Clinton is the honorary chairman of the United States' bid to host the World Cup in either 2018 or 2022

Former United States President Bill Clinton enjoyed watching his nation's 1-0 win over Algeria so much he has changed his itinerary in South Africa so he can attend their last-16 match against Ghana on Saturday.

Clinton said he cheered and celebrated so vigorously when Landon Donovan scored that he had to drink hot tea with lemon for an hour to get his voice back.

An attempt by a New Zealand lawmaker to create a public holiday to mark the achievements of the country's team in the World Cup team has been rejected by the nation's parliament.

Labour Party minister Trevor Mallard tried to introduce a bill that would have created a public holiday after New Zealand's final group match against Paraguay on Thursday.

The All Whites can seal their place in the last 16 with a win, and even a draw may be good enough.

The game will be shown in the early hours of the morning in New Zealand and Mallard said loyal football fans deserved a day off as a reward for supporting their team - but government members opposed the introduction of the bill and it was thrown out of the house in barely 15 seconds.

One of the World Cup's smallest host cities, Port Elizabeth, has had more than 20,000 English fans come and go.

Local organisers estimated that 15,000 of the 36,000 fans at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Wednesday for England's 1-0 victory over Slovenia supported the winning team.

The Herald newspaper headlined its front page on Thursday: Bay becomes Little Britain.

Brazil's president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will visit South Africa for the World Cup final on 11 July in Johannesburg, the nation's foreign ministry director general Ayanda Ntsaluba has confirmed.

"Brazil is hosting the World Cup in 2014 and it customary for Fifa to invite the president of the next host country to the final," he said.

Five-time champions Brazil, who face Portugal in their final group match, have already qualified for the second round.

Updated throughout the day.

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