Van Gaal happy with Holland Amsterdam:
louis van Gaal insists his Holland side’s preparations for their opening World Cup clash with Spain are firmly on course. The Dutch boss, who will become the new Manchester United boss following the finals in Brazil, saw his men beat Ghana 1-0 in their latest warm-up game last weekend. And van Gaal expressed his satisfaction that Holland were one of the few European countries who claimed a victory in the latest round of friendly fixtures as they face their last pre-finals showdown against Wales in Amsterdam on Wednesday night. Van Gaal said: “We were one of the few World Cup participants who won this weekend. “Germany is playing 2-2 against Cameroon and Italy also plays with 2-2 against Denmark. Spain wins 2-0 to Bolivia. They get a penalty and make time just before the second goal. Well, great to hear from Spain.” The final comment was tongue-in-cheek at the Netherlands’ first game against the Spanish in Salvador on June 13.
Colombia’s Falcao to miss World Cup
Bogota: Monaco striker Radamel Falcao has been left off Colombia’s squad for the World Cup after failing to recover from a knee injury. Coach Jose Pekerman made the announcement at a news conference on Monday from the team’s training facility in Buenos Aires, Argentina, dealing a serious blow to the team’s chances at the tournament. Falcao’s presence had been in doubt ever since he underwent knee surgery in January. But Colombians had been hoping for a miracle recovery in time for the World Cup as Falcao posted on social inspirational messages and photos of himself taking nine-kilometer (six-mile) runs. “We can say to all of Colombia that he did more than was within his power to play,” said Pekerman. “He deserved the right for us to wait and keep the hope alive.”
Scolari tells Brazil — sharpen up
Goiania: Brazil coach luiz Felipe Scolari urged his troops to sharpen up a day before their World Cup warm-up with Panama. Scolari blasted his side after a Sunday training session which he said he “didn’t like at all” owing to poor marking and perceived sloppiness. And with only ten days to go to their opening World Cup match against Croatia in Sao Paulo, the man who led the Selecao to glory in 2002 insisted it was time to crack the whip. Sunday, “the marking was sloppy, we left spaces in the middle of the park and took up questionable positions,” Scolari observed. “We cannot let our attitude slip a week before the Cup. We cannot lose the identity which we forged at the Confederations Cup,” the dress rehearsal his side won almost 12 months ago. Tuesday’s test at the Serra Dourada stadium in Goiania, some 200 km (130 mi) from the capital Brasilia, is the penultimate chance for Scolari to look at options in reserve.
Italy look to slay the ghost of 2010
Milan: Italy coach Cesare Prandelli might not admit it, but in Brazil the pressure is on to finally end the pain of a disastrous 2010 World Cup that plunged Italy into despair and sent the Azzurri into redemption mode. Yet negotiating safe passage through a “tough” Group D in Brazil, admits Prandelli, remains the priority ahead of bigger tests that could finally heal Italy’s World Cup wounds for good. “We know we’re in a particularly tough group, our first objective is to qualify, and then we’ll see,” Prandelli said. “Only once we’re into the second round can we start to harbour any real ambition.” Although the mood has been more upbeat of late, with Prandelli recently declaring that his squad has been “designed with getting to the final in mind”, Italy would be forgiven for enduring some jitters in the group phase. n December 2009 a collective sigh of relief was heard when Italy were drawn with Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Barely three games in, sighs turned to cries and optimism to despair as Marcello lippi’s men finished bottom of their group following consecutive draws with Paraguay and New Zealand and a crushing 3-2 defeat to Slovakia.
Questions raised over oz WC2022 bid
Sydney: A former top Australian football official on Tuesday said that “development” grants given to corruption-riddled overseas football bodies as part of the country’s bid for the 2022 World Cup must be examined. Bonita Mersiades, the corporate affairs head for Football Federation Australia when the bid race was run, said there were similarities with the allegations against a leading Qatari football official. Britain’s Sunday Times has alleged that Mohamed bin Hammam, a former FIFA vice president from Qatar, paid more than US$5 million to officials around the world before the 2010 vote that awarded the 2022 event to the tiny Gulf state. Qatar’s 2022 football World Cup organisers deny any wrongdoing.
Football academy comes up in Pune
Pune: liverpool FC’s former player Jamie Carragher on Tuesday inaugurated an international football academy here and recalled how he cut his teeth at the club’s academy for six years before donning its colours for 17 seasons. The liverpool FC-DSK Shivajians international football academy, a sprawling state-of-the-art residential school, is set to start training programmes from this month. “I was at liverpool’s academy for six years before I went on to play in the first team for 17 years. I know first-hand how important it is to have the right development as a young player to fulfil your potential,” said Carragher after the inauguration. “The academy back in liverpool is very close to my heart, so it’s great to be here and be part of the opening of India’s first international residential football academy.”
Taylor, Roach back in WI Test squad
Barbados: Having recovered from their respective injuries, West Indies pacers Jerome Taylor and Kemar Roach have been included in the 13-man Test squad for the first match against New Zealand, starting June 8. Taylor, who last played for West Indies in November 2009, recently returned to competitive cricket for Jamaica in a one-dayer against the touring Ireland side in February. Roach, 25, has recovered from his shoulder injury and also escaped a car crash recently. The injury forced him out of the India tour in November last year post which he underwent a surgery. The first of the three matches would also be skipper Denesh Ramdin’s first outing as Test skipper after Darren Sammy’s ouster and his subsequent retirement from the longer format of the game. Off-spinner Shane Shillingford, who was cleared for a return to international cricket earlier this year following remedial work on his bowling action, is part of the squad along with all-rounder Sulieman Benn. Meanwhile Dwayne Bravohas been left out of the first Test in Kingston.