What a build-up! Fights, feuds, money wrangles and even a dispute over the balls. Roll on the World Cup...

Feuding Irishmen, brawling Swedes, vanishing Cameroonians and a balls-up over the official match ball. A week before the first competitive kick of the tournament proper, the World Cup finals in the Far East are already turning into one of the most compelling ever.

And if there was a World Cup for fiascos, the Irish would already have the medals hanging around their necks. Roy Keane ­ Irish captain, Manchester United hero ­ concluded two days of turbulence by being sent home in disgrace. Ireland's manager, Mick McCarthy, decided that he was "a disruptive influence" on his squad at their base on the western Pacific island of Saipan and sent him packing after a blazing row.

England, it goes without saying, would have snapped him up with glee. At least Keane could clamber on to an aeroplane, a major challenge for all but a handful of the members of their own crocked midfield, with Liverpool's Danny Murphy the latest major doubt through injury. At least David Beckham is getting better, albeit painfully slowly.

The only bright spot is that everybody else seems to be in a spot of bother. One of England's group challengers, Nigeria, have also been involved in a pre-tournament controversy over their squad selection. Two players, including Ipswich Town's Finidi George, asked for their air fares to the African Nations Cup to be refunded. This presumably was an error of the grossest kind. They haven't played for their country since, prompting public criticism of his manager by the captain, Jay Jay Okocha.

Their fellow Africans from Cameroon, who face England in a warm-up game on Sunday, were having their own difficulties. The party, which includes four players from the English Premiership, finally arrived at their designated base in Japan last night, four days after they were scheduled to arrive.

Their flight to the Orient was originally due to leave Paris on Tuesday. It finally took off 24 hours late and developed into a something of an endurance test for those on board, making stopovers in Ethiopia, India (a nine-hour wait in Bombay) and Thailand.

The true reason for the delay, once the Bermuda Triangle had been discounted, was a squabble over bonuses. The African champions wanted their money before setting foot on the plane.

The "Indomitable Lions", as Cameroon are known, had been expected in the village of Nakatsue, on the island of Kyushu, on Monday. The local population, all 1,370 of them, have had to cancel a welcoming ceremony.

Earlier, Russia's squad refused to break their journey at Khabarovsk in Russia's Far East. Russian officials had scheduled the stopover to save money but player power forced them to commission a non-stop flight to Nagoya, Japan, on a VIP Ilyushin-62.

And the problems continued. Portugal had to send one of their young players, Daniel Kenedy, home for failing a drugs test. But he was uncapped anyway. More significantly, Spain's Raul had a spat with his trainer before they left, but everyone is friends again. So it seems are the fighting Swedes. England's first group opponents, on 2 June, were probably among the last of the 32 nations taking part in Japan and South Korea that one would have expected to be riven by internal strife.

From Stefan Edberg to Sven Goran Eriksson, the image of the Swedish sports personality is of an urbane, educated and temperamentally sound character, yet two of their English-based players became embroiled in an extraordinary training-ground fight at their Japanese HQ yesterday.

In a challenge redolent of Roy Keane, Aston Villa's Olof Mellberg scythed down Freddie Ljungberg, of Arsenal, during a practice match at Myazaki. Ljungberg, who is nicknamed "Sid Vicious" because of a punk hairstyle that features a vivid red streak, leapt to his feet and grabbed Mellberg by the throat.

The pair crashed to the turf grappling, kicking and thrashing about as colleagues tried to separate them. Sweden's coaching staff abruptly ended the session, after which the combatants put on a show of unity for the media. Mellberg, who told The Independent in an interview earlier this month that he regarded Ljungberg as his closest friend in the national squad, said: "Of course, I regret it. It's nothing to be proud of. It was stupid. You can't put a positive spin on what I did."

But, in a thinly veiled warning to England, the spokesman for the Swedish Football Association, Mats Engqvist, sought to do that. "It's getting very competitive now," he purred. "The boys are really up for it."

More skulduggery came in the form of threatening telephone calls to the wife of one of the Uruguayans. And the obligatory contract dispute came with the Belgian coach's announcement that he was quitting at the end of the World Cup.

However, all the frowns over these little problems were as nothing compared with the gloom sweeping across Ireland last night. In a move which some supporters will view as cutting off the nose to spite the face, McCarthy's action left the Irish team one player short of the 23 permitted, the deadline for nominating squads having passed.

The manager, a bluff Yorkshireman of Irish descent from Barnsley, expelled his key performer after a meeting called to clear the air over Keane's criticism of the team's preparations turned into what McCarthy called "a slanging match" between the pair.

The Keane saga ­ which may not have run its course, with at least one tabloid reputedly ready to delve into his private life on Sunday ­ began earlier in the week. Keane confirmed his reputation for confrontation with complaints about the 17-hour flight to Saipan and the training facilities there. He also argued vehemently with two of the coaching staff and then announced he was quitting the squad. However, after a number of phone calls home ­ including one to the United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, whom he has pointedly described as "the only man I trust in football" ­ he declared his intention to retire from the international scene after the World Cup.

But the simmering hostility between himself and McCarthy boiled over yesterday, when the latter alleged that Keane criticised "virtually everything". Explaining his drastic move, which seems certain to mean Keane has played his last match for the Republic, the manager said: "I cannot and will not tolerate that level of abuse being thrown at me, so I sent him home. Roy is one of the best players in the world, but he is a disruptive influence."

Irish Prime Minister and Manchester United fan Bertie Ahern was, unlike most, diplomatic about the row, professing only to being "disappointed" by developments. "Soccer at international level is a very tough business and I wish Mick and the rest of the team well in their preparations for the challenge ahead," he said.

It is not just the footballers who are causing problems ­ even the tournament ball, made by Adidas, is a matter of controversy. It has been denounced by Italy's captain, Paolo Maldini, and goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon. "It seems to stick to your foot," said Maldini. "It needs a perfect surface, not a dry one, so the grass is going to be important."

Buffon said he needed 10 to 15 days to get used to the ball, which was "crazy, like one of those bouncing balls you play with when you're a kid".

The World Cup: crazy, but if the Roy Keane and Sid Vicious episodes are any indication, perhaps they are just bound to get crazier.