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Football acrimony grips Beijing

A Chinese scalper shows possible seat locations to prospective buyers outside Workers Stadium on the eve of the Asian Cup finals in Beijing, yesterday. PHOTO: REUTERS

Beijing will be on high alert when China clashes with bitter rival Japan today in an Asian Cup soccer final laced with political and historical overtones.

More than 6,000 security staff will be deployed for the potentially explosive game, with riot police, armed soldiers and SWAT teams in position to prevent crowd trouble.

Japan's embassy said yesterday it was warning Japanese fans to be extra cautious amid escalating acrimony.

"Our statement told Japanese that if you go, be careful not to get into trouble or an unpleasant situation," an embassy spokesman said.

Resentment lingers in China because of Japan's military invasion and brutal occupation of parts of the country from 1931 to 1945.

Chinese fans have booed Japan relentlessly throughout the tournament and some even rushed the team bus after one match, forcing it to leave the stadium without two players.

A group of Chinese have gathered 1,900 hackers to attack 200 Japanese and Taiwanese Web sites, Hong Kong's Wen Wei Po newspaper said. Many of the sites were official sites.

The newspaper said the sabotage came after a July 25 Japanese attack on the Web site of a group defending China's sovereignty claim over a group of disputed islands.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said the attack inflicted no major damage on the government system.

The incidents highlight the depth of anti-Japanese sentiment.

China has called on fans to behave but a raucous crowd of 65,000 will give China a huge psychological edge as they bid to win the Asian Cup for the first time.

A notice on the Japanese embassy Web site advised fans not to wear national team uniforms in public and to use caution outside Beijing's Worker's Stadium, where the final will be held today.

"After the match there could be trouble," the spokesman said.

Beijing authorities will group all Japanese fans in a specially marked area and will provide additional police protection -- meaning Japanese holders of 100-yuan (US$12) cheap seats and the top 800-yuan tickets will watch from the same section.

"We hope the Chinese authorities will give the Japanese fans good seats," the embassy spokesman said.

Between 1,000 and 2,000 fans from Japan are expected to have tickets for the final, although the exact number is unknown.

The Japanese team has thrived in the hostile atmosphere, as they did when they won the title for the second time in Lebanon in 2000.

"We love it," said Japan coach Zico.

"Getting bashed by the Chinese fans has united the players. We want to settle the score on the pitch," Zico said.

It has been an exhausting road to the final for Japan. They beat Jordan in the quarterfinals in a bizarre penalty shootout that started at one end and finished at the other.

Japan was close to going out again in their semifinal against tiny Bahrain before defender Yuji Nakazawa snatched a late equalizer. Japan went on to win 4-3 after extra time.

China, currently on a 19-match unbeaten run, needed penalties to beat three-time champions Iran in the semi-finals.
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