The performance of the national cricketers in the ongoing National Cricket League has frustrated the selectors before they name the squad for the upcoming one-day and Test series against New Zealand.
   The new selection committee headed by former all-rounder Rafiqul Alam is expected to meet on November 25 to announce their first national squad since taking over in October.
   ‘We are not going to make drastic changes but obviously we will try to reward the players, who have performed in the National Cricket League,’ said Alam, adding that initially they will declare the one-day squad.
   The three-match one-day series against the New Zealand starts on December 26.
   Though the chief selector did not name any players, it was understood that at least two players are about to get their first call up to the one-day squad. Unsurprisingly, one of them is Junaed Siddique, who made his international debut in the Twenty20 World Cup and since then has continued to impress.
   Junaed scored 275 runs in five one-day matches averaging 55, which has prompted selectors to consider making him the opening partner of Tamim Iqbal in the one-day series. Khulna opener Imrul Kayes could also earn a place after scoring 295 runs in five matches.
   All-rounder Mosharaf Hossain scored 231 runs averaging 57.75, which also gave the selectors food for thought. He will certainly get a nod, provided they ignore Mohammad Rafique in the one-day series.
   Unlike the one-day series, there is hardly any chance for an outsider to enter in the Test squad, though wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud is all but sure to get a recall in the longer version.
   Mashud, who scored only 10 runs in five one-day matches, has performed brilliantly in the four-day matches. With four half-centuries, he scored 389 runs in the four-day version of the National League averaging 48.62, which left him second among the top 10 batsmen.
   Only Sakib al Hasan, who scored 401 runs in nine innings at an average of 44.55, has more runs than Mashud in the first five four-day matches. The other batsmen in the top 10 are – Alok Kapali (376 runs). Tushar Imran (369), Farhad Reza (340), Mehrab Hossain (322), Rajin Saleh (301), Roquibul Hasan (292), Habibul Bashar (286) and Nazim Uddin (285).
   Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful, who missed one game due to a six-a-side tournament in Hong Kong, made 277 runs to remain 12th position behind Javed Omar, who toiled for 281 runs.
   While Rafiqul Alam was clearly unhappy with the performance of batsmen, he had no complaints about the bowlers. Our bowlers were more or less okay in the matches, but I must say they batsmen were not up to the mark,’ said Alam.
   As most of the frontline national bowlers missed some matches because of injury and other reasons, the top 10 chart is dominated by outsiders halfway though the league.
   Barisal paceman Sajidul Islam claimed maximum 24 wickets in the four-day matches, followed by his team-mate Talha Jubaer and Chittagong spinner Saju Datta, who both have 23 wickets.
   The other bowlers in the top 10 are: Tareq Aziz (22) Farhad Reza (21), Syed Rasel (21), Mahbubul Alam (21), Mohammad Sharif (19), Mosharaf Hossain (19), Murad Khan (17), Enamul Haque (17).
   Among the national bowlers, Mashrafee bin Murtaza has claimed 14 wickets while Mohammad Rafique bagged nine. Abdur Razzak and Shahdat Hossain took four and three wickets respectively.

Tillekeratne Dilshan was once again ignored by Sri Lanka’s selectors when they named a 14-man squad on Friday for the first cricket Test against England.
   Dilshan, a seasoned middle-order batsman, was left out of the recent tour of Australia, but was expected to take the spot left vacant by the retiring former captain Marvan Atapattu.
   The selectors instead picked left-handed Upul Tharanga and Jehan Mubarak as the batting options for the first of three Tests against Michael Vaughan’s men starting in Kandy on December 1.
   Atapattu and the injured Farveez Maharoof are the only two names missing from the eleven that played in the second Test against Australia in Hobart last week.
   Added to that team are Tharanga, Mubarak, left-arm seamers Chaminda Vaas and Sujeewa de Silva and leg-spinner Malinga Bandara.
   Dilshan, 31, has scored 2,152 runs in 42 Tests and is leading the Sri Lanka Cricket XI in two practice matches against the tourists this week.
   He made 111 and 78 while captaining Sri Lanka ‘A’ on the recent tour of Zimbabwe and returned home to smash 188 off 135 balls for Bloomfield in a domestic one-day match earlier this month. Fast bowler Dilhara Fernando retained his place in the squad despite suffering from a recurring ankle injury.
   Skipper Mahela Jayawardene said Fernando, who is due for surgery next April, took injections in Australia to make himself fit for the England series.
   ‘Dilhara has had that ankle problem for quite some time,’ the captain said soon after the team returned from Australia, where it lost both Test matches.
   ‘He saw a specialist in Australia who has recommended an operation for him, probably for early April when we get a decent break.
   ‘He had an injection just before we left Australia, so he should be fine for this series,’ Jayawardene said of his fast bowler who has taken 80 wickets in 28 Tests. The squad for the remaining two Tests in Colombo and Galle will be announced later.
   squad
   Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Michael Vandort, Chamara Silva, Jehan Mubarak, Prasanna Jayawardene (wicket-keeper), Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, Malinga Bandara, Sujeewa de Silva.

