The Word on the Street

15 Jun 2006

Barcelona tell Saviola he can go

Argentina international striker Javier Saviola has been told he is not wanted by Barcelona, the Spanish champions confirmed on Thursday.

Saviola is under contract at the Nou Camp until the end of the coming season but he has spent the last two years on loan at Monaco and Sevilla.

Barca manager Frank Rijkaard has no plans to keep the pacey forward, who is currently preparing for his country's second World Cup match against Serbia and Montenegro on Friday, and will either sell him or agree another loan move.

The European champions' sports director Txiki Begiristain told the club's website: "The situation with Saviola is closed, he does not interest us and I think that is quite clear.

"We will have to look for the best solution for both parties when the World Cup finishes."

Beckenbauer hopes Germany avoid England

West Germany's 1974 World Cup winning hero Franz Beckenbauer hopes hosts Germany are not paired with England in the last 16 of the World Cup, saying he would prefer to meet the old foe later in the tournament.

The two will play each other if one finished top and the other second in their respective Groups A and B.

"England. Please no!" Beckenbauer said in his column in the Bild newspaper. "I do not say that because we can not beat England as their 1-0 win against Paraguay was certainly not a world champion like performance.

"But I just think you want to play a team such as England in the semi-final or the final itself.

Brazil disappoint Dutch legend Cruyff

Johan Cruyff, twice a World Cup finalist with the Netherlands in 1974 and 1978, said Thursday he had been "pleasantly surprised" by the opening games of this World Cup but disappointed by Brazil.

"The level of football is good across the board, even very good. Several teams are playing a much more attacking style than expected," said Cruyff.

"Italy, Spain and Ghana have really seduced me. However, I'm a little diappointed by the showings of Brazil, in particular, and Portugal.

Cruyff praised the Germans, who have posted wins over Costa Rica (4-2) and Poland (1-0), as "very fresh. Not always efficient but nice to watch. It's good for the tournament".

Hooligans battle police in Dortmund

More than 300 people were rounded up by police in Dortmund overnight after German hooligans sparked fighting before the match with Poland.

The violence signalled the end of five trouble-free days at the World Cup.

Hooligans threw bottles and chairs at police as they tried to move fans out of the centre of the city and riot police then chased several dozen fans through the city.

Police said those detained included 120 hooligans already known to authorities and around 60 Polish fans.

Some of the Poles were carrying potentially dangerous items while others were on a list of known Polish hooligans.

A police spokesman said the fans had played "cat and mouse" with police, but the clashes had only caused slight injuries.

Iaquinta answers critics

Italy striker Vincenzo Iaquinta has dedicated the goal he scored against Ghana to those who said he wasn't good enough to play at the World Cup.

"Many people were saying that I should not have been part of this squad, and so for me the goal against Ghana was liberating, it was my revenge," Iaquinta said.

"I heard lots of horrible things said about, but I didn't let it get to me. I thought only about training hard.

"For me, it's an immense joy to be here at the World Cup. I was on the bench against Ghana, but I had the same attitude as those who started the match.

"When I got the call, I was ready. I'm in good shape and this is a positive moment for me. Obviously I would like to start against the USA, but it's up to the coach."

Japan left to rue blatant penalty

Japan's football chief has said a FIFA comment that the Asian champions should have been awarded a penalty in their 3-1 loss to Australia on Monday had come too late.

"So what if they say such a thing now? It was all apparent then," said Japan Football Association president Saburo Kawabuchi.

"I wonder if this was the first time that the FIFA made such an announcement about refereeing," he said

FIFA communications chief Markus Siegler told a news conference on Wednesday that the Group-F opener between Japan and Australia was the only one in which a penalty should have been given so far in the World Cup finals in Germany.

"It was a clear mistake of the referee. I would not be credible if I didn't say a mistake was made there," he said.

Mummy elephant

The mothers of Ivory Coast's squad, nicknamed "the elephants", have brought out a song to "encourage" their offspring. The French and local vernacular clip is getting regular play on the RTI public television station and propagates a new dance "style" - the "mama jump," a version of the winged, hands-outstretched, run players often set off on when scoring.

The mothers are also praying and fasting in hope of divine intervention at the Ivory Coast's match with Holland on Friday.

