world cup 2006 news and interviews

world cup 2006 news and interviews
England - Wayne Rooney Right from his emergence as a 16-year-old onto the scene in a League Cup tie at the Racecourse Ground, Wayne Rooney seemed destined for greatness. Two goals for Everton on that night in late 2002 signalled to the football world outside Merseyside what a special talent this young man is. Soon after, a sensational late winner ended Arsenal's unbeaten start to the season, and Rooneymania was officially under way. Since then in three short years Rooney has become the most talented footballer in England, and the key to his country's hopes of World Cup glory in Germany. His displays for Everton had him in the England team for a crucial Euro 2004 qualifier against Turkey within six months of that Wrexham double. And, displaying maturity beyond his years, he gave a glimpse into the future by starring in a 2-0 England win. Euro 2004 was to take Rooney to true superstar level as he first terrorised the vaunted French defence and then notched doubles against Switzerland and Croatia. A broken bone in his foot early in the quarter-final with Portugal was to end his tournament prematurely, and it ended England's too, but Rooney was now the hottest property in European football and when Manchester United bid more than £20million for his services, he asked for a transfer. Moving down the M62 to Old Trafford earned him the hatred of the blue half of Merseyside - \"Always A Blue\" became \"Now A Red\" - but he showed his star quality immediately by returning from a three-month injury lay-off with a sensational hat-trick on his debut against Fenerbahce. Not surprisingly he enjoyed a successful season at Old Trafford, despite spending part of it out on the wing. He was a shining star in an under-achieving team, and his vision, maturity and sheer brilliance showed what he can be for his club and country. The one blot on the Rooney copybook is a temper which can be too easily lost. Most great sportsmen live on a hair trigger, walking a fine disciplinary tightrope. But more than once Rooney has overstepped the line, once leading to an embarrassing early substitution for England in Spain. The most notable incident came last September when he was sent off in a Champions League game against Villarreal for foolishly clapping ref Kim Milton Nielsen sarcastically. These outbursts are especially frustrating when you consider how much maturity Rooney displayed in other situations - he handled the transfer to Old Trafford superbly, and was the definition of restraint on his difficult first return to Goodison in February 2005. If England are to rule in Germany then Rooney will probably be the key. His brilliance is unquestioned - his passing, finishing and effortless first touch are way above anything else in this country. But that temperament is a worry. Diego Maradona may see it as a positive, but it must give Sven-Goran Eriksson nightmares.

Brazil - Ronaldinho
Perhaps the biggest compliment one can pay Ronaldinho is that he is the brightest star in a squad also featuring the likes of Roberto Carlos, Robinho and Ronaldo. The toothy phenomenon was deservedly acclaimed as the best player of the last World Cup at the age of just 22 by none other than Pele and has been simply sensational for club and country ever since, deservedly winning FIFA's World Footballer of the Year award in 2004. He first made his name as a teenager with Gremio but burst to the world's attention during the Copa America in 1999, after which most of Europe's elite pursued him. French Ligue 1 side Paris St Germain won the battle for his signature, recruiting him on a free transfer as his contract had expired but later being forced to pay £3.6million when a tribunal ruled against them. After a tricky settling-in period in the French capital, Ronaldinho proved even that price was a snip and PSG eventually received £21million when the midfielder joined Barcelona a year after his heroics in the Far East in 2002. Sir Alex Ferguson will probably go to his grave regretting the fact that Manchester United missed out on his signing, and his performances in helping Barcelona win the Primera Liga in 2004-05 show why. A supremely gifted footballer with great control and dribbling skills Ronaldinho is a player with few peers as evidenced by him being named both World and European Football of the Year in December.

France - Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry is undoubtedly one of the most exciting players in world football today. Although he plays as a striker, his versatility makes him more influential than a traditional forward, often dropping deep to receive the ball from midfield. With his speed, vision and pure footballing ability, he creates nearly as many goals as he scores. And he scores plenty, his pace and coolness in front of goal making him one of the Premiership's most feared marksmen and Arsenal's all-time leading scorer. At international level, Henry is in a race with team-mate David Trezeguet to overhaul Michel Platini's goalscoring record for Les Bleus. A vital part of the all-conquering French side around the turn of the Millennium, winning the World Cup in 1998 and then Euro 2000, where he finished as France's leading scorer with three goals in six games. However, along with the rest of the France squad, Henry will want to forget the last World Cup; he was sent off against Uruguay as the holders crashed out early. Despite that, Henry's reputation now precedes him and the striker will certainly be among the favourites for the Golden Boot, with few likely to bet against him justifying that position. At club level, he first sprang to prominence with Monaco as they knocked out Manchester United en route to the Champions League semi-finals in 1998. He eventually left Stade Louis II for Juventus but that didn't work out and shortly afterwards Arsenal took him away from Turin for just over £10million. Since then he's never looked back and has been probably the Premiership's best player in recent seasons. A nightmare for defenders, he is now the mainstay of an Arsenal team in transition following the departure of Patrick Vieira.

