NOTEBOOK: ENGLISH FAN ADMITS TO KILLING ON TRAIN.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

A 43-year-old English fan was jailed early today after admitting to fatally stabbing a Frenchman after a World Cup match between England and Argentina. Paul Birch confessed to the crime after 10 hours of questioning by an investigating judge, judicial officials said.

He was jailed in St-Quentin-Fallavier, in the Isere region of France. The judge placed him under formal investigation for murder - one step short of being formally charged.

Birch, an engineer from London, was not a known soccer hooligan. He admitted to stabbing Eric Frachet, 33, on the train from Lyon to Grenoble on Tuesday night, following England's loss to Argentina in Saint-Etienne, near Lyon. He was arrested Wednesday night in a Grenoble hotel, following a dispute with the hotel's night guard.

According to police officials, the man was sitting across from Frachet on the train. Birch thought that the smiling Frachet was an Argentinean fan mocking him.

VIP visits: Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl will attend his team's World Cup quarterfinal against Germany in Lyon today, government and team officials said.

Tudjman, a passionate soccer fan, is due to have lunch with the team at its residence in a chateau outside Lyon, then join some 42,000 spectators at Gerland Stadium for the game in the evening.

The 76-year-old leader had promised to come to the World Cup if Croatia reached the last eight.

Vocal support: Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras have added their mighty voices to the chorus of praise for England's shootout loss to Argentina.

The trio of opera superstars who perform together as The Three Tenors wrote to manager Glenn Hoddle and his players that the English effort was the best performance of the World Cup so far.

``Having seen the heroics performed by all of you on Tuesday night, we would like to send you our commiserations, but also our congratulations on such a classic performance,'' the trio said.

They also sent along copies of their new single, ``You'll Never walk Alone,'' which is a favorite among English soccer fans and is often sung in stadiums.

Charity fund grows: Contributions in Germany for the French policeman left in a coma by German soccer thugs has raised at least $9,900, World Cup officials said.

FIFA spokesman Keith Cooper said 8,000 people had contributed between 55 centers and $5,500 apiece to the fund, which benefits the family of officer David Nivel, 44, of Lens. Cooper said the exact amount would not be disclosed to protect the family's interests.

Nivel was left in a coma after German hooligans beat him over the head with an iron bar when Germany played Yugoslavia in Lens last month.

The truth might be out there: Agent Fox Mulder is on the case at the World Cup. David Duchovny, who plays the conspiracy-tracking FBI agent in the ``X-Files,'' is in Paris promoting the French release of the movie based on the hit TV series.

He told the daily La Parisien that, while he's not a big soccer fan, he's felt the tournament's impact.

``I did follow the United States team matches a little bit on TV and in the papers,'' Duchovny said. ``I realize how much here, in France, soccer impassions the people.''

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Photo

PHOTO Parisians celebrate France's victory over Italy near the Arch de Triomphe.

Francois Mori/Associated Press