South Africa’s ability to stage the world’s most-widely watched sporting event will undergo intensive scrutiny on Sunday when it hosts the qualifying draw for the 2010 football World Cup.
   Thousands of football administrators and journalists will be present in the eastern city of Durban, with hundreds of millions more watching on television, for an extravaganza designed to silence the sceptics.
   Fears about the progress of stadium construction, finance, levels of crime and accommodation are all still simmering away but organisers are hoping that they will remain on the backburner for this weekend at least.
   ‘We wanted to make a statement that this is an African World Cup, that’s going to be world class,’ said Danny Jordaan, chief executive of the local organising committee (LOC).
   ‘We hope that if there are any Doubting Thomases, then after Sunday they will just be Thomases,’ he added.
   Jordaan and leadership of football’s world governing body FIFA are insistent preparations for the tournament - the first in Africa - are ahead of schedule but a spate of strikes at some of the 10 stadia have reawakened concerns.
   Following stoppages by workers in Cape Town, Durban and Nelspruit in the last few months, Jordaan reiterated: ‘We will not fail on the delivery of stadiums on time.’
   He also stressed that the unions were as committed as anyone to ensure the success of the tournament.
   ‘We may lose a week as a result of the strike, we may lose a week as a result of the rain or because of wind,’ he said.
   ‘We do not doubt the commitment of the workers to make up the lost time.’
   FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke admitted there were concerns but he said there was no reason to panic for the moment.
   ‘For sure we are looking at what’s happening. For sure we are calling Danny to make sure that he is pushing to ensure the delivery of the stadiums on time,’ he told a pre-draw press briefing in Durban.
   ‘For the time being there are no red lights. There are some concerns ... but we are still on track and we are sure that our concern is shared completely by the LOC and the South African government.’
   The South African government admitted earlier this week that the cost of staging the tournament could be up to 500 million dollars more than previous projections, a rise blamed in large part in rising steel prices.
   Deputy finance minister Jabu Moleketi said the government would only work out how to finance the shortfall after coming up with a more detailed cost calculation next month.
   Jordaan allayed fears about the ability to fund the tournament, although he admitted the final cost may be out of South Africa’s hands.
   ‘This government had a budget surplus but a budget surplus cannot just let you spend the money,’ said Jordaan, a former lawmaker for the ruling African National Congress.
   ‘We have to recognise that products and services will be imported from Europe and overseas, and then there’s the exchange rate.
   ‘Does it constitute a crisis? Definitely not.’
   South Africa, where an average 50 people are murdered every day, is battling to shake off a reputation as one of the world’s most dangerous places but Valcke suggested the issue was more of a concern for locals than visitor.
   ‘I have the feeling that the issue of safety is more important here than maybe in the rest of the world,’ he said.
   
   Preliminary draw facts
   The preliminary draw for the 2010 World Cup takes place at the Durban International Convention Centre at 1700 (1500 GMT) on Sunday. Herewith some facts about the draw:
   • 200 teams, a new record, are in the running for 32 places at the World Cup
   • Europe gets 13 qualifying slots
   • Africa gets six, including one as host nation
   • Asia gets four with the fifth ranked team playing off against the top team from Oceania
   • South America gets four places and North, Central America and the Caribbean get three. The runner up in each zone play each other for the final World Cup berth
   • A total of 861 qualifying matches will be played
   • Qualifying will conclude in November 2009
   • The final draw for the World Cup takes place in December 2009
   • More than 18.6 million fans flocked to stadiums during the 2006 qualifiers, an average of 22,000 fans a game
   • The Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg and Portugal are the only teams to have played in all 17 FIFA World Cup qualifying competitions to date
   • Mexico have played the most World Cup qualifying matches (123)
   • The most successful team in the history of preliminary qualifying is Germany who have played 64 matches and only lost twice
   • The most proflic goalscorer in World Cup qualifying is Iran’s Ali Daei who has scored 30 goals in 47 appearances
   • Italy have qualified for more World Cup finals (13) than any other team. Germany and Spain are second (11)
   • The highest attendence for a World Cup qualifier was 162,764 when Brazil played Colombia in Rio de Janeiro in 1977
   • Ivan Hurtado of Ecuador has played more World Cup qualifying matches than anyone else (56)

Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill has ruled himself out of the running for the vacant England manager’s position, according to reports Friday.
   The 55-year-old Northern Irishman was among a handful of contenders to take over from O’Neill was interviewed but rejected for the job by England’s FA last year and according to the BBC Friday he has confirmed he does not want the job.
   The England Football Association’s search for a home-grown replacement for McClaren now appears to be getting trickier.
   Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce and West Ham’s Alan Curbishley have ruled themselves out, while former Wales manager Mark Hughes has signed a new contract with Blackburn.
   Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp has not ruled himself out but is believed to not be a priority for the FA.
   Of the foreign managers reportedly in the frame, only former Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello has openly said he is interested.
   ‘It would be a very interesting challenge, and difficult challenges have always interested me,’ Capello told Italian television station Rai2 in an interview to be broadcast Friday.
   ‘I was convinced (Jose) Mourinho would have accepted the job. He has another objective but I am not the same age as him,’ the 61-year-old said of the 44-year-old former Chelsea manager.
   His fellow Italian Marcello Lippi has distanced himself from the role while former frontrunner Jose Mourinho, the former Chelsea boss, appears to be more interested in a role at a top European club.
   Luiz Felipe Scolari is reportedly among the foreign managers on England’s wish list, although the Brazilian - who led Portugal through the qualification process for next summer’s European Champi-onships in Austria and Switzerland - is believed to be a long shot.
    Despite having no managerial experience, Shearer could win the popular vote but admitted Friday he was shocked at the mention of his name and was happy in his current role as a BBC pundit.
   ‘I am surprised as anyone to see my name up there,’ the 37-year-old former Newcastle and England striker told The Sun.
   ‘I think there are many more candidates above me with a lot more experience than I have.
   ‘Right now I’m happy with what I am doing as a pundit for the BBC.’
   Mourinho’s personal adviser Eladio Parames has not ruled out the charismatic Portuguese coach, but told the BBC that England football chiefs had not been in touch.
   ‘It is fantastic for him to know the fans want him. But he doesn’t have any contact with the FA,’ said Parames.
   The BBC said in a website report, quoting a Radio Five Live correspondent, that Mourinho was hungry to return to football management, but preferably at club level.
   ‘He’s like a lion in a cage, I was told, but a national job, even such a special post like England, would only appeal at a later stage in his career and the chances are even then that would only be the Portugal job,’ said the BBC correspondent Jonathan Legard.
   ‘Far more attractive for the former Chelsea title winner at the moment is a top European club vacancy and as he waits for that, so the FA must come to terms with the size of their task.’
   While the search for McClaren’s successor gathers pace, England’s FA are using every reliable resource in order to make sure they appoint the right man. FA chief executive Brian Barwick is set to consult with top club managers such as Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger in a bid to have as much expert advice as possible before making any approaches.
   ‘I’d be stupid, wouldn’t I, if I didn’t go to the best football brains in this country. We’ve got to get this right,’ said Barwick.
   England’s Premier League chiefs meanwhile have rejected claims that the influx of foreign stars mean that they are to blame for England’s spectacular failure to join Europe’s elite next summer.
   Less than 40 per cent of regular top flight starters in the Premier League are qualified to play for England, the lowest percentage in any of the major European leagues.
   However Premier League chairman Sir David Richards refutes totally the allegation that clubs are only interested in themselves.
   ‘The Premier League is the most successful league in the world,’ said Richards. ‘It employs the best stars in the world.
   ‘There are 355 English players in the Premier League. You cannot keep turning to the Premier League and saying it is the Premier League’s fault we have not got loads and loads of fantastic players.

