2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Knockout stage, Quarter-finals
After conceding a consolation goal to Elena Danilova in the 70th minute, Germany scored three times in the final ten minutes, including a pair from Brigit Prinz and a second for Kerstin Garefrekes, to close out the match. Canada then achieved an upset defeat of China in their quarterfinal match, taking an early lead in the seventh minute through a header from Charmaine Hooper and maintaining a shutout to win 1–0 despite several scoring chances for the Chinese.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Knockout stage, Semi-finals
Germany advanced to their second Women's World Cup final by defeating the United States 3–0 in a major upset of the defending champions in Portland, only their second loss in a Women's World Cup. Germany took the lead in the 15th minute through a header by Kerstin Garefrekes and held onto the shutout, despite the U.S. switching formations to produce attacking chances that often required saves from goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg. The German defense remained resilient to the long-ball play of the United States, which increased in intensity and frequency during the second half—producing six shots on target. Maren Meinert and Brigit Prinz scored a pair of goals in stoppage time, taking advantage of the vulnerable American defense with their counterattacks.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Knockout stage, Semi-finals
The second semifinal fixture, between Canada and Sweden, remained scoreless through the end of the first hour of play despite chances created by Canadian fullback–forward Charmaine Hooper. Canada were awarded a free kick from 35 yards (32 m) in the 64th minute, which was shot towards goal by Kara Lang and spun off the hands of Jönsson as she attempted to make the save. Sweden made three substitutions to bring on attacking players and won a free kick in the 79th minute that was quickly taken by Victoria Svensson and passed to Malin Moström, who scored the equalizer. Substitute forward Josefine Öqvist scored the winning goal for Sweden six minutes later, finishing a rebound off a shot by Hanna Ljungberg that was saved by goalkeeper Taryn Swiatek.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Knockout stage, Third place play-off
The third-place play-off was played on the day before the final at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, between the United States and their continental rivals Canada. The U.S. retained its mix of veteran and youth players who played in the semifinals and controlled play for most of the match, taking the lead in the 22nd minute through a long throw-in by Abby Wambach that was volleyed into the goal by Kristine Lilly.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Knockout stage, Third place play-off
Christine Sinclair equalized for Canada within 16 minutes, but the U.S. kept pressing in the second half and re-took the lead in the 51st minute through a header by Shannon Boxx from a corner kick. Tiffeny Milbrett, who was substituted in for Cindy Parlow after she sustained a concussion before halftime, then scored the team's final goal of the tournament in the 80th minute by finishing a rebound off an earlier shot that was blocked at the goal line.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Knockout stage, Final
Germany defeated Sweden in the Women's World Cup final to earn their first world championship and become the first country to win both the men's and women's tournament, as well as the first to win with a female manager. In a rematch of the UEFA Women's Euro 2001 final, Sweden took the lead before halftime on a shot by Hanna Ljungberg from 15 yards (14 m). Germany responded with an equalizing goal in the first minute of the second half, with Maren Meinert scoring in the penalty area on a rebound off goalkeeper Caroline Jönsson. The match remained tied after regulation time and was decided by a golden goal scored in the 98th minute by substitute defender Nia Künzer, who headed in a shot from a free kick taken by Renate Lingor.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Awards
German striker Birgit Prinz was awarded the Golden Ball for her play in the tournament and the Golden Shoe, having scored seven goals. She was later named the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year for 2003, 2004, and 2005. Germany's Kerstin Garefrekes also finished the tournament with four goals and no assists, Kátia won the Bronze Shoe by having played fewer minutes (only 360, compared to the 409 minutes of Garefrekes).


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Awards
FIFA.com shortlisted six teams, the four semi-finalist teams and two other sides chosen by FIFA (Brazil and China), for users to vote on as the tournaments' most entertaining, with the poll closing on 10 October 2003.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Awards, All-Star Team
The tournament's sixteen-member all-star team, including eleven starters and five substitutes, was selected by the FIFA Technical Study Group and announced on 8 October 2003 by President Joseph Blatter. Germany had five members named to the starting lineup, while runners-up Sweden had two starters and one substitute. Several members of the All-Star Team were later named to the FIFA Women's All Star Team that played against Germany on 20 May 2004 for the centennial anniversary of FIFA.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Awards, All-Star Team
The "FANtasy All-Star Team", which was sponsored by MasterCard, featured eleven players decided by a poll on FIFA.com.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Statistics, Goalscorers
There were 107 goals scored in 32 matches, for an average of 3.34 goals per match. Birgit Prinz of Germany won the Golden Shoe award for scoring seven goals.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Statistics, Assists
Maren Meinert of Germany had the most assists at the tournament, contributing to seven goals.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Statistics, Tournament ranking
Per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final
The 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final was an association football match which determined the winner of the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, contested by the women's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It was played on 12 October 2003 and won by Germany, who defeated Sweden 2–1 in extra time.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final
The tournament was hosted on short notice by the United States, following the withdrawal of China due to an outbreak of SARS, and the final was hosted at the Home Depot Center, a small soccer-specific stadium in Carson, California, near Los Angeles. Both finalists had finished at the top of their groups in European qualification and met at the final of the 2001 UEFA Women's Championship, which Germany won. Germany entered the match as favorites, having finished atop Group C and achieving an upset victory against defending champions United States in the semi-finals. Sweden had emerged from the "group of death" by finishing second behind the United States and defeated Brazil and Canada in the earlier knockout stages.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final
Sweden went into half-time with a 1–0 lead after a goal by Hanna Ljungberg, but conceded an equalizing goal to Germany early in the second half that was scored by Maren Meinert. The match remained tied at 1–1 and was decided by Nia Künzer's golden goal header in the eighth minute of extra time. Künzer's header was the last golden goal to be scored in an official international match. Germany went on to win a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics by defeating Sweden and repeated as World Cup champions in 2007 against Brazil.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Background
The 2003 final marked the twelfth meeting between Germany and Sweden in international women's football and the third time in a FIFA Women's World Cup match. The two teams met in the 1995 and 2001 finals of the UEFA Women's Championship, which were both won by Germany. Germany had won six of their previous matches against Sweden and lost the remaining five, including a 2–1 loss in their most recent meeting at the 2002 Algarve Cup.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Background
Germany had previously finished as runners-up in the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup, while Sweden finished third in 1991 by defeating the Germans in the consolation match. For Sweden, it was also the country's just second final in a FIFA competition, after the historic 1958 FIFA World Cup Final of the men's side.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Route to the final, Germany
Germany qualified by topping Group 4, finishing with six wins, 30 goals scored, and one goal conceded. They were placed in Group C alongside South American runners-up Argentina, North American runners-up Canada, and inter-continental play-off winner Japan. The team, managed by Tina Theune-Meyer and named an early favorite prior to the tournament, usually played in a 4–5–1 formation with Birgit Prinz or a 4–4–2 with Prinz and another striker, supported by Bettina Wiegmann leading the midfield and a roster of younger talent.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Route to the final, Germany
Germany conceded in the fourth minute of its opening match to Canada's Christine Sinclair, who headed in a free kick, but equalized before half-time from a penalty kick awarded for a handball and taken by Wiegmann. The Germans took the lead early in the second half on a header by Stefanie Gottschlich in the 47th minute, which was followed by goals by Birgit Prinz and substitute Kerstin Garefrekes to win 4–1.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Route to the final, Germany
The team won 3–0 in their second match against Japan, taking first place in Group C with six points, by using its physical advantage and sustained attacks. Sandra Minnert scored in the 23rd minute on a rebound and was followed by strikes from Prinz in the 36th and 66th minutes. Germany advanced to the knockout stage atop Group C by defeating Argentina 6–1 in their third match, earning nine points and outscoring opponents 13–2.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Route to the final, Germany
The rout of Argentina began in the third minute with a goal for Maren Meinert, which was followed by another for her, a penalty for Wiegmann, and a half-volley for Prinz in the first half. The team lost defender Steffi Jones to a knee injury in the second half and conceded a consolation goal to Argentina before scoring twice at the end of the match to extend their lead.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Route to the final, Germany
Germany played in the quarter-finals against Russia, runners-up of Group D, at PGE Park in Portland, Oregon. The team led 1–0 at half-time, following a goal by Martina Müller in the 25th minute, due to the strong defense offered by the Russians. Germany broke through early in the second half and scored thrice in a five-minute span, including strikes by Minnert, substitute Pia Wunderlich, and Garefrekes. Russia scored a consolation goal in the 70th minute, but Germany scored another trio of goals in the last ten minutes—one more from Garefrekes and two from Prinz.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Route to the final, Germany
In the semi-finals, Germany faced the United States and defeated them 3–0 in a major upset of the defending champions and hosts. Kerstin Garefrekes's header off a corner kick in the 15th minute opened the scoring for the Germans, while the United States responded by switching to an attack-minded 3–4–3 in the second half and squandered several chances to equalize, forcing saves out of goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg. The Americans pushed forward and left themselves open to counter-attacks, conceding two goals in stoppage time on breakaways that were scored by Meinert and Prinz.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Route to the final, Sweden
Sweden finished first in Group 2, winning five matches and losing one with a 27–4 goal differential to best runners-up Denmark. They played in Group A, which was dubbed the "group of death" for the strong lineup of defending world champions and hosts United States, African champions Nigeria, and Asian champions North Korea. Sweden lost 3–1 in their opening match against the United States in Washington, D.C., conceding twice in the first half to goals scored by Kristine Lilly and Cindy Parlow, both assisted by Mia Hamm. The lead was cut to 2–1 in the 55th minute by Victoria Sandell Svensson, who finished a long pass from Hanna Ljungberg, but American forward Shannon Boxx scored in the 78th minute to give the hosts a victory.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Route to the final, Sweden
Four days later in Philadelphia, Sweden defeated North Korea 1–0 with an early goal scored by Svensson in the seventh minute, tying them for second place in the group. Sweden finished second in Group A and advanced to the quarter-finals after their 3–0 victory over Nigeria in Columbus, Ohio, scoring all three goals in the second half. Ljungberg scored twice in the 56th and 79th minutes, the former a header and latter a shot off a pass by Therese Sjögran, and captain Malin Moström scored in the 81st minute on a breakaway.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Route to the final, Sweden
In the quarter-finals at Gillette Stadium, Sweden faced Brazil, who had previously defeated them in the 1995 World Cup and 2000 Summer Olympics. Svensson opened the scoring on a counterattack in the 23rd minute, but Brazil equalized before half-time through a penalty kick taken by Marta after she was tripped by goalkeeper Sofia Lundgren, who had replaced starting goalkeeper Caroline Jönsson. Sweden were awarded a free kick 24 yards (22 m) from the goal in the 53rd minute, which was converted into a goal by Malin Andersson, while the team resisted several chances from Brazil to defeat them 2–1.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Route to the final, Sweden
The Swedes then played in the semi-finals against Canada, who had earned an upset victory over China in the quarter-finals. The match remained scoreless in the first half and the deadlock was broken in the 64th minute by Canadian midfielder Kara Lang, who took a free kick from 35 yards (32 m) that slipped out of the hands of Jönsson and spun into the goal. Swedish manager Marika Domanski-Lyfors used all three of her substitutions to bring on more attackers, and the equalizer was scored in the 79th minute by Malin Moström from a free kick. Substitute forward Josefine Öqvist scored the winning goal for Sweden six minutes later, finishing a rebound off a shot by Hanna Ljungberg that was saved by goalkeeper Taryn Swiatek.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Venue
The 2003 final was played at the Home Depot Center, a 27,000-seat stadium in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The stadium was opened on 7 June 2003 as one of the first American venues to be designed primarily for soccer, serving as the home of the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer (MLS). The final was originally planned to take place at Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai, China, but the tournament was moved to the United States after China's withdrawal in April 2003 due to the outbreak of SARS. The Home Depot Center was chosen in June to host four matches during the group stage, the third place play-off, and the final. The Home Depot Center was also selected as the host of the MLS Cup in 2003 and 2004.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Match, Summary
In the lead-up to the final, Germany were named slight favorites due to their strong midfielders and high goalscoring during the tournament's earlier rounds. Both teams played with 4–4–2 formations to begin the match, but Germany deployed one of its attackers in a deeper position instead of in tandem up top. Romanian match official Floarea Cristina Ionescu was selected as the referee for the final.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Match, Summary
Sweden held the majority of possession in the first half, winning more duels in the midfield and earning several chances to score. Germany largely counterattacked while trying to cover gaps in their midfield that also left their attackers isolated. Swedish striker Victoria Svensson and German striker Brigit Prinz each had two chances to score near the half-hour mark, forcing saves out of Silke Rottenberg and Caroline Jönsson, respectively. Malin Andersson attempted a half-volley from 25 yards (23 m) in the 30th minute and beat Rottenberg, but the shot went over the crossbar. The opening goal was scored in the 41st minute by Swedish playmaker Hanna Ljungberg, who collected a through pass from Victoria Svensson and shot past Rottenberg from 15 yards (14 m).


