FIFA World Cup Germany 2006

World Cup 2006 Fliers With Racial Undertones Places German Politician In Hot Waters

2008-03-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

A pamphlet issued by a German politician from the far-right National Democratic Party has placed the head of the party in hot waters over racial remarks. In the eye of the storm were Udo Voight and two other senior NPD members, who have been charged by Berlin prosecutors with incitement and defamation.

The pamphlet, released during the soccer World Cup in 2006, which Germany hosted, had a picture of a Germany jersey sporting the number 25, the number of German-Nigerian athlete Patrick Owomoyela. The sports shirt had a caption which read, "White, not just the color of a jersey! For a real national team!"

Prosecutor Sabine Herbeth explained the fliers carried a strong message that Owomoyela and other colored players do not deserve to be on the national German team solely on the basis of their skin tone.

When German police searched the NPD offices on April 2006, they discovered 70,000 copies of the offending pamphlet and confiscated it.

Owomoyela, born in Hamburg, was sired by a Nigerian father with a German woman. He is a member of the Werder Bremen team, but no longer plays for the national squad. The mixed-breed athlete and the DFB, the governing body of soccer in the country, filed charges against the politicians in 2006.

Year Of Problems For The World Game

2006-12-14T20:37:00.000-08:00

The World Cup finals provided the perfect metaphor for the state of soccer in 2006.

The game remains the jewel in the world's sporting crown but its value is slowly being eroded because of deep and possibly irreparable flaws.

Even Italy's joy at becoming world champions had a sting in the tail for within days of their triumph on penalties over France in the Berlin final, the biggest soccer scandal in the country's history reached its climax.

Two of the biggest clubs in the world: Juventus and AC Milan, along with Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina, were severely punished for their roles in a long-running match-fixing disgrace, with Juve stripped of their 2005 and 2006 titles and demoted, forcing them to play in Serie B for the first time in their 109-year history.

On-field problems blighted the World Cup and while some of the football played in Germany's month-long fiesta was magnificent, too much of it was merely adequate or forgettable and the negatives outweighed the positives.

Although there was less violent play than at previous tournaments, there was more diving, more cheating and more feigning injury and unless FIFA deal with those issues swiftly and harshly the sporting fabric of the game will become increasingly threadbare.

Before they exited after losing on penalties to Germany in the quarter-finals, Argentina provided many of the positive memories and their 24-pass move that lead to Esteban Cambiasso's goal in a 6-0 first-round demolition of Serbia & Montenegro was one of the best in the competition's history.

Maxi Rodriguez's unstoppable volley in their 2-1 second-round, extra-time victory over Mexico a few days later was a classic goal which settled a classic match.

Italy's 2-0 semi-final win over Germany was the best match of the tournament.

After World Cup: Germany's economy up, but soccer down

2006-11-26T16:27:00.000-08:00

More than four months after the World Cup, the German economy is rising, but the same can hardly be said for the country's soccer.

The world's biggest sports event ended July 9 in Berlin, and now Germany is grappling with contradictions as it tries to assess the tournament's lasting impact.

The first-division Bundesliga is averaging a record 38,985 fans this season, although the quality of play leaves much to be desired. In the lower leagues, stadium violence has become alarming, and politicians and police are trying to regain control.

"The atmosphere in the stadiums is better than the performances," said Franz Beckenbauer, head of Germany's World Cup effort. "But the World Cup is still with us, even if the euphoria couldn't last."

Bayern Munich, off to its worst Bundesliga start in 32 years, is just one of the clubs booed for weeks by home fans because of uninspired play.

In Europe, the league is suffering. Just four German teams are left in the Champions League and UEFA Cup,two in each competition, and none is considered a title favorite.

Germany's economy, by contrast, is doing just fine in Europe and elsewhere behind strong export sales.

"The upswing remains intact," Andreas Rees, an economist for UniCredit bank, said Tuesday.

How much a humming economy and lower unemployment rate can be attributed to a World Cup is another matter.

"We may never be able to answer that question," Ifo Institute economist Gernot Nerb said. "The economy is not a physics experiment. You just can't take it into the laboratory and isolate one factor."

The one bright spot in the country's soccer is the performance of the national team. Its young players, who finished third at the World Cup, so electrified the Germans they got caught up in flag-waving not seen since World War II.

Under Joachim Loew, successor to Juergen Klinsmann, the team is 5-0 with a 23-1 goal difference. That total was padded by a European qualifying-record 13-0 rout of San Marino.

The only German team that seems to benefit from that is Werder Bremen, which plays the Bundesliga's most exciting football behind seven Germany starters, led by leading World Cup scorer Miroslav Klose.

Bremen, although now a point off the Bundesliga lead, generated 22 goals in a recent streak of five wins and has a chance to advance out of Champions League group play at the expense of defending champion FC Barcelona.

Germany turned a profit of US$116 million from the World Cup, but now others want a share of the spoils.

The police union demanded the money be used to pay for the huge force required for the World Cup, which drew 2 million visitors. Officers registered 70,000 hours of overtime, working nonstop.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter wants the money allocated to control the violence in German stadiums, escalating since the largely peaceful World Cup. Nearly every weekend, police are injured in clashes with troublemakers, referees are attacked and dark-skinned players are taunted with racist chants.

"The money is needed,or a part of the money,to master the situation," Blatter said

FIFA World Player Gala 2006: Preliminary lists revealed

2006-10-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

Each year, autumn brings with it the launch of the annual awards. This time, the much-coveted title of FIFA World Player of the Year will be awarded on 18 December in Zurich, but before deciding on the winners in the male and female categories, FIFA's experts have produced preliminary lists of 20 women and 30 men. Here, FIFA.com reveals them exclusively for you.

In this FIFA World Cup™ year, the voting for the FIFA World Player will no doubt be influenced by the performances of the key players at the showcase event. As they seek to narrow down their choice to the final trio, national coaches and captains are bound to cast their minds back to the matches at Germany 2006. Their selections will be guided by the lists produced by the FIFA experts: namely the members of FIFA's women's football and women's competitions' committees and other FIFA bodies, who have pre-selected the 20 women, and those of the FIFA Technical and Development Committee, who have picked out the 30 men.

Among the guys, Ronaldinho, winner of this award on the last two occasions, will have the opportunity to defend his title. But while there were seven Brazilians last year, there are only three this time: the Barcelona man, Adriano and Kaka.

Conversely, the French and Italian contingents have swollen to five players apiece. Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Gennaro Gattuso, Alessandro Nesta and Andrea Pirlo for the Azzurri, Thierry Henry, Franck Ribery, Lilian Thuram, Patrick Vieira and Zinedine Zidane for Les Bleus. Such healthy representation is logical enough, as these two teams reached the Final in Germany.

Just behind them come the German semi-finalists with four players: Michael Ballack, Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm and Jens Lehmann.

Defenders to steal the limelight?
It is worth noting that of this list of 30 players, only Zidane and Ronaldinho have already lifted the FIFA World Player award.

That said, Thierry Henry is also a familiar figure at the event, having finished on the podium in 2003 and 2004, while Andriy Shevchenko (2004), Frank Lampard (2005) and Samuel Eto'o (2005) have also previously come close to the ultimate individual accolade. Moreover, the Arsenal man is the only one of the 30 to have reached the finals of the season's two top events, the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA World Cup.

The most heavily represented club is Chelsea with six nominees, while Barcelona and AC Milan boast four players apiece. One of the most striking statistics is the presence of four out-and-out defenders, three goalkeepers and three defensively-minded midfielders. The title has never been given to a rearguard player, with only Paolo Maldini (1995), Roberto Carlos (1997) and Oliver Kahn (2002) ever making it onto the rostrum. Could the forward players' domination be brought to an end this year? The coaches and captains will decide on 18 December.

Among the girls, 20 players have been selected, but the big surprise is surely the absence of two giants of women's football, Germany's Birgit Prinz and the Swede Hanna Ljungberg. The candidates come from 15 different countries, which proves that the number of top-level teams continues to grow. Two Germans figure on the list: the midfielder Renate Lingor and goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg.

France, Sweden, China PR and the USA all provide two players apiece, while Scandinavia is particularly well represented with Laura Kalmari (Finland), Malin Mostrom and Lotta Schelin (Sweden), Cathrine Paaske Sorensen (Denmark) and Ingvild Stenland (Norway).

Half of the pre-selected players are European. Chinese stars Han Duan and Ma Xiaoxu (winner of the adidas Golden Shoe and Golden Ball awards at Russia 2006) and the North Korean Ri Kum Suk represent Asia, while the hopes of Africa are carried by Nigerian striker Cynthia Uwak, who was in excellent form at the recent FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship in Russia.

Americans Kristine Lilly and Abby Wambach, Brazil's irrepressible Marta and the Mexican Monica Ocampo are also in the mix and will all have high hopes of making the cut come December. The three nominees in each of the categories will be revealed in late November/early December, when the national coaches and team captains cast their votes.

Tiered model necessary for 2010 FIFA World Cup infrastructure investment

2006-09-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

With the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany now relegated to the pages of soccer history, South Africans have noted with considerable interest the high standards of professionalism and the vast amounts of preparation that took place to ensure the tournament was a success for FIFA, the governing body, the teams, as well as millions of local and international fans of the game.

Hosting an event on the scale of the FIFA World Cup is no mean feat. In Germany, with its existing infrastructure of roads, airports, hotels and stadia, preparations for the massive influx of spectators, teams, supporters and journalists included infrastructure spending of around 6-billion Euros - about R42-billion!

"The preparation necessary to host the FIFA World Cup is enormous," says Dr Raj Siriram of Siemens Southern Africa. "While the stadium serves as the point at which preparations are focused, the fact is that the stadium is the last link in a complex chain."

He explains that the infrastructure necessary to successfully host soccer matches on the scale and dimensions required by the FIFA World Cup is staggering.

"From rail networks to roads, from availability of fuel and electricity, to water and sanitation - there is far more that must be suitably geared up for the enormous influx of people than at first meets the eye," he says.

Very few suppliers are able to offer equipment, expertise and delivery capability across the entire spectrum of infrastructure required to host an event on the scale of the FIFA World Cup. Dr Siriram says that Siemens is, perhaps, unique in its capability to marshal worldwide competence centres in this regard.

"Before the spectator even gets anywhere near the stadium, the company provides the complex infrastructure that characterises the modern way of living - from railways, power generation and distribution, the automotive industry, for oil and gas extraction and processing, water, sanitation and more," says Dr Siriram. "We also have the capacity for business services delivery, such as planning and execution for project delivery; and while we may not have all these competencies in every location around the world, we are an international company that can leverage global resources to meet local needs."

Dr Siriram notes that there is worldwide recognition of the fact that sporting events on the scale of the FIFA World Cup represent a tremendous opportunity for economic stimulation and potential growth - and as such, governments invest considerable sums in preparation for hosting these events.

"However, such investments should also have a lasting positive effect for the citizens of the country after the event has moved to its next destination," he says, adding that investments in infrastructure should therefore be made in a tiered model.

"It starts with the stadium, which includes items such as points of information, parking management, smartcards and access control. Inside the stadium, there is the electronic seat usher, floodlights, television distribution systems and video boards, in addition to non-specific requirements such as water and power reticulation," he says. "At the second tier, there is ticketing, telecommunications infrastructure, hospitality, accommodation and to some extent, electricity transmission and distribution. Finally, there is the third tier, which includes the economic infrastructure of the host country, the airports and mass transit systems, the power generation capacity, telecommunications backbone and so on."

When executing against the enormous mandate of hosting such an event, he says risk is a key factor that has to be considered - and he believes that it is Siemens' experience that stands it in good stead against the competition.

"Through our ability to offer a fully integrated solution as well as a proven delivery record in the Olympics and the 2006 FIFA World Cup for example, Siemens has demonstrated its capabilities in delivering the infrastructure necessary for these events," he says.

Dr Siriram again stresses that as preparations are made for the 2010 event, the infrastructure and facilities should not be considered in the short term.

"This is about partnership and the opportunity to use a great sporting event to build capacity and exchange skills in this country, not only for the FIFA World Cup but well beyond," he concludes.

To the very end of his career, Zinedine Zidane could dictate the flow of play with rare skill and elegant control of the ball.

2006-07-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

Italy and France will play extra time in their soccer World Cup final, which was tied 1-1 after 90 minutes in Berlin. They will have two periods of 15 minutes and, if the score remains locked, face a penalty shootout.

Zinedine Zidane, playing in his final game, scored from a penalty kick in the seventh minute before Marco Materazzi made it 1-1 from a 19th-minute header in the Olympic stadium.

France has won its past four World Cup matches that have gone to extra time and last lost at a major international tournament after 120 minutes in the semifinal of the 1996 European Championship.

It beat Italy in a penalty shootout in the 1998 World Cup quarterfinal and defeated the same opposition in the final of Euro 2000 on a goal by David Trezeguet as the game went to sudden death.

The World Cup final last had extra time 12 years ago, when Italy lost in a penalty shootout to Brazil.

