Monday 31 May 2010

Mokoena grabs 100th cap as South Africa thrash Guatemala

Captain Aaron Mokoena became the first South African to win 100 caps when the World Cup hosts beat Guatemala 5-0 in a friendly at Peter Mokaba Stadium.

The Portsmouth defender wore a shirt with the number 100 emblazoned on the back as his side scored five goals in a single game for the first time in more than 250 internationals since returning to world football 18 years ago.

For a second successive match South Africa were awarded two generous penalties to help them on their way to victory in Polokwane.

The first came in the 11th minute and as a surprise to both teams.

Television replays showed a long-range shot from Siphiwe Tshabalala hit the shoulder of Guatemala defender Gustavo Cabrera but he was outside his penalty area.

Katlego Mphela converted to hand the home team the lead, doubled 15 minutes later by a strong volley from Reneilwe Letsholonyane after a persistent run by leftback Lucas Thwala provided a cross into the penalty area.





Following a strong run down the left wing, Mphela delivered a square ball for substitute Surprise Moriri to tap-in in the 48th minute after coming on as one of three halftime changes.

A handball by Cabrera earned South Africa another penalty in the 56th minute which Mphela again tucked away.

Five minutes earlier, Guatemala had also been awarded a spot kick for an innocuous-looking handball but Guillermo Ramirez's effort was saved by Moeneeb Josephs.

Bernard Parker got the fifth with eight minutes remaining.

The win stretched the team's unbeaten run to 11 matches since the return of Carlos Alberto Parreira as coach last November.

Nigeria names its 23 man squad for the World Cup

Ike Uche and Victor Anichebe are the two high profile casualties of Lars Lagerback's cull as he named his 23 players for the World Cup on Monday.


Joining the duo are Peter Utaka, Onyekachi Apam, Brown Ideye and the two domestic players Bassey Akpan and Terna Suswan.

The Swede announced the list to the players at a meeting where he called the affected players together and explained to them why they were being dropped.

"He called them together and explained that time was too short, and that injuries were also a factor," Super Eagles Media Officer Idah Peterside told KickOffNigeria.com.

More importantly, Peterside said Lagerback assured the players that in the unlikely event of injury to any player on the 23-man squad before kickoff, he would look no farther than that seven-man group.

The contingent leaves for South Africa later on Monday.

Nigeria squad
Goalkeepers : Vincent Enyeama (Hapoel Tel Aviv, Israel), Dele Aiyenugba (Bnei Yehuda, Israel), Austin Ejide (Hapoel Petach Tikvah, Israel)

Defenders : Taye Taiwo (Marseille, France), Elderson Echiejile (Rennes, France), Chidi Odiah (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Joseph Yobo (Everton, England), Ayodele Adeleye (Sparta Rotterdam, Netherlands), Rabiu Afolabi (SV Salzburg, Austria), Danny Shittu (Bolton Wanderers, England)

Midfielders: Kalu Uche (Almeria, Spain), Dickson Etuhu (Fulham, England), John Mikel Obi (Chelsea, England), Sani Kaita (Alaniya, Russia), Haruna Lukman (AS Monaco, France), Yusuf Ayila (Dynamo Kiev, Ukraine)

Strikers: Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Everton, England), Nwankwo Kanu (Portsmouth, England), Obafemi Martins (Wolfsburg, Germany), John Utaka(Portsmouth, England), Victor Obinna Nsofor (Malaga, Spain), Osaze Odemwingie (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia), Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi (TSG Hoffenheim, Germany)






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Morten Olsen reveals Denmark's 23 man squad for World Cup.

Denmark coach Morten Olsen on Friday unveiled a 23-man squad that will meet the Netherlands, Cameroon and Japan in group E of the World Cup.

Goalkeepers: Thomas Soerensen (Stoke City/ENG), Stefan Andersen (Broendby), Jesper Christiansen (FC Copenhagen).

Defenders: Daniel Agger (Liverpool/ENG), Simon Kjaer (Palermo/ITA), Per Kroeldrup (Fiorentina/ITA), Lars Jacobsen (Blackburn/ENG), Simon Busk Poulsen (AZ Alkmaar/NED), William Kvist Joergensen (FC Copenhagen), Patrick Mtiliga (Malaga/ESP).

Midfielders: Daniel Jensen (Werder Bremen/GER), Christian Poulsen (Juventus/ITA), Christian Eriksen (Ajax/NED), Jakob Poulsen (AGF), Martin Joergensen (AGF), Mikkel Beckmann (Randers), Thomas Enevoldsen (FC Groningen/NED), Thomas Kahlenberg (Wolfsburg/GER), Dennis Rommedahl (Ajax/NED), Jesper Groenkjaer (FC Copenhagen).





Strikers: Jon Dahl Tomasson (Feyenoord/NED), Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal/ENG), Soeren Larsen (Duisburg/GER).

Blow for Slovakia as Miroslav Karkhan is ruled out from finals

Slovakia midfielder Miroslav Karhan will miss the World Cup due to an Achilles tendon injury.

Karhan, who first played for Slovakia in 1995, has 13 goals in 96 appearances for his country. He currently plays for German club Mainz.

"There's a little tear which means I can't take part in the tournament," said Karhan, according to a report on FIFA's website. "I have a three-week break ahead of me and the World Cup begins in two weeks. So my withdrawal is final."





Slovakia plays New Zealand on June 15 in its World Cup opener, and also plays Italy and Paraguay in Group F.

Mexico are rampant against a weak Gambia

Manchester United-bound striker Javier Hernandez and Adolfo Bautista each netted twice as Mexico completed their FIFA World Cup™ preparations with a hansome win over Gambia in Bayreuth, Germany.

Having lost successive friendlies to England and the Netherlands, Mexico needed a morale-boosting result and delivered in emphatic fashion.

Gambia kept the deficit to 1-0 at half-time, Hernandez's 18th-minute opener the only goal, but there was a rush of activity in the second period.





Ebrima Bohna made it 3-1 after Hernandez's second and Bautista's first had swelled Mexico's advantage.

Alberton Medina wrapped things up nine minutes from time, shortly after Bautista completed his brace.

Chile beat Isreal 3-0 in World Cup warm up

Chile maintained their winning rhythm as they prepare for the World Cup finals after securing a 2-0 win over Israel, thanks a first half strike from Humberto Suazo and second half goals from Alexis Sanchez and Rodrigo Tello.

Following their 1-0 win over Northern Ireland in Chillan earlier on Sunday, Marcelo Bielsa's side made the journey west to Concepcion for their second friendly of the day as Bielsa fielded a far stronger lineup for the test from Luis Fernandez's side.
The hosts were always in control on a misty night at the Estadio Municipal de Concepcion and could have gone in front minutes before Suazo found the net.

The Zaragoza front man got through one on one with Dudu Aouate but the veteran goalkeeper did enough to claim the ball at Suazo's feet when a goal seemed certain.
Suazo did score two minutes later as Jorge Valdivia carved open the Israeli defence, placing an excellent ball into the path of the excellent Carlos Carmona down the right. Both Carmona and Suazo looked suspiciously offside but the Reggina man squared it to Suazo who made no mistake smashing it home from eight yards as Aouate tried in vain to block.

In a first half of few chances Jean Beausejour had a great opportunity to extend Chile's lead but opted to take a touch when it called for a first time shot as la Roja's players seemed to be queuing up to strike inside the Israeli penalty box.








At the other end, Claudio Bravo was merely a spectator as Israel failed to threaten. Auoate was called into action once again just before the interval making a smart one-handed save low to his right from Valdivia's well struck 25-yard free kick.

