Italy defender Alessandro Nesta has been ruled out of Sunday's World Cup final against France through injury.
"He's definitely not available," Enrico Castellacci, Italy's team doctor, told reporters yesterday.
Nesta has not played since the last group game against Czech Republic when he picked up a groin injury.
Italy in blue, all white for France
Italy will sport their familiar home blue colours while France will again play in white in Sunday's World Cup final in Berlin, FIFA said yesterday.
It will be the fourth match in a row at the finals that France, known as Les Bleus, will wear white shirts.
Italy are the designated 'home' team for the final, which kicks off at 8 p.m. at the Olympiastadion.
Germany (white) and Portugal (standard red) will both play in their usual colours for tomorrow's third-place match in Stuttgart.
Final for Argentine ref Elizondo
Argentine Horacio Elizondo, who took charge of the opening game of the tournament, will referee Sunday's World Cup final between Italy and France, FIFA said.
He is the first man to take charge of both the first and last match of a World Cup finals.
Ronaldo told to rest
Real Madrid denied Ronaldo was to have knee surgery, saying yesterday that doctors had simply told the Brazil striker to rest.
"Ronaldo returned from the World Cup with pain in his left knee that obliged him to be examined by Real's doctors," the club said. "The player has now been told to rest to preserve the tendon in his right knee.
"The Madrid doctors have made contact with Brazil doctor Jose Luiz Runco to analyse the tests done in Madrid and find out about the state of the knees. For the moment surgery has been ruled out."
Runco said on Wednesday that Ronaldo had been suffering from knee pains, caused by tibial calcification, for about eight months and an operation was needed to remove the calcium deposits.
Weird reaction to Brazil exit
An elderly Chinese man went on a rampage in Nanjing after Brazil's defeat to France in the World Cup quarter-finals last weekend.
The man ran amok in a city square hitting people with a stick and shouting" "The Brazilians lost! There is nothing worth watching! I don't want to watch any more games!"
The man was arrested by police but not until after he had grabbed a bystander and bit him "fiercely", the Nanjing Morning Post reported.
Another pensioner was similarly distraught and was arrested for running around the streets naked carrying a banner reading "Brazil Must Win".
State news agency Xinhua also reported that a truck carrying construction materials rammed into a trailer on the Shanghai-Ningbo highway on Wednesday, writing off the vehicle.
"I didn't sleep well because I was watching the World Cup," the driver told the police.
Portugal deserved to win - media
Portuguese media congratulated Luis Figo's team yesterday in reaching the World Cup semi-finals but said the country had deserved to win Wednesday's game against France.
"Portugal deserved more," read the headline in daily Jornal de Noticias after the 1-0 loss against France. "The enormous effort of the Portuguese was not enough to beat the cold French."
The loss was especially bitter as it means Portugal will at most repeat their World Cup third place in 1966 - the country's best performance in the tournament. Forty years ago, Portugal lost the semi-final to England, who went on to win.
Portugal will play Germany tomorrow to contest third place.
German players to thank fans
Germany's World Cup squad will return to Berlin on the day of the final to pay tribute to their supporters on the Fan Mile.
Instead of going home after tomorrow's game against Portugal, the players have decided to return to their Berlin hotel before going out to meet the fans at around midday on Sunday.
Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann said the meet-and-greet session would be a good way to sign off from the tournament.
"I think it will be an emotional high," Lehmann said. "The people were great and saying goodbye like this will give us a picture that will live long in the memory."