The Word on the Street

03 Jul 2006

Injury toll from car crash climbs to 25

German police said Monday that the number of people injured when a car ploughed through the Fan Mile area for football World Cup supporters at the weekend had risen to 25 after more victims came forward.

A spokeswoman for the Berlin police said that four more people had reported slight injuries after a man drove his Volkswagen Polo Sunday afternoon through security barriers near the Brandenburg Gate and into the crowd.

Twenty other adults had minor wounds while an 11-year-old boy suffered a concussion.

The driver, a 33-year-old German of Indian origin, was arrested at gunpoint after his car crashed into a fence in front of a stage set up for a classical music concert that evening at the central Berlin landmark.

He is facing charges of attempted homicide.

A 55-year-old woman in the passenger seat was also detained but later released.

Witnesses said he was driving about 50 kilometers/hour (30 miles/hour) and appeared to have intentionally careered into the crowd.

Prodi to cheer on Azzurri from stands

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi intends to cheer on Italy against Germany in their their semi-final on Tuesday.

"I will follow the match between Italy and Germany. It will be a tough match and therefore I must back the Italian team," Prodi said, adding he had been invited to attend by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"Sporting events are a part of bilateral relations," Prodi said.

Platini disappointed by World Cup football

Former French star Michel Platini has said he is disappointed with the standard of football shown at the World Cup.

Platini, who shone for his country in the 1982 and 1986 World Cup finals where twice they reached the semi-finals only to be beaten by West Germany, made his comments to German football magazine Kicker.

"There have been some good matches and some not so good, but in general I think the standard of football has not been particularly high," he said.

"A lot of that has to do with the enormous pressures that are being placed on the players.

"When I was active for example in 1984 (the year that France won the European title) I would be talking to one single journalist while nowadays there are a pack of reporters following the players."

He also took aim at the World Cup referees who he accused of being too ready to hand out yellow and red cards.

"Football is a man's game and it surprises me that as soon as there is the smallest of fouls, a yellow card is brandished," he said.

Parreira largely to blame says Pele

Carlos Alberto Parreira was mainly to blame for Brazil's failure to justify their favourites tag at the World Cup finals said Brazilian legend Pele on Monday.

Pele told daily newspaper O Globo that he hoped their exit in the quarter-finals to bogey team France would act as a lesson for future campaigns for the five-time champions.

"The expectations from the whole of the world placed on the Brazilians was enormous," said Pele, a World Cup winner in 1958, '62 and '70.

"The psychological pressure, too little time to prepare physically and the lack of strategy on the pitch did not help them.

"I really hope that this unexpected defeat will be a big lesson for the next World Cups'," he added.

While Pele refused to single out Parreira or any individual player he did say that the top players had failed to step up to the plate.

"The feebleness of the best players at the most important moments did not help," said Pele, who added that depsite a poor campaign Barcelona ace Ronaldinho remained the best player in the world.

Maradona hints at interest in Argentina post

Argentine legend Diego Maradona says he is not going to throw his hat into the ring to replace coach Jose Pekerman, who resigned after the World Cup quarter-final loss to Germany.

But he also vowed not to stay in the background either.

"I will neither step aside nor put forward my candidature," said the 1986 champion.

"Maybe I will never become coach of the national team as I don't know if that would go down well with the powers that be. I am not under any illusions," said Maradona.

"What I want is for Argentina to have the best," said Maradona, who in opinion polls last week was rated as a possibility to take the reins - though way behind veteran Carlos Bianchi, former coach with Boca Juniors and who recently ended an unsuccessful stint with Atletico Madrid.

FIFA suspends Greece

Football's world governing body FIFA on Monday announced that they had suspended the Greek Football Federation for allowing political involvement in their running of the sport.

The suspension means that Greece, the reigning European champions, will be suspended from all international football until further notice.

A FIFA press release said that the decision had been taken by its Emergency Committee composed of five presidents and one representative of each of the six world confederations.

The Greece Football Federation had been suspended are they were "not in line with the principles of the FIFA Statues regarding the independence of member associations and the independence of the decision-making process of the football-governing body in each country."

Bank robbers disguised as Germany fans stage heist

Bank robbers disguised as football World Cup fanatics slipped past guards in Germany, decked out in wigs, scarves and hats in the national side's colours, police said Monday.