After the break the South Americans continued to probe with some promising build up play and their endeavours were rewarded five minutes in when Alexis Sanchez added to the brace he hit against Zambia by netting a fine solo effort.

Racing through the middle the Udinese striker was afforded too much time and space and made the Israeli's pay unleashing a low drive which sailed past the outstretched Aouate from 20 yards.

Both coaches made changes in the second half and while Chile continued to dominate Aouate was never really stretched until the final minute when Tello struck Chile's third, pouncing on a poor headed clearance to volley home from 22 yards to seal a convincing win.

The South Americans now have just one remaining warm-up game against New Zealand before taking on Honduras in their opening group game on June 16.


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Nigeria claw back hard fought draw with Colombia

Technical Adviser Lars Lagerback made 10 changes to the side which turned out a forgettable 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia, as he sought to get a closer look at more of his squad.

The move looked to have backfired when Valdes took advantage of a poor clearance to crack home an unstoppable volley.

But the Nigerians refused to let their heads drop, and although they were giving the ball away in midfield, kept their heads, and more importantly, their calm.

Lagerback threw on Haruna Lukman in the second half, and it was the young Monaco midfielder who stabilised the central areas, and created danger with his passing.

It was no surprise then, that it was he who found a way to break down the South Americans.

Kalu Uche, who had also come in as a substitute, skinned his man down the right with an audacious flick of the inside of his boot and delivered a cross into the box.

Obafemi Martins chased down the ball and the clearance fell to Lukman, who stroked it in first time from 25 yards.





From then on, it was one-way traffic, with the Eagles in total control with their passing and movement. But Colombia had two good chances on the break, which Rabiu Afolabi did well to cut out.

Overall, it was a more pleasing display to both the fans, and the coaching staff, and Lukman, with this performance, would have forced Lagerback's hand.

Van Persie back for Holland with brace against Mexico

Robin van Persie was left enthused with his two-goal return for Holland in a 2-1 friendly win against Mexico in Germany last night, although it was later revealed he suffered tightness in his hamstrings. The 26-year-old Arsenal striker had not played for Holland since rupturing ankle ligaments in a friendly against Italy in November.

Van Persie only returned for Arsenal at the end of last season, but his double last night showed he should be fit and firing for the World Cup. Both goals came during a dominant first-half display, and while Van Persie was indebted to a pair of defence-splitting assists by midfield duo Rafael van der Vaart and Ibrahim Afellay, he converted both chances with unerring confidence.





"The assists of Van der Vaart and Afellay were both amazing," Van Persie said. "It wasn't too much of a problem to find the net after their great passes. This Dutch team really is of very high quality.

"We were quite impressive for the majority of the first half and we have shown what we're capable of. I've seen some very good attacks before the break. We were unable to keep up our good form after the interval, but that isn't too much of a problem. It was our first exhibition game so we are satisfied.

"We have trained very hard in the past couple of days and that showed in the second half."



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Ivory Coast defense lets them down against Paraguay

Once again question marks will be raised about the Ivorian defence as they failed to show a disciplined defensive performance in their Praguay friendly yesterday.

Ivory Coast wasted a two-goal lead Sunday to draw 2-2 with Paraguay in a friendly that marked coach Sven-Goran Eriksson's first game in charge.

Didier Drogba netted with a 54th-minute free kick that was deflected by the Paraguay wall and deceived goalkeeper Justo Villar.

Substitute Soulemayne Bamba made it 2-0 in the 74th, arriving late at the far post to volley home a deep cross.

Paraguay substitute Lucas Barrios scored a minute later with a powerful low shot and Aureliano Torres then saw his free kick deflected into the Ivorians' net in the 89th.





Eriksson, who took England to the quarterfinals at the past two World Cups, was appointed in March to lead Ivory Coast in South Africa.



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Superior Japan suffer unlucky loss to England.

Fabio Capello's preparation for the World Cup suffered a slight knock as England found themselves struggling against a rampant Japan.

England started sloppily and were punished after six minutes when Marcus Tulio Tanaka met Yasuhito Endo's corner and crashed the ball past David James.

Frank Lampard had a penalty saved before England levelled when Tanaka headed Joe Cole's cross in his own net.

And England stole the win when Yuji Nakazawa turned Ashley Cole's ball in.





England boss Fabio Capello will trim his squad from the provisional 30 to a 23-man World Cup party on Tuesday and after the match the Italian revealed he had made his mind up who would be selected - but would not share the information.



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Sunday 30 May 2010

Ghana announce 23-man squad

Bernard Kumordzie, goalkeeper Stephen Adams and midfielder Agyemang Badu were the other casualties from the 29-man squad released by the Serbian late on Saturday as the team prepared to hit Rotterdam for an international friendly against Holland on Tuesday.

Ghana’s Serbian coach settled on his final squad after five days of training in Paris and decided some of his big names were past it ahead for the campaign in South Africa.

The official squad made nonsense of the many rumoured lists that made the rounds in the media in the past weeks and is bound to shock many in the Ghana game too.

Laryea Kingston missed the 2006 World Cup through suspension and was desperate to put in a show in South Africa so much so that he run into trouble into his club side Hearts over his national team commitments.

Hamini Dramani and Eric Addo who both played in Ghana’s first World Cup seemed to have fallen on their poor showing for Ghana at the 2010 Nations Cup in Angola while Emmanuel Agyemang Badu lost out because of an injury he picked up towards the end of the Serie A season.

Rajevac kept faith with John Mensah despite the fact that he had done very little contact training with the squad all week after a season at Sunderland which was blighted by one injury after another. Also in is Quincy Owusu-Abeyie who last played for the Black Stars in Rajevac’s first game in charge back in September 2008.

The squad are now due to arrive in Rotterdam on Sunday ahead of their friendly meeting against Holland on Tuesday before travelling to England to play Latvia in Milton Keynes next Saturday.

Ghana kick off their World Cup campaign against Serbia in Pretoria on June 13 in Group D which also includes Germany and Australia.





Ghana Squad:

Goalkeepers: Richard Kingson, Daniel Agyei, Stephen Aholu

Defenders: John Paintsil, John Mensah, Samuel Inkoom, Hans Adu Sarpei, Rahim Ayew, Lee Addy, Isaac Vorsah, Jonathan Mensah

Midfielders: Kwadwo Asamoah, Anthony Annan, Sulley Muntari, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, Stephen Appiah, Andre Ayew, Derek Boateng

Attackers: Asamoah Gyan, Prince Tagoe, Dominic Adiyiah, Mathew Amoah 
 

Sven Eriksson says progress from Group of Death possible

Ivory Coast manager Sven-Goran Eriksson believes that his team are capable of progressing from the World Cup’s ‘Group of Death.’  Eriksson took charge of the Ivory Coast team on March 28, replacing Vahid Halilhodzic after a poor African Nations Cup performance.

The former England manager has been leading him team at their training camp in Switzerland and will manage his first match with the Ivory Coast on Sunday when the Elephants take on fellow World Cup participants Paraguay.

Despite being placed into a group with Portugal, Brazil and North Korea, Eriksson is confident that his squad can progress to the knockout stages in South Africa.





"We know that we are in a very difficult group, but I really believe we have a good chance to move on," Eriksson told Swedish newspaper Sportbladet.

"It is a golden opportunity (for an African nation) to go far in the World Cup in Africa."

The 62-year-old thinks that the Ivory Coast have a strong and unique team that can overcome the fact that he has only been with the squad a short time.

"The time is short, yes. But I cannot do anything about it. It is up to us leaders and players to form a team on and off the field. And I think we are going the right way. (The squad has) a combination of technique, speed, and many of them are so incredibly physically strong. It is a very interesting team. I have never had a team with that combination before."