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Match, Summary
Germany kicked off the second half by scoring an equalizing goal within 40 seconds through a strike in the penalty area by Maren Meinert. Kerstin Garefrekes intercepted a pass in the Swedish half and passed it to Prinz, who provided a diagonal ball to Meinert near the edge of the penalty area. Sweden substituted two midfielders and responded by retreating into a defensive stance while allowing Ljungberg and Svensson to use their pace to create chances. Germany, emboldened by the goal and with control of the game's pace by midfielder Bettina Wiegmann, pushed forward to find more chances. In the 58th minute, they were denied a penalty after Garefrekes was tripped in the box by defender Jane Törnqvist.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Match, Summary
Near the end of regulation time, Ljungberg created three chances to regain Sweden's lead that were missed or saved. Her first attempt in the 81st minute was mishit while open in the box and fell to Frida Östberg, who headed the ball into the side-netting. Ljungberg's second try was shot directly at Rottenberg, while the third was intercepted by two German defenders who collided with her. Ljungberg then headed an overhead ball that fell to Svensson, who volleyed it from 20 yards (18 m) only to miss.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Match, Summary
The match remained tied at 1–1 and advanced into sudden death extra time as the two sides traded chances to score with end-to-end play. Referee Floarea Cristina Ionescu awarded a free kick from 35 yards (32 m) after Kerstin Stegemann fell during a challenge from Svensson. Renate Lingor's free kick in the 98th minute found Nia Künzer, a second-half substitute and among the shortest players on the field, who leapt above Kristin Bengtsson to score the match's golden goal with her header. Germany celebrated their 2–1 victory by singing a version of Guantanamera, while Sweden manager Marika Domanski Lyfors confronted Ionescu about her controversial free kick call.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Post-match
Germany became the first team to surpass the United States at the top of the FIFA Women's World Rankings, which had been established just prior to the World Cup. German captain Bettina Wiegmann and forward Maren Meinert both retired after the match. Künzer's header was the last golden goal to decide an official international match, as the rule had been phased out by FIFA. It was also named the 2003 Goal of the Year by a poll of Sportschau readers, becoming the first women's goal to be featured.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Post-match
The two finalists went on to meet again in the bronze medal match at the 2004 Summer Olympics, which Germany won 1–0. Germany became the first team to win consecutive Women's World Cups, defeating Brazil 2–0 in the 2007 final played in Shanghai.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group A
Group A of the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup was one of four groups of nations, consisting of Nigeria, North Korea, Sweden and the United States. It began on 20 September and ended on 28 September. Defending champions and host United States topped the group with a 100% record, joined in the second round by Sweden, who overcame their defeat in the first game to qualify for the knockout stage.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group A, Matches, Nigeria vs North Korea
Assistant referees: Elke Lüthi (Switzerland) Nelly Viennot (France)Fourth official: Tammy Ogston (Australia)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group A, Matches, United States vs Sweden
Assistant referees: Liu Hsiu-mei (Chinese Taipei) Hisae Yoshizawa (Japan)Fourth official: Xonam Agboyi (Togo)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group A, Matches, Sweden vs North Korea
Assistant referees: Airlie Keen (Australia) Jacqueline Leleu (Australia)Fourth official: Im Eun-Ju (South Korea)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group A, Matches, United States vs Nigeria
Assistant referees: Sabrina Lois (Argentina) Alejandra Cercato (Argentina)Fourth official: Im Eun-Ju (South Korea)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group A, Matches, Sweden vs Nigeria
Assistant referees: Denise Robinson (Canada) Lynda Bramble (Trinidad and Tobago)Fourth official: Katriina Elovirta (Finland)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group A, Matches, North Korea vs United States
Assistant referees: Cleidy Mary Ribeiro (Brazil) Marlei Silva (Brazil)Fourth official: Katriina Elovirta (Finland)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group B
Group B of the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup was one of four groups of nations, consisting of Brazil, France, Norway and South Korea. It began on 20 September and ended on 27 September. Rising power Brazil topped the group, comfortably beating South Korea and Norway by large margins and were denied a 100% record by Marinette Pichon's last minute equalizer against France. Brazil were joined in the second round by Norway, who won their other two games against France and South Korea, both which were making their debut at the World Cup.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group B, Matches, Norway vs France
Assistant referees: Karalee Sutton (United States) Sharon Wheeler (United States)Fourth official: Tammy Ogston (Australia)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group B, Matches, Brazil vs South Korea
Assistant referees: Irina Mirt (Romania) Katarzyna Nadolska (Poland)Fourth official: Xonam Agboyi (Togo)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group B, Matches, Norway vs Brazil
Assistant referees: Désirée Perpétué (Ivory Coast) Florence Biagui (Senegal)Fourth official: Sonia Denoncourt (Canada)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group B, Matches, France vs South Korea
Assistant referees: Liu Hsiu-mei (Chinese Taipei) Hisae Yoshizawa (Japan)Fourth official: Sonia Denoncourt (Canada)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group B, Matches, South Korea vs Norway
Assistant referees: Airlie Keen (Australia) Jacqueline Leleu (Australia)Fourth official: Nicole Petignat (Switzerland)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group B, Matches, France vs Brazil
Assistant referees: Irina Mirt (Romania) Katarzyna Nadolska (Poland)Fourth official: Sandra Hunt (United States)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group C
Group C of the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup was one of four groups of nations, consisting of Argentina, Canada, Germany and Japan. It began on 20 September and its last matches were played on 27 September. Most matches were played at the Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus. Germany won every match, while Argentina failed to win a match. Despite beating Argentina 6–0, Japan failed to advance, while a young Canada team surprisingly made the second round.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group C, Matches, Germany vs Canada
Assistant referees: Choi Soo-Jin (South Korea) Hong Kum-Nyo (North Korea)Fourth official: Sandra Hunt (United States)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group C, Matches, Japan vs Argentina
Assistant referees: Emilia Parviainen (Finland) Andi Regan (Northern Ireland)Fourth official: Sandra Hunt (United States)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group C, Matches, Germany vs Japan
Assistant referees: Cleidy Mary Ribeiro (Brazil) Marlei Silva (Brazil)Fourth official: Sandra Hunt (United States)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group C, Matches, Canada vs Argentina
Assistant referees: Elke Lüthi (Switzerland) Nelly Viennot (France)Fourth official: Sandra Hunt (United States)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group C, Matches, Canada vs Japan
Assistant referees: Choi Soo-Jin (South Korea) Hong Kum-Nyo (North Korea)Fourth official: Nicole Petignat (Switzerland)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group C, Matches, Argentina vs Germany
Assistant referees: Elke Lüthi (Switzerland) Liu Hsiu-mei (Chinese Taipei)Fourth official: Sandra Hunt (United States)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group D
Group D of the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup was one of four groups of nations, consisting of Australia, China, Ghana and Russia. It began on 21 September and ended on 28 September. Most matches were played at The Home Depot Center in Carson, save the last two that were played at PGE Park in Portland. China PR topped the group despite their lackluster performances, followed to the next round by Russia. Australia and Ghana didn't make the second round.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group D, Matches, Australia vs Russia
Assistant referees: Désirée Perpétué (Ivory Coast) Florence Biagui (Senegal)Fourth official: Jennifer Bennett (United States)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group D, Matches, China PR vs Ghana
Assistant referees: Denise Robinson (Canada) Lynda Bramble (Trinidad and Tobago)Fourth official: Jennifer Bennett (United States)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group D, Matches, Ghana vs Russia
Assistant referees: Karalee Sutton (United States) Sharon Wheeler (United States)Fourth official: Jennifer Bennett (United States)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group D, Matches, China PR vs Australia
Assistant referees: Emilia Parviainen (Finland) Andi Regan (Northern Ireland)Fourth official: Jennifer Bennett (United States)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group D, Matches, Ghana vs Australia
Assistant referees: Désirée Perpétué (Ivory Coast) Florence Biagui (Senegal)Fourth official: Kari Seitz (United States)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Group D, Matches, China PR vs Russia
Assistant referees: Sabrina Lois (Argentina) Alejandra Cercato (Argentina)Fourth official: Kari Seitz (United States)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup knockout stage
The knockout stage of the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup was the second and final stage of the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup in the United States. It began on 1 October 2003 and ended with the final at the Home Depot Center, Carson, California on 12 October 2003. Germany, China, Norway, Brazil, Canada, Russia, Sweden, and defending champions United States. Canada, Germany, Sweden and the United States made it to the semi-finals. Sweden beat Canada 2–1 to reach the final, while Germany overcame the host country 3–0. The United States beat its neighbors for third place, and Germany beat Sweden 2–1 in the final in extra time.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup knockout stage
This was the last World Cup to use the golden goal rule; it would be abolished in 2005 as the extra time play was restored.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup knockout stage
All times listed below are in American time (EDT/UTC−4, PDT/UTC–7).


