World Cup 2010 News: March 2010

Tuesday 30 March 2010

World Cup fears for England as Rooney is injured .

Wayne Rooney hobbled off the pitch in tonight's Champions league match between Manchester United and Bayern Munich and England fans will be hoping the injury is not a repeat of the injury he suffered before the last World Cup in 2006.

It was double blow for Manchester United as they lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, but also lost their key striker Wayne Rooney during the game.

The England striker collapsed in agony, holding his right ankle after falling awkwardly after Mario Gomez appeared to tread on his left foot.

Rooney immediately signalled to the United bench that he had to come off the field.

Afterwards United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said he thought it was a bad ankle sprain and he was likely to miss Saturday's showdown with title rivals Chelsea.

England manager Fabio Capello also faces an anxious wait to discover the extent of the injury.

England midfielder David Beckham has already been ruled out of this summer's tournament in South Africa with an ankle injury.

Monday 29 March 2010

Marcello Lippi hints Balotelli unlikely to make World Cup

Italy's coach Marcello Lippi has hinted that Inter Milan star striker Mario Balotelli is unlikely to make the 2010 World Cup in South later this year.

Lippi believes the 19-year-old striker has bags of potential but has suggested that the under-21 international still has a great deal to learn.

"Balotelli is a lad that has great potential," he said. "I am certain, that once his path to maturity is complete, something which Inter are managing very well, he will be able to bring in his quality to the national team."

Balotelli was a surprise omission from the Inter squad which travelled to London to take on Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday evening following reports of a rift with coach Jose Mourinho.

Sunday 28 March 2010

Travel to the World Cup 2010 for Free.

Bud House : Big Brother World Cup Style....

Budweiser is looking for a passionate fan from each of the 32 FIFA World Cup qualifying countries to take part in a world Cup reality TV programme in South Africa.

Selected Contestants will be flown in stlye to Cape Town, South Africa where they will enjoy Luxurious accommodations, thrilling excursions, and the opportunity to have the kind of access few fans ever have.

The Contestants will filmed as they show their passion for their home country and the World Cup experience as a whole.

If you think YOU should represent your country in the Bud House, please click HERE to begin the application process. You must be over the age of 25, have or be able to get a valid passport and speak English. We welcome applications from both men AND women!

ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED IN FULL NO LATER THAN MIDNIGHT, CENTRAL TIMEZONE, SUNDAY MARCH 28, 2010.

So if you are a fan from

Africa
Algeria
Cameroon
Cote D'Ivoire
Ghana
Nigeria
South Africa

Asia
Australia
Japan
Korea DPR (North Korea)
Korea Republic (South Korea)

Europe
Denmark
England
France
Germany
Greece
Italy
Netherlands
Portugal
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Switzerland

North and Central America
Honduras
Mexico
USA

Oceania
New Zealand

what are you waiting for?

APPLY NOW

Saturday 27 March 2010

Australia Coach to quit after World Cup

The Australian coach Pim Verbeek has confirmed to the Sydeny Morning Herald that he will be resigning after the World Cup irrespective of the outcome.

SOCCEROO coach Pim Verbeek last night confirmed the worst-kept secret in Australian soccer - that he would quit when his contract ends after Australia's involvement at the World Cup is over.
The Dutchman, speaking by phone, said that he wanted fresh challenges and did not want stay so far away from family in Europe. The travel, jet lag and other challenges made it too big an ask to carry on, he said.
Not even the lure of coaching the national team at the Asian Cup finals in Qatar in January 2011, proved tempting enough for him to renegotiate a new deal on a seven-figure salary.
Been there, done that, was his reply when asked why he was leaving before that tournament, referring to his involvement with South Korea at the 2007 Asian Cup.
Football Federation Australia boss Ben Buckley said that the search for a successor had already begun.
Verbeek is likely to have some influence on who might fill his shoes, as Buckley said he would be consulted about a replacement.
''We have a very close relationship with Pim and we respect his views and of course we will talk to him and get his views [on prospective successors],'' Buckley said last night. ''We have started looking at who might be available and drawn up a list of potential candidates.''
Buckley stressed that the FFA wanted a long-term coach to take the Socceroos to the Asian Cup and to the next World Cup. Graham Arnold took temporary charge after Guus Hiddink's departure in 2006 and took the team to the Asian Cup in 2007 as caretaker before becoming Verbeek's assistant. Australia was disappointing in 2007 and the FFA does not want a repeat.

