The Word on the Street

07 Jul 2006

Czech star Poborsky quits international stage

Czech Republic midfielder Karel Poborsky announced on Friday that he has retired from international football.

The 34-year-old former Manchester United and Lazio star won a Czech-record 118 caps, but decided to retire after his country's disappointing exit from the World Cup at the group stage.

The Ceske Budejovice player wants to concentrate on helping his club, where he is also general manager and executive president, establish themselves in the Czech first division.

Poborsky, who joined Ceske from Sparta Parague in 2005, won his first cap in 1994 and helped the Czech Republic to reach the final of Euro 96, where they were beaten by Germany.

Kewell out for six weeks but no gout

English Premiership side Liverpool said on Friday that Australian striker Harry Kewell will be out of action for six weeks with a foot problem, but said tests had shown he was not suffering from gout.

A statement from Liverpool said that doctors had established that Kewell was ruled out of his country's World Cup second-round match with Italy because of septic arthritis in the joints of his left foot, and not gout as was reported at the time.

"An Australian teammate suggested that Harry had been suffering from gout which we can confirm was an incorrect diagnosis," the club said, without naming the teammate.

"This was identified as septic arthritis, a bacterial infection in the joints of his left foot.

"Harry is currently undergoing treatment in hospital following a surgical procedure. He is expected to make a complete recovery and should be able to resume training in approximately six weeks time."

Beenhakker tipped to become Polish coach

Leo Beenhakker, the Dutchman who led tiny Trinidad and Tobago into the World Cup finals, is tipped to replace Polish coach Pawel Janas, the head of Poland's football federation said Thursday.

"He (Beenhakker) is very close to being named to the post," said Polish federation chief Michal Listkiewicz.

But in an interview published in Polish sports daily Przeglad Sportowy, Listkiewicz mentioned three other candidates in the running for the coach's post: Berti Vogts of Germany and unnamed Croatian and Polish contenders.

"I will do my utmost to ensure that the name of Poland's next coach will be known as of Tuesday," Listkiewicz said.

Paris to watch final under tight security

Thousands of riot police will be on duty in Paris for Sunday's World Cup final to prevent a repeat of the chaotic scenes that left five people dead during this week's celebrations, officials said.

Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters Friday that a "very significant" security contingent would be deployed, with an additional 4,000 riot police and gendarmes deployed across Paris and its suburbs.

Five people died in accidents across the country after France knocked Portugal out of the competition on Wednesday, while several people were injured in assaults and dozens of cars set alight by vandals.

Sarkozy denounced the "extremely violent behaviour" and "scenes of unacceptable violence" that marred Wednesday's festivities, leaving 45 police officers injured and leading to 350 arrests, 190 of them in Paris.

"We are doing all we can to ensure the party goes as well as possible," he said, adding that "we need to separate the people who are celebrating from those who come just to smash things up".

Kaiser left underwhelmed by World Cup

Two-time World Cup winner Franz Beckenbauer, now president of the World Cup organising committee, says the finals in his homeland have disappointed him from a sporting aspect with few great games or players to ignite the tournament.

"There were not many bad games at the final but there were no real thrillers," Beckenbauer said.

"If I had my way the teams that play with one striker would not be allowed into the tournament.

"It was a joke. I was seriously annoyed by the lack of courage from some teams - how afraid the coaches were.

"There were hardly any shots on goal and that explains the low goal quota."

"I have been on the panel to help pick out the best ten players at the tournament," said the former Bayern Munich player. "We could have picked a completely different ten. There were no stand-out players."

Buffon eyes Zenga's record

Gianluigi Buffon wants to win the World Cup by keeping another clean sheet in the final against France so that he can break the tournament record for not conceding a goal.

The 28-year-old Italy keeper has not been beaten since Cristian Zaccardo, his Azzurri team-mate, put through his own net in the 27th minute of the 1-1 draw with the United States in their second group stage match.

Since then, Buffon has gone 453 minutes without letting in a goal.

Walter Zenga, who played for Italy at the 1990 finals, holds the record for not conceding a goal in the competition, 517 minutes.

"Of course I'm interested in breaking the record, it would mean a lot," said Buffon.

"But it's not just about personal satisfaction. If we don't concede another goal it will be down to the efforts of the whole team."

Wanchope finds a home in Rosario

Charismatic Costa Rican striker Paulo Wanchope has agreed on a move to Rosario Central, the Argentine first-division club's sporting director Horacio Carbonari was quoted saying Thursday.

