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Tue Oct 23, 9:31 AM ET Supporters of the "Reggae Boyz", the Jamaican national soccer team enjoy themselves, before the 1998 Soccer World Cup Group H match between Jamaica and Croatia. For Italy, Argentina and Brazil, the world's top three soccer superpowers, read Aruba, Sao Tome e Principe and Montserrat, the game's poorest relations who currently prop up the FIFA rankings.
(AFP/File/Philpippe Huguen )
PARIS (AFP) - For Italy, Argentina and Brazil, the world's top three soccer superpowers, read Aruba, Sao Tome e Principe and Montserrat, the game's poorest relations who currently prop up the FIFA rankings.
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if(window.yzq_d==null)window.yzq_d=new Object(); window.yzq_d['kXxlyNj8Ymo-']='&U=13bc5vpqn%2fN%3dkXxlyNj8Ymo-%2fC%3d599965.10951130.11535815.1442997%2fD%3dLREC %2fB%3d4868104'; In a sport awash with money, mind-boggling TV contracts and soap-opera lifestyles, the game's rulers in the tiny Caribbean island of Aruba are happy just to make sure their buses run and that lines are painted on their pitches in time for kick-off.
"This is the biggest tournament we have organised," said Aruba football federation president Rufo J. Kelly at the island's 5,000-capacity Trinidad Stadium which hosted qualifiers for the Beijing Olympics in September.
Aruba lost their three matches to Jamaica, Barbados and Antigua and were deluged with complaints about their organisation.
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz were particularly put out by having to travel in old school buses without windows or a roof and which had been bought from Colombia.
For the teams jointly-ranked at 200 in the world, it's a world away from the experience of the top three, all World Cup winners boasting an array of household names.
Little Sao Tome, a dot off the west coast of Africa, won't get near to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa having decided to pull out of the preliminary qualifying.
It's just as well.
When the islanders tried to qualify for the 2006 tournament, they were beaten 8-0 by Libya.
American Samoa, who are one of the nine teams ranked at 200, had the honour of playing in the first qualifier for the 2010 World Cup in August and probably wish they hadn't as they suffered a 12-1 defeat to the Solomon Islands.
That was followed by a 7-0 loss to Samoa, a 15-0 hammering to Vanuatu and 4-0 to Tonga.
But there was still some relief for American Samoa; in qualifying for 2002 they were humiliated 31-0 by Australia.
"I continue to get e-mails reminding me about that," said coach David Brand, a former professional with English side Wigan.
"It was a little bit embarrassing but it's in the past. I wasn't involved but now we want to go out and improve."
American Samoa's hopes of beating the Solomons were already damaged by their goalkeeper missing his flight in Hawaii with a 17-year-old schoolboy enlisted instead.
"None of our (USA-based) college players were able to make themselves available for the tournament which was sad. Other commitments came before playing for their country which is hard to fathom for me," added Brand.
"We still have to teach our people that football is the number one sport in the world and playing in the World Cup is the highest honour."