Though he wasn't able to take Morocco to the second round of the World Cup, coach Henri Michel did well enough to earn a special honour from King Hassan II. ``As of today you will be an honorary citizen of morocco,'' Hassan II told the Frenchman at a special homecoming ceremony at the Royal Palace on Friday

.The King was clearly emotional during the ceremony in which he thanked the Moroccan players for their ``very brilliant'' results in the first round. Morocco finished with one victory, one draw and one loss in three games.

The King gave Michel a decoration ``that very few non-Moroccans have.'' ``We are not an ungrateful people,'' the King said, ``and we won't forget what you did for us.''

TV for Bhutan

Television is banned in Bhutan -- except when the World Cup is on. It seems King Jigme Singhe Wangchuk is an avid soccer fan, so soccer enthusiasts in the tiny Himalayan kingdom are being allowed to watch the matches on giant mounted screens.

In the Bhutanesecapital, the Bhutan Olympic Association has put up a screen in a sports stadium. The government also has allowed some private institutions to show the matches in three other towns. Television has been long forbidden and mass tourism is discouraged in Bhutan to avoid outside influence on its Buddhist way of life.

Ratings record

A record home viewing audience of 24.2 million watched England beat Colombia in the World Cup on Friday night, and untold millions more watched in bars and clubs. The figures revealed that three out of four viewers -- about half the population -- were glued to the match.

The previous record for a televised match was 23.5 million viewers for the 1996 European Championship showdown between England and Germany. Another record could fall when England meet Argentina in second round.

It pays to count

At the World Cup, it always pays to make your questions count. That lesson was driven home the hard way after yesterday's Italy-Norway game, when the moderator announcedthat the losing coach, Norway's Egil Olsen, would answer only two questions from journalists. The first question dealt with the weather. The second one was even more straight-forward. ``Do you still defend your choice to use just one striker?'' a journalist queried. ``Yes,'' said Olsen, who promptly marched off the stage.

Cutie of the week

He's a 6-foot-4 midfielder with a forceful kick and a face that could sell insurance. The first time Jostein Flo played in the World Cup, it did not go unnoticed. Flo was named ``Cutie of the week'' by French sports daily L'Equipe on Saturday. The newspaper invited Nathalie Egli, an agent at Marilyn Sports that represents top athletes such as boxer Evander Holyfield, to review players in the World Cup.

This week Egli went for a wholesome approach by choosing the eldest of the Norwegian Flo brothers. ``He's not a very beautiful boy,'' Egli said. ``You wouldn't look twice if you crossed him in the street, but he seems friendly and very normal.'' Egli gave someideas as to what kind of commercials she would choose to enhance Flo's star quality. ``He looks healthy, raised on grains,'' Egli said. ``That's the perfect profile for a commercial for food, insurance, cars or pasta.''