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Van Gaal angered by Germany plans

Bayern Munich boss Louis van Gaal has branded the decision to organise a four-day training get-together for the Germany squad next week as "madness".

National team coach Joachim Low has named a 30-man squad - to meet in Stuttgart on Sunday and return to their clubs next Thursday - as he looks to assess the condition of players he is considering taking to this summer's World Cup.

Five Bayern players - Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller, Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose - are involved.

"I think this is madness," Van Gaal said in Kicker.

"We pay the players. Four days is not normal. I also have to prepare for a game."

Bayern take on Mainz next weekend.

Van Gaal added: "I have never experienced anything like this before - and I have coached many top teams."
 

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Ginola: England can win World Cup

David Ginola believes England would stand a good chance of winning the 2018 World Cup if they are chosen to host the tournament.

The Frenchman, who spent seven years of his playing career in England, has been named as an ambassador for the country's World Cup bid.

England have shown a remarkable improvement since the appointment of Fabio Capello as head coach in December 2007, and his side are among the favourites for this summer's World Cup.

Should Capello's men triumph it will be the first time that England have won the competition since they did so on home soil in 1966.

Ginola, who enjoyed the best period of his career at Tottenham and Newcastle, believes hosting the tournament could significantly improve England's chances of World Cup glory in 2018.

"When you are playing in your home country in the World Cup as a football player that must be something really special," said Ginola, who was left out of the France squad that went on to be crowned world champions on home turf in 1998.

"When you are playing for your country you are so proud about it and when you are not involved you are so depressed about not being involved, so I guess it must be a fantastic feeling, just the fact that the target will be for the players to get to the final at Wembley.

"It would be a tremendous push for them every day in training, every single game until the final."

Ginola, now 42, suspects England may not have to wait until 2018 to lift the trophy though as he believes they could go all the way this summer.

"Capello has brought great discipline to the team. He has brought some confidence, he has the players worried about playing for England," said Ginola.

"Because of that I guess England have to be one of my favourites for South Africa."

The flamboyant Frenchman was a popular figure within the game during his time in England and he likes the country so much that he moved back to live in England six months ago.

"Moving back to this country when you are living in the south of France wasn't an easy decision to make," he explained.

"When I was asked to become an ambassador I was delighted because I think it's a wonderful opportunity as a Frenchman to show the entire world the quality of England in terms of its football, organisation and passion, so it was a straight yes from me."

The final decision about who will host the tournament will be made in December and Ginola insists everything is in place for England to be successful.

"There is a lot of passion in the English game," said Ginola, who joined Newcastle from Paris St Germain in 1995.

"As a foreigner when I arrived the first thing I realised about the country was the passion. Not only the passion on the pitch but it was all over the place.

"We need to be very down to earth about the bid. There are other bids but I think everything is set up well for (England in) 2018 to host the perfect World Cup."

Some English fans have been criticised for their behaviour at previous World Cups and the rare sight of a flare in the crowd at the Manchester derby on Tuesday could have unsettled bid organisers.

Ginola moved to quickly to deny that hooliganism would affect England's chances of hosting the competition though.

"In seven years of playing football in this country I never experienced something bad on the pitch or off it," he said.

"English people are very patriotic. They love their country, their flag and anthem but I don't think there'll be any problems off the pitch."
 

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Maradona: World Cup will be safe

Argentina coach Diego Maradona is confident the World Cup in South Africa will be safe and secure.

Maradona met with Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of the local organising committee, in Johannesburg and revealed he was impressed by the work done to date, with the finals kicking off on June 11.

South Africa has had to contend with many sceptics questioning its ability to hold such a prestigious event and highlighting the level of crime in the country as a potential problem.

However, Maradona has no such concerns for his team and said: "They can say what they want but we know we are coming to play the World Cup in a safe country.

"I have seen that with my own eyes. Anything can happen in the world but I have spent a week in South Africa and everything is very good and the people very friendly.

"This will be a great World Cup with no doubts of security. I will tell my players that they only have to think of playing football when they come here and worry about nothing else.

"I think that it is only fair for South Africa to host the World Cup because they have deserved it for a very long time."

Maradona and Jordaan then had a look around the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg, which will host the opening match and the final.

"They really did a great job on this stadium (Soccer City)," Maradona added.

"I have been to many stadiums before but this is very big and so great.

"To be able to enter this stadium is so beautiful. I feel inspired to play here but unfortunately my time has passed."

Maradona arrived in South Africa on Monday to inspect the Argentina World Cup base camp at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria.
 

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Ginola wants Blanc to lead Les Bleus

David Ginola believes France will struggle to win anything until they put their 1998 World Cup win in the past.

The former France midfielder also thinks Laurent Blanc should replace Raymond Domenech as coach after this summer's World Cup.

Despite leading France to the World Cup final in 2006, Domenech's side failed spectacularly at the 2008 European Championships and he needed a vote of confidence from the French Football Federation to keep his job after a poor qualifying campaign for this summer's tournament.

The French needed to rely on a controversial winner to guarantee their place in South Africa and now Ginola, who earned 17 France caps, is pessimistic about his country's chances of success this summer.

