The Word on the Street
07 Jun 2006500 million reasons for Korea to win Cup
South Korea are on a staggering half-a-million US dollars-a-player bonus to lift the World Cup, according to the Korea Football Association (KFA).
The huge 500 million won (about 526,523 US dollars) hand-out for becoming world champions ranks third among the 32 World Cup finalists following Spain (712,000 US dollars) and England (549,000 US dollars), the KFA stated.
The younger players in the Korean squad will be exempted from two-years military service if they get past the group stage, a concession which was passed into law after the squad's glory run in 2002.
Ecuador half-day joy
Ecuador has officially cut short the work day for the nation's opening World Cup match against Poland on Friday.
"The president decided that, since it is the opening match, there will be no work Friday afternoon," governmant spokesman Enrique Proano said Wednesday.
Ecuador are the outsiders in World Cup Group A with Germany, Costa Rica and Poland. The match Friday starts at lunchtime in Ecuador.
But Ecuadorean workers will still have to make up for the lost time. Proano said the lost hours would be recuperated next week with a series of nine-hour work days.
The government has not yet decided whether the measure will be used for other matches involving Ecuador.
Gulf punter joins England betting surge
British bookmakers are experiencing a surge in backing for England to win the World Cup after a businessman in the United Arab Emirates bet 50,000 pounds on Sven-Goran Eriksson and his men.
The bet is the biggest World Cup wager accepted so far by bookmakers William Hill and was placed at odds of 6-1.
A spokesman for William Hill said England had been receiving support from all over the world. A Chinese client has staked 20,000 pounds on an England triumph in Germany and there have also been big wagers from individuals in France, Turkey, Australia, Canada, Finland, Greece and Norway.
Iranian vice-president to attend Cup
The German foreign ministry said Wednesday Iranian vice president Mohammed Aliabadi is to attend the World Cup.
Before the announcement of Aliabadi's visit, Jewish community members, Iranian opposition activists and Amnesty International called a protest during the Iran-Mexico match against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad because of his tirades against Israel and denial of the Holocaust.
A ministry spokesman told AFP that Aliabadi, who is also the head of the state physical education body, will be attending "as a sports official".
"He is vice president but he does not have any executive function," the spokesman added. "He does not represent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."
Miss Universe steals the show
Former Miss Universe Alicia Machado stole the show on Wednesday as Central American hopefuls Costa Rica geared up for Friday's curtain-raiser against hosts Germany in Munich.
The Venezuelan beauty, crowned Miss Universe in 1996, burst in on the squad as they trained at nearby Walldorf, to chat to a few of them in her capacity as a reporter for Mexican broadcaster Televisa Deportes.
The 28-year-old immediately became the centre of attention, arriving clad in a miniskirt and figure-hugging top.
Machado readily admitted she knows little about football but informed those present that "I like balls and, as a latina, I hope Costa Rica win."
Ronaldinho wants tough refs
World and European footballer of the year Ronaldinho has urged referees to look after him and his Brazil team-mates during the finals which get underway on Friday.
"All the teams are waiting for us and will be doubly alert in paying attention to our attack," said Ronaldinho. "That motivates me even more because I know that no player is going to make life easy for us.
"It is important that the refereeing is rigorous because of our style of playing."
Ronaldinho, though, said he was delighted with the form he was in.
"It is wonderful to be approaching a World Cup finals in the form that I am in.
"There is no nerves in our camp, we are just gagging to start the tournament. We have of course prepared to do our best, because we know that the World Cup will be difficult if we are not ready. We will not win."
Three English hooligans turned away
Three English football hooligans have been refused entry to Germany as they attempted to cross into the country through the Czech Republic ahead of the World Cup, said German police.
They had chosen an indirect route into Germany in order to escape detection, said a spokesman for the German border police in Sankt Augustin near Bonn.
The three were among a total of nine hooligans turned away from the border in recent days.
The British authorities have banned 3,500 known football hooligans from entering Germany for the World Cup which begins on Friday, but up to 200 have failed to surrender their passports.
Tony Blair feeling Cup fever
British Prime Minister Tony Blair will fly the red-on-white cross of Saint George above Downing Street to show his support for England during the World Cup.
"We will fly the flag on match days," a Downing Street spokesman told AFP, after days of demands in the tabloid press for Blair to join in the patriotic fervour sweeping England.
Blair has refused to join in the craze sweeping cars and workmen's vans of flying flags from the windows by adding a few to his armour-plated official Daimler motor.
Tessa Jowell, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, is the only government minister to succumb so far and has attached two on her ministerial Rover.
Conservative main opposition leader David Cameron has fixed a "discreet" flag to his bicycle.