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Brazil vs Sweden
Assistant referees: Liu Hsiu-mei (Chinese Taipei) Hisae Yoshizawa (Japan)Fourth official: Tammy Ogston (Australia)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, United States vs Norway
Assistant referees: Elke Lüthi (Switzerland) Nelly Viennot (France)Fourth official: Tammy Ogston (Australia)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Germany vs Russia
Assistant referees: Choi Soo-Jin (South Korea) Irina Mirt (Romania)Fourth official: Katriina Elovirta (Finland)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, China PR vs Canada
Assistant referees: Karalee Sutton (United States) Sharon Wheeler (United States)Fourth official: Katriina Elovirta (Finland)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, United States vs Germany
Assistant referees: Denise Robinson (Canada) Lynda Bramble (Trinidad and Tobago)Fourth official: Cristina Ionescu (Romania)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, Sweden vs Canada
Assistant referees: Emilia Parviainen (Finland) Andi Regan (Northern Ireland)Fourth official: Tammy Ogston (Australia)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup knockout stage, Third place play-off
Assistant referees: Airlie Keen (Australia) Jacqueline Leleu (Australia)Fourth official: Katriina Elovirta (Finland)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup knockout stage, Final
Assistant referees: Irina Mirt (Romania) Katarzyna Nadolska (Poland)Fourth official: Sonia Denoncourt (Canada)


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
The 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification process decided the 15 teams which played at the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, with the host China qualifying automatically as the host nation. The qualification process for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup saw 99 teams from the six FIFA confederations compete for the 16 places in the tournament's finals. The places were divided as follows:


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, AFC
Like the previous edition, the AFC Women's Championship served as the tournament qualification for AFC members. Fourteens competed in the competition which included the World Cup hosts in China. After the group stage which eliminated ten teams from qualifying, the semi-finals saw the first team in North Korea as they defeated Japan 3-0. After China won the second semi, the third-place play-off would see South Korea qualify with a 1-0 victory over Japan which meant Japan had to qualify via play-off against the third place team from CONCACAF (Mexico).


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, CAF
Like the previous edition, the Africa Women's Championship served as the tournament qualification for CAF members.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, CAF, Qualifying stage
The seven winners of the second qualifying round advanced to the final tournament: Angola, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali,  South Africa, and Zimbabwe.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, Europe (UEFA)
The 16 teams belonging to Class A of European women's football were drawn into four groups, from which the group winners qualify for the World Cup. The four runners-up were played in playoff-matches for the 5th berth.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, North, Central America & the Caribbean (CONCACAF)
The 2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup second-placed Canada qualified for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. The winner USA qualified as host. The third-placed Mexico played against Japan in two play-off matches for qualification.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, Oceania (OFC)
The 2003 OFC Women's Championship determined the OFC's one qualifier for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup — the winner Australia.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, South America (CONMEBOL)
The fourth edition of the Sudamericano Femenino (Women's South American Championship) in 2003 determined the CONMEBOL's qualifiers Brazil and Argentina.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification, CONCACAF–AFC play-off
The draw for the order of legs was held at the FIFA headquarters in Zürich, Switzerland on 4 March 2003. The matches were originally scheduled to take place on 10 and 17 May 2003. However, due to the postponement of the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, the matches instead took place on 5 and 12 July 2003.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification (CONCACAF–AFC play-off)
The CONCACAF–AFC play-off of the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification competition was a two-legged home-and-away tie that decided one spot in the final tournament in the United States. The play-off was contested by the third-placed team from CONCACAF, Mexico, and the fourth-placed team from the AFC, Japan.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification (CONCACAF–AFC play-off), Summary
The draw for the order of legs was held at the FIFA headquarters in Zürich, Switzerland on 4 March 2003. The matches were originally scheduled to take place on 10 and 17 May 2003. However, due to the postponement of the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, the matches instead took place on 5 and 12 July 2003.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification (CONCACAF–AFC play-off), Matches
Japan won 4–2 on aggregate and qualified for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification (CONCACAF–AFC play-off), Goalscorers
There were 6 goals scored in 2 matches, for an average of 3 goals per match.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification (UEFA)
In the UEFA qualification for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, the 16 teams belonging to the First Category of European women's football were drawn into four groups, from which the group winners qualify for the World Cup finals. The winner of the Qualifying Playoffs between the Runners-up of each four group will also qualify.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup squads
Below are the rosters for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup tournament in the United States. The 16 national teams involved in the tournament were required to register a squad of up to 20 players, including at least two goalkeepers. Only players in these squads were eligible to take part in the tournament. The final squads were published by FIFA on 13 September 2003.


2003 FIFA Women's World Cup squads, Group A, North Korea
North Korea only named a squad of 19 players, leaving the number 4 shirt unassigned.


2003 FIFA World Player of the Year
The 2003 FIFA World Player of the Year award was won by Zinedine Zidane for a record-equalling third time.


2003 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in United Arab Emirates between 27 November and 19 December 2003. The 2003 championship was the 14th contested. The competition was originally planned to be played earlier in that year, but was postponed because of the Iraq War.


2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, Qualification
The following 24 teams qualified for the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship.


2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, Squads
For a list of all squads that played in the final tournament, see 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship squads.


2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, Group stage
The 24 teams were split into six groups of four teams. Six group winners, six second-place finishers and the four best third-place finishers qualify for the knockout round.


2003 FIFA World Youth Championship squads
Below are the rosters for the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship tournament in UAE.


2003 FIFA World Youth Championship squads
Players name marked in bold went on to earn full international caps.


2003 FINA Men's Water Polo World League
The 2003 FINA Men's Water Polo World League was the second edition of the annual event, organised by the world's governing body in aquatics, the FINA. After two preliminary rounds, held in São Paulo, Brazil and Budapest, Hungary, the Super Final was held in New York, United States from August 22 to August 24, 2003.


2003 FIRA Women's European Championship
The seventh tournament featured only eight teams, divided into pools A and B. For the first time the A and B pools were also organised as separate competitions in different venues, and in different weeks. The A Pool in Malmö was won by Spain, and the B pool by Netherlands. France and Spain were represented by their respective "A" teams.


2003 FIRA Women's European Championship
Netherlands' win was the first time a host team had won an official FIRA championship (France had won the unofficial title as hosts in 1988)


2003 FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix
The 2003 FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix was the 10th Summer Grand Prix season in ski jumping on plastic. Season began on 9 August 2003 in Hinterzarten, Germany and ended on 31 August 2003 in Innsbruck, Austria.


2003 FIU Golden Panthers football team
The 2003 FIU Golden Panthers football team represented Florida International University in the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season as an NCAA Division I-AA independent school. The Panthers were led by head coach Don Strock in his second season and finished with a record of zero wins and ten losses (0–10). In 2008, the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions found major violations within the football program and as such vacated the Panthers' two wins from the 2003 season.


2003 FIVB Volleyball Boys' U19 World Championship
The 2003 FIVB Volleyball Boys' U19 World Championship was held in Suphanburi, Thailand from 5 to 13 July 2003.


2003 FIVB Volleyball Girls' U18 World Championship
The 2003 FIVB Girls Youth Volleyball World Championship was held in Piła/Wloclawek, Poland from 9 to 17 August 2003. 16 teams participated in the tournament.


2003 FIVB Volleyball Men's U21 World Championship
The 2003 FIVB Volleyball Men's U21 World Championship was the 12th edition of the FIVB Volleyball Men's U21 World Championship. It was held in Tehran, Iran from August 23 to 31, 2003.


2003 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup
The 2003 FIVB Men's World Cup was held from 16 to 29 November 2003 in Japan. Twelve men's national teams played in cities all over Japan for the right to a fast lane ticket into the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.


2003 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup
Teams were made up as follows: hosts Japan, continental champions and vice-champions from Europe, Asia, NORCECA and South America, continental champion from Africa plus two wild-card teams nominated jointly by FIVB and the Japan Volleyball Association. Teams played a single-round robin format (66 games overall), in two parallel groups (site A and site B). The men played in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Nagano, Hamamatsu, and Okayama.