"It seems to me that they live with the 1998 effect," said Ginola.

"France dreams about the World Cup 1998. But they don't realise that the players these days are not the same players as 1998.

"The French squad now want to win their own World Cup and they haven't...1998 is behind us.

"Okay it was fantastic we did great, but now we have to move on. They are under a lot of pressure to realise some new dreams."

Former France defender Blanc, who missed the 1998 final through suspension, has been a resounding success since taking on his first management job at Bordeaux in 2007.

The 44-year-old won Ligue 1 in his second year in charge and his side currently lead second-placed Montpellier by eight points.

Former Tottenham midfielder Ginola believes Blanc could be the person to take over from Domenech when his contract expires after the World Cup.

"Laurent Blanc could be the solution for the next few years but obviously he has a lot of work to do with Girondins Bordeaux. They are top of the league and doing well," said the 42-year-old.

"There is talk about (Marseille manager) Didier Deschamps and Jean Tigana - both former players. All of them are good solutions but they need the strength to face the Federation and say, 'I am the boss, I am in charge, I'm making the decisions'."

Ginola was speaking at a press conference at Wembley Stadium where he was announced as the latest ambassador for England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

He has moved back to country where he spent seven years of his professional career and has been impressed by the development of the England side under head coach Fabio Capello.

The Italian has performed a remarkable turnaround in the team's fortunes since he took over in December 2007 by installing discipline and professionalism in the England camp.

Ginola believes France should appoint a manager like Capello if Les Bleus are to make a similar improvement.

"The quality is there, the talent is there, but the results aren't," said Ginola.

"The French players are fantastic but they don't seem to play together as a team.

"That's why Fabio Capello is very good. He makes the players play together as a team. He brings all the talent together, and that is what a team is all about."
 

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Domenech predicts difficult group

France coach Raymond Domenech is delighted to be facing host nation South Africa in the 2010 World Cup.

Les Bleus were pitted against Bafana Bafana, Mexico and Uruguay in Group A when the draw was made.

Domenech feels it will be a tough group but is looking forward to the showpiece match against the hosts.

"Meeting the host nation is never a gift in such a test," he said on the France Federation's website. "That said, to play against South Africa, the first African country to host a World Cup on its continent, is a great sense of pride for everything this match could be worth.

"Then Mexico and Uruguay are two teams who have the capacity to frustrate their opponents. They are technical teams, never easy to play against."

France have met South Africa once before in the World Cup, in 1998 when Les Bleus beat Bafana Bafana 3-0 on their way to lifting the trophy.

Domenech is also pleased that France will kick off their tournament on the very first day.

France take on Uruguay on June 11, before meeting Mexico six days later and the hosts on the 22nd.

Domenech added: "It's good to play from the first day. You're not waiting around, you're not asking yourself questions, you start the challenge quickly.

"This group will be difficult. The three other teams will have the same desire as us to qualify. South Africa, Mexico and Uruguay will pose us problems.

"The aim of all the teams here is to win the World Cup, there are 32 teams who are dreaming of becoming world champions."
 

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Jordaan criticises Brown comments

World Cup 2010 chief Danny Jordaan has hit back at Hull manager Phil Brown for doubting South Africa's ability to host the tournament in the wake of the attack on Togo.

Brown said the attack on the Togo team bus in Angola at the African Nations Cup put a question mark against the World Cup this summer.

But Jordaan said he would contact the Hull manager to put him straight.

Jordaan told BBC World Service: "Phil Brown was saying the World Cup must be removed from South Africa.

"I found that very extraordinary. He is not well informed. I will give him a call and talk to him about it.

"If there is a security breach in any country, it is the responsibility of that country, not ours."

Brown had said on hearing about the attack last Friday that left the bus driver and two members of the backroom staff dead: "I am appalled. This throws a question mark against next summer's World Cup.

"You simply cannot put the safety of players, officials and fans at the slightest risk. That is totally unacceptable."

But Jordaan said to equate Angola with South Africa - there is a distance of 1,000 miles between the two countries - was unfair.

"Fortunately, the majority of the world is not influenced by warped understanding of the African continent," he added.

"If there is a war in Kosovo and a World Cup in Germany, no one asks if the World Cup can go on in Germany, everyone understands the war in Kosovo is a war in Kosovo.

"The world must be balanced and must not apply different standards when it comes to the African continent.

"Our World Cup is secure and we are confident because we have employed a lot of resources to safeguard the event in our country."

Jordaan also backed the decision to continue to play the tournament in Angola.

He said: "There was another call that the African Cup of Nations itself should be called off. But in the 1972 Olympics there was a massacre of Israeli athletes and the Games had to continue because otherwise it's a victory for terrorists.

"And (Arsenal boss) Arsene Wenger said if you don't do the same in Angola it is going to be a victim of terrorism. So there is one coach in the Premier League that I agree with and one that I disagree with."
 

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Suarez reiterates Ajax pledge

Uruguay striker Luis Suarez has reiterated that he will not be leaving Ajax before the World Cup finals.

