The Barcelona holding midfielder pulled out of the squad on Wednesday after a scan revealed he had fractured his knee-cap.

Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira moved quickly to find a replacement and Mineiro, is determined to be more than just back-up.

"I am not coming to replace anyone but I want to be in the team," said Mineiro. "It is important for me to be part of a winning team."

Mineiro was not part of the last World Cup winning team in Japan and South Korea but is no stranger to world success in Japan.

He scored the winning goal for his club in the World Club Cup final against Liverpool in Tokyo in December.

A record sixth World Cup win for Brazil would make Mineiro a world champion with club and country at the same time but now he is focussing solely on the task at hand.

"I am not thinking about becoming a world champion again after the victory in Japan," he added.

"A professional footballer always has to be ready and I am ready and at the service of the coach."

Mineiro joined in his first training session on Friday at the team's pre-World Cup base in Switzerland.

Brazil kick-off their campaign against Croatia on June 13 with further matches in Group F against Australia and Japan on June 18 and 22 respectively.

Cantona in US ad
Afp, Los Angeles

Former Manchester United star Eric Cantona is appearing in a commercial on American television supportive of the United States team in this month's World Cup football showdown.

The advertisement by Nike stresses that the US "boys" have a chance against the best in the world, with some of the best players among the millions on the planet who play the sport.

The 40-year-old French star speaks about solidarity between supporters and players and among the stars of the US squad.

Relief domination emotions
Afp, Berlin

With under a week to go till their side takes on Costa Rica in the World Cup opener, German football fans had something to cheer about Saturday following the 3-0 romp over Colombia in a World Cup warm-up.

The hosts under-fire coach Juergen Klinsmann was understandably upbeat after goals from Michael Ballack, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Tim Borowski had brought a smile back to fans' faces just a few days after the worrying 2-2 draw against Japan.

"I was delighted that the team got some confidence before the tournament," Klinsmann said. "It was good to finish with a win and we are now very hungry for the opening game against Costa Rica.

"The fans, the players and myself all just want the tournament to start."

Kaiser set to wed
Afp, Berlin

World Cup organising committee president Franz Beckenbauer and his partner of seven years Heidrun Burmester will marry in a small ceremony later this summer, Burmester told Germany daily Bild Saturday.

Burmester said that the wedding should take place after the World Cup which ends on July 9 and before their five-year-old son Joel returns to school following the summer holidays.

"If we were to invite all those whom Franz knows and likes, we wouldn't find a room big enough. It has to be our day, without stress," she said.

It will be the third marriage for 60-year-old Beckenbauer.

He has three children with his first marriage to wife Brigitte which ended in 1976. He divorced his second wife Sybille Weimar last year.

Burmester, a 39-year-old Bayern Munich employee, has been Beckenbauer's partner since 1999. They have two children, Joel and two-year-old Francesca.

Govt urges return of unused tickets
Reuters, Berlin

Companies should quickly return any surplus tickets for the World Cup to organisers to ensure fans can fill empty seats, German Economy Minister Michael Glos was quoted as saying on Saturday.

"I appeal to all (industry) associations and firms which have tickets they don't need to give the tickets back to the soccer World Cup organising committee as quickly as possible," Glos told the Berliner Zeitung daily newspaper.

"That way all the fans can get involved who hadn't managed to get any tickets yet and are on waiting lists. We can't have empty seats in the stadiums at our World Cup," he added.

Germany hosts the World Cup between June 9 and July 9. As the eyes of the world turn towards the country, the government has been at pains to ensure the biggest sporting event it has hosted since the 1974 World Cup in West Germany is a success.

Some fans' groups say the organisers have allocated too many World Cup tickets to corporate sponsors.

Part of WWII bomb found in Berlin
Reuters, Berlin

The media centre at the Olympiastadion was evacuated on Friday when part of a Second World War bomb was discovered at the site.

A gardener made the find while working outside the stadium, a week before the start of the tournament in Munich on June 9.

"There was nothing dangerous about the situation for anyone," said Berlin World Cup media officer Hans-Georg Felder, who added that between 70 and 100 people were working in the media centre when it had to be cleared.

The Olympiastadion will host the final on July 9.