WHILE Scotland are enjoying praise after a 2-2 draw with Colombia at the weekend, one of their World Cup group opponents, Morocco, are suffering from a barrage of criticism after flopping against French club side Montpellier in a warm-up match.

Montpellier beat them 3-1 and as a result, the demands for the sacking of the African country's coach, ironically a Frenchman, Henri Michel, have begun.

Newspapers in Morocco have also called for some of the players involved in that defeat to be sent home immediately.

However, a defiant Michel has insisted there is nothing to worry about. He said: ''The defeat against Montpellier shouldn't be taken too seriously as it was only a bounce match.

''There is still a long way to go until the finals and there is no doubt that things will be different when we get there. I have every confidence we will do well once we get to France.''

He does not seem to be over- concerned about Scotland's presence in the group, either.

He said: ''Brazil will probably lead the group, but the Moroccans still have the chance to challenge Norway for second spot.''

Morocco have been training hard in the hope that the 1998 World Cup will restore honour after a pitiful showing in the United States four years ago when they lost all three matches against Poland (2-1), Belgium (1-0) and Saudi Arabia (2-1). Adding to the team's frustration was the 1-0 quarter-final loss to South Africa in the 1998 African Nations Cup in Burkina Faso.

However, under Michel, the Atlas Lions have won 19 matches and lost only three. Michel has led them since 1995 after coaching France to the 1986 World Cup semi-finals.

The team boast eight World Cup veterans and a number of players who play for foreign clubs - including Noureddine Naybet, a sweeper with more than 90 caps, who plays for Spanish first division team Deportivo La Coruna. Michel has yet to decide on the final line-up, opting to wait until the team finish the King Hassan tournament this week when, as well as England, they meet Belgium and France.

His caution is well-advised in a country where fans are inclined to excessive reaction depending on the fate of the team. National exuberance greeted the side's strong performance in the 1970 World Cup, when they more than held their own against Germany before losing. In contrast, criticism was heaped on the team after bombing in 1994.

Michel is aiming for a repeat of the 1986 World Cup, where the Atlas Lions succeeded in moving to the second round after beating Portugal and drawing against Poland and England. The team lost to Germany, who scored a goal after 87 minutes. But the tournament was widely heralded as an example of excellent Moroccan football.

q Organisers believe the tournament will rake in more cash than the United States managed in 1994. However, estimates vary for the profits it will generate and the French government have poured in huge amounts of money.

A FIFA spokesman said operating profit this time would be more than the #50m four years ago.

Didier Forterre, chairman of ISL France, the French arm of FIFA's marketing organisation ISL, forecasts operating profit of up to #100m. But without lavish spending by the French government, who have ploughed in one billion pounds, this year's tournament would be a financial dis-aster, said one executive

''Without the (French) state this World Cup would be a big loss maker,'' said the executive.

He said the 1994 tournament's profits were made without pump-priming by the public sector.

France, where economic recovery is starting to be felt, is hoping that hosting the tournament will allow it to vaunt its qualities in front of the world.

It will play to record television audiences. Some 37.5 billion people will watch the event around the world. The country desperately wants to put on a good show, although it is certainly the cheapest World Cup television stations will have for some time.

Match broadcasting rights in Europe for the 2002 and 2008 World Cups have been sold to Germany's Kirch Group for 2.8bn Swiss francs, more than seven times their present price.

''The television rights for this World Cup are priced below their real value,'' Forterre said.

The seven-fold price rise for broadcasting rights was justified, but would shake up the way TV stations buy broadcasting rights, he added.

Instead of being available only to a clan of prominent public and private broadcasters in each European country, Kirch and ISL, who are selling broadcasting rights to the next two World Cup events outside Europe, will probably be open to offers from any channel seeking access to the event, he said.

These will include the plethora of new channels available only on cable and satellite networks, which are increasingly moving over to digital technology.

q Romanian coach Anghel Iordanescu could lose central defender Daniel Prodan because of a lingering knee injury.

''Prodan's recovery after his knee surgery is taking time and I'm concerned over my team's central defence for France,'' Iordanescu said.

''The worst is that the alternatives are not the best,'' he said.

Earlier this month, the Atletico Madrid defender underwent surgery on his left knee.

Iordanescu said he will name his final 22-man squad for France on June 2.