World Cup magazine

The coach of the Maltese national football squad, Dusan Fitzel, will follow the 2006 World Cup, kicking off on June 9 in Germany, with a keen interest.

The Czech, who took up his post at the Malta FA last January, used to be assistant coach of the Czech Republic's U-21 side that triumphed in the 2002 UEFA Championship in Switzerland. Several members of that team have worked their way up to be leading stars in the squad that will be playing in Germany.

Petr Cech, the outstanding goalkeeper of English champions Chelsea, Milan Baros, the former Liverpool striker who spent last season on the books of Aston Villa, Monaco's Jaroslav Plasil and Nuremberg's Jan Polak, are the most notable members of the Czech Republic's World Cup squad who know Mr Fitzel from their formative years in football.

"I feel privileged to have had the opportunity of coaching these players because they really were a special group," he tells Kevin Azzopardi in an interview to be published in the FIFA World Cup magazine out with The Times tomorrow.

"Their progress has been constant but nothing short of remarkable, taking them all the way to the top levels of European football."

In the interview, Mr Fitzel also touches on the Czech Republic's chances in Germany, the favourites and outsiders and his admiration of Karol Brueckner, the national coach.

The Times FIFA World Cup magazine also has a local touch to it as six foreign players who figured for Maltese Premier League clubs last season offer their views on this fascinating tournament.

These are: Sebastian Omar Monesterolo (Argentina), Wendell Gomes (Brazil), Nuno Gomes (Portugal), Danilo Doncic (Serbia), Mauro Di Lello (Italy) and Craig Dean (England).

A detailed history of past World Cup editions and team line-ups of winners and runners-up is also included in the magazine as well as various statistical data on World Cup top scorers and the 32 participating nations in the 2006 finals. There are also features on World Cup stadiums, Goleo VI - the mascot, and Teamgeist, the official Adidas ball for the tournament.

Jesmond Dalli, Kevin Azzopardi and Valhmor Camilleri form the editorial team responsible for the magazine. It is published by Allied Newspapers Ltd, produced by MediaMaker and designed by Joseph Schembri and Marco Scerri.

The Times will be issuing a daily pull-out throughout the duration of the World Cup, carrying previews, match reports, results and other topical articles.