Eriksson, who led England to the quarter-finals in 2002 and 2006 World Cups, considers the task of leading Ivory Coast a more difficult assignment.

"This is perhaps a greater challenge, although there was a big challenge with England also," he said.

"It feels wonderful in every case. I know we have a good team and going into a World Cup is more than wonderful.


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Japan face tough test against England today.

For England's Manager Fabio Capello it is the last in a series of positive warm up games, but for his Japanese opposite number Takeshi Okada it is another in a what has been a tough warm up series.

Following a poor show by Japan in a 2-0 defeat to arch rivals South Korea in a friendly match on 24 May, Japanese coach Takeshi Okada is now under pressure. He was severely criticized by Japanese media, but Motoaki Inukai, the president of Japan Football Association, asked the coach to continue his job till the world cup 2010.

The upcoming friendly match against England is now seen as a big challenge for Japanese coach who could have been sacked following Japan’s defeat to South Korea unless there was world cup coming up next. Japan will face England on 30 May 2010 in Austria.

South Korea dominated over Japan throughout the match with captain Park Ji-Sung and Park Chu-Young scoring for the visitors. Japanese media reacted very strongly blaming the coach’s irresponsibility.





On Tuesday, England clinched a 3-1 victory over Mexico at the Wembley stadium in London, but the Three Lions were not as impressive as the score line may suggest. Mexico, in fact, outperformed England in terms of ball possession.

However, England striker Wayne Rooney has assured that they would come back strongly against Japan. Captain Rio Ferdinand also voiced the same. English players would like to give their best against Japan as this is apparently their last chance to claim a place in the final 23-man squad.

So, Japan can expect a more determined England with the players looking to impress coach Fabio Capello. As a result, Takeshi Okada and his team may face tougher challenge from England than what they experience against South Korea at home.

Capello ready to wait on injured Gareth Barry

Fabio Capello has said he is ready to take a risk on Gareth Barry despite the mid fielders injury.

Fabio Capello is prepared to wait until the last possible moment before deciding whether to include Gareth Barry in his final squad for the World Cup after a scan on his ankle injury yesterday proved inconclusive.

Capello had expected the examination to yield a definitive verdict, but the specialist indicated that it was too early to say whether the Manchester City midfield player’s injury would heal in time for him to play a significant role in the finals.

Barry, who has started 19 of Capello’s 23 games in charge, will be given as
long as possible to prove his fitness before the England manager names his final 23-man squad next Tuesday. The 29-year-old has undergone oxygen treatment, injections and soft-tissue massage in the hope of accelerating his recovery since he suffered the injury to his right ankle in City’s penultimate game of the Barclays Premier League season, at home to Tottenham Hotspur on May 5, but so far his only running has been on a water treadmill.

Barry will not join the rest of the England squad when they fly back to Irdning, Austria, today for the second part of their training camp. He will be assessed again in London at the weekend, with Capello looking for reassurances that, even if the player is not fit in time to feature in the opening game against the United States on June 12, he can play some part in the remaining group matches.





Franco Baldini, the England general manager, was in Hartford, Connecticut, to watch the United States in their warm-up match last night against the Czech Republic. A member of Capello’s staff will watch Algeria, another of England’s group opponents, when they play Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

Capello has still to determine David Beckham’s role in South Africa. Beckham,
the former captain, was invited to stay with the squad after being ruled out of the tournament with an Achilles tendon injury in March, but he will not link up with the team until they depart for the tournament on June 2.

Germany beat Hungary 3-0 in impressive win

The German steam roller presses on as they notch up another comprehensive win, this time against Hungary.

Despite resting the four players that started Bayern Munich's UEFA Champions League defeat to Inter Milan, Germany dominated throughout in Budapest.

Lukas Podolski opened the scoring from the penalty spot after just four minutes and only a string of saves from Gabor Kiraly prevented Germany from leading by a greater margin at the break.

Mario Gomez and Cacau then struck in the second half to seal a comfortable victory for Joachim Low's side.

Podolski, who scored just twice for Cologne in the Bundesliga this season, showed how he transforms when he pulls on a Germany shirt as he tested Kiraly with a powerful drive in the third minute.

The Hungary goalkeeper was in for a busy night and he passed his first test by tipping the ball over, but he was let down by his team-mates from the resultant corner when Sandor Torghelle pulled down Per Mertesacker inside the penalty area.

Podolski stepped up to place his penalty into the top corner to give Low's side the lead.

A good combination between Mesut Ozil and Piotr Trochowski led to a shot from the former being saved by Kiraly, who denied the Werder Bremen winger again moments later.





Kiraly made further saves to thwart Miroslav Klose and Ozil again as Hungary held on desperately until half-time.

Low made several changes to his side at the break and one of his substitutes

Gomez scored with practically his first touch of the match.

He was sent through by another substitute, Marko Marin, and managed to just poke the ball into the bottom corner as Kiraly raced from his line in the 69th minute.

Gomez was on target five times in a midweek 24-0 victory over a local amateur team in Germany's training camp in Sudtirol and showed he is desperate not to be one of the two names dropped by Low to form his final 23-man squad next Tuesday as he set up the third.

His pass sent Cacau through and the Stuttgart striker rounded Kiraly before placing the ball into the empty net to boost his chances of boarding the flight to South Africa.

And Low's task in trimming his squad will be made all the harder after Marcell Jansen, Marin, Trochowski and debutant Holger Badstuber all made good impressions.



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USA 2 - Turkey 1

USA gain valuable win over turkey in their last friendly before leaving for South Africa.

USA eventually gave Philadelphia the farewell party it demanded and, in the second half at least, something for Fabio Capello to ponder.

But America must know that if they play as they did in the opening half, the champagne corks popping in Rustenburg will bear an English stamp.

A crowd of more than 50,000 gathered at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field to wish the USA safe passage to the World Cup.

With the barbecues fired and the beer flowing in the vast car parks it was all going so well until the referee blew his whistle. Thereafter Turkey went through their short-passing, quick-footed repertoire to leave American coach Bob Bradley with serious remedial work to do at half time.

The opening goal followed a blueprint available to Capello. Whipps Cross-born Colin Kazim-Richardson sliced open a pedestrian defence to set Arda Turan away in acres of space down the left, the kind of room Aaron Lennon or Theo Walcott will relish if offered in Rustenburg. Turan survived a scissored challenge from two defenders to crack the ball past Tim Howard in goal.

The same defence shortcomings exposed on Tuesday night during the 4-2 defeat to the Czech Republic were evident here. AC Milan stopper Oguchi Onyewu failed to make the starting line-up again following the patellar tendon rupture suffered last October. Carlos Bocanegra, who had minor surgery to correct a hernia three weeks ago, filled in at left back with Jay DeMerit and Clarence Goodson forming a flat-footed pairing at centre-back.





West Ham’s Jonathan Spector was routinely outpaced at right back, offering Capello potentially rich rewards down the left. The one threat presented in the first half came from Jozy Altidore, whose cross after breaking into the box down the right, narrowly escaped the outstretched boot of Landon Donovan.

The introduction of Jose Torres and Robbie Findlay after the break produced significant forward thrust. Guus Hiddink’s team were hardly busting a gut to defend their lead and as the hour approached the Americans found a way to release Donovan, who disguised his pass beautifully to pick out the advancing Altidore.

Not oven Altidore, who failed to score in 25 successive games for Hull, could miss that cherry. What little interest Turkey retained evaporated allowing Clint Dempsey to add a second and clip a post with the cake there to be iced in the closing minutes.



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Serbian fans riot after New Zealand loss

Serbia lost 1-0 to New Zealand in a friendly played in Austria. The result would be of the concern to Serbian fans and a big boost to New Zealand's.

