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<span class="vitstoryheadline">Mexican official: 'We lost to an inferior team'</span>
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<font size=-1><b>
<span class="vitstorydate">06/20/2002</span>
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<span class="vitstorybyline">From Wire Reports </span>
</b></font><span class="vitstorybody"><p>

    Mexicans still can't get over losing to the United States in the World Cup.

    <p>
      Many insist the 2-0 second-round defeat was a fluke, even though the 
      Americans no longer are dominated on the soccer field by their southern 
      neighbors.
    </p>
    <p>
      &quot;We lost to an inferior team. That is what is more disappointing for 
      us,&quot; Alejandro Burillo, president of Mexico's National Team Commission, 
      told the newspaper <i>Reforma</i>.
    </p>
    <p>
      Hugo Sanchez, Mexico's greatest player and now a club coach, echoed 
      those sentiments in a column for the sports daily <i>Record</i>. &quot;... I 
      know and I am convinced that we are better than they are,&quot; Sanchez wrote.

    </p>
    <p>
      <b>Injured midfielder OK with missing U.S. party </b>
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    CHICAGO &#8211; Chris Armas, who played a key role in getting the United States 
    to the World Cup, said it has been &quot;bittersweet&quot; watching the team advance 
    as he nurses a knee injury at home.

    <p>
      &quot;It hasn't been too tough, really,&quot; said Armas, a defensive midfielder 
      who was injured in a May 12 warm-up match.
    </p>
    <p>
      &quot;One of the first things I said to my wife when we were home is, 'I'm 
      not totally crushed, I'm just so upset because I know the team is going 
      to do something special.' &quot; I had a feeling,&quot; Armas said.
    </p>
    <p>
      <b>Japanese politician upset over empty seats </b>
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    TOKYO &#8211; The governor of the region where Japan lost its second-round World 
    Cup game denounced the tournament's ticketing agency Wednesday over 
    hundreds of empty seats.

    <p>
      Roughly 700 seats were empty Tuesday when Japan lost 1-0 to Turkey in 
      the northern state of Miyagi and was eliminated from competition.
    </p>
    <p>
      &quot;It is very regrettable as the host site that there were so many 
      unoccupied seats in a match that was watched by people all over Japan,&quot; 
      Miyagi governor Shiro Asano said.
    </p>
    <p>
      Asano said he would demand an explanation from Britain-based Byrom Inc., 
      which is in charge of World Cup ticketing for FIFA.
    </p>
    <p>
      <b>FIFA defends referees, says they're only human </b>
    </p>
    <p>
      
    </p>
    YOKOHAMA, Japan &#8211; Facing criticism of the officiating in the World Cup, 
    particularly from the Italians, FIFA defended its referees Wednesday. It 
    also acknowledged the refs make mistakes, too.

    <p>
      &quot;It's been said on many occasions that referees are subject to making 
      errors, just as players, coaches and journalists are,&quot; FIFA spokesman 
      Keith Cooper said. &quot;That is always going to happen. Every effort is 
      being made to reduce them to a minimum, and the general opinion is that 
      those inaccuracies have been kept to the minimum.&quot;
    </p>
    <p>
      The Italian team complained it was stymied by repeated calls against 
      them throughout the tournament &#8211; and particularly in Tuesday's 2-1 
      overtime loss to South Korea.
    </p>
    <p>
      Among the headlines that greeted the Italian team upon its return home: 
      &quot;Thieves &#8211; the killer referee hounds the Azzurri out of the World Cup.&quot;

    </p>
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