Fan in court for England locker room breach

A World Cup fan charged with trespassing after he entered the England team's locker-room and lectured the squad following a lacklustre 0-0 draw with Algeria will go on trial on Friday.

Briton Pavlos Joseph says he wandered by accident into the dressing room while looking for a toilet but also told the team their performance had been a disgrace last Friday.

England lodged an official protest with FIFA, and football's world governing body has also expressed unhappiness after it appeared security guards merely turned the supporter away rather than arrest him.

Joseph, 32, appeared briefly in the special court on Monday where magistrate Aziz Hamied extended his bail and set the trial for Friday.

"We've barely had an opportunity to consult," Joseph's attorney Steven Barker told the court.

"At this point we would agree, reluctantly, to Friday as the trial date."

The state wanted to proceed with the matter but Joseph was not interested in pleading guilty and the defence was not ready for a trial on Monday, Barker earlier told AFP.

"We've tried to negotiate some sort of agreement with the state but it hasn't been successful," he said. "So it seems like at this point we're not going to be able to negotiate a settlement and the accused is not prepared to plead guilty." CAPE TOWN, Tuesday, AFP