Italy, which allowed one goal before the final, is seeking a European record fourth title, while France is trying for a second success after Zidane led the team to victory in 1998 with two goals in the final. Zidane, 34, is quitting after the match.

Zidane became the fourth player to score in two finals after the referee ruled Florent Malouda was fouled by Materazzi. The midfielder took two paces, chipped his shot onto the underside of the crossbar, and the ball crossed the line before bouncing out.

With France's defense struggling to defend corners, Materazzi rose to head Andrea Pirlo's kick into the net and make it 1-1 after 19 minutes. Italy hit the crossbar with a Luca Toni header from another Pirlo corner. It's the first final since 1986 in which both teams have scored.

The game opened up in the second half, with France making most of the chances as Italy's defense toiled to cope with the pace and skill of Thierry Henry.

The France striker ran through the defense only to shoot weakly at Gianluigi Buffon, he beat three defenders before crossing to get a corner, and then forced Buffon into a left- handed save with a low shot after 63 minutes.

With Zidane linking play between Henry, Malouda and Frank Ribery, the French looked to be getting on top only for Italy to create several scoring chances.

Toni was ruled offside when he headed a Pirlo free kick into the net. Goalkeeper Fabien Barthez then dived to his left to gather the striker's low shot.

France midfielder Patrick Vieira left the field with a hamstring injury, and Italy coach Marcello Lippi replaced Francesco Totti and Simone Perrotta with Vincenzo Iaquinta and Daniele de Rossi. Pirlo curled a 32-yard free kick wide of the post in the 77th minute. Alessandro del Piero came on in the 87th minute to make it three strikers on the Italian team.

The Italians won the sport's biggest prize in 1934, 1938 and 1982. Brazil leads the all-time list with five victories.

Italy scored twice in the last two minutes of extra time against Germany to advance to its sixth World Cup final and first since losing the shootout to Brazil in 1994. France beat Portugal 1-0, also on a Zidane penalty, to reach its second final.

More than 1 billion television viewers are watching the game, with former U.S. President Bill Clinton and French President Jacques Chirac among the 69,000 crowd in the stadium.

Lippi's team has shrugged off a match-fixing scandal back home to maintain Italy's record of reaching the final every 12 years since 1970. Juventus and AC Milan, Italy's most successful soccer clubs, are among four teams accused of corruption in the country's biggest sports scandal in 25 years.

Zidane exits the stage with a walk of shame

2006-07-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

To the very end of his career, Zinedine Zidane could dictate the flow of play with rare skill and elegant control of the ball.

In the World Cup final, Zidane lost control of his temper.

The parting image for the France captain will forever be him rearing back in anger, lowering his head and launching his bald crown into the chest of Italy defender Marco Materazzi after the two exchanged words while walking down the field in extra time Sunday.

The game was tied 1-1 when Zidane was given a red card in the 110th minute. Without their sharpshooting captain, the French couldn't unlock Italy's defense and went on to lose in a shootout, 5-3.

"Zidane being sent off changed everything," France coach Raymond Domenech said. "Even in extra time the Italian team was waiting for only one thing, and that was penalties."

Domenech said he did not know what Materazzi said to Zidane.

"It's regrettable," Domenech said. "We regret it, he regrets it."

The strike to the center of Materazzi's chest was clearly intentional, and referee Horacio Elizondo of Argentina briefly consulted with his assistants before showing Zidane the 28th red card of the tournament, a World Cup record. The previous record of 22 red cards, set in 1998, was broken before the quarterfinals round began.

"I have not seen the replays, but if it's voluntary then there's nothing you can say," Domenech said. "But it's a shame. It's sad."

Head bowed, Zidane walked past Domenech but did not look at him. As he exited into the tunnel, his head still bent to the ground, he strode past the golden World Cup trophy and disappeared.

Zidane, whose sparkling play led the French to the 1998 title and carried them much deeper into this tournament than expected, previously said he would quit the game at the end of the World Cup.

Earlier in Sunday's match, he gave France a 1-0 lead with a seventh-minute penalty kick -- his 31st goal for France and third in a World Cup final.

Zidane was treated for what appeared to be a shoulder injury in the 80th minute; trainers took him off but he returned, holding his right arm awkwardly and wincing in pain.

Minutes before Zidane was sent off, France striker Thierry Henry was taken out in favor of Sylvain Wiltord. Early in the game, Henry bumped his head in a collision and crumpled to the ground, then went briefly to the sideline but returned.

A player of uncommon skill and technical poise, Zidane's command of almost any ball, his vision and penchant for big-game goals has earned him comparisons to the greatest creative talents in soccer.

His temper has been another matter.

Playing for Juventus five years ago, Zidane butted Jochen Kientz of Hamburger SV in a Champions League match, also earning a red card.

Eight years ago, Zidane was red-carded for stomping on an opponent while playing Saudi Arabia. At this World Cup he collected two yellow cards and was suspended for France's third group match against Togo.

On Sunday, his penalty kick got France off to a fast start. He chipped the kick into the air and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon dived to his right. The ball sailed over Buffon, hit the underside of the crossbar and dropped over the line.

Zidane raised an arm in the air as coolly as he had taken the kick.

It was Zidane's 31st goal for Les Bleus in 108 appearances, and fifth in the World Cup. He also scored a second straight penalty after notching the winner in the semifinal match against Portugal and had two goals in the 1998 World Cup final when France beat Brazil 3-0.

He almost scored a late goal Sunday in the first half of extra time, but Buffon tipped his powerful header over the bar.

France's success at this year's World Cup had much to do with the now-retired Zidane, including a penalty kick against Portugal in the semifinal. Taking two steps, Zidane sent the ball into the bottom left corner, just out of the reach of Portugal goalkeeper Ricardo Pereira.

Zidane also scored in the second-round win over Spain, a typically skillful goal which saw him cut inside a defender and then beat goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Against Brazil in the quarterfinal, Zidane played as well as he ever has. His precise passes split Brazil's defense, his fakes sent players the wrong way, and he even twice pointed one way as if to indicate the direction of his pass and then turned around sharply in his signature spin move.

So much for those pre-tournament reports that Zidane had lost his edge, which privately are believed to have infuriated him to the point of snubbing the press.

Reports of his hot temper, however, cannot be denied now.

Shakira the star of World Cup closing ceremony

2006-07-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

Shakira will be the star of a brief closing ceremony at Sunday's World Cup final between Italy and France in Berlin.

The Colombian pop singer will perform her smash hit 'Hips Don't lie' during the 11-minute long ceremony while veteran group Il Divo will sing the official World Cup anthem 'The Time of Our Lives'.

'We don't want a rigid, serious ceremony but instead want to show that Germany is a country where you can dance and celebrate,' said Dieter Brell, the man who developed the ceremony concept, on Thursday in Berlin.

'I think it's enough time to ignite that flame.'

The show will take place on the terrace at the Marathon Gate end of the Olympic stadium as no activity is permitted on the pitch prior to the match itself.

Around 400 actors will be on hand masquerading as a wild horde of fans to help increase the atmosphere in the stadium. The performance will be choreographed by Doug Jack, the man responsible for the closing ceremony at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin earlier this year.

Apart from Shakira, there will also be a big-name appearance at half-time when Spanish tenor Placido Domingo takes to the stage to perform 'Willkommen bei uns', a song written by his son Placido Domingo jr.

The opera star, an avid football fan, has attended every World Cup final since 1982, when Italy beat Germany 3-1 in Rome.

The stadium, which has a capacity of 72,000, has been sold out months ago. The final will be beamed around the world to a television audience of more than one billion.

However, there is no place in the ceremony for 2010 World Cup host South Africa, although images of the country will be shown on the stadium's big screen.

'From a protocol point of view, we couldn't find a way to hand over the (hosting of the) World Cup,' explained FIFA's media director Markus Siegler.

'It wouldn't be possible after the final.'

South African President, Thabo Mbeki, will be in Berlin Friday to visit a FIFA exhibition dealing with the 2010 event and where the tournament's official emblem will be presented.

African footballing greats Roger Milla and George Weah are also expected.

There will also be a concert at the Brandenburg Gate Friday evening under the name 'Football for a Better World - From Germany to South Africa', featuring among others South African-born Xavier Naidoo and African star Youssou N'Dour. FIFA say that the event will be broadcast to 120 nations around the world.

Alongside Mbeki at the concert, where the symbolic handing over of the 2010 World Cup to South Africa takes place, will be United Nations General Secretary, Kofi Annan, FIFA President, Joseph Blatter, and German Chancellor, Angela Merkel.

Football's governing body FIFA has engaged Annan to promote the tournament after his term at the UN expires at the end of the year.

Germany tops Portugal for 3rd place at Cup

2006-07-09T22:25:00.000-07:00

Portugal and Germany were level 0-0 Saturday in the World Cup's third-place match.

Both teams created chances in the match between the semifinal losers.

Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn played his first World Cup game since the 2002 final, when his mistake opened the way for Brazil to win 2-0.

Portugal was playing without captain Luis Figo, who is expected to retire from international soccer after this World Cup. Germany played without captain Michael Ballack, who was sitting out because of a knee injury.

With Ballack absent, Kahn was captain on his 86th appearance. Figo was replaced by Simao Sabrosa on the Portugal wing, while Paulo Ferreira came in for injured Miguel at right-back, and Ricardo Carvalho's suspension meant defender Ricardo Costa got his first World Cup appearance.

France-Brazil to bring back memories

2006-07-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira is demanding more consistency from his exotically-talented team as Brazil faces up to Zinedine Zidane's recharged Les Bleus for a place in the last four against England or Portugal.

Also underscoring Brazil's quest for the 'Hexa' or sixth world title is that no South American team has won the World Cup in Europe, stretching back to young Pele's Brazil in Sweden in 1958.

Parreira, who once vowed never to coach Brazil again after the 1994 title victory over Italy because of the personal abuse he received for the way the team played, wants a more patient build-up rather than throwing away possession.

"We lack consistency with our moves. It's one thing to have speed. It's another thing to be in a hurry. We confused speed with hurry. We have been in a hurry too often and we have made a lot of mistakes," Parreira said ahead of the Frankfurt quarter-final. "What we have to do is work the ball around the pitch more before we make the move."

Brazil faces a recharged France coming off their 3-1 spanking of Spain in the round of 16 in Hanover and memories of their 1998 final humbling in Paris when Zidane scored twice in a 3-0 World Cup boil over.

Gilberto Silva, likely to play in the midfield in place of Emerson who has a knee problem, rates France highly. "France is a spectacular team full of great players and we will have to be at our best to get a result against them," he said. "I really believe that we are not playing to the best of our ability right now," the Arsenal player said. "We can play much, much better than this and we will need to if we want to go to the final."

France played their best football for years to beat Spain, but defender Lilian Thuram believes they will have to improve further if they are to have any chance of derailing Brazil's title defence.

The Juventus defender, who passed Marcel Desailly's record as France's most capped player last week against Togo, said: "It was good to come up against a talented team in Spain in the second round, we had to raise our game. Now we have to raise it again for Brazil, not only in terms of quality of play but also our level of concentration."

Thuram, who will be winning his 119th cap having passed Desailly's benchmark of 116 appearances, knows what lies ahead of his team in Frankfurt. "When you look at Brazil's players it's extraordinary the talent they've got, two Footballers of the Year in Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, Kaka, Adriano, Cafu and a very good keeper. They're favourites but the beauty about football is that favourites don't always win."

Thuram, along with Zidane, are playing in their last major tournament for France after being coaxed out of retirement during last year's qualifiers to help get the team to Germany. Saturday's winner tackles England or Portugal in the Munich semi-final on July 5.

Portugal beats England to Reach World Cup Semifinals

2006-07-01T21:41:00.000-07:00

Neither England nor Portugal was able to score a goal in the 90 minutes of regulation or 30 minutes of extra time. And Portugal had a man advantage from the 62nd minute onward after England forward Wayne Rooney was sent off with a red card.

After being knocked about by a couple of Portuguese defenders, Rooney lost his cool and stomped on Ricardo Carvalho, then pushed Cristiano Ronaldo.

England captain David Beckham missed much of the game, as he had to be substituted for the in the 52nd minute with a knee injury.

In the shootout, the teams made good on only one of their first three chances. Helder Postiga then converted for Portugal and the attempt by England's Jamie Carragher was blocked. When Ronaldo's shot went in, Portugal had a 3-1 victory and a berth in the World Cup semifinals.

Portugal's Brazilian coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, through an interpreter, credited England for its effort. "We have to congratulate England because with 10 players they had an incredible match. I think it was electrifying," he said.

But it is Portugal that advances over England on a shootout, just like host Germany did over Argentina (4-2) in its quarterfinal on Friday.

Germany favored over Argentina

2006-06-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

Germany’s national soccer team has done a tremendous job in front of its home fans at the 2006 World Cup. The Germans won each of their three Group A matches, outscoring the opposition 8-2. Then they blanked Sweden 2-0 in the knockout stage to reach the quarterfinals.

