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World Cup Notebook
MARSEILLE, France (AP) -- The cold Mistral has left FIFA secretary general Sepp Blatter almost speechless. It will really affect him as he is scheduled to conduct today's World Cup draw (TSN, 12:30 p.m. EST) outdoors at the Stade Velodrome."I am still looking for my voice that the cold Mistral winds have stolen," Blatter whispered Wednesday on the eve of the 32-country draw.
The famed Mistral wind combined with cold temperatures have put wind-chill factors well below 0 C.
Things aren't improving. The weather forecast for Thursday predicts winds up to 40 kilometres with some precipitation and temperatures around 7 C and dropping in the early evening -- the time when the draw is scheduled.
"Those people are lucky who have brought a winter coat," said FIFA spokesman Keith Cooper.
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AND THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST: Of all the 32 teams playing the final phase, Iran, the last qualifier, has scored the most goals during the World Cup qualifying session.
It scored 52 goals in 17 games, more than three a game. The last two were the most important when it scored twice in the final 15 minutes against Australia. Iran rallied from a 2-0 deficit to gain the tie needed to qualify.
Iran's Karim Bagheri, who plays in the German Bundesliga for Arminia Bielefeld, scored 19 goals. Iran also holds the record for the biggest rout during qualification, crushing Maldives 17-0 with Bagheri scoring seven times.
But high scoring is not an indication of a soccer powerhouse. Italy, seeded and known for its defensive play, scored just two goals in its final qualifications.
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WELL-GUARDED GOLD: The World Cup trophy arrived Wednesday and will be well protected during its stay.
A French security force will keep an eye on the 4.97-kilogram gold trophy designed by Italian Silvio Gazzinaga.
It will be on stage during the draw today at Stade Velodrome. It will be passed from Ricardo Terra Teixera, the president of the Brazilian soccer federation to Claude Simonet, his French counterpart.
Brazil won the World Cup in 1994. Host France is responsible for guarding it until July 12, the day of the final at the new Stade de France in St. Denis when the trophy will be awarded to the winning team.
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HONG KONG STAYS: Although Hong Kong was handed over to China by Britain at the beginning of July, it is still holding on to its separate sports identity.
The executive committee of FIFA said that the current status of the Hong Kong soccer association will be maintained.
"They have been a member of FIFA since 1913," said Sepp Blatter, FIFA secretary-general. "Now their status must be regulated with the Asian Federation."
Earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee ruled that the Hong Kong Olympic committee will have a separate sports entity, flying its own flag.
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SUBSTITUTE DURIE STARTS AT LAST: Gordon Durie has struggled to get into the Glasgow Rangers lineups these days.
But he's playing for Europe against a Rest of the World team today in a special game being played before the World Cup draw ceremony at the same Stade Velodrome.
Durie was called up as a late replacement for Darren Jackson, who wasn't released by Glasgow Celtic.
The veteran former Tottenham striker has been kept off the Rangers starting lineup this season by the form of Marco Negri and Brian Laudrup and he has spend most of the time on the bench.
But he scored Scotland's goal in a 2-1 loss to France last month and is almost certain to be on the squad for the June 10-July 12 finals
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JOSPIN LEADS POLITICIANS: French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin is set to attend today's draw accompanied by a number of other big names.
French sports minister Marie-George Buffet is also scheduled to be there along with Philippe Seguin, the former president of the French National Assembly.
NEXT ROUNDS: Round of 16 || Quarter-finals || Semi-finals
GROUP A: Brazil, Morocco, Norway, Scotland
GROUP B: Austria, Cameroon, Chile, Italy
GROUP C: Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
GROUP D: Bulgaria, Nigeria, Paraguay, Spain
GROUP E: Belgium, Holland, Mexico, South Korea
GROUP F: Germany, Iran, United States, Yugoslavia
GROUP G: Colombia, England, Romania, Tunisia
GROUP H: Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica, Japan