UNDATED. May 4 (AP. AFP. Reuters): French winger Ibrahim Ba says he can't imagine that he won't be selected when France announces its World Cup team this week.
Ba said he was confident the French team had a chance to win the World Cup. But he added that the team needed to be balanced and calm in order to play well.
"I have the French team in my heart. I know I am ready.” Ba said in an interview that appeared Sunday with the French weekly newspaper. Le Journal du Dlmanche.
Ba also said he thought this year's team was stronger than in 1986..when it was led by soccer star Michel Platini, now the head of the French Organising Committee.
"I can't imagine not being in the World Cup," Ba said.
French trainer Amie Jacquet is expected to announce his choices for the French World Cup team on Tuesday.
KLINSMANN KEEPS 'EM GUESSING
German international Juer-gen Klinsmann won't discuss his future with the English club Tottenham — his second stint with the team — until after the World Cup.
Klinsmann, who scored four goals Saturday in a 6-2 win over Wimbledon that virtually assured Tottenham of staying in the Premier League, has had a difficult relationship with coach Christian Gross.
"1 don't want to say anything about that now because there was so much said in the last few weeks before I left the first time.” said Klinsmann, who arrived at Tottenham four months ago on a short-term contract.
"All I want to say is that today (Saturday) was certainly one of the most exciting of my career in 16 years as a professional. It was a wonderful feeling.
Gross, however, indicated Klinsmann would probably not
"But. no. there is no chance of talking to him about staying because it was always the agreement that he would leave at the end of the season." Gross said.
CRUCIAL BLOW FOR BOBIC
Fred! Bobic. Stuttgart's striker who hopes to make Germany's World Cup squad, will be sidelined for about 10 days after injuring his left-ankle ligaments, his club said Sunday.
Bobic will miss the last round of the Bundesliga next weekend and is unlikely to be fit for Stuttgart's Cup Winners' Cup against Chelsea on May 13 in Stockholm.
Bobic will not need surgery. He was injured in Stuttgart's 4-2 loss at Karlsruhe in a Bun desliga game Saturday.
The injury could further sink Bobic's hopes of making the World Cup roster. While Germany's other strikers like Juergen Klinsmann. Oliver Bierhoff. Ulf Kirstenand and Olaf Marschall thriving. Bobic has been struggling.
BORA LAYS
THE LAW
Any member of the 'super eagles' who fails to join the training camp in Zurich before May 22 should forget playing in the France '98 World Cup. coach Bora Milutlnovic has warned his players.
Bora, who plans to call up 25 players for the final camp for the World Cup. expressed the hope that to have the bulk of the team together a month to the beginning of the soccer fiesta.
Bora added that he had been in England to spy on Crew Alexander goalkeeper Ademola Bankole as well as Birmingham striker Dele Adebowale.
On the issue of players' bonus. Bora stated that the matter is purely an administrative one which would be settled between the players and the Nigeria Football Association.
MORE TELEPHONE
TICKETS
France's World Cup organisers said they had sold 8.000 more tickets by telephone on Sunday, leaving a further 13,000 tickets available for purchase by European fans.
Tickets sold through World Cup hotlines so far have totalled 157,000.
Initially. 110.000 tickets were to be sold by telephone, but the total rose to 170,000 after organisers announced today that they had identified an additional 60,000 available seats.
The tickets have been made available to citizens of the 15-nation European Union (EU) as well as Norway. Ireland and Liechtenstein under European trade rules.