World number one Roger Federer and former champion Pete Sampras took time out Friday from their busy Asian schedule—to float around on a gondola.
   The two tennis stars are in the middle of a three-match exhibition series that has so far taken them to Seoul and Kuala Lumpur and Saturday sees them clash at Macau’s Venetian resort.
   The legends, who share 26 Grand Slams between them, were late arriving in Macau from Malaysia after bad weather forced their private jet to divert.
   But when they finally touched down they were rushed straight into their publicity duties, stepping sheepishly—tennis rackets in hand—onto a black gondola floating on the canals at the huge resort complex.
   As their boat drifted in circles in the water with hundreds of people looking on from the bridges and canalside, Federer, in a red T-shirt and black trousers, sat back, urging Sampras, in dark-blue shorts and T-shirt to ‘relax.’
   The two met only once on the ATP Tour, in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2001, when Federer defeated the American in five sets.

England’s decline as an international football power was further underlined Friday when they missed out on a seeding for the preliminary qualifying draw for the 2010 World Cup.
   After falling to 12th in the FIFA rankings over their failure to qualify for the finals of Euro 2008, England now face the possibility of facing Italy, France or Germany when the World Cup draw takes place here on Sunday.
   Nine other European teams are now ranked ahead of England, meaning the 1966 winners will just miss out on one of the seedings for the nine groups.
   Until Wednesday’s home defeat against Croatia, England had been in a seeding position but they have now been leap-frogged by Greece.
   Fifty-three European teams will be competing for 13 of the 32 places up for grabs at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
   Under the FIFA rankings which were released in Durban on Friday, the nine European seeds for the preliminary draw will be: Italy, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Croatia and Greece.
   The nine second-ranked teams are England, Romania, Scotland, Turkey, Bulgaria, Russia, Poland, Sweden and Israel.
   There will be eight groups of six teams and one group of five.
   The nine group winners will automatically qualify while the eight best runners-up will compete in a home and away play-offs, the four winners of which will also qualify for the finals.

Barcelona star Samuel Eto’o was unveiled on Friday as the face of the 2010 World Cup when FIFA president Sepp Blatter launched the poster for the first tournament to be staged in Africa.
   An image of the Cameroon striker about to head a football, his face and neck superimposed on a map of Africa, will form the centrepiece of the publicity campaign before the tournament kicks off in South Africa on June 11, 2010.
   ‘You will have no problem to recognise first of all that it’s Africa and you have the face of one of the most popular and well-known faces of the continent,’ Blatter told reporters.
   ‘He was not able to participate in the last World Cup but what is more important here is to give this continent a face, a human face in football,’ he said ahead of Sunday’s draw here for the qualifying rounds of the tournament.
   Eto’o was only 17 when he appeared in the 1998 tournament in France but the ‘Indomitable Lions’ failed to qualify for the last World Cup in Germany.
   The former African player of the year has been the target of racist chanting in Spain where he has also played for Real Madrid and Real Mallorca.

A shattered England will be praying for a lucky break at the preliminary draw for the World Cup on Sunday after missing out on being among the top European seeds.
   With the pairings and groups for the first stage of European qualifying being decided here, the hapless English will be desperate to avoid the traditional big guns to ease their passage to the showpiece event.
   Their crushing loss to Croatia on Wednesday and their failure to qualify for Euro 2008 meant they slipped in the FIFA rankings issued Friday to 12th overall and 10th in Europe, with Greece leapfrogging them.
   It means they are not among the top nine European seeds that go into the hat here on Sunday. Instead, they are in the group of second seeds and could face Italy, France or Germany in a potentially hazardous qualifying group.
   The Europeans face a different qualifying format than at previous World Cups, with 53 teams split into nine groups, eight of six teams and one of five.
   The nine group winners will automatically qualify with the best eight runners up playing off for the last four tickets to South Africa.
   UEFA President Michel Platini welcomed the changes.
   ‘It’s a good compromise solution, because I wasn’t really happy with the format for the last qualifying competition with groups of seven and eight teams,’ he said.
   England have until August next year to sort themselves out before World Cup qualifying starts.
   First and foremost they need a coach after Steve McClaren was dumped, with Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill, former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and even Liverpool’s Rafael Benitez reportedly among the contenders.
   Twenty teams from Asia will also be in the frame on Sunday in what promises to be a glitzy affair, led by seeds Australia, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Japan, as the pairings for their third round are decided.
   Like England, Australia, South Korea, and Iran are currently without coaches, while Japan is waiting to see whether Ivica Osim recovers from a serious stroke that sent him to hospital last week.
   They will be split into five groups of four with the winners and runners-up progressing to round four. The continent has four automatic places to play for with the fifth ranked team challenging Oceania’s best side for a fifth berth.
   Forty-eight countries from Africa will be watching intently with the draw having added interest because the fixtures double as 2010 African Nations Cup qualifiers.
   Countries from the region will be split into 12 groups of four with winners and the best eight runners-up advancing to a third round where they will play off to be one of five continental representatives.
   The North, Central and Caribbean zone has 35 teams in contention for three places, with the United States and Mexico favourites to go through to the tournament from June 11-July 11 2010 in nine South African cities.
   Exempt from the draw are South America, including Brazil, whose qualifiers are already underway in a home-and-away league format, and Oceania, whose preliminary competition began with the South Pacific Games in August 2007.
   Once the 32 teams for the finals are decided, the draw for the World Cup proper will be held in December 2009.
   ‘The draw on Sunday will give viewers all around the world an excellent taste of what lies in store for them in 2010,’ said FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke.
   ‘170 territories have booked the TV feed for this event, which is a new FIFA World Cup record and yet more proof of the huge interest in South Africa 2010.’

