The Word on the Street
06 Jun 2006Cech top of the Czechs in 2005/06
Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech of FC Chealse juggles with a ball during first training of Czech national soccer team in the training camp in Seefeld village, some 25km far away from Innsbruck town, 20 May 2006, in Austria. Czech national soocer team will participate in the upcoming 2006 Football World Cup in Germany. AFP PHOTO MICHAL CIZEK
Chelsea goalkeeper Peter Cech received a boost ahead of the World Cup finals in Germany when he was named Czech footballer of the year.
The Golden Ball award is voted for by sports journalists and presented to the best Czech player over the previous season.
The 24-year-old goalkeeper, who won the English Premiership title with Chelsea, took top spot with 1,952 points ahead of Juventus playmaker Pavel Nedved with 1,572pts and new Arsenal signing Tomas Rosicky, 1,469.
He was presented with his award at a gala evening in Prague attended by the entire World Cup squad and Czech president Vaclav Klaus.
Hooligan victim Nivel handed gesture
le gendarme Daniel Nivel, grièvement blessé en marge d'un match du Mondial à Lens le 21 juin 1998, participe à la conférence de presse de son épouse, Laurette, le 27 avril 1999 à la caserne des gendarmes mobiles d'Arras, avant l'ouverture du procès de ses agresseurs présumés, qui s'ouvre le 30 avril prochain à Essen en Allemagne.
Daniel Nivel, the French policeman who suffered brain damage after being attacked by German hooligans at the 1998 World Cup, has been invited to attend Germany's match against Poland in Dortmund on June 14.
German football federation (DFB) general secretary Horst R. Schmidt confirmed the invitation on Tuesday and said the 43-year-old Nivel is expected to be accompanied to the game by his wife and two sons.
Nivel spent six months in a coma after being attacked by German hooligans before the Germany v Yugoslavia match at the 1998 World Cup in France.
A German with links to the far-right was sentenced to five years in jail for the attack.
Joy for rural Bolivian soccer fans
Bolivian President Evo Morales kicks the ball during a friendly football match 20 May, 2006 after a massive rally at Caranavi's stadium, 120 km from La Paz. Morales and the agrarian produces of the Yungas sub-Andean valleys agreed Saturday an arranged policy of voluntary erradication of the coca-leaf cultures, "the greatest contribution to the fight to drug trafficking". The International Monetary Fund warned Bolivia Thursday of "far-reaching consequences" of its decision to nationalize oil and gas resources, if the move is not handled properly. AFP PHOTO/AIZAR RALDES
Bolivian president Evo Morales has struck a media deal whereby the entire World Cup will be broadcast on public television in the nation's rural areas while city dwellers will still need to get cable TV to see the entire tournament.
The recently elected Morales is the first indigenous president of his nation.
"Our goverenment believes sport should never be for the priviliged few and we have spared no effort in bringing the World Cup to Bolivians free of charge," said Morales.
The original deal would have delivered the opening match, the semi-finals and the final free, with the rest of the tournament broadcast on cable television, a deal that still stands in the nations nine major cities.
Malaysian fans get ministerial warning
A Malaysian minister on Tuesday warned civil servants not to neglect their duties during the World Cup, saying he was concerned "football fever" would hurt their performance.
Major European sports events typically trigger absenteeism in Asia where time differences mean fans stay up until the early hours to watch live events.
In an apparently light-hearted threat, Home Minister Mohamed Radzi Sheikh Ahmad warned them that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi could drop by at government offices to carry out spot checks for malingerers, the official Bernama news agency reported.
Missing French World Cup tickets found
A batch of more than 500 World Cup tickets which disappeared during delivery to a football league in northeastern France has been found, announced the French Football Federation.
The federation on Monday announced a package containing 552 tickets to three first-round matches involving the French team, plus 355 conditional second-round tickets, had "gone astray" in Strasbourg.
FIFA and World Cup organisers in Germany were informed and the tickets' electronic chips were disactivated to prevent fraud.