1966 - England's glory
It was the Swinging Sixties, The Beatles, Carnaby Street. Britannia had never been so 'cool' and so logically England won their first - and only - Jules Rimet Trophy. Firstly, there was almost no trophy to win. In a bizarre parallel of a vanishing FA Cup nearly half a century earlier, the famous tiny gold statue was stolen just before the event while on display. It was found under a bush by a dog named Pickles and relieved FA officials made sure it was never taken out of their sight again. England went into the tournament under the urbane and stubborn Alf Ramsey. They opened their campaign with a dull 0-0 draw against Uruguay and were greeted by a barrage of criticism. Ramsey was personally attacked for sidelining the best striker in the country, Jimmy Greaves, for the converted attacking midfielder Geoff Hurst. Ramsey was to have the last laugh. Ramsey's unwavering belief was further tested after England's unimpressive 2-0 group win over France when the combative anchor man Nobby Stiles was censured for a horrendous tackle on an opponent. FA chiefs, always keen to be seen as squeaky clean, approached Ramsey to leave the Manchester United star out. Ramsey refused ensuring spectators of the final were allowed to glimpse Stiles' eccentric jig of delight along the touchline at the final whistle. The hosts were still not the big attraction in 1966. Brazil were here, bidding for an unprecedented third title and with a certain Pele in their team. But other teams had taken notice too and Pele was crudely hacked down in their opening game with Bulgaria. He was never the same again and when he hobbled through much of their final game with Portugal, their hopes had gone. The Portuguese boasted the new star themselves in Eusebio, a striker built like a light-heavyweight boxer, with a ferocious shot in his right foot. West Germany were making low-key progress towards that famous final remaining unbeaten in their group games while the biggest shock in the early stages was in Group 4. Li Dong-woon scored North Korea's winner over Italy and caused a minor earth tremor around Rome. The Italians arrived home early to the most enormous abuse from the public. The quarter-finals pitted England against Argentina and started an amazing World Cup saga against the South Americans. Pacy with the ball and speedy with their mouth, the Argentinians spent most of the 90 minutes arguing and play-acting till moaning skipper Antonio Rattin was sent off by an intensely irritated referee. Geoff Hurst gave England the lead and then they had to ward off an attacking onslaught that Argentina should have set about earlier in the game The mighty Germans and the Soviet Union cruised into the semi-finals while Everton's Goodison Park staged an absolute thriller in the other quarter-final where Portugal came back from three goals down to beat the totally unfancied Koreans 5-3. The sense of excitement was now fever pitch in England as Eusebio and Portugal lined up against them for the semi-final. Two goals from Bobby Charlton, one a trademark piledriver, settled the issue while the defence played manfully to give the lethal Eusebio barely a sniff of a chance. West Germany now lay in wait after a certain teenage Franz Beckenbauer disposed of the Soviets and one of the most famous days of the century was about to happen. On July 30, the sun shone and a nation seemed draped in the Union Jack. But the unflappable Ray Wilson headed a harmless cross straight to the lurking Helmut Haller and England are one down and the fairytale ending is acquiring a nightmare feel. But England are a spirited unit. Goals from Hurst and West Ham colleague Martin Peters turned the match around. It was now 2-1 but there was just a minute to go when England centre-back Jack Charlton is penalised for a push out on the left. Charlton trotted back to his own area muttering and when the ball was swung over, a clearance was missed and, in what seemed to be slow motion, the ball ran free to Wolfgang Weber who fired into the roof of the net. The 100,000 crowd in the stadium and several millions huddled around black and white TV sets stared in disbelief as the referee blew the final whistle seconds later. The national grid felt a massive surge as 10 million kettles were put on while everyone waited for 30 minutes of extra-time to begin. Two men were to dominate the match - Geoff Hurst and the linesman Tofik Bakhramov. In the first period, Hurst turned and shot against the underside of the bar only to see the ball bounce down close to the line and out again. With the referee unsure, the linesman from the Soviet Union shook a moustachioed head to confirm the ball had definitely crossed the line. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. But to make sure in the dying minutes, the sublime Bobby Moore picked out Hurst with a pass from his own area and saw his West Ham pal gallop 40 yards to slam an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net. England had done it and Geoff Hurst had scored the first hat-trick in the final. All 11 players and Ramsey became household names and England were on top of the world at last. Player of the tournament: Pele had arrived to claim the mantle but was quickly eclipsed by the panther-like Eusebio. Garrincha supplied the Brazilian style for a couple of games and Beckenbauer's quality strike against the Soviets marked him out a star of the future. But the man of 1996 was Bobby Moore. Golden-haired, Moore was a craftsman among artisans. He had little pace but a brain that always put him in the right place to intercept. If ever a player could be truly called a general on the pitch, it was Moore. Goal of the tournament: Charlton, Eusebio and Beckenbauer all supplied blockbusters but Garrincha's free kick against the Bulgarians was something to behold. Bent with the outside of the right foot over the corner of the wall, it bulleted into the top corner with a bemused keeper Naidenov rooted to his line. It instigated a generation of free kick specialists. Match of the tournament: Patriots would say the final but in truth the Portugal-North Korea quarter-final was one of the greatest anywhere...ever! The Koreans came to the tournament straight from a Communist military training camp. They were small in stature, but ruthlessly fit and superbly drilled. They boasted one of the characters of the tournament in goalkeeper Chan-myung, nicknamed, quite realistically, 'The Cat'. With the spring-heeled Chan-myung leaping around his area like a circus acrobat, the Koreans took a 3-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes. The capacity crowd were being treated to an amazing match especially when Eusebio grabbed two goals back before half-time for the Portuguese. But the Koreans had a fatal flaw. They could defend the 38th Parallel in their own land but could not cope with Eusebio's sheer power and the aerial threat of striker Jose Torres. They were bombarded with a stream of crosses in the second half and crumbled allowing Eusebio to claim a record four goals in the 5-3 extravaganza. Eusebio rightly became one of the world's great strikers and the North Koreans simply disappeared off the footballing map. But they left a legacy in contesting one of the greatest World Cup matches ever.