Germany’s double World Cup winner Franz Beckenbauer has urged the Football Association to recruit Jurgen Klinsmann to replace sacked England boss Steve McClaren.
   The English FA sacked McClaren on Thursday, a day after England failed to qualify for the Euro 2008 following a 3-2 defeat by Croatia at Wembley.
   The FA is now searching hard for McClaren’s replacement and Beckenbauer says Klinsmann, who made an impression as a player at Tottenham and led Germany to the World Cup semi-finals last year, would be the ideal replacement.
   ‘The position of England coach is ideal for Jurgen and he would be perfect for England,’ Beckenbauer, who both captained and coached Germany to World Cup glory, said in his weekly column in German tabloid Bild.
   ‘Jurgen is somebody with very clear ideas who can enforce them, even when they are opposed. He knows what he wants and I think he would revel in the England job.
   ‘He speaks very good English and is respected in England since he played for Tottenham.’
   Klinsmann was named Germany’s coach in 2004 after Germany were knocked out of the European Championships and led them to third place in last year’s World Cup finals, before resigning to spend more time with his family.
   The former VfB Stuttgart, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Monaco striker has also been approached to coach the United States national side.

The Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation will shortly organise an international women’s tournament in the capital.
   Apart from hosts Bangladesh, the BKF will invite five teams from Nepal, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Assam. Kolkata, Hyderabad and Assam have already confirmed their participation.
   The BKF has already received the government order to hold the tournament.

Four months after uniting their war-ravaged country by winning the Asian Cup, the Iraqi football team is ‘in chaos’ as they prepare for World Cup qualifying.
   That’s the assessment of their influential goalkeeper Noor Sabri, who is worried about their preparations for the third round of qualifying which start in February.
   The draw is made here in Durban on Sunday and despite being Asian champions, Iraq are not among the five Asian seeds which were based on performances at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
   Australia, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Japan are seeded, and with Asia’s 20 teams being split into five groups of four, it means Iraq will face at least one of the top sides.
   The first and second in each group qualify for round four, which is the final push on the road to South Africa.
   ‘Frankly, nothing is working out at this stage of World Cup qualifying,’ he was quoted as saying by UAE daily Al-Khaleej.
   ‘There is chaos within the technical staff and squad, and the preparation schedule is just not clear.’
   Noor, who plays his club football in Iran, has warned that Iraq should not rest on past glories.
   ‘We need first to put the Asian triumph and the overwhelming euphoria surrounding it behind us, build on the psychological boost that is still living in our souls and stage warm-up matches against competitive teams from Africa and Europe.
   ‘This is the base of our future success, if we want to progress to the World Cup finals in three-years time.’
   Iraq, with a team made up of Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish players, became Asian Cup champions for the first time with a stirring 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Jakarta in July.
   It sparked joy and celebrations in Iraq, uniting its bitterly divided communities in a rare moment of jubilation.
   Since then, their Brazilian coach Jorvan Viera has resigned and Norwegian Egil Olsen, 65, has been appointed as manager.
   Olsen coached Norway from 1990 to 1998, helping them qualify for the World Cups in the United States in 1994 and France four years later.
   Noor said it was too soon to judge how it would work out with Olsen.
   ‘We have yet to see what he can provide the squad with,’ said Noor.
   ‘Let’s not start judging him at this stage. He is a very good coach with excellent experience under his belt, and harmony, you just cannot have it in only two months,’ the goalkeeper added.

Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga has entered the Muttiah Muralitharan versus Shane Warne debate, saying Muralitharan is better than the now retired Australian spinner.
   Muralitharan has picked up 704 Test wickets in 115 Tests while Warne has claimed 708 scalps in 145 matches.
   Ranatunga believes pace bowlers Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie made life very easy for Warne. ‘If you take the record, Murali has played fewer matches and Warne never had to bowl at the top-order batsmen,’ said Ranatunga. ‘He always had McGrath and Gillespie to take wickets at the start. Warne would come in sometimes and clear the tail. If you look at Murali, he has to come on and take top-order wickets from the start.’
   Ranatunga believes Murali’s impressive record of 39 runs per wicket against India proves what a quality bowler he is. Warne’s average against India is 47.
   ‘If you look at the top players who play spin well - especially the Indians - Murali has done pretty well,’ said Ranatunga
   ‘Murali is far more difficult to play than Warne. Warnie was a really good bowler but I feel Murali is the best.’
   Ranatunga also believes Muralitharan should not have toured Australia. ‘Murali should have stayed home, had a good rest and broke the record against England at home,’ he added.
   ‘Whenever he comes to Australia he has to go through unfortunate issues, even this time.’

Cape Town is to stage the draw for the finals of the 2010 football World Cup in South Africa, tournament organisers said on Friday.
   Irvin Khoza, chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), said that the southern-most city in Africa would play host to the draw in December 2009, after the 32 team line-up has been finalised.
   ‘The (LOC) board today has taken the decision on the final draw. Cape Town is the preferred city for the final draw in December 2009,’ Khoza told reporters assembled in Durban for Sunday’s draw for the preliminary rounds.
   Jerome Valcke, secretary general of football’s world governing body FIFA, said the decision to select Cape Town—subject to it meeting certain guarantees—had been straightforward.

Croatian football chiefs on Friday rejected a Russian oil tycoon’s offer of four Mercedes cars to players in the squad for allowing Russia a place in the Euro 2008 finals by defeating England.
   ‘He can give them to his father,’ head of the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) Vlatko Markovic told the Vecernji List daily.
   ‘Even before the match we said we do not play for Russians or anyone else. We played only for ourselves regardless the outcome in our group.’
   The tycoon, Leonid Fedun, said he was sticking to his decision, made before the Wednesday’s match at Wembley, to give four Mercedes cars to Croatian players. ‘I will fulfill my promise although I heard that UEFA (European football’s ruling body) does not like such gifts,’ Fedun was quoted as saying by the daily.
   He has offered the cars to three Croatian players whom he would deem the best after the match and the fourth to goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa who plays for Spartak Moscow, owned by Fedun.
   But on Friday Fedun said he would ship the four Mercedes cars to the HNS ‘since it is difficult to decide who was the best.
   ‘They can decide what to do with the cars.’

The four-day match between Bangladesh and Pakistan under-19 ended in a draw on Friday at the National Stadium in Karachi after the visitors recovered from an early shock to end their second innings on 273.
   Marshal Ayub made highest 59 for the Junior Tigers before Rony Talukdar, who scored a century in the first innings, hit 53. Dollar Mahmud and skipper Sohrawardi Shuvo chipped in with 32 and 23 runs respectively. Set a target of 289 runs to win, Pakistan ended the match on 70-1. Dollar took the only wicket.

Bangladesh Grand Master Ziaur Rahman will play Russian GM Dmitry Jakovenko in the first round of the World Chess Championship, which begins today in Khanty-Mansiysk in Russia.
   Jakovenko currently holds a 2710 rating. In another preliminary match, International Master Enamul Hossain Rajib is pitted against GM Pavel Eljanov of Ukraine.

