Korean Christians take issue over "Red Devils" tag
Christian organizations in Korea are upset that their national team is dubbed "Red Devils" and want a name change to possibly "Red Tigers" or "Red Warriors". They say the term "Red Devils" may give the world a negative image of Korea. "It may plant the mistaken impression that Korea will resort to cunning and devilish tactics in order to win. Furthermore, a symbol of the Red Devils is a monster face, which is designed to look villainous and frighten people. We are deeply concerned that the world will perceive this face as the face of the Korean people," says Rev. Lee Kwang-hun, spokesperson of World Cup Mission 2002, an evangelist group set up for the coming global soccer tournament. More.

Beers for breakfast in England
Pub-owner Martin Gough in Bristol has paved the way for bars across the country to open their doors for breakfast, beer and football during the World Cup. Gough appealed against a magistrate court's decision overturned a 1978 High Court ruling that pubs could only open at unusual hours if their clients were participating in a special event. Watching soccer on television had previously not qualified as "active soccer participation". More.

Blatter blocks investigation
Sepp Blatter suspended an internal investigation into alleged financial mismanagement inside football's world governing body in a move opponents claim to prevent damage to his re-election. More.

FIFA saves TV coverage after Kirch collapse
With a sidestep as neat as you will see on any soccer field, FIFA says it has safeguarded its World Cup television coverage even though the Kirch group, which owns the television rights, was formally declared insolvent. .The maneuver that "saves" the soccer World Cup, which begins in Seoul on May 31, was sharp. FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, got Kirch, the ailing media giant of Germany, to pay the full 1.2-billion-Swiss-franc fee, about $717 million, up-front in January, and then to agree at the 11th hour to separate the World Cup rights from Kirch's collapsing media empire. More.

England indulges in Beckham foot fetish
"Not since Bill Clinton has one part of the human anatomy captured a nation's interest quite like David Beckham's foot," was how Friday's Mirror tabloid played the nation's obsession. More: Link 1 | Link 2 | Link 3

Baggio could yet be back for Italy
The divine ponytail could be in for the running for Italy’s World Cup squad, according to Brescia president Gino Corioni. More.

Time to Review the Penalty Rule
An African columnist makes a plea to change the end-game rule. More.

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