Serbia's stand-in captain Nemanja Vidic had to appeal for calm over the microphone as his country's fans rioted during the second-half of a 1-0 World Cup warm-up defeat by New Zealand yesterday. Around 10,000 Serbia fans, mostly expatriates living in Austria, attended the match and trouble erupted in the second half when they threw burning flares, bottles and missiles on to the pitch.






Several invaded the pitch and had to be dragged away by security before Manchester United's Vidic stepped in to urge calm as the match officials and New Zealand's players were getting ready to walk off. The match was held up for several minutes before restarting.

The ugly scenes compounded a miserable afternoon for Serbia with New Zealand's Shane Smeltz scoring the only goal in the 22nd minute.

Spain struggle to beat Saudi Arabia

World Cup favourites Spain put up a less than inspiring performance as they struggled to beat Saudi Arabia in the World Cup warm up match.

European champion Spain scrambled a 3-2 victory over modest Saudi Arabia in a World Cup warmup game on Saturday





A strong Spanish lineup fell behind to the Saudis and, despite goals by David Villa and Xabi Alonso, was being held 2-2 in the final stages until Fernando Llorente headed the winner in injury time.

Algeria have a lot of work to do after Irish defeat

Algeria has to go back to the drawing board after suffering a heavy 3-0 defeat to Ireland in their latest friendly.

The euphoria of qualifying at the expense of bitter rivals Egypt has now turned into a cold reality for the Desert Foxes.

There is serious work to be done if they want to prevent their stay in South Africa from being a brief and painful one.

Saadane's decision to delay his team's first World Cup warm-up until just a fortnight before kick-off now appears to have been misguided as his team looked rusty and disorganised in Dublin.





And the coach acknowledged afterwards that his team has much to do to avoid defeat in South Africa, not least at the hands of England, and improve on their abject performance against an Irish side who have not qualified for the World Cup.



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Thursday 27 May 2010

Germany beat local side by a whopping 24-0

Say what you like about the Germans but one think you can't say is that they are not ruthlessly efficient as a young Italian side found out.

Germany smashed a whopping 24 goals without reply against amateur side Eppan at their pre-World Cup training camp in Sudtirol, Northern Italy.

Bayern Munich strikers Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez scored five goals each on their playing return from Champions League final duty, while fellow forwards Cacau and Stefan Kiessling scored two apiece and Cologne’s Lukas Podolski was also on target.





In midfield, Hamburg’s Piotr Trochowski grabbed a hat-trick, Andreas Beck and Toni Kroos each hit a brace, while Arne Friedrich and Sami Khedira also scored.


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Michael Essien ruled out of World Cup

Ghana's chances at the World Cup suffered a huge blow as the talismanic midfielder has been ruled out of the World Cup.

The 27-year-old Chelsea and Ghana midfield player missed a large part of the season due to knee and ankle injuries and has hardly played any competitive football since December.

Milovan Rajevac, the Ghana coach, had hoped Essien would be passed fit for the tournament in South Africa this summer, but the Ghana Football Association today announced he was not expected to be back in action until the end of July.





“An evaluation by a combined team of medical experts from the Ghana Football Association and Chelsea Football Club revealed that Essien will not make full recovery until the end of July,” a statement read.



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Diego Forlan and Sebastian Abreu punish Israel

Uruguay romped home with a 4-1 win over Israel as their preparation for the World Cup next month moves into top gear.

Uruguay gave themselves a boost when they overcame an inexperienced Israel side 4-1 during a practice match at Montevideo. Coach Oscar Tabarez was delighted with the performance of strikers Diego Forlan and Sebastian Abreu (scorer in 75th and 81st min.) Another came from Alvaro Pereira, converting an assist by midfield playmaker “Nacho” Gonzalez on 37.






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Chile whip Zambia 3-0 in World Cup preparation

Substitute Alexis Sanchez scored a second half brace as Chile beat Zambia 3-0 in an international friendly game played at Calama’s Estadio Municipal.

Zambia started the match strongly clad in the new copper strip with both William Nobvu and Hichani Himonde testing Chilean goalkeeper from long range before Kalililo Kakonje made a great save to deny Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Zambia saw two players booked in a space of six minutes. Firstly, Felix Katongo was booked for a late challenge on a Chilean player in the 21st minute and then Rainford Kalaba who was playing his first competitive match since the Nigeria game in Angola entered the referee’s entered the referee’s book for a similar offence.






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World Cup favourites Brazil arrive in South Africa

The World Cup is definitely ready to kick as favourites Brazil arrived today.

Brazil arrived in Johannesburg on Thursday to embark on a journey they hope will take them to a record sixth World Cup title.

Usually hot pre-tournament favourites wherever the quadrennial international football showcase is staged, Brazil have been downgraded by many bookmakers to second spot behind European champions Spain.

A crisp, clear dawn in the South African economic hub greeted the South Americans, who flew from Brasilia having been given an official send-off by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.





Landing 12 hours after the Australia's team the Socceroos became the first qualifiers to reach South Africa, Brazil followed the same procedure of restricted assess to select TV crews and photographers and no interviews.



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Australia's Socceroos are the first team to land in South Africa

Australia national team the Socceroos are the first of the World Cup teams to arrive in South Africa. the 30 man squad touched down on Wednesday at Johannesburg's international airport.

The 'Socceroos', in Group D with Germany, Ghana and Serbia, boarded a luxury coach for the trip to a hotel in the elite northern Sandton suburb and will start training Thursday at a college in another upmarket area of the South African economic capital.





Australia have lined up friendlies against Denmark on June 1 and the United States on June 5 in Roodepoort on the western outskirts of Johannesburg.



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Thursday 13 May 2010

Indomitable Lions 30 man squad.

Cameroon names World Cup squad and includes veterans Rigobert Song and Geremi Njitap.

French coach Paul Le Guen has found places for veterans Rigobert Song and ex-Chelsea midfielder Geremi Njitap.

Cameroon will play in Group E in South Africa alongside Denmark, Japan and The Netherlands.

Bassong's Tottenham team-mate Bennoit Assou Ekotto is also included in the squad after missing the Nations Cup in Angola with an injury.

But Burnley's Andre Bikey has been left out of the line-up.

Coach Le Guen is also giving an opportunity to two home-based players John Patrick Abouna Ndzana of Stars FC Yaounde and Patrick Mevoungou of Canon Sportif.

Other notable inclusions are Samuel Eto'o of Inter Milan and Arsenal midfielder Alexander Song.

The Indomitable Lions kick off their World Cup campaign on 14 June against Japan.

Cameroon squad:

Goalkeepers: Guy Roland N'Dy Assembe (Valenciennes), Idriss Carlos Kameni (Espanyol), Hamidou Souleymanou (Kayserispor), Patrick Tignyemb (Bloemfontein Celtic)





Defenders: Patrick Abouna (Astres Douala), Benoit Assou Ekotto (Tottenham Hotspur), Sebastien Bassong (Tottenham Hotspur), Gaetan Bong (Valenciennes), Aurelien Chedjou (Lille), Geremi (Ankaragucu), Boukar Makadji (Al Nahdha), Nicolas Nkoulou (Monaco), Rigobert Song (Trabzonspor)

Midfielders: Achille Emana (Real Betis), Enoh Eyong (Ajax Amsterdam), Jean Makoun (Olympique Lyon), Georges Mandjeck (Kaiserslautern), Joel Matip (Schalke 04), Patrick Mevoungou (Canon Yaounde), Marcel Ndjeng (Augsburg), Landry Nguemo (Celtic), Alexandre Song (Arsenal)

Forwards: Vincent Aboubakar (Coton Sport), Eric Choupo-Mating (Nuremburg), Stephane Mbia (Marseille, France), Samuel Eto'o (Inter Milan), Mohamadou Idrissou (Freiburg), Dorge Kouemaha (Club Bruges), Achille Webo (Real Mallorca), Jacques Zoua (Basle)

Nigeria names 30 man provisional World Cup squad

Nigeria's new coach Lars Lagerback has named a 30 man provisional squad for the World Cup in June.