Carbonari, who played with Wanchope in Britain, said he had convinced the club's managers to hire the World Cup star for the 2006/07 season, San Jose daily Extra reported.

"He could give a lot to Argentine football. If all goes well he could become a star here. We all hope so," Carbonari said.

Costa Rica's all-time top goal scorer, with 45 goals in 72 matches, was due to arrive in Rosario at the weekend to put pen to paper, he added.

Wanchope, who turns 30 at the end of the month, announced after his country finished bottom of its group in the World Cup that he was ending all international commitments to concentrate on club football.

Cahill backs Houllier for Socceroos job

Everton midfielder Tim Cahill on Friday backed Lyon manager Gerard Houllier to take charge of the Australian national team.

Cahill was one of Australia's stars at this summer's World Cup and his goals helped the Socceroos reached the second round, where they were narrowly beaten by finalists Italy.

The former Millwall star believes Houllier, who has had talks with Australian football federation (FFA) bosses, is an ideal candidate to continue Australia's momentum.

Former France coach Houllier led Lyon to the French league title and the Champions League quarter-finals last season and also took Liverpool to a treble of the UEFA, FA and League Cups in 2001.

Cahill told the Liverpool Daily Post: "For Gerard Houllier to be a part of Australian football would be absolutely fantastic.

"It shows how far we have come as a nation. He's definitely a massive person in the game of football."

China busts online football gambling rings

Chinese police said Friday they had busted a series of soccer gambling rings during the World Cup, involving billions of yuan (hundreds of millions of dollars) in betting funds, state media said.

Police have arrested more than 50 suspects, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry of Public Security as saying.

Many of the gambling syndicates were operated via the Internet by headquarters set up outside mainland China, the ministry said.

In Beijing, police cracked four betting rings, arresting 24 people for involvement in organizing online gambling for World Cup games.

One of the nine computers serving as gambling terminals attracted more than 100 million yuan (12.5 million US dollars) in bets in a month, the police said.

Fifa revamp rankings system

The new version of the much criticised football world rankings were revealed by the governing body FIFA on Thursday.

Chief among the changes is that results from the past four years and not eight as was previously the case will only be taken into account.

Two other former factors have been taken out of the equation, number of goals scored and whether the matches were played at home.

Points will be allocated thus in major championships with three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat.

Germany in particular had complained that them being 19th in the rankings while Mexico are fourth and the United States fifth is unfair and that they have been penalised for playing friendlies for the past two years.

As hosts, Germany did not have to qualify for the World Cup.

The United States crashed out in the first round and were highlighted as a particular disappointment by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, second ranked The Czech Republic also went in the first cull and Mexico in the second round.

The next world rankings - first created in 1993 - will be published on July 12.

French team glorified in French press

France's reaching the World Cup final, where they will attempt to regain the trophy they won in 1998, was heralded in the country's press mirroring the euphoria of a whole nation.

"The goal of their life," was the headline in sports daily L'Equipe who said the Blues "had once more surprised by surpassing themselves.

"This reaching of a second World Cup final, eight years after 1998, proves the excellence of a generation of players as well as the whole French football set-up.

"The entire planet now knows that France can excel at a World Cup on foreign soil. Now they only have the final left, the last match in Zinedine Zidane's career which has to be won, of course, because a lost final is hugely disappointing.

Six Germans arrested in Berlin's Fan Mile

German police on Thursday said they arrested six men in Berlin's Fan Mile for World Cup supporters because they suggested Italians should be deported to Auschwitz after Italy beat Germany in the semi-finals.

The men chanted: "We will build an underground from Italy to Auschwitz", recalling the Nazi era deportations to the notorious concentration camp in what is today part of Poland.

The police said they were investigating charges of incitement against the men, who all come from Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg.

Germany's winning streak in the World Cup ended on Tuesday night when Italy defeated the host nation 2-0 by scoring twice in the final minutes of extra time.

There were fears before the championship that it could be marred by an increase in right-wing violence, but these have so far proven unfounded.

Toddler steals the show for Azzurri

A toddler stole the show as around 2,000 Italian fans flocked to the Azzurri's Meiderich training ground here on Thursday to give their idols a rousing send-off before the World Cup final against France.

The supporters came to see their heroes in blue, but they saved the biggest cheer for a little boy who interrupted the session by climbing over a fence and running onto the pitch.

The players stopped in their tracks as the cheeky tot, dressed in an Italian shirt, ran to the nearest ball and went on a mazy dribble upfield towards the squad.

