/ 3 September 1997

Fifa supports African World Cup bid

WEDNESDAY, 12.30PM:

WORLD soccer governing body Fifa announced on Tuesday it would support an African bid to host the 2006 World Cup finals. Fifa president Joao Havelange said in Cairo: “I hope that the 2006 World Cup takes place in Africa because [Africa] has the means to do it.”

Currently only England and Germany are in the bidding.

SPORT BRIEFS

BORDER CAPTAIN QUITS BORDER rugby captain Ruhan van Zyl announced on Tuesday he is quitting the game — just days before Border faces Northern Free State in a Bankfin Currie Cup match. Van Zyl said his decision was “because of a build-up of things and I have had enough”.

FERREIRA FLOPS SOUTH AFRICA’S Wayne Ferreira bowed out of the US Open men’s singles tournament on Tuesday with a humiliating straight-sets loss to Magnus Larsson of Sweden. Larsson beat Ferreira 6-3 7-6 6-3.

INTER-PROVINCE HOCKEY TRANSVAAL squashed all hopes for Free State in the Spar Inter-Provincial hockey tournament for women on Tuesday. The defending champions beat the hapless Free State 10-0 in the opening match of the tournament.

HURTER ALSO HURT BLUE BULLS prop Marius Hurter has joined the ranks of the injured this season — he suffered a groin injury during a match at Loftus Versfeld last week, and looks like a non-starter in the upcoming Currie Cup clash against Mpumalanga Pumas in Witbank on Saturday.

FALCONS NAMED THE Gauteng Falcons have not made any changes to last week’s squad for the upcoming Bankfin Currie Cup match against Boland in Wellington.

SQUAD

Piet Mattys, Gert Peens, Andre Venter, Eugene Meyer, Len van Riet, Jaco Viljoen, Jacques van Niekerk, Nigel Pickford, Eugene Roussouw, Joe Senekal, Jaco Visser, Golie Gouws, Johan le Roux, Hennie Pieterse, Fanie van Wyk. BENCH

Peet Smith, Porta Hoffman, Duane Willemse, Ockert Booyse, Gander Williamson, Jan Bosch.

SOUTH KOREA BEAT SA THE South African Under-21 women’s hockey team lost 2-5 to the South Korean team in their Junior World Cup match in Seoul on Tuesday.