May 16, 2002

World Cup favourites Argentina arrived in Japan on Thursday weighed down with heavy responsibilities.
Not only are England's Group F opponents under pressure to lift the trophy for a third time, but also to provide some reason to celebrate back home.

Argentina is suffering from crushing economic problems and Marcelo Bielsa's squad know they can give some relief to the beleaguered population back home by lifting the trophy.

The squad landed at Tokyo's Narita airport to a blaze of camera flashes.

"The best thing that could happen for me and Manchester United would be for Argentina to win it!"
Sir Alex Ferguson

But fans hoping to catch a glimpse of stars like Hernan Crespo and Gabriel Batistuta were disappointed as the players were quickly ushered out of a special exit under tight security.

Midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, who suffered a miserable season with Manchester United, looked sullen as the squad were taken to their training camp in Fukushima prefecture, north of Tokyo.

But Veron goes into the World Cup with the backing of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Scot Ferguson said he hopes his under-fire midfielder wins the World Cup for Manchester United's sake.

Ferguson said: "I hope Veron has a fantastic World Cup.

"Veron started to get criticism at the time of the World Cup draw and I wondered if there was another agenda at work?"
Sir Alex Ferguson

"The best thing that could happen for me and Manchester United would be for Argentina to win it".

"Players like Roy Keane, David Beckham, Wes Brown, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and Fabien Barthez are all established at Manchester United, but Veron has had to suffer all the criticism.

"I feel if he leads his country to victory it'll be good for us."

Ferguson suggested press criticism of Veron's form for Manchester United this season increased after the World Cup draw paired Argentina and England together in Group F.

Ferguson said: "He started to get criticism at the time of the World Cup draw and I wondered if there was another agenda at work.

"I read an article saying this was a wild accusation but it has to be said that criticism accelerated after England and Argentina were drawn together."

Japanese television pictures later showed the players arriving at the camp, where they were greeted by local schoolchildren waving Argentine flags and shouting "good luck" in Spanish.

Argentina are the second team to arrive in Japan, following Costa Rica.

BBC Sport Online