2003 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup squads
This article shows all participating team squads at the 2003 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup, held from November 16 to November 29, 2003 in several cities in Japan.


2003 FIVB Volleyball Women's U20 World Championship
The 2003 FIVB Women's U20 World Championship was held in Suphanburi, Thailand from September 6 to 14, 2003. 16 teams participated in the tournament.


2003 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup
The 2003 FIVB Women's World Cup was held from 1 to 15 November 2003 in Japan. Twelve women's national teams played in cities all over Japan for the right to a fast lane ticket into the 2004 Summer Olympics.


2003 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup
Teams were made up as follows: hosts Japan, continental champions and vice-champions from Europe, Asia, NORCECA and South America, continental champion from Africa, and two wild-card teams nominated jointly by the FIVB and the Japan Volleyball Association. Teams played a single-round robin format (66 games overall), in two parallel groups (site A and site B). The women played in Tokyo, Kagoshima, Nagoya, Toyama, Sapporo, Sendai, and Osaka.


2003 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix
The FIVB World Grand Prix 2003 was the eleventh edition of the annual women's volleyball tournament, which is the female equivalent of the Men's Volleyball World League. The 2003 edition was played by twelve countries from July 21 to August 3, 2003 with the final round held in Andria, Italy. Hosts Italy and the top five ranked teams after the preliminary rounds qualified for the last round.


2003 FIVB Volleyball World League
The 2003 FIVB Volleyball World League was the 14th edition of the annual men's international volleyball tournament, played by 16 countries from 16 May to 13 July 2003. The Final Round was held in Madrid, Spain.


2003 FIVB Women's World Cup squads
This article shows all participating team squads at the 2003 FIVB Women's World Cup, held from November 1 to November 15, 2003 in several cities in Japan.


2003 FIVB World Grand Prix squads
This article show all participating team squads at the 2003 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Grand Prix, played by twelve countries from 21 July to 3 August 2003 with the final round held in Gioia del Colle, Matera, Italy.


2003 FIVB World Grand Prix squads, Brazil
The following is the Brazil roster in the 2003 FIVB World Grand Prix.


2003 FIVB World Grand Prix squads, Canada
The following is the Canada roster in the 2003 FIVB World Grand Prix.


2003 FIVB World Grand Prix squads, China
The following is the China roster in the 2003 FIVB World Grand Prix.


2003 FIVB World Grand Prix squads, Cuba
The following is the Cuba roster in the 2003 FIVB World Grand Prix.


2003 FIVB World Grand Prix squads, Germany
The following is the Germany roster in the 2003 FIVB World Grand Prix.


2003 FIVB World Grand Prix squads, Italy
The following is the Italy roster in the 2003 FIVB World Grand Prix.


2003 FIVB World Grand Prix squads, Japan
The following is the Japan roster in the 2003 FIVB World Grand Prix.


2003 FIVB World Grand Prix squads, Netherlands
The following is the Netherlands roster in the 2003 FIVB World Grand Prix.


2003 FIVB World Grand Prix squads, Russia
The following is the Russia roster in the 2003 FIVB World Grand Prix.


2003 FIVB World Grand Prix squads, South Korea
The following is the South Korea roster in the 2003 FIVB World Grand Prix.


2003 FIVB World Grand Prix squads, Thailand
The following is the Thailand roster in the 2003 FIVB World Grand Prix.


2003 FIVB World Grand Prix squads, United States
The following is the United States roster in the 2003 FIVB World Grand Prix.


2003 Family Circle Cup
The 2003 Family Circle Cup was a women's tennis tournament and the 31st edition of the Family Circle Cup. This WTA Tier I Event was held at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, South Carolina, United States and played on outdoor clay courts. Second-seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne won the singles title.


2003 Family Circle Cup, Finals, Doubles
Virginia Ruano Pascual /  Paola Suárez defeated  Janette Husárová /  Conchita Martínez 6–0, 6–3


2003 Family Circle Cup – Doubles
Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs were the defending champions, but Raymond did not compete in this edition. Stubbs teamed up with Elena Bovina and lost in quarterfinals to Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez.


2003 Family Circle Cup – Doubles
Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez won the title, defeating Janette Husárová and Conchita Martínez 6–0, 6–3 in the final. It was the 19th title for Ruano Pascual and the 26th title for Suárez in their respective careers.


2003 Family Circle Cup – Doubles, Seeds
The first four seeds received a bye into the second round.


2003 Family Circle Cup – Singles
Iva Majoli was the defending champion, but lost in second round to Elena Dementieva.


2003 Family Circle Cup – Singles
Justine Henin-Hardenne won the title, defeating Serena Williams 6–3, 6–4 in the final. It was the 2nd title of the year for Henin-Hardenne and the 8th of her career.


2003 Family Circle Cup – Singles, Seeds
The first nine seeds received a bye into the second round.


2003 Fayetteville, North Carolina mayoral election
The 2003 Fayetteville mayoral election took place on November 4, 2003 to elect the mayor of Fayetteville, North Carolina. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Marshall Pitts Jr..


2003 Fed Cup
The 2003 Fed Cup was the 41st edition of the most important competition between national teams in women's tennis.


2003 Fed Cup
The final took place at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia on 22–23 November. France defeated the United States, giving France their second title.


2003 Fed Cup, World Group Play-offs
The eight losing teams in the World Group first round ties and eight winners of the Zonal Group I sections competed in the World Group Play-offs for spots in the 2004 World Group.


2003 Fed Cup, Rankings
The rankings were measured after the three points during the year that play took place, and were collated by combining points earned from the previous four years.


2003 Fed Cup Americas Zone
The Americas Zone was one of three zones of regional competition in the 2003 Fed Cup.


2003 Fed Cup Americas Zone, Group I
The eight teams were divided into two pools of four teams. The teams that finished first in the pools played-off against those that placed second to determine which team would partake in the World Group Play-offs. The two nations coming last in the pools were relegated to Group II for 2004.


2003 Fed Cup Americas Zone, Group II
The ten teams were divided into two pools of five. The top team from each pool then advanced to Group I for 2004.


2003 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Play-offs
The Play-offs of the 2003 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I were the final stages of the Group I Zonal Competition involving teams from the Americas. Those that qualified for this stage placed first and second in their respective pools.


2003 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Play-offs
The four teams were then paired up the team from a different placing of the other group for a play-off tie, with the winners being promoted to the World Group Play-offs.


2003 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Pool A
Group A of the 2003 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I was one of two pools in the Americas Zone Group I of the 2003 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top teams coming first and second advancing to the play-offs, and the bottom team being relegated down to 2003 Group II.


2003 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I – Pool B
Group B of the 2003 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I was one of two pools in the Americas Zone Group I of the 2003 Fed Cup. Four teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top teams coming first and second advancing to the play-offs, and the bottom team being relegated down to 2003 Group II.


2003 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II – Pool A
Group A of the 2003 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II was one of two pools in the Americas Zone Group II of the 2003 Fed Cup. Five teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top team advancing to Group I in 2004.


2003 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II – Pool B
Group B of the 2003 Fed Cup Americas Zone Group II was one of two pools in the Americas Zone Group II of the 2003 Fed Cup. Five teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top team advancing to Group I in 2004.


2003 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone
The Asia/Oceania Zone was one of three zones of regional competition in the 2003 Fed Cup.


2003 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone, Group I
The eleven teams were divided into two pools of five and six teams. The teams that finished first and second in the pools played-off to determine which team would partake in the World Group Play-offs. The two nations coming last in the pools were relegated to Group II for 2004.


2003 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone, Group II
The four teams played in one pool of four, with the two teams placing first and second in the pool advancing to Group I for 2004.


2003 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Play-offs
The Play-offs of the 2003 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I were the final stages of the Group I Zonal Competition involving teams from Asia and Oceania. Those that qualified for this stage placed first and second in their respective pools.


2003 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Play-offs
The four teams were then paired up the team from a different placing of the other group for a play-off tie, with the winners being promoted to the World Group Play-offs.


2003 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Pool A
Group A of the 2003 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I was one of two pools in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I of the 2003 Fed Cup. Five teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams advancing to the play-offs and the bottom team being relegated to Group II for next year.


2003 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I – Pool B
Group B of the 2003 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I was one of two pools in the Asia/Oceania zone of the 2003 Fed Cup. Six teams competed in a round robin competition, with the top two teams advancing to the play-offs and the bottom team being relegated to Group II for the following year.


2003 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II – Pool
The Pool of the 2003 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II composed of four teams competing in a round robin competition. The top two teams qualified for Group I next year.


2003 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone
The Europe/Africa Zone was one of three zones of regional competition in the 2003 Fed Cup.


2003 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone, Group I
The seventeen teams were divided into three pools of four teams and one pool of five. The top teams of each pool played-off against the second-placed teams to decide which four nations progress to World Group Play-offs. The four nations coming last in the pools were relegated to Group II for 2004.


2003 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone, Group II
The thirteen teams were divided into three pools each of three teams and one pool of four. The top teams of each pool were randomly drawn against each other in two play-offs to decide which two teams advanced to Group I for 2004.


2003 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I – Play-offs
The Play-offs of the 2003 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I were the final stages of the Group I Zonal Competition involving teams from Europe and Africa. Those that qualified for this stage placed first and second in their respective pools.


2003 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I – Play-offs
The eight teams were then randomly paired up the team from a different placing of another group for a play-off tie, with the winners being promoted to the World Group Play-offs.


2003 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II – Play-offs
The Play-offs of the 2003 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II were the final stages of the Group II Zonal Competition involving teams from Europe and Africa. Those that qualified for this stage placed first and second in their respective pools.


2003 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II – Play-offs
The four teams were then randomly paired up the team from a different placing of another group for a play-off tie, with the winners being promoted to Group II.


2003 Fed Cup World Group
The World Group was the highest level of Fed Cup competition in 2003. Sixteen nations competed in a four-round knockout competition. Slovakia was the defending champion, but they were defeated in the quarterfinals by Belgium. France defeated United States in the final to win their second title and claim the World No. 1 ranking.


