Eight seeds could advance at Germany 2006
(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-20 10:24 Deco, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, Nuno Valente, Francisco Costinha,
Maniche and Ricardo Costa were on the FC Porto team that won the Champions
League final there under coach Jose Mourinho two years ago. The northern
Portuguese beat Monaco 3-0 that day.
The win drew attention to Porto's players, many of whom moved on to larger
clubs in other countries for large transfer fees.
Deco, for example, went to FC Barcelona. Mourinho went to coach Chelsea and
took Ferreira and Carvalho with him.
Concidentally, Portugal's World Cup base is at the same hotel in Marienfeld
where FC Porto stayed before the final.
MOST POLITE FANS: South Korea's fans have won a special place in the hearts
of order-loving Germans.
Korean fans who gathered in front of giant screens in the eastern city of
Leipzig to watch Sunday night's 1-1 draw with France impressed the locals by
dutifully picking up their garbage at the end of the match.
As if that were not enough, the city government said Monda, the Koreans also
cleared the tables at fast-food outlets set up for fans -- saving cleaning firms
the trouble.
GHANA APOLOGY: Ghana's Football Association apologized Monday after
Israel-based defender John Pantsil pulled out an Israeli flag while celebrating
during Saturday's 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic.
"It was an action out of naivete and we apologize to anyone who was offended.
It will never happen again," Ghana FA spokesman Randy Abbey said.
"He was obviously unaware of the implications of what he did. ... He's
extremely popular in Israel and he wanted to thank the fans who traveled to see
him play," Abbey said.
Pantsil, 25, plays for Hapoel Tel Aviv. He pulled out a small Israeli flag
during a goal celebration at Cologne Stadium.
Abbey said that there had been complaints to the Ghana FA, but did not
elaborate.
"We're not here for politics ... We don't support Israel or Arab nations ...
It was unfortunate that the player was ignorant about the political situation."
Abbey added: "But he has apologized to us and I think the matter should end
there."
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