World Cup News

Diego Maradona was not in Berlin's Olympiastadion to see Argentina's World Cup quarter-final defeat to Germany because a member of his entourage was not allowed in, FIFA said yesterday.

FIFA said the iconic former captain had been given four VIP tickets for the match but wanted to bring in a fifth person whom FIFA had already declared was not welcome.

FIFA spokesman Markus Siegler said FIFA had been in touch with Maradona and the Spanish television station he is working for before the game.

"Maradona's delegation was told in advance that one particular person would not get a ticket because this person has been rude repeatedly during the World Cup and even became almost physically aggressive," he said.

Siegler declined to identify the person FIFA had decided to exclude.

Announcer substituted

A stadium announcer was replaced during Friday's quarter-final between Germany and Argentina for encouraging the home fans, FIFA said.

FIFA intervened after Andreas Wenzel used the announcement of a substitution to tell the 72,000-strong crowd in Berlin's Olympiastadion that the German team needed their support.

Wenzel, a veteran announcer for the German national team's games, promptly found himself substituted at the microphone by the local organising committee.

"This had no place in the balanced neutrality of an announcer," Markus Siegler, a spokesman for world soccer's governing body, said of Wenzel's comments. "It's not acceptable."

28 million German TV audience

The television audience in Germany peaked at 28.65 million people for the host nation's victory over Argentina, the German Football Association said yesterday.

The share of audience was put at 90 per cent for Friday's match, which Germany won 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 scoreline at 120 minutes.

Ukraine need a 'Pirlo'

Ukraine captain Andriy Shevchenko said his side lacked a playmaker like former Milan team-mate Andrea Pirlo after bowing out of the World Cup to Italy on Friday.

"We don't have someone in the team like Pirlo - it is a great disadvantage for the team. The team can only play with the possibilities they have," Shevchenko said.

Pirlo and Shevchenko were a key combination for Milan before the Ukrainian's recent £30 million move to Chelsea.

With Ukraine eliminated, Shevchenko had no doubts about who he would be supporting to win the World Cup.

"I'm rooting for Italy now," he said.

Germany - shoot-out kings

Something had to give when Germany and Argentina's quarter-final ended in a 1-1 stalemate. The Germans and the Argentines had won all three shoot-outs they had been involved in at previous World Cups.

Germany eventually won 4-2 and that meant they have now scored 26 of their 28 penalties in shoot-outs. West Germany won the first World Cup penalty shoot-out that ever took place, beating France 5-4 on penalties in the 1982 semi-final after drawing 3-3.

They also beat Mexico 4-1 on penalties in the 1986 quarter-final after a 0-0 draw, then beat England 4-3 in the 1990 semi-final after a 1-1 draw.

The only time they have lost on penalties was to Czechoslovakia in the 1976 European Championship final.

Argentina had also won all their World Cup shoot-outs, beating Yugoslavia and Italy in 1990 and England in the second round in 1998.

Fans rampage as power fails

At least 20 people including policemen were injured when fans in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka rampaged after electricity failed during the Germany vs Argentina match.

The power distribution office at the city's Nazimuddin Road area came under attack by hundreds of fans as angry fans clashed with police who tried to disperse them by using batons.

In the southern district of Noakhali, Argentina fan Jahangir Alam, 38, died of a heart attack while watching the match.

Bangladesh has no stake in the World Cup but the country of 140 million is sharply divided into Argentine and Brazilian camps.