The three purported supporters, who blended in thanks to nationwide euphoria about Germany's winning streak at the tournament, stormed a bank in the southern Berlin district of Marienfelde covered from head to toe in black, red and gold souvenirs.

One was even wrapped in the German flag.

Brandishing handguns and an automatic weapon and threatening tellers, they collected the cash stored in a safe in less than a minute and ran.

The "fans" are still at large, a police spokesman said.

Germany prepares to roar on its team

Millions of German fans were expected to fill the streets of the country on Tuesday to cheer on the host nation in its most important match on home soil since the 1974 World Cup final.

Germany will meet Italy in a World Cup semi-final in a packed Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, but up to a million people were expected to gather in Berlin on the so-called Fan Mile to watch the action on giant TV screens.

The area leading up to the Brandenburg Gate, the capital's best-known monument, was being expanded to allow 900,000 people to squeeze in to watch the match as Germany attempt to secure a place in Sunday's final in Berlin.

The Berlin Fan Mile has hosted more than six million supporters so far during the month-long World Cup, making the celebrations the biggest street party the city has seen since the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.

"This has become much bigger than we ever dreamed," Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit said.

Japanese star Nakata retires

Japanese midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata, one of the most famous Asian players of his generation, has announced his retirement from professional football, his website said on Monday.

"I will never go out onto the pitch again as a professional football player, but I will never give up football," said the 29-year-old Nakata, whose third World Cup ended in a 4-1 defeat to defending champions Brazil.

Terry odds-on to take the England armband

John Terry is the red-hot favourite to take over the England captaincy, bookmakers said Monday, after David Beckham quit the role in the wake of his side's disappointing World Cup campaign.

Terry, 25, who skippered Chelsea to a second straight English Premiership title last season, is so far ahead in the betting that some bookmakers have stopped taking bets on the England captaincy.

Bookmaker William Hill have closed the book on the position after 95 percent of the bets they took were placed on battling centre-half Terry, whose never-say-die attitude has made him a fan's favourite at Chelsea.

"We were finding it difficult to make a market because people only wanted to back Terry," William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe told AFP.

"My information is that it's probably his to turn down and you'd be surprised if he did."

Terry was their 1/2 favourite, followed by Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard at 11/4, Frank Lampard and Gary Neville at 8/1 and Rio Ferdinand at 16/1.

Klinsmann given five weeks to decide future

Theo Zwanziger, the president of the German Football Federation (DFB), said Sunday that Germany manager Jurgen Klinsmann would be given time to consider his future after the World Cup but must make a decision by August 16.

"The only timeframe is our first international against Sweden on August 16," Zwanziger told Bild am Sonntag.

"After the end of the World Cup on July 9, Klinsmann would have five weeks to decide whether he extends his contract."

Klinsmann took over the job in August 2004 and is contracted until the end of the World Cup finals.

The DFB want Klinsmann to sign a two-year extension to guide the team towards Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland.

Former Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur striker Klinsmann has admitted he is having a lot of fun in the job but said his family - who are based in the United States - would have the final say.

FIFA investigating Rooney red card

England striker Wayne Rooney is to be investigated by FIFA after he was sent off in England's World Cup quarter-final defeat against Portugal.

"Wayne Rooney got a direct red card so he will automatically be suspended," a FIFA spokesman told a media briefing here.

"It will be a disciplinary case and as with any player (who gets a red card), the committee will decide on the penalty."

The Manchester United player was shown a red card after appearing to stamp on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho in the second half of Saturday's match in Gelsenkirchen.

England's 10 men hung on without him but went on to lose in a penalty shootout.

Media exalt magic France

The French press on Sunday rose as one to hail the team's stunning dismissal of favourites and holders Brazil in the World Cup quarter-finals the night before.

"Magic!" screamed L'Equipe on its front page - a line mirrored in Lyon's Le Progres newspaper - "It was like a dream," continued L'Equipe on the inside.

"Monumental!" was the headline in Marseille's La Provence with a picture of Henry swamped by jubilant teammates.

"Fantastic!" exclaimed Grenoble newspaper Dauphine Libere, "France is better than Brazil."

In the west of the country Dimanche Ouest-France proclaimed: "Brilliant, into the semi-finals."

