Football: Two-match ban for Cameroon's Kalla

THE CAMEROON defender Raymond Kalla has been suspended for two matches after receiving a red card in Wednesday's match against Italy.

Kalla was sent off for a double-footed challenge on Luigi Di Biagio in the 43rd minute of the Group B game in Montpellier, which Italy won 3- 0. Fifa, the game's world governing body, announced yesterday that he will miss Cameroon's last group match, against Chile on Tuesday in Nantes, and Cameroon's second round match, if they qualify.

Kalla became the second player to be suspended for two matches after the Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert, who was sent off for raising an elbow to the Belgian Lorenzo Staelens in Saturday's goalless draw at the Stade de France.

The Scottish striker Darren Jackson and Moroccan midfielder Said Chiba will both be suspended for one match after each received their second yellow card.

The Cameroon coach, Claude Le Roy, said he would pick a more defensive team for the final first round game against Chile. He suggested that he may play the veteran striker Francois Omam Biyik at the back to replace Kalla.

Le Roy's gamble of bringing only a handful of defenders with him to France looked to have backfired on Wednesday when Kalla was sent off. Cameroon have only one point to show so far for their adventurous attacking play, which has shown up the defensive failings of the young and inexperienced side.

"I will change our system of play to a defensive 3-5-2 formation," said Le Roy, hoping for a win and counting on an Italian victory over Austria.

Austria, meanwhile, drew 1-1 with Chile thanks to a goal in the last minute of injury time by Ivica Vastic. Vastic, a substitute, curled a right-footed shot past the Chilean goalkeeper, Nelson Tapia.

There remains some contention, however, about the validity of Chile's goal in the 70th minute.

The Austria goalkeeper, Michael Konsel, for one holds that Marcelo Salas's strike from six yards did not completely cross the line on Wednesday.

"The ball was in a little bit but not completely over the line," Konsel said. Footage by Austrian state television backs up his assertion, he maintains.

The Austria coach, Herbert Prohaska, attempted to defuse the controversy. "The ball looked seven-eights behind the line," he said. "In any case, the referee had to decide quickly."

Prohaska said he was happy with his defence. "Offensively, we lacked cohesion, we lacked spontaneity as far as passing is concerned," he said.

The last-minute goal and draw was the second in two games for Austria. A week ago, it was Anton Polster's strike in injury time that made it 1-1 against Cameroon. Another late goal and Austrian hopes of qualifying for the second round remain alive.

With two draws behind them in Group B, Chile and Austria are even with two points each. Italy went top of the group with a 3-0 victory over Cameroon but could still go out if Austria and Chile both win their remaining games.

Austria, outsiders with Cameroon in the group, were happy with the results. Not so Chile.

"I do not know what to say, why we have to suffer through things like this," said the Chile coach, Nelson Acosta.

His team appeared to be heading for victory against Italy until the Azzurri equalised with a controversial penalty.

"I do not know what happened, can't explain it," Acosta said. "Austria played exactly as we expected. We handled the match well, although we lacked a bit of mobility, especially in the first half."

With his two earlier goals against Italy, Salas's strike against Austria made him the tournament's top scorer alongside Italy's Christian Vieri. But he would have been happy to trade that honour for victory over the Austrians. "Being top scorer is not the most important," he said. "I would rather have won."

Preview of today's matches, page 29