Salvador Cabanas back in training

CF America striker Salvador Cabanas is to continuing his miraculous recovery in Argentina, having defied the odds to stage a quick recovery from a shot in the head in Mexico in January. Cabanas was Paraguay's leading scorer in the World Cup Qualifiers.

Paraguayan striker Salvador Cabanas, shot in his head last 25th Jan, is miraculously recovering at Fleni clinic in Escobar, Argentina, and hasn’t lost his faith to reach the World Cup in South Africa.

Cabañas is back in training and is performing shooting practice with high accuracy, according to people who visited him.

Horacio Cartes, Paraguayan Football Association director, said he “seems to have advanced very well” at his recovery.

Paraguayan Coach, Argentine Gerardo Martino and doctor, Celso Fretes visited him too.

“We are all very excited. He was waiting for us a little tense, but then he relaxed. We hugged. Then we saw him doing some football and goals of ‘all colors’ against doctor Fretes (who improvised as a goalkeeper)” said humorous Cartes.

Enthusiastic and encouraged by his amazing recovery, Cabanas asked Cartersto intercede with Martino for a call up to the World Cup in South Africa.

“Arrangre that for me that with Tata (Marino’s nickname)” said the striker. “I’m at my best state”.

The Paraguay international striker was shot in a bar in Mexico, in an incident which Cabanas still doesn’t remember.

Thursday 25 March 2010

Roque Santa Cruz returns to form

The return to form of Roque Santa Cruz for club Manchester City is good news for Paraguay's ambitions at the world. The Paraguayan striker has struggled with injury since his £18 million move to City.

The striker made a rare appearance this season in Manchester City's match against Fulham and as an added bonus was on the score sheet.

Speaking after the match Roque Santa Cruz claims Manchester City must follow up their win against Fulham by beating Everton at Eastlands tomorrow.

The Blues can climb above Tottenham into fourth if they win their game in hand and the striker insists they can't afford any slip-ups.

"It's massively important that we win," he said. "Three points will put us ahead of Tottenham and, in that sense, just to feel that we are close to that fourth spot is massively important. We need to make sure we win this game.

"Everybody is happy that we beat Fulham. We are moving in the right direction and people are enjoying our football.

"We've now got to get ready for the coming games, which will be decisive for us. We are at home and we need to get the points."

Santa Cruz was delighted with his goal against the Cottagers, which was only his fourth during a difficult first season for the Paraguayan international since his £18million move from Blackburn last summer.

It has given him the lift he needed and he hopes to play a big part in City's push for a Champions League place.

"It's always important to score when you start and it gives you the confidence to keep going," he said.

Tuesday 23 March 2010

Ivory Coast finally get a coach (and it's Sven)

Sven Goran Eriksson is set to lead Ivory Coast at the World Cup finals.

Jacques Anouma, head of the African country's FA, is in Paris to conclude negotiations with the former England manager, who emerged as the frontrunner after Guus Hiddink turned down the chance to replace Vahid Halilhodzic.

The Elephants had been hoping to convince Guus Hiddink to take the reins in South Africa, but saw their efforts come to nothing.

The Dutchman is currently between jobs, having parted with Russia and yet to take charge of new employers Turkey.

However, an agreement could not be reached and the Ivoirians have been forced to turn their attention elsewhere.

Swedish tactician Eriksson was quickly installed as their top choice, with the former Mexico and England boss looking for work after leaving his role as director of football at Notts County in February.

He has prior experience of life at the World Cup, having guided England to the finals in 2002 and 2006.

Ivory Coast general secretary Hegaurd Ouattara admits Eriksson was not the leading candidate to replace Vahid Halihodzic, but is delighted with the appointment.

"He was not out first choice. That was Guus Hiddink," he said.

"But Eriksson's record speaks for itself."

