SYDNEY, 14 June 2006 — Australia’s stunning World Cup triumph over Japan prompted an outpouring of national pride yesterday not seen since the Games that Sydney hosted in 2000 were declared the “best ever” Olympics. At pubs and clubs across the nation revellers stayed up for the rest of the night after the wee-hours broadcast from the Fritz-Walter Station in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

In Melbourne more than 5,000 braved the mid-winter cold to watch the come-from-behind 3-1 defeat of Japan on giant screens set up in downtown Federation Square.

In Sydney, where the screens were erected a few hundred meters from the Opera House, thousands more witnessed a famous victory over the Asian champions.

Australia is in the World Cup finals for only the second time. The first appearance, 32 years ago, was also in Germany, in 1974.

“It was an absolutely fantastic, spectacular start,” Prime Minister John Howard said. “A wonderful performance and it would have thrilled millions of Australians.” The revelry also meant tens of thousands of Australians were late for work on Wednesday — or absent altogether.

FIFA Admits Pre-Match Video Spoils Atmosphere

In Berlin, FIFA and the local organizing committee are allowing fans to bring musical instruments into World Cup stadiums and their music is contributing to some superb entertainment in the buildup to kickoff.

However the party atmosphere is being killed off when the stadium loudspeakers and video screens begin playing pre-recorded advertisements, announcements and “infotainment” clips — which even FIFA admits is spoiling the atmosphere.

Asked whether FIFA were aware the video show was dampening fans’ enjoyment, Wolfgang Niersbach, vice-president of the local German organizing committee, told reporters he agreed that it was. But he added: “There has been a pre-match program worked out to the second for the final 12 minutes before the match starts.

Anthem Mix-Up

IN Frankfurt, Togo’s national anthem was mistaken for South Korea’s ahead of their World Cup clash in Frankfurt yesterday.

South Korea’s anthem was repeated — to the embarrassment of FIFA and the joy of Korean fans — before organizers realized their mistake and belatedly played the Togolese anthem.

Togo, making their first appearance in the World Cup finals, have already had problems in the run-up to their opening Group G match after coach Otto Pfister quit late last week.

Bad Grass

South Korean striker Lee Chun-soo questioned on Monday the condition of the grass at Frankfurt’s stadium, the evening before the Asians kick off their 2006 World Cup against Togo.

“The grass is weak. When I kicked the ball today, I felt my foot dig into the ground,” Lee told reporters after the team’s final practice session. “If I line up for a free kick tomorrow, I hope I don’t think too much about the ground conditions.”

Orange Question Mark

When the Ivory Coast and the Netherlands meet Friday night in Stuttgart, the stands could well be a festival of orange, the uniform color for both teams.

“It’s good for the atmosphere. The stadium will be full of fans wearing orange, but it will be hard to distinguish who is for what team,” Ivory Coast striker Arouna Kone said Monday while meeting with media at the team’s hotel in Niederkassel. “The only way to tell will be by the color of the skin.”

On the field, of course, only the Netherlands will wear predominantly orange, while Ivory Coast will be decked in all white, with orange and green trim.