2003 Fed Cup World Group Play-offs
The 2003 World Group Play-offs decided which nations featured in World Group in the 2004 Fed Cup. The play-off winners went on to feature in World Group in 2004, while the losing nations joined Zonal Competition for 2004.


2003 FedEx Express season
The 2003 FedEx Express season was the 2nd season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


2003 FedEx Express season, Occurrences
April 15: PBA Commissioner Noli Eala ordered the FedEx management to honor the remainder of Rene "Bong" Hawkins' four-year contract which the ballclub assumed from the disbanded Tanduay Rhum Masters, the contract is worth P400,000 a month.


2003 FedEx Express season, Occurrences
May 20: FedEx appeals before the PBA board on the earlier decision after cager Bong Hawkins reportedly turned down a P2.7 million settlement offered by the team.


2003 FedEx Express season, Occurrences
September 12: Express' coaching consultant Bonnie Garcia was elevated to the position of head coach, replacing Derrick Pumaren.


2003 Fenland District Council election
The 2003 Fenland District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Fenland District Council in Cambridgeshire, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 1999. The Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.


2003 Fenland District Council election, Election result
The results saw the Conservatives easily stay in control of the council taking 36 of the 40 seats, with Conservative candidates having been unopposed in 11 wards. The only ward where any other group won all of the seats was in Waterlees in Wisbech, where Labour took both seats.


2003 Fiesta Bowl
The 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl took place on January 3, 2003, in Tempe, Arizona, at Sun Devil Stadium. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 31–24 in double overtime. It also served as the BCS National Championship Game for the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. The game was the second overtime result in either the Bowl Championship Series, or its predecessors, the Bowl Alliance or the Bowl Coalition, the first being the January 1, 2000 Orange Bowl between Alabama and Michigan.


2003 Fiesta Bowl
Ohio State would finish with a 14-0 record, making them the first team in college football history to finish 14-0.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Leading up to the game
Ohio State had started the season ranked #13 after losing to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl the previous year. It was head coach Jim Tressel's second year with the team, and he had the experienced Buckeyes looking to win the Big Ten title. After gaining national respect by beating a top 10 Washington State team, Ohio State would go on to ride their strong defense and surprising offense to a 13-0 regular season.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Leading up to the game
Freshman star Maurice Clarett highlighted their elite rushing attack, while quarterback Craig Krenzel managed the games well by throwing to talented wideouts Michael Jenkins and Chris Gamble. They had won 6 games by 7 points or fewer, and the last 3 games by a slim margin of 16 points. Many of the Buckeye's close wins were over mediocre competition. Two of the closest wins were a 23-19 win over 7-7 Conference USA team Cincinnati on a pair of dropped TD passes with under a minute left, and a 10-6 win over 7-6 Purdue on the Holy Buckeye play. The Buckeyes also needed overtime to defeat a 5-7 Illinois team.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Leading up to the game
The Buckeyes took advantage and finished their season with a close win against Michigan, who were ranked 9th nationally. They held on to a 14-9 lead with an interception in the endzone by safety Will Allen in the final seconds. Even though they were undefeated, the Buckeyes were heading into the Fiesta Bowl as an about 14 points underdog. But they had a lot of motivation from strong leaders like 3x All-American safety Mike Doss.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Leading up to the game
Throughout the season the defending national champion Miami Hurricanes continued a historic winning streak. The regular season ended with a perfect record extending the streak to 34 games. Their roster included future NFL players on both offense and defense including Willis McGahee, Ken Dorsey, Andre Johnson, Kellen Winslow Jr., Jonathan Vilma, D.J. Williams, William Joseph, Jerome McDougle, Antrel Rolle, Kelly Jennings, Roscoe Parrish and Sean Taylor. Their offensive line had also produced 3 straight 1,000 yard seasons by 3 different running backs, and were leading the nation in fewest sacks allowed. They were an overwhelming favorite to win their 2nd consecutive national title.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Leading up to the game
The Hurricanes, however, had not been as dominant as in 2001, and had a pair of lucky wins. The Hurricanes beat Florida State  on a wide left field goal, building on the previous Wide Right legacy. The Hurricanes also trailed a  Rutgers team that finished 1-11  going into the fourth quarter by a score of 17-14, and would have been losing 24-8 if they ironically hadn't been beneficiaries of a controversial pass interference call that wiped out a 100 yard interception return. Miami's 3 prime non-conference opponents-Florida, Tennessee, and the FSU team that nearly beat Miami- had not been as good as expected. Some people believed that the 2002 Miami team was living off the reputation of the 2001 team, and that the game could be more competitive than expected.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
The Miami Hurricanes won the coin toss for first possession options and elected to defer their choice until the 2nd half kickoff. The Buckeyes chose to receive the kickoff and Miami decided to defend the north goal. The kickoff resulted in a touchback but the Buckeyes were flagged for having 12 men on the field, moving the spot of the ball back to the Buckeye 15-yard line. The Buckeyes' first series resulted in a three-and-out, and Buckeye punter Andy Groom's 56-yard punt resulted in Miami beginning their first possession on their own 20.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
During the first down, the Hurricanes' quarterback Ken Dorsey was sacked for a loss of 3 yards. Running back Willis McGahee was tackled on the second down in the backfield for a loss of 2 yards. On third and 15, Dorsey completed a 20-yard pass to Andre Johnson for a 1st down. A couple of plays later, Dorsey again completed a pass to Andre Johnson for 11 yards. The next play saw Dorsey sacked again, this time for a 5-yard loss. The Miami offense failed to gain a first down and punter Freddie Capshaw punted the ball 43 yards. Ohio State received the ball on its one-yard line.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
After three downs, the Buckeyes punted. Groom kicked the ball 44 yards where Roscoe Parrish made a fair catch at the Miami 48-yard line. Miami's drive started out slowly with a 1-yard loss on a run by McGahee, but the next play saw Dorsey throw a 28-yard first down pass to Kellen Winslow, Jr.. Three plays later, Dorsey sidestepped blitzing safety Donnie Nickey and threw to Parrish for a 25-yard touchdown to put Miami up 7-0 (after Todd Sievers's extra point) with 4:09 left in the first quarter.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
Ohio State's Maurice Hall returned the ensuing kickoff for 15 yards. On the first play from scrimmage, Buckeye quarterback Craig Krenzel threw an interception to Miami safety Sean Taylor. On its first play after this, the Miami quarterback completed a 14-yard pass to Andre Johnson for another first down. McGahee was tackled twice for a net loss of 4 yards, and Dorsey's pass on third-and-15 was 2 yards short of a first down. On fourth down Miami's Capshaw punted 44 yards for a touchback. The Buckeyes took over at their 20-yard line, but got a false start penalty, moving them to their 15-yard line. The Buckeyes did not get a touchdown before the quarter ended.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
After a quick first down at the end of the 1st quarter the Ohio State drive stalled as Maurice Clarett was tackled for no gain, and then a 7-yard loss, on the next two plays. Groom punted for 63 yards to the Miami 7-yard line where Parrish returned it 6 yards.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
The Hurricanes moved the ball after a 10-yard holding penalty for another first down. Ohio State responded after the mental error when cornerback Dustin Fox intercepted Ken Dorsey's pass, which was intended for Parrish, at the Miami 49 and returned it 12 yards.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
Ohio State picked up a first down in 2 plays but come up short on a long 3rd and 12 to make it 4th and 1. The Buckeyes uncharacteristically decided to fake the field goal attempt and have kick holder Andy Groom (otherwise a punter) carry the ball on an option, but the Buckeyes were stopped for no gain on the play and turned the ball over on downs.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
Miami began their next possession with another penalty. The Hurricanes were called for an illegal formation penalty for 5 yards, but Dorsey quickly rebounded as he completed a 14-yard pass to Ethenic Sands for a Miami 1st down. Dorsey again completed a pass on the next play to Jason Geathers for a 4-yard gain. The Hurricanes tried to pass two more times, but the first pass was incomplete and the second was intercepted on a deflection by Buckeye safety Mike Doss, who returned the ball 35 yards to the Miami 17-yard line.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
A few plays later Krenzel threw 8 yards for a first down to Chris Vance. Ohio State proceeded to move the ball to the 2-yard line, with the help of a Miami offsides penalty. Krenzel carried the ball into the endzone on 4th and 1 from the 2 for a touchdown. Mike Nugent kicked the PAT to tie the score at 7 - 7 with a little over 2 minutes to go in the first half.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
Nugent's kickoff after the score went to the back of the endzone for a touchback. On the Hurricane's first play from scrimmage Ken Dorsey was sacked and fumbled the ball. The Buckeye's Darrion Scott recovered the fumble on the Miami 14-yard line. 2 plays later, and again with the help of a Miami offsides penalty, Maurice Clarett ran for a 7-yard touchdown. After another successful PAT by Nugent the Buckeyes were up 14-7.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
Nugent kicked off for another touchback, and Miami chose to run out the clock. The Buckeyes led at half time, 14–7.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
On the first play of the second half, Ohio State kicker Mike Nugent sent the ball into the endzone for yet another touchback. Miami began with the ball on the 20-yard line but fell short on a 3rd and 3 to make it 4th and 1 and elected to punt. Freddie Capshaw punted the ball 43 yards and the ball was downed at the Ohio State 28-yard line.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
The Buckeyes began the drive with good momentum as they handed off to Clarett twice, resulting in a 4- and 10-yard gain respectively and a Buckeye first down. Ohio State was flagged for a 5-yard offsides penalty on the next play. The Buckeyes were stopped twice in a row to bring up a 3rd and 15.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
On third down, Krenzel threw a deep ball to Chris Gamble for a 57-yard reception to the Miami 6-yard line and an Ohio State first down. Krenzel then threw an interception to Sean Taylor who returned it 28 yards. However, the ball was stripped by Maurice Clarett causing a fumble which was recovered by Clarett. The turnover resulted in 3 points for OSU when Nugent converted a field goal that put the Buckeyes up 17–7.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
On the following kickoff the Hurricanes' Andre Johnson returned the ball 39 yards before getting tackled. Again, the Buckeyes defense held Miami to a 3 and out and forced a punt. Capshaw had a 43-yard punt down to the Ohio State 10-yard line where Chris Gamble fielded the ball for a 1-yard gain. Antrel Rolle was called for a kick catch interference penalty of 10 yards on the punt.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
Ohio State began their next drive at their own 21-yard line, and only moved the ball 4 yards before calling in Groom to punt the ball 30 yards out of bounds. Miami's next possession consisted of a couple of big plays including a 23-yard reception and a 7-yard reception by Winslow from Dorsey. Miami then faced 1st and goal from the Ohio State 9-yard line. Willis McGahee ran 9 yards for a Miami touchdown. Sievers PAT kick was good and the score became 17–14, Buckeyes.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
Sievers kickoff resulted in a touchback and gave the ball to Ohio State at their own 20-yard line with 2:11 left in the 3rd quarter. Clarett got the ball on 1st and 10 and was tackled for no gain. Krenzel ran for 4 yards making it 3rd and 6, and then took the ball himself once more for a 3-yard gain on the final play of the 3rd quarter with the score 17–14 in favor of the Buckeyes.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
The 4th Quarter started out with a 49-yard punt out of bounds by Andy Groom giving Miami the ball at their own 24-yard line. Miami once again put a drive together earning 3 first downs including a 9-yard rush by McGahee who was injured and out for the rest of the game after the play. McGahee's injury was caused by a shoulder leading hit by safety Will Allen. The tackle ruptured all three ligaments in McGahee's knee, putting his career in doubt. (McGahee subsequently recovered from his injury and went on to a successful professional football career.)