Xavi has high hopes for Spain at the World Cup

He is an instrumental part of Barcelona's holy trinity with Messi and Iniesta and this summer Xavi is looking to take transfer his mercurial talent from club to country.

Barcelona midfielder Xavi believes Spain's tight-knit group of players gives the national side a club feel about it.

Reigning European Champions Spain are favourites to win their first ever World Cup in South Africa this summer and further strengthened their case with a 2-0 win against France in midweek.

Xavi has hailed his nation's "modern" style of play and compared it to that of Barcelona and Arsenal, who are both famed for their free-flowing attractive football.

"Our style of game is very similar to the work in Barca or Arsenal," said Xavi. "This is modern football.

"Spain have still not found success in the World Cup but the squad is very concentrated and all the companions are in a compact group.

"In that sense, Spain appear more like a club than a national team."

The win in the Stade de France prolonged Spain's incredible record of 42 wins in their last 45 fixtures and that run is expected to continue this summer having been drawn in Group H with Switzerland, Honduras and Chile.

"At the minute Spain are in a good run of form and the supporters are happy with our game," added Xavi. "I personally am happy to be in this group.

Monday 22 March 2010

Lukas Podolski believes Germany can go all the way.

Cologne (Köln) striker Lucasl Podolski talks to FIFA.COM about his return to the club he's always loved and Germany's chances at the 2010 World Cup.

Any player whose presence at the first training session of a new season prompts a turn-out in excess of 20,000 fans is obviously a bit special. On 25 June 2009, Lukas Podolski ended a three-year absence from the RheinEnergie Stadium and reappeared in the colours of his beloved Cologne. An extraordinary wave of euphoria gripped the city: 'Prince Poldi' was back in his palace after a luckless three-year exile in Munich.

The left-footed forward could have had his pick of big-name clubs in Germany and elsewhere, but the call of home was the strongest of the lot. Podolski followed the call of his heart and returned to his footballing roots. He simply wanted to go home and open a new chapter in his life with partner Monika and their son Louis.

It has not been an easy transition for the man capped 70 times by Germany, but one thing is clear: the roguish grin is back on the player’s face, and there is a lightness and ease to his performances which was often lacking in Bayern colours. FIFA.com caught up with the 24-year-old to discuss the Bundesliga, Joachim Low and his country’s chances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.

Saturday 20 March 2010

Algerian Keeper Chaouchi fails to overturn ban.

Algerian keeper Chouchi and defender Belhadj are set to miss the opening rounds of Algerians World Cup campaign after they failed to overturn bans they incurred during the last African Cup of Nations.

Earlier this month, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) handed Belhadj and Chaouchi two-match and three-match bans respectively.

But Caf have upheld both those disciplinary decisions.

Both were punished for red cards in the 4-0 loss to Egypt during January's Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals.

Defender Rafik Halliche was also dismissed in that game and earned a one-game ban.

With the trio having already missed the third-place play-off through suspension, Halliche can contest all Algeria's Group C ties while Portsmouth's Belhadj must only sit out the opener with Slovenia.

However, Algeria will have to make do without their number one goalkeeper Chaouchi for the first two group games against Slovenia and England.

After meeting Slovenia in Polokwane on 13 June, the Desert Foxes face England before finishing Group C against the United States in Pretoria on 23 June.

Boost For Nigeria at World Cup

Nigeria is not likely to be short of support at this year's World Cup after FIFA was able to agree a deal with local airlines to fly hundreds of fans from Nigeria to South Africa.

Nigerian fans, among the most exuberant and vociferous in Africa, have been snapping up World Cup tickets in the last few days after more flights to South Africa were laid on.

"We have discussed ways of bringing fans from qualified African nations and Nigeria bought 1,000 tickets over the last days because they got a commitment that they will be able to fly to South Africa with a local airline," FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke told reporters on Friday.

Mobile ticket centres would be set up in South Africa's neighbouring countries in another attempt to make the June 11-July 11 tournament more accessible to African fans, he added.

Critics have said Africa's first World Cup is out of reach for all but a tiny proportion of the continent's fans because of a lack of flights, the consequent high price of tickets and absence of any other transport options.