The Super Eagles squad was named by coach Lars Lagerback in the capital, Abuja, on Monday.

Fit-again Everton striker Victor Anichebe has been recalled along with John Utaka, the Portsmouth forward who was left out of the Nations Cup.

Lukman Haruna, the under-17 World Cup-winning captain in 2007, has also made the cut.

This is Lagerback's first Nigerian squad since taking over from Shaibu Amodu who was sacked after leading to third place at the Nations Cup in Angola in January.

Nigeria play Argentina, Greece and South Korea in Group B of the World Cup.

Two locally-based players - goalkeeper Akpan Bassey and defender Terna Suswan - are named in the squad, which will delight fans who had called for the inclusion of some players from the 2010 West African (Wafu) Cup team.

Assistant coach Austin Eguavoen defended Lagerback's first selection.

"We have travelled and have monitored our players for the last two months and we must admit it was not easy, but we have chosen players who give us options everywhere," Eguavoen told BBC Sport.





"There have been injury concerns as well as other issues but from defence to attack we have chosen carefully.

"This is a team the people of Nigeria can be proud of."

Nigeria squad:

Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama (Hapoel Tel Aviv, Israel), Dele Aiyenugba (Bnei Yehuda, Israel), Austin Ejide (Hapoel Petah Tikva, Israel), Bassey Akpan (Bayelsa United, Nigeria)

Defenders: Taye Taiwo (Marseille, France), Elderson Echiejile (Rennes, France), Chidi Odiah (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Onyekachi Apam (OG Nice, France), Joseph Yobo (Everton, England), Daniel Shittu (Bolton Wanderers, England), Ayodele Adeleye (Sparta Rotterdam, Netherlands), Rabiu Afolabi (SV Salzburg, Austria), Terna Suswan (Lobi Stars, Nigeria)

Midfielders: Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi (TSG Hoffenheim, Germany), John Utaka (Portsmouth, England), Brown Ideye (FC Sochaux, France), Peter Utaka (Odense Boldklub, Denmark), , Kalu Uche (Almeria, Spain), Dickson Etuhu (Fulham, England), John Mikel Obi (Chelsea, England), Sani Kaita (Alaniya, Russia), Haruna Lukman (AS Monaco, France), Yusuf Ayila (Dynamo Kiev, Ukraine), Osaze Odemwingie (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia)



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Chile names 30 man provisional squad for World Cup

Chile names provisional squad for World Cup with Jaime Valdes as a surprise inclusion.

Valdes, who has played in Italy for a decade, has never played under Bielsa,
who has been in charge of Chile since 2007. Valdes last played for his country in 2006.

Flamengo midfielder Claudio Maldonado was left out having come back in March from a knee injury he suffered playing for Chile against Slovakia in November.

Universidad de Chile midfielder Marco Estrada was included despite not playing much for his club side having not fully recovered from a leg injury.

Bielsa, whose team meet Mexico in a warm-up at the Azteca in Mexico City on Sunday, must trim his World Cup squad to 23 by June 1 for the finals starting on June 11 in South Africa where Chile face favourites Spain, Switzerland and Honduras in Group H.

Chile squad

Goalkeepers: Claudio Bravo (Real Sociedad), Miguel Pinto (Universidad
de Chile), Luis Marin (Union Espanola).

Defenders: Waldo Ponce (Universidad Catolica), Gonzalo Jara (West
Bromwich Albion), Gary Medel (Boca Juniors), Mauricio Isla (Udinese), Arturo
Vidal (Bayer Leverkusen), Pablo Contreras (PAOK Salonica), Ismael Fuentes
(Universidad Catolica), Roberto Cereceda (Colo Colo).

Midfielders: Marco Estrada (Universidad de Chile), Carlos Carmona
(Reggina), Rodrigo Millar (Colo Colo), Jorge Valdivia (Al Ain), Matias
Fernandez (Sporting Lisbon), Jean Beausejour (America, México), Pedro
Morales (Dynamo Zagreb), Jose Pedro Fuenzalida (Colo Colo), Gonzalo Fierro
(Flamengo), Charles Aranguiz (Colo Colo), Manuel Iturra (Universidad de
Chile), Rodrigo Tello (Besiktas).





Forwards: Humberto Suazo (Real Zaragoza), Alexis Sanchez (Udinese),
Mark Gonzalez (CSKA), Fabian Orellana (Xerez), Hector Mancilla (Toluca),
Esteban Paredes (Colo Colo), Jaime Valdes (Atalanta).

Confident Brazil names 23 man squad.

Brazil's coach Dunga has named his 23 man squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Brazil coach Dunga announced his 23 man squad directly following in the footsteps of Switzerland's Ottmar Hitzfeld in bypassing the provisional 30 man squad. His squad contained 20 Europe based players with Gilberto (Cruzeiro), Kleberson (Flamengo) and Robinho (Santos) the three selections who play in Brazil.

There will be no World Cup for Ronaldo either or his Corinthians team mate Roberto Carlos, both of whom harbored faint hopes of making the squad.

There were three surprising omissions, Ronaldinho, Adriano, and Alexandro Pato but the man who impressed in his side's shock 2009 Bundesliga triumph Grafite from VFL Wolfsburg made the squad.

Champions League finalists Inter Milan are themost represented club with three players, and there was a surprise place for Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, the only EPL player in the selection.

 

Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter), Heurelho Gomes (Tottenham), Alexander Doni (Roma)

Defenders: Maicon, Lucio  (Inter), Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Gilberto (Cruzeiro), Michel Bastos (Olympique Lyonnais), Juan (Roma), Luisao (Benfica), Thiago Silva (AC Milan)


Midfielders: Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos), Felipe Melo (Juventus), Kaka (Real Madrid), Julio Baptista (Roma), Josue (Wolfsburg), Kleberson (Flamengo), Elano (Galatasaray), Ramires (Benfica)


Forwards: Robinho (Santos), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Nilmar (Villarreal), Grafite (Wolfsburg)

The USA names 30 man squad for South Africa 2010.

Coach Bob Bradley names 30 man squad for South Africa 2010.

USA coach Bob Bradley has named his provisional 30 man squad from which he will select the final 23 men to travel to South Africa for this summer’s 2010 World Cup.

The coach has included a host of players based in Europe, including an all Barclays Premier League selection of three goalkeepers: Brad Guzan, Tim Howard and Marcus Hahnemann.

USA face England, Slovenia and Algeria in Group C of the FIFA World Cup 2010.







Squad: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolves); Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham); DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Jose Torres (Pachuca); Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Herculez Gomez (Puebla), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki)

Slovenia names 30-man World Cup provisional squad named.

Slovenia has named a 30 man provisional squad for the coming World Cup.

The Slovenia coach, Matjaz Kek, has named his 30-man provisional squad for the World Cup finals.

Slovenia who are in Group C alongside England, Algeria and the USA, must submit a final squad of 23 players on or before 1 June.

Robert Koren, the West Bromwich Albion midfielder, is Slovenia's only British-based player.

"I'm particularly happy about the last report from South Africa where the training headquarters of the Slovenian team, including an excellent pitch, are already waiting," Kek said in a statement.

The team qualified for the World Cup by ousting Russia in a big upset in the November playoffs on away goals. With a population of two million, Slovenia will be the smallest nation at the tournament.