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
The next plays were a Dorsey completion to Ethenic Sands for 9 yards, and a Dorsey completion to Winslow for a gain of 11 yards. The Canes were then held forced to bring out kicker Todd Sievers to attempt a 54-yard field goal. Sievers's attempt was wide right and the Buckeyes took over on downs.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
The Buckeyes put a drive together, also earning 3 first downs including a 10-yard completion from Krenzel to Michael Jenkins, a 12-yard completion from Krenzel to Gamble, and a 6-yard rush by Clarett. However, the Miami defense held and forced Ohio State to try a field goal. Nugent's attempt at a 42-yard field goal missed the uprights wide right. Miami then took over the ball at its own 25 with 6:36 left in the game.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
On the first play of the Miami drive, Dorsey hooked up with Kellen Winslow for an 11-yard gain and a first down. Jarrett Payton then rushed for 5 yards before Dorsey and Winslow hooked up yet again for a 10-yard gain and another Miami 1st down. Miami was stopped two plays in a row bringing up 3rd and 8 when Dorsey passed to Parrish for a 34-yard completion, but Parrish fumbled the ball at the hands of cornerback Dustin Fox. Nickelback Will Allen recovered the fumble for the Buckeyes.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Krenzel then rushed for one more 1st down on a 4-yard gain until they were held by the Miami D and were forced to punt once again. On 3rd and 6  a catch by Chris Gamble was ruled incomplete due to his being out of bounds (even though replay showed Gamble probably caught the ball inbounds). TV replays also showed that Gamble was seemingly held on the play by a Miami defender, and Krenzel may have been hit late.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
However, TV replays also indicate that Ohio State might not have snapped the ball before the play clock expired, and possibly should have been called for delay of game, which would have turned the third and six into 3rd and 11. Furthermore, Ohio State would not have actually been able to knee out the clock if this had been ruled in bounds (or ruled defensive holding or a late hit), because there was 2:19 left on the clock and Miami still had one timeout.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Under replay rules that were passed before the 2005 and 2006 seasons, replay officials would have been allowed to review if Gamble was in bounds, but would not have been allowed to review the play for defensive holding or a late hit. The Buckeyes were forced to punt and Groom punted the ball 44 yards.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Miami's returner, Parrish, ran the ball back 50 yards before being tackled by Groom and Doss. Miami started their drive at the Buckeye 26-yard line with 2:02 left in the game. Some Ohio State fans claim that Miami should have been called for a block in the back at about the Miami 40 yard line, which would have meant the Hurricanes would have started the possession from about the Miami 30 yard line rather than the Ohio State 26 yard line.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Miami ran 3 plays for a total of 3 yards and decide to take a timeout on 4th and 7 with 3 seconds left in the game. Miami elected to have Sievers attempt a 40-yard field goal. Tressel called a timeout to try to ice the kicker. Ohio State then used its last timeout in a further attempt to rattle Sievers. The 40 yard attempt was successful, however, and tied the score at 17 with no time remaining in regulation play, forcing the game into overtime.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, First overtime
Ohio State won the toss at the start of overtime and chose to be on defense first. Miami started their OT drive out slow, but on 2nd and 10, Dorsey completed a 9-yard pass to Andre Johnson to make it 3rd and 1 from the 16-yard line. Jarrett Payton then rushed for 8 yards to give Miami another 1st down and a 1st and goal from the OSU 8-yard line. Two plays later, Dorsey hooked up with Kellen Winslow in the endzone for a 7-yard touchdown pass. Pass interference was called on the defense, but the penalty was declined. Miami led 24–17 at this point, forcing the Buckeyes to score a touchdown on their next possession to keep the game alive.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, First overtime
On the Buckeyes' turn to try to score from the Miami 25-yard line, Krenzel came up with a 5-yard rush on the first play. Ohio State had a 2nd and 5 on the Miami 20-yard line and a false start penalty was called against the Buckeyes bringing them back 5 yards to the 25. On 2nd and 10 Krenzel got sacked for a 4-yard loss bringing up 3rd and 14. Krenzel then threw an incomplete pass to Clarett to make it 4th and 14 and their last chance to get a 1st down. Krenzel came through and completed a 17-yard pass to Jenkins for a 1st down on the Miami 12-yard line. Replays  seem to show that Jenkins pushed off Miami cornerback Glen Sharpe on this play, which could have resulted in a nearly impossible fourth and 24 situation for Ohio State.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, First overtime
Krenzel then threw another incomplete pass to Jenkins which brought up 2nd and 10 where Krenzel took the ball himself and rushed for 7 yards down to the Miami 5-yard line. The third down was an incomplete pass by Krenzel, which brought up 4th down and 3. Krenzel attempted a pass to Gamble, but the ball bounced off Gamble's hands and was called an incomplete pass by the line judge. The Miami fans and team, believing the game to be over, began to rush the field.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, First overtime
However, Terry Porter, a field judge had thrown a late flag in the end zone. The penalty was defensive pass interference, called on Miami defender Glenn Sharpe. As a result, Ohio State received the ball on the 2-yard line with an automatic first down. With a fresh set of downs, Krenzel rushed for a 1-yard touchdown on 3rd down. Nugent's kick was good and tied the score at 24 sending the game into a second overtime.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Second overtime
In the second overtime, the teams switched possession order, giving the ball first to Ohio State. The Buckeyes started strong with Lydell Ross rushing for a 9-yard gain on 1st down. 3rd and 1 came up and Krenzel rushed for 5 yards and an Ohio State 1st down. For 1st and 10 on the Miami 11, Krenzel completed a 6-yard pass to Jenkins which brought up 2nd and 4 on the Miami 5-yard line. Krenzel then handed off the ball to Maurice Clarett for a 5-yard rushing touchdown putting Ohio State up 31–24 after a successful Nugent PAT.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Second overtime
Miami had to score a touchdown and then either kick the PAT to tie the game and send it to a 3rd overtime, or go for a 2-point conversion and the win. The Hurricanes drew a couple of blanks to put them in a 4th and 3 situation where Dorsey completed a 7-yard pass to Winslow for a 1st down. A facemask penalty was called on Ohio State during the play to make it 1st and 5 for Miami from the Buckeye 6-yard line.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary, Second overtime
Ken Dorsey then threw an incomplete pass to Andre Johnson, but a pass interference call on a Buckeyes defender gave Miami a 1st and goal from the 2-yard line. The Buckeye defense held Miami to only one yard in the next 3 plays to bring up a big 4th and goal on the 1-yard line. Ken Dorsey threw a pass as he was being hit by linebacker Cie Grant; it was incomplete, ending the game with Ohio State winning the BCS National Championship 31–24.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Scoring summary, Aftermath
The amount of future NFL talent that played in the game is considered highly exceptional. Of the 43 players who started in the game (OSU's Chris Gamble started on both offense and defense), 37 of them were eventually NFL draft picks (including 18 first-rounders). Of the 100 players who played in the game, 52 went on to be drafted and 58 went on to play in the NFL.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Pass interference controversy
The pass at the end of the first overtime was ruled incomplete by the side judge. A few seconds later, another official threw a flag, initially signaling holding before changing the call to a pass interference against Miami. When asked why it took him so long to make the call, official Terry Porter said he wanted to make sure that the call was correct, explaining “I replayed it in my mind. I wanted to make double sure that it was the right call.”


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Pass interference controversy
Announcer Dan Fouts distinctly voiced "bad call" after the pass interference call was made. The other announcer, Keith Jackson, suggested that the call might have been correct.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Pass interference controversy
"The Call" has since been defended by some sportswriters as a good one. Others took the opposite view, including Sports Illustrated's Rick Reilly, and CBS Sports Dennis Dodd, who wrote:


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Pass interference controversy
I saw a piece somewhere before the BCS title game on Porter and his refusal to back down from doing anything wrong. I've written about his call extensively over the year. It wasn't until I saw that piece again recently that I realize how much Porter choked.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Pass interference controversy
What the piece failed to mention was that the Big 12 tried to spin it a different way. The flag wasn't for pass interference, they said, but HOLDING. It appears that Miami's Glenn Sharpe did hold Chris Gamble off the line, but that would make the call even more ridiculous. That means that Porter threw the flag a good 10 seconds after the snap.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Pass interference controversy
Terry Porter was right. Six and a half months after the most controversial call of the Bowl Championship Series era, the Big 12 field judge has been vindicated.


