'Meddling' French behind blow

England's World Cup nightmare: The prospect of England being drawn in a World Cup group of death have increased dramatically after what the Daily Mail terms "the latest power play" by "meddling" UEFA president Michel Platini. The Frenchman, the most influential of the six FIFA confederation chiefs, was the driving force behind the last minute change to the make-up of the pots for Friday's draw, The Guardian reports. That paper adds that the switch - which it labels "a procedural curveball" - may actually work out well for England if they get Colombia, Greece and Honduras instead of the worst-case scenario of Brazil, USA and Italy or Holland.Paper Round's view: Is this just a case of 'chip-on-the-shoulder-anti-Platini-paranoia'? Or was the procedural switch made deliberately to disadvantage England? Really, no one knows, apart from the six who sanctioned the changes, and they're not going to reveal it was the latter any time soon. So, why don't we all just wait and see what the draw throws up on Friday, which in all likelihood will find the middle ground between a Group of Death and a Group of Life. And anyway, it's not like either eventuality is going to impact on England's chances of winning the World Cup, which currently stand at zero.(uk.eurosport.yahoo.com)ANN.Az