A hotel is banning its employees from uttering the word "football" so those sick to death of World Cup mania can have some peace. Any guest who overhears a member of the staff say the word gets a free glass of champagne. "The bookings are starting to stream in," says Mike Bevans, manager of the Linthwaite House Hotel in London's Lake District, one of England's most popular tourist destinations.

Policemen in England have cautioned patriotic motorists who attach fluttering English flags on their cars, saying they frighten horses in Hampshire, a rural area in the country. With barely a week ahead of next month's World Cup kick off; football crazy fans in England can't wait to see the tournament begin. Patriotic supporters attach their national flag to their cars as they drive around the country.

An opinion poll estimated that around 850,000 Bangkok Soccer fans will be betting $56 million on the World Cup in Germany, DPA reported Wednesday. According to the report, about 57. 9 percent of the respondents believed that Brazil was most likely to win the tournament, while 19. 6 percent were betting on UK and only 12 percent on Germany.

Men are more likely to express their feelings while watching or playing soccer, according to a pre-World Cup survey. Nearly two-thirds of the men said they are more willing to share emotions with other men while engaged in soccer-related activities and around 73% of those surveyed said that hugging a male friend while watching a match would not embarrass them.

Sebastian River High School's junior varsity football coach George Zaleuke is recovering after a confrontation with an angry parent. Newschannel 5 reports that Zalueke was in the men's room when Noel Wideberg punched him in the face and knocked his head against a wall.