Many fans wanting to travel to South Africa from Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Cameroon -- three of the qualifiers --would currently have to fly via Europe on scheduled flights.

Fans in South Africa and other countries have complained that the normal system of buying tickets over the internet is unsuitable for Africa where supporters have little access to computers and are not used to booking in advance.

"We are opening ticket centres in South Africa and have mobile units in South Africa and neighbouring countries on April 15. Fans will be able to buy tickets for $20 without having to fill in forms and this will increase sales of tickets in South Africa and elsewhere on the continent," Valcke said. "We have put everything in place."

Nigerian fans stand out for the non-stop drumming, singing and out-of-tune trumpets which form a backdrop to their team's games.

Ryan Nielsen: Don't write New Zealand off

New Zealand's captain talks tough as his team head for their toughest competitive outing in 18 years.

New Zealand captain Ryan Nelsen believes his side are ready to announce themselves on the world stage, and have no plans to be World Cup whipping boys in South Africa this summer.

The All Whites qualified for their first finals since 1982 after beating Bahrain in a play-off in November, but they are the third-worst ranked team at the finals, with their FIFA world ranking of 79 higher only than hosts South Africa and North Korea.

However, Nelsen reckons that New Zealand have what it takes to defy their 'minnows' status, though he admits a bit of luck may be needed.

"When you look at someone like North Korea, we are obviously quite happy with our group, though France South Africa and Paraguay are all good teams,'' he said. "But we are competitive now, I think in New Zealand teams in the past haven't had many goalscorers or too much experience but I think we've got quite a bit of that that now.

Beckham may still make the England World Cup Squad

...as a "24th" member of the squad. Fabio Capello is said to be considering an informal 24th man role for David Beckham in England's World Cup squad.

From the Guardian...

The arrangement allows England to benefit from the David Beckham circus without the distraction of his football skills
David Beckham could be worth more to England off the pitch at the World Cup than on it if Fabio Capello is imaginative in his definition of the '24th man' role.

Let me begin by saying that it is in no way an indication of some national psychiatric malaise that within hours of David Beckham being confirmed as out of the World Cup, urgent moves to fashion a "24th man" role for him at the tournament were already well under way. According to a range of reports, Fabio Capello and the FA will invite Beckham to travel to South Africa in what is described as a "special role", with pundits gibbering about both his importance as a mentor to the England squad and his peerless lobbying skills for England's 2018 World Cup bid.

As yet, this special role remains tantalisingly undefined in formal terms, with the above brief placing him somewhere between a brilliant but twinkly-eyed diplomat in the mould of Ben Franklin, and Linus van Pelt's security blanket in Peanuts. But the arrangement is a triumph of logic, ideally allowing the England set-up to benefit from the David Beckham circus without the irritating distraction of any of his football skills.

Certainly, there will be a few who imagine this to be the worst of both worlds, but optimists should regard Beckham's personally devastating injury as what David St Hubbins once called "a great freeing-up of time", permitting those self-assured national bigwigs to deputise him to perform any number of vital functions they lack the wit or charm to perform themselves.

Wednesday 17 March 2010

Messi sends World Cup Warning

Lionel Messi send a strong reminder to the World that Argentina will be no pushovers at next June's World Cup as he led Barcelona to a thrilling victory yesterday.

Holders FC Barcelona cruised into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, equalling VfB Stuttgart's record defeat in Europe thanks to two goals from the sublime Messi.

Josep Guardiola will credit the 4-0 victory to one of his team's best overall display of the season even if Messi scored in each half and helped Pedro Rodríguez register Barça's second. Yet this was a masterclass from the world's best player. Before kick-off Stuttgart coach Christian Gross was asked how to stop Messi. "Don't let him have the ball" was the sensible reply – the German side found the task impossible.

Level at 1-1 after the first leg, Stuttgart had been giving a fine account of themselves before the roof caved in. The visitors were emboldened by their ease of stringing passes together but on 13 minutes were caught on the break when one went astray. Yaya Touré galloped forward, fed Messi and the No10 did the rest, taking Zdravko Kuzmanović for a walk, then slamming a shot between two defenders and high into Jens Lehmann's top-right corner. The Camp Nou roared; Guardiola sprinted to the touch line and gave instructions to Gerard Piqué. He wanted Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets to switch touchlines, they did and the second goal arrived.

