The Word on the Street

27 Jun 2006

Deco hails Big Phil the family man

Portugal midfielder Deco on Tuesday hailed the family spirit that coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has engendered in the Portuguese squad.

Speaking ahead of the quarter-final against England in Gelsenkirchen on Saturday in which he will not be able to play after picking up two yellow cards, Deco also called the coach who snubbed the England job a "friend" to the players.

"Scolari is a great trainer," the Brazil-born Barcelona player said. "His career speaks volumes for him. He has the results... he is a winner.

"The ambiance he creates around the squad is also very good. He's very strong-minded but a friend of the players and we like him. We feel like a family."

Del Piero and Zambrotta fly out to visit Pessotto

Italy players Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluca Zambrotta flew back to Turin on Tuesday to visit Gianluca Pessotto in hospital after the former international's apparent suicide attempt.

Juventus team-mates Del Piero and Zambrotta were accompanied by the national team's assistant coach Ciro Ferrara as they took a private jet back to the northern Italian city.

The three of them, who all played with Pessotto at Juventus, were due to fly back to Germany on Tuesday evening.

Earlier Tuesday, a press conference with Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro was cut short after news about Pessotto, who is believed to have been suffering from depression, came filtering through.

Pessotto, who became team manager of scandal-hit Serie A club Juventus after retiring in May, was in a serious condition after jumping from his Turin office window on Tuesday.

Ecuador team to receive presidentlal award

Ecuador's squad are to receive a special award for their World Cup showing next Monday from President Alfredo Palacio after their battling run to the second phase, a government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Coach Luis Fernando Suarez and his 23 players are to be given a state reception at the presidential palace, secretary of state for communication, Enrique Proano, said.

"President Palacio will decorate the players and then host a lunch for them and their families," Proano said.

Ecuador beat Poland and Costa Rica before losing to Germany in the group stage from which they qualified for the first time on only their second appearance in the finals after 2002.

In the second round a David Beckham freekick for England undid their hopes of further progress as they went out 1-0.

Sex, sleep and a good diet says Cannavaro

Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro has put his excellent World Cup form down to a good diet, plenty of sleep and a healthy sex life.

The 32-year-old Juventus defender was outstanding in their hard-fought 1-0 second round win over Australia on Monday, which earned them a place in the quarter-finals.

"Eating well, getting plenty of sleep and having sex - all of these things are important," says Cannavaro.

"You body needs the right fuel to keep going. I don't smoke and I don't drink alcohol, I've never liked it. I live a normal, healthy life.

"I've been disciplined for many years and that has served me well."

Asked how often he has sex, Cannavaro replied: "Whenever I want to, it helps me."

Cech in Premiership fitness race

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech faces a race against time to be fit for the start of the new English Premiership season in August after undergoing shoulder surgery.

The Czech Republic international went under the knife on Monday following his country's World Cup exit in the group stages.

Chelsea described the 24-year-old's operation as routine.

"The operation was to clear up some minor problems outstanding from last season and he will be working with the Chelsea medical staff to be fit as soon as possible," said a statement on the club's website.

Petr Travnicek, the player's media spokesman, added: "The operation was successful and lasted more than two hours.

"Petr will have a rest and intensive rehabilitation in the following weeks."

Pessotto tragedy rocks Italy camp

A press conference with Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro was cut short here Tuesday after news came through of former international Gianluca Pessotto's apparent suicide attempt.

Former defender Pessotto, team manager of scandal-hit Serie A club Juventus, was in a serious condition after jumping from his Turin office window on Tuesday.

Italy's assistant press officer Stefano Balducci received a call during the Cannavaro press conference and said there had been some bad news about Pessotto, before leaving hastily along with Cannavaro.

The mood at the Italy camp had previously been buoyant after their 1-0 win against Australia on Monday which earned them a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.

Pessotto, who made 22 appearances for Italy and was appointed to the post of Juventus team manager only last month, apparently climbed onto the window sill of his office holding a set of rosary beads, and jumped off bouncing off one car and onto another.

Serbian coach confirms exit

Ilija Petkovic confirmed Tuesday that he was giving up his post as Serbia's football coach after his team's humiliating exit from the World Cup.

"My contract with the (Serbian Football) Association expired today and I cease to be coach," Petkovic said here.

"For three years I was looking for players that would beat Argentina, but there were no such ones here, or there were but I did not know how to find them," he said in his first press conference since the team returned from Germany.

Serbia-Montenegro were eliminated from the World Cup with the worst record in the group stage of the competition, having lost 1-0 to the Netherlands, 6-0 at the hands of Argentina and 3-2 to Ivory Coast.

Germans predict win over Argentina

A staggering 87 percent of Germans believe the hosts will overcome Argentina in Friday's quarter-final in Berlin, a survey says.

After winning their first four games, German confidence is sky high and a survey conducted by sports agency SID, covering 1,000 German citizens, revealed that close to 90 percent of the country expect a win over Argentina.

Close to 53 percent predicted a fourth World Cup win for Germany at Berlin's Olympic Stadium on July 9.

