France touchdown high on confidence

A confident France arrived in South Korea on Saturday for the final countdown to defending their World Cup title but the limelight flashed a...

A confident France arrived in South Korea on Saturday for the final countdown to defending their World Cup title but the limelight flashed again on the political side of the world8217;s most popular game.

News of France8217;s arrival, where the players needed 500 riot police to get them to their chartered bus, was overshadowed by the failure of FIFA president Sepp Blatter to appear at a news conference in Seoul.

Warm-upMatches

Portugal beat China 2-0
Macao: Luis Figo made a cameo appearance as Portugal strolled to a 2-0 win over China in their final World Cup warm-up on Saturday. Nuno Gomes scored in the 50th minute and Pauleta added the killer-blow in the 61st before Figo, one of several second-half substitutions, came on for his bit part in the final quarter of an hour.

Japan hold Sweden 1-1
Tokyo: Japan came from behind to draw 1-1 against Sweden in a World Cup warm-up on Saturday, giving the co-hosts a confidence boost ahead of the tournament that kicks off next Friday.

In a match watched by Japanese Emperor Akihito, Sweden went ahead in the 20th minute through a Marcus Allback strike but Japan equalised in the 63rd minute when Swedish defender Johan Mjallby put the ball into his own net.

Spain scrape past Korea
Ulsan: Diego Tristan scored with a fine chip and Ricardo saved a penalty as Spain did just enough to beat South Korean First Division side Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I 1-0 in their final World Cup warm-up match on Saturday.

Away from the politics, France oozed confidence as they prepared to meet co-hosts South Korea in Suwon on Sunday for their last warm-up match before the tournament starts on May 31.

Story continues below this ad

8220;Nobody knows where our limit is,8221; said midfielder Emmanuel Petit of France, aiming to become only the third team after Brazil in 1962 and Italy in 1938 to retain the title.

8220;Maybe the sky is the only limit. Actually, it8217;s the only question mark we are facing.

8220;Our generation is the grand cru,8221; said the 32-year-old Chelsea player, using the French phrase for the best of the best.

France kick off against World Cup newcomers Senegal on May 31 in Seoul and then play Uruguay and Denmark in Group A.

Story continues below this ad

Meanwhile, officials from soccer8217;s governing body have been at pains to downplay a bitter fight over Blatter8217;s job, saying it was not affecting plans for the World Cup finals set to open next week in South Korea and Japan.

8220;The general situation with FIFA does not affect in any way either the organisation of the World Cup itself or my job,8221; FIFA general-secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen, himself at loggerheads with Blatter, told a news conference in Seoul, at which a ban was imposed on questions pertaining to FIFA matters.

Blatter is running for re-election against Issa Hayatou, the Cameroonian head of the African Football Confederation. Straw polls of FIFA members suggest Blatter is likely to win.

The vote is set for a Congress in Seoul on Wednesday, two days before France kicks off the World Cup finals against Senegal.

Story continues below this ad

Blatter has been accused of mismanagement, which he denies, saying the charges are a smear campaign organised by people who want to prevent him from winning another four-year term. Reuters