Six quick-fire passes involving the pair, plus Pedro and Messi, ended with the Argentinian international bending the ball into the path of Touré, whose pass was steered in by Pedro. This time the movement and the culmination were so thrilling that even Guardiola danced a little jig on the touch line. Just before the half-hour it could have been 3-0. Touré was relishing his unusual wide role and again broke free on the left, outstripping Stefano Celozzi and sliding a tantalising cross in front of Jens Lehmann – Thierry Henry failed to convert it by a matter of millimetres.

Messi would not be overshadowed for long, however. Stuttgart were more brusque after half-time, trying to suffocate the forward, but he soon found space. Dribbling brilliantly, he sucked in three defenders before squaring for Touré to drive narrowly wide. Messi was unstoppable. On the hour Daniel Alves flicked Pedro's pass to him and, from outside the box, he crashed in his fourth UEFA Champions League goal of the season.

His hat-trick nearly arrived courtesy of an Alves cross in the 66th minute but Messi's header, reminiscent of the one with which he sealed victory in the final against Manchester United FC last May, brought a fine save from Lehmann. The show rolled on as Zlatan Ibrahimović had a goal ruled out, the goalkeeper again had to save well, from Iniesta this time, and Messi ran half the pitch before clipping wide.

"Si, si, si, nos vamos a Madrid" the Camp Nou faithful roared – looking beyond Friday's draw for the last eight and to the final on 22 May. A great deal of work remains before that, but on this form few would doubt Barça achieving it. The holders underlined those credentials when substitutes Ibrahimović and Bojan Krkić combined for the fourth in the last minute, the Sweden striker releasing his team-mate for a right-footed finish.

Javier Hernandez is keen to keep up a family tradition.

His father and grandfather played in the tournament, and the 21-year-old’s talent earns him strong consideration to make the squad as Mexico will face North Korea on Wednesday night.

Playing in the World Cup was never so much an option as it was an expectation for Javier Hernandez.

After all his dad was on the Mexican team in 1986, the last time El Tri made it to the World Cup quarterfinals. And his grandfather played in the 1954 tournament, scoring Mexico's final goal.

But all that's history, says Javier Aguirre, coach of this year's Mexican team. The ghosts of World Cups past will have no effect in determining who makes Mexico's roster for this summer's tournament.

"The World Cup is in June. We're in March. We don't know who's going to make it," Aguirre said when asked about Hernandez's status.

"He is working just like everyone else. We have to go through a selection process and pick out the best."

In that case, count Hernandez in. Because as El Tri prepares to face North Korea on Wednesday night in its first game on Mexican soil this season, no one has been near as consistent as the 21-year-old from Guadalajara.

Pienaar says England are over hyped.

South African midfielder Steven Pienaar has written down the chances of England winning the World Cup in his home country.

The 28 year-old has made almost 50 appearances for South Africa and believes that other teams will feel that they can get a result against England over the summer.

Pienaar said, “They have got the players and they’ve got a manager (Capello) who’s finally got them to play as a team.

“I’m not a fan of the England team. I think teams can get a result against England.

“They have a reason to feel confident, definitely, because in the past there were egos in their team but they play as a team now, no more about individuals.

“But we have to wait and see if they can live up to the challenge. We have to do it on the field and not in the newspapers."

England will open their World Cup campaign against the USA, followed by games against Slovenia and Algeria. Piennar, who will face Mexico, Uruguay and France in Group C believes that Argentina and Spain are the two favourites for the tournament.

The Everton star continued, “I have always said Argentina. Spain is also in the mix and you can never rule out Italy and Germany. Italy know how to win tournaments and the Germans have a good team, so they also have a chance to win it.”

Pienaar will likely go into the tournament having enjoyed a successful season. He has scored 6 goals in 28 games for Everton so far.

Three months to go and Ghana vs Germany sold out.

It looks like World Cup fever has hit the good people of Ghana and Germany hard as tickets for their World Cup match in June are already sold out.

