European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 24, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Magazine boy in Nezha Coyotl Mexico play soccer outside one of the world cup stadiums. Copa fever grips Mexico As world series e of soccer nears by Steve Weingarten Cox news service very four years soccer fans around the Globe go crazy Over football s world cup a month Long event that mixes the internationalism of the olympics with the one sport intensity of a super bowl. Reigning Champion Italy is set to kick off this year s 52-game tournament with a match against Bulgaria in Mexico City s Aztec stadium on May 31. Mexicans Are working full tilt toward world cup 86. The country needs every second of the Lime remaining to prepare its National team and Brace for an onslaught of 23 visiting football squads scores of High level dignitaries 5,000 reporters and legions of aficionados. Officials also fear unwanted guests political terrorists and hooligans. Play is slated Lor stadiums in secondary cities but key matches will be decided on three Mexico City playing Fields. The country is sensitive about its image abroad and the rubble and homeless victims of earthquakes that devastated the capital last september Are still conspicuous. Moderate tremors Over the past two weeks have stirred fears in the world s most populated City. But the games Geneva based sponsor the International federation of football associations has continually praised the preparations by Mexico and the world cup organizing committee. Although soccer s ranks Are thin in the United slates the sport is immensely popular in every other Corner of the Globe. About 150 countries belong to the fifa and Coc officials expect two billion people to tune their televisions to the final match on june 29. A Pho,0 fifa has divided the 24 teams competing in world brazilian notional soccer player a training ground. Cup 86 into six divisions Mexico Paraguay Belgium and Iraq Italy Argentina. Bulgaria and South Korea Franco. Canada Hungary arid the user Spain. North Ireland. Brazil and Algeria Germany. Scotland Uruguay and Denmark and England. Poland. Morocco and Portugal. Mexico is hosting the cup by default. Fifa originally selected Colombia to stage the tournament bul the South american country bowed out Lor economic reasons in 1982. Mexico was chosen in Par because most of the 12 stadiums necessary Lor the event were already built Tor the 1968 olympics and world cup 70. International sports venues have since become targets Lor terrorists however. Mexico has so Lar avoided the political Cross lire bul some observers fear that Good Fortune is ending. On March 31, a Mexicana airlines flight bound for the Pacific coast resort of puerto vallarta crashed killing All 166 passengers and Crew members. Company officials refuse to comment on rumours that a bomb downed the Boeing 727, but have reinforced Security precautions for checked and carry on baggage. The mexican attorney general s office is investigating the crash and is expected to Issue a report before the world cup kick off. The . National transportation safety Board is also looking into the easter time tragedy. The . Bombing of Libya in april touched Olf a spate of Telephone threats against the highly visible american presence in Mexico. Most of the warnings to Banks airlines and schools have proven false but the repealed evacuations and searches Are fraying nerves. Tension increased another notch on april 26. When police disarmed a bomb in a car parked near the . Embassy in Mexico City. The bomb squad discovered the 45-Pound device after a Man claiming to represent the Simon Bolivar anti imperialist command a previously unknown group called a local newspaper to ask them to evacuate workers in a nearby hotel. The Interior ministry said its investigators have no leads in the Case. Officials Are also concerned that British soccer fans will disturb cup play in Monterrey. British fans went on a deadly rampage last year at a match in Belgium. That clash was followed by a bloody Stampede at Mexico City s University stadium sparked when police tried to bar Gate crashers. Mexico is Fielding 20,000 Security agents to prevent both terrorist and fan violence. Troops in armoured vehicles Are deployed around airports extra Federal agents Are Manning Points of entry on the guatemalan and . Borders and local police Are working double shifts in All cup cities. French police Are also training mexican personnel in new techniques of controlling crowds handling mass disturbances and screening for weapons. After he met with his mexican counterpart last month . Attorney general Edwin Meese announced that Fri agents would also help mexican Security Crews. The worst crisis president Miguel de la Madrid has faced since taking office in 1982 began at 7 19 . Last sept. 19. Two earthquakes devastated Large parts of Mexico City killing some 10,000 people and leaving 30,000 others homeless. Tent cities and tar paper shacks built by the government still Dot the capital. Heavy equipment and thousands of labourers Are furiously Clearing rubble away before to Crews begin live broadcasts. Officials Are worried about More than homeless earthquake victims presenting a negative image of Mexico on world television screens. A moderate tremor registering 6.5 on the Richter scale Shook the capital on april 30. No personal injuries or collapsed buildings were reported but the seismic activity has continued. Nevertheless the mexican Public is generally eager for world cup 86 to begin. Restaurants and hotels Are sprucing up taxi Drivers and tour guides Are bracing for hordes of visitors and the country s soccer fans Are crossing their fingers in Hope of an upset win by the National team. Tourism ministry officials even Hope to recoup some of the Oil income lost earlier this year when crude prices collapsed. In Spanish the cup is known simply As la copa a phrase that also describes a cocktail. And after four years of economic crisis earthquakes plane crashes terrorist jitters and other woes it s understandable Why Many mexicans would love nothing More than a Good stiff copa. Saturday May 24. 1986 the stars and stripes Page 13