England has the wealthiest soccer league in the world, with matches screened across the globe and business tycoons from the United States, Russia and Asia lining up to own the clubs.
   So why can’t England put 11 Englishmen on the field to succeed on the international level?
   Steve McClaren became the latest coach to pay the price Thursday, getting fired after England’s 3-2 loss at home to Croatia meant the team failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championship.
   While the likes of World Cup champion Italy, Germany, Spain, France the Netherlands and Portugal will be out to try to take the title away from Greece, England’s stars—including David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen—will have to watch the games on TV.
   The Football Association now has plenty of time to search for a coach who can lift the nation credited with establishing the modern game to the same level.
   Just one World Cup triumph on home soil back in 1966 isn’t much of a return for one of the high-profile soccer nations. Coaches such as Bobby Robson, Kevin Keegan, Glenn Hoddle and Sven-Goran Eriksson couldn’t even get the team to a championship final.
   McClaren fared far worse: It’s the first time England has failed to qualify for a major championship since the 1994 World Cup, and first failure to reach the Euros since 1984.
   So just what is eating at English soccer?
   Perhaps the fact that foreigners outnumber English players 2-1 in Premier League starting lineups.
   Arsenal regularly fields lineups without a single Englishman. The Gunners have finished in the top four every season for over a decade, and lead the league this season.
   Manchester United, a nine-time Premier League winner in the past 15 seasons, sometimes has up to five Englishmen in the lineup but often has only two. Chelsea and Liverpool rarely have more than three Englishmen. These four clubs are the only ones which regularly win titles or reach finals.
   Thanks to the revenues gained from enormous TV contracts, Premier League clubs can pay huge salaries. That has helped attract big-name stars from Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Portugal and France.
   Manchester United and Liverpool are owned by American investors and Chelsea by a Russian. Arsenal is the target of a possible Russian takeover.
   The laws of the expanding European Union are another factor. The EU sees soccer players as employees who have the right to travel freely from country to country without the need for contracts. The influx of hundreds of overseas stars to English soccer means that young English talent gets little chance to shine.
   The FA, whose role it is to administer the game in England as well as find a coach capable of winning titles, doesn’t seem to know what the solution is.
   ‘Everyone keeps saying that there aren’t enough quality England players. Whether there are or whether there aren’t is just conjecture,’ Premier League chairman Dave Richards said Thursday when the FA announced McClaren’s departure.
   ‘The Premier League can’t shoulder the responsibility always for the national team. The clubs are very successful and, if you look around the clubs and the players that are there to be picked from, there’s a substantial amount.’
   Another problem is that none of the most successful coaches in the league are English.
   The English coaches don’t have the tactical flair to compete with Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger (French), Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson (Scottish), Liverpool’s Rafa Benitez (Spanish) and Chelsea’s Avram Grant (Israeli), who took over from Jose Mourinho (Portuguese).
   While these coaches lead the title-chasing teams, the Englishmen are floundering with the likes of Wigan, Birmingham and Bolton, all near the bottom of the standings. A glance at the current Premier League standings shows that only one coach in the top nine teams is English, and that’s veteran Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp.
   England certainly has some talented players. Along with Beckham, Rooney and Owen are central defenders John Terry and Rio Ferdinand and goal-scoring midfielders Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
   But England can’t find a reliable goalkeeper.
   Scott Carson’s blunder in failing to hold onto a weak, long-range Croatian shot on Wednesday was a reminder of what happened when England faced Croatia in an earlier game. Paul Robinson also looked foolish when he tried to clear a back pass from team-mate Gary Neville, the ball hit a divot and he missed it completely. He could only turn to watch the ball roll into his net.
   Even long-serving David Seaman is remembered more for the ball sailing over his head into the net than for his saves, and David ‘Calamity’ James is renowned for conceding goals after wildly racing off of his line.
   Some critics of the current team also believe there are too many inflated egos within the wealthy squad of players that prevent them from playing as a team.
   ‘I tend to think there are too many egos in there. I look at the England setup and they don’t look a happy bunch for sure. The body language sometimes isn’t great,’ said Roy Keane, the former Manchester United and Ireland captain who is now manager of Sunderland.
   ‘I don’t think that international football is that important to a lot to these players nowadays. Club football has definitely taken over especially to the top players who are involved in Champions League football. The egos are definitely a problem, particularly with the English players.’
   The biggest ego problem of all might be with English soccer itself.
   Many of the people associated with the team—players, coaches, officials, fans—seem to assume that England, as the so-called founder of the modern game, has some kind of right to win titles almost without kicking a ball.
   After only 18 games in charge, McClaren knows that’s not true.
   So will his successor.

South Africa will play in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers although guaranteed a place at the finals as hosts.
   Bafana Bafana (The Boys) need to compete because the World Cup fixtures also count toward the African Nations Cup to be staged by Angola a few months before the quadrennial international football showpiece.
   It is the first time a World Cup host has played in the qualifying rounds since 1934 champions Italy defeated Greece 4-0 in Milan a few months before lifting the trophy.
   And the qualifiers could prove a blessing, offering a Bafana Bafana squad struggling under 1994 World Cup-winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreria of Brazil precious competitive practice.
   South Africa are among 48 countries who will be split into 12 groups Sunday during a World Cup qualifying draw that includes Asia, Europe and CONCACAF, the North and Central America football region.
   The winners of each African round-robin pool plus the best eight runners-up advance to the third and final stage where winners of five four-nation groups secure slots at the first World Cup to be staged in Africa.
   If South Africa top a third-round group, the runners-up will qualify for a competition never won by Africa with Cameroon (1990) and Senegal (2002) going furthest by reaching the quarter-finals.
   Officials in the Indian Ocean city say the rankings of world football governing body FIFA will determine the seedings, meaning 1998 and 2002 qualifiers South Africa are unlikely to be among the 12 top seeds.
   FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said the seedings had been decided, but would not be announced until approved by the World Cup organising committee a day before the draw.
   South Africa are ranked 17th in Africa and another country set for a second seed is Angola, shock qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup in Germany at the expense of star-studded Nigeria.
   Togo, the other unexpected 2006 qualifiers from Africa, will have to play all three second-round home matches in a neutral country as punishment for crowd violence last month that left two Mali players needing medical help.
   The top three teams in each third-round group qualify for the 2010 African Nations Cup plus Angola, who are set to become only the second country in the region after South Africa to host the biennial continental championship.

