The Word on the Street
23 Jun 2006Celebrations claim three lives in Ghana
Three people, including two children, have died in Ghana in recent days in the wild celebrations that followed victories by the World Cup debutants, police said on Friday.
Police spokesman David Eklu said the three were run over by cars in two separate incidents in the west African country's capital.
"A 32-year-old male was knocked down by a hit-and-run driver on Thursday evening in the frenzy of celebrations after Ghana's 2-1 victory over the US," Eklu said.
Eklu also revealed that after Ghana beat the Czech Republic 2-0 last Saturday "there were wild celebrations (and) a driver who was celebrating lost control ... two kids who were playing in the street died."
Three-year-old Elizabeth Teche-Appiah, was crushed to death while Tabber Mensah, 5, died the following day in hospital, according to the police.
Colombia uses World Cup to fight guerillas
The World Cup has become the latest weapon in the Colombian government's battle to crush guerilla and para-military groups in the strife-torn country.
They are taking advantage of the fighters' obsession with football by broadcasting pleas during televised matches urging rebels to lay down their arms.
"Be the champion, demobilise now" says one of the messages which appears six times in every match.
"We know that they are listening and in certain camps watching the matches," a government spokeswoman told AFP. "It's a unique opportunity to get this message to them."
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) have waged a long-struggle against the Colombian government with the conflict claiming 200,000 lives in four decades.
Other messages used during the games include: 'Score a goal against terrorism', 'Don't allow yourself to be red-carded, for Colombia your life is important', and 'Play the best match of your life, make a pass for peace and drop your weapons'.
FIFA chief baffled by Poll blunder
FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on Friday he could not understand how English referee Graham Poll had mistakenly given Croatia's Josip Simunic three yellow cards in the 2-2 draw with Australia.
The performance of the highly rated Poll, who had been tipped to take charge of the World Cup final, was to be put under the microscope by FIFA's referees' committee on Friday. It can decide whether he plays any further part in the tournament.
"An error of this kind should not happen when there are four people in the team," Blatter told a press conference.
"What is incomprehensible is that no-one intervened. I cannot understand it, it is like a blackout.
"We should not forget that Graham Poll in his previous matches achieved fantastic things.
"We cannot excuse it but we should understand it. Referees are human beings and human beings make errors."
FIFA to reform rankings system says Blatter
The much-ridiculed FIFA world rankings are to be revised and the new system unveiled on July 6 announced FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter on Friday.
Germany in particular have complained that them being 19th in the rankings while Mexico are fourth and the United States fifth is unfair and that they have been penalised for playing friendlies for the past two years.
As hosts, Germany did not have to qualify for the World Cup.
"The rankings system is to be modified," said Blatter.
"It will only take into account the results from the last four years and not eight.
"The new format will be unveiled on July 6," added the Swiss, who highlighted the case of fifth-ranked the United States as a case in point declaring that they had been hugely disappointing.
Flop Bruckner offered extension
Veteran Czech Republic coach Karel Bruckner is to be offered a two-year contract extension despite his team crashing out of the World Cup at the first hurdle, the national federation's vice-president revealed on Friday.
Vlastimil Kostal added he believed they could reach an agreement with Bruckner which would take him up to the 2008 European championships.
"I think that we are going to agree a new deal with the coach," said Vlastimil Kostal.
"We will iron out the details in the next fortnight."
Bruckner failed to spark his team into the same form as they showed in reaching the Euro 2004 semi-finals.
However, he was handicapped by injuries to his two leading frontmen Milan Baros and Jan Koller.
"My contract is up. But if I receive a proposal to extend it, I will accept it," he said.
Kofi Annan to attend final
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan will attend the World Cup final in Berlin on July 9, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday.
Annan will hold talks with Merkel while he is Germany and visit the new UN campus in the western city of Bonn, the spokesman said.
The UN chief will also pay a visit to the headquarters of the German-led European Union force that will police the July 30 elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The command centre is based in Potsdam, outside Berlin.
Annan's home country, Ghana, on Thursday qualified for the last 16 of the World Cup by beating the United States 2-1.
No special ticket favours for Germany
The World Cup organising committee have informed hosts Germany there can be no special favours regarding ticket allocation and they will receive eight percent of purchaseable tickets like all the other teams.
Germany's team manager Oliver Bierhoff complained that player's families, including the family of captain Michael Ballack, had seats with restricted views for Saturday's last 16 clash with Sweden in Munich.
"Michael Ballack's children and parents must sit up top by the corner flag. That is ridiculous," Bierhoff said.
But Wolfgang Niersbach, vice-president of the organising committee, said there was nothing they could do as the ticketing rules were the same for all 32 teams at the World Cup.
"We have spoken to Oliver Bierhoff this morning and he is not satisfied," Niersbach said.
Self-criticism sets in after US elimination
Despite a questionable penalty kick awarded to Ghana and the disappointment of having been eliminated from the 2006 World Cup, the US team can only blame itself for the outcome in Germany, leading US dailies said Friday.
"Bottom line: USA didn't get the job done," said USA Today, "it failed to come back in a difficult game in a difficult group."
"So much for the ranking by FIFA ... that put the USA fifth in the world," said the national daily. "In three games, its players could manage only two goals, one of which the Italians inflicted on themselves."
"Disputed officiating aside," said The New York Times, "the United States did not prove that it deserved to advance beyond group play. The familiar qualities of hard work and grit and determination were present, but the proficiency of soccer was deeply lacking."
Smile more, Deschamps tells Henry
Thierry Henry, along with Patrick Vieira a goalscoring hero of France's 2-0 win over Togo, would be better off if he played the game with a smile on his face, 1998 winning skipper Didier Deschamps said on Friday.
Speaking after Henry and former Arsenal teammate Vieira helped lift France into the last 16 Deschamps told Radio Monte Carlo: "He has to have a smile on his face, he needs to laugh, to be happy, be communicative."
Deschamps added that Henry needed to be the lightning rod for the team.
"Thierry is a leader when he is enjoying things, when he is happy out there on the pitch."
Of Vieira he said the Juventus star would always be on song if he was in confident mode.
"If he feels confident there's nobody better."
Togo to face sanctions
Togo face disciplinary action for disrupting the World Cup with squabbles over bonuses and a threatened strike in their first appearance at the finals, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on Friday.
"The Togolese football federation will, I am quite sure, be hearing from the disciplinary committee," Blatter said.
"We cannot tolerate a situation where an association participating in a World Cup causes the kind of kerfuffle that they have."
Togo's German coach Otto Pfister stormed out of the team camp on the eve of their first match against South Korea, only to return.
The players then threatened not to play against Switzerland in their second match until they received unpaid bonuses. They eventually got their money after FIFA intervened.
Togo were eliminated after losing both matches and are facing France in their final Group G game on Friday.