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Pass interference controversy
The call was subsequently validated by the National Association of Sports Officials, and the Big 12. In 2007, "the Call" was  selected by Referee Magazine as one of the "Best 18 Calls of All Time."


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Pass interference controversy
"The Call" was also discussed on the ESPN Classic show, The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame..., in an episode titled, "The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame the Referees for Miami losing the 2003 Fiesta Bowl."


2003 Fiesta Bowl, Pass interference controversy
Despite being praised by referees, "The call" has generally been criticized by fans, and frequently appears on "worst officiating calls ever" lists


2003 Fife Council election
2003 Elections to Fife Council were held on 1 May 2003, the same day as the other Scottish local government elections and the Scottish Parliament election. The election was the last one to use plurality (first past the post) system of election to elected the  78 individual councillors.


2003 Fife Council election, Party performance
Labour continued to control the council as a minority, having only 38 seats going into the election. Labour won 43 seats in 1999 elections but lost 5 seats in by-elections during the course of their term in office, but remained having the largest share of the vote and numbers of councillors. SNP, Liberal Democrats and independents all increase there share of the vote and number of councillors.


2003 Fife Council election, Party performance
2003 Elections to Fife Council were held on 3 May 2003, the same day as the other Scottish local government elections and the Scottish Parliament election. The election was the last one to use plurality (first past the post) system of election to elected the  78 individual councillors.


2003 Fife Council election, Party performance
Labour continued to control the council as a minority, having only 38 seats going into the election. Labour won 43 seats in 1999 elections but lost 5 seats in by-elections during the course of there term in office, but remained having the largest share of the vote and numbers of councillors. SNP, Liberal Democrats and independents all increased their share of the vote and number of councillors.


2003 Fiji rugby union tours
The 2003 Fiji rugby union tours  were two series of matches played between June and August 2003 in Australia, New Zealand and South America by Fiji national rugby union team.


2003 Fiji rugby union tours
The matches were played in two different periods: in June in Australia (no test match) and in August in New Zealand (no test) and South America (two full international matches).


2003 Fiji rugby union tours, In South America
Argentina: Bernardo Stortoni, 14.Hernan Senillosa, 13.Manuel Contepomi, 12.Martin Gaitan, 11.Ignacio Corleto, 10.Juan Fernandez Miranda, 9.Matias Albina, 8.Rodrigo Roncero, 7.Federico Mendez Azpillaga, 6.Martin Scelzo, 5.Mariano Sambucetti, 4.Santiago Phelan , 3.Rimas Alvarez Kairelis, 2.Martin Schusterman, 1.Gonzalo Longo (capt),  – replacements: Martin Durand, Pedro Sporleder, Mauricio Reggiardo       –  No entry : Agustin Pichot, Gonzalo Quesada, Jose Orengo


2003 Fiji rugby union tours, In South America
Fiji: 15.Norman Ligairi, 14.Sekove Leawere, 13.Aisea Tuilevu Kurimudu, 12.Seru Rabeni, 11.Rupeni Caucaunibuca, 10.Nicky Little, 9.Moses Rauluni, 8.Alfi Mocelutu Vuivau , 7.Kitione Salawa, 6.Sisa Koyamaibole, 5.Kele Leawere, 4.Emori Katalau (capt), 3.Joeli Veitayaki, 2.Bill Gadolo, 1.Richard Nyholt,  – replacements: 16.Naka Seru, 17.Isaia Rasila, 18.Ifereimi Rawaqa, 19.Koli Sewabu, 20.Vula Maimuri, 21.Waisale Serevi


2003 Finlandia Trophy
The 2003 Finlandia Trophy is an annual senior-level international figure skating competition held in Finland. It was held in Helsinki on October 10–12, 2003. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.


2003 Finnish Cup
The 2003 Finnish Cup (Finnish: Suomen Cup) was the 49th season of the main annual association football cup competition in Finland. It was organised as a single-elimination knock–out tournament and participation in the competition was voluntary. A total of 338 teams registered for the competition. The final was held at the Finnair Stadium, Helsinki on 1 November 2003 with HJK defeating AC Allianssi by 2–1, (after extra time), before an attendance of 3,682 spectators.


2003 Finnish Figure Skating Championships
The 2003 Finnish Figure Skating Championships took place between January 10 and 12, 2003 in Turku. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing on the senior and junior levels. The event was used to help determine the Finnish team to the 2003 European Championships.


2003 Finnish parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 16 March 2003. The Centre Party led by Anneli Jäätteenmäki overtook the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to become the largest party in the Eduskunta. This was credited mainly to Jäätteenmäki's powerful leadership and modernization of the party still often viewed as agrarian and conservative by many. However, the SDP actually won some seats and increased its share of the vote, losing in the number of total popular votes only by a few thousand.


2003 Finnish parliamentary election
The Green League achieved its best results ever, but the Swedish People's Party suffered losses. The Christian Democrats gained votes but lost seats. This was partly because in 1999 and before Christian Democrats had been in an election coalition with Centre Party and benefited from this, while the Centre Party had lost seats due to the arrangement, and thus discontinued it starting from 2003. The Left Alliance continued its slow decline, while the small populist Finns Party did not do as well as some had expected.


2003 Finnish parliamentary election, Electoral system
The election was held under the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation, where the electoral district voted directly for the individual candidate, but each vote also benefitted the candidate's party.


2003 Finnish parliamentary election, Electoral system
The country was divided into fifteen electoral districts, with the boundaries corresponding to those of administrative regions (in some cases several regions have been grouped into a single constituency), with the exception that the city of Helsinki serves as its own constituency, instead of being part of the Uusimaa region in this case. Each constituency elected a number of representatives to the Eduskunta based on its population. The autonomous region of Åland had a special status with one representative even if its population was not large enough.


2003 Finnish parliamentary election, Electoral system
Candidates for the parliamentary election were allowed to be set by political parties and electoral associations. Any Finnish citizen over the age of 18 was eligible for candidacy, apart from incapacitated persons and professional soldiers. Each party or electoral union was allowed to set a maximum of 14 candidates per electoral district, or, in the case the district elected more than 14 members of parliament, an amount equal to that of the representatives elected.


2003 Finnish parliamentary election, Electoral system
Each Finnish citizen aged 18 or over on the election day had the right to vote in the election, no matter where they lived. The electorate consisted of a total of 4,220,951 people, 4,015,552 of whom were resident in Finland and 205,399 abroad.


2003 Finnish parliamentary election, Aftermath
The Council of State, or the Finnish cabinet, was formed after the parliamentary election by the Centre Party, with its leader Anneli Jäätteenmäki as Prime Minister. A coalition government was formed, composing of the two largest parties of the Eduskunta, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Centre Party, and a minor coalition partner, the Swedish People's Party, who has a history of being a partner in government since 1976. The new cabinet had eight ministers from both the SDP and the Centre Party, and two ministers from the Swedish People's Party.


2003 Finnish parliamentary election, Aftermath
However, this proved to be one of the shortest-lived cabinets in Finnish history, lasting only 69 days, after the Iraq leak scandal led to the government falling on 24 June 2003. A new cabinet was formed by the Centre Party's Matti Vanhanen, with largely the same composition as the previous cabinet.


2003 Fiordland earthquake
The 2003 Fiordland earthquake struck the remote region of Fiordland in the South Island of New Zealand on 22 August 2003 at 0.12 am. The epicentre was 12 km deep, and was thought to be near Secretary Island at the entrance to Doubtful Sound. This was the same location as an earthquake of 6.7 Ms magnitude on 10 August 1993.


2003 Fiordland earthquake
At 7.2 Ms magnitude it was one of the largest quakes in the country for some time, and was the largest shallow quake since the 1968 Inangahua earthquake. There was an aftershock two hours later at 2.12 am, followed over several days by frequent small tremors; up to 21 September there were 6365 aftershocks.


2003 Fiordland earthquake
Fiordland is one of the seismically active parts of the country according to GNS seismologist Dr Warwick Smith, as they are a relief mechanism for stresses as the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates are being forced together in the area, with the Pacific Plate subducting under the Australian Plate.


2003 Fiordland earthquake
In August 2004 there was another large earthquake of magnitude 7.1 MW in Fiordland.


2003 Fiordland earthquake, Damage
At Te Anau some 70 km to the south-east residents felt the quake strongly and items fell off shelves in shops and homes. Some of the pupils at Te Anau Primary School felt "weird" or "scared".


2003 Fiordland earthquake, Damage
A team of geologists led by Ian Turnbull went to investigate and reported "landsliding on a large scale". They recorded at least 200 landslides after overflying seventy percent of central and western Fiordland.


2003 Firestone Indy 400
The 2003 Firestone Indy 400 was the tenth round of the 2003 IndyCar Series season. The race was held on July 27, 2003 at the 2.00 mi Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. In one of the closest finishes in series history, Mo Nunn Racing driver Alex Barron beat Sam Hornish Jr. by about one hundredth of a second, with polesitter Tomas Scheckter finishing 3rd.


2003 Firestone Indy 400
Reminiscent of Danny Sullivan's "spin and win" at the 1985 Indianapolis 500, Barron spun while in the lead with thirty seven laps to go but he avoided contact with the wall or other cars and was able to use the draft to work his way back to the front and remain side-by-side with Hornish for the lead during the final twenty laps.


2003 Firestone Indy 400
Barron was in his second race for Mo Nunn Racing as a replacement for an injured Felipe Giaffone and was looking for a good result after a solid qualifying. Chip Ganassi Racing locked out the front row, but it was Hornish and his exclusive next-generation Chevrolet Indy V8 engine that dominated the race. Barron's spin on Lap 163 brought out a caution that bunched up the field and allowed the drivers to make a pit stop, setting up a thirty five-lap sprint to the finish.