BBC announces World Cup coverage
England's opening 2006 World Cup game against Paraguay on 10 June will be exclusively live on the BBC. The BBC will also have live coverage of England's first knockout clash - possibly against hosts Germany or Poland - if they qualify. First choice of quarter-final also goes to the BBC, which would again be England if they make the last eight. And any England semi-final or final appearance would also be on the BBC as well as ITV. ITV will be showing England's group games against Trinidad & Tobago and Sweden. The BBC's coverage, revealed on Monday, will also feature the opening game of the tournament - Germany v Costa Rica in Munich on 9 June. Brazil's two peak-time matches - against Croatia and Japan, kicking off at 2000 BST - will be on the BBC, as will Italy's opening game against Ghana. All three group games involving France will feature on the BBC as well as Germany v Poland, as well as the final group games involving Brazil, Italy, the Czech Republic and Spain. BBC Interactive will cover all the final games in groups E to H and will also feature alternative commentaries, match highlights and post-match forums. BBC Radio will have commentary from every match at the World Cup, with broadcasts on both Five Live and Five Live Sports Extra. The BBC Sport website will also provide extensive coverage of every match. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Games to be shown on the BBC & ITV: All times BST 9 June 1700: Germany v Costa Rica BBC 2000: Poland v Ecuador ITV 10 June 1400: England v Paraguay BBC 1700: Trindad & Tobago v Sweden ITV 2000: Argentina v Ivory Coast ITV 11 June 1400: Serbia & Montenegro v Netherlands BBC 1700: Mexico v Iran BBC 2000: Angola v Portugal ITV 12 June 1400: Australia v Japan ITV 1700: USA v Czech Republic BBC 2000: Italy v Ghana BBC 13 June 1400: South Korea v Togo BBC 1700: France v Switzerland BBC 2000: Brazil v Croatia BBC 14 June 1400: Spain v Ukraine ITV 1700: Tunisia v S Arabia ITV 2000: Germany v Poland BBC 15 June 1400: Ecuador v Costa Rica ITV 1700: England v Trinidad & Tobago ITV 2000: Sweden v Paraguay ITV 16 June 1400: Argentina v Serbia & Montenegro BBC 1700: Netherlands v Ivory Coast ITV 2000: Mexico v Angola ITV 17 June 1400: Portugal v Iran BBC 1700: Czech Republic v Ghana ITV 2000: Italy v USA ITV 18 June 1400: Japan v Croatia ITV 1700: Brazil v Australia ITV 2000: France v South Korea BBC 19 June 1400: Togo v Switzerland BBC 1700 S Arabia v Ukraine ITV 2000: Spain v Tunisia BBC 20 June 1500: Ecuador v Germany/Costa Rica v Poland ITV 2000: Paraguay v T'dad & Tobago/Sweden v England ITV 21 June 1500: Iran v Angola/Portugal v Mexico ITV 2000: Netherlands v Argentina/I Coast v Serbia & M ITV 22 June 1500: Czech Republic v Italy/Ghana v USA BBC 2000: Japan v Brazil/Croatia v Australia BBC 23 June 1500: Ukraine v Tunisia/S Arabia v Spain BBC 2000: Togo v France/Switzerland v S Korea BBC

Fifa investigates World Cup touts
Fifa has launched an investigation after a source discovered touts were selling illegal tickets for England's World Cup games for up to £900 each. With Fifa selling the same tickets for £68, it represents a 1,000% mark-up. Representatives of onlineticketshop.com offered a reporter tickets to England's match against Sweden for £695 and £895. Fifa has said all tickets sold by online tickets brokers are invalid and may lead to holders being refused admission to stadiums in Germany. Under anti-hooliganism laws, it is also a criminal offence for anyone in the United Kingdom, other than official bodies, to offer to sell tickets for England games. Onlineticketshop.com claims on its website to be registered in the United States which might provide it with a loophole to escape prosecution in the UK. The investigation also found another six internet sites selling illegal England World Cup tickets. "We are going to be investigating these companies," a Fifa spokeswoman said. "We would advise fans not to buy World Cup tickets from online ticket sellers." Onlineticketshop.com is a British company owned by Terrence Shepherd, who lives in south-east London. Its latest accounts show it has a turnover of £3.5m. An investigation discovered Mr Shepherd previously ran Sports Mondial, which was hit by court sanctions after it was accused of selling non-existent tickets for Euro 2004. The company was also taken to court in Australia by the National Rugby League in 2003. It emerged during the case that Mr Shepherd's company had obtained tickets for a tournament in Australia by applying for them using more than 100 fictitious names. The following year, Uefa successfully obtained an injunction against Sports Mondial, accusing it of selling tickets to Euro 2004 in Portugal without permission. The consumer watchdog in Portugal issued a Europe-wide warning that the company was selling tickets it did not have. Fans eventually lost thousands of pounds when the tickets failed to materialise. Mr Shepherd failed to respond to several attempts to contact him.

