■ Cambodia
Don't bet your cow, says PM
Prime Minister Hun Sen urged people yesterday not to sell their possessions to place bets on the World Cup, saying it was probably a bad idea. "Go ahead and watch it, but do not sell your cows, motorcycles, cars, homes and land to bet on the games," Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge soldier, told farmers at a provincial hospital opening. "Just bet verbally, for fun. Don't sell your cows to bet on games," he told hundreds of villagers and foreign diplomats at the ceremony. World Cup fever has gripped the southeast Asian nation, with Cambodians from every walk of life staying up into the night to catch their favorite teams in action. Hun Sen himself confessed to backing Japan -- his government's largest donor.
■ Crowd control
FIFA out to tackle streakers
Ruling body FIFA is discussing how it can stop people running on the pitch during World Cup matches and will ensure violators are punished. "We will do everything to prevent this sort of thing and to punish people who do it," local organizing committee spokesman Gerd Graus told reporters on Wednesday. A Croatian fan surprised security forces during Tuesday's game against Brazil by leaping over the 2m wide moat that surrounds the pitch at the stadium and running on the pitch. "Berlin is the toughest stadium for fans to get on to the field so this surprised us," said Graus. "You have to be incredibly athletic to jump on to the pitch like this guy did." A spokesman at the Berlin prosecutor's office said the man, who was in custody on Wednesday, faced a fine.
■ Malaysia
Zodiac favors Italy, Brazil
The Year of the Dog is also the year of Italy and Brazil, according to the Chinese zodiac, making the two countries clear favorites for the World Cup, a Malaysian newspaper said. Brazil and Italy are the only two nations to have won a World Cup in the Year of the Dog, and 2006 is again the year of man's best friend, the Star newspaper said yesterday. In the five previous World Cups held in the Year of the Dog, Italy has won twice and Brazil three times. The tournament is held every four years, which means it is held only in the Years of the Dog, Horse and Tiger. "World Cup champions in the Horse and Tiger years have been diverse, but the Dog years peculiarly favor Italy or Brazil," the paper said in an article devoted to the influence of Chinese zodiac signs on World Cup matches.
■ South Korea
Papers blast dirty fans
World Cup fever has turned South Korea into a nation of litterbugs, newspapers said yesterday. Over a million fans watched the national team beat Togo 2-1 on giant outdoor screens in Seoul on Tuesday night, but they left behind a mountain of garbage as they celebrated the victory. There were massive street celebrations in 2002 when South Korean fans watched their side advance all the way to the semi-finals, but local dailies said the crowds then cleaned up after themselves as a matter of national pride, as they were co-hosts. According to the local daily JoongAng Ilbo, garbage men collected 100 tonnes of trash from downtown Seoul, working frantically to clean streets before workers returned to offices.
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