Reports in the American media suggest the referee who disallowed a last-gasp goal for the United States in their 2-2 draw against Slovenia may have taken charge of his last match at this World Cup.
Fifa sources have apparently suggested that Malawian official Koman Coulibaly's performance in the Group C encounter is to be assessed by the governing body's refereeing committee, and he may not be assigned any more games in the competition.
Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon will have an operation after the World Cup on the back problem which could rule him out of the rest of the tournament. It means he could miss up to four months of the Italian domestic season.
Buffon, who was substituted in his team's opening group match against Paraguay, has a herniated disc and will not feature against New Zealand. The 32-year-old has delayed surgery in the hope of playing some further part in South Africa.
Didier Drogba is being tipped to start for the Ivory Coast in their match against Brazil on Sunday after making a steady recovery from a fractured elbow.
"Do not be surprised if Drogba starts," said coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, who brought the Chelsea striker on as a second-half substitute in the 0-0 draw with Portugal.
Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar has defended coach Dunga's abrasive style - and likened him to Jose Mourinho, who led Italian side Inter Milan to the treble last season.
Julio Cesar, who played under Mourinho at the San Siro, said: "Dunga is only putting in place a work philosophy. Mourinho did exactly the same as what Dunga is doing now. We won everything with this work philosophy."
France midfielder Jeremy Toulalan has admitted that his side have failed to operate as a team in South Africa, despite having a number of talented individuals.
The French, beaten by Mexico in their last match, are struggling to make the second round and Toulalan said: "The difference between us and Mexico is that they are playing as a team, and we have 11 individuals. We have high-quality players. What we missed was being a collective on the pitch."
Germany coach Joachim Loew remains convinced his team will still progress to the second round despite the shock defeat against Serbia that means a loss against Ghana could eliminate them from the competition.
"It is obvious that we are going to be under more pressure now, but we will make the round of 16," insisted Loew, who admitted to being "devastated" by the Serbia result.
Manchester City's Roque Santa Cruz believes Paraguay are capable of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in the country's history.
"We want to go at least to the quarter-finals. In Paraguayan history it's never been done," declared the striker, who came on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw against Italy.
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