Eriksson's final countdown
England's friendly against Uruguay on Wednesday takes place just 100 days before the 2006 World Cup finals gets under way in Germany. For Sven-Goran Eriksson it will be his last tournament as England coach. His brief is to bring the World Cup back to England before stepping down. With just the match against Uruguay left to assess his options before he names his squad in May, Eriksson addresses some of the key issues facing him. ERIKSSON'S HOPES IMPORTANT DATES 1 March: Friendly with Uruguay 13 May: FA Cup final 15 May: Deadline for 23-man World Cup squads 17 May: Champions League final 30 May: Friendly with Hungary 3 June: Friendly with Jamaica 9 June: World Cup finals start To take part in the World Cup is the biggest stage you can be at. So I am very much looking forward to it - it might be my last one. I wish it would start tomorrow. Since I was a boy the dream has always been the World Cup and if you can win one it will mean a lot to me. ERIKSSON'S FEARS Every time I see an England player go down injured I am scared. It's very important we have fit players in May - it's the most important thing. Injury is the biggest problem we might have as you can't do anything about it. When you choose your squad of 23 you can't change it, so you can't gamble. When I pick a player for the squad I must be convinced he has the quality to play in the World Cup, that's the first thing. You must also be quite sure they are fit or you might end up with a big problem. If they play one game but then not the next one it's very difficult. ERIKSSON'S DILEMMAS SIR STANLEY RUNS THE RULE OVER WHO IS GOING TO GERMANY Probables: Paul Robinson, David James, Gary Neville, Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Jamie Carragher, Ledley King, David Beckham, Michael Carrick, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, Peter Crouch Possibles: Robert Green, Chris Kirkland, Wayne Bridge, Luke Young, Phil Neville, Owen Hargreaves, Kieran Richardson, Jermaine Jenas, Jermain Defoe, Darren Bent Outsiders: Jonathan Woodgate, Wes Brown, Michael Dawson, Matthew Upson, Scott Parker, Kieron Dyer, Aaron Lennon, Stewart Downing, Darius Vassell, Emile Heskey Sol Campbell's situation: I talked to Sol, we discussed the World Cup and he wants to be there. I'm very happy about that because a fit Sol Campbell is always good to have on your side. He's a rock when physically fit and he'll do everything to be fit as it might be his last World Cup. The first thing is he must start to play for his club or I can't pick him. That's the same with Jonathan Woodgate and the same with all the players. Holding midfield role: In some games maybe we need a sitting midfielder. Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard can do it but they are not playing that role for their clubs. So Rio Ferdinand could be a choice, Ledley King is another possibility and Michael Carrick is playing well. But Rio is definitely an option. It depends on how many times he plays that role for Manchester United. I think he has done it two or three times so far. Strikers: I hope to have Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen up front - they are the first choice as I see things at the moment. Peter Crouch will probably be in the squad, he's different and good to have on the pitch or on the bench. Then it's up to the players to show who is going to be the fourth striker. ERIKSSON'S FUTURE AND HIS SUCCESSOR I have no idea what I'm going to in August or who is going to take my job. I have no idea who will be England manager and I don't want to know. It's completely up to the FA and the board so I'm not taking part. It's a fantastic job, a big job, in charge of a very good team and a very good squad. I like the job I have and I'm proud of it. The way it (his exit) happened was sad. Maybe it would have happened anyway but the way it did was a bad way. I'm more sad about it than relieved but that's life and life goes on. Football is like a drug so I hope to be involved in the game even in August. But nobody is thinking about what's going to happen in August now - I'm sure the players couldn't care less. They want to try to win the World Cup as I do and that's the only target they have. I don't think Beckham, Owen or Rooney is thinking about who is next manager of England. That's another life.

