Seoul — The Fifa Under-20 World Cup kicks off in South Korea on Saturday and looks wide open after 2015 champions Serbia and beaten finalists Brazil failed to qualify. Some of the world’s top young footballing talent will be on display, with more than 500 players in 24 teams taking part, but the bookmakers are split on who to make favourites. Bet365 make 2013 winners and 2016 under-19 European champions France 6-1 favourites, followed by Germany at 7-1 and Uruguay and Argentina at 9-1. But Bwin have Germany at 4-1, Argentina at 5-1, France at 7-1 and Italy at 9-1. France’s Bleuets will be without Monaco prodigy Kylian Mbappe, who misses out at the insistence of his club and French senior coach Didier Deschamps, whose team have three matches to play early in June. Saturday’s opening game sees Venezuela — whose squad includes four full internationals including the 12-cap Malaga forward Adalberto Penaranda — take on Germany in a Group B encounter in Daejeon. It is followed in Jeonju by...
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