CUP CORNER

World governing body FIFA will publish on May 24 the 23-strong squads for the 32 teams that will compete in this summer's World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan.

The country federations will have until May 21 at 1100 GMT to inform FIFA of their selections which must include three goalkeepers.

In contrast to the last finals in France four years ago, there will be no need for countries to send a pre-selection squad of 35 players one month ahead of the start of the finals.

URUGUAY TO PLAY

THAILAND

Montevideo

Uruguay will face Thailand in a World Cup warm-up match on May 18 in Bangkok, a Uruguay football federation official Osvaldo Gimenez said here.

The match comes after their May 8 date with Ghana in Montevideo, and two run outs against the United States from May 12 though the exact dates are yet to be fixed.

Uruguay have still not decided whether to take up Brazil's offer of a friendly on April 21.

NO BOTTLES, UMBRELLAS, CONFETTI

Tokyo

Spectators at football's World Cup finals will not be allowed to bring plastic drink bottles, umbrellas and confetti into stadiums, organisers said Tuesday.

The Japanese and South Korean World Cup organising committes said "stones, bottles, cans, PET bottles with caps attached, sealed paper packets, frozen substances or other objects which may be considered as intended to be thrown" were banned.

The rules for spectators at stadiums and other World Cup facilities also prohibit bringing in umbrellas, "with the exception of folding umbrellas judged harmless by the security personnel".

Not surprisingly firearms and knives were also listed as banned objects. Takahisa Ishida, security director for the Japanese organising committee JAWOC, told reporters that confetti would be prohibited "because they hamper competition when scattered in enormous volume".

It is the first time that the World Cup finals are being held in Asia and in a co-hosting scheme. Both Japan and South Korea are braced for their first encounter with European football hooligans during the month-long finals which kick off on May 31.

The organisers have banned people from taking alcoholic beverages into the stadiums, but beer will be sold in the venues in limited amounts as a US brewer is one of the worldwide sponsors of the 2002 finals.