SOUTH AFRICA fought back from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Zambia on Wednesday night and new coach Philippe Troussier, in his first match in charge, instantly declared his side were in good shape for the World Cup. South Africa, who face France, Denmark and Saudi Arabia in the World Cup next month, conceded a goal after only nine minutes but they equalised in the second half with John Moshoeu's powerful shot.
It was South Africa's final home game before setting off to France but Troussier, who took over in March, said: I used new players and a new system and we played against a good team. We deserved more than a draw. The team can still go to France with good confidence.
Egil Olsen celebrated his last home match as Norway coach with a convincing 5-2 victory over Mexico on Wednesday. Olsen, set to stand down after the World Cup finals, watched Roar Strand score the first of Norway's four first half goals in the 12th minute. Havard Flo, brother of Chelsea's Tore, and Manchester United's Henning Berg also scored against their fellow World Cup qualifiers. But Mexico coach Manuel Lapuente defended the result, saying: "We almost played the reserve team. I didn't want to risk anything because of the bumpy pitch.

WORLD CUP WINNERS' METAL THE FRENCH are hosting an alternative World Cup this summer for robots. Cybermondial 98, the third robot World Cup, runs parallel to the real competition at the City of Science and Industry in the Paris district of La Villette. But a spokeswoman for the event said most spectators didn't go to marvel at the skills on offer. What people enjoy are the robots' errors, when they crash into each other for example, said Manuela Veloso, a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University of Pittsburgh. When we correct the mistakes, people are disappointed. It's an absurd situation. The competition features 60 teams of robots ranging from 4.5cm to 50cm in height from 14 different countries, with matches lasting 20 minutes. Once a match is underway no humans are involved except a referee, and the robots take their orders from computers monitoring the action through cameras on the players.

THUGS ‘WILL BE JAILED IN 24 HOURS' THE FRENCH government have sent out a warning to fans intent on causing trouble at the World Cup, promising that offenders will be promptly jailed, fined or deported. "We'll act immediately," justice minister Elisabeth Guigou said. "It could be a matter of just 24 hours." Prosecutors will be on duty around the clock during the tournament, which starts in under three weeks, working with police and monitoring closed-circuit television at games. Those convicted of offences could face jail for up to three years, and those deported would be banned from returning to France for up to two years. They could also face fines of up to £10,000. "Any sign of violence inside or outside the stadium and we'll bring the police in immediately," said Rene-Georges Querry, chief of World Cup security. "But we are also in a good position of knowing who the troublemakers are since we have co-operated closely with foreign police forces."

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