The rhetoric accompanying the 10th FIFA World Youth Championship — the most dangerous competition world soccer has seen, if one believes what is heard — begs a question: Is Nigeria truly unfit to put on an event of such magnitude, or is the criticism pouring forth from European, primarily English, clubs nothing more than an act of self-preservation? “No country has a saintly reputation,” acknowledges Danladi Bako, a spokesman for organizers of the Under-20 World Cup. “But some comments made about Nigeria are biased.” The talk coming from England, chiefly, suggests that players representing the 24 nations competing in the April 3-24 championships are putting their careers, their futures, their lives in jeopardy. Security, it is said, can’t hope to combat the crime and terrorism that awaits visitors; and the possibility of contracting one or another disease is far too pervasive to allow the event to go on. “If my son got picked, I would hope I could persuade him not to go,” says Coventry City manager Gordon Strachan, who was forced to release three players — Ireland’s Barry Quinn and Barry Ferguson and Australian goalkeeper Tynan Scope — for the tournament. “It’s easy to talk bravado and go along with things, but sometimes it is better to be a coward.” Several clubs — Leeds and Everton in England, Benfica in Portugal among them — refused to allow players to participate until FIFA in mid-March threatened major sanctions unless they did so. And while they have couched their apprehension as concern for the well-being of their young players, it seems more a matter of not wanting to give up talent for a crucial month of their league campaigns. The English FA has intimated this: Technical director Howard Wilkinson said the best dozen or so U-20 players would be allowed to remain with their clubs during the competition, with England’s roster selected from what remains. The safety of the players who will go to Nigeria, since they are not top-line stars, apparently is of less concern. “It’s not being without the three players in my squad that worries me,” Strachan argues. “It is their safety and well-being. The fact that Nigeria has been picked to stage this competition shows there is something up. It is a country that struggles to run itself, a country in which human rights stink and which has not been an honest country recently, so I don’t know why we are going to play there. … “If there was something we could legally do to stop them, then I would.” The tournament has been steeped in controversy from the start. It was awarded to Nigeria as amends after FIFA, citing health and security concerns, stripped the 1995 World Youth Championship from Africa’s largest nation. The possibility it might be moved elsewhere existed until final inspection teams gave their approval, despite some problems with facilities, in February. “I’ve been to Nigeria seven times altogether, and I have examined every detail,” CONCACAF President Jack Warner, who headed FIFA’s inspection groups for the tournament, said at the time. “There is absolutely no cause for concern.” Still, FIFA and the international red cross are setting up a temporary medical center — U.S. coach Sigi Schmid compares it to a M*A*S*H unit — in Port Harcourt, one of eight competition sites, to deal with injuries or illnesses. Anything really serious would merit a flight out of the country. All the fears of what could happen have overshadowed the competition, which promises to be intense. Two-time defending champion Argentina, which features Esteban Cambiasso, signed by Real Madrid at age 14 and destined to replace compatriot Fernando Redondo, and the host are considered the favorites, with ’97 runner-up Uruguay, three-time winner Brazil, African champion Ghana and European titlist Ireland expected to provide the strongest challenges. African teams have dominated the U-17 world championships, winning four of eight finals, but never found success at the U-20 level. The Nigerians, led by Barcelona forward Haruna Babangida, expect to reach the final at National Stadium in Lagos; Ghana, with Olympiakos standout Peter Ofori-Quaye back from the ’97 semifinalist, surprised Nigeria in the title game of the African Youth Championship in February. The tournament has a history of uncovering superb players. Diego Maradona made the 1979 championship, in Japan, his coming-out party; the ’97 tournament, in Malaysia, featured French strikers Nicolas Anelka, Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet and South African star Benedict McCarthy. By Soccer America Senior Editor Scott French