THE SIDELINES : England Gets World Cup Seed

As expected, England was designated today as one of the six seeded teams in the 1990 World Soccer Cup, along with defending champion Argentina, host Italy, West Germany, Brazil and Belgium.

The International Soccer Federation, which announced the seedings, assigned Argentina to play in Naples, Italy in Rome, West Germany in Milan, Brazil in Turin, Belgium in Verona and England in Cagliari on the island of Sardinia.

The designation of England as a seed and its assignment to Cagliari were done because of security reasons to keep better control of the English fans, the federation said.

The World Cup, involving 24 teams, begins in Milan on June 8 and ends in Rome on July 8. The other 18 teams have been split into three groups, and the draw for the cup will be made in Rome on Saturday.