Sport

• Enough prison space

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP):

South African prison officials say they are ready to clear out cells to make space for World Cup troublemakers.

Prisons deputy commissioner Teboho Motseki told a parliamentary committee that inmates could be moved to allow for "an overflow" of World Cup-related arrests.

Motseki said prisons can "create excess capacity" by moving current criminals. He said he expected most offences to be dealt with by using World Cup holding cells around stadiums or at local police stations.

Foreign fans, unaware of local laws regarding drinking alcohol or urinating in public, could end up in police cells during the World Cup.

About 350,000 overseas supporters are expected to arrive for Africa's first World Cup.

• Goals bonus

JOHANNESBURG (AP):

South Africa's football association wants to give its team US$131,000 for each goal it scores at the World Cup.

Chief executive Leslie Sedibe said Wednesday on a local TV station that SAFA would "dearly love" to pay the one million rand reward.

Sedibe said the last thing SAFA wanted for the host nation is to not qualify for the knockout stages and players "to go home with nothing". Sedibe says they want to inspire the team with the offer.

His comments came on the same day that organisers conceded their budget to stage the tournament was severely stretched. He was quoted by the SAPA news agency last week as saying the World Cup had "blown" the country's football budget.

• Mueller picks Brazil

FRANKFURT (AP):

Former Germany great Gerd Mueller says Brazil are the favourites to win the World Cup, and his own country doesn't have a good team.

Mueller, one of the heroes of Germany's 1974 World Cup triumph at home, says Germany coach Joachim Loew is being stubborn for still not picking Schalke striker Kevin Kuranyi for the World Cup.

Mueller says "As long as he (Loew) is stubborn, we won't have the best (Germany) team. He (Kuranyi) is the man scoring goals right now. ... We don't have a good team."

Loew has said he will consider Kuranyi's return after kicking the striker off the team for disciplinary reasons in October 2008.

Asked to name a World Cup favourite, the 64-year-old Mueller says "Brazil."

• Hope for Mandela

ZURICH (AP):

FIFA president Sepp Blatter is hopeful that Nelson Mandela will be healthy enough to open the World Cup in South Africa.

"We cross fingers that Nelson Mandela ... can realise this dream. And his dream would be to be at the opening of the World Cup. For the time being, he is doing well and we hope that he can do it," Blatter said at his last regular news conference before the tournament starts June 11 in Johannesburg. "It will be his World Cup."

The former South African president, anti-Apartheid campaigner and Nobel Prize winner, now 91, made his last public appearance February 11 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his release from prison.