Goalkeepers: Samir Handanovic (Udinese), Jasmin Handanovic (Mantova), Aleksander Seliga (Sparta Rotterdam), Jan Koprivec (Maribor).

Defenders: Bojan Jokic (Chievo), Marko Suler (Ghent), Bostjan Cesar (Grenoble), Branko Ilic (Lokomotiv Moscow), Matej Mavric (Koblenz), Dejan Kelhar (Cercle Brugge), Elvedin Dzinic (Maribor), Miso Brecko (Cologne), Aleksandar Rajcevic (Koper), Suad Filekovic (Maribor).





Midfielders: Andraz Kirm (Wisla Krakow), Andrej Komac (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Rene Krhin (Internazionale), Mirnes Sisic (Giannina), Darjan Matic (Rapid Bucharest), Dare Vrsic (Koper), Dalibor Stevanovic (Vitesse Arnhem), Robert Koren (West Bromwich Albion), Aleksander Radosavljevic (Larissa), Valter Birsa (Auxerre).

Forwards: Milivoje Novakovic (Cologne), Zlatko Dedic (VfL Bochum), Zlatan Ljubijankic (Ghent), Nejc Pecnik (Nacional), Miran Burgic (AIK), Tim Matavz (Groningen).


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Greece releases 30 man provisional World Cup squad.

The 30 man provisional squad for Greece has been named.

Greece have announced the following provisional 30 man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament.

Otto Rehhagel, the Greek coach, has selected a couple of players who are looking to make a quick recovery from recent injuries in his provisional squad, but it remains to be seen whether or not Christos Patsatzoglou (knee) and Giorgos Seitaridis will be fit enough to make the final 23 man squad.

It may be that Rehhagel takes a half fit Patsatzoglou for his role on the bench – the AC Omonia utility man would make a good backup as he is able to play in a number of positions in defence and midfield – something which is often vital for the latter stages of big tournaments.

Greece will play in Group B along with Argentina, Nigeria and South Korea.

Goalkeepers: Michalis Sifakis (Aris Salonika), Alexandros Tzorvas (Panathinaikos), Kostas Chalkias (PAOK Salonika).

Defenders: Giorgos Seitaridis (Panathinaikos), Loukas Vintra(Panathinaikos), Evangelos Moras (Bologna), Socrates Papastathopoulos (Genoa), Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Liverpool), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiakos), Vasilis Torosidis (Olympiakos), Nikos Spiropoulos (Panathinaikos), Stelios Malezas (PAOK Salonika), Giorgos Tzavellas (Panionios), Kostas Manolas (AEK Athens), Giorgos Galitsios (Olympiakos), Stergos Marinos (Panathinaikos).





Midfielders: Kostas Katsouranis (Panathinaikos), Alexandros Tziolis (Siena), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos), Christos Patsatzoglou (Omonia), Grigoris Makos (AEK Athens), Sakis Prittas (Aris Salonika), Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Panathinaikos).

Forwards: Angelos Charisteas (Nuremberg), Dimitris Salpigidis (Panathinaikos), Pantelis Kapetanos (Steaua Bucharest), Theofanis Gekas (Hertha Berlin), Giorgos Samaras (Celtic), Kostas Mitroglou (Olympiakos).

Raymond Domenech names 30 man provisional squad.

Raymond Domenech has named his provisional 30-man squad for the World Cup 2010.

France have named their 30 man provisional squad for this summer’s 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

There is to be no final World Cup for Manchester City’s Patrick Viera, though Barcelona’s Thierry Henry is named at the 30 man stage by coach Raymond Domenech.

French playmaker Franck Ribery will make up for missing the UEFA Champions League Final with Bayern Munich through suspension as he looks certain to be in the final squad of 23, though it is likely that a number of other forwards named will miss out: there are 8 front men in the 30 strong provisional list.





Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Olympique Lyon), Steve Mandanda(Olympique Marseille), Cedric Carrasso (Girondins Bordeaux), Mickael Landreau (Lille)

Defenders: Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), William Gallas (Arsenal), Eric Abidal (Barcelona), Rod Fanni (Stade Rennes), Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla), Adil Rami (Lille), Marc Planus (Girondins Bordeaux), Gael Clichy(Arsenal), Anthony Reveillere (Olympique Lyon)

Midfielders: Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid), Alou Diarra(Girondins Bordeaux), Jeremy Toulalan (Olympique Lyon), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Yoann Gourcuff (Girondins Bordeaux), Abou Diaby (Arsenal), Yann M’Vila (Stade Rennes)

Forwards: Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Sidney Govou (Olympique Lyon), Djibril Cisse (Panathinaikos), Hatem Ben Arfa (Olympique Marseille), Mathieu Valbuena (Olympique Marseille), Jimmy Briand (Stade Rennes)

Thursday 6 May 2010

Joachim surprises with call ups for Aogo and Badstubber

Dennis Aogo and Holger Badstuber were surprise call ups as Joachim Low announced his 27 man provisional squad for the World Cup in June.

Löw also named Bayern Munich veteran Hans-Jorg Butt among the three goalkeepers who are all vying to become the new number one after Rene Adler had to pull out due to injury.

Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose, who have both had difficult seasons for their clubs, have also been included, but there was no place for Lazio midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, who was a key member of the squad which earned qualification for World Cup 2010 over the last two years.

Aogo, 23, makes the step-up from the Germany Under-21 squad and will rival his Hamburg team-mate Marcell Jansen for a place in Löw's final 23-man selection.

"Aogo has played for our Under -21s and has been playing with Hamburg in Europe," explained Löw.

"For us, the criteria are not that players have played lots of games for us, but that they have the potential and we could see his technical ability and that was the reason why we have decided to take him along with the 27 players."

Badstuber also earns his first international call only nine months after making the first of eight appearances for the Under-21s, and his debut in the Bayern first team.

Löw will have to disappoint four players before he hands his final list of 23 players to Fifa early next month, but before that, he will get the chance to consider all of his options in the next few weeks, with friendly matches against Malta, Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the schedule.





Provisional Germany squad for World Cup:

Goalkeepers: Hans-Jorg Butt, Manuel Neuer, Tim Wiese

Defenders: Per Mertesacker, Heiko Westermann, Philipp Lahm, Jerome Boateng, Andrea Beck, Arne Friedrich, Serdar Tasci, Marcell Jansen, Holger Badstuber, Dennis Aogo.

Midfielders: Michael Ballack, Sami Khedira, Piotr Trochowski, Marko Marin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Christian Trasch, Mesut Ozil, Toni Kroos.

Forwards: Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose, Stefan Kiessling, Cacau, Thomas Muller, Mario Gomez.


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Argentina post easy 4-0 win over Haiti

Argentina's preparation for the World Cup in June got a fillip as a team of local players put in a impressive performance against Haiti.

Argentina easily defeated Haiti 4-0 in an international friendly Wednesday, one of the last warm-ups for the South Americans before they head to the World Cup in South Africa.

Argentina played without its Europe-based stars, with coach Diego Maradona taking a look at local players who could make his 23-man squad.

Boca Juniors' Martin Palermo, the club's all-time leading scorer, helped his chances with a goal. Facundo Bertoglio scored two and Sebastian Blanco added the other.

Many of the Haitian players lost loved ones in the devastating earthquake on Jan. 12. The highlight for many members of the team appeared to be lining up at halftime to snap a photo with Maradona.

Wednesday 5 May 2010

Argentina tests local players in Haiti friendly

Argentine coach Maradonna leads a squad of local based players in a friendly against Haiti with spot on the World Cup squad up for grabs.

