World Cup briefs on Thursday:

If Messi was an Englishman !

English rock group The Band of God have released a video imagining the World Cup conquest England would wage if Lionel Messi were on the team. "If Messi Was an Englishman" opens with a review of England's roster and wishfully concludes, "What we need is one Messi."

The video then shows a Photoshopped Messi clad in iconic English garb -- a Yeomen of the Guard uniform, a leather punk-rocker vest -- and touring various national landmarks. It even offers to hand over the Falkland Islands -- or Malvinas, as they are known in Argentina, which tried and failed to seize them from Britain in 1982 -- if Messi's country lets him play for England. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjut53UeVO4

Hungry Hazard's hamburger

Belgium's Eden Hazard spoke publicly for the first time about his infamous "hamburger incident" in a TV interview Sunday.

Hazard was suspended for three matches, later reduced to one, after he was substituted during a Euro 2012 qualifier against Turkey and left the stadium, only to be caught munching a hamburger outside.

"I sent a message to my dad and told him to come outside, that we should leave," said Hazard, recalling his disappointment at being benched. "At the time I was super hungry. That's normal after a match.... Even if it's true that it was a stupid thing to do. But I learned my lesson."

Lufthansa rebrands as Fanhansa

Lufthansa will put new logos on eight of its planes, temporarily rebranding itself as "Fanhansa" in support of the German national team and football fans everywhere, it said.

The logos will debut on a mid-range plane flying from Munich to Hamburg and London, and eventually feature on two more mid-range and five long-haul planes -- including jumbo Boeing 747-8s, where they will be hard to miss, with letters measuring 1.2 meters (four feet) tall and a giant football.

The German flag carrier will transport the national team to Brazil in one of the planes.

I'll drink to that

World Cup fans can celebrate after Brazil's finance ministry postponed a planned tax hike on cold beverages.

Finance Minister Guido Mantega told reporters: "The government will postpone the tax rise. It will be a Cup without drinks price rises."

Zico puts pen to English paper

Brazil legend Zico has signed up for England -- as a World Cup columnist for English newspaper The Guardian.

In his first article, the 1982 World Cup star gave readers his take on the current Brazil team led by Luiz Felipe Scolari.

"Scolari has fine-tuned the team and imprinted his philosophy. Brazil are organized and compact but they also go for the opposition's jugular. I think this team has all the chances to win the tournament," wrote Zico in his debut column.

Battle of the beauties

From football to sexy models, Argentina is battling its arch-rival Brazil on all fronts. After Brazilian supermodel Fernanda Lima distracted fans with her revealing dress during the World Cup draw, Argentina answered by having TV sports reporter and underwear model Alina Moine announce the members of the national squad in a tight-fitting little black dress.

Size S

Iran's coach and players hit out at the country's football federation and kit sponsor for providing shrinking socks and boots that are too small. "They give us large size socks and after two days and being washed they shrink to a small size," said striker Karim Ansarifard. "If you give shoes sized 34 to somebody that wears size 44 he cannot walk five meters," said the team's Portugese coach, Carlos Queiroz, who has had a rocky relationship with the federation. "We expect the coach not to air dirty laundry in public," said federation president Ali Kafashian, with no hint of irony.