Film row
THE IRANIAN team has protested against the airing of a controversial film on French television. The team accused French authorities of plotting to destabilise Iran's World Cup squad by broadcasting the film Not Without My Daughter in the run-up to last Sunday's politically-charged match against the US which Iran won 2-1. French channel M6 denied any ill will towards the team. Yet Iran's coach Mohamed Khakpour said, "Why should this film, that has already been shown many times, appear again now if it was not for a precise reason?" Star striker Khodadad Azizi, on behalf of the team, denounced the film saying it was a "tissue of lies" and "has had an effect on the mentality of the players," but added "we will play even more seriously than before because we have been provoked."

Clinton message
UNITED States President Bill Clinton videotaped a speech broadcast minutes before the US-Iran match, adding a diplomatic twist to the encounter. Clinton appeared on national television to express his hope that the sporting event would be a stepping stone towards reconciliation with the Islamic republic. "I hope it can be another step toward ending the estrangement between our nations," Clinton said in the speech.

Unstoppable hooligans
NEWLY-elected FIFA President Sepp Blatter condemned the hooliganism that has scarred the opening round of the World Cup, and said soccer authorities were helpless to combat the problem alone. "I condemn the hooligans, but hooliganism isn't really controllable. It's not possible to stop people coming to France," said Blatter, referring to the European accord on open borders. "FIFA and the organising committee did all they could to prevent incidents and ensure security in the stadiums. But they cannot intervene in state security," Blatter told reporters.

Batistuta for sale
ARGENTINA'S Gabrielle Batistuta hung a "for sale" sign up this week and said he would take a month after the World Cup to consider offers. "After France '98, I am going to take a one-month break and have a look at where I go from here," said the Italian-based striker who scored Argentina's first World Cup goal in the 1-0 win against Japan and three more against Jamaica. Batistuta has made no secret of his desire to quit Fiorentina.

Iranian denied visa
FRANCE confirmed that its consulate-general in Washington had refused an entry visa to an exiled Iranian opposition figure who said he wanted to attend the World Cup. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said no explanation had been given to Eskandar Filabi, a popular Iranian heavyweight wrestling champion of the 1970s who has joined the exiled National Resistance Council (NRC) dissident movement.

Don't be touchy
FIFA said it is determined to keep politics out of the World Cup after a Croatian diplomat protested that a translator at a football news conference spoke with a Serb accent. The dispute erupted when a Croat diplomat interrupted a post-match interview with manager Miroslav Blazevic to complain that FIFA's translator was speaking with a Serb accent. Officials of the world soccer federation insisted that the interview continue with the same translator, angering the Croatian government representative. "A FIFA press conference is not the place for a political intervention of this kind," spokesman Keith Cooper said. The translator successfully carried out her duties, and Blazevic was happy in the end with her performance, Cooper said. FIFA did concede, however, that politics and football are inextricably linked.

Fair Play Day
FAIR Play Day once again put the spotlight on sportsmanship in the globe's most popular game. One gesture was to have joint group photographs, instead of one per team, as was done in Sunday's match between US and Iran. In another Fair Play initiative, all 32 teams were asked to sign three copies of the Fair Play charter written by Parisian school children and read out at the 10 June opening ceremony at the Stade de France. FIFA plans to auction one of the copies to raise money for SOS children's villages, said Rosemary Reed of FIFA.

Among the worldwide initiatives on Fair Play Day are shake-hands ceremonies in local games, youth tournaments, Fair Play flags, messages, awards and community projects. FIFA said it dispatched distinctive yellow and blue Fair Play promotional materials globally to encourage these efforts.