James Circus, whose online name is pokerchipsuk, is offering his seat at the top table at his friend's wedding in Essex, southern England, it was reported today.

Bidding has started at two pounds (three euros, 3.5 dollars) for the role, which includes a speech and meal, the Evening Standard newspaper reported.

He intends to turn up for the start of the wedding and carry out his duty handing the rings to the groom, then race off to the start of the match against Portugal, which starts in Gelsenkirchen just two hours after the ceremony begins.

Circus says on ebay that he will be returning from the pub at 7pm to resume his role, adding "at that point you will have to leave."

Law against patriots
Patriotic football fans in England could be fined up to 2,500 pounds (4,000 euros, 4,500 dollars) for flying the St George's Cross, with flags flown out of windows or at an angle technically illegal unless the owner receives formal planning permission from the local authority under a 1992 law. Housing minister Yvette Cooper now intends to change the rules and said that she would be "shocked" if any council enforced the regulations during England's World Cup campaign. The Local Government Association said that England's legions of flag-waving supporters are unlikely to face a fine.

Lucky charm
An old one pfennig coin has been helping Germany in their World Cup bid, having been buried under one of the goalposts at the Olympic Stadium, renovated in 2004.

According to German paper Bild, the coin -- scrapped on the introduction of the euro along with the Mark, was allegedly a lucky charm for former coach Rudi Voller on the way to the 2002 final in Japan.

Baby Gerrard
A baby has been named in honour of England star Steven Gerrard after being born as the midfielder netted against Sweden. Gerrard Hodson weighed in at 8lb 7oz at Birmingham's Heartlands Hospital following his birth on June 20. His mother Wendy, who kept track of England's 2-2 draw with Sweden via a television in the delivery suite, already has four daughters. The 35-year-old charity worker, from Chelmsley Wood, told the Birmingham Mail: "As soon as the baby was born and we knew it was a boy we decided he had to be called Gerrard."

Hotels moan
Only 48 percent of hotels and restaurants in Germany say they are happy with World Cup turnover. A poll for the Infratest marketing organisation on behalf of the German tourism authority said that operators were finding that the tournament had not brought the rich pickings they had been expecting. However, earlier in the World Cup hotels said they had seen a higher than normal level of visitors across April and May.

Robots again
Two weeks on from the robot world cup in the northern city of Bremen another 'alternative' tournament is taking place in the football-mad western city of Dortmund. A total of 51 teams comprising students and scientists from 18 countries are competing -- only this time via computer.

Buyer for the globe
The 60-ton globe showing the outline of the planet superimposed on a football and on display at the Brandenburg Gate has found a buyer. The globe, standing 20 metres (65 feet) tall, has been sold for 300,000 euros to the Hamburg-based firm Medienpool Extra which intends to make it "the symbol of our sports museum," spokesman Alexander Extra said. Austrian artist Andre Heller created the item, which went on a German tour prior to the World Cup before coming back to Berlin, where it has hosted multimedia items about World Cup history. FIFA says one million people have visited the globe.