That is in stark contrast to the pre-tournament pessimism with just 9 percent believing in a German title win after their 4-1 defeat to Italy in March.

Blatter blamed for 'catastrophic' refereeing

A leading French referee has slammed the "catastrophic" officiating at the World Cup and blamed FIFA President Sepp Blatter for putting politics before football in choosing referees.

"They have selected the best teams from each continent, but not the best referees," said Bernard Saules, the president of the French national union of referees (UNAF).

"It has been a catastrophe from the start. FIFA and Mr Blatter have introduced some political shenanigans into the choice of the referees to keep this or that country happy, and this is the result," he told AFP.

Minister to blame for Dutch exit says Cruyff

Dutch legend Johan Cruyff knows who is at fault for the Netherlands' elimination - the country's Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk.

Her ministry refused to naturalise FC Feyenoord striker Salomon Kalou who was born in Ivory Coast. The striker who has just been snapped up by English big spenders Chelsea would have been selected if he had a Dutch passport.

"A minister is supposed to serve the interests of their country, and she clearly has not," Cruyff said in De Telegraaf newspaper on Tuesday.

"If a great player of the calibre of Kalou was available and the manager of my club turned him away, he would have to face the consequences. The same applies for Verdonk," said the man who led his country to the 1974 final in which they lost to West Germany.

Portugal-Holland match brutal: Ref

The under-fire Russian referee who dished out 16 yellow and four red cards in the Portugal-Netherlands second round clash was unrepentant despite widespread criticism.

Valentin Ivanov described the match as "brutal" and the "hardest" of his career.

"Probably in the sense of brutality, yes, yesterday's match was the hardest," said Ivanov.

And asked if he had lost control over the contest, Ivanov said: "I don't know... I refereed as I saw things, as I understood these situations."

FIFA President Sepp Blatter claimed Ivanov deserved a yellow card for his showing and Dutch coach Marco van Basten said the refereeing had overshadowed the football.

World Cup refs not in control says Beckenbauer

World Cup organiser Franz Beckenbauer on Tuesday added his voice to the criticism of refereeing at the tournament, saying match officials were failing to keep a grip on matches.

"They haven't got the situation 100 percent under control," said Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup as a player and a coach.

Russian referee Valentin Ivanov came under fire from FIFA President Sepp Blatter for showing a World Cup record four red cards and 16 yellow in Portugal's second-round win over the Netherlands on Sunday.

Blatter said Ivanov "deserved a yellow card" for his performance.

The referees' committee is due to meet on Wednesday to name the officials for the quarter-final matches.

Kewell had gout, says agent

Harry Kewell missed Australia's second round defeat to Italy not with his groin injury but with gout, his personal manager said Tuesday.

"Harry is a shot duck. He has never been in so much pain all his life," Bernie Mandic said.

"He's had the game of his life for the Socceroos (against Croatia), and then been shot down by this. It's unbelievable."

Gout can be treated by non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and it normally takes up to three days to recover, but there was only a four-day break between games and Kewell was no chance of taking to the field.

Mandic said Kewell had never previously suffered the condition.

Coach Guus Hiddink told a post-match press conference that Kewell was on crutches because of a swollen ankle, but did not mention gout.

Get a kick out of Zizou's "souvenir" door

The stadium door at Leipzig which French star Zinedine Zidane kicked in anger after being substituted during the 1-1 group draw with South Korea is to be kepty in its damaged state as a "souvenir" of his visit, the stadium director of football says.

"I initially was going to ask FIFA to reimburse us for this damaged door," said Winfried Lonzen.

"But on reflection we are going to preserved this door deformed by a kick from one of the greatest ever footballers."

Zidane is to retire after the World Cup but after France beat Togo in his absence he now is set to come back to face Spain in the last 16.

Swiss tears in wake of World Cup exit

Swiss dreams of World Cup glory turned to tears on the morning after Switzerland's second round exit from Germany in a penalty shoot-out against Ukraine.

"In the end, only tears of bitterness remain," the daily Basler Zeitung commented mournfully on Tuesday. "The Swiss World Cup dream is shattered," wrote the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper

Instead of the expected concert of horns, cowbells and noisy street celebrations, the night passed off with an eerie silence in Geneva as fans bedecked in red and white quietly headed home.

"We cracked at the wrong moment," said the Tribune de Geneve, after three Swiss players missed their penalties in the decisive shootout at the end of a dour 120 minute battle with Ukraine.

Ukraine toasts its World Cup heroes

Ukraine toasted its hero footballers Tuesday after the team defied expectations to secure a place in the World Cup quarter-finals by beating Switzerland 3-0 in a penalty shootout with the nation holding its breath.

"We're in the quarter finals!" screamed the headline of one Kiev daily.

Thousands of fans shouting "Uuu-krai-na!" took to the streets throughout the former Soviet republic after the game that finished in the early hours of the morning.