Iraqi stars Nashat Akram and Younis Mahmoud, and Saudi Arabian striker Yasser Al Qahtani were named Friday as the final three players in contention for the AFC Player of the Year award.
   The list was whittled down from seven with Japanese duo Yasuhito Endo and Shinji Ono, and Iranian pair Javad Nekounam and Mohamad Salehi Mehdi axed.
   Inspired by captain Younis and the creative guile of Nashat, Iraq cast aside the troubles in their homeland to win the Asian Cup final in July against three-time champions Saudi Arabia.
   Al Qahtani finished the tournament joint-top scorer along with Younis and Naohiro Takahara of Japan.
   Not surprisingly, Iraq and Saudi Arabia are nominated for the Asian Football Confederation National Team of the Year award, along with South Korea.
   AFC Coach of the Year, reserved exclusively for Asians who have made an impact at AFC or FIFA competitions with Asian teams, will be contested by Amir Ghalenhoy and Rauf Inileev, who coached Iran and Uzbekistan respectively. The awards will be presented in Sydney next Wednesday.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Thursday he would favour the return of the Home Nations tournament after all four British sides failed to reach the 2008 European Championships.
   It is the first time since the 1994 World Cup that none of the British sides have qualified for a major international tournament.
   The British Home Championship was held annually between England, Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland until 1984.
   It was abandoned due to fan misbehaviour, civil unrest in Belfast, fixture congestion, poor attendance and England’s desire to play against ‘stronger’ teams.
   But with the Home Nations having nothing to do at the end of the season, Brown lent his support to the idea of bringing the tournament back.
   The Scot, 56, said it was desperately disappointing that no British teams would play in next year’s tournament in Austria and Switzerland.
   ‘In some cases, that’s down to bad luck. In some, it’s bad results,’ he said.
   ‘We have the Olympics to look forward to next summer. I know every football fan in Britain was looking forward to a summer of football next year, so it’s very disappointing.
   ‘I know some people have called for a one-off revival next year of the home internationals.
   ‘That’s something for the football associations and clubs to consider. I would certainly enjoy that.
   ‘I have got great memories from the 1960s and 1970s. But that is a decision for the football associations and clubs.’
   The British Home Championship was the world’s first international football competition. It was first contested between England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland in the 1883-1884 season.
   Northern Ireland won the centenary and last tournament in 1983-1984.

Barcelona’s Edmilson has apologised for his criticisms of the side at a team meeting held before training on Thursday, team mate Andres Iniesta has said.
   The versatile Brazilian midfielder questioned the commitment of some of his colleagues in a television interview earlier in the week, saying like every family Barca had ‘Black Sheep’.
   ‘Edmilson asked to speak to us and he has apologised. He spoke to us all and recognised that what he did was wrong,’ the Spain midfielder told a news conference.
   ‘He said he never meant to harm the group and that he was only trying to give a general opinion. It wasn’t the moment or the way to do it.’
   Iniesta went on to say that it reminded him of the divisive episodes from last year’s trophyless season such as when Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o went public with his criticisms of coach Frank Rijkaard, and other team mates.
   ‘Last season we spoke about everything except football and look what happened,’ Iniesta added.
   ‘Whether it is true or not, it is something that should stay in the dressing room.’
   The players met without the coaching staff and Rijkaard.
   After last season’s off-field problems Barca said they would take a sterner approach this term, and have issued a new code of conduct to the players.
   But following a board meeting this evening, board spokesman Xavier Cambra said the club would be taking no action in the matter which had dominated media headlines throughout the day.
   ‘The players have met, they have explained what needed explaining, and we believe they are following the correct course of action,’ he told reporters.
   ‘We are going to leave the coaching staff to do their work because we have a lot of faith in them.’

Republic of Ireland international John O’Shea signed a three-year contract extension with Manchester United on Friday which will keep him at Old Trafford until 2012.
   ‘John has developed in his years here and is now regarded as one of the more experienced players,’ explained Ferguson.
   ‘He has proved through his personality and professionalism he is an outstanding credit to the club and I am delighted he has signed a new contract,’ continued the Scottish handler.

Former France and Chelsea great Marcel Desailly says the influx of foreign stars in the Premier League should not be blamed for England’s failure to qualify for the 2008 European Championship.
   ‘You are trying to hit the thing that has given you the exposure in the world,’ Desailly told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday.
   ‘You have to be careful how you play the game, or stop the foreigners,’ Desailly said. ‘But at the end of the day, it’s the foreigners who have lifted the level of the league.’
   Desailly, who is in Durban to attend Sunday’s preliminary World Cup draw, said England could make some adjustments to its liberal system, which can see clubs like Arsenal play without a single Englishman on the pitch.
   ‘The clubs should concentrate a little bit more on the top foreign players only,’ he said. ‘In each English team there should be four, three top players. Clubs have to give more chances to the local players instead of going and picking up medium-class players.’
   Under British government rules, players from outside the EU can only play in England if they have played in 75 per cent of their national team matches over the previous two years.

Argentina remained top of the FIFA rankings for November, released by world football’s ruling body on Friday, but Brazil and Italy have closed the gap on the top ranked team.
   Brazil remain in second place but gained 43 points while world champions Italy were third. Spain moved up two places to fourth. Germany stay fifth with the Czech Republic jumping three spots to sixth and France, beaten finalists at the World Cup in Germany last year, falling three places to seventh.
   England, who failed to qualify for next summer’s European Championships, slipped one place to 12th. The biggest mover in the top 20 was Bulgaria, which soared 16 places to 18th.
   Rankings
   1. Argentina 1523 points (=)
   2. Brazil 1502 (=)
   3. Italy 1498 (=)
   4. Spain 1349 (+ 2)
   5. Germany 1296 (=)
   6. Czech Republic 1290 (+ 3)
   7. France 1243 (- 3)
   8. Portugal 1241 (=)
   9. Netherlands 1170 (- 2)
   10. Croatia 1129 (=)
   11. Greece 1114 (+ 3)
   12. England 1113 (-1)
   13. Romania 1088 (-1)
   14. Scotland 990 (-1)
   15. Mexico 985 (=)

Roy Keane believes Jose Mourinho is a perfect candidate for the England job. The Sunderland boss slammed England’s players on Thursday, lashing out at the egos amongst the squad.
   And he has now highlighted Mourinho’s attributes, insisting that he would be the right man to stroke the players’ egos.
   Former Chelsea boss Mourinho is among the bookies’ favourites to replace Steve McClaren, and Keane is sure the Portuguese tactician has the ability to cope with the demands of the role. ‘Mourinho would do well - he has a big ego,’ he said in The Sun.
   ‘He’s a bloody good manager. He could handle the media, the egos. He would stroke the egos as he had to at Chelsea.
   ‘He would take it away from the players. He is a clever man. A cute man. I could see him in that role for sure.’

