The Blue 038; White blues

World Cup favourites Argentina arrived in Japan on Thursday carrying the weight of their country8217;s hopes for a third triumph to ease th...

World Cup favourites Argentina arrived in Japan on Thursday carrying the weight of their country8217;s hopes for a third triumph to ease the pain of a ravaging economic crisis back in South America.

The players, including Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, AS Roma striker Gabriel Batistuta and Lazio8217;s Hernan Crespo, arrived at Narita airport near Tokyo to a flood of camera flashes.

Batistuta smiled as he walked past TV cameras but Veron, who has suffered a difficult season with United as they failed to win a trophy, looked sullen.

Fans hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the world8217;s most high-profile players were disappointed as the squad, wearing the team8217;s pale blue and white sweatsuits, were quickly ushered out of a special exit under tight security.

Argentina8217;s training camp will be in Fukushima Prefecture, about 200 km North of Tokyo.

Japanese television later showed the players arriving at the camp where they were greeted by schoolchildren waving small Argentinian flags and shouting 8217;Good luck!8217; in Spanish.

With their country8217;s economy on the verge of collapse and poverty levels rising, Argentinians 8212; who live and breathe soccer 8212; are looking for their soccer players to give them a reason to celebrate.

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Bookmakers have them as favourites, followed by reigning world champions France, but they face a tough first-round group in which they will have to face England, Nigeria and Sweden.

The think-tank group B

Jose Antonio Camacho Spain

Won 81 caps for Spain and eight Spanish league titles with Real Madrid, and gained a reputation as a fearsome defender, before moving into coaching.

Coached at Rayo Vallecano, Espanyol and Sevilla before taking over at Real Madrid from the sacked Jupp Heynckes. However, Camacho resigned after 22 days after a disagreement with then Real president Lorenzo Sanz.

Cesare Maldini Paraguay

Former Milan defender who won four Italian League titles and the 1963 European Cup. Maldini was the Italian under-21 coach and assistant to Enzo Bearzot when Italy won the 1982 World Cup.

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Took over the reins of the Italian senior side in 1996 but blamed by home fans for the Azzuri8217;s inconspicuous campaign at France 8217;98.

Srecko Katanec Slovenia

Katanec will be the youngest coach of any team at the World Cup finals. Strict adherent of a defensive 3-5-2 formation, he took over as national coach in August 1998 and caused a sensation by guiding Slovenia to Euro 2000.

As a player, Katanec played 31 times for Yugoslavia 8212; the only Slovenian in the 1990 Yugoslav World Cup squad 8212; and then, after independence in 1991, five times for his native Slovenia.

Jomo Sono South Africa

Respect by his players for South African coach Jomo Sono won8217;t be a problem such is the legendary nature of this former great player denied international football during the apartheid years.

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Sono moved into the coach8217;s role from his technical director8217;s position following quarter-final defeat in the African Nations Cup in Mali earlier this year.

Belgium name weakened squad

Belgium coach Robert Waseige left Stefaan Tanghe, Michael Gossens and Marc Hendrikx out of his World Cup plans on Thursday, naming a 23-man squad weakened by the absence of injured stalwarts.

Waseige, making the most of thin pickings, named a squad reliant on defenders after leading striker Emile Mpenza was ruled out of the World Cup on Monday with a thigh injury.

Squad: Goalkeepers: Geert De Vlieger, Frederic Herpoel, Franky Vandendriessche. Defenders: Glen De Boeck, Eric Deflandre, Jacky Peeters, Daniel Van Buyten, Peter Van der Heyden, Nico Van Kerckhoven, Eric Van Meir. Midfielders: Danny Boffin, Gaetan Englebert, Bart Goor, Timmy Simons, Bernd Thijs, Yves Vanderhaeghe, Gert Verheyen, Sven Vermant, Johan Walem, Marc Wilmots. Strikers: Mbo Mpenza, Branko Strupar, Wesley Sonck.