C is for cursed - media about the draw (13 Dec 2005 20:15 GMT)
"It is definitely the toughest group on paper, but we have to make sure we stay positive, as our opponents can't be jumping for joy either at the idea of having to face us in their group," said Argentina's assistant coach Hugo Tocalli as he tried to put things in perspective, but his relative optimism was not at all shared by the press back home, however, with Clarín stating that "Argentina will have to face their most feared adversary" in the "cursed Group C". The business daily La Nación called it "a quirk of fate", whilst the tabloid Crónica commented somewhat wryly it "would have been easier to play Iraq away".
The Brazilian TV channel Globo, however, reacted with all the usual enthusiasm of an avid rival with regard to Argentina's tough draw. As O Rei pulled the Netherlands out of the hat to complete Group C, Globo's commentator shouted out "and Pele scores?!"
In Ivory Coast, there are mixed feelings, with the excitement at being drawn against some of the top countries tempered by the worry that their own team will not be up to the challenge. "After the draw, I found it hard to get to sleep," Bonaventure Kalou said to the Fraternité Matin newspaper. "We could not have asked for a worse outcome. But the World Cup is full of surprises, and our aim is to be one of them, to upset the form book and make Africa proud."
source : FIFA