Under a picture of a grinning Henry on the front page, it continued: "They've done it! Les Blues eliminated Brazil last night (Saturday). A historic victory.

"A generation that refuses to give back their jerseys. They will not be stopped. The museum awaits."

Osim to replace Zico for Japan

Former Yugoslav coach Ivica Osim confirmed Sunday that he had been asked to replace Brazilian legend Zico as coach of Japan's national team following their exit from the World Cup in Germany.

The 65-year-old Bosnian, currently coach of Japanese club JEF United Chiba, indicated he was ready to accept a deal and said he hoped to build a team with a style suited to the Japanese players.

"I think I received this offer because of what I've done for Chiba and their players and it's a wonderful thing," Osim said a day after talks with Chiba and Japanese Football Association (JFA) officials.

Osim and the JFA are expected to formally sign a contract early this month at the conclusion of the World Cup, Japanese media reports said.

Cristiano Ronaldo confirms Real Madrid interest

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed Sunday that he is a target for Real Madrid, according to Portuguese newspaper A Bola.

The 21-year-old, who scored the decisive penalty for Portugal in their World Cup quarter-final victory over England Saturday, was asked whether it was true he was being pursued by the Spanish giants.

"Yes, it's true," he replied. "But I will only make a comment on that after the World Cup. Now is not the time to do it."

Earlier in the week, Real Madrid presidential candidate Juan Miguel Villar Mir had said he would bring Ronaldo to the Bernabeu if he wins the election.

The English Premiership club responded by describing that as nothing more than electioneering.

"Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a long-term contract with Manchester United, which runs until 2010. He will be a Manchester United player next season," said the club in a statement.

British press bids good riddance to Sven

Major British newspapers looked for a silver lining following the collapse of England's World Cup dreams, and easily found it in the fact that manager Sven Goren Eriksson is on his way out.

"It all ends in tears... but at least there's no more Sven," crowed the headline on the front page of the Mail on Sunday.

"England were beaten by an inherently inferior team," wrote Patrick Collins, the Mail's man in Gelsenkirchen.

"Of course, the players must answer for their faults, but ultimately the coach deserves a major share of the blame... As he leaves the England job, he may reflect that, this time, his critics were correct."

The News of the World bemoaned the "same old penalty pain" -- England losing the fifth of its six penalty shootouts in the last 16 years.

Bookies clean up on England defeat

Bookies cleaned up as British punters put some 50 million euros on the outcome of the England versus Portugal encounter, according to William Hill.

"It is not unrealistic to believe that this was the biggest ever betting event featuring the England team," spokesman Graham Sharpe said.

"Sadly for all patriotic punters it was also the biggest ever losing match for backers of England, Sharpe said, saying England's exit was worth some 25 million pounds (40 million euros, 50 million dollars) to the betting industry.

One businessman reportedly lost 200,000 pounds after backing Sven-Goran Eriksson's men to lift the World Cup.

Germany players net record bonus for semi-final spot

Germany stars are already euros in after securing the biggest World Cup bonus in the country's history by reaching the semi-finals of the tournament.

Michael Ballack and company pick up a cool 100,000 euros (127,700 dollar) each for reaching the last four after a penalty shootout win over Argentina on Friday.

Hosts Germany face Italy in Tuesday's semi-final in Dortmund and if they win each player will collect 150,000 euros (191,600 dollar) as a reward for reaching Sunday's final.

A 300,000 euro (383,300 dollar) jackpot is on offer to every player should they help lift a fourth World Cup crown on home soil.

It is more than three times the 92,000 euros (117,500 dollar) Germany players would have collected had they won the 2002 edition in Japan and South Korea.

Violence mars celebrations in France

Violent incidents marred French street celebrations early Sunday following France's 1-0 win over World Cup champions Brazil, with police firing teargas at bottle-hurling youths in central Paris.

Paris police said that some people sustained injuries after being hit by flying bottles and other projectiles along the French capital's famous Champs-Elysees where there were 20 arrests.

At least two vehicles were torched in the violence, Paris police told AFP.

The violence broke out at around 1:00 am (midnight) after two hours of peaceful celebrations following the victory in Germany.

The atmosphere deteriorated while thousands celebrated the win on the celebrated street between the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde.

Dozens of youths hurled bottles, stones and other projectiles at police who responded with teargas.