REALITY BITES

French defender Lilian Thuram said he hopes to organize a benefit for the family of French gendarme Daniel Nivel, who sustained serious head injuries when he was beaten by a German hooligan in Lens.

The incident, Thuram said, “brings one back to reality. Football is not at fault, it’s only a game and not responsible for such human stupidity. It’s society that’s at fault and men who always make these kinds of problems.”

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

Croatia Coach Miroslav Blazevic came up with a good answer when asked whether he would rather have his own striker, Davor Suker, or Argentina’s Gabriel Batistuta, who is tied for the tournament goal-scoring lead with four. The teams will play Friday at Bordeaux for first place in Group H.

Of course, he said, he likes his own player. “But if I had total freedom of choice,” he added, “I would take both.”