AFP World Cup briefs on Wednesday:

A Mats of the people

He is not as well known as some of his German team mates, nor is he the most successful in the group, but Borussia Dortmund centre back Mats Hummels is the most popular of Joachim Loew's 23-man-squad for the World Cup, according to a study carried by the University of Hoffenheim.

"Hummels personifies the charismatic competitor who is always calm and fair," explained Markus Voeth, the man in charge of the internet survey of 929 people.

Hummels topped the list ahead of Bayern Munich trio Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm and Thomas Mueller, with his Dortmund team mate Kevin Grosskreutz finishing bottom of the pile. (AFP)

No sex please, we're from Croatia

Nearly nine out of 10 Croatian men would prefer to watch the World Cup than spend "a night of passion with their wives," according to a poll by Ipsos Puls.

Of the 200 married men who took part in the poll, 40% maintained that sexual abstinence would be the easiest sacrifice to make in order to watch matches during the month-long tournament.

Another 30% admitted to having two televisions in their home, as way of "ensuring peace in the household." (AFP)

Fishy situation

The Portuguese team included 200kg of Bacalao cod in their baggage for their flights from New York to Sao Paulo.

The fish, a Portuguese favourite, flew alongside, amongst others, a thousand team shirts and 48 bottles of 10-year-old port. (AFP)

The 800km dog walk to the World Cup

"Negro", a dog which went missing two months ago from the Uruguayan seaside resort of Solis, was recently found in Porto Alegre after a 800km journey with four English football supporters.

The group had been walking for three months as part of the "Walk to the World Cup" project. The trek started in Argentina and Negro joined the party from the Uruguayan coast.

The owner tracked the dog down via Facebook photos from the four, who had renamed him "Jefferson". After travelling to Porto Alegre to collect him, Ignacio Etchichury hopes to watch Uruguay play Costa Rica in Fortaleza on Saturday before returning home. (AFP)

FARC rebels support Colombia

Can football help bring peace to Colombia? The country's FARC rebels say they hope so.

The leftist guerrillas, who have taken part in peace talks in Cuba for more than a year with the government in Bogota, wished their home side well and said they hoped the beautiful game could be an instrument of "reconciliation" for all Colombians.

"We want to express our appreciation, support and best wishes for success and glory" to the national side, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) said in a statement addressed to players and coach Jose Pekerman.

"We will be on the team's side, for better or worse, to support them all the way to the final, in the hopes that with the team of Colombia, which we want to see united, everyone will play for peace." (AFP)

Brazil gets positive vibes

Brazil is seen in a largely positive light abroad, according to a poll, despite fears the World Cup will be plagued by trouble.

A median of 54 percent in some three dozen countries have a favourable view of the South American nation ahead of the month-long competition that starts in Sao Paulo Thursday, the Pew Research Center found.

Brazil gets its highest rating -- 74 percent -- from Chile, with South Korea topping the list of Asian countries surveyed with 63 percent.

In the United States, 51 percent give Brazil a thumbs up while across the Atlantic France leads the pack with 66 percent. Brazil gets an especially enthused response from young people, with majorities in 23 countries holding a favorable view.

But some major Middle Eastern nations aren't so enamored. Some 70 percent of respondents in Jordan expressed unfavorable views, with 65 percent in Turkey and 64 percent in Egypt feeling the same way. (AFP)