Out of Africa /Killing time

CAPE TOWN - Only one of four teams will win the World Cup, but all the players who reached the semifinals have become champions at one thing: passing the time. Filling up the empty hours is no simple task for those who arrived a week if not two before the games began on June 11 - after a training camp somewhere else - for a five- to six-week odyssey.

Yes, there's a game every four or five days and at least one practice per day as well as a tactical meeting the day before a match. Then there's eating and sleeping, but what about the other half of the day? The eventual World Cup winner may be comprised of the players who managed to conquer the boredom and get their minds off the daily routine when it's crunch time.

"Breakfast, train, lunch, bed, dinner, bed," said Wayne Rooney at a press conference earlier in the tournament to describe England's typical day between games. "Lying in bed at two in the afternoon," he stressed. "That's quite boring."

It can be quite boring and annoying, especially because it's winter in the southern hemisphere and gets dark by 6 P.M. It's getting chilly and strict security measures prevent players from leaving their campus. And it's a challenge for soccer players who are not exactly the types to pass the time reading highbrow literature.

Rooney couldn't shake that boredom, on as well as off the pitch, which may explain why England went home early.

Among the Brazilians, who arrived May 27 and expected to stay until the end, the more religiously fervent - Kaka, Lucio and a few others - spent each day praying. Others, such as Robinho, had their partners located as close as possible to the campus. Robinho said head coach Dunga (who was fired yesterday - see IHT) allowed the players during their free time to do "whatever they want - not everyone is interested in sex."

Players from many teams also spent time in cultural pursuits. The Greeks, according to striker Angelos Charisteas, played backgammon and cards. The Spaniards, who are free until 6 P.M. the day after a match, went on a safari as well as an excursion in the academic city of Potchefstroom, where they are staying.

The German national team has tried to break the boredom on several different levels. Like the Spaniards, they had not one but two safaris. On a personal level, the players' wives are staying at a hotel in Pretoria, and every few days, usually after a game, the players get half a day off to spend with their families. Every player also received before the tournament an entertainment kit, including a laptop, digital camera and - perhaps most important of all - a Sony Playstation 3. "The atmosphere among the team is very good, and all that we received, including the trips and meetings with the women really help pass the time," midfielder Sami Khedira told German reporters.

Between the safari, sex and the Playstation, the Germans have learned to pass the time best of all, and maybe that's why they've played the best soccer. In any event, at this point it's not only hard to kill time but also the tension.