Peter Crouch has admitted England weren’t good enough to qualify for Euro 2008.
   Crouch was the only player to emerge with any credit as England were beaten by Croatia on Wednesday and he was honest enough to concede his side just didn’t perform when it counted.
   Steve McClaren paid the price for England’s elimination when he was sacked on Thursday but Crouch, who scored the equaliser at Wembley, believes results show the players just weren’t up to the job.
   ‘You’d have to say so, only because of the fact that we haven’t qualified and that is the biggest disappointment,’ he said.
   ‘It is the most disappointing day of my career. I’ve not had too many disappointments. At least with losing the Champions League final last year, at least we’ve got there.
   ‘The fact we expected to qualify and we haven’t done is the most disappointing thing.
   ‘Once we get it out of the system we can look at where we went wrong in the other games as well.’
   Scott Carson’s nightmare display contributed significantly to England’s exit but Crouch is adamant the Liverpool goalkeeper, currently on loan at Aston Villa, deserves support rather than abuse from English fans.
   ‘I wouldn’t wish that on him. He is a great lad and a fantastic keeper. It wasn’t just him. Over the course of qualifying, there have been mistakes and we have to look at ourselves as a team as a whole,’ Crouch said.
   ‘Although he will be disappointed I’ve trained and played with him every day and I know just how good he is.
   ‘I am sure he will be an England number one in a few years to come. I wouldn’t say it was a risk to play him.
   ‘He has made mistakes but he is young and hopefully people don’t get on his back too much.’

The biting winter cold provides a new test for the Spanish championship contenders and Barcelona midfielder Xavi Fernandez has called for his team-mates to toughen up mentally as they bid to wrestle the title away from Real Madrid.
   Barcelona lost 2-0 at Getafe last time out and their away form - just six points from 18 - is concerning everyone at the club.
   ‘We need to occupy the midfield better and cover when we are defending especially away from home,’ explained Xavi, who scored Spain’s only goal in the 1-0 win over Northern Ireland in midweek.
   ‘We have to change our mentality and be more aggressive, more practical and get better results.’
   Barcelona host third from bottom Recreativo Huelva today but coach Frank Rijkaard, who got the dreaded vote of confidence in midweek, knows the biggest challenge is reproducing their home form on their travels.
   ‘We are not in a crisis,’ said Rijkaard. ‘It is just that we can’t produce the same level of consistency away from home.’
   Barca trail Real by four points and the champions will be keen to gain the psychological stranglehold of occupying top spot heading into the New Year.
   Despite failing to be totally convincing reigning champions Real have collected 28 points from 12 outings and are expected to notch another three points today when they travel to Murcia.
   Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has six goals in nine starts, is a doubt for Real after sustaining an injury on international duty with the Netherlands. Javier Saviola or Gonzalo Higuain are possible replacements for van Nistelrooy while wideman Arjen Robben is back in contention after coming through training unscathed.
   Dutch star Robben was one of the big summer signings but it is hard to see him ousting in-form Brazilian international Robinho from the starting line-up.
   Robinho has been Real’s best player in recent weeks, scoring twice last weekend against Real Mallorca, and at 23 is starting to show the potential that prompted people to label him ‘the new Pele’.
   ‘Robinho is in great form at the moment and he has maintained a very high level for several matches now,’ said Real coach Bernd Schuster. ‘That is what we expect of him.
   Villarreal, who host Almeria on Sunday, are the surprise package this season and sit just a point behind pacesetters Real with an impressive nine wins from 12 matches.
   The performances of ‘the Yellow Submarine’ have not gone unnoticed and their coach Manuel Pellegrini hinted that he may jump ship but emphasised that money was not the determining factor.
   ‘I honestly don’t know about my future,’ said Pellegrini. ‘I have had several offers but I have always given Villarreal the priority. Money is not my top priority.’
   Valencia, four points behind the leaders in fourth, are an outside bet for the title and new coach Ronald Koeman hopes to build on his debut 3-0 win over Real Murcia with another victory at Racing Santander on Sunday.
   With the highly-rated Argentine Ezequiel Garay marshalling the back four Racing have the meanest defence in the league conceding just nine goals although they have scored just ten.
   Elsewhere Sevilla want to bounce back from their painful 3-2 defeat to Villarreal when they entertain Real Mallorca today.
   Sevilla, third last season, are beginning to find their feet after losing coach Juande Ramos to Tottenham Hotspur but their hopes of challenging for the title again, something they did for a large part of last season, look a distant dream with Real already 13 points ahead.

