NOTEBOOK: IRANIAN TEAM ENJOYS JUBILANT HOMECOMING.Byline: Daily News Wire Services In Tehran, blowing trumpets and waving flags, thousands of jubilant Iranians welcomed the World Cup team Sunday, a homecoming that mixed disappointment at the team's elimination with joy over its win against the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Some fans waited for hours outside Mehrabad Airport, where the team arrived a little before dawn. Fans waved the red-white-and-green Iranian flag and wore the team's jersey or T-shirts with the picture of Ali Daei Ali Daei (Persian: علی دایی, born March 21, 1969 in Ardabil, Iran) is a retired Iranian football player who currently is manager of Saipa F.C. in Iran's Premier Football League. , its star player. Others blew plastic trumpets in a noisy reception. ``Our boys played very well,'' coach Jalal Talebi Jalal Talebi (Persian: جلال طالبی, born 1945 in Tehran, Iran) is a retired Iranian football player and manager. said. ``We are pleased to see our people receiving the team so warmly.'' Ticket troubles: Soccer's world governing body Noun 1. governing body - the persons (or committees or departments etc.) who make up a body for the purpose of administering something; "he claims that the present administration is corrupt"; "the governance of an association is responsible to its members"; "he brushed off political pressure and refused to increase England's ticket share for the second-round World Cup match against Argentina. British Sports Minister Tony Banks Tony Banks can mean:
FIFA n abbr (= Fédération Internationale de Football Association) → FIFA f to increase the ticket allocation for Tuesday's match. England received 2,049 tickets for the Saint-Etienne match, its smallest allocation so far. But Banks said England and Argentina should each have received 10,000 tickets. TODAY'S BEST BETS Mexico's comeback victory over South Korea, followed by astonishing a·ston·ish tr.v. as·ton·ished, as·ton·ish·ing, as·ton·ish·es To fill with sudden wonder or amazement. See Synonyms at surprise. rallies to draw with Belgium and the Netherlands, has captured the imagination of the throngs that have gathered in France for these championships, and it has stirred confidence in the Mexican squad heading into today's second-round battle with Germany at Montpellier's Stade de La Mosson Stade de la Mosson is a football stadium in Montpellier, France. It is the home of Montpellier HSC (Ligue 2) and has a capacity of 32,900. It suffers from weak attendance (8,000 for a Ligue 2 game) in general. . ``Now we are Columbus' three small ships, about to come into port,'' said Manuel Lapuente, the once-beleaguered Mexican coach. ``I think we are getting close to our best, but there are no limits. The sky's the limit.'' These are the Buffalo Bills of international soccer. This Dutch team is being compared with the squads of 1974 and 1978, which reached the World Cup final. Perhaps, finally, the Netherlands will shed itself of the backhanded compliment of being the best team never to win a world championship. The Netherlands will learn quickly about its chances with a second-round match against Yugoslavia today in Toulouse. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO A horn-blowing French fan blocks traffic while celebrating in the streets of a village, L'Etrat, after France defeated Paraguay. Eric Draper/Associated Press |
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