Fifa ponders squad deadline delay
Fifa could delay the deadline for World Cup squad selections following objections from England and Germany. England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson and Germany counterpart Jurgen Klinsmann have led the call for extra time before announcing their squads. The present 15 May deadline falls before England's final warm-up games, and Eriksson and Klinsmann will raise the matter at a Fifa workshop. Fifa president Sepp Blatter said: "The matter is not ruled out." England coach Eriksson claims he also has the backing of Holland boss Marco van Basten in a request to push the date back closer to the opening of the World Cup on 9 June. The current deadline is more than three weeks before England's opener against Paraguay but also falls before the Champions League final. England's last two warm-up matches before Eriksson names his 23-man party are against Hungary and Jamaica. Eriksson said ahead of England's friendly with Uruguay: "The date is too early and I know a lot of other coaches are not happy with it. "We will bring it up at the coaches workshop and I'm confident it will be changed."

FA moves to secure deadline delay
England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson will step up his efforts to get Fifa to delay the deadline for World Cup squad selection at talks in Dusseldorf. Eriksson will raise the matter at a meeting of World Cup coaches taking place on Monday and Tuesday. The present 15 May deadline falls before England's final warm-up games. And Football Association executive director David Davies said: "We have some confidence there is considerable support among the nations taking part." Fifa president Sepp Blatter has hinted the deadline could be extended and he told a news conference in Lucerne, Switzerland: "This deadline has been fixed but it's a question for the organising committee of the Fifa World Cup and this will be on the agenda for their meeting of 15 March and we will discuss it then." Germany's Jurgen Klinsmann supports Eriksson's proposal and the Swede claims he also has the backing of Holland boss Marco van Basten in a request to push the date back closer to the opening of the World Cup on 9 June. The current deadline is more than three weeks before England's opener against Paraguay but also falls before the Champions League final. England's last two warm-up matches before Eriksson names his 23-man party are against Hungary and Jamaica. Eriksson said ahead of England's friendly with Uruguay: "The date is too early and I know a lot of other coaches are not happy with it. "We will bring it up at the coaches workshop and I'm confident it will be changed."

Eriksson drops hint over Carrick
England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson said Michael Carrick may start in midfield but it would depend on the opposition. "Maybe in some games I would pick Carrick ahead of Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard in order to have a real sitting midfielder," revealed Eriksson. "In some games we will meet a team with two strikers and a player like Zinedine Zidane behind them and you have to think about what to do." Carrick, 24, started against Uruguay on Wednesday in the absence of Lampard. Tottenham midfielder Carrick was used in a holding role against the Uruguayans, allowing Gerrard more opportunity to push forward. Ledley King has also been used in the holding midfield position, while Newcastle's Scott Parker is another player who specialises in that role. But Eriksson believes that eventually Lampard, 27, or Gerrard, 25, will fulfil the holding midfield role for England. He added: "Gerrard and Lampard are two extremely intelligent football players who, in the future when they lose a little bit of energy, could play extremely well as sitting midfielders. I'm sure about that." Meanwhile, Eriksson is not concerned that his skipper David Beckham's club concerns will effect his World Cup preparations. The resignation of Florentino Perez as president of Real Madrid has raised doubts about Beckham's future in Spain. "David Beckham can handle all sorts of problems and pressure," said Eriksson. "I don't think he will be worried about that playing in the World Cup." Beckham, 30, has one more season left on his current contract at Real. And Eriksson added that he felt it would be better for the player if his situation was resolved before the World Cup finals in Germany this summer. "In general, it's better that these things are solved before a World Cup, whether a player moves between clubs or stays at the same club," said the England boss.