A security guard quickly intervened and carried the boy off the field and handed him over to his parents.

Many of the fans wore Italian shirts while others waved green, white and red flags in the last training session open to the public before the squad fly to Berlin for Sunday's showpiece.

Batistuta wants Argentina job

Former Argentina international Gabriel Batistuta has said he would like to coach the national team, following the resignation of Jose Pekerman.

Pekerman resigned after Argentina, who played superbly in early matches, were knocked out on penalties by World Cup hosts Germany in the quarter-finals.

"I have always said I did not wish to be a coach but the Argentina team is something special. That would be a great honour," Batistuta told the TyC television station.

"It's something you cannot refuse and that's why I would accept it if I was asked."

The 37-year-old Batistuta, who top scored for Fiorentina in the Italian league in 1995, had however said he had hoped Pekerman would have remained in charge following Argentina's defeat to Germany.

Ronaldo to have knee operation

Real Madrid and Brazil striker Ronaldo is to have a knee operation over the close-season in order to get fit for the new campaign, Brazil team doctor Jose Luis Runco said on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old has suffered bouts of pain in his knee over the past eight months owing to calcification of the tibia and surgical scarring on his left knee.

Runco said that the striker, who scored three times at the World Cup to become the all-time tournament leading scorer despite Brazil's exit to France in the quarter-finals, had complained of pain at times during the event.

"He said now the event was over he would use the break to have surgery as he's had to put up with it for eight months," Runco said.

"If it is what I think it is, it will involve swift surgery and he will be ready for the new season," said Runco, who added Ronaldo would also consult Real's medical staff.

Three revellers dead in French celebrations

Two French revellers died and a third was feared drowned after more than half a million football fans took to the streets early Thursday to celebrate their side's qualification for the World Cup final.

Across France the night's celebrations were mostly peaceful -- if noisy -- with firecrackers and fireworks competing with drums and car horns to fete France's 1-0 victory over Portugal, courtesy of a Zinedine Zidane penalty.

Several people were seriously injured in brawls and traffic accidents as well as the two confirmed dead.

In central Paris, an 18-year-old man was crushed to death as he tried to jump between the roofs of two metro trains at Opera station, police said.

A young man was also missing feared drowned in the southeastern city of Lyon after jumping off a bridge into the River Saone with a group of friends.

And in the northern town of Lens, a 20-year-old woman was killed in a car accident minutes after the French win, police said. She had been leaning out of the car window to celebrate, and was crushed when the driver veered off the road to avoid a pedestrian.

Capello takes over at Real Madrid

Fabio Capello was confirmed as the new manager of Spanish club Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Capello resigned from Italian side Juventus on Tuesday after losing patience with the match-fixing scandals currently engulfing the Serie A champions.

The Italian will be unveiled at the Bernabeu on Thursday with new president Ramon Calderon stating Capello will sign a three-year deal.

A statement on the club's website confirmed: "Fabio Capello will be the next coach of Madrid. He will arrive in the Spanish capital in the next few hours and look over the facilities at the club.

"It is expected he will be presented to the media at 12pm (local time) on Thursday."

Calderon believes former Roma boss Capello, who managed Real for one season in 1996-97, is the man to end the club's recent trophy drought and he told Sky Sports News: "He will be here for three years. He is a winner and this is very important at this club after three years without a title."

Italy will play the World Cup final on Sunday against either France or Portugal.

Djorkaeff gets rude awakening in Germany

French World Cup winning midfielder Youri Djorkaeff had a rude awakening last Saturday when he was arrested by German police over an outstanding fine for a traffic accident dating back five years.

The 38-year-old former France international - a member of the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 winning sides - had returned to Germany from the United States for France's World Cup quarter-final with defending champions Brazil - which his former team-mates won 1-0.

However, Djorkaeff, who had a spell with German outfit Kaiserslautern, was taken into custody by the German police and subsequently released on bail as he still owes a 77,000 euro fine for having damaged a car with his in September 2001 and fleeing the scene.

Record numbers expected for Berlin final

Lufthansa says that a record number of passengers are set to swarm into Berlin for Sunday's World Cup final before heading out on Monday.

With 11,000 Monday departures expected "that is double the norm," according to Berlin-based Lufthansa director Stephan Weinmann.

"Since 1990, when Lufthansa regained the right (following German unification) to land in Berlin again we have only experienced one such stream of passengers - for the wrapping of the Reichstag by (artists) Christo and Jeanne-Claude in summer 1994," he said.