Their next opponents: Argentina. Arguably the second-best team in the world behind Brazil, the Argentines cruised through the “Group of Death” known as Group C, winning their first two games by a combined score of 8-1 before easing off the throttle and settling for a scoreless draw against the Netherlands. But their knockout stage encounter with Mexico was a surprising nailbiter. It took a beautiful goal by midfielder Maxi Rodriguez in the 98th minute to put away the plucky Mexicans 2-1.

That close shave seems to have been enough to tip the wagering scales in Germany’s favor. Die Nationalelf are actually slight favorites against the spread, –120 in a pick ‘em. Argentina is +100. The betting line including the draw result (after regulation and stoppage time) is dead even: +160 for either side winning, with the draw priced at +200.

Let’s repeat this: Germany is favored over Argentina. This would have been considered preposterous heading into the World Cup. The Germans are in a rebuilding phase; Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness referred to the team as a “catastrophe” before the tournament. But Germany had the benefit of playing in a relatively weak Group A, then had the good fortune of playing a Swedish side that looked like a pale version of the team that made the quarterfinals at Euro 2004. The Albicelestes, meanwhile, scored six times against Serbia and Montenegro alone. They are playing exquisite soccer for the most part; Mexico truly was magnificent in defeat.

What, then, makes Germany the favorites in Friday’s quarterfinals? The Germans have played much better than advertised heading into the World Cup. Germany didn’t have to survive any qualification matches as the host nation. They held a number of friendlies, beating the likes of Luxembourg, Colombia (currently one of the weaker sisters in South America) and the United States, but drawing Japan and losing handily to Italy and Brazil. The team we’re seeing now, on the other hand, is performing much better on the biggest soccer stage in the world. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s decision to remake the young club into an attacking force has paid off in spades.

But let’s put on our solemn handicapping caps and think this one through. Argentina is an amazingly talented soccer team. They won the Olympic gold medal in 2004, and they beat their archrivals from Brazil 3-1 last year on the path to qualifying for the World Cup. You don’t have to be a soccer fanatic to know that there is something wrong with this odds picture. Are there any red flags coming from the Argentine side? There are no injuries of note stemming from their match with Mexico. Perhaps it can be chalked up to demographics. Don’t forget that it’s the public’s betting habits that shape the lines, not the bookmaker. It would be telling to see who is betting on Germany – there may be a rush of hometown money involved as fans get caught up in the excitement and throw their support behind the German eleven. If so, that’s what poker players call “dead money.”
Friday’s fixture is in Berlin at the Olympic Stadium. The action gets underway at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

Beautiful Opening Ceremonny for Germany 2006

2006-06-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

Many were surprised by the ceremony. It started with a german customs dance, and then Pele and sensual Claudia Schiffer astonished the crowd.

The World Cup winner squad walked into the field: England, France, Argentina, Italym Germany and Brazil. Each team with their representative stars.

Surprisingly, the Uruguayian Champions of 1930 and 1950 only had two survivors.

After this parade, the Cup song was performed by Herbert Gronemeyer,pleasing millions of fans and begining the football party.

Cisse Injury Forces Transfer Rethink

2006-06-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

Rafa has admitted that Djibril Cisse's broken leg has forced him to rethink his summer transfer strategy.

He admitted the club had held talks with Marseille and Lyon about the purchase of Cisse, but the injury will put an end to their interest for the time being.

There are two issues here, said the Liverpool boss.

Firstly, from the players point of view I'm really sorry for Djibril. That's important. It's really unfortunate for him, but it's true it's now impossible for him to be sold.

We were expecting to sell him to Marseille or Lyon and planned using the money for other players. We were talking to both clubs. Now we won't have this money. We won't expect him to play again until November or December.

Even though they wer about to sell the player, Benitez insists there will be no problems working with Cisse again.

It was a professional decision and we were honest with Djibril, added Benitez. There will be no problem when he comes back.

World Cup fans set for kickoff

2006-06-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

If you just cannot wait anymore for all the color, pageantry, rabid fans and wild scenes of college football season, watch the upcoming World Cup.

It always amuses me when someone says they don't like soccer, or don't understand the big deal, and then they go out every autumn and act exactly like soccer fans at the college football game of their choice.

Look in the mirror, college football fans. You ARE soccer fans.

No two sports share as much passion, blind faith and often times irrational love for their favorite team than international soccer and American college football.

I couldn't tell you how many times I could simply substitute "Longhorns" or "Aggies" in emails I receive from soccer fans griping or talking about their team and the notes would be virtually identical to those I get from college football fans.

Prediction: Millions of U.S. fans already are sold, but this World Cup will flick the switch for many more U.S. fans. They'll start to get it.

For one reason, it will be because the American team is consistently good now. Two, if the Americans can get past a grueling Group, they will captivate many non-believers. And three, there is much more name recognition and star power -- Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Brian McBride -- on this team.

And check this out. If the U.S. team finishes second in its pool, its Round of 16 game most likely will be against Brazil.

That would be captivating. Only about a billion people will watch that one.

This will be the fifth World Cup I get to cover and maybe never has there been a tournament so evenly matched. Everyone says Brazil, Brazil, Brazil. I don't think it will be that easy.

I'm picking one absolute shocker to come out of Group play (Trinidad & Tobago) and then Argentina to surprise and take the whole thing. Keep in mind, as much as South American teams traditionally have not done well on European soil, that was back in the day when South American players did not play professionally in Europe.

Times have changed. The Argentines are accustomed to everything about playing in Europe, they have experience and an explosive attacking front.

Malaysians make World Cup mark, behind the scene

2006-06-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

Malaysia, welcome to the winter FIFA World Cup Germany 2006. It’s so cold in some host cities here, that the prospect of a “White World Cup” may not be all that outlandish as it would seem.

And that won’t be much fun, as apart from having to cope with the cold and the rain, all the gorgeous women – particularly the samba queens – who will be arriving from 31 countries around the world will be covered from head to toe.

Like it or not, they make every World Cup more attractive than it is, and this one won’t be looking too good if the sun doesn’t come up and the warm clothes don’t come off.

Ask the 3,000-odd Malaysian fans who had recently arrived at the little idyllic German spa town of Wangen, Allgau – the base training camp for the Malaysian team preparing for their opening Group G match against Switzerland on June 19 at Dortmund.

Embedded in the foothills of the Alps, 565m above sea level, you would think it would be cold. The Malaysian team who are not used to the cold – temperatures that went down to 6°C – were restricted to training on an artificial pitch in ski masks and gloves, to avoid ruining the natural surface after showers of hail and snow.

The Malaysians, some of whom have not seen snow, mistook it for sugar.

No, that wasn’t really a typo error. What it actually is, it is one part reality and one part fantasy. The reality is, in the words of the English here, is that it’s bloody cold for a summer, and the team that is in the base camp in Wangen is actually undergoing those conditions.

The fantasy is, Malaysia in the FIFA World Cup 2006. It seems like a natural thing to fantasise this each time you are in World Cup territory. My buddies Fauzi Omar, and Johnson Fernandez felt like that when we were in California for the World Cup USA 1994, and in Paris four years later.

I am alone here now as FIFA media officer with special duties operating from the FIFA headquarters in Berlin, and the fantasy still rages, even more now than ever.

It’s also an ego or rather a pride thing. I mean here you are in Berlin, and at least 95% of the FIFA delegates have their respective national teams represented in the World Cup here.

Not that I am paranoid, but sometimes I wonder if these delegates are wondering what am I doing here in a territory that’s totally alien to Malaysians. That, shouldn’t my slot as media officer be given to someone from a World Cup country?

Well I know I am not here because of our football or my good looks. But I can understand why a Malaysian was accorded this slot, and I guess I owe it to – apart from AFC president Mohamed Hammam who recommended me – other Malaysians who had impressed FIFA, as administrators.

Before me George Das, a former sportswriter first with The Star and then later with The New Straits Times, had done a great job as media officer in Paris.

And on other fronts, we have had Malaysians like Datuk Peter Velappan, Datuk Paul Mony Samuel, and the younger Windsor John Paul, being honoured as general co-ordinators of venues.

Here in Germany, while Paul is handling the venue at Nuremberg, Windsor has been accorded the rare honour of handling the main venue, the venue for the final – the historic Olympiastadion in Berlin.

They call him “The Boss” here, just about everyone from every continent, even from countries that have won the Jules Rimet trophy, actually make it a point to pay their respects to him.

That’s rather uncharacteristic because back home he slips into the shadow in football activities and you hardly know he is there. But here, he is a very important person, they all seek him out, they want to know him, and never fail to greet him when he is around.

As a fellow Malaysian, I feel a glow of pride each time that happens because in the FIFA football fraternity, it looks like this is the only way we Malaysians are ever going to get noticed, honoured, and respected.

Unless of course, the powers that be in Malaysian football do something about gaining some respect from our football as well.

Speaking of which, the clock is ticking, the kick-off for Germany 2006 is drawing ever nearer and the 32 participants are arriving at their training camps to prepare for the impending global showdown. At least that is the theory.

Every day, the crowds of enthusiastic fans flocking to the training grounds of the world’s elite teams grow larger. The euphoria knows no bounds. Simple shooting drills, tactical sessions and ‘five-against-two’ games are being watched by bigger crowds than some top-flight matches.

For several days, Brazilian fans in the picturesque Swiss town of Weggis have contributed to an extraordinary series of events. Against the backdrop of the Alps, about 10,000 fans have turned out to transform the world champions’ training sessions into Samba parties.

Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaka and Co seem to appreciate the support, showing their gratitude by stopping to sign countless autographs before returning to the changing rooms.

Things are equally crazy in Wangen, a small German town of 21,000 that Togo have taken by storm. Since May 15, the place has been decorated with as many red, yellow and green flags as it has German ones. The daily training sessions of the Togolese team, conducted by their German coach, Otto Pfister, have become almost municipal festivals.

However, once again, it was the German national team who led the way. The hosts’ training session in Dusseldorf on Wednesday afternoon was watched by 40,000 fans, who had packed into the stadium just to see Jurgen Klinsmann put his team through their paces. Never before have Germany attracted such a big crowd just to see them train.

With crowds to watch training sessions, live broadcasts of Brazil plotting their route to the final and African folk festivals in Wangen – the World Cup has arrived in Germany.

2006 FIFA World Cup Germany(TM) Official Guide to be Published in Spanish and English Editions for the USA

2006-05-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

The Official Guide 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany(TM) will be published by Landucci Publishers and distributed only by Wal-Mart in the United States. The official guide of the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 will be printed in two editions for the USA, one in Spanish aimed at US Hispanics, and other in English for the general market

“This is the only official publication supported by FIFA and the only one authorized to use its official logos and trademarks in the United States”, emphasizes Marco Landucci, president of Landucci Publishers from Mexico. The guide will be sold at less than ten dollars in all Wal-Mart stores as of May 15 , 2006 and through the world cup event in June-July of next year. .

“This publication will guide U.S. soccer fans through an exciting event that includes the leading participation of the USA, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina teams, among many others, making this event particularly attractive to the US Hispanic and general soccer fans”, explains Landucci.

The guide will consist of 200 high quality pages in a handy 9.5” x 12.5” format Printed on high gloss 85gsm paper with heavy stock metallic cover. It will include relevant and reliable information regarding teams, players, and schedules of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany(TM), with exclusive photography and articles from the best sports journalists.

Raul raring to go for World Cup

2006-05-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

The Real Madrid striker feels fresh and ready to guide his national team to glory in Germany having fully recovered from a serious knee injury that sidelined him for three months.

"After my injury, this tournament will see me arrive in the best physical condition," said Raul, who captained Spain at Euro 2004 and the 2002 World Cup.

"My condition is improving day by day.

"This could be my last tournament and I'm really looking forward to playing."

However, as good as the news of Raul's return is, Spanish fans will be concerned about his current goalscoring drought.

The 28-year-old only struck five Primera Liga goals this campaign, his lowest total since breaking into Madrid's first team 12 seasons ago.

His last goal dates back to October 26 and he is is eager to strike again, adding: "I'm sure than when I score again, other goals will follow."

Spain have a friendly against Russia on Saturday which will serve as a preparation for their first game on German soil, against Group H rivals Ukraine on June 14.

"The most complicated game is always the first," admitted Raul. "Not only because of the team we face but due to the pressure there always is in a first game."

FIFA Fears Ticket Problems at World Cup

2006-05-08T23:05:00.000-07:00

A month before Germany opens the World Cup against Costa Rica on June 9, FIFA president Sepp Blatter says organizers are struggling to find solutions to a ticketing problem that could lead to violence outside stadiums and thousands of empty seats inside.

German tournament officials insist that each of the 3 million tickets issued for the 64 games must have the owner's name on it and that the ticket-holder's identity must be confirmed by personal identification. FIFA fears that could lead to long lines of frustrated fans waiting to get into the stadiums and little chance of people giving tickets to friends and family.

"The German organizers are in the very uncomfortable situation and, if the German organizers are uncomfortable, then FIFA is also uncomfortable," Blatter said. "They have weeks to solve this problem, and this is clearly a German problem."

Blatter spoke with German organizing head Franz Beckenbauer on Friday and plans to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"These are measures taken by a German government who will make sure that the World Cup is safe," he said. "Even she won't be able to change anything. We can only put a question mark, `How will it work?' They have already said they will have turnstiles and will have another one outside for those who are not identified to make them identified."

