Argentina’s Tevez Is Latin America’s Best

Carlos Tevez, a teenage striker with world, South American and Argentine champion Boca Juniors, capped off a remarkable 12 months Wednesday when he was chosen Latin American player of the year for 2003.

Tevez, 19, of Argentina joins a list of honorees that includes such illustrious figures as Pele, Teofilo Cubillas, Diego Maradona, Carlos Valderrama and Romario, all of whom have won the award since its inception in 1971.

Tevez, whose varied skills were one of the main reasons Boca swept all before it last year, including European champion AC Milan in the Intercontinental Cup, finished ahead of Paraguayan forward Jose Cardozo of the Mexican club Toluca, and Brazilian midfielder Diego of Santos, Pele’s former club.

The annual worldwide poll of soccer journalists was conducted by the Uruguayan newspaper El Pais.

Boca Juniors Coach Carlos Bianchi was chosen coach of the year for the fifth time, having also won in 1994, 1998, 2000 and 2001.

Bianchi finished ahead of Wanderley Luxemburgo, who led Corinthians to the Brazilian championship, and Ecuador’s national coach, Hernan Dario Gomez of Colombia.

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Guatemala Banned

The regional governing body of soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) has suspended Guatemala from all international competition after what it called “the removal from office” of Jose Mauricio Caballeros, president of the Guatemalan soccer federation.

No details were revealed, but CONCACAF said the matter would be brought to the attention of FIFA after the New Year holidays and that the suspension would remain in effect until Caballeros was reinstated.

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Iran Helps Out

Iran’s soccer federation postponed league matches this week and instead arranged a series of nine fund-raising games aimed at helping survivors of the devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands in the ancient Iranian city of Bam.

The games, to be played in various parts of the country on Friday, include one in Tehran involving Iran’s under-23 national team and a team of players from two leading clubs, Esteghlal and Pirouzi.

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Ruiz and Wolves

If the loan of Galaxy striker Carlos Ruiz to Wolverhamton Wanderers of the English Premier League goes through, the Guatemalan forward will find stiff competition for a starting spot.

In addition to the team’s incumbent strikers, Ruiz will have to fend off Romanian international forward Ionel Ganea, who Wednesday was signed by the Wolves to a short-term contract through the end of the season.

Ganea, 30, scored 34 goals in 106 games for VfB Stuttgart in the German Bundesliga before joining Bursaspor in Turkey. He also has scored 19 goals in 40 games for Romania.

The Wolves, in next-to-last place, have promised to sign Ganea to a yearlong extension if the team avoids relegation.

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Quick Passes

Former Argentine international goalkeeper Roberto Bonano, 33, Wednesday left Barcelona by mutual agreement and joined Spanish league struggler Murcia for the rest of the season. Earlier in the week, Murcia, in next-to-last place, signed defender Ivan Hurtado of Ecuador and midfielder Leonel Gancedo of Argentina.... Feyenoord, winner of the UEFA Cup in 2002 and currently in fourth place in the Dutch league, announced that Bert Van Marwijk will step down as coach at the end of this season.... Former U.S. international defender Marcelo Balboa has rejoined his former team, the Colorado Rapids, in the role of “soccer ambassador,” the Major League Soccer club said.... AS Monaco forward Dado Psro was chosen Croatia’s player of the year after scoring the goals that helped his country qualify for the European Championship in Portugal in June.... Spanish international midfielder David Albelda, 26, signed a six-year contract extension that will keep him with Valencia until 2010.

Times wire services contributed to this report.