Stuttgart, Germany – Fears of fan violence fizzled Sunday as tens of thousands of raucous English supporters, under a heavy police presence, peacefully celebrated the fact their team advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals.
Beer, expletives and patriotic songs flowed freely – but an evening downpour and victory helped restrain the crowds.
It was a contrast to Saturday, when riot police arrested more than 500 English who hurled bottles and plastic chairs in separate outbursts.
Nearly 2,000 police officers patrolled this normally pristine southern city, a force boosted by hooligan experts from England.
Authorities estimated that 30,000 English supporters watched the match in the downtown area, with tens of thousands more inside the stadium.
FIFA protects website
FIFA blocked incoming e-mail from South Korea to its website because of a flood of angry messages from fans after the 2002 semifinalists went out in the first round of the World Cup.
South Korea, needing at least a draw against Switzerland to advance to the second round, lost 2-0. Switzerland and 1998 champion France advanced from Group G.
The Koreans complained about the refereeing, saying a penalty kick should have been awarded for a handball in the box in the first half, and that Alexander Frei should have been ruled offside on Switzerland’s second goal.
Referee Horacio Elizondo overruled his assistant, who had his flag raised to indicate offside. A South Korean player sent the ball backward toward Frei, negating the offside.
Korean newspaper Joong-Ang Daily reported that 4.2 million Koreans bombarded fifa.com after one particularly disgruntled fan organized a petition suggesting FIFA would have to replay the Switzerland-South Korea match if 5 million people complained.
FIFA’s new media department “detected this organized attack coming from Korea and, basically, had to block the messages from Korea to fifa.com to protect the website,” FIFA spokesman Pekka Odriozola said Sunday. “It was the FIFA site involved – the World Cup website was OK.”
Goal for Crespo
FIFA confirmed that striker Hernan Crespo was credited with Argentina’s first goal in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Mexico in the second round, erasing speculation it would be recorded as an own-goal for Jared Borgetti.
“The footage was analyzed, and it has been decided the goal will be awarded to Crespo, who deflected the ball,” FIFA communications director Markus Siegler said.
Under FIFA’s guidelines, a player making a shot on goal should be credited even if it comes off an opposing player.
Yellow cards flying
The 16 yellow cards, including four players being ejected, in the Portugal-Netherlands match tied the World Cup record set four years ago by Germany and Cameroon. The Portuguese lost Deco and Costinha with double yellows, while the Dutch’s Khalid Boulahrouz and Giovanni Van Bronckhorst were thrown out.
There have been 23 red cards in 52 matches, the most expulsions in any World Cup.