All 64 games are sold out for the 32-nation tournament, which runs through July 9. The United States opens June 12 against the Czech Republic.

"The pressure just won't go away," organizing committee vice president Wolfgang Niersbach said. "We have 3 million tickets we need 30 million."

At the 12 venues, organizers say the leaking roof at Frankfurt's Commerzbank-Arena and a broken awning at Kaiserslautern's Fritz-Walter Stadium have been repaired.

"We are doing the fine-tuning now. We feel so confident we can say we will offer the best stadiums in the world," said Jens Grittner, a spokesman for the German organizers.

The German effort to mount a perfect World Cup once led FIFA general secretary Urs Linsi to tell them to "relax."

Chelsea wins title after 3-0 victory, Rooney injured

2006-04-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

Chelsea clinched its second straight Premier League title with a 3-0 victory over Manchester United on Saturday in a game that could damage England's World Cup hopes - United striker Wayne Rooney broke a bone in his foot and will be out six weeks.

William Gallas scored on a header at home in the fifth minute, with the other goals by Joe Cole in the 61st minute and Ricardo Carvalho in the 73rd. Chelsea, which needed only a point to clinch the title, won the championship with two games left. Chelsea has 91 points while United is second with 79.

Rooney was carried off the field with 10 minutes to go. The 20-year-old star grimaced and clutched his right foot after a challenge by defender Paulo Ferreira. He traveled to Manchester with his teammates before heading straight to a hospital.

"He's got a heavy knock," United manager Alex Ferguson said.

The team said on its Web site that Rooney had "a fracture of the base of the fourth metatarsal on his right foot." The diagnosis is bad news for England, which begins World Cup play in Germany six weeks with a June 9 opener against Paraguay.

Chelsea has broken the domination of Manchester United and Arsenal, which won 11 of the previous 12 league titles.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho threw his Premier League winner's medal into the crowd, saying he already had one from last season. When he was given a replacement, he threw that one to the crowd as well, explaining the fans had played a major part in Chelsea's 44-game unbeaten run at home.

Last year, Chelsea secured its first league title since 1955. The latest triumph means Mourinho, who led FC Porto to back-to-back championships in Portugal, has won four in a row with two different clubs.

Rooney was expected to be England's strongest player at the World Cup, with his country trying to win the title for the first time in 40 years.

Rooney fractured a metatarsal in the 2004 European Championship quarterfinal against Portugal and was sidelined three months.

Mourinho said he felt "scared" for Rooney.

"I think England needs the boy, the World Cup needs the boy," Mourinho said.

Rooney's earlier challenge on John Terry left the star England defender hobbling with a gashed leg. Terry needed about a dozen stitches.

In addition to Rooney and Terry, another top England player was injured - Michael Owen. He played the last 30 minutes of Newcastle's 0-0 tie with Birmingham City and was limping near the end. It was his first game since breaking his right foot on New Year's Eve. The team said he will see a specialist Monday.

"The thought of Rooney and Owen not playing for England is not worth thinking about," Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder said

Shakira kicks off her world tour in June

2006-04-25T23:51:00.000-07:00

Colombian singer Shakira and hip-hop star Wyclef Jean are to perform at this summer's World Cup final in Germany before the big game kicks off.

Shakira will perform her new song 'My Hips Don't Lie' ahead of the final at the Olympic stadium in Berlin on July 9.

The 2006 World Cup starts on June 9, and the final will be the culmination of a month of football matches involving 32 countries.

And Sony BMG, Shakira's record label, are delighted that the singer and Jean have been picked to perform before the biggest match in world football.

A Sony BMG spokesperson said: "It is sure to make the thousands and thousands of fans gathered at the stadium get up and dance before kick-off."

KING WILL MAKE WORLD CUP - JOL

2006-04-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

Tottenham Hotspur captain Ledley King is a major doubt for England's World Cup finals squad after fracturing a toe on his left foot in the 1-0 win at Everton.

King had to be replaced in the final minute at Goodison Park, with Spurs confirming that his domestic campaign is over and his participation in Germany is in serious doubt.
Ledley King Tottenham Hotspur 2005/06 profile size
LEDLEY KING

A statement on the club's official website read: "Ledley King has suffered a stress fracture to the fourth metatarsal of his left foot.

"Early indications are that his recovery will take three to four weeks."

King had impressed in recent months for England, featuring as both a centre-back and a holding midfielder, with his versatility looking likely to win him a place in Sven-Goran Eriksson's squad.

King's possible absence leave Eriksson hoping that John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Jamie Carragher avoid injuries before the summer showpiece.

World Cup to boost LG plasma TV sales by 40 per cent

2006-04-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

With an eye on the football fever in June, LG today officially unveiled the region's first flat panel TV with a built-in DVR to ensure soccer fans do not miss a second of the action. A 42-inch version of the LG DVR PDP is now on sale in the UAE, and a regional roll out of the product is expected to follow.

C.H Lee, President of LG Gulf FZE, said:

'The 2006 World Cup in Germany will generate massive demand for quality TV viewing and recording, and this latest innovation from LG is perfectly placed to fill an important gap in the market. The busy lifestyles of consumers have created a need for integrated products, and LG Electronics is the first manufacturer to address this growing trend with the High Definition DVR PDP.'

C.H Lee added: 'LG enjoys a 25 per cent market share for PDPs in the UAE and the Gulf, and we expect regional plasma TV sales to grow by as much as 40 per cent as the World Cup approaches. LG plasma TV sales grew 50 per cent in the Gulf last year, and our LCD TV sales shot up 200 per cent.'

LG occupies the number one spot for LCD and plasma TVs in the Middle East and Africa, with a combined market share of 40 per cent. The consumer retail and digital signage sectors have driven demand for plasma TVs, along with hotels replacing old CRT sets with flat panel technology.

Total TV sales for LG were US$431 million in the MEA region in 2005. PDP and LCD TV sales contributed US$136 million, a 75 per cent increase compared to 2004.

LG's DVR PDP was launched in Europe at CeBIT in March, and the product's built-in 80GB DVR can store up to 30 hours of digital standard-definition programming, equivalent to nearly 20 World Cup football matches.

The advanced technology can pause and replay TV just minutes after the original broadcast, and block out unwanted commercials with a touch of a button. The LG DVR PDP also boasts continuous automatic recording in one-hour intervals.

LG's exclusive XD™ Engine improves brightness, contrast, and 3D colour control. It also offers sharpness enhancement and 3D noise reduction, and the XDS and SRS/BBE Sound System delivers cinematic surround sound.

Clear Filter technology minimises dullness and eliminates the double image reflection of glass filter TVs. The LG DVR PDP's High Definition Multimedia Interface also does away with multiple wires in favour of a single cable for all functions.

Abdul Jabbar Al Sayegh, Chairman of Al Sayegh Brothers Trading, exclusive distributors in the UAE of LG digital display products, said: 'LCD TV and plasma TV have traditionally competed in different screen size and price segments, but falling prices have brought the products closer together. Integrated technologies like the LG DVR PDP help grow the plasma TV category and generate excitement for consumers.'

Al Sayegh added: 'We're seeing big demand for 42-inch and 50-inch screen PDPs, and customers are turning to specialised electronics stores in larger shopping malls because they are seen to offer the most product variety, and the best service and technical advice.

Customer service is increasingly important in our industry, and Al Sayegh Brothers will continue to set the highest standards.'

LG Electronics aims to become the number one player in the global display market by 2010 with worldwide sales of US$10 billion. To achieve its goal, LG will secure the largest production capability in flat panel displays from its four major plants in Mexico, Poland, China and Korea. LG will also build on its region-specific research and development efforts and localised marketing.

LG operates 27 research and development centres around the world and is investing more than US$2 billion in research and development as it explores new product categories like home networking, car infotainment, post-PC technology, and satellite and terrestrial DMB technology.

LG regained its position as the world's number one TV manufacturer in the fourth quarter of 2005, according to research firm iSuppli. LG shipped 5.7 million TV set, accounting for nearly 11 per cent of the market. LG had the largest share of the world TV market in 2005 at 10.2 per cent.

Kahn will be on World Cup team

2006-04-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

When Kahn, the goalkeeper whose saves took Germany all the way to the World Cup final in 2002, was told last weekend that he is no longer the No. 1 keeper for the coming tournament, there were explosions of outrage dropped like hand grenades on his behalf.

But none from Kahn. He kept his counsel, played his game for Bayern Munich on Saturday, and suppressed his disappointment. On Monday, he was ready to call a press conference. Many, including those who made the biggest noise when he was demoted, expected Kahn to rest on his 84 German caps and say good-bye to the national team.

Instead, he said: "This cannot be about personal vanity. It's about something much bigger, a World Cup on home soil.

"I'm not the sort of person who can't lose. It's not an easy situation. Of course I was disappointed not to be chosen as first choice after working so hard. But it's more important that I give my support to the whole team so that we can achieve our objective, to be world champions."

Kahn even said the words no one expected to hear - that he will support the team, including Jens Lehmann, the Arsenal goalie who has been his understudy, his rival, sometimes his acrimonious opponent, and who has leapfrogged him as the first choice.

"A huge compliment to Oliver," said JÃ¼rgen Klinsmann, the national coach who made the decision between the 36- year-old keepers and, by no means friendly, rivals.

"His experience and willingness to stay and help us have a successful World Cup are really important."

The example is important. The fact that Kahn bit his lip, considered his options, and chose to come out so clearly and so swiftly in support of Klinsmann is immeasurably more sensible than most people expected. Lehmann has earned the place, on form alone in recent months. Kahn also knows that the backup is one injury away from starting.

Should Kahn decide one day to pursue the job of national team trainer, his words this week boosted his chances.

Looking back, how relieved Klinsmann must be that his first act as Germany's coach was to remove the captain's arm band from Kahn. This was a decision based on personality, on form, and on the preference for a leader in the outfield.

The twist is that the new captain, Kahn's club mate Michael Ballack, is still negotiating a move away from Germany. Ballack is going to Chelsea, we simply wait to hear when and for how much.

World Cup Trophy travels through Germany

2006-04-11T22:24:00.000-07:00

The FIFA World Cup trophy, currently on a world tour, has arrived in Germany on Tuesday (April 11) where it went on display in the Black Forest town of Freiburg.

The 18 carat trophy is usually stowed away in a safe and FIFA organisers have decided to put it on show allowing football fans to pose for pictures with t the medal.

Gerhard Ralter, one of many people who stood in line to have their picture taken with the trophy, said, "It was a great experience and I have been looking forward to it for days," adding "you don't see this every day."

The trophy presently on world tour was made by Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga in 1974 after Brazil won the World Cup three times in a row in 1970 and was therefore allowed to keep the former original.

The cup on display in Freiburg weighs some six kilograms and remains with FIFA.

A gold-plated copy will be handed to the 2006 FIFA World Cup winner at Berlin's Olympic stadium after the final game on July 9.

Lehmann picked over Kahn as starting German World Cup goalie

2006-04-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

Jens Lehmann has been selected over Oliver Kahn as the starting German national football team goalie for the 2006 World Cup, ending a two-year attritious war of nerves between the two rivals from Arsenal London and Bayern Munich, news reports said Friday.

According to an advance report by Germany's top-selling Bild newspaper, German head coach Juergen Klinsmann informed both goalies of his decision on Friday.

Meanwhile DPA confirmed that a such meeting between Klinsmann and his goalies took place Friday morning.

There has been no official confirmation yet of the Bild report.

Klinsmann had initially planned to continue his policy of rotating national goalkeepers until May before selecting either Kahn or Lehmann for Germany's World Cup games.

The German sports media has speculated for days that Lehmann would become the number one national team goalie during the 2006 World Cup.

Korean legend warns against overconfidence

2006-04-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

Widely regarded as the greatest player his country ever produced, Korean icon Cha Bum-Kun's FIFA World Cup™ credentials are well established, given that he represented the Taeguk Warriors as a player at Mexico 86 and as a coach at France 98.

Cha, currently managing K-League outfit Suwon Samsung Bluewings, is nothing short of a legend in his native country and, in this exclusive interview with FIFAworldcup.com, he shares some of his many recollections and offers his thoughts on the national team's prospects at Germany 2006.

FIFAworldcup.com: What are your memories of the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico?
Cha Bum-Kun: I can still remember the whole tournament clearly, especially our first match against the eventual winners, Argentina. That was the first time Korea had reached the World Cup finals in 32 years and we were very tense. Whenever Maradona got the ball, we just freaked out and chased him.

You were called up to the national team just before the tournament. Was that difficult for you?
There was some controversy over my selection, because I hadn't had a chance to play with the national team after I went to Germany in 1979. However, I was able to lay those issues to rest when I joined up with the rest of the players, although I had become used to playing at a fast pace in the Bundesliga, so I did have some trouble at first adjusting to the other players' timing.

