LIMA, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Peru may play their home matches at
high altitude in an attempt to qualify for the World Cup for the
first time since 1982, a leading soccer official said on
Tuesday.
Juvenal Silva, head of the Peruvian federation's national
team committee, said he was tired of seeing Peru lose home
matches in Lima at sea level.
Instead, he suggested switching to the historic city of
Cuzco, 3,300 metres above sea level in the Andes, for the 2010
World Cup qualifiers which are due to start later this year.
'I've watched for 20 years as the other teams have come and
walked over us in Lima,' he told
El Comercio in an interview.
'If the altitude of Cuzco helps us get better results, we
should use it.'
'I don't want to comment any further because some teams,
such as Brazil and Argentina, could put on pressure to avoid
this.'
Silva also suggested forming a team of home-based players
for home matches and foreign-based players for away games.
'We'd have to look for players from Peruvian clubs. We could
form two teams...However, these things will be decided by the
coach and we'll let him do his work,' he said.
Peru won only three of nine home games in the qualifiers for
the 2006 World Cup.
South American rivals Bolivia and Ecuador both play home
matches at high altitude.
