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Monday 08 June 1998
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 News 6 
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NEW FIFA PRESIDENT
TO BLOCK ENGLAND 2006
Johansson Will Hand Germans World Cup Finals
Sweden's Lennart Johansson will be crowned president of FIFA later today and that could mean an end to England's hopes of staging the 2006 World Cup. FIFA insiders say Johansson has done enough to beat his only rival, Sepp Blatter, to the presidency of football's world governing body and one of sport's most powerful posts.
There has been a sudden swing to Johansson. I don't know why exactly, but everything seems to have been arranged,'' said one insider. The Swede was in confident mood when he spoke prior to the vote, flanked by the president of the African Football Confederation Issa Hayatou and Asia's FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-Joon. ''I am not nervous. I am very confident about the vote. I am very relaxed,'' said Johansson, who is known to favour Germany over England as prospective hosts of the World Cup finals in 2006.
Intense last-minute lobbying has been conducted by supporters of both candidates and an International Olympic Committee source said IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, who is in Paris, is very keen on Johansson taking over from outgoing president Joao Havelange. ''You can be sure that Samaranch has made it known to those that count,'' said the source. But Blatter, FIFA's secretary general, is refusing to concede defeat after a night spent visiting association heads at their hotels in the French capital to gain extra support. Johansson's backers dismiss Blatter's claim that he has won over the support of half of the fifty plus European votes.
Earlier this week England, who had originally supported Johansson, suddenly switched sides and vowed to vote for Blatter. But FIFA executive committee member Antonio Matarrese, a key member of Johansson's campaign team, said England's decision would change nothing. ''I think Blatter has convinced himself that half of Europe will vote for him. If that makes him feel better, good for him, but Blatter should understand that it is through for him. He is finished.''
Hayatou rejected claims by Blatter that Africa was divided over whom to support. ''Africa is backing Havelange,'' he stressed.
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ARGENTINIAN STAR TESTS POSITIVE
ARGENTINA midfielder Juan Veron has failed an in-house dope test on the eve of the World Cup Finals. The Sampdoria star's urine sample proved positive during a routine medical screening, according to team doctor Luis Seveso. But bizarrely the report was immediately denied by the player and team coach Daniel Passerella. Veron said he felt mad and sad.
Four years ago, Diego Maradona was kicked out of the World Cup and suspended for 15 months after testing positive for banned stimulants.
It's possible that some substance might have showed up, said Seveso. It is well known that most players have had flu. Tonight I will visit each room and tell the players not to take any medicine without my consent. I gave an anti-flu medicine to several players and this could have caused all this fuss. I have no problem giving players a medicine, which is prohibited in times of competition, almost two weeks before the competition starts.
OLE RARING TO GO
DESPITE being injured and out of favour for much of Manchester United's Premiership season, striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knew some impressive World Cup warm-up performances for Norway might still see him sneak into Egil Olsen's final squad. And scoring twice in the 6-0 rout of Saudi Arabia last week booked his ticket for France. It was his eighth goal in 13 international appearances and his third this year.
A disappointing season with United, following an ankle injury which left him struggling for several months, had him fearing the World Cup axe, and coach Olsen hasn't revealed whether his two goals last week were decisive. Solskjaer said: I know I'm a much better player than I've been showing in the last three or four months. My form is improving all the time, and I'm looking forward to the first game against Morocco on Wednesday.
The Norwegians have beaten Denmark, Mexico and Saudi Arabia in warm-up games with a combined score of 13-2! They've won nine and drawn five since losing 1-0 away to Australia early last year. But Solskjaer is tipping defending champions Brazil, Norway's last opponents in Group A, which also includes Scotland. Brazil have never beaten Norway and lost their last clash 4-2 in Oslo last year. But just wait, the striker said. We've played two games in the last ten years. But they were just friendlies, and this is the World Cup - two big differences.
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PASSPORTS PLEASE!
THE Cameroon World Cup squad caused chaos when they arrived in France without passports or visas. The players could only produce photocopies of their passports when customs officials began a cursory check of the sqaud's paperwork. Coach Claude Le Roy and his team arrived at Montpellier airport on Friday and were held for two hours by officials in the southwestern city.
The 35-strong delegation, including 21 players, was eventually allowed in to France after the players were issued with temporary passes. Cameroon had arrived from Copenhagen where they had just beaten Denmark 2-1 in a warm-up match for the World Cup. Police motorcyclists eventually escorted the team to their chateau in the nearby town of Beziers.
The Cameroon FA came under fire recently after admitting selling some of their official World Cup ticket allocation to Great Portland Entertainment, the London based ticket agency that folded last week after taking �2.5m of fans cash.
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