In the capital Kiev, fans virtually took over the central Independence Square and Khreshchatik thoroughfare for hours, waving the blue and yellow national standard from honking cars and motorcycles.

Australians tearful but proud as fairytale ends

Shellshocked Australian football fans watched in disbelief Tuesday as Italy ended the Socceroos' World Cup dream in cruel fashion with a penalty goal in stoppage time.

"I'm shattered, absolutely shattered," Sydney man Michael Rhys-Jones told AFP after watching Australia's second-round clash against the three-time champions in the city's Little Italy district of Norton Street.

"We outplayed them, we had such a good game. For it to end like that is devastating."

With the unfancied Socceroos' exploits capturing the public imagination in Australia, tens of thousands of people were undeterred by the game's 1:00 am kick off, local time, and turned out to cheer the Socceroos at big screen venues around the country.

Some Australians among the 20,000 packed into Norton Street were in tears after the last-minute defeat, while Italian fans hugged each other in relief and lit flares following a nail-biting match for both sets of supporters.

Kahn frustration understandable says Klinsmann

Germany's back-up goalkeeper Oliver Kahn has every right to be frustrated by his substitute role at the World Cup, German manager Jurgen Klinsmann said on Monday.

"I can understand Oliver Kahn. He still feels he is the number one and should play at this World Cup," Klinsmann said Monday after Kahn complaints had appeared in the press at the weekend.

"I have no problem with that. It is difficult for him to accept his current role so I understand his comments."

Kahn was Germany's first choice 'keeper for eight years before Klinsmann stripped him of the captain's armband in August 2004 and replaced him in goal with Arsenal custodian Jens Lehmann just ahead of the World Cup

Pitch for England v Portugal partly replaced

New turf has been laid in the goalmouths at the Gelsenkirchen stadium where England will face Portugal in a quarter-final on Saturday, the organisers said on Monday.

But the area around the penalty spots did not require attention, Organising Committee spokesman Gerd Graus said.

"The turf has been changed where the goalkeeper stands and only partly in those areas," Graus said.

The Gelsenkirchen stadium, known as the AufSchalke Arena, has been a cause for concern because yellow patches have devloped on the turf.

The organisers blamed the design of the stadium for preventing enough light reaching the grass. The ultra-modern ground has a sliding roof, but it has been open for the four games it has hosted so far.

Bookies expecting England betting bonanza

One of Britain's leading bookmakers is expecting up to 10 million pounds to be gambled on England's World Cup quarter-final against Portugal.

Patriotic sentiment has meant Ladbrokes have England at 11/10 to win through to the last four despite their lacklustre and unconvincing 1-0 victory against unfancied Ecuador on Sunday.

But in a bid to lure in fresh punters, Ladbrokes have made England 11/1 to exit the tournament on penalties following their spot-kick shoot-out exit against Portugal in the last eight of Euro 2004.

Another bad omen for England fans is that Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, who turned down the chance to succeed Sven-Goran Eriksson as England coach, will be gunning for his third win over the Swede's men.

Scolari the 12th man

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari explained his animated touchline behaviour during their 1-0 win over Holland as solidarity with his players that gave them an extra edge.

"Sometimes they look over and they see me on the side and think that the whole bench is playing," he said.

"Sometimes that gives them the extra yard that can win a game."

Portuguese press hails heroes of Nuremberg

Portuguese papers on Monday hailed the national side as heroes after a hard-fought 1-0 win over the Netherlands that took them into the quarter-finals.

"An epic victory!" and "What a Heart!" titled sports daily Record while rival A Bola went with "Heroes of the Resistance" and bragged "The sky is the limit for a team with such a spirit."

"Why not go right through to the final," the paper concluded.

A Bola said that Portugal had won a "battle of nerves" against the Dutch old foes in what turned into one of the roughest games in World Cup history with four red cards being brandished for the first time.

Publico laid much of the credit for the victory at the feet of coach Luiz Scolari "who has succeeded in gathering around him a band of warriors who are willing to die for him."

Not my fault says Zico

Coach Zico bade farewell to Japan on Monday with a warning that the Asian champions, who were humiliated in the World Cup, face an uphill battle making up for their physical shortcomings.

"No matter who their coaches are, it is up to the players. Unless they try to catch up with top teams in the world mentally and physically, it will be very difficult in the future as well," said Zico.

Zico said that Asians, and particularly the Japanese, would always be hurt by their small stature compared with other nationalities.

"Even in the future Asian qualifying rounds for the World Cup, Japan will face a lot of long crosses from behind whenever they play a team which has a height advantage," Zico said.

Blatter shows ref a yellow card

FIFA President Sepp Blatter criticised the refereeing of Russian Valentin Ivanov in the blaze of cards Portugal against Holland match as worthy of a yellow card itself.

Ivanov flashed 16 yellow and four red cards on the night.

"The referee's actions harmed what could have been an excellent football match," said Blatter.

"We saw a very intense match between two teams which like to attack but they were not helped by the referee.

"I think the refereeing itself deserves a yellow card."

FIFA said they had no further comment to make on Ivanov.