World Cup news

German police said yesterday they arrested more than 20 fans - most of them German and English - amid violence overnight in the city of Frankfurt following the World Cup opening matches.

Three German and three English fans were taken in after a brawl close to the city's central station. Police said they had also arrested 15 people in another part of the city following brawling in a restaurant, among them were five Germans, one English and two Polish fans.

In a third incident in the region four more people were taken in, two of them Germans. A spokeswoman for Frankfurt police said the arrested had been drunken fans and not, as initially reported, hooligans.

Ballack focuses on fitness

Germany captain Michael Ballack, who missed the host nation's opening World Cup game due to a calf injury, did fitness training and some running yesterday.

Ballack had declared himself fit ahead of Friday's match against Costa Rica, which Germany won 4-2, but coach Juergen Klinsmann ruled it was too soon after his injury for the influential midfielder to play in Munich.

A FA statement did not say if Ballack was now considered fully fit but he is widely expected to return to the side for their next Group A match with Poland on Wednesday in Dortmund.

Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, who went over on his ankle in the Costa Rica game, suffered no lasting effects.

"He also did the whole fitness programme today," a spokesman said.

Kuffour confident of winning bet

Ghana defender Samuel Osei Kuffour is confident Roma team-mate Francesco Totti will be paying up on a wager between the duo after tomorrow's World Cup match against Italy.

Kuffour will try to thwart Totti-led attacks in Hanover and he said yesterday there was more at stake than the three points, with the two players having had a bet on the outcome.

"After the game I will take the money from him," Kuffour said.

Lula sorry for Ronaldo fat jibe

Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has apologised to striker Ronaldo for asking whether the player was fat during a video-conference with the national team on Thursday.

Ronaldo's official Web site said he had received a letter from the President stating that he did not intend any offence with the comment and he continued to be a fan of the player. The 2002 World Cup leading scorer added that he wanted an end to the controversy.

Ecuadoreans celebrate shock victory

Thousands of chanting Ecuadoreans poured into the rain-washed streets of the capital Quito on Friday to celebrate their team's World Cup 2-0 victory in its opening game against Poland.

Defying rainy weather, droves of fans wearing their national team's yellow jersey flooded Quito's main avenues, dancing and hugging each other.

Nearly half of Ecuadoreans are poor and the banana-producing country has struggled in recent years with political instability.

In the last decade, popular and congressional turmoil have toppled three democratically-elected presidents. The government declared a half-day holiday on Friday to allow supporters watch the game live.

Benitez demands change to rules

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez wants FIFA regulations changed and his club to be compensated for the broken leg suffered by their France striker Djibril Cisse in a World Cup warm-up match with China last week.

Cisse was expected to leave Liverpool in the close season but no transfer can now be arranged. Liverpool signed the forward from AJ Auxerre for 15 million pounds in 2004.

"In this situation, we have a player who has cost Liverpool a lot of money injured preparing for a World Cup," Benitez said. "Now we have to face the cost. There are wages to pay and also we can't sell the player."