Veterans Martin Palermo and Ariel Ortega, of Boca Juniors and River Plate, respectively, will lead Argentina’s attack in their World Cup preparation match against Haiti in Neuquen on Wednesday. Diego Maradona, the coach of the national team, already confirmed his starting line-up, from which he is expected to choose at least one player to form part of his 23-man squad for the World Cup in South Africa.

Maradona’s starting XI will be the following: Diego Pozo, Ariel Garce, Paolo Goltz, Juan Insaurralde, Fabian Monzon, Sebastian Blanco, Juan Mercier, Leonel Vangioni, Facundo Bertoglio, Ariel Ortega and Martin Palermo.

From the eleven players the most likely player to participate in the World Cup finals is Boca legend Palermo, who scored Argentina’s crucial winner in their penultimate World Cup qualifier against Peru last year. Other players with chances of making the squad are Pozo and Monzon, while Maradona could also add in a surprise.





Argentina’s squad to face Haiti:

Goalkeepers: Diego Pozo (Colon) and Adrian Gabbarini (Independiente).

Defenders: Matias Caruzzo (Argentinos), Luciano Monzon (Boca), Paolo Goltz (Huracan), Juan Manuel Insaurralde (Newell’s) and Ariel Garce (Colon).

Midfielders: Juan Mercier (Argentinos), Patricio Toranzo (Huracan), Leonel Vangioni (Newell’s), Facundo Bertoglio (Colon), Nicolas Olmedo (Godoy Cruz) and Sebastian Blanco (Lanus).

Strikers: Martin Palermo (Boca), Franco Jara (Argentinos), Ariel Ortega (River) and Juan Pablo Pereyra (Atletico Tucuman).

Brazil gets World Cup boost as they oust Spain as top team

The Brazilian national team has got a boost ahead of the World Cup as the ousted Spain from the top of the FIFA ranking.

The latest edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking has a surprise in store as it reveals that Spain’s five-month reign has come to end, with Brazil reclaiming pole position and pushing the reigning European champions back into second place. This is the seventh time that Brazil have claimed top spot on the global ladder, a position that they have held for a total of 142 months since 1993.

Other moves of note in the top ten include the progress made by Argentina (7th, up 2) and Portugal (3rd, up 1). Third place represents the highest-ever position for the Portuguese since the launch of the Ranking in 1993.

Only five matches have been taken into account in April’s edition, which was to be expected, given that there are only 43 days to go until the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, and many national leagues and continental championships are now entering the home straight. As a result, the international match calendar did not have a reserved date for international matches.

This means that most of the changes in this edition of the ranking are due to the devaluation of past results. Some teams have actually gained points due to the fact that the devaluation of poor results has led to a greater weighting of successful matches.





150 international matches have been played so far in 2010. There is likely to be significant movement in next month’s edition of the ranking, the last before the big event in South Africa, as the 32 teams start their preparations in earnest by playing friendly matches to decide on their best line-up. The World Cup is looming large and making things exciting – and not just in terms of the world ranking.

Fabio Cannavaro to quit International football after World Cup.

Fabio Cannavaro captain of the Italian side is hoping for a glorious end to his international career at the World Cup in June.

Cannavaro has announced he will retire from international football after captaining Italy at the World Cup. The 36-year-old, who lifted the trophy in 2006, has been capped a record 132 times for Italy.

"They already say I'm too old, so I can only imagine what they would say in August," Cannavaro said.

The Juventus veteran defender took over the captaincy after Paolo Maldini left the national team in 2002. Cannavaro missed Euro 2008 because of injury but is returning to the side for this summer's tournament in South Africa. He has played for the national team for 13 years, with his greatest moment coming four years ago in Germany when leading Italy to the title.





Even better for Cannavaro was that he was voted the Fifa World Player of the Year.

"We're hoping to bring home the cup again, this time to keep it," said Cannavaro, who has been involved alongside 28 Serie A players in a three-day training camp held by the Italy coach, Marcello Lippi, in Rome.

Italy will face Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia in Group F in South Africa this summer.



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Tuesday 4 May 2010

Fernando Torres may miss start of World Cup

Spain's chances at the World Cup took a knock as Liverpool striker is ruled out of the opening games by Liverpool medical staff.

The 26-year-old is recovering from surgery to repair knee cartilage torn in the 4-1 win over Benfica on 8 April.

"Whether he will be fit for the first game or not is uncertain," said Peter Brukner who is overseeing his recovery.

"But, if he continues to progress the way he is, he should be fit to play at some stage during the World Cup."

Spain, current European champions and one of the pre-tournament favourites, play their first match in Group H is against Switzerland on 16 June.

Games against Honduras on the 21 June and Chile on 25 June then follow.

If they progress to the knock-out stages, Spain will play a second-round match against one of Brazil, Portugal, Ivory Coast or North Korea on the 28 or 29 June.

Boss Vicente del Bosque also has injury concerns over midfielder Xavi who is playing through a calf tear that may see him ruled out of the World Cup.

The 30-year-old is playing on in an attempt to help Barcelona hold off Real Madrid's challenge and win a second successive Spanish league title.

But del Bosque said although he was worried about Torres, expectations for his recovery were good.

"I am sure that when the moment comes all the players will say they are fine but we are the ones who have to evaluate and decide the risk that should be taken," he said at a Spanish soccer federation event in Madrid.





"We cannot go to South Africa with four or five doubtful players," he added. "We have good hearts but we have to listen to our heads."

Bruker, who was appointed as Liverpool's head of sports medicine and sports science in March, believes there is a balance to be struck between the demands of club and country for Torres.

"He is certainly tremendously committed to his rehab, as are the staff here, and if anyone can recover from an injury, he can," he said.

"Hopefully we can get a compromise where he plays in the World Cup and he is fit and well for Liverpool next season."

Torres spent a month on the sidelines after a knee operation in January and was hampered by a troublesome groin injury before Christmas.

Despite the disruption, the former Atletico Madrid forward has scored 22 goals in his third season for the Reds, including 18 in 22 Premier League appearances.

Torres has an impressive record at international tournaments, scoring three goals in four games in the 2006 World Cup and the winner against Germany in the Euro 2008 final.



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Algeria names provisional squad for World Cup

Rabah Saadane names his provisional squad for the World Cup. With only three recognised strikers in the squad it looks like Saadane is falling back on his instinct to be overly cautious and defensive.

The 25-man squad was made up largely of those players who contested January's African Nations Cup, where the Desert Hawks finished fourth. Fawzi Chouachi, Lounes Gaouaoui, Mohamed Zemmamouche and Abdelkader Laifaoui are the only squad members who play their club football in Algeria.

Seven players ply their trades in France, while four are based in Britain - Rangers' Madjid Bougherra, Portsmouth duo Nadir Belhadj and Hassan Yebda, and Adlene Guedioura, who is currently on loan at Wolves from Belgian side
Charleroi.





Algeria, who have reached the World Cup for the first time since 1986, will face England, United States and Slovenia in Group C in South Africa. They will hold a fortnight-long training camp in Switzerland from May 13 before contesting friendlies against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on May 28 and the United Arab Emirates in Nuremberg on June 5.

Saadane will be required to trim his squad to 23 players by June 1.

