The bank's president, Fernando Teles, also said he would offer 5,000 dollars to the best Angola player in each of their Group D matches against Portugal, Mexico and Iran.

The Angola squad, known as the 'Palancas Negras', left on Friday for Germany, where they will play in their first World Cup finals next month.

Tens of thousands of fans, clad in Angola shirts or special World Cup t-shirts, brought the streets to a standstill on Thursday evening as the players paraded through the capital.

The 23-man squad then enjoyed a gala dinner for more than 2,000 people at the new Coqueiros stadium.

The incentives offered by BIC include 50,000 dollars to be shared among the players and technical team for every win in Germany plus a further 50,000 dollars if Angola get beyond the group stage.

Angola face former colonial power Portugal in their opening group game on June 11 in Cologne.

'Pressure all on Brazil'
Afp, Sydney

Five-times World Cup champions Brazil have all the pressure on them ahead of their World Cup finals' match with Australia in Germany next month, qualification hero John Aloisi said Friday.

Alaves striker Aloisi, who scored the penalty against Uruguay here last November that booked Australia's passage to the World Cup finals for the first time in 32 years, is keenly looking forward to Australia's tilt with the mighty Brazilians.

Brazilian striker Ronaldo, three times world player of the year, put Australian noses out of joint last month when he told a magazine he knew none of the Socceroos except "the one from Osasuna".

That was Aloisi's former Spanish club before he moved to Alaves this year.

"I would love to beat Brazil and show Ronaldo we haven't just got one player in Australia," Aloisi told reporters here Friday.

"They (Brazil) are probably the best team in the world.

"But they've got everything to lose and we have nothing to lose.

"They've got all the pressure."

Australia will take on Brazil in its second Group F match in Munich on June 18 after opening its World Cup campaign against Japan in Kaiserslautern on June 12.

Beware of Ebay tickets!
REUTERS, Berlin

Soccer fans who missed out on the official World Cup draws will run a big risk if they buy unauthorised tickets via online auction house Ebay, a German official said on Thursday.

For security reasons, tickets for the month-long tournament starting June 9 are personalised with the buyer's name, and are not transferable except under special circumstances. But that has not stopped a lively market from developing on the Internet.

Asked what advice he would give to a prospective Ebay buyer, German soccer chief Theo Zwanziger said: "I would just warn him he's running a risk. He's going to the stadium under a false name... and he runs the risk he will be turned away."

He dismissed a reporter's suggestion that stadium officials would in practice only be able to check a small proportion of fans' identities.

"Why are you so sure? We have a lot of stewards on the spot," Zwanziger said.

"If we have indications, firstly that the security situation is critical, and secondly that people are coming to the stadium without officially issued tickets, there will be intensive checks.

"And then those who don't have (official tickets) will be spotted, and they'll have paid a lot of money and they'll be sent home. So I'd advise them to spare themselves the frustration."

On Ebay's German Web site, www.ebay.de, the top bid for a ticket for Brazil versus Australia on June 18 was 431 euros ($551) on Thursday afternoon, while a seat for Germany versus Poland on June 14 was fetching 445 euros, in both cases several times the official price.

Cahill on the mend
Afp, Sydney

Injured Everton midfielder Tim Cahill said Friday he was well on the way to recovery from a knee ligament injury in the countdown to Australia's World Cup opener with Japan in Kaiserslautern on June 12.

Cahill picked up the injury playing for Everton against Birmingham in the English Premier League on April 22.

Everton manager David Moyes has said his club would have the last say on whether Cahill was fit to play in next month's World Cup finals in Germany.

But Cahill was anxious not to further exacerbate the situation as the Australian squad gathered for next week's friendly with European champions Greece in Melbourne.

Cahill will not be playing against the Greeks, but is happy with his recovery from the knee setback.

"I feel really positive about everything," said Cahill, one of a group of Socceroos who were guests of honour at a public outdoor breakfast here Friday.

"The biggest thing people need to understand is Everton pay my wages," he said.

"I've got great respect for my manager and the way he thinks of me.

"He is just looking out for me.

"I love Australia and I love Everton. This is all about me getting fit."