Coach
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Saturday 23 May 1998
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 News 6 
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WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN: Only 18 Days To Go!
LEFT-OUT STARS SLAM ‘BIASED' ITALY COACH
LEFT-OUT Italian stars Pierluigi Casiraghi and Diego Fuser have accused coach Cesare Maldini of bias towards players from his old club AC Milan after controversially being left out of his 22-man squad for France. The Lazio pair were omitted despite an outstanding club season in which they won the Italian Cup and reached the UEFA Cup Final.
Casiraghi heard the bad news while in London meeting Chelsea officials in an attempt to finalise his move to Stamford Bridge and admitted: There's no point denying it I'm very disappointed. For the moment, it's better to think about holidays. I'm going to try and take my mind off things in London - what else have I got to do?"
The £5m-rated forward was clearly bitter at being left out of Maldini's plans despite scoring the vital play-off goal that sealed Italy's place in the finals and sarcastically reminded reporters, perhaps he made his mind up to leave me out that day in Naples when I scored against Russia. He then added: Let's drop the subject. I couldn't care less. I'll just support Italy on television.
Lazio skipper Fuser went even further, claiming that the inclusion of three Milan men Maldini's son Paolo, Alessandro Costacurta and Demetrio Albertini despite the team's dismal season showed the coach was biased. Unfortunately, what counts - and oh how it counts - is being with AC Milan, rather than with Lazio, he claimed. I thought that I deserved more attention, and not just me. I'm very disappointed because I've had a good season.
"I've scored eight goals and played in two finals, winning one of them. I think that a team like Lazio, with the season they've had, should have had at least four men in the national squad. Instead, only Alessandro Nesta is going. That's just incredible. And if Maldini is going to the World Cup finals anyway, it's thanks to Casiraghi. And even he didn't get called up."
ROBERTO BAGGIO was all smiles at his surprise inclusion in the squad for the first time in seven months. Italy's hero of USA 94, now set to play in his third finals, said: I've been wishing and hoping. In the last few months, there were times when I felt that I would make it, and there were times when I wasn't so sure, when I was frightened I wasn't doing enough to convince Maldini. But in the end I think sheer willpower was the deciding factor. I was determined to make it.
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MILLIONS WATCH BRAZIL JET OFF
WE DON'T know whether they whiled away a few spare minutes before take-off with a kickabout in the terminal, but Brazil's stars have now flown into France. Brazilian television stations interrupted their regular programmes to broadcast live pictures of the team's plane taking off from Rio airport and an estimated 1200 fans turned up at the airport to catch a glimpse of the players who will be attempting to win Brazil's fifth world title, causing chaos inside the terminal and a traffic jam outside.
The words ‘Good luck, Brazil' popped up on Globo television as the chartered Varig Brazilian Airlines aircraft - painted in the country's blue, green and yellow colours - sped along the runway and climbed into the sky to the backing of the network's World Cup theme tune.
The country's opening game against Scotland is still nearly three weeks away, but most Brazilian newspapers are already devoting three or four pages to the national team and anything makes news. In Thursday's editions, several papers printed graphics showing the seating arrangements inside the 250-seater jet, which the 32-man delegation shared with a handful of journalists and guests.
Seventeen of the 22-man squad were on board - Ronaldo, Cafu, Aldair and Roberto Carlos, who were not released by their European clubs for last week's training camp in Brazil, joined up with the squad in France yesterday, while defender Andre Cruz missed the flight because his connection from Sao Paulo was delayed by fog and had to make his own way to Paris.
SOMMER TIME BLUES
FORMER Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper Juergen Sommer, now playing for Columbus Crew in the USA, is in danger of being booted out of America's squad on the eve of the World Cup to make room for in-form striker Roy Lassiter.
United States coach Steve Sampson is worried about the health and form of the forwards already in the party. Eric Wynalda, the country's record goalscorer, didn't play in last Saturday's 0-0 draw with Macedonia because of a sprained knee and stand-in Brian McBride failed to score in that match despite getting a string of decent chances. Lassiter, meanwhile, has scored five goals in as many games since being traded from Tampa Bay Mutiny to Washington DC United.
The United States play Scotland in Washington a week on Sunday and then a French second division team in a closed-door match on June 3, so Wynalda hasn't got much time to prove he is ready for France 98.
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PARAGUAY LET
CZECHS CASH IN
SOUTH American outsiders Paraguay are limping towards their World Cup group D matches against Spain, Nigeria and Bulgaria after suffering a 1-0 defeat against the Czech Republic in the three-team Kirin Cup tournament in Japan.
Vladimir Smicer scored the only goal for the Euro 96 runners-up, who failed to qualify for France 98, after 12 minutes. Paraguay end the tournament without a victory having conceded a late equaliser to draw 1-1 against fellow World Cup qualifiers on Sunday.
Paraguay had plenty of early possession against the Czechs, but were caught by a sucker punch when Smicer poked the ball home from close range. Flamboyant goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert came closest for the South Americans in the 21st minute with a trademark free-kick which was pushed wide by goalkeeper Tomas Postulka. Japan take on the Czech Republic in Yokohama in the final match of the tournament tomorrow.
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