ROME, 14 January 2004 — AS Roma striker Francesco Totti and Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedved shared Italy’s Best Player award for the 2002-03 season at a ceremony on Monday.
It was the first time that the prize, voted for by the members of the Italian Association of Footballers, had been shared in its seven-year history. Earlier in the ceremony, dubbed the Italian football “Oscars”, Czech Nedved beat Roma’s Brazilian midfielder Emerson and Romanian striker Adrian Mutu, who moved from Parma to Chelsea last year, to win the award for Best Foreign Player.
Totti came out ahead of international teammates Paolo Maldini of AC Milan and Christian Vieri of Inter Milan in the award for Best Italian Player.
Nedved was also named the European Footballer of the Year and World Soccer Player of the Year last month.
Gianluigi Buffon was voted Best Goalkeeper, while Marcello Lippi pipped AC Milan’s Carlo Ancelotti to the award for Best Coach. The Young Player of the Year trophy went to Roma striker Antonio Cassano, while Pierluigi Collina repeated was voted Best Referee for the second year in a row.
Italy’s Football League Wants Compulsory Blood Tests
Adriano Galliani, president of the Italian Football League, is hoping to get tough on drugs in soccer by introducing compulsory blood tests in addition to the measures already in force.
“I’m in favor of all controls necessary to stamp out doping. I want to introduce obligatory blood testing in the next contract we sign (with the Italian Footballers Association),” Galliani said at a Football League meeting in Milan yesterday.
Italy’s current drugs testing program involves random urine tests on players. Blood tests are also used, but players are under no obligation to give a sample.
Galliani’s decision to tighten up testing procedures was prompted by events at the weekend, when six out of twelve players chosen to take a blood test refused.
Three Serie A players have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs this season. Inter striker Mohammed Kallon was suspended for eight months and Perugia’s Al Saadi Gaddafi banned for three months last week after testing positive for nandrolone.
Parma midfielder Manuele Blasi is still waiting to hear what punishment he will receive after a positive test for norandrosterone last September.
England to Begin 2006 Cup Campaign in Austria
In London, England will begin their 2006 World Cup Group Six qualifying campaign with away matches against Austria and Poland, the English Football Association’s (FA) website reported yesterday.
The game against Austria is scheduled for Sept. 4, with the match in Poland four days later.
“The last date decided was England’s first match,” FA executive director David Davies was quoted as saying by the BBC website.
“But in the spirit of give and take, we finally came to an agreement. It is fair to say that nobody wanted to play us first in England.
