World Cup brief

FIFA tough on soccer dopers

Bowing to pressure to enact stricter doping penalties, FIFA will adopt minimum two-year suspensions yet still allow national soccer associations to reduce bans for special circumstances.

Mayor bans Japan fans from jumping into Rhine

The mayor of Bonn has banned over-exuberant Japanese fans from jumping into the river Rhine during the World Cup.

World Cup brief

World Cup fever hits Germany hard

From a distance, it looks like any other store proudly showing off its support for the World Cup. A giant photo shows bodies crowded around a goal, soccer balls scattered on the ground.

Argentine to referee opening game

Horacio Elizondo will be the referee when host Germany plays Costa Rica in the opening match of the 2006 World Cup.

Recent racist attacks not seen as threat

World Cup organizers do not expect a recent spate of racist attacks in eastern Germany to translate into violence inside tournament venues.

Curtain ready to rise on greatest spectacle

The only certainty about the World Cup is that new heroes, dramas and controversies are about to be woven into the story of the world's greatest sporting event.

Organisers urge fans to use internet for tickets

The World Cup organisers said on Thursday that fans trying to buy tickets at the stadiums before the tournament kicks off on June 9 were wasting their time.

England looks to the law for peaceful Cup

British police will rely on the banning orders which were used to such good effect in Euro 2004 to prevent known hooligans from travelling to the World Cup in Germany.

Small but resolute anti-World Cup campaign warms up

They are in the minority but there are Germans who feel the World Cup invasion is not only over here, but over the top.

Czech police to guard World Cup

Thirty-three Czech police officers will travel to Germany next week to help out their German counterparts during the World Cup.