Franz Beckenbauer has called for a summit meeting of players, coaches and referees in a bid to stop the increasing trend towards play-acting and feigning injury which has blighted matches at the World Cup.

Beckenbauer said it was time for players to stop cheating in a bid to gain an unfair advantage.

"I think it is time to get the players, the coaches and the referees around the table and try to find some sort of solution to this problem.

"None of us in the game wants these incidents. The players are seeking to gain an unfair advantage and attempt to exploit every situation.

"The referees are there to correct this kind of misconduct, but the players do not make it easy for the referees," Beckenbauer said.

"If I was a referee I would also show the yellow card to any player who signalled to the ref with an imaginary card to get an opponent booked. That is also cheating."

Blatter says he used to dive

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said he often dived trying to win free-kicks when he played in the top amateur league in Switzerland.

"I was not a perfect player, I have to say, being a striker," Blatter told CNN. "I tried to get some advantages by joking with a player and then falling down by saying 'but he touched me'. And in fact it was not that. I did it."

Blatter said he understood why players dived.

"I think that all players - especially attacking players - they do it because you go into the 18-yard area and then you lose the ball because somebody takes it away," said Blatter.

"You are frustrated, and then in the frustration you do two things, either you try to get the ball back and then you commit a foul or you say 'but he touched me', and then you fall down."

Lagerback to quit after Euro 2008

Sweden coach Lars Lagerback said he would step down after the Euro 2008 Championships.

"I think neither I nor the federation will want to continue (after 2008)," the 57-year-old told Sundsvalls Tidning.

"I've already been involved for nine years and that's unusually long."

Lagerback steered Sweden to the World Cup's second round but came under heavy media criticism after his side's lacklustre performance in the 2-0 loss to hosts Germany.

He has guided Sweden to four consecutive international championships, the previous three in a coaching duo role with Tommy Soderberg who quit after Euro 2004.

Ronaldo needs knee surgery

Ronaldo said yesterday he agreed with Brazil's team doctor that he needed a minor knee operation. Jose Luiz Runco said Ronaldo was suffering from tibial calcification and that surgery was needed to remove the calcium. On Thursday the striker's club, Real Madrid, denied Ronaldo was to go under the knife.

"It is better that they operate on the calcifications thereby removing the problems they have caused me over the past eight months," Ronaldo said yesterday. "I will travel to Brazil shortly to see if I will finally have surgery to sort out this minor problem.

"I won't be out for very long because it is not a serious operation and I think the benefits will be greater than if they don't operate.

"Either way I will be ready to start the season with Real."

'France favourites' - Del Piero

France start as favourites to win the World Cup final because they are less stressed than Italy, Alessandro Del Piero said.

"I think France are slight favourites because they are certainly going into this game with less stress than us," said the striker.

While Italy had to battle out over 120 minutes against a determined host nation in Dortmund, France had a more straightforward 1-0 victory in normal time against Portugal. Del Piero said there were also other factors behind Italy's stress.

"In France there isn't the same chaos that we have in Italy that involves our club sides and there isn't the same coverage from the press and television that we have," said Del Piero.

Nesta suffering at missing final

Italy's injured defender Alessandro Nesta is suffering from the disappointment of missing tomorrow's final, team-mate Gennaro Gattuso said.

"He's sad, you can see that and with his personality, given that he is a bit closed within himself, he's suffering a lot," Gattuso told reporters.

"He is the sort of lad who gives his all to the group. He's happy for us but he is obviously very disappointed," added the Italy midfielder.

Milan defender Nesta has suffered injury setbacks in all three of the World Cups in which he has played - he missed Italy's second round defeat to South Korea four years ago and was also injured for the quarter-final exit to France in 1998.