World Cup 2002: Countdown

Mary Hannigan continues her World Cup countdown, with more interesting facts and figures

Neighbourhood watch: Group E

SAUDI ARABIA: Morale is hardly soaring in the Saudi camp after two more disappointing results in their build-up to the World Cup. Last Sunday they drew 0-0 with a depleted Bulgarian side and on Thursday night they were beaten 2-0 by Estonia in Montecatini, Italy. Following defeats by a second-string Brazil team (0-1) and Denmark (0-1) last month, it means they have failed to score since beating Qatar 3-1 to win the Gulf Cup in January. Saudi Arabia will conclude their training camp with a match against South Africa in Montecatina next Wednesday before returning home for a friendly against uruguay on March 27th.

CAMEROON: Their friendly against Argentina, scheduled for March 27th, looks set for Geneva after Marseille and Brussels were ruled out as venues. The Argentininans, who are keen to play African opposition in preparation for their group game against Nigeria, play another of Ireland's group opponents on April 17th - Germany in Stuttgart.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Boukar Alioum, one of the heroes of Cameroon's penalty shoot-out win over Senegal in the African Nations Cup final, is still looking for a new club after an unsuccessful trial at Manchester City this week. Alioum is available on a Bosman transfer in June from Turkish club Samsunspor, who are anxious to get a fee for him now.

GERMANY: Despite being ruled out for the rest of the season after tearing ligaments in his right ankle, Hertha Berlin defender Marko Rehmer is still hopeful of recovering in time to make Germany's World Cup squad. Bayern Munich striker Carsten Jancker is also struggling with an ankle injury and is expected to miss Germany's friendly against the United States on March 27th.

Night on the town: Not recommended

The English-language Japan Times got into a spot of bother last week when a US-based Jewish rights group protested about the appearance on the paper's World Cup website of an article highlighting a Nazi-themed bar in Busan, South Korea, one of the tournament's venues.

"It's hard to dislike the place, but it's still uncomfortable being there," wrote Fred Varcoe, the article's author. "The barmaid was clad in black leather and even had Aryan blue contacts. You've got little Nazi signs on the toilet doors, some well-placed Nazi neon lights, some understated black motifs, a pretty, velvety Nazi menu holder and cute little Nazi napkins".

The paper stopped short of issuing an apology, but agreed to pull the article from their website. The Simon Wiesenthal Centre, meanwhile, is urging Chuing Mong-joon, chairman of the Korean World Cup organising committee, to have the bar closed or remodelled.

Tour tips: Bring a book

Speaking of Fred Varcoe and his Japan Times guides to the 16 World Cup venues - we take it he won't be receiving Christmas cards from the Japanese or South Korean tourists boards this year. His views on Ireland's three group venues?

Niigata: "..boy, is this a sleepy city. I ventured out late at night and went in search of the people; they weren't on the street. The whole place seemed dead." He did, though, find a local who told him that one of the best things about the city was that it had "great drinking water".

Ibaraki: (ominously) "Watch this space for more information."

Yokohama: "No matter how nice Yokohama might be, it's still right next to Kawasaki, the craphole of the metropolis."

And If Ireland win Group E? Seogwipo: Mr Kim Tae Yop (of the local organising committee) believes that spectators should be hardy souls. "When it rains or it's windy, the players suffer, so it's only fair the fans should suffer along with them," he says.

Squadwatch: Republic update

Gary Doherty (Spurs): After coming through a practice game against the Spurs youth team last weekend, Doherty finally returned to competitive action, almost six months after breaking his leg in a League Cup match, on Thursday night, coming on as a half-time sub for Spurs' reserves in their 3-1 defeat by Charlton (for whom Mark Kinsella appeared).

Stephen McPhail (Millwall): Should finally get some regular first-team football, albeit in the first division, after joining Millwall on loan from Leeds until the end of the season. Ironically McPhail will team up with another midfielder, Steven Reid, who has moved above him in the international pecking order, as well as fellow Irishmen Richard Sadlier and Robert Ryan.

Stephen Carr (Spurs): Suffered pain in the knee that was operated on in September on his return to training this week but initial reports that his World Cup hopes were over might have been premature. Spurs still have not given up hope of him making a return before the end of the season but await the results of a scan to discover if, indeed, he has suffered a recurrence of the injury.

Gareth Farrelly (Bolton): His World Cup hopes were already slim, but they've all but ended with news that he may need a knee operation, one that would end his season.

Gary Kelly (Oldham): "Gary Kelly out for season", read a website or two midweek, news that probably did nothing to lighten Mick McCarthy's mood after hearing another of his full backs, Steve Carr, is almost certainly out of the World Cup. Fortunately for the Leeds United man the news referred to his namesake, the Oldham goalkeeper (Alan's brother), who ruptured ligaments in his ankle.

Star Wars 2002: The Fan Menance

Good to see the folk in Japan and South Korea are taking a relaxed attitude towards security this June. Relaxed, apart from the French-made, portable land-to-air missiles that will be deployed outside South Korean stadiums,

the military jets that will patrol the skies over the venues during the tournament, the preparations for possible outbreaks of infectious diseases during the World Cup (this week they had a dummy run to prepare them for dealing with a passenger stricken with ebola arriving on a plane) and Japanese All Nippon Airways' announcement that it will assign in-flight security personnel on certain targeted international and domestic flights during the World Cup to prevent hooliganism and terrorist threats. It's at times like this that you almost feel sorry for Combat 18.