Some of the current squad who are with European clubs have not had much playing time lately. Do you think this could be problematic if those players are chosen for the national team?
Obviously, if athletes can't play, their competitive ability will suffer. But these players already represented the national team in 2002, so they can return to that role whenever they need to.

Korea Republic's failure to score goals is often cited as a weakness; what do you see as the solution?
Scoring goals is not something that can be taught or practised. The front men just need to stay focused and be ready to score at any moment. Of the current batch of Korean strikers, I think Lee Dong-Gook stands out.

Lee Dong-Gook appeared at France 98 but did not make the 2002 team. Do you think he will show his true colours this summer in Germany?
Of course. Lee Dong-Gook is a player who can score goals. The most important thing is not the player's form at a given moment, it's whether he has the ability. In fact, we might have done even better at the finals in 2002 had he been given an opportunity to play.

He has been criticised for not putting in the effort to match his brilliant talent.

It's a mistake to criticise a player just on the basis of how he is doing at the moment. In 1998, I looked to the future and I gave him a chance. You have to bring on youngsters carefully and let them show their talent, but it was difficult because people took a very critical view of my decision. Excessive criticism doesn't help the players or the coach, and it certainly doesn't help Korean football.

Was it that kind of criticism that made you step down in the middle of the 1998 tournament?
I think every country is the same in that they'll change coaches if the results aren't satisfactory. Because I had dedication and did my best for the team, they brought me back right after I was sacked. In the build-up to the 2002 World Cup, (Guus) Hiddink wasn't having the best of results. However, because of what happened to me with my unfair dismissal, he was allowed to lead the team all the way.

So have you finally set aside the events of eight years ago?
Yes, because it turned out that many reports from that time were false. I feel alright today because the misunderstandings have been resolved. Yes, the coach is responsible for selecting the players, but it isn't right to evaluate him purely on the results.

In your second group game in 1998 against the Netherlands, some people said that you had been crippled by the 'orange wave' that engulfed the Velodrome in Marseille.

(Laughs). No, that wasn't it. There was a huge gulf between the two teams in terms of ability. The Dutch side had the very best players. Of course, the atmosphere in the stadium made it like a home game for Holland. That match wouldn't have been easy for any team. (The Dutch beat Cha's Korean team 5-0.)

Korea Republic were weaker than the teams they faced eight years ago. How would you compare that side to the one bound for Germany?
The current team has a lot of experience. They had great results in 2002 and gained a lot of confidence, even if was on home turf. Prior to that tournament, we had never won a World Cup game.

In the first round of the 2002 tournament, Korea did not have to face any of the top seeds, like they do this time against France.

The 2002 tournament was different from other years in that many of the world's biggest stars were unable to make an impact. If they had managed to do so, it would have been a different story. Many teams were on an even footing at that tournament, and because we were the home team, our spirits were high and we rode our luck.

But in this tournament, the teams in Korea's group are not to be trifled with.

If our players stay confident, they can have a good tournament. But I myself am a bit worried about the defence. The attack is just fine, and the midfield is good, but if the defence doesn't hold firm it could prove problematic. The team have a wealth of experience and a good coach (Dick Advocaat). Many players also participated in 2002, so everything is set for them. If they don't unexpectedly stumble at the group stage, they could do very well. France are a strong side, but they were in their prime back at EURO 2000, and (Zinedine) Zidane is getting on. There are many young players in the Swiss squad, but Korea have good youngsters too.

How successful do you think Korea Republic will be in this tournament?
I'd say it's 50-50. It's possible the team will get past the first round, but there's also a chance they won't. If we go into the games expecting an easy match, we'll struggle, but if we brace ourselves for a difficult time, we can triumph easily. The confidence we gained from making the semi-finals in 2002 is a good thing, but we mustn't go overboard. If we are confident but humble, and play with honesty, we can hold our own with any team in the group.

Rooney in touching distance of glory

2006-03-24T07:15:00.000-08:00

Wayne Rooney was a picture of restraint. There, just inches away, was the World Cup - the real one, not a fake, and the man who would be king of England resisted the temptation to lift it aloft in preparation for July 9.

The famous trophy arrived from Paris on Tuesday and left London last night for Zurich. The two-day stop in London - the first time this World Cup has been in this country - was part of Fifa's tour of 31 cities in 29 countries and Rooney was paraded alongside it.

But Rooney barely gave it a glance - not a touch, a pat or a promise to see it again in four months' time. "It's bigger than I thought it was," he said of the 14½ inch, 13.61lb 18-carat trophy. "It's the biggest tournament in the world and hopefully I'll pick it up then. Then is the time to pick it up. Only the winners should touch it, everybody else should just leave it alone."

Whether it was plain old superstition or the fact that a dozen security staff were watching the trophy's every move that Rooney kept his hands in his pocket was unsure.

Emmanuel Maradas, the man appointed to accompany the trophy on the tour, admitted: "The trophy is very carefully looked after and gets its own seat on the plane - in business class."

While Maradas watched the proceedings carefully, Rooney was in humorous form on the banks of the Thames yesterday. Interviewed by the BBC, Rooney said: "I'm getting excited with the build-up and I think we have a good enough squad and to be honest we'll be disappointed if we don't bring it back."

Rooney recalled that his first memory of the World Cup was as recent as 1998. The 20-year-old said: "I was 12 and watching the England-Argentina game at my nan's. It was disappointing that we went out on penalties but after the game I went out into the street and pretended to be Michael Owen."

Now Rooney will line up alongside Owen and he added: "At the age of 12 I was just a young lad but I wanted to become a professional football but I didn't think it would come too soon."

Rooney then spoke about his private life and admitted he had 'done a Gazza' recently and cried. Not at a game, but with his girlfriend Colleen McLoughlin while watching the film Cinderella Man.

The Russell Crowe movie tells the story of James Braddock, a supposedly washed-up boxer who came back to become a champion and an inspiration in the 1930s, and Rooney admitted he cried his eyes out.

"I watched Cinderella Man with my girlfriend and there were a few tissues coming out at the end," he said. "I'm the same as everyone else."

Then he talked about his musical tastes - the Stereophonics are his favourites, followed closely by Oasis and U2 - and disclosed that, on long, lonely trips away with England he has become the king of the pool table.

The event was organised by Coca-Cola and the audience was made up of competition winners, all of whom were allowed to have their picture taken alongside Rooney and the World Cup trophy.

Rooney delighted the 500-strong gathering when he added: "I want to go out, try to express myself and do well for the country."

And then, that solid 18-carat gold trophy may see some more tears from Rooney.

2006 FIFA World Cup First details on the next soccer game hitting the Nintendo DS.

2006-03-21T20:24:00.000-08:00

It's only been a couple of weeks since the release of FIFA Street 2 on the Nintendo DS, and Electronic Arts is already preparing the next soccer game for the dual screen handheld. 2006 FIFA World Cup is heading to the portable, and we've got the first screenshots and details.

The game is clearly based upon FIFA Soccer 06 released last year, which was our winner for the Best DS Sports Game last year. The World Cup follow up releasing next month promises all that and more, including many new features in the game's presentation. The DS version will feature full commentary during the matches, as well as a user-controllable 3D instant replay camera. The DS game will also feature several modes of play, including the World Cup Competition where you'll control one of the 32 teams vying for the award. And because this is the World Cup, the game will feature the real German World Cup stadiums, complete with the real crowd chants and true player line-up that take to the pitch.

The portable rendition will support two player wireless through the multi-cart multiplayer function - hopefully the single cartridge multiplayer mode from last year's game hasn't been axed.

Check out the first screens below. We'll have more on the game as we get closer to its April release date.

Setanta nets World Cup language rights

2006-03-21T20:21:00.000-08:00

Setanta Sports, the US pay-TV network dedicated to European soccer and rugby, has acquired a package of secondary-language TV rights for the US airing of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Among the foreign-language rights awarded to Setanta Sports are German, Italian, Polish and French, as well as languages from the Far and Middle East.

[SB alchemy 6] From June, Setanta will air all 64 matches from the soccer tournament, starting with the live kick-off on June 9 in Munich between Germany and Costa Rica. Additional scheduling of World Cup games, and the network's Road to the 2006 FIFA World Cup programming line-up, will be announced shortly.

"We are extremely excited to be able to bring these games live to the millions of fans of European extraction living in the US," said Simon Green, chief executive of Setanta Sports North America. "Around the world, the World Cup is the most prestigious and most-watched single sports event in the world."

Oliver Seibert, an executive director with Infront, the company that handles distribution of the FIFA games, said: "The agreement with Setanta enables a huge number of expatriates and ethnic groups in the US to enjoy the FIFA World Cup in their native language and it reflects perfectly our idea of an open market distribution policy."

WORLD CUP 2006: Trophy shines in Sydney sun

2006-03-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

Australia said 'G'day' to football's greatest prize as the country's largest metropolis, Sydney, became the latest stop on the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour on Friday.

Within a couple of hours of landing Down Under, the world's most sought-after sporting prize was on display at the International Passenger Terminal on Sydney harbour, within a stone's throw of the city's iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

Sydney is a city very much gripped by football fever having been the venue for Australia's play-off victory over Uruguay that secured their long-awaited qualification for the FIFA World Cup. Just a fortnight ago, meanwhile, the local club Sydney FC were proclaimed football champions of the world's largest island nation, winning the inaugural Hyundai A-League in front a capacity crowd.

It was a bigger prize that was on the minds of Australian football fans at the International Passenger Terminal, however, as they queued for the opportunity to have their photograph taken with the sporting world's most recognisable Trophy.

A large media contingent was also in attendance to see the unveiling of the Trophy for the first time ever in Australia. The dignitaries attending the event included Football Federation Australia (FFA) chairman Frank Lowy, FFA chief executive John O'Neill, New South Wales premier Morris Iemma, Australia's most capped player Alex Tobin, Socceroos assistant coach Graham Arnold and FIFA representative Emmanuel Maradas.

FFA chairman Lowy thanked FIFA for including Australia on its Trophy Tour itinerary and made it clear that the Socceroos would not just be going to Germany to make up the numbers, even if winning the FIFA World Cup was a lot to expect. "This is a very important day for us in that we have been recognised by FIFA to show everyone the Trophy that we are going to fight for," he said.

Celebration of football
Only once before have Australia appeared on football's biggest stage, with Germany also the venue on that previous occasion in 1974. A 32-year wait is a long one for a nation that prides itself on sporting success and it seems the locals are making the most of their national team's breakthrough success.

With all things football having been splashed across the newspapers in Australia in recent months, organisers decided to limit viewing of the trophy to 3,000 in order to avoid lengthy queues and overcrowding.

The competition winners were treated to a carnival atmosphere with numerous activities available to the lucky entrants. Some chose to try their luck at recording the fastest kick in a special competition established by organisers Coca-Cola, others mingled with players from Hyundai A-League club Central Coast Mariners and representatives of the Australian women's national team, otherwise known as the Matildas.

There were video presentations featuring the Socceroos talking about their experiences on the road to Germany, while many visitors took up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to 'join the national team' by having their own photograph digitally inserted into a picture of the Australia team. Finally, they got to the event's centrepiece and the chance to rub shoulders with the newly renovated FIFA World Cup Trophy.

Many supporters had begun queuing some time before doors opened and the wait was worthwhile if the jovial atmosphere was any indication. Others had travelled long distances to see the Trophy on what was a typically perfect autumn day in Sydney.

"It is a long day out for me but being a football fanatic the trip was certainly worthwhile to see the ultimate prize in world sport," said Sam Abell who had made the five-hour round trip from Newcastle to attend.

And some fans such as Stuart Veitch had even greater ambitions for Australian interaction with the Trophy. "It is great to see Australians having the chance to get up close and personal with the World Cup," he said, "but it will be even better if (national captain) Mark Viduka is doing likewise come July in Berlin."

World Cup trophy makes historical debut in China

2006-03-15T21:25:00.000-08:00

There could have been no more fitting a place for Beijing to stage its grand welcome of the FIFA World Cup? Trophy on Tuesday than the China Millennium Monument.

The monument, built in the west of the capital in 2000 to mark the arrival of the new millennium, was one of the places where people congregated to celebrate Beijing's successful bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games on the memorable night of 13 July 2001 – among them the former president Jiang Zemin.

Some five years on and people flocked here again for another big sporting moment - the first visit to China of the authentic FIFA World Cup Trophy. "This is just the ideal place to stage the welcome to this iconic Trophy," said Coca-Cola China vice-president Brenda Lee.

For China national youth team coach Jia Xiuquan, one of the football luminaries present, the stopover in Beijing was a timely boost to football in the country after their national team missed out on the forthcoming FIFA World Cup in Germany.

"With the Trophy coming here, excitement about the new season is running high," the former Chinese international striker said. "In the opening round of the new season last weekend, we saw the stadiums close to full and a lot of closely fought matches, something to suggest a fruitful year in front of us. The visit of the Trophy will unquestionably encourage our players to work harder to reach their goal of going back to the World Cup."

The authenticity of the Trophy caused great excitement among members of the audience, many of whom remembered the FIFA World Cup being displayed here on the eve of France 98. Then it was a replica and FIFA spokesman Emmanuel Maradas confirmed that this was the first time the real Trophy had been displayed in China.

