Europe's giants aim to wrest Olympic soccer crown

ATHENS - Europe's football superpowers aim to crush Africa's dream of a third successive football gold medal and restore the balance of power at the Olympics.

Cameroon, in 2000, and Nigeria, in 1996, broke a run of European successes stretching back to the 1936 Games in Berlin but both the Indomitable Lions and Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 16-team finals in Athens.

This year, Africa have four representatives in Ghana, Mali, Morocco and Tunisia but it is the likes of Italy, Portugal and hosts Greece, still high on their Euro 2004 triumph, who are expected to be pushing for gold in the final at the Olympic Stadium on August 28.

Former World Cup winning hardman Claudio Gentile coached Italy to the European Under-19 title, the qualifying competition for Athens with a 3-0 win against Serbia and Montenegro, and he believes his young team has the makings of a golden performance.

The Portuguese will also be amongst the favourites especially with Cristiano Ronaldo and new Chelsea signing Tiago as well as striker Helder Postiga, who scored the equaliser against England in the Euro 2004 quarter-final which took the match into extra-time, taking part. While naturally Ronaldo's club manager Sir Alex Ferguson was not happy the 19-year-old made no bones aobut him wishing to defy his Manchester United handler's wishes.

Cameroon and Nigeria's failure to qualify this time around proved once again how hard it is for champions to mount a successful defence of their title.

Only Hungary (Tokyo, 1964 and Mexico, 1968), Uruguay (Paris, 1924 and Amsterdam, 1928) and England (London, 1908 and Stockholm, 1912) have managed to win two successive golds in the 20 football tournaments held.

Professional players were only allowed to take part from the 1984 Games in Los Angeles; before that the amateur competition was the domain of the Eastern bloc. But times have changed and the Olympics is attracting more and more pro players.

Take the Argentinians. Twice World Cup winners, 14-times Copa America champions, but without an Olympic gold to boast of.

Looking at the Argentinian squad, though, it would be hard to count against them filling the vacancy column in that medal haul.

No less than 12 of their 18-man squad hail from clubs abroad and have irked Ferguson even more by picking his new signing from Paris Saint Germain Gabriel Heinze - as one of the three players allowed in a squad aged 23 and over.

Talented striker Javier Saviola summed up the mood in the camp among the players, especially those who went down on penalties to Brazil in the Copa America final.

Although the destination of the gold medal is expected to be heading to one of the old guard, the tournament's sympathy vote will go to Iraq who make up Asia's contingent with Japan and South Korea.

The Iraqis, forced to play all of their qualifiers away from Baghdad, secured their unlikely place with a 3-1 win against bitter regional rivals Saudi Arabia in Amman. The result was greeted with gunfire in the Iraqi capital as the team reached their first Olympics since 1988.

There will also be a new gold medallist in the women's event with Norway, champions in 2000, having failed to qualify.

Ten nations are taking part, with the United States, winners of the inaugural gold in Atlanta in 1996, starting amongst the favourites but expected to face stiff opposition from China and Brazil.

Men's: Group A: Greece, South Korea, Mali, Mexico

Group B: Paraguay, Japan, Ghana, Italy

Group C: Argentina, Serbia and Montenegro, Tunisia, Australia

Group D: Costa Rica, Morocco, Iraq, Portugal

Women's: Group E: Japan, Nigeria, Sweden

Group F: China, Mexico, Germany

Group G: Australia, Greece, USA, Brazil.