Police attempt to stop hooligans
Police were checking passports and World Cup tickets at English airports Wednesday in a bid to stop hooligans from travelling to Germany and causing mayhem during the tournament.
A senior officer admitted, however, that a hardcore group of thugs intent on sparking trouble would still slip through the net.
Officers from London's Metropolitan Police were dispatched to Heathrow Airport, the world's busiest international airport, to screen travellers.
The move was part of an operation launched last Sunday to tighten travel checks at airports and ports nationwide "as a deterrent to anyone attempting to travel on a football banning order", the police said in a statement.
Child's play for Portugal's Paulo
Portugal defender Paulo Ferreira has been allowed to leave his team's World Cup base to return home to witness the birth of his first child.
However, the Chelsea player should resume training on Thursday afternoon with the team at their Marienfeld base.
Portugal are in Group D at the World Cup along with Angola, Iran and Mexico.
Church attract Cup believers
The Church of England said Wednesday it had proved a hit with football fans seeking divine intervention to help England win the World Cup after putting a prayer for the team on its website.
The church said it had scored more than 4,000 hits on the prayers section of its Internet site after posting the prayer last month for the likes of England captain David Beckham and his teammates.
A Church of England spokesman said this represented a 28 percent surge in hits compared to the average of the previous four months.
"The church often provides specially written prayers to mark major national events, and the World Cup is no exception," he said.
"After all, you don't find many atheists during penalty shoot-outs."
Police seize Maradona watches
Argentinian soccer legend Diego Maradona warms up during the Soccer Aid charity soccer match at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, 27 May 2006. All financial proceeds from the celebrity match will be donated to the children's charity UNICEF. AFP PHOTO/MATTHEW ASHTON
Argentine World Cup winning captain Diego Maradona was ordered to hand over two Rolex watches by the head of the Italian financial police after a cancelled charity match he was due to play in on Tuesday night.
Maradona was called into a station in the Naples suburb of Giuliano to meet with Geremia Guercia where his two watches, worth 10,000 euros (12,800 dollars) were seized.
Maradona was also notified that he owes the Italian taxman a reported 31 million euros (39.8 million dollars), accrued during his time playing for Napoli during the 1980s and 1990s.
The darling of Argentine football was in Naples to take part in a charity benefit match between a team of actors and one of former Napoli players to raise money to buy an ambulance for the Red Cross.
The match was cancelled due to bad weather.
UN, FIFA to promote peace
United Nations chief Kofi Annan and FIFA President Sepp Blatter on Tuesday made a joint appeal to soccer players and fans to put the coming World Cup in the service of peace and development.
"Football is a global language. It can bridge social, cultural and religious divides. It enhances personal development and growth, teaches us teamwork and fair play, builds self-esteem and opens doors to new opportunities," the two men said in a message.
"Over the next few weeks, as billions of people worldwide focus on the FIFA World Cup, we appeal to players and fans everywhere to support us in our mission. Let us harness the magic of football to our quest for development and peace," the message said.
US group wants ban on Iran leader
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) receives a jersey bearing his name with number 24 from Iran's Football Federation Chief Mohammad Ali Dadkan prior to Iranian national team's departure to Germany to participate in World Cup 2006 finals, 03 June 2006 in Tehran. Ahmadinejad held telephone talks with UN chief Kofi Annan in which the Iranian president asserted any new talks on the nuclear crisis should be without preconditions, official media said. AFP PHOTO/STR
A leading US Jewish group has written to German Chancellor Angela Merkel urging her to take a tough stance against any plans by football-mad Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to attend the World Cup.
"President Ahmadinejad has denied the Holocaust and called for the obliteration of the state of Israel," wrote Rabbi Marvin Hier, the center's founder in a letter to Merkel.
"It is inconceivable that a head of state who advocates those policies would be received at a world sporting event by the same country where the Nuremburg Laws were proclaimed and where Adolf Hitler first enunciated his policies that led to the 'Final Solution'.
"Such a visit would desecrate the memory of the millions murdered in the gas chambers and contradict the very foundation upon which the post-war Federal Republic of Germany was built," Hier added in the strongly worded letter on behalf of the center's 400,000 members.
Jordan to set up screen for the poor
Jordan's King Abdullah II will foot the bill to set up 23 big screens across the kingdom to allow fellow football fans in impoverished areas to get live World Cup coverage.
The move is certain to bring cheer to Jordan, which has been left out in the cold after the private Saudi-owned Arab Radio and Television (ART) network bought the exclusive rights to broadcast the World Cup.
"The king is determined to allow poor members of society to join the world in following this important sporting event," a source said quoting a royal court official.
Jordan's state radio has also said it would give live air coverage to the World Cup on its FM station but for football fans in the tiny desert kingdom this will not replace the picture on television.