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Bewildered Brazil backs out...

World Cup runners-up Brazil, undergoing a turbulent phase in its footballing career, has cancelled its planned tour of Japan.

The four time World Cup winners were expected to play a match against the Japan national side at Osaka on August 19. Given the soul-searching now happening within the side, that game has been called off, and the decision has been relayed to the Football Association of Japan.

"Brazilian authorities have informed us that the future direction of its team will be under discussion throughout August, and therefore it will be unable to honour the commitment," a JFA spokesman said.

Simutaneously, Brazil has also sought the postponement of a scheduled international against South Korea to an as yet unspecified date in October, citing "internal problems".

There has been enormous heartburn within the team members, following the shock 3-0 battering at the hands of hosts France in the final of the World Cup.

Much of it has centered around the presence, on the field for the final, of Ronaldo who reportedly suffered a convulsive fit just hours before the game.

Word from the Brazilian camp is that caoch Mario Zagallo was forced to include Ronaldo in the starting lineup, against his own inclination, and under pressure from advertisers and sponsors.

In protest, the Brazilian players literally sleep-walked through most of the final, playing way under par. And the controversy has only snowballed after the defeat, with star full-back Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo's room-mate in France, threatening to make some startling revelations in the near future.

Meanwhile, former soccer power Poland stares suspension in the face, unless its national body reinstates sacked officials by August 7.

FIFA gave the ultimatum, after it failed to resolve an ongoing dispute between the Polish Football Federation (PZPN) and the government. Earlier this year, Polish sports minister Jacek Debski had suspended the whole PZPN leadership, accusing them of incompetence.

Debski had called for an investigation of PZPN functioning, but the body denied access to files, to the government-appointed investigators. The sacking was a direct consequence.

FIFA, and UEFA which also took part in the patch-up attempt, want them reinstated. As per FIFA guidelines, national footballing bodies should be independent of government controls. Debski refused to countenance such a norm.

Setting the deadline for reinstatement for August 7, FIFA in an official communique said, ``FIFA and the UEFA may suspend the Polish Football Federation with immediate effect and for an undetermined period of time. During this period, they will be prevented from participating in international competitions involving both national teams and club teams.''

The only formula acceptable to Debski is for PZPN to hand over all financial documents to the investigators. The minister said the officials would be reinstated, only if and when they were cleared of wrong-doing.

The crisis underlines the decline in Polish football, which has seen the nation, once among the European giants, slide dramatically in world rankings over the recent years. Poland, in fact, has failed to qualify for the last three World Cups.

FIFA would, if it is all that worried about government interference in the sport, like to take a moment off to check out the appointment of former trainer Anatoly Byshovets as coach of the Russian national soccer team.

No less a personage than President Boris Yeltsin -- himself an ardent sports fan -- personally intervened to ensure that Byshovets (52) was offered a four year contract to take Russia into the World Cup finals in the year 2002.

"The results won't come overnight," Byshovets, a former striker for Dynamo Kiev and the national side, said.

However, September is the latest the new coach has, since the process of qualifying for the next World Cup begins, for Russia, with a game against Ukraine on the 5th of that month in Kiev.

Russia finds itself in a tough qualifying group, which includes holders France.

His appointment was somewhat dramatic, with favourite Mikhail Gershkovich, now coaching the Russian youth team and backed by the top brass of the Russian soccer federation, withdrawing at the very last moment and Byshovets, who had earlier declined the honour, saying that he changed his mind and accepted under government pressure.

France '98 was the first time in 20 years that Russia failed to qualify for the Cup finals.

Byshovets has already indicated that he will not work directly with Russian soccer boss Koloskov. For his part, the latter told the media that unlike his Polish counterparts, he would not appeal to FIFA against the Kremlin's involvement.

For trivia fans, there's this -- facing Byshovets on September 5 will be Byshovets' one-time Dynamo colleague Valery Lobanovsky, now coach of Ukraine.

Kerry Packer move over, here comes...

Who, precisely?

European soccer circles are all agog at a rumoured rebellion against UEFA, that -- if rumour speaks true -- will see the setting up of an alternative championship, the Super League.

Only, no one seems to know who is leading the potential revolt. Manchester United of England is being named as one of the ring leaders -- sparking vociferous denials from the authorities of that club.

UEFA for its part says it is not too worried -- and, at the same time, negates that blase attitude by offering various concessions designed to please top clubs and keep them from signing on with the Super League, as and when that entity takes concrete form.

The last time UEFA faced such a threat, it stymied the bid by offering a place in the Champions' League to the runners-up in Europe's leading domestic leagues, thus expanding the competition and permitting more teams to play -- to the monetary advantage of those teams, it must be added.

UEFA then went one step further in its appeasement path, changing the format of the League for the next season, beginning 1999, to guarantee qualifying teams ten games, instead of the current six.

Bottomline being, more money for the clubs.

And now the premier European footballing body indicates that it is prepared to go even further, in order to hang on to its hegemony over soccer in the continent. Details of the latest UEFA offer, however, are yet to be received.

There's this strange, almost symbiotic, relationship between drugs and Argentine footballers, apparently.

Juan Veron becomes the latest in a list linking the two, as the Sampdoria midfielder, recently signed on by Parma for $20 million, denied accusations that he had tested positive for both cocaine and Ecstasy before the recent World Cup.

Veron had started for Argentina in all its Cup games in France. The team lost to Netherlands in the quarters.

An Argentine football official had confirmed just before the Cup that one player -- unnamed -- had tested positive for a banned substance, again unnamed, during the team trials prior to selection of the World Cup squad.

Then came rumours that two players of the Cup squad had failed drug tests -- an allegation denied by FIFA early in July, while the competition was in progress.

And now this. Veron for his part tends to lay the blame on the 'Maradona factor', and says Argentine football journalists have been out to get him ever since he played for Boca Juniors, at Buenos Aires, where he struck up a friendship with disgraced superstar Diego Maradona.

Argentine Football Association president Julio Grondona has declined to comment.