"This is the one that the Brazil team won in Yokohama four years ago and the one that the winning team will lift in Berlin on 9 July this year. It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for any football lovers to see the crown of football within touching distance."

Huang Bowen, a China U19 defender, joined the large crowd queuing to view the Cup and have their photo taken with it. "As a little boy I watched the French team lift the Trophy after defeating Brazil in the Final at France 98. I can't believe I'm so close to it now."

As the Trophy was unveiled amid a flurry of flashbulbs and applause, Jia Xiuquan – whose playing days were back in the 1980s - recalled with a touch of regret: "I played in two qualifying competitions for the World Cup finals but we failed to make it on both occasions. I did play in the Asian Cup and Olympic football tournament so the World Cup was the one I missed out on.

If that was yesterday the China Football Association is looking to tomorrow and its vice-president Nan Young said at the press conference: "We worked hard for fully 50 years to get to the FIFA World Cup. Our efforts were rewarded when we booked our first-ever finals place at Korea/Japan 2002 but despite that breakthrough, we still have our work cut out as we are far behind the world powers."

Football journalist Fang Zhao spoke hopefully of the future when noting that the fact China had been chosen as one of the 29 countries on the Trophy Tour showed that FIFA recognised its huge potential. "We have arguably the world's largest group of football fans and consequently the biggest market so it won't be long before we develop enough to reach the top level."

Explaining FIFA's decision to include Beijing on the tour's itinerary, Emmanuel Maradas said: "We put Beijing on the list because China has made a huge contribution to football development as a FIFA member. In 1985 China hosted the inaugural FIFA U17 World Championship which was won by Nigeria. Its potential can't be underestimated as China is the world's most populous country and is in the process of rapid change in all areas."

Youngster Huang Bowen is hopeful that the development of Chinese football will only accelerate, and earned himself one of the biggest cheers of the day when he said: "I hope one day I can again be with the Trophy - but next time by winning it."

Eriksson bothered by injuries before World Cup

2006-03-15T21:20:00.000-08:00

England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson says he is concerned about the fitness of three of his key players ahead of the World Cup finals ln Baden-Baden of Germany.

Arsenal defenders Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole, along with Newcastle United striker Michael Owen, are all certainties to go to Germany if fit, but none are currently available.

Eriksson told reporters on Wednesday that he had concerns aboutall of them hoped all of theme would be on the pitch very soon. Campbell, plagued by injury over the past year, made his latest comeback in a reserve match for his club on Tuesday but has not played first-team football since Feburary 1.

Cole has only played once since October due to a broken foot, thigh injury and twisted ankle and Owen has not played since breaking a bone in his foot on December 31.

Eriksson indicated he would announce a squad of 26 players on May 8, 23 certainties for the finals and three on stand by who will only travel if a team mate is forced to withdraw because of injury.

Paraguay squad for World Cup warm-up against Wales

2006-02-25T09:58:00.000-08:00

Veteran striker Jose Cardozo has been included in Paraguay's squad for a World Cup warm-up friendly against Wales next week despite nursing a left knee injury.

Coach Anibal Ruiz picked a 20-strong squad for the match at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Wednesday but had to withdraw injured captain and centre back Carlos Gamarra.

Paraguay are in Group B with England, Sweden and Trinidad & Tobago at the World Cup in Germany starting on June 9.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Derlis Gomez (Sportivo Luqueno), Justo Villar (Newell's Old Boys)

Defenders: Denis Caniza (Cruz Azul), Julio Cesar Caceres (River Plate), Delio Toledo (Real Zaragoza), Paulo Da Silva (Toluca), Julio Manzur (Santos), Juan Daniel Caceres, Jorge Nunez (both Estudiantes de La Plata)

Midfielders: Edgar Barreto (NEC Nijmegen), Roberto Acuna (Deportivo Coruna), Carlos Humberto Paredes (Reggina), Julio Dos Santos (Bayern Munich), Cristian Riveros (Libertad), Diego Gavilan (Newell's Old Boys), Walter Fretes (Cerro Porteno)

Forwards: Salvador Cabanas (Jaguares de Chiapas), Cesar Ramirez (Flamengo), Nelson Haedo (Werder Bremen), Jose Cardozo (San Lorenzo).

Back in New York, Beckenbauer predicts trouble-free World Cup

2006-02-24T15:30:00.000-08:00

Back in the city where he helped sell soccer to America with the Cosmos more than a quarter-century ago, Franz Beckenbauer predicted a World Cup free of fan trouble.

"I don't see any problems," he said Thursday night. "Our security people in Germany, they have a very, very good relationship to the English, to the Polish, to the Dutch, so I trust them. They are telling us, `Don't worry. We have everything under control.'"
Beckenbauer, president of the German organizing committee for this year's tournament, was making the final stop on an 11-day, eight-nation trip. As he tours the 32 countries in the tournament, he has just two remaining: Serbia-Montenegro (March 9) and Australia (March 27).

He was not aware that a Dutch firm is selling replica Nazi helmets bearing pro-Dutch slogans ahead of the World Cup. Germany and the Netherlands are soccer rivals, and the orange plastic helmets, which sell for $6, have small Dutch flags printed on the side and bear slogans such as "Attack!" and "Go, Netherlands Go" in Dutch.

"You know the Dutch, they're always a little bit funny _ some of them," Beckenbauer said.

He made light of the German consumer group Stiftung Warentes, which released a study last month saying four of the World Cup stadiums lacked adequate fire safety measures and escape routes.

"We have a funny consumer group _ normally they are testing face creams," he said. "They are the most secure stadiums in the world.

"But you know the Germans," he added. "If they don't have anything, they like to criticize themselves."

He also said that when he took over as Germany's coach in 1984, fans were disenchanted.

"The fans at the stadium, they disliked the behavior of the team," he said. "They didn't like the team because they were a little bit too arrogant."

Before speaking with reporters, he told jokes before a crowd filled with soccer officials and former players, and he commented on the tournament, which runs from June 9 to July 9. He said that American Kasey Keller, who plays in Germany for Borussia Moenchengladbach, is "one of the best goalkeepers in the Bundesliga," but said German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn is "maybe one of the best."

He commented on a controversial call in Germany's 1-0 win over the United States in the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals. Gregg Berhalter's shot bounced off a diving Kahn and went partially over the goal line, where it hit the left arm of defender Torsten Frings. The ball bounced back to Kahn, who smothered it, and Scottish referee Hugh Dallas declined to call a penalty.

"Now it's too late, but it was a hand ball," Beckenbauer said. "Thanks God for the Germans the referee didn't see."

Now 60, Beckenbauer was captain of the German team that won the 1974 World Cup, then coached his nation to the title in 1990. He may run next year for president of the Union of European Football Associations, the second-most powerful job in the sport behind FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

But in the United States, he is best remembered for his time with the Cosmos. After leading Bayern Munich to consecutive European Champions Cup titles from 1974-76, he came to New York, signing with the Cosmos after Clive Toye took him on a helicopter ride above Manhattan.

"It was the best time of my life," he said.

He played alongside Pele in 1977, helping the Cosmos with the North American Soccer League title, and was part of Cosmos championship teams in 1978 and 1980 before returning home to play for Hamburg SV.

He said that while in New York, he got a chance to see Werner Roth, Shep Messing and Giorgio Chinaglia, and video was played of Beckenbauer in his Cosmos' days.

"We had a lot of good memories," he said.

Soccer officials in Germany and the United States have developed a close relationship since Beckenbauer's playing days. Germany's current coach, Juergen Klinsmann, commutes to his job from the Los Angeles area, where he lives.

"It's a little bit strange, but it works," Beckenbauer said, adding that Klinsmann had introduced American training methods and coaches to the German team. "He will bring the team to a very, very good performance."

He said that preparations in Germany for the tournament were at or even ahead of schedule.

"The World Cup can start tomorrow. We're ready," he said. "We are not looking to have the most successful World Cup or a perfect World Cup _ nobody's perfect. But we try to be a good host, in a friendly and in an optimistic way. That's our target."

Non-sponsor Pepsi taps into World Cup

2006-02-16T21:39:00.000-08:00

Pepsi-Cola is not an official World Cup sponsor but it still plans to spend 100 million baht on football-themed marketing to challenge arch-rival and official sponsor Coca-Cola this year. Pepsi plans various sports-related campaigns from now through June, including Pepsi Football 2006, which will feature 11 of the world's greatest football players in its advertising and on limited-edition cans.

''Though we are not a sponsor of the 2006 World Cup, we are confident that our football campaign will be as successful as in the past two World Cup tournaments,'' said Charlie Jitcharoongphorn, marketing director of Pepsi-Cola (Thai) Trading Co.

On the back of the campaigns, the company expects the cola market share of Pepsi to increase to 64% by the end of this year. Last year the company claimed a 63.5% share in Thailand, one of the few countries where it leads Coke.

Sales of Pepsi last year grew by 8%, compared to 3% for the soft-drink market.

BBC announces World Cup coverage

2006-02-06T21:31:00.000-08:00

The BBC will also have live coverage of England's first knockout clash - possibly against hosts Germany or Poland - if they qualify.

First choice of quarter-final also goes to the BBC, which would again be England if they make the last eight.

And any England semi-final or final appearance would also be on the BBC as well as ITV.

ITV will be showing England's group games against Trinidad & Tobago and Sweden.

The BBC's coverage, revealed on Monday, will also feature the opening game of the tournament - Germany v Costa Rica in Munich on 9 June.

Brazil's two peak-time matches - against Croatia and Japan, kicking off at 2000 BST - will be on the BBC, as will Italy's opening game against Ghana.

All three group games involving France will feature on the BBC as well as Germany v Poland and the final group games involving Italy, the Czech Republic and Spain.

BBC Radio will have commentary from every match at the World Cup, with broadcasts on both Five Live and Five Live Sports Extra.

The BBC Sport website will also provide extensive coverage of every match.

Games to be shown on the BBC & ITV:
All times BST

9 June
1700: Germany v Costa Rica BBC
2000: Poland v Ecuador ITV

10 June
1400: England v Paraguay BBC
1700: Trindad & Tobago v Sweden ITV
2000: Argentina v Ivory Coast ITV

11 June
1400: Serbia & Montenegro v Netherlands BBC
1700: Mexico v Iran BBC
2000: Angola v Portugal ITV

12 June
1400: Australia v Japan ITV
1700: USA v Czech Republic BBC
2000: Italy v Ghana BBC

13 June
1400: South Korea v Togo BBC
1700: France v Switzerland BBC
2000: Brazil v Croatia BBC

14 June
1400: Spain v Ukraine ITV
1700: Tunisia v S Arabia ITV
2000: Germany v Poland BBC

15 June
1400: Ecuador v Costa Rica ITV
1700: England v Trinidad & Tobago ITV
2000: Sweden v Paraguay ITV

16 June
1400: Argentina v Serbia & Montenegro BBC
1700: Netherlands v Ivory Coast ITV
2000: Mexico v Angola ITV

17 June
1400: Portugal v Iran BBC
1700: Czech Republic v Ghana ITV
2000: Italy v USA ITV

18 June
1400: Japan v Croatia ITV
1700: Brazil v Australia ITV
2000: France v South Korea BBC

19 June
1400: Togo v Switzerland BBC
1700 S Arabia v Ukraine ITV
2000: Spain v Tunisia BBC

20 June
1500: Ecuador v Germany/Costa Rica v Poland ITV
2000: Paraguay v T'dad & Tobago/Sweden v England ITV

21 June
1500: Iran v Angola/Portugal v Mexico ITV
2000: Netherlands v Argentina/I Coast v Serbia & M ITV

22 June
1500: Czech Republic v Italy/Ghana v USA BBC
2000: Japan v Brazil/Croatia v Australia BBC

23 June
1500: Ukraine v Tunisia/S Arabia v Spain BBC
2000: Togo v France/Switzerland v S Korea BBC

FIFA fears World Cup theft

2006-01-31T06:30:00.000-08:00

Whoever wins the World Cup this year may only be allowed to keep the trophy for six weeks after a FIFA official revealed that football's world governing body fears the trophy may be stolen.

Until now, it has been customary for the winning team to keep the trophy until they defend the title in the following finals tournament.

However, spokesman Thomas von Ubrizsy, who is in Ecuador with the trophy as part of the 'FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour', claimed there would be a change in the rules. He said: "In the future, FIFA wants to reduce the time to six or seven weeks. The Board fears a theft, like the Jules Rimet Cup."

The Jules Rimet Trophy, the predecessor of the current World Cup, was stolen twice.

The first was in 1966 in England although it was later discovered under a hedge by a dog called Pickles.

The second time it was stolen from the Brazilian Football Federation in 1983 and subsequently melted down.

Brazil had been given the trophy permanently for winning it three times.

Melita to air all 64 World Cup games

2006-01-14T21:32:00.000-08:00

It must come as a great relief for soccer enthusiasts to know that all Germany 2006 World Cup matches will be aired on Melita Cable for a subscription fee.

