Cyprus to overlook domestic players

THE decision of Cyprus coach Angelos Anastassiades to favour Greek-based players over Cypriot ones for their final Group Four qualifiers has ignited controversy on the island.

Players at league leaders Omonia Nicosia are upset by their exclusion from the Cypriot squad for the last two games of their World Cup qualifying campaign against the Republic of Ireland in Nicosia and France in Paris.

Several Omonia players now face disciplinary action for publicly criticising Anastassiades for omitting them from his 19-man squad.

The furore will scarcely bother Anastassiades, a man how never shirks a fight. The former Greek international and coach of Panathinaikos replaced Motsa Vukotic in the Cypriot hot seat after the national side lost a Group Four qualifier 2-1 at home to Israel in front of a crowd of just 1,650 last November. Pressure had been growing on Vukotic since a 2-2 draw in Nicosia earlier in a campaign which had kicked off with Ireland's comfortable 3-0 victory over the Cypriots at Lansdowne Road.

A 3-0 win away to the Faroe Islands in August as Brian Kerr pointed out last week, a better result than any other side has managed there in the group gave the new boss and his team their first victory in the campaign. It was also a profoundly emotional victory for the Cypriots, who were still shocked by the airline crash in Athens which claimed the lives of 121 people, the majority of them Cypriots and, among them, the uncle of a member of the national team, Nicholas Nicolau.

The game was also notable for the sight of the hotheaded Anastassiades being sent off for verbally abusing the referee, which meant that he was forced to sit in the stands for the 3-1 home defeat by Switzerland last month.

He will be back in the dugout for the game against Ireland, ignoring the complaints of local players and critics who think he should be planning for the future, as he seeks to bring second from bottom Cyprus a famous victory.