Tickets for Ghana's final group D match against Germany at the 2010 FIFA World Cup have sold out.

An advice from FIFA to the Ghana Football Association says there were no more tickets for the Black Stars' match on June 23 in Johannesburg's Soccer City.

The Soccer City has a capacity of 88,460 and will host the opening game between hosts, South Africa and Mexico on June 11 and the final match.

With key matches sold out, Ghana is now left with a limited number of tickets for the other two games between Serbia and Australia.

Only category one tickets are available for the Black Stars' first two games - against Serbia and Australia.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Football Association has set a deadline, Friday, 19th March, 2010 for payment by all ticket applicants who were successful during the first phase of the 2010 World Cup Tickets sales.

According to the FA, failure to pay within the deadline would result in the applicant’s allocation expunged from the records.

Fans have until April 7 to bid for the second sales phase for tickets at the tournament, which runs from June 11-July 11.

Tuesday 16 March 2010

Nigeria line up 4 pre World Cup friendlies.

Nigeria line up friendlies with Noth Korea, Paraguay, Colombia and Ukraine in preparation for the World Cup.

Nigeria has confirmed four pre-World Cup friendly matches for the Super Eagles giving new coach Lars Lagerback an opportunity to run an eye over possible selections for the World Cup.....

The NFF says the team will play against North Korea, Paraguay, Colombia and Ukraine on dates to be announced soon.

The Eagles' new coach Lars Lagerback had requested for the games before they head for the finals in South Africa.

Three of the matches will be played at yet to be decided venues in London, while the game against North Korea will be played in Pyongyang.

Coach Lagerback had said right after resuming work last week that, it was important the team plays these games in order to become a cohesive unit and the NFF agree with him.

Ivory Coast says no to Keshi

Former national coach of Togo and Mali Stephen Keshi has been turned down by Ivory Coast for the post of their vacant national team manager.

The Ivorian football federation have turned down interest in for their vacant national team coach position from former Malian coach Stephen Keshi....

Ivory Coast has been innundated by interest in their national coaching position since the sack of former coach Vahid Halihodzic. The latest manager to express interest was former Malian coach Stephen Keshi.

Keshi who has also coached Togo was reported to have said of Ivory Coast "It is a dream team and everyone supports the team. The federation and the people behind the team. It is a team looking for consistency and I think I can bring that.

However his approach has been rebuffed by the Ivorians, their Federation President Jacques Anouma alluding to Keshi's poor outing with Mali at the last African Cup of Nations said "We were in Angola we saw how all the teams performed, we all know each other"

USA and Australia agree to World Cup warm up match.

The USA and Australia step up preparations for the World Cup in South Africa

Australia and USA will meet on 5 June in a 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa tune-up match in suburban Johannesburg on the weekend before each team plays its opener in the global football showdown.

The match at Roodepoort comes one week before the Americans open in Group C on 12 June against England at Rustenberg and eight days before the Socceroos play Germany in Group D in Durban.

"The match against Australia gives us a great opportunity to give the team a challenge a week before our opening match," US coach Bob Bradley said. "Australia demonstrated in 2006 (they went out to eventual champions Italy in the last 16) that they're a team capable of competing at the World Cup. A match against a quality opponent on South African soil at that point in our preparations will help our readiness for the game against England."

Monday 15 March 2010

Bosingwa injury blow for Portugal

Portugal suffered a major blow as defender Jose Bosingwa's injury rules him out of the World Cup.

Chelsea full-back Jose Bosingwa will miss the rest of the season and the World Cup with Portugal as he requires further surgery on a knee injury, the Premier League club have confirmed.

Bosingwa had been back in light training after knee surgery but has now been ruled out for the season because another operation is required.

That means he is unavailable for Chelsea's challenge for a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.

Nesta says no Italy return

Veteran Italian striker Allessandro Nesta has ruled himself out of selection for Italy at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

AC Milan defender Alessandro Nesta has decided against coming out of international retirement for Italy at this summer's World Cup finals

Nesta quit the international scene in 2007 as he wanted to focus on his club career after a number of injury problems.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi had wanted Nesta to come out of retirement to boost his squad ahead of the trip to South Africa.

