A near appearance on opening night is Egypt's only claim to fame in this World Cup. Alaa Abdel-Ghani finds what we will be missing out on Had Egypt made it to the World Cup, it would have been playing in tomorrow's opening match instead of Senegal. The bad news is that the opponent would have been France, and the defending champions look even more impressive than when they ran roughshod over Brazil in the final four years ago. And given France's reputation for manhandling Arab teams -- Saudi Arabia and Morocco can testify to French ruthlessness -- it may well be for the best that Egypt did not make the trip. The embarrassment of what would have been a sure drubbing, in front of billions of TV viewers, has been avoided, yet Egypt is still smarting for its incompetence in having failed to qualify. Just being in a World Cup is, after all, half the fun. This is the first World Cup to be played in Asia, and it's about time. The grip Europe and the Americas had on staging the tournament had been hurting for too long, preventing many worthy countries from showcasing their soccer and themselves. This is also the first World Cup held simultaneously in two countries, albeit two who do not think the world of each other. South Korea and Japan, the first- ever co-hosts, were chosen in a compromise brokered by FIFA after its 24- man executive committee could not decide which was worthier, even after using a complex and involved selection process dubbed the "eeny, meeny, miny, mo, catch an Asian Tiger by the toe method". The double choice was supposed to encourage reconciliation between two countries with a long history of antipathy. But from day one -- that was six years ago -- the bickering began, starting with whose name would come first. It's Korea. The hosts made peace long enough, though, to plan an extremely security conscious championship. Unlike the Olympics of 1972 and 1996, World Cups have not come under terrorist attack. But nobody can accuse the hosts of levity. Anti-aircraft missiles, portable land-to-air rockets and F-16 fighter jets will patrol the skies. From drunken Brits to bio-terrorism, there is an answer for everything: special forces soldiers, snipers, bomb disposal experts and anti-hooligan units. The security measures might put a damper on festivities, but it is comforting to know Korea and Japan are on the ball. Meanwhile, the players will be kicking around a new ball, the super-duper high-tech Adidas Fevernova, guaranteed, sponsors say, to find the back of the net more times than its predecessors. Reportedly a nightmare for goalkeepers, and a strikers' dream, the only thing it appears not to do is glow in the dark. No matter how juiced up the ball, goals will come only if feet and heads are clever enough and this World Cup will showcase the best of both body parts. Though only seven countries have ever won the cup, predictions have always been a tricky proposition. France are 4-1 favourites as champions, even though this time round they do not have the luxury of home field advantage. But then neither do any of the other favourites. Argentina is another favourite while Brazil -- the only team to reach every World Cup -- barely made it to this one. They are still struggling to find their feet, and still do not always know what to do with them. The Italians might be the outsiders. They have a strong defence and are in such a ridiculously weak group they could sleepwalk their way into the second round. Concerned that some players will stop at nothing to win, referees have strict orders to issue warnings and ejections for players who tackle from behind and pull opposing jerseys, and to punish "simulation", the act of pretending you're hurt when you haven't been touched. If the slightest nudge causes some players to crash to the turf as if felled by a Mike Tyson uppercut, they are likely to be flashed the red card. One man given the green light is FIFA boss Sepp Blatter who yesterday was on his way to being re-elected to a second four-year term despite the allegations of financial irregularities that sullied the pre-cup build-up. Blatter had urged that the imbroglio not interfere with the football proper, and it won't. Hopefully, nothing will get in the way of enjoying this World Cup. Not even Egypt's absence.
