Disputes Kick Off World Cup Fever

NEW YORK -- The United States won't let Nigeria land its airplane and Moslems are upset with World Cup promotions. Soccer definitely has arrived in America.In Lagos, the U.S. Embassy said Nigeria's World Cup team cannot arrive in the United States aboard a Nigeria Airways airline. The Super Eagles had planned to fly aboard Nigeria Airways to the United States on Monday.The United States last year banned the airline from flying to New York and U.S. airlines from flying to Nigeria, claiming safety concerns at Lagos airport. The move came after military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida annulled presidential elections that were to end a decade of military rule. The United States and the European Union introduced limited sanctions, and the air traffic ban was considered a political move in Nigeria.On the business side, corporate America's efforts to capitalize on the World Cup collided with Moslem sensitivities as McDonald's and Coca-Cola reprinted the Saudi flag, with its sacred words from the Koran, on throwaway packaging.nIn Wednesday's World Cup warmup games:Brazil 8, Honduras 2. At San Diego, Romario scored three goals and Bebeto had two for Brazil, as Dunga, Cafu and Rai joined the goal feast."I feel our team is ready to play Russia," Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said. Germany 2, Canada 0. At Toronto, Matthias Sammer and Rudi V?ller scored for the defending World Cup champion, playing its last exhibition game before the World Cup opener against Bolivia.Sammer scored from a header off a cross from Andreas Brehme in the 30th minute. V?ller, who retired from the national team two years ago but returned last month at the urging of coach Berti Vogts, scored in the final minute. Belgium 3, Hungary 1. In Brussels, Josip Weber scored a goal for Belgium. He had five last Saturday against Zambia in his international debut. Weber scored in the sixth minute and fed Mark Degryse for a goal in the 36th. Luc Nills connected with a spectacular volley in the 70th. Zoltan Jarodics beat Belgium goalkeeper Michel Preud'homme with a 20-yard shot in the 60th minute.Bolivia 0, Peru 0. At Santa Cruz, Bolivia, the Bolivians played their last game before meeting Germany in the World Cup opener. Bolivia travels to the United States on Thursday and will be based in Massachusetts.nRussia's soccer team arrived in San Francisco for the World Cup on Wednesday with the coach promising only that the team would "play with dignity" during the tournament. Coach Pavel Sadyrin gave little away during a short news conference at San Francisco airport: "I don't want to make any forecasts. We will try to do our best, to play with dignity," Sadyrin said through an interpreter. The squad, smartly dressed in red blazers and cream slacks, looked tired after a long flight from Munich via London. They had been training in Austria. The Russian team will be staying in Santa Cruz, a Pacific Coast resort 112 kilometers south of San Francisco. Russia's first match will be against Brazil on June 20 at Stanford Stadium.nDisgruntled World Cup ticket-holders in Chicago have filed a class-action lawsuit in an effort to resolve what they say are massive ticket problems. Soccer fans have been reporting ticket snafus ranging from getting incorrect seats to being issued seats in the wrong city.The civil suit, filed in Cook County (Chicago) Circuit Court on Tuesday, charges consumer fraud, deceptive practices and breach of contract. The named complainant is Anton Naunheimer of Chicago, but his attorney, Stephen Diamond, said the case represents 5,000 ticket-holders in Chicago.During a conference call with reporters Wednesday, World Cup '94 Chairman Alan Rothenberg downplayed the extent of the problem. The suit charges that World Cup organizers reconfigured the seating plan in the stadiums to allow for more high-priced Category I seats. Consequently, the best seats began to curve around the corners of the stadiums and encroach into the end zones. (AP, Reuters, LAT)