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Far from Trouble
Keeping his players fit won't be the only thing on Sven-Goran Eriksson's mind in the lead-up to Korea/Japan 2002: the England manager must also worry about keeping his men out of trouble. The history of the England squad is replete with tales of inebriated antics and temper tantrums—like the wild night out in Hong Kong just weeks before the Euro '96 competition, when stars like Paul Gascoigne found themselves in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. For a pre-Cup destination where the players can acclimatize to Asian summer conditions away from the spotlight, the Football Association is considering sending the squad to Dubai in early May. Portugal's Algarve region is another contender, but many commentators favor the Emirate, not least because a move there would likely rule out any high jinks involving alcohol: although not quite as orthodox as neighboring Saudi Arabia, Dubai has low tolerance for drunken behavior. |
