Argentina gets permission to play in Rosario

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - A top Argentina football official says the country has been given permission by FIFA to host World Cup qualifiers in Rosario Central stadium, located about 300 kilometers (180 miles) northwest of Buenos Aries.

Though permission has been granted, Argentine officials have not said where the Sept. 5 home qualifying game against Brazil will be played.

Jose Luis Meisner, the executive secretary of the Argentina Football Association, said in a TV interview with Todo Noticias that FIFA - the governing body of world football - had approved the venue.

National team coach Diego Maradona has complained about the state of the field at River Plate stadium in Buenos Aires, which has traditionally hosted Argentina's World Cup qualifiers.

With four games left to play, Argentina occupies the fourth and final automatic qualifying slot from South America for next year's finals in South Africa.

The group is led by Brazil (27), Chile (26) and Paraguay (24), with Argentina on 22 points and facing competition from Ecuador (20), Uruguay (18), Colombia (17) and Venezuela (17).

The team finishing fifth faces a playoff with the fourth-place finisher from North and Central America and the Caribbean for another qualifying berth.

Argentina has two home matches remaining in qualifying - Sept. 5 vs. Brazil and Oct. 10 vs. Peru. Argentina has away matches on Sept. 8 in Paraguay and Oct. 13 in Uruguay.