NOTEBOOK: FIRST-ROUND REVIEW: GOALS DOWN FROM '94.

Despite efforts to open up the attack, scoring was down slightly in the first round of the World Cup from four years ago.

The first 48 games produced 126 goals, an average of 2.63 a match. In 1994, the first round - with 36 games - had a 2.71-goals-per-game average.

There were 176 warnings for rough play, an average of 3.7 a game, down from 4.2 in the '94 Cup. But red cards - the heave-ho for blatant fouls - were way up, with 16 for a 0.3 average from eight, an average of 0.22 in 1994.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who advocates more offense, said the games in France still were full of action.

``They present a great spectacle,'' he said.

Vogts' vote: German coach Berti Vogts would like to revert to the old World Cup format of having groups in the second round. He also said Europe should receive more slots in the finals.

``European soccer is the winner of this World Cup, while Asia and Africa are the big losers,'' Vogts said. ``Europe and South America have confirmed their strengths. FIFA should see how many European teams qualify for the finals.''

Ten of the last 16 teams are from Europe, with only four countries eliminated in the first round.

Vogts said he was happy with the expanded 32-team field this year, ``but we should then have four groups of four teams in the second round, with the winners going to the semifinals.''

The last time the World Cup used a group format in the second round was in 1982, with four groups of three teams and the winners going to the semis.

What's wrong with this picture? When T-shirts were spotted in the VIP section of a World Cup match, officials knew something was up. And that led to the arrest of a World Cup volunteer for allegedly selling about 50 premium tickets, officials said Saturday.

The volunteer for the tournament's French organizing committee CFO was arrested in the northern border city of Lens where the match took place, the officials said.

The man, who was not identified, was among 1,000 volunteers who worked at the stadium.

A present for the prince: Prince Harry has a nice souvenir of England's World Cup victory over Colombia - a team jersey autographed by the players.

The 13-year-old prince, who accompanied his father, the Prince of Wales, to Lens to watch Friday night's game, met World Cup hero Sir Bobby Charlton and was sent the signed shirt after the game.

Harry wore an England scarf throughout the 2-0 win, which advanced England to the second round. A spokesman said the Prince of Wales, more at home on the polo field, enjoyed the atmosphere in the stadium.

A senior member of the Royal Family is expected to attend Tuesday's match between England and Argentina in St Etienne.

Meanwhile, England's official ticket allocation for that match - just 2,049 - will likely create a flood of demand on the blackmarket and fresh fears of violence.

The allocation is smaller than for any of England's group games.

Many England fans bought black market tickets for first-round games because allocations were limited following a controversial decision to give 60 percent of the tickets to the French market.

The Cup high up: In a country where televisions are banned, soccer fans are still getting to see telecasts.

The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has installed a giant TV screen in the capitalT city, Thimpu, where the matches are aired.

Kinley Dorji, editor of the government-owned newspaper Kuensel, said the screen was installed by the Bhutan Olympic Association at a sports stadium. The government also has allowed some private institutions to show the matches in three other towns.

Television is banned and mass tourism is discouraged in Bhutan to avoid outside influence on its Buddhist way of life.

What's the big deal? To Japan's standout midfielder, Hidetoshi Nakata, this is just another soccer tournament.

``So many people were watching,'' Nakata said. ``I thought it was a bigger tournament, but it wasn't that different from other matches.''

In a rare news conference, the soft-spoken player with the orange hair went on at length about why he boycotts the press.

``Only if everything I say is reported truthfully,'' he said. ``I want to talk, but there have been so many lies. I don't want to condone that.''

Japan's sports reporting is dominated by the tabloid press, which often publishes speculation, sometimes fabrication, as news.

``As long as there are people who bend the truth, I will not change,'' Nakata said. ``The problem lies with those who can't report the truth.''

All hail the king: The Moroccan soccer team got a royal welcome on its return from the World Cup. King Hassan II praised the squad for its ``very brilliant'' result, even though it wasn't good enough to reach the second round.

The king said the players represented their country with dignity and complimented Henri Michel, the team's French coach, making him an honorary citizen of Morocco.

``We are not an ungrateful people and we won't forget what you did for us,'' the king said.

Morocco finished 1-1-1 and missed the second round by one goal.

TODAY'S BEST BETS

The hosts face Paraguay, the most surprising of second-round qualifiers, at Lens. The French still have some key injuries, but also have gotten superb performances from their substitutes. And 20-year-old Tforwards Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet have been formidable. Paraguay has won with defense, allowing one goal in the first round. Flamboyant goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert says, ``We've got the best defense in the world.'' Paraguay might need it.