WORLD VIEWS

FRANCE

From La Marseillaise:

“French authorities are attempting to find solutions to stem violence in cities that are World Cup sites, even as debate has begun over the efficiency of law enforcement officials of Marseille.

“The first expulsions were ordered [Tuesday] by Jean-Pierre Chevenement, minister of the interior. They involved five Englishmen and one Tunisian who were implicated in the violence of Sunday at Marseille.

“Chevenement reaffirmed that he wouldn’t hesitate to employ this measure under urgent circumstances. He’s also happy with the system of immediate detentions. Eight people, five of them English and three French, are today in prison, the minister said.”

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From L’Equipe:

“While lamentable images have tarnished the image of this World Cup, it should be said that where the English aren’t, it’s a gigantic celebration that is delighting the stadiums and the streets.”

GERMANY

National tabloid Bild:

“Markus Babbel secured himself Alexi Lalas’ shirt right after the match against the USA. The German defense player said: ‘This guy is an absolute cult. He looks like the fourth man of ZZ Top. I had to have his shirt.’ ”

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Bild, again, on alcoholic escapades:

“Norway’s Coach Egil Olsen was not consistent: Boozer Mykland out, but drinking-buddy Berg in. Speaking of alcohol, the Scottish fans raised the consumption of beer in the wine-metropolis Bordeaux by one third.”

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From Frankfurter Rundschau:

“If soccer-friend and soccer-enemy live in the same house, soccer-friend can buy a bribery gift: ‘Please let me watch soccer,’ reads the slogan on the package, sold at the gas station. In the package there are a quarter-bottle of champagne, a rose and a card, all for [the equivalent of] $2.99. ‘And the people buy it,’ says Guenther Schnurr, boss of the gas station.”

POLAND

From Zycie, on the 1-1 tie between Norway and Scotland:

“When two teams with names like ‘Bravehearts’ and ‘Vikings’ meet, one can expect bones to rattle. The players did not disappoint their fans.”

SOUTH AFRICA

From the Star, Johannesburg:

“The great news from the camp yesterday was that striker Benni McCarthy has recovered from his ankle injury and has made himself available.

“ ‘I’m 100% fit and ready,’ McCarthy said. ‘The only difference this time is that if I play, there will be lots of shots on goal and plenty of goal-mouth action. That’s a promise.’ ”

KENYA

The Daily Nation, Nairobi:

“People are ignoring Kenya Broadcasting Corp.’s plea not to cash in on their coverage of the World Cup. The Hotel Sirona in Parklands Nairobi, charged fans 30 shillings [about fifty cents] to watch the South Africa-France game, in addition to the cost of food and drinks.

“And at the Terrace Hotel, the TV was switched off when one woman viewer declined to order a drink!”

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Correspondents Helene Elliott in Paris, Christian Retzlaff in Berlin, Ela Kasprzycka in Warsaw, Dean E. Murphy in Johannesburg and Joyce Ilako from Nairobi contributed to this report.