Irritated Chinese Denied Abdication of BiddingsChina dismissed Wednesday rumors of abdication of bidding for the 2004 Asian Cup after they got the nod to stage the 2003 Women's World Cup finals from FIFA, top Chinese official said.Zhang Jilong, head of the Chinese bid delegation for the 2004 Asian Cup, told a news conference that China are dedicated for the bidding campaign in Lebanon whatever happens. Zhang said the delegation were completed downfounded and irritated when they heard the rumors coming from the Internet this afternoon right after they arrived Beirut. "The whole delegation team are annoyed with the rumors. I have to warn the person who is responsible for the news to take care of his own business," Zhang said, referring to someone within the Chinese journalists who are in Lebanon covering the Asian Cup. "Anyone who wrote the report has betrayed his country when we are fight for the glory of China in the front-line," Zhang claimed. FIFA declared China as the hosts of the 2003 Women's World Cup finals in Zurich, Switzerland, on Tuesday. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will vote for the site of the 2004 Asian Cup among bidders from China, Thailand and Iran in Beirut on Friday. Chinese cities of Beijing, Jinan, Chongqing and Chengdu are putting in for the first Asian Cup finals in China since the Chinese FA joined AFC in 1976. Wang Bin, a female official of the Chinese FA, will represent China in Friday's probing at an extraordinary session of the AFC's executive committee held in the Sports City stadium conference room. Seventeen members of the 19-man executive board will be available for the voting. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |