The Word on the Street

22 Jun 2006

Angolan daily hails 'dignity' of team

Angola's sole newspaper on Thursday hailed the national team for scoring the first goal of their short World Cup finals history in the game against Iran even though they failed to make it through to the last 16.

"Even if they have not succeeded in qualifying ... they showed proof of dignity and personality," the Jornal de Angola said.

"The Palancas negras (national team) shook the all-powerful Portugal, they drew with Mexico and almost won against Iran", it said.

It was the first time that the central African country, which was ravaged by a 27-year civil war that ended in 2002, had made an appearance in a World Cup finals.

Angola's ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) also showered praise on the team.

"The nation is proud of the attitude of the players attitude ... who have brought honour and glory to Angola," a statement said.

Arena hints he has had enough as US ousted

Bruce Arena, the longest-tenured World Cup coach after eight years guiding the United States, hinted he might have had enough here Thursday after Ghana eliminated the Americans with a 2-1 triumph.

In the aftermath of the disappointing defeat the 54-year-old American indicated that it might be time to consider other offers.

"If you ask me right now, probably not," Arena said when asked about whether or not he was interested in returning for another four-year cycle and guiding the US squad into qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

"Firstly, it's not my decision," Arena said. "Secondly, I don't know how I feel about the whole thing. I have other opportunities I need to examine."

Argentina braced for Mexico on Saturday

Mexico will be tough opponents in the last 16 of the World Cup, said Argentina coach Jose Pekerman, after his side battled to a 0-0 draw with the Netherlands to finish top of Group C.

"I have a very positive image of Mexico," said Pekerman whose side will take on the Aztecs on Saturday in Leipzig.

"Mexico are where they are because of how they have played. They are high in the FIFA rankings and played well at the Confederations Cup last year.

"It will be a good match. They have many very good players. They will be a strong opponent, and it's the World Cup, so every game is difficult.

"Mexico are always able to score goals," he added. "They are technically skilled and highly competitive team. No team can ever believe that Mexico is not a strong rival."

Big screens cause chaos in Bangladesh

Big screens used to show World Cup matches have created chaos in sports-mad Bangladesh's second largest city as thousands of villagers flock nightly to watch football for free, police said Thursday.

Vast crowds have gathered at seven screens in the southeastern port city of Chittagong, paralysing traffic and causing traffic jams of up to 15 kilometres (nine miles), said police deputy traffic commissioner Munir Hossain.

"Poor people from various sub-districts come here by bus or truck to see games on the big screens. They enjoy it because of its high resolution and Dolby sound," Hossain told AFP.

"For the most popular games like Brazil or Argentina up to 20,000 people are arriving at each screen. The roads are completely choked up from 7:00 pm to midnight," he added.

Millions, however, do not have access to television or electricity, and power cuts during key matches have prompted rampages by frustrated fans.

South Koreans to brave monsoon for glory

More than a million South Koreans were expected to ignore a monsoon downpour and take to the streets early Saturday for the World Cup soccer showdown with Switzerland.

Weather forecasts say most of South Korea will get a monsoon soaking between late Friday and early Saturday when the national team play Switzerland in Group G in a match which starts at 4:00 am (1900 GMT Friday.)

"Rain or not, we are bracing for huge crowds. That's because it is likely to be a make-or-break game and the game is taking place on an off-day," a senior police officer in charge of security in Seoul told AFP.

"We expect a lot more people to come to the street this time," said the police officer, adding some 5,000 riot police would be mobilized in Seoul to control the crowds.

Woodward tells Eriksson to pile on the pressure

Former England rugby union manager Clive Woodward said Thursday that England football boss Sven-Goran Eriksson had to crank the pressure up to boiling point if he wanted to win the World Cup too.

Woodward insisted top players perform at their peak when the heat is on and the full horror of defeat is laid bare.

England face Ecuador in the football World Cup round-of-16 in Stuttgart on Sunday and Woodward refused to look any further, saying that it was crucial to focus on one game at a time.

"I passionately believe real world-class players play better when the pressure is at its greatest.

"So I would build the whole thing up: really stressed what was going to happen if we won, if we played well at the weekend; talked about having to get on the plane and fly home; and just make sure everybody realises what is at stake.

"There is no Monday, let's face it. If we don't win Sunday, it's all history."

World Cup pitches 'disappointing'

The World Cup organisers admitted on Thursday that they were disappointed by worn-looking pitches, but blamed unseasonably cold weather in Germany in May for the problems.

All of the playing surfaces at the 12 World Cup stadiums were replaced at the end of the German league season in mid-May, but low temperatures at that time prevented the grass from growing properly.

We didn't achieve the optimum objective we set, we have to concede that," the vice-president of the organising committee, Wolfgang Niersbach, admitted.

"This winter there was unsually cold weather in Germany," Niersbach told the daily media briefing.

"In Hamburg, Cologne and Gelsenkirchen the visual appearance is not as good as expected."

Patches may be replaced on the Gelsenkirchen pitch, he added.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said this week that matches at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa could take place on synthetic pitches.

Police turn back Croatian hooligans

German police on Thursday said they turned back five known Croatian hooligans at the country's southern border with Austria ahead of the World Cup match between Croatia v Australia.

One of them is a 43-year-old who has in the past seriously injured several people at sports matches in Croatia, a police spokesman in the southern state of Bavaria said.

He had seven tickets for World Cup matches in his backpack.

All five Croatians were refused entry into Germany and handed over to Austrian authorities, the spokesman said.

Croatia is playing Australia in Stuttgart, in the southwest, on Thursday evening in a match they must win to stay in the tournament.

The police arrested 31 people at the Portugal v Mexico match in Gelsenkirchen, in western Germany, on Wednesday and said they would face charges of theft, assault and fraud.

Carrying the flag

Six Croatian orphans were to carry the FIFA flag at the Stuttgart stadium before the start of the Group F match between Croatia and Australia.

"I cannot eat anymore. I cannot sleep...this huge crowd will be watching us," Denis, 13, told Jutarnji List daily newspaper ahead of the match.

For Denis and his friends aged between 13 and 15 -- four boys and a girl -- it will be the first trip outside Croatia and first trip by plane. The costs are covered by local donors.

The teenagers are all "model students" from a Zagreb orphanage. (AFP)

Kofi Annan expects Ghana to beat USA

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan let his neutrality slide a little on Thursday, saying he was right behind his home side for Ghana's crunch World Cup encounter against the United States.

I'm proud of my boys," said Annan, who hails from the West African nation.

"They've played very well and I expect them to play equally well today."

Ghana, who stunned the second-ranked Czech Republic 2-0 after losing to Italy, will reach the round of 16 with a victory their Group E match in Nuremberg later Thursday.

"If they play as well as they did against the Czech side, I think there is hope for them," Annan told reporters.

The match between the Black Stars and the US has the look of a title fight.

The US team comes off a 1-1 draw with Italy and must win for any hope to advance.

Slipping back into balanced UN-speak, Annan also had kind words for the US team: "Of course I live in America, and I expect their team to play well.

"But I think the odds favour the Ghana side -- and they're not my odds," he said.

Saudis back coach Paqueta

Saudi Arabia football chiefs insist that coach Marcos Paqueta's job is safe despite the team facing almost certain elimination from the World Cup.

They need to beat mighty Spain in Kaiserslautern on Friday and hope Tunisia defeat Ukraine.

But even in that unlikely scenario, the Gulf side will still have to overtake Tunisia on goal difference.

"There is no way we will cancel the contract of Paqueta," said Prince Nawaf bin Faisal, the vice-president of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation.

"We have strong belief in him and he has an excellent CV."

Brazilian Paqueta, who led Brazil to victory in the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups, is the 16th coach to be hired by the Saudis in the last 12 years.

"Just because the players don't do as the coach says doesn't mean we have to get rid of him," added bin Faisal.

"We were disappointed by the 4-0 defeat to Ukraine but the reaction has been too extreme."