Trinidad have no fear of England

Minnows Trinidad and Tobago play their biggest ever match against England on Thursday, but have no fear of their star-studded opponents.

The West Indians are on a high after holding Sweden to a 0-0 draw in their opening game and while respect is there for England's array of talented players, they will not be overawed, said coach Leo Beenhakker.

"The ideal result for us of course is winning the game. You can't bring a team and prepare them for a draw. That is not the way professional coaches and players go into a game," said the former Dutch national coach.

"No-one has to explain to us that on paper there is a big difference in the talent, but we have seen that there are no guarantees for the bigger teams to win games.

"For many of their players it is the match of their lives so we expect a very aggressive and hungry team full of confidence after Sweden," he said.

US forward ready for World Cup "war"

US forward Eddie Johnson dedicated the do-or-die clash with Italy Saturday to the American soldiers wounded in Iraq whom he visited at the military base in Ramstein at which the squad are staying.

"They made you feel like heroes. They were touched by us taking time out of our day to say hello," Johnson said.

"It's like the World Cup. We're here for a war. We're representing our country. We know they are watching us and counting on us."

"Whenever you put on your jersey and your anthem is on, and you're going against another country, it's like a war," he said.

The US certainly have a battle on their hands as a defeat to Italy coupled with a Czech Republic win over Gahana would send the Americans home.

Rangers reject Barthez

Fabien Barthez may be France's number one stopper but he is not good enough for new Rangers manager Paul Le Guen, according to the player's agent.

Barthez, a free agent after quitting Marseille at the end of last season, was offered to countryman Le Guen, the new Gers boss, but was flatly rejected.

Instead, Le Guen is interested in Paris St Germain keeper Lionel Letizi, another compatriot, to replace Ronald Waterreus for the new season.

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Barthez's agent Jean-Marie Cantona, brother of another former United stallwart Eric, said: "I know Paul Le Guen very well from his time in France and had a friendly discussion about the possibility of Fabien going to Rangers.

"I knew Paul wanted to change his goalkeeping position at Rangers but he didn't want to take on Fabien. He has other options and I respect him for that."

German fans clash with police

German fans clashed with police in the streets of Dortmund on Wednesday ahead of the host nation's World Cup match against Poland.

A crowd of around 120 youths threw bottles and cafe chairs at police who had earlier tried to escort them out of the city centre.

Police said earlier they had arrested 56 suspected Polish hooligans in the city.

Spokesman Wolfgang Wieland said some of the men were detained because they were carrying potentially dangerous objects, while others were believed to be "potentially or certainly violent".

At least seven of the men were found to be in possession of boxers' gumshields.

Gunman kills fans in Thailand

Thai police said Thursday they were hunting for a gunman who shot dead two noisy World Cup fans at point blank range at a restaurant after they ignored his request to be quiet.

The gunman was sitting next to a group of 10 Thai football fans who were watching Monday's Italy-Ghana match at the restaurant in the seaside resort of Pattaya, 70 kilometres (45 miles) southeast of Bangkok.

The argument broke out when the gunman asked them to be quiet after Italy had scored.

"The gunman came alone and he could not fight against all the 10 people. So he used his gun to kill the victims," Pattaya police major Somphol Nakkhamphan said, adding that the victims were aged at 30 and 41.

"We know the suspect and are searching for him," he said.

Simply the best says Klinsman

Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann said the late 1-0 win over Poland Thursday was one of the highlights of his career, while Michael Ballack said fitness had played a factor in earning all three points.

"The team was so offensive and really wanted the goal. We kept going and that is what pleased me most. It was one of the nicest moments in my brief managerial career," said the former striker.

"The fact we got a late goal may seem lucky, but it was wholly deserved," said Germany captain Michael Ballack, who sat out the first match due to injury.

"But we saw that fitness is vital in football. We kept the tempo high until the very end."

Torres is Spanish gold says coach

Spain coach Luis Aragones was just one of many people waxing lyrical over striker Fernando Torres after Spain's 4-0 crushing on the Ukraine Wednesday.

The 22-year-old Atletico Madrid captain scored the fourth and best of their goals, sprinting past a pack of defenders and unleashing a stunning strike.

"Torres is a great player," said Aragones.

"He has great fitness and incredible condition and he just bounds with energy.

"He needs some fine-tuning, but he's an incredible player."