2003 Firestone Indy 400
Multiple cars raced side-by-side and even three-wide as the laps ran down, but by Lap 180 it was a two-car race between Barron and Hornish for the win. Hornish stuck to the inside of the track and forced Barron to pass on the outside, but the air resistance generated by the 220 mph speeds meant that Barron physically could not complete the pass and move down to the inside line that Hornish was running.


2003 Firestone Indy 400
On the final lap of the race, Barron moved his car directly behind Hornish on the back-straight to take advantage of the draft; from there he used the extra momentum to dart back to the outside in Turns 3 and 4, get alongside Hornish, and cross the finish line first by just 0.0121 seconds, at the time the fourth closest finish in IndyCar history.


2003 Firestone Indy 400
The win was both Barron's and Mo Nunn Racing's second win in IndyCar competition; it would also be the last win for both driver and team. It was also the race with the fastest average speed in IndyCar history at 180.917 mph until next year's race in 2004.


2003 Florida Atlantic Owls football team
The 2003 Florida Atlantic University Owls football team represented Florida Atlantic University in the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The team was coached by Howard Schnellenberger and played their home games at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Owls competed in them as an independent.


2003 Florida Gators baseball team
The 2003 Florida Gators baseball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of baseball during the 2003 college baseball season. The Gators competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They played their home games at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium, on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The team was coached by Pat McMahon, who was in his second season at Florida.


2003 Florida Gators football team
The 2003 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2003 college football season. The Gators competed in Division I-A of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. They were led by second-year coach Ron Zook, who coached the Gators to a first-place tie in the SEC East, an Outback Bowl berth, and an overall win-loss record of 8–5 (.615). Consensus All-American Keiwan Ratliff set the school single-season interception mark in 2003 with 9.


2003 Florida Marlins season
The Florida Marlins' 2003 season was the 11th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in the National League. The Marlins were the National League Wild Card Winners, the National League Champions, and the World Series Champions. They defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series in six games to win their second World Series championship. The Marlins became just the second team in baseball history to win a World Series championship despite being 10 or more games below .500 (as low as 19-29) at some point in the season; the other team was the 1914 Boston Braves.


2003 Florida Marlins season
The Marlins would not return to the postseason until 2020.


2003 Florida Marlins season, Offseason
The Marlins pulled off some blockbuster deals during the 2003 off season, the most impressive being that of 10-time Gold Glove winning catcher Iván Rodríguez. They also traded catcher Charles Johnson and outfielder Preston Wilson to the Colorado Rockies for lead-off man Juan Pierre.


2003 Florida Marlins season, Regular season, Sluggish start
Jeff Torborg, the manager at the start of the season, led the team to a 16-22 start. Adding to that, their three top pitchers A. J. Burnett, Josh Beckett and Mark Redman, had each endured injuries that season, but Beckett and Redman were able to return to finish the rest of 2003. On May 11, Torborg was fired and replaced with Jack McKeon, a 72-year-old who began his major league managerial career in 1973 with the Kansas City Royals.


2003 Florida Marlins season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2003 Florida Marlins season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2003 Florida Marlins season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2003 Florida Marlins season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2003 Florida Marlins season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2003 Florida Marlins season, Postseason
With a 4–3 win over the New York Mets on September 26, the Marlins clinched their second wildcard in team history, and finishing with an overall record of 91–71.


2003 Florida Marlins season, Postseason, National League Division Series
The Marlins won the Division Series over the heavily favored defending National League champion San Francisco Giants. The series ended with a play at the plate with catcher Iván Rodríguez prevailing over Giants first baseman J. T. Snow. Coupled with a perfect throw from Conine and an amazing catch from Rodríguez, Snow was attempting to score by using a football type bulldozing move, but Rodríguez held on and the Marlins won, marking the first time that a post-season series ended with the potential tying run being thrown out at home plate.


2003 Florida Marlins season, Postseason, NLCS
The 2003 National League Championship Series is arguably one of the most famous (or infamous) post-season series in MLB history. On one side, the Florida Marlins, the miracle who, just a few months before, were at the cellar of the NL. On the other side, the Chicago Cubs, the "lovable losers", who, for the first time in a long time, were so close to victory. The Cubs jumped to a quick 3 games to 1 lead including 2 out of the 3 games in Miami, and were the sure favorites to take the series when it shifted back to Chicago.


2003 Florida Marlins season, Postseason, NLCS
In Game five, an absolutely stellar performance by Josh Beckett brought the series back to Chicago, back to Wrigley Field, where the home team has always had the advantage. With the Cubs needing to win only one game, and having studs Mark Prior and Kerry Wood on the hill those two games, most people thought the Marlins hope was over. In Game Six, the Cubs enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 lead with one out in the 8th Inning, when it all fell apart, and the Marlins went on to win the game, tying the series. This was the game of the Steve Bartman incident. In Game Seven, Brad Penny drove it home for the Fish, clinching their second pennant in 6 years.


2003 Florida Marlins season, Postseason, 2003 World Series
In the World Series, the underdog Marlins prevailed over the Yankees, 4 games to 2. This World Series marked the 100th anniversary of the annual event, although because there had not been a World Series played in what would have been its second year (1904), and the cancellation of all post-season play as a result of the strike in 1994, it was only the 99th World Series played. Josh Beckett was named the World Series MVP.


2003 Florida Marlins season, Postseason, 2003 World Series, Quote
Trying to win it all again. Posada, slow roller, right side. Beckett picks it up, tags Posada, and the Florida Marlins are World Champions. The Marlins have stunned the Yankees, shocked New York, and this improbable team, improbable ride, they end up on top, winning in 6 games over the Yankees.


2003 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 2003 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University during the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Bobby Bowden and played their home games at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. They were members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).


2003 Food City 500
The 2003 Food City 500 was the sixth stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was held on March 23, 2003, before a crowd of 160,000, in Bristol, Tennessee, at Bristol Motor Speedway, one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races. The 500-lap race was won by Kurt Busch of the Roush Racing team after starting from ninth position. Matt Kenseth finished in second and Bobby Labonte came in third.


2003 Food City 500
Although Ryan Newman won the pole position, he was immediately passed by Jeff Gordon at the start of the race. Twenty-eight laps later Rusty Wallace became the leader of the race. Gordon reclaimed the lead on lap 34 and led the most laps with 174. Jimmy Spencer passed Gordon for the lead on lap 161, and kept the position for a total of 139 laps. After the final pit stops, Busch became the leader of the race and maintained the position to lead a total of 116 laps, and to win his first race of the season. There were seventeen cautions and eleven lead changes among seven different drivers during the course of the race.


2003 Food City 500
The race was Busch's first win in the 2003 season, as well as fifth of his career. The result advanced Busch to second in the Drivers' Championship, one hundred and thirty-eight points behind Kenseth, and nine ahead of Tony Stewart. Ford maintained its lead in the Manufacturers' Championship, eight ahead of Chevrolet, and eighteen ahead of Pontiac, who bumped Dodge to fourth place, with thirty races of the season remaining.


2003 Food City 500, Background
The Food City 500 was the sixth scheduled stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, out of 36. It was held on March 23, 2003 in Bristol, Tennessee, at Bristol Motor Speedway, a short track that holds NASCAR races. The standard track at Bristol Motor Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is 0.533 miles (0.858 km) long. The track's turns are banked from twenty-four to thirty degrees, while both the front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the back stretch are banked from six to ten degrees.


2003 Food City 500, Background
Before the race, Matt Kenseth led the Drivers' Championship with 760 points, with Tony Stewart in second place with 703 points. Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were third and fourth with 698 and 634 points respectively, with Kurt Busch and Ricky Craven were tied for fifth place with 617 points. Dave Blaney, Jimmie Johnson, Joe Nemechek and Johnny Benson Jr. rounded out the top ten. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Ford was leading with 36 points, five points ahead of their rivals Chevrolet. Pontiac, with 24 points, was five points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third place. Busch was the race's defending champion.


2003 Food City 500, Background
Ahead of the event, Speedway Motorsports unveiled an extended backstretch grandstand which added 43,826 to the track's capacity. Spectators at the track also planned a "patriotic rally" which showed support to troops serving in the Iraq War. This caused Speedway Motorsports to employ extra security during the event. NASCAR subsequently announced that a contingency plan was being prepared that included arrangements for travel and extra security for the next three races in the season. The United States Government gave its consent to NASCAR and the other professional sporting associations to resume with their normal schedules.


2003 Food City 500, Practice and qualifying
Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race—one on Friday and two on Saturday. The first session lasted 120 minutes, while the second and final sessions ran for 45 minutes. Jeff Gordon was fastest in the first practice session with a time of 15.149 seconds, ahead of Sterling Marlin in second and Ryan Newman in third. Ken Schrader (with a lap of 15.178) was fourth fastest, and Mike Skinner placed fifth. Busch, Kenny Wallace, Earnhardt, Jimmy Spencer and Nemechek rounded out the session's top-ten drivers. During the session, Jeff Green and Jamie McMurray both made contact with the wall, and both were required to switch to back-up cars for qualifying. Robby Gordon also hit the wall, after spinning sideways.


2003 Food City 500, Practice and qualifying
Forty-five drivers were entered in the qualifier on Friday afternoon; according to NASCAR's qualifying procedure, forty-three were allowed to race. Ryan Newman clinched his second pole position of the season, with a time of 14.908. The time made a new track record, and became the first lap set under 15 seconds in the Winston Cup Series. He was joined on the grid's front row by Jeff Gordon. Schrader qualified third, Rusty Wallace took fourth, and Bill Elliott started fifth. Skinner, Spencer, Earnhardt, Busch and Stewart completed the top ten positions.


2003 Food City 500, Practice and qualifying
The two drivers who failed to qualify for the race were Larry Foyt and Hermie Sadler. After the qualifier Newman said, "That's the most amazed I've ever been after a qualifying run to go that fast and not anctipate it. We picked up over a quarter of a second from practice, and that's just unheard of at Bristol."