Preliminary Algeria squad: Fawzi Chouachi (ES Setif), Lounes Gaouaoui (ASO
Chlef), Mohamed Lamine Zemmamouche (MC Alger), M'bohi Rais Ouheb (Slavia Sofia);
Abdelkader Laifaoui (ES Setif), Madjid Bougherra (Rangers), Carl Medjani
(Ajaccio), Rafi Halliche (Nacional), Anther Yahia (Bochum), Haib Belaid
(Boulogne), Nadir Belhadj (Portsmouth), Djamel Mesbah (Lecce); Hassan Yebda
(Portsmouth), Mehdi Lacen (Racing Santander), Yazid Mansouri (Lorient), Adlene
Guedioura (Charleroi), Riad Boudebouz (Sochaux), Djamel Abdoun (Nantes), Fouad
Kadir (Valenciennes), Mourad Meghni (Lazio), Karim Ziani (Wolfsburg), Karim
Matmour (Borussia Monchengladbach); Abdelkader Ghezzal (Siena), Rafik Djebbour
(AEK Athens), Rafik Saifi (Istres).

Sunday 2 May 2010

Denmark faces goalkeeper worries

Danish national coach faces tough selection challenges after Thomas Sorenson his first choice keeper suffered an elbow injury.

Denmark's coach Morten Olsen will likely postpone the announcement of goalkeepers for his World Cup squad after his first-string choice, Thomas Sorensen, picked up an elbow injury Sunday.

Stoke City's Sorensen was injured in the 7-0 thrashing handed out by Chelsea.

"He has been a terrific goalkeeper during the 10 years I have been manager, and he still is," Olsen on Monday told the online newspaper spn.dk.






Results of a scan are pending to determine the extent of Sorensen's injury.

Olsen was set to announce his World Cup squad May 10, but said he will wait until June 1 concerning the three goalkeepers.

"If we select Thomas Sorensen, and he can't play, then we have a problem. We will wait until June 1 when we will inform (football's ruling body) FIFA," Olsen added.

Japan's samba star is ready for the World Cup

Marcus Tulio Tanaka Japan's Brazilian born defender has vowed to give all for his country in the forth coming world cup

Japan's Brazilian-born defender Marcus Tulio Tanaka has vowed to make his first World Cup a bruising battle he can remember with pride as a hard man among the Blue Samurai.

"I don't want the World Cup finals to be like food that I can't remember the taste of," the J-League Nagoya Grampus player said.

"It would be fantastic if our hard work from the World Cup tastes like strawberries but there is also a possibility it could taste nasty," he told Kyodo news agency in an interview published Wednesday.

"Even if we get hammered and it is not a nice feeling, I want to feel it completely in my body. I don't want to come back home wondering maybe if I could have given a bit more," said the 185-centimetre (six-foot-one-inch) player.

Tulio, who turns 29 on Saturday, is seen as sure to be selected alongside Yokohama F Marinos' Yuji Nakazawa as the main centre backs when Japan face Cameroon, the Netherlands and Denmark at the World Cup group stage in South Africa.

He has scored seven goals in 37 international appearances.

Despite being crowned the 2006 J-League Player of the Year, Tulio was ignored by Japan's then-coach Brazilian legend Zico for the squad that made an early exit from the 2006 World Cup in Germany after losing to Australia and Brazil and drawing with Croatia.





"Maybe I won't have another chance to play at the World Cup and I just want my whole body to react when someone mentions the tournament in 70 years time, if I'm still alive then," Tulio said.

Tulio first came to Japan, his father's homeland, aged 16, to enrol at a high school as an exchange student and football player. He joined the J-League Sanfrecce Hiroshima in 2001.

He moved to Urawa in 2004 after a year on loan to a second-division side and helped the country's best-supported team win the AFC Champions League title in 2007. He signed with Nagoya in January.

Tulio, who obtained Japanese nationality in 2003, will become the third Brazilian-born player to represent Japan at the World Cup, following Wagner Lopes in 1998 and Nagoya team-mate Alessandro Santos in 2002 and 2006.

He admitted he was at first sceptical of Japan coach Takeshi Okada's ambitious goal of a semi-final spot in South Africa.

"To be honest I also thought 'what?' first of all, but we have played against a number of strong opponents and I see no reason why we can't achieve that," he said.

Under-age Prostitution rocks French World Cup preparations

The latest twist in a prostitution scandal involving members of the French national football team has come as a relief to manager Raymond Domenech.

According to Liberation newspaper, the police investigation into whether Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema knowingly paid for sex with an under-age escort girl has been put on hold until after the World Cup.

"We're not moving till the World Cup is over," a police insider told Liberation. "There is no rush. The implications are too serious."

It means that Domenech should be assured the services of two of his most important players when the squad travels to South Africa next month.

For the time being, the pressure may be off. But the fall-out from the scandal could prove highly damaging to the image of French football, as well as the personal careers of those involved.

This week the public has been lapping up more salacious details about how a blonde Algerian-born teenager called Zahia Dehar worked as a 2,000-euros-a-night (£1,740) courtesan to some of the biggest names in French football.





In an interview with Paris-Match, Ms Dehar described how she was flown to Munich in April last year on the occasion of Mr Ribery's 26th birthday. The Frenchman currently plays for Bayern-Munich.

"I came on an aeroplane with one of my friends who I suppose [Ribery] had asked regarding my services. He had booked a room in a luxury hotel. We had sexual relations and he paid me… I was a nice birthday present, wouldn't you say?" she said.

Nightclub sting

The problem is that at the time Ms Dehar was 17 years old. Under French law, paid sex with someone under the age of 18 is regarded as sex with a minor - and punishable by three years in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros.



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Eriksson looks forward to return bout with Portugal

Ivory Coast's new manager Sven Goran Eriksson is looking forward to facing Portugal again in the World Cup bringing back memories of the the last time he faced them as the then manager of England.

Portugal defeated Eriksson's England on penalties in the quarter-finals at Euro 2004 before doing the same two years later in a controversial World Cup contest which saw Wayne Rooney sent off.

The Ivory Coast kick off their World Cup campaign against Portugal before facing Brazil and North Korea and, while Eriksson recognises the importance of their first match, he claims he will not be thinking of his England days.

"Brazil is favourite to win the group and second should be us or Portugal or North Korea on paper," Eriksson told Press Association Sport. "But that's on paper.





"But the first match for us is really important. There's no sense of revenge, this time it can't be penalty shoot-outs that's for sure.

"I'm looking forward to that but first we have to start the preparation and it's still far away. But it's important."

Despite being drawn in the so-called 'group of death' Eriksson insists a quarter-final spot is their target and is not even considering failing to progress from their pool.

He said: "To go through would be a success from a group like that.

"If we can reach the quarter-final I think everyone should be thinking it's a great success from an African team, for the Ivory Coast. That's the first target.



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South Africa introduces "World Cup" visa

The South African government has announced the introduction of a special visa specially for visitors attending the World Cup.

South Africa will issue the first ever Event Visa for an international event in support of the 2010 Fifa World CupTM, Minister of Home Affairs, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, announced on Tuesday in Johannesburg.

The issuing of such a visa is in keeping up with the guarantee that the Department of Home Affairs made to Fifa when the 2010 Fifa World Cup was awarded to South Africa in 1994. The Visa will make South Africa the first country to ever issue such a Visa for an international event.

The Event Visa will be issued free of charge to visitors to South Africa in 2010.

According to the department, the Event Visa has been finalised and will be tested by eligible visitors coming to South Africa for the Fifa Confederations Cup in 2009. The Visa will enable visitors for both events to enter South Africa conveniently at various ports of entries.

Minister Mapisa-Nqakula said the department was aware of the central role it has to play to make a meaningful success of the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa and use the event to revolutionalise the migration regime in the country.





“The Event Visa is one of the department’s exciting new immigration initiatives in support of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. As the department we are also aware of the central role we have to play to make 2010 a success for our country. When visitors come to South Africa, their first contact will be our officials, which is why we have to keep our promises,” she said.

She said the 2010 Fifa World Cup preparations had been intertwined with the department’s overall migration strategy to ensure that all the systems being put in place for the event become a legacy beyond 2010.



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