The French Federation said all tickets were delivered to the Alsace League in Strasbourg on Tuesday, adding it had demanded an explanation from the DHL courier firm that shipped the package.
NATO launches anti-terror flights
A NATO E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft taxies down a runway during Berlin's International Aerospace exhibition (ILA) at Berlin Schoenefeld's airport 20 May 2006. AFP PHOTO JOHN MACDOUGALL
NATO planes will start flying anti-terror monitoring flights over Germany this week, ahead of the weekend kickoff of the tightly-protected World Cup finals, officials said Tuesday.
"NATO has agreed to augment German air surveillance capacity by providing additional low-level coverage and radio relays in order to contribute to security during the various ceremonies and football matches," it said.
The fleet of 17 AWACS planes -- has provided air surveillance for major events ranging from summer and winter Olympics to the pope's latest visit to Poland.
The distinctive aircraft, a modified Boeing 707, is mounted with a huge mushroom type radar capable of detecting air traffic over a distance of greater than 360 kilometers, including at low altitudes.
Poles send Germany blacklist of fans
The Polish government has passed on to German police the names of 400 banned football hooligans who may attempt to watch their team at the World Cup.
"Under Polish law, we cannot ban them from going to Germany, but the German authorities can ban them from entering their territory," said Polish interior minister Ludwik Dorn on Tuesday.
Polish hooligans have rarely caused trouble outside their home country, but the authorities are worried they could wreak havoc during the World Cup.
In mid-May, violent clashes in Warsaw between hooligans and police left 54 officers injured. Several cafes in the city centre were wrecked. Around 70 hooligans were charged with attacks on police.
Refs told to red card elbowing
Germany's forward Kevin Kuranyi (L) and Netherlands' defender Wilfred Bouma jump to head off the ball, 15 June 2004 at Dragao stadium in Porto, for their Euro 2004 group D football match at the European Nations championship in Portugal. AFP PHOTO Javier SORIANO
FIFA President Sepp Blatter on Tuesday called on World Cup referees to protect the tournament's star names and severely punish elbowing because he fears players could have teeth knocked out.
The 21 referees have been told to show a red card for intentional elbowing at the 64-match World Cup, which kicks off in Munich on Friday.
"What has been clearly said to referees is 'please protect the physical integrity of the players', and that means protecting the big stars," Blatter said at a press conference.
Serb coach's son left out in cold
Serbian national football coach Ilija Petkovic gives a press conference to announce the 23 players who will go to Germany for the 2006 World Soccer Cup, 15 May 2006, in Belgrade. AFP PHOTO / DIMITAR DILKOFF
Serbia and Montenegro arrived in Germany Tuesday minus defender Dusan Petkovic, the son of the national coach, whose selection caused a huge controversy.
Petkovic was called up to replace the injured Mirko Vucinic, sparking accusations of nepotism.
"He stayed at home because of the huge pressure created by his last minute selection," said team spokesman Aleksandar Boskovic.
Petkovic has no intention of making the trip to the tournament and cannot be replaced because squad changes are only allowed by FIFA for medical reasons.
SKorean PM to take in World Cup match
Han Myung-Sook, a lawmaker from the ruling Uri Party, waves upon her arrival at the national assembly in Seoul, 24 March 2006. Han, a feminist and former political dissident was nominated to become South Korea's first woman prime minister, president Roh Moo-Hyun announced 24 March. AFP PHOTO/KIM KYUNG-JE
South Korean Prime Minister Han Myung-Sook plans to watch her national soccer team play an opening match for the finals during her visit to Germany.
Han, on a European tour, is scheduled to visit Germany on June 13 when South Korea and Togo will play in Frankfurt, her office said.
After meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Han will watch the match and give a morale-boosting visit to the national squad there, according to the office.
Han on Tuesday embarked on a four-nation European tour, which will also take her to France, Portugal and Bulgaria.
South Korea, a co-host of the 2002 World Cup tournament, reached the semi-finals in a surprising performance four years ago.