World Cup plans to stop hooligans
A crackdown on English football hooligans at the World Cup will see 44 uniformed UK police in Germany, and eight officers in bordering countries. Some will have the same powers as German police, the Home Office said. There will also be plain-clothes "spotters" deployed in the host nation, and prosecutors will be sent to gather evidence to use in British courts. There are more than 3,000 banning orders preventing known troublemakers from travelling to Germany. From 1 June, four German police officers will be working in the UK. They will have no powers but will work alongside UK police to screen fans in the run-up to the event. WORLD CUP POLICE OPERATION 78 police officers involved 44 in Germany 8 based in transit countries 3 officers based with the Crown Prosecution Service 23 intelligence officers. 4 Crown Prosecution Service staff Home Secretary Charles Clarke stressed that banning orders on fans would be rigorously enforced. He said English and German police and authorities have the leading relationship in Europe in combating hooliganism. "The German slogan for the World Cup is 'time to make friends' and that's how we want to see this tournament going," he said. "We want it to be a celebration of football, an expression of the modern relationship between Germany and Britain." Asked how the German police would respond to fans using the banned Nazi salute or humming the Dambusters theme, he urged England fans to respect the laws of the country. He said Germany had laws banning Nazi symbols "because the era we're talking about was one of total horror. "It's not a joke, it's not a comic thing to do, it is deeply insulting and wrong. "Anyone that's thinking it might be entertaining to get involved in this kind of thing, I would urge them not to do so." Culture secretary Tessa Jowell said the co-ordinated UK and German anti-hooliganism effort was the result of several years' work. We are first and foremost football fans, we hope we are going to be the most underemployed people in Germany She said the aim was to enable real fans to travel to the tournament with their "heads held high", while alcohol and public order laws would be strictly enforced at home. Assistant Chief Constable Steve Thomas said there would be 79 police officers involved the operation including 44 uniformed police in Germany, 8 police officers based in transit countries, 3 officers working with the Crown Prosecution Service and 23 intelligence officers. But he admitted that while talks were in an advanced stage with Frankfurt authorities about how the city will deal with England fans flocking to the city to watch the games, no such discussions had taken place with the other two group game cities, Cologne and Nuremburg. For the first time, a team of four prosecutors from the Crown Prosecution Service will go to Germany to gather evidence to be used in English courts Chief Crown prosecutor Nick Hawkins, leading the CPS effort on football hooliganism, said: "We are first and foremost football fans, we hope we are going to be the most underemployed people in Germany." He stressed that anyone who brought themselves to the attention of German authorities would be dealt with on their return. The uniformed British officers working with German Federal police at airports and on the transport system will have same the powers as German police officers, but those working in venue cities will not. More than 100,000 England fans are expected to travel to Germany for the tournament in June and July. What they can expect is not troublemakers but people coming to enjoy themselves Kevin Miles from the Football Supporters Federation told Sir Stanley it was important to have high profile policing with minimal confrontation. "What we look for is... a police force that are friendly and welcoming towards people, who anticipate problems and nip things in the bud before they get out of proportion, as opposed to a more confrontational style which seems to treat the entire supporters group as a potential problem." Mr Miles said he didn't expect there to be any trouble this year, on the basis of the last couple of tournaments. "Certainly the banning orders have had an impact. It reassures the host police forces that what they can expect is not troublemakers but people coming to enjoy themselves," he said.

Eriksson could take Owen gamble
England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has admitted he could be willing to gamble on Michael Owen's fitness when he names his World Cup squad on 8 May. "Michael Owen is Michael Owen and he is our best goalscorer, so maybe," Eriksson told Sir Stanley. "But of course it's a big advantage to take 23 players with no injuries, so hopefully that will not happen." Newcastle striker Owen, 26, fractured a metatarsal on 31 December last year and has not played since then. Eriksson selected David Beckham for the 2002 World Cup when the England skipper was hampered by the same injury Owen now has. But Beckham was clearly short of fitness throughout the tournament and failed to shine. And he was criticised for pulling out of a tackle in the move that led to Brazil's equaliser in their 2-1 victory over England in the quarter-finals. Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell, Kieron Dyer, Jonathan Woodgate, Wayne Bridge and Owen Hargreaves are also sidelined as the deadline approaches for Eriksson to name his 23-man squad. "I have concerns about all of them - we're in the middle of March and the season finishes at the beginning of May," Eriksson said. "I hope all of them will be on the pitch very soon. "I spoke to Ashley Cole twice recently and he thinks he will be back in training soon. "Michael Owen is supposed to be ready very soon and Sol Campbell played in a reserve game on Tuesday and that's very good news." Eriksson was speaking in Germany while on a fact-finding mission to check on the training and hotel facilities at England's remote World Cup base in the Black Forest.