The 22-year-old is the leading scorer in Holland by some margin, with 18 to his name already this term.

This has seen the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United linked with him, though Chelsea are believed to be leading the chase for his services.

But despite interest from Carlo Ancelotti, Suarez does not want to think about moving ahead of the World Cup finals.

"I am not going to move anywhere for the moment. I thank any team that is interested but my idea is to stay at Ajax at least until the end of the current season," said Suarez to Radio Carve.

"Maybe when this season ends I will accept a move somewhere.

"Chelsea? There is nothing at all.

"I don't know from where the press gets some information.

"If it's true, I thank them that they are interested.

"I have said to everyone at Ajax that I want to stay here because I nearly always play and I want to be in good shape for next year to play for Uruguay in South Africa. I am going to stay at Ajax at least until June."
 

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Capello: England were shot


Capello - targeting spot in World Cup final.


Fabio Capello has described how England looked "a spent force" when he took over as manager but now expects to take the same group of players to the World Cup final.

Capello believes the most important task he has had since taking charge of the national side in the wake of their non-qualification for Euro 2008 under Steve McClaren was renewing the players' self-belief.

"When I arrived and saw the players, they looked a spent force. They were scared and without any sense of belonging," the Italian is quoted as saying.

"It was really surprising. But I rebuilt England psychologically.

"I did a lot of talking and laid down the rules. I restored pride to the shirt.

"I tightened the bolts and imposed seriousness, and we now have a concrete group."

So confident is Capello in that group that he is happy to set his sights all the way in South Africa.

"For me, not arriving in the World Cup final would be a failure," he added.

Given that many fans share such lofty ambition, Capello believes there is far more pressure attached to his current role than there has been at any of his former clubs - including European heavyweights like Real Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus.

"Obviously it's a very different job being a national manager rather than a club manager," he told the League Managers' Association's The Manager magazine.

"The pressure is bigger as England manager. The country expects a lot and the fans believe a lot in the team.

"As a club manager you can work with your players every day, you can train to improve and study what happened and why in between each game.

"As England manager I can do a lot of in-depth preparation and then there's an injury and everything I have prepared is for nothing."

Capello said although detailed preparation provided the basis for good management, a more human element was required to get the best out of the squad.

"Instinct does play a part, but you also have to be able to understand your players.

"When your players are all in good form it is easy...[but] you have to be able to react when they lose form and make changes during a game and even during training sessions.

"It is really important to let the player recover in terms of confidence.

"You do need instinct as a manager, but you need experience to back up your instinct."


:thum:
 

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Low rues German profligacy


Germany coach Joachim Low bemoaned his side's lack of firepower despite a comfortable 3-0 win over Malta.

Lukas Podolski and Stefan Kiessling benefited from the absence of Bayern Munich duo Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez to lead the Germany line along with Stuttgart's Cacau in Aachen.

But, while Cacau scored twice, Cologne forward Podolski and Leverkusen striker Kiessling never looked like finding the back of the net.

"We scored too few goals," said Low.

"We created many chances, but we were a bit too wasteful in front of goal. The final result was a bit too low."

On the other hand, Low was full of praise for the debutants.

"Several young players have played their way into contention in a positive way," he added.

"Dennis Aogo and also Kevin Grosskreutz impressed a lot."

Low was forced to play a weakened side with many of his first-choice selection still on club duty for the upcoming domestic cup finals or the Champions League final - something which remains an annoyance for the coach.

"We have just got to take it as it is," he said. "Of course we would prefer to have these players earlier.

"But we will work hard on the team in the final two weeks before the World Cup."

Low takes his squad to a training camp in Sicily next week before moving to northern Italy later this month.

They have two more friendly matches scheduled against Hungary and Bosnia-Herzegovina before flying to South Africa on June 6.



:thum:
 

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Ferdinand ready for World Cup

Rio Ferdinand has declared himself fit to lead England's bid for World Cup glory in South Africa.

The Manchester United defender has been plagued by back problems this season, but is adamant he would not travel to the World Cup finals unless 100 per cent fit for fear of putting England's bid for victory in jeopardy.



:thum:
 

bouja

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Saturday, November 3, 2012


6:45 PM
Romario laughs at Fifa's decision on World Cup food
The former player has criticised the governing body yet again, this time over their decision to initially ban a traditional dish for the 2014 World Cup only to then allow it



 

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Wednesday, November 7, 2012

8:28 PM
Erik Hamren to experiment in England friendly
The 55-year-old coach has picked a host of young players for the match against the Three Lions and talked up the future of the national team



 

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Friday, November 9, 2012


1:00 PM
The worst hangover ever: Why France needed to come down hard on ‘scapegoat’ M’Vila
While some believe the promising midfielder has been treated harshly, his lengthy ban was necessary in the wider context of France's national game
1:00 PM
Van Persie & Robben make Netherlands squad for Germany friendly
The Manchester United striker and Bayern Munich winger are the star names in Oranje's selection for next week's encounter
10:54 AM
Remy: M'Vila is paying a heavy price
The striker has sympathised with his France team-mate over his international ban, and says it is easy to make mistakes as a young player

 
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