For the past decades, the Maltese have followed the World Cup on Italian state-owned channel Rai and lately even on PBS. But the free-to-air status of the world's most-followed sports event was dealt a major blow by FIFA last year when it sold the broadcasting rights of Germany 2006, meaning that state television would not be able to broadcast all the games for free as it used to.

However, Melita Cable said yesterday it had acquired the exclusive rights to broadcast all 64 matches locally for both digital and analogue subscribers, specifically on Melita Sports One and Melita Sports Two of the six sports channels available on digital, and on channels 47 and 48 (the Sports Channel) on analogue subscriptions.

Melita Cable's head of sales and marketing, Franco de Gabriele, said all games would be broadcast live against a monthly subscription fee - Lm5.81 for the Sports Channel (analogue) and Lm6 for Melita Sports (digital).

Melita was also trying to make arrangements with one of the local television stations so that the opening ceremony, the final match, the two semi-finals and the match for the third place can be broadcast free of charge, Mr Degabriele said. Besides the actual matches, which will be broadcast with foreign commentary, Melita will provide pre- and post-match analysis through a locally-produced programme, together with an official preview series of 16 weekly episodes that will include features on the history of the World Cup and interviews with players and teams.

Besides broadcasting the games between June 9 and July 9, Melita will be airing the 2006 FIFA World Cup Gala, to be held in Berlin two days before the opening.

Melita Group chairman Joe Gasan said the company had worked very hard to buy the rights. He would not divulge the amount Melita paid FIFA but did say the package was "not cheap".

Coca-Cola raises World Cup dream

2006-01-11T10:42:00.000-08:00

The Coca-Cola Company, has expressed its resounding belief that Nigeria can win the World Cup in the near future, as the country has all the potentials. This optimism was expressed at the press conference as well as the private viewing event of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, by the Division President for Coca-Cola Nigeria and Equitorial Africa, Mr. Larry Drake.

He stated that "Nigeria winning the World Cup is not an impossible task. But we at Coca-Cola believe that hard work, dedication and most importantly long term preparation and consistent support preparation are the key success factors. This way, you are ready when the opportunity comes. We can conquer if we believe we can. To this end, Coca-Cola. is making a major investment over the next four years in pursuit of this vision."

The FIFA World Cup Trophy will be visiting 29 countries, and for the first time ever, the authentic solid gold FIFA World Cup trophy has landed in Nigeria for the first time. Larry Drake pointed out though Nigeria did not qualify for the World Cup, "Coca-Cola felt the need to bring the real FIFA World Cup trophy to Nigeria, so that our people can share in this spectacular experience. Having had the excitement of viewing the authentic World Cup Trophy, the next major moment will be to win it. No single sport speaks to the world like football and no single brand speaks to the world like Coca-Cola.’
Also speaking at the press conference, the Marketing Director of Coca-Cola Nigeria, Ms Anne Harte, explained that the ‘World Cup Trophy Tour comes out of our commitment by Coca-Cola to connect with Nigerians' passion for football and to present our football activity in a way no other brand can.
"The fans experience is an amazing event that offers fans all kinds of sensory and physical experiences. It will include interactive sessions, photo trophy area and a movie experience room where a fantastic 3-Dimensional film will show the trophy in a spectacular manner.

The Marketing Director said that the 4 teenage trophy bearers who escorted the trophy to Nigeria were chosen for their academic performance, their interest in sports and their overall contribution. It is important to recognise and reward diligence, sound character and a unifying spirit amongst teenagers.
The Franchise director, Mr. Carl Willis, restated that "Coca-Cola and football have become symbolically synonymous, and together, they are a natural fusion of real delight and pleasure."
The managing Director of the Nigerian Bottling Company, Mr. Marcel Martin concluded that the "the world cup trophy tour by Coca-Cola, should give us all a taste of the excitement and passion that we will all share in 2010, when I believe Nigeria will win the first ever world Cup in 2010."

World Cup stadiums not safe: Stiftung Warentest

2006-01-06T14:24:00.000-08:00

The stadiums used for the 2006 World Cup in Germany are not fully safe and there are even some "considerable" safety deficits, a consumer group said on Friday.

Stiftung Warentest, a foundation which test products, said an inspection of the 12 arenas revealed that a mass panic in a full stadium could for instance have a "devastating effect" and that there were deficits as well in the area of fire protection.

Further details on Stiftung Warentest's inspection are to be released at a news conference on January 19.

The organising committee said it believes the criticism mainly concerns emergency lanes and exits, but could not say anything more because it had not
received the Stiftung Warentest report.

"I was informed up to now that there were no major problems. I know that an inspection has taken place, but nothing beyond that. If there are problems it would only be fair to allow us to comment on it," said organising committee vice-president Horst R. Schmidt.

In recent months the roof constructions of the stadiums in Frankfurt and Kaiserslautern made negative headlines.

The Frankfurt roof failed to close twice, leading to cascades of rain onto the pitch during the Confederations Cup final and a Bundesliga match. The Kaiserslautern stadium was even closed for safety reasons in December because parts of the roof came down.

In addition, statics problems were recorded in the Nuremberg stadium.

The three incidents prompted world football supremo Joseph Blatter to tell the organising committee that all stadiums needed to be thoroughly inspected again and that FIFA will monitor the situation very closely.

Stadium managers remained calm on Friday, with Hamburg's Kurt Kraegel insisting that "top security not only applies at the World Cup but every fortnight in the Bundesliga as well" were even more fans were allowed into the stadiums.

Italy striker Cassano signs for Real Madrid

2006-01-03T14:26:00.000-08:00

Italy striker Antonio Cassano is joining Real Madrid on a four and a half-year deal from Serie A club AS Roma, the Primera Liga side said on Tuesday.

"Real Madrid and Roma have reached an agreement over the signing of Antonio Cassano," Real said on their website.

"The 23-year-old Italian international will sign for the club until 2010 pending a medical examination which will be carried out on Wednesday.

"He will be presented to the media at the (Bernabeu) stadium at 1200 GMT."

Spanish media reported that Real had paid around 5.5 million euros ($6.54 million) for Cassano who had been embroiled in a dispute with the Italian club over his contract which was due to expire at the end of the season.

The Italian, who has a reputation as a difficult character, cost Roma $28.5 million when he signed from Bari in 2001.

"I've always dreamed of playing in the strongest team in the world and now that dream has come true," he told Real's website.

"Playing for Real Madrid is so important that I'm approaching it with a mixture of delight and responsibility."

The striker added that he was confident he would be able to help the nine-times European champions end their two-year trophy drought and win some silverware this season.

"I'm the sort of player that likes to be a leader when I play and I like to transmit my feelings to the people ... I'm convinced that we are going to play well and that we can aspire to win everything."

German National Tourist Board hosts FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany

2005-12-29T07:23:00.000-08:00

The world is watching Germany who opened its doors to the World Cup visitors for the first time when the final draw took place in Leipzig, which is one of the twelve host cities. The final draw ensures people all over the world that Germany is a modern, vibrant and hospitable country. Thousands of locals built a band around the city to show solidarity and welcomed all visitors and VIP guests to a special celebration and atmosphere.

'A time to make friends' is the official motto for the FIFA World Cup 2006TM and Germany is awaiting a lot of visitors from all over the world. 32 national teams will battle for the FIFA World Cup in 12 cities in Germany starting 9th June-9th July, 2006. Franz Beckenbauer will host the event and lots of cultural activities will take place. The 2006 FIFA World Cup is expected to generate an extra 1, 7 million stays across 2006 as a whole. At present, the tourism industry is well prepared to welcome its International visitors. Germany looks forward to this event as a great opportunity to showcase its culture and hospitality.

She further added, 'In the beginning of December 2005, GNTB has launched a special national campaign to promote service and friendliness. This campaign is an initiative of the organization committee of FIFA World Cup and the German National Tourist Board and will seek to encourage fine and best service within all the involved people. Starting from taxi drivers to the entire travel industry, GNTB will create a very high service commitment and there will be a lot of competitions to find the best one in his/her branch of trade. This promotion is aiming for a better image of Germany as a travel destination before, during and long lasting after the FIFA World Cup 2006TM''

World Cup organisers to refund ticket service charge

2005-12-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

World Cup organisers agreed on Tuesday to refund the five euro ($5.99) fee to fans applying unsuccessfully for returned tickets to next year's finals, following a legal challenge from Germany's consumer association.

An extra sales phase for the 2006 World Cup in Germany gave fans the chance to put their names on a waiting list for any returned tickets from national associations, sponsors or partners.

Those applying had to pay a five euro fee, plus the price of one ticket up front. Unsuccessful applicants were due to get only the ticket charge back after the finals, while the service charge was non-refundable.

Germany's consumer association launched a legal challenge against those conditions of sale and after talks on Tuesday, organisers agreed to refund the ticket money and the service charge to applicants who have received no tickets by Apr. 15.

A Frankfurt court had been due to rule on the challenge this month.

The European Commission is also looking into similar complaints about the way the conditional tickets are being sold.

Ticket offers for the World Cup, which begins on June 9 and runs until July 9, have been massively oversubscribed. The final main sales window is open until Jan. 15, with 250,000 tickets on offer. A ballot will then decide which fans secure seats.

Australians snap up 2006 World Cup tickets

2005-12-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

Australian football fans on Tuesday snapped up the full allocation of 8,500 World Cup tickets in an instant when they went on sale electronically.

There were more than 14,000 applications for tickets to next year's event in Germany, Football Federation Australia (FFA) officials said, but FFA chief executive John O'Neill said it had proven impossible to get more tickets from FIFA, the world football organizing body.

"We're not in a sufficiently influential position, particularly being the last team to qualify, to change the system," he said, "and it's not to say that we're sitting here criticizing the system. We're simply saying that we do feel sorry, deeply sorry,
and disappointed that we can't satisfy all the people from the football family here who want to go and see Australia play."

He defended a welter of criticism of the first-come, first-served system that favoured those with the fastest computer mouse click.

"It's been a process that has integrity, a process that is as open and transparent as it possibly could have been," O'Neill said. "Everyone's been given an equal chance."

FFA spokesman Stuart Hodge said the FIFA system had been designed to make scalping difficult.

"It works against scalping because you have to supply your passport details and then they will ask you for your passport details at the turnstiles to verify it," Hodge said.

Australia's games in the round-robin stage are against Japan, Brazil and Croatia in Kaiserslautern, Munich and Stuttgart, respectively.

O'Neill said FFA was close to finalizing arrangements for a World Cup base camp in Bavaria in southern Germany.

Australian fans complained that hotels in Kaiserslautern, Munich and Stuttgart were booked out just minutes after the draw was announced or have hiked their prices.

"Getting the game tickets was the easy part," fan Mark Bowman told The Sydney Morning Herald. "The biggest problem is the hotels. All the accommodation websites show sudden increases, miraculously right when the football is on."

Traute Tuckfeld of the German National Tourist Office in Sydney said it was impossible to prevent hoteliers from increasing prices when demand is high.

"Of course prices are higher than normal," she said. "If there is a trade fair in Germany, then the prices are higher."

Angolan President invited to Germany 2006 World Cup

2005-12-15T06:59:00.000-08:00

Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos was on Wednesday invited by the chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 2006 World Cup, Franz Beckenbauer, to go to Germany to watch the premier tournament.

Beckenbauer, speaking to journalists at the end of a 30-minute audience which was attended by Angolan minister of Youth and Sports, Marcos Barrica, and chairman of the Angolan Football Federation (FAF), Justino Fernandes, said: "Naturally I invited him".

"I think that the president will want to check the results of Angola in the first stage. If they (results) are satisfactory and Angola is through to the next stage, I am sure he will go to Germany,"said Beckenbauer.

In his brief interview he also mentioned that "it was a great honor to be welcomed by the President of the Republic, a very kind person, with great personality and a lover of football".

During the audience Beckenbauer assured:"We will welcome Angola in a cordial way, similarly to what we are going to do with all those that will travel to the World Cup in Germany".

Beckenbauer arrived Tuesday in Luanda, from Tunisia, and he travels today to Togo, his third stage of his tour of Africa that is aimed at presenting formally the invitation to the countries that qualified for the World Cup finals.

Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire will complete the group of the five African countries qualified for this competition.

Angola, the first time to play in World Cup, has been drawn in Group D, with Iran, Mexico and Portugal. Angola's first match will be against Portugal on July 11.

World Cup Germany 2006 Groups

2005-12-09T20:38:00.000-08:00

Former Socceroo says Australia faces a horror draw for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Australia is in Group F with Brazil (ranked number 1 in the world), Japan (ranked 15) and Croatia (ranked 20).

The 2006 World Cup will be held in Germany with the first round matches starting in June. Coincidentally the last time we qualified, Germany was the host nation as well.

Back in 1974, our Socceroos also held down full-time jobs. Their results? A 3-0 defeat at the hands of eventual winners West Germany, a 2-0 defeat against East Germany and a 0-0 draw against Chile.

We're currently ranked 49 (according to the FIFA website). How will we go this time?

Former Socceroo and Perth Glory Coach Gary Marrochi reckons we've got the "horror draw".