Eriksson content with England base(video)
Sven-Goran Eriksson believes England's team hotel for the 2006 World Cup will be a good environment for the squad to relax and train in

Eriksson may appeal to Fifa again
Sven-Goran Eriksson may appeal against Fifa's decision not to allow the 32 countries competing in the World Cup more time to name their 23-man squads. Fifa stated on Thursday it would not change the original 15 May deadline. But England coach Eriksson said: "Why should we pick the final squad the same day we meet up? Probably we'll try once more to do something about it. "I do not like it at all and I am not alone. I think the coaches of the 31 other World Cup teams feel the same." Eriksson remains hopeful for a date nearer to 9 June when the tournament starts. He said: "Whether we will be successful or not I do not know. "At the moment we don't think it's fair because we want to see the players and see how they are before we finalise the squad. "It gives you less choice. You have to choose the players before you start working with them and that's not good." However, Eriksson revealed that if he had to choose the squad now, he "would be quite sure about 20 players". Fifa rejected the idea of giving countries more time to finalise their squads following a meeting of the World Cup organising committee. "The course of action is intended to afford the players concerned adequate recovery time, although injured players may be replaced after this date following a specific procedure," said Fifa in a statement. Fifa announced in December 2004 that players picked for their countries would have to be released on 14 May and any exceptions would "only be granted to top non-European leagues with the approval of world football's governing body". One of the fears Fifa had was if the deadline had been extended players whose domestic seasons were still being played would be used by their clubs. Another concern was that players would be taken out of domestic competition by countries naming larger squads only to be sent back when the squads were trimmed. While these problems would not have affected most European countries, whose club competitions would have come to an end, the same situation was not widespread enough for Fifa to put back the deadline. The statement added: "Granting a larger squad and a later deadline for the definitive list of players would mean any players who were not then taken into account would be missing from their clubs." The 15 May squad deadline falls two days before the Champions League final, but players involved in the Paris showpiece have special dispensation to compete even if they are picked by the national teams for the World Cup

Benitez fears for Gerrard fitness
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez fears the Football Association is risking the fitness of England's World Cup pair Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. Gerrard and Carragher play a second game in three days in the FA Cup tie against Birmingham on Tuesday. The FA Cup quarter-finals are being played this week to help England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson's World Cup plans. But Benitez said: "All the English players, if they played twice in three days, will be more at risk." And he added: "I'm sure you cannot see the best of players like Gerrard and Carragher just three days after another game. "The England players playing two games in three days will be more at risk of injuries. The FA needs to look at it." Gerrard has made 50 appearances already this season, while Carragher has played in 47 games. Liverpool's FA Cup tie comes swiftly after their win at Newcastle on Sunday. It is part of the plan to give Eriksson an extra week of preparation with his squad before this summer's World Cup in Germany. Benitez added: "If you lose two or three players during the season, how can that help England? "It is impossible to play twice in three days with just a day in between matches. A player is at his worst in terms of his physical condition two days after a game. "He can be 70% three days after, but he certainly cannot play at his level and the risk of injury is so much more." West Ham boss Alan Pardew criticised the heavy load last week after seeing his side come through a fifth-round replay against Bolton. The Hammers faced three games in five days and Pardew responded by fielding a weakened side in their Premiership defeat to Portsmouth at the weekend in order to give his side some rest. West Ham booked a semi-final place by defeating Manchester City on Monday.

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