Subject: RE: 2002 World Cup Cancelled!!!
From:
Fibula Mattock
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 11:19 AM
Relax guys! Full text is flying round as an e-mail:(Reuters) -FIFA President Sepp Blatter has today sensationallyannounced that the World Cup finals due to be held in Japan and South Korea next year have in fact been cancelled.
The decision was taken shortly after England's 5-1 demolition of Germany in Munich on Saturday night. "We have taken the unprecedented step of crowning the winners before the tournament has even started" Blatter stated.
It seems the English press have played a major part in the episode.
Blatter continued: "The English press are convinced now that England going on to win the tournament is merely a formality and we have decided to save all the other teams the trouble of going over and competing."
The news has been met with mixed reaction. Brazil, France and Argentina are said to be disappointed by the news as they believed they also were in with a decent chance of winning footballs biggest prize. But the claim has been shrugged off by ex-England boss Kevin Keegan, who admitted: "France may be without doubt the best team in the world but we are far stronger". Both the Japanese and South Korean governments are said to be pleased that the tournament has been postponed. Hay A Sook, the Korean Home Affairs Minister, was quick to point out that the money set aside to combat the hooligan element of the English support could now be diverted to other areas. "With the money saved we can now afford to build 9784 new schools and 763 new hospitals" he said. Blatter however would not be drawn on rumours that the 2004 European Championships and the 2006 World Cup will also now be shelved and instead be awarded to England. Meanwhile, the Scottish Football Association has announced that all matches to be held this weekend will be marked with a minute's silence.
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