Brazil are favourites and while we have played them recently, Gary doesn't believe we've played their full-strength side. Still, on the bright side, he says it will be a fantastic thing for the players to talk about with their grandkids - that they got to play Brazil in the World Cup.

Gary says Japan is not easy either, doing well in the last World Cup in 2002 which they hosted along with South Korea.

"You've got to be realistic and we are drawn in a very tough group. If we can get a win against Japan and a draw against Croatia we may be able to sneak into round 16."

Groups E and C also look tough to Gary. E is probably the toughest with Italy (12), USA (8), Czech Republic (2) and Ghana (ranked 50).

In Group C, Gary says don't underestimate Serbia and Montenegro who finished ahead of Spain in the qualifiers.

Of the other groups, Gary says England and Germany must be pretty happy with their draws, and France and Spain have a relatively easy run as well.

Is he going to Germany? He's been on the internet already to try and get tickets.

So what will it be like for the players? Gary never played in a World Cup but did play against Iran in 1975 in front of 100,000 people. He reckons it was pretty frightening but he still treasures the experience.

Will soccer take off in Australia now we've made it back into the World Cup? Gary thinks the administration is heading in the right direction and hopes the World Cup will be the catalyst soccer needs. He has every confidence in administrator John O'Neill who, he says, has done wonderful things for Rugby Union.

So given the draw, what are our chances of making it through to the next round? 40:60 says Gary. "We've got some very good players and now we've got an extremely experienced coach. I think we can beat Croatia and we can beat Japan."

We have beaten four former world champions in the last five years: France, Brazil, England and, of course, Uruguay.

The World Cup Draw

The teams' world ranking as of November 2005 in brackets.

-Group A-

Germany (16)
Costa Rica (21)
Poland (23)
Ecuador (37)

-Group B-

England (9)
Paraguay (30)
Trinidad & Tobago (51)
Sweden (14)

-Group C-

Argentina (4)
Cote d'Ivoire (41)
Serbia & Montenegro (47)
The Netherlands (3)

-Group D-

Mexico (7)
Iran (19)
Angola (62)
Portugal (10)

-Group E-

Italy (12)
Ghana (50)
USA (8)
Czech Republic (2)

-Group F-

Brazil (1)
Croatia (20)
Australia (49)
Japan (15)

-Group G-
France (5)
Switzerland (36)
South Korea (29)
Togo (56)

-Group H-

Spain (6)
Ukraine (40)
Tunisia (28)
Saudi Arabia (32)

USA 90-1 bet to win the World Cup of Soccer

2005-12-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

With the draw for the 2006 World Cup taking place today in Liepzig, Germany, Sportsbook.com has posted its odds on the largest event in the world. The United States, a quarterfinalist last time around, is only a 90-1 long shot to win the title, the same odds as Paraguay and ahead of only 13 other teams in the 32 team field. Defending champion Brazil is the clear favorite with 3-1 odds followed by their South American arch rivals Argentina at 13-2. Despite recent success on the global scene, including a strong performance in the 2002 World Cup and a top ten FIFA world ranking, the USA is still considered a small player in world soccer. The United States felt slighted not to be one of the eight top seeds in the tournament, which would have meant a guarantee that they would not be drawn in the same group as traditional powers like Brazil, France, Argentina or Germany. Mexico, who the US defeated in the second round in the 2002 World Cup, and who the US finished ahead of in the qualifying tournament for Germany 2006, is one of the top eight seeds.
"The US is a strong team and one that can pull off a rare upset, but it still lacks the pedigree and talent that the European and South American teams bring to the table," said Peter Childs, Odds Maker, Sportsbook.com.
"Sportsbook.com is proud to be the only online sportsbook in the world focused on American soccer fans. No one else provides such comprehensive odds for the US team," added Childs.
Other favorites for the title include England (7-1), hosts Germany (8-1), Holland (9-1), Italy (9-1) and France (10-1). As for the other CONCACAF qualifiers, Mexico is the pick of the crop at 50-1, while Costa Rica (500-1) and Trinidad and Tobago (1,000-1) bring up the rear. The Ivory Coast has the top odds among the African contingent at 80-1, while Japan at 150-1 tops the list of Asian contenders. Australia, representing the Oceana region, is a 200-1 bet.

Who will win the 2006 World Cup?

--------------------------------
<<
Brazil 3-1 Poland 70-1
Argentina 13-2 Paraguay 90-1
England 7-1 USA 90-1
Germany 8-1 Switzerland 100-1
Holland 9-1 Japan 150-1
Italy 9-1 Australia 200-1
France 10-1 Ecuador 200-1
Spain 16-1 Angola 250-1
Portugal 20-1 Ghana 250-1
Czech Republic 25-1 South Korea 250-1
Sweden 40-1 Togo 300-1
Mexico 50-1 Tunisia 350-1
Ukraine 50-1 Costa Rica 500-1
Serbia & Montenegro 60-1 Iran 500-1
Croatia 65-1 Saudi Arabia 750-1
Ivory Coast 80-1 Trinidad & Tobago 1,000-1

German game shows ugly side ahead of World Cup draw

2005-12-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

Violence, poor organisation and desperately poor soccer combined to show the ugly side of the German game this weekend just as the country prepares to welcome the world.

Some 1,650 journalists, 500 FIFA officials and coaches from the 32 qualifying teams are heading to Leipzig for the draw for the 2006 World Cup finals on Friday, December 9. An estimated 320 million people will watch the draw by television.

Germany will hope few of the visitors arrived early enough to catch Saturday's Bundesliga programme.

Problems started on Friday when Kaiserslautern's match at home to Eintracht Frankfurt had to be called off after a crack appeared in a stand at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion.

It was the latest in a series of problems to hit Germany's World Cup stadiums amid a 1.5 billion euros programme to build and renovate 12 venue for the finals.

Hamburg SV's 3-1 win over Cologne was then spoiled when midfielder Alexander Laas was hit in the face by a drumstick thrown from the Cologne section of the crowd.

Television pictures showed Laas covered in blood being carried away from the touchline by his team captain Daniel van Buyten before receiving treatment.

"Bloody football," ran the front page headline in the top selling Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "A bleak day for the game," the newspaper added.

Nuremberg's Stefan Kiessling was also hit by an object thrown from the crowd in the game against Borussia Moenchengladbach, although he was unhurt.

"We shouldn't panic," World Cup organising committee vice-president Wolfgang Niersbach said on DSF television on Sunday. "The World Cup is not under threat.

"The old stadiums with running tracks were obviously safer in this regard but video monitoring means people cannot get away with this."

Bild also reported that a man was fatally stabbed on Friday evening after an argument about soccer.

The incident came a few days after 100 German and Polish hooligans started a mass brawl on the German side of the border.

Hooliganism is one of the worst fears for World Cup organisers as they work with police on the security arrangements for the finals, which begin on June 9 in Munich and finish on July 9 in Berlin.

Saturday's feature match between VfB Stuttgart and champions Bayern Munich was spoiled by Germany international Sebastian Deisler's red card in the 42nd minute for an angry retaliation against Ludovc Magnin.

The match was a dire spectacle. As such it was pretty representative of the afternoon as a whole, with just 10 goals scored in the six matches that did go ahead.

Time to make friends in Berlin

2005-12-02T16:25:00.000-08:00

In a first for world football, the spectacular 2006 FIFA World Cup™ Gala Berlin will thrill the masses at the Olympic Stadium on 7 June 2006. The creative team behind the Gala unveiled some of the highlights in the German capital on Wednesday.

World-renowned Austrian artist Andre Heller was visibly buzzing with euphoria as he introduced his creative crew. "This really is a dream team. I'm what you might call the publisher, Philippe Decoufle is the chief editor, and the others are the section heads." Director Philippe Decoufle is in charge of the overall concept. He has won awards for previous productions, for music videos (with New Order, Fine Young Cannibals and others), short films and commercials (Dior). He has also choreographed mass events, including the opening and closing ceremonies for the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville. British pop legend Peter Gabriel is responsible for musical direction, and the Gala anthem will be composed by Brian Eno. The team also includes set designer Mark Fisher, one of the world's leaders in his craft. Fisher's credits include recent work for artists such as the Rolling Stones.

2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee Germany President Franz Beckenbauer was highly impressed by the artistic line-up and compared the "formation" to a football team. "It's as if you were able to field Maradona, Pele, Johan Cruyff and Di Stefano all in the same team. I believe we can look forward to a breathtaking festival."

Heller had his work cut out to pull together such a star-studded team. "I went on and on about it to Philippe Decoufle, but he initially said, 'No, no, I've already done that in my life'. So I said to him, just give me three weeks and I'll get back to you. So I got back to him with Peter Gabriel as my 'trophy', and he said yes."

Eno, Gabriel, Peas Set For World Cup Kickoff

2005-12-01T09:25:00.000-08:00

Germany will stage the World Cup's first opening gala next year, but organizers yesterday (Nov. 30) promised it will be nothing like the extravaganzas seen at the Olympics and the Super Bowl.

Artistic director Andre Heller, who unveiled a creative team that includes Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel, aims to keep the June 7 spectacle a surprise but he promised the gala will have no parade of superstars and will not echo the local themes used at other major sporting events.

"We have an enormous space to fill but we won't do it with banal figures," he said. Performers will include American soprano Jessye Norman, the Black Eyed Peas, Algerian singer Cheb Khaled and around 5,000 volunteers.

Previous World Cups have held opening ceremonies that typically lasted about an hour immediately before the first match. World Cup 2006 will start what world governing body FIFA hopes will be a new tradition -- a separate festivity to mark the start of the tournament, in this case two days before the first ball is kicked.

Eno is composing a 2006 World Cup anthem using instruments from across the world to form a very different orchestra. Music director Gabriel promised to "make some noise." Asked why he had signed up, he joked, "It's the same attraction for a musician as for a footballer -- money, sex and drugs."

Heller is relying on inspiration from avant-garde choreographer Philippe Decoufle. The Frenchman shot to fame after he directed the surreal Cirque du Soleil-style opening and closing ceremonies at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.

Decoufle's shows featured a polka with braying donkey sounds mixed with fiddles and figures emerging from the sky, including suspended ski jumpers and an angel to put out the flame. "I saw ceremonies for 30 years. One was different -- Albertville '92. It was a shock that an artist and not a Disney type was putting on the show," Heller said.

EU Probes World Cup Ticket Fees

2005-11-26T16:12:00.000-08:00

They are not just the hottest tickets in town; they are probably the hottest in the world. The World Cup is just seven months away and fans from around the globe -- certainly more than the 2.93 million tickets available -- are anxiously waiting to see whether they will receive one of the desired tickets.

The world soccer body FIFA has hardly won friends amongst soccer supporters with its ticket sales practices since a lottery process for tickets started in February 2005.

For the latest drawing, which has been underway since Nov. 2, FIFA has been asking for a non-refundable fee of five euros ($6) -- just to get on the waiting list. The practice of charging for a service -- namely the sale of a ticket -- that cannot even be guaranteed didn't go unnoticed by European parliamentarians, including German Liberal Democrat Otto Graf Lambsdorff. He and his Dutch peer Toine Manders complained, and now the European Commission has decided to look into the matter.

"The issue has been brought to our attention," Commission competition spokesman Jonathan Todd told reporters. "We don't yet have any conclusions. We are actively pursuing the matter."

Blatter and Turkey Federation President to Meet

2005-11-18T20:04:00.000-08:00

The violent incidents in the match between Turkey and Switzerland have caused huge consequences. The president of Turkey's soccer federation will meet with FIFA president Sepp Blatter to discuss the brawl that followed this week's World Cup playoff against Switzerland. Levent Bicakci said Friday he would travel to Switzerland ''in the coming days'' for talks with Blatter and Ralf Zloclower, head of the Swiss federation. UEFA vice-president Senes Erzik, who is a Turk, would also attend the meeting.

''I have written (to Blatter) to convey the federation's position, our sensitivities toward Mr. Blatter's statements and our public's reaction,'' Bicakci said. ''We will be holding a meeting.''

Turkish soccer officials accused Blatter, who is Swiss of bias after he said Turkey could be banned from the 2010 World Cup.

One Turkish newspaper said Friday the brawl apparently began after a Turkish team trainer tried to trip a Swiss player running off the field.

Under the headline ''We couldn't hide it,'' the daily Vatan newspaper published photos on Friday showing Mehmet Ozdilek attempting to trip Switzerland midfielder Valon Behrami after the final whistle of Wednesday night's game in Istanbul.

Photos from two different angles showed Ozdilek sticking his leg out as he tried to connect with the 20-year-old player. Behrami jumped over the attempted trip and continued to run to the tunnel, where a brawl ensued.

Switzerland lost the match 4-2 but advanced to next year's World Cup on away goals after the two-leg playoff was tied at 4-4.

Other Turkish newspapers also ran photos of Ozdilek's attempted trip.

''It was our (players) who started it: Ozdilek kicked first,'' the Yeni Safak newspaper said.

Ozdilek's action was apparently the provocation leading Switzerland's Benjamin Huggel to give a running kick from behind to Ozdilek.