However, the 33-year-old has opted to resist Lippi's overtures and the Italy coach respects the defender's decision.

"He told me, I think definitively, that he doesn't feel it," said Lippi.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to give a boost (to the team), but I respect his decision."

World Cup 2010 - It's all over for Beckham

Beckham's faint hope of a recovery in time for the World Cup have been played down by his Finnish surgeon Dr Saraki Orava.

The surgeon who operated on David Beckham's ruptured Achilles tendon in Finland on Monday (AEDT) has ruled out any possibility of the England star recovering in time for the World Cup.

Beckham twisted his left ankle during the final minutes of an AC Milan Serie A game against Chievo at the San Siro and limped off the field before being stretchered away in pain and in tears.

The 34-year-old midfielder flew to the western Finnish city of Turku in a private plane on Monday and was walking on crutches when he arrived at the sports injury clinic of Mehilaeinen hospital, where Dr Saraki Orava operated on him.

David Beckham's injury ends World Cup dreams.

David Beckham's dream of fourth and final World Cup appearance for England ended in tears yesterday after an injury incurred during yesterday's match between his AC Milan team and Chievo.

Beckham was unchallenged when he suffered the injury and hobbled off in pain before being stretchered away.

The 34-year-old was hoping to be part of England's World Cup squad in June, but instead will fly to Finland on Monday for specialist surgery.

"A rupture of the Achilles tendon is suspected," said an AC Milan statement.

Beckham, who is in his second loan stint with Milan from the Los Angeles Galaxy, will now almost certainly not be fit for the World Cup in South Africa which starts on 11 June.

Consultant sports physician Dr Tom Crisp told BBC Radio 5 live: "It's remotely possible he may be running in three months. The chances of him being fit to play for England are non-existent."

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said the Englishman will be out for "probably five or six months".

Sunday 14 March 2010

Are Spain the Favourites for the World Cup?

Two years ago Spain pleasantly surprised the world when they shook off their tag as Europe's nearly men by stylishly winning the European Cup. Can they keep on with thier winning ways through to the ultimate prize at this year's World Cup.

It is difficult to single out anyone in the Spain team because their starting
line-up is like a who's who of European football. The likes of David Villa, David Silva, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Fernando Torres are all players who would walk into a world XI at the moment and most people would pay good money to see them. Iniesta is perhaps the one who stands out at the moment because of his appreciation of angles and the way he plays a pass.

On the France side, you immediately look to the big names: Franck Ribery and Thierry Henry. The side may not be as strong as it was a decade ago but in those two players France have the talent to turn a game.

With 99 days to go until the World Cup how are these teams shaping up?

Becks not sure he will make World Cup

England's talismanic midfielder and former captain David Beckham has expressed fears that he might not make the countries squad for the World Cup this summer in South Africa.

David Beckham has admitted to fearing for his place in England's World Cup squad if he does not play regularly until the end of the season. "I am not guaranteed to go to South Africa at all," he said. "I have to work hard and hopefully win my place. There are a few months left and plenty of games but hopefully I can carry on playing well and get in the squad."

Hiddink says no to Ivory Coast

With less than a 100 days to go to the World Cup Ivory Coast is still without a coach and now their desperate (and ridiculous) pursuit of Guus Hiddink seems to have come to nothing.

Hiddink's complicated contractual arrangements mean he can't do the Ivorien job.

Hiddink is contracted with Russia until 30 June and has signed a deal to coach Turkey that starts in August.

He said taking charge of the Elephants temporarily will affect his commitment his current and future employers.

"If I had signed for Ivory Coast, then I would have missed these games and to tell the truth I don't think that something for me to do," Hiddink said.

"Although I had a great conversation with the federal president and chief executive Jacques Anouma, I myself had already decided not to go.

"It was a decision taken to avoid unnecessary confusion.

"Though I must admit that with the Ivory Coast it has not been easy."

Russia failed to qualify for the World Cup after losing a play-off against Slovenia and Hiddink was hoping to negotiate an early release from his contract to enable him coach the Ivorians.

But a deal could not be reached so Hiddink will stay in charge of Russia until his contract expires.