England’s stars return to Premier League action this weekend hoping to erase the painful memories of their Euro 2008 elimination.
   Just four days after being booed off by furious fans at Wembley following their defeat against Croatia, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Scott Carson and company are thrust into action for their clubs.
   Once again the majority of team failed to reproduce their club form for England and they face a backlash from fans fed up with their lacklustre performances.
   So it will be with some relief that they concentrate on domestic issues for several months. Liverpool midfielder Gerrard, who captained England on Wednesday, admits his club’s trip to Newcastle today presents the ideal opportunity to restore his flagging morale.
   ‘From an England point of view it’s really disappointing and it will be difficult for a while, particularly watching the tournament next summer,’ Gerrard said.
   ‘But I’m experienced enough to know I have to get it out of my system as soon as possible, I have massive games to play for Liverpool between now and the end of the season.
   ‘That’s down to me. If I were to feel sorry for myself and it affects my performances for Liverpool, then it wouldn’t be fair on Liverpool.’
   Villa goalkeeper Carson suffered a miserable night with England as his errors
   contributed to their defeat
   and he will endure a severe test of his confidence at Middlesbrough.
   With England cast into the international wilderness, it’s fortunate that the race for the Premier League title promises to be one of the exciting in recent years.
   Manchester United will try to keep up the pressure on leaders Arsenal by winning their 10th league match in 11 attempts when they travel to struggling Bolton.
   Sir Alex Ferguson gave United an injection of young blood when he signed Nani, Anderson and Carlos Tevez in the close season and veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs is convinced their enthusiasm can help see off Arsenal and retain the title.
   ‘When you come into training and you’re up against young, quality players it’s a test every day,’ he said. ‘That only helps to bring your game on. There’s so much enthusiasm amongst the lads and it’s a great place to be at the moment.
   ‘The new lads have all bedded in really well and very quickly, bringing something new to the team already this season. Nani with his spectacular goals and celebrations, while Anderson has shown what a top player he is with some fantastic performances.
   ‘They’ve also added something different to the dressing room which is great. There is certainly a lot more Spanish and Portuguese being spoken! They’re all very enthusiastic and the team spirit is as good as ever.’
   Arsenal are set to be without injured winger Alexander Hleb when they face Wigan at the Emirates Stadium, but Gael Clichy expects the Gunners’ team-spirit to keep them top of the table.
   Clichy believes captain William Gallas’s decision to start team huddles before and after every match has played an important role in their impressive form.
   ‘It’s William. He is a great leader and a great captain and he made the decision to do something like this,’ Clichy said. ‘We started last year and this year it is more noticeable because we are winning.’
   Wigan may be without a manager for their trip to London while they wait for Steve Bruce to resolve the contract dispute that has held up his move from Birmingham.

Former three-time World Player of the Year Ronaldo is set to make his first competitive appearance of the season this weekend as he makes his return to the AC Milan squad for the trip to Cagliari.
   Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti will be relieved to add the Brazilian forward to his misfiring squad who have yet to win a single one of their six home games in Serie A this season.
   While their away form has been impressive, at the San Siro Milan have picked up just four points from a possible 18, the main reason they are languishing down in 11th place and trail champions and leaders Inter Milan by 11 points.
   Ronaldo scored seven times in his 14 matches last season after joining the Rossoneri from Real Madrid in the January transfer window.
   And now he is looking forward to getting back out on the pitch having come through unscathed in an outing in a friendly charity match a few days ago in Malaga Spain, where a team of Ronaldo and friends took on Zindeine Zidane and his pals.
   ‘I feel good even if it wasn’t a proper match but rather a show to bring happiness to people,’ he told Milan’s TV channel.
   Ronaldo was on the bench for Milan two weeks ago at Atlanta in a match that was called off after just seven minutes due to crowd trouble following the fatal shooting of a Lazio fan by Italian police in the north.
   Now ‘Il Phenomeno’ (the phenomenon) - as Ronaldo was known when at the peak of his powers, before later being labelled ‘El Gordo’ (fatty) in Spain when his condition and shape deteriorated - believes he is ready to play from the start if need be.
   ‘I was ready (at Atlanta). I was selected in Bergamo because I was ready and now I expect to be picked again because I feel ready to play,’ he added.
   Milan may feel relieved to be playing away from their San Siro troubles having scored five times in their last two trips to Lazio and Sampdoria.
   But they are unlikely to close the gap on city rivals Inter, who play at home to Atlanta on Saturday. An Inter victory would stretch their lead over Milan to 14 points, for a day at least.
   Fourth-placed Roma also play Saturday as they travel to Genoa but are almost certain to be without talismanic captain Francesco Totti.
   He has not played since the October 23 Champions League clash against Sporting Lisbon due to an ankle problem and on Thursday complained of pain in his heel during training.
   Roma have been flying without him, though, as Montenegro’s Mirko Vucinic has proved an able understudy in the play-making role.
   Second-placed Fiorentina will be looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season - 2-1 at home to Udinese - when they travel to lowly Reggina, who have won only once this season.
   Third-placed Juventus entertain Palermo amid speculation about unsettled players, particularly midfielders Tiago and Sergio Almiron, both bought in the summer and both rumoured to want out.
   But president Cobolli Gigli insisted both have a future at the club after Portugal’s Tiago claimed he wanted to stay and fight for his place.
   ‘I’m happy with what Tiago has said. He has had a tough start but I have complete faith in him,’ said Gigli.
   ‘I think that he will become a fixture in our midfield in the future. As for Sergio Almiron, I don’t agree that one of him or Tiago must leave.’
   In other matches struggling former giants Lazio and Parma meet in Rome, high-flying Udinese entertain Siena and rock bottom Empoli welcome Torino.

David Beckham is adamant the influx of foreign players to the Barclays Premier League is not to blame for England’s failure to qualify for the Euro 2008 finals.
   England were beaten 3-2 by Croatia on Wednesday meaning they failed to qualify for a major tournament for the first time since the 1994 World Cup.
   The defeat led to Steve McClaren losing his job on Thursday after just 15 months at the helm.
   But Beckham was quick to dismiss suggestions that the vast quantity of foreign imports to the English game in recent years was responsible for their inability to progress to European football’s showpiece event in Austria and Switzerland next summer.
   When asked in exclusive interview with children’s newspaper First News if too many foreign players were to blame for England’s exit, Beckham said: ‘I think it’s just an excuse, personally.
   ‘Because we got knocked out of the Euros, people are going to look for certain excuses and one of them that was thrown at me was ‘Are there too many foreigners in the game?’
   ‘For me, foreigners coming into the Premier League and into our country has lifted the profile of the game, it has lifted the quality of the game.
   ‘If you look at statistics, in 74 and 78 when we didn’t qualify for the World Cup, there was probably 90 per cent of the English league that was English players.’
   While believing the introduction of foreign managers and players to the Premier League has boosted the profile of the domestic game Beckham,
   who won his 99th cap on Wednesday, is keen to stress it should not be to the detriment of finding talented youngsters in this country.
   ‘Foreign managers, like Arsene Wenger, like (Jose) Mourinho, like Rafa Benitez, have come in and made our game a lot more interesting and brought great players in, and lifted the profile,’ he added.
   ‘But then you also have to take into account that we still have to bring players through, still create grassroots football and still create academies like this one (the David Beckham Academy in Greenwich).
   ‘You’ve got to get the balance right, there’s no point in turning round and having the easy option and saying it’s because we’ve got too many foreigners in the game.’

David Beckham believes a foreign manager is likely to replace Steve McClaren as England coach.
   McClaren was sