The United States face Cuba in Havana on Saturday; the first time in over 60 years that they have played on the Caribbean island and given the political tensions between the two countries it is a fixture that has caught the imagination of the media — unusually for two countries where soccer is far from the national obsession.

The problem, for reporters, with stories like this is that the politics is the only really interesting aspect to the game but no-one involved will ever say anything remotely spicy on the topic.

It is one of those situations where reporters try in vain to get some words on the off-the-field context while the players, quite understandably, insist it is only about the three points, just another game etc, etc.

I was out at the U.S training session at Barry University yesterday and had a chat with captain Carlos Bocanegra and forward Clint Dempsey and while both were looking forward to their trip to Cuba — a place most Americans can’t travel to due to the embargo — neither wanted to talk politics and frankly, why should they? They are paid to win football matches and occasionally to talk to the media about football. U.S foreign policy isn’t part of the deal.

It was the same back in 1998 when I covered the US v Iran game at the World Cup in France. That match was intensely charged politically but no-one wanted to admit as such despite the constant, at times desperate, attempts of the media to stir things up.

When the Iran match, in Lyon, finally came around it was an extremely cordial affair with polite handshakes all-round. I suspect Saturday night at the Pedro Marrero stadium will be similar in that respect.

The fans might get some sort of kick out of the addition of an off-the-field rivalry but players usually don’t and in the case of Cuba I doubt the U.S team will find any sort of hostility awaiting them, especially given the embargo means there won’t be any U.S fans there.

Cuba v U.S may be a great storyline (especially if the Cubans pull off a surprise) but there isn’t much nasty about it.

What brings out the nastiness in football is when fans combine extreme nationalism with violence. You can find that in many parts of Europe and South America — but  I doubt we will see any of it in Havana on Saturday.

PHOTO: Members of U.S national soccer team arrive at Jose Marti airport in Havana September 4, 2008. REUTERS/Enrique de la Osa

With World Cup qualifiers coming up against Andorra and Croatia Capello will soon have everyone’s attention again … and he is about to discover the size of the task that awaits him.

The Italian was given a tough time by England’s ruthless football writers after an unimpressive 2-2 draw against the Czech Republic last month, when most of the country’s eyes were focused on the battle for gold medals in Beijing.

Only a 10-0 victory against Andorra in Barcelona is likely to gain him plaudits in Sunday’s papers and should England suffer a third consecutive defeat by Croatia, the team that haunted their doomed attempt to qualify for Euro 2008, all hell will break loose.

The Italian has put his head squarely on the chopping block by choosing a squad without the country’s best striker, Michael Owen.

The four strikers he has selected, Wayne Rooney, Emile Heskey, Theo Walcott and Jermain Defoe, have managed just 24 goals between them for England. Owen has 40 on his own.

While Capello could select a bunch of park strikers to beat Andorra, not even considering Owen for the Croatia match, one that could determine the outcome of a tough but not daunting group, could come back to haunt the coach.

Sadly for England, just as the domestic game gets richer and richer, the cupboard looks increasingly bare at international level.

With Steven Gerrard injured there is a real possibility that Fulham’s Jimmy Bullard, an honest player but hardly one to set the pulse racing, could be called in to play a midfield role in Zagreb after his shock call-up.

In some ways that is a refreshing prospect.

With all the money sloshing around the Premier League, the idea that a bloke who learned the game playing non-league football in the Thames estuary can be England’s knight in shining armour restores a little faith in the beautiful game.

PHOTO: Fabio Capello attends an England training session in London Colney, August 18, 2008. REUTERS/ Eddie Keogh

Incredibly, Argentina have lost the last three meetings by three-goals margins — 4-1 at the Confederations Cup in 2005, 3-0 in a friendly in 2006 and 3-0 again in last year’s Copa America final.

That last defeat was particularly painful for Argentina as they had gone into the match as hot favourites. Brazil were missing Kaka and Ronaldinho, both rested, and had struggled through, losing to Mexico in the group stage and getting taken to penalties by Uruguay in the semi-finals.

Argentina, on the other hand, had swept through the tournament with five stylish wins. But, in the final, they were knocked out of their stride by Brazil’s physical power and lethal counter-attacks.

Once again, Argentina appear to start as slight favourites. If Juan Roman Riquelme, Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero all swing into action, they could do Brazil serious damage.

Brazil are also missing Kaka and Ronaldinho because of fitness problems and were beaten 2-0 by Paraguay on Sunday.

Brazil, however, are never as dangerous as when they have just been stung and seem also to revel in facing opponents who actually come out and attack them, leaving spaces at the back, as Argentina do.

Can Argentina end their run of defeats? Or will Brazil again outmuscle them?

PHOTO: Sergio Aguero (R) of Argentina celebrates his second half goal against Mexico with teammate Lionel Messi during their international friendly in San Diego, California June 4, 2008. REUTERS/Mike Blake

The Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia are all among the favourites for a place in the finals in South Africa in two years’ time but find themselves scampering for a coach with their opening group qualifiers four weekends away.

Media reports say the Ivorians are talking to Jean Tigana, the former France international whose origins are African but has never worked on the continent before.

Last month the Ivorian Football Federation decided they would no longer need the services of the German Uli Stielike, even though he had helped them through an unbeaten, and frankly impressive, run in the qualifiers for the 2008 African Nations Cup finals in Ghana.

Tigana, 52, last worked at Besiktas more than a year ago but has been linked with a number of jobs since. Born in Mali, Tigana’s managerial career has also taken him to Fulham in England and to a championship winning spell with Monaco in Ligue 1.

Once appointed he would have just a few weeks to prepare for the opening qualifier against Mozambique in Abidjan on June 1, on paper an easy-looking tie but in reality a potential banana skin for the highly-fancied Elephants.

Tunisia were due to name Jacques Santini as their new coach earlier this week but that has been put on hold because of a sticking point over who is going to pay his tax bill once ensconced in the job.

Newspaper reports on Monday said the Tunisian Football Federation has twice met Santini in Paris but the proposed contract had still to be signed.

As time runs out before Tunisia open their qualifying campaign at home to Burkina Faso on June 1, Santini’s appointment could be delayed as his agents and Tunisian officials quibble over 5,000 euros a month the coach wants to help pay his tax bill.

Santini is to receive a basic salary of 33, 000 euros a month, as well as housing and transport allowances and frequent free flights back to France, according to the state-run La Presse newspaper.

He is set to replace another Frenchman Roger Lemerre. The Tunisian Football Federation had first sought to replace him with the Etoile Sahel coach Bertrand Marchand but their negotiations broke down over his contract.

Morocco have twice postponed a planned announcement of the successor to Frenchman Henri Michel, who was fired after their first round exit at the Nations Cup finals in Ghana in January.

In March they were due to choose between six local coaches but cancelled a planned news conference. Last Thursday they again called off the previously-scheduled unveiling of the coach and have still to shed any light on who will take charge of their first World Cup qualifier against Ethiopia in Casablanca on May 31.

Lemerre, who has just ended a six-year spell in Tunisia, is the hot favourite with Morocco’s press reporting numerous flights in and out of Casablanca’s Mohamed V airport in recent weeks.

Senegal, who have a tough opener against Algeria in Dakar on May 31, have just received FIFA’s permission to overhaul the leadership of their football federation and would presumably seek to get those structures sorted out first before looking to employ a new high profile coach.

Henryk Kasperczak, the former Polish World Cup campaigner, quit during the Nations Cup finals in Ghana and his assistant Lamine Ndiaye took charge of the last match in the tournament against South Africa. But there is no word on who leads the Lions of Teranga later this month.

Mark Gleeson covers African football for Reuters

PHOTO: Former Besiktas coach Jean Tigana wearing a T-shirt with the words: “Kids, We believed. We won the Cup for You” after his team won the Turkish Cup in Izmir May 3, 2006. REUTERS/Fatih Saribas