Neymar in 10 best-player list
RIO DE JANEIRO: lionel Messi and Neymar are among the 10 players nominated for the award given to the World Cup's best player. Seven of the candidates announced by FIFA on Friday play for finalists Argentina and Germany. Messi is nominated along with Argentina teammates Angel Di Maria and Javier Mascherano. Germany provides four candidates: Mats Hummels, Toni Kroos, Philipp lahm and Thomas Mueller. Neymar is the only candidate from Brazil among the players selected by FIFA's technical study group of coaching analysts. Arjen Robben of the Netherlands and James Rodriquez of Colombia, the tournament's top scorer with six goals, complete the list. The winner is selected by the FIFA technical group and announced after the final. Both goalkeepers in the final are on a three-man shortlist to be named best of the tournament. Manuel Neuer of Germany and Sergio Romero of Argentina are joined by Costa Rica's Keylor Navas. The candidates for best young player are Memphis Depay of the Netherlands, and France pair Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane. Nominees for that award must have been born since January 1, 1993.
Merkel: Germany will win
Berlin: Chancellor Angela Merkel is confident Germany will win the World Cup final against Argentina. Merkel told German public Television ZDF on Saturday, "It certainly won't be easy tomorrow; after the 7:1 everybody thinks ‘It's almost done' that's why we all need to cross our fingers again." Germany, fresh from its 7-1 semifinal win over host Brazil, will play an Argentina team led by lionel Messi at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. The chancellor and German President Joachim Gauck will travel to Brazil hoping to watch the team win the trophy. Merkel did not want to predict the final score, but said the most important thing is simply that Germany wins. However, she warned, "Every final, is a difficult final."
Neymar criticises agent
Teresopolis: Brazilian football star Neymar Jr. criticised his agent Wagner Ribeiro for a verbal attack on coach luiz Felipe Scolari after the host nation's humiliating 1-7 loss to Germany in the World Cup semi-finals. Neymar said that Ribeiro's outburst represents his views only and he does not agree with what his manager said, reports Efe. Ribeiro had attacked Scolari through Twitter, describing him as an "old jerk, arrogant, repulsive, conceited and ridiculous". Neymar added that sacking coaches is not always the right decision to solve problems.
Biggest security detail at final
RIO DE JANEIRO: More than 25,000 soldiers and police, the biggest security detail in Brazil's history, will be deployed around Rio de Janeiro to control Sunday's World Cup final between Germany and Argentina at the Maracana Stadium. Jose Mariano Beltrane, security secretary for the state of Rio de Janeiro, said there will be 9,300 Brazilian defense forces and at least 10,000 military police. "This will be the biggest security operation that the city or country has ever seen," Beltrane said on Friday. "We need to ensure that this event goes off like all the other games in the World Cup." Asked about the large numbers, Beltrane said they were justified and also pointed out the increase in tourists and the presence of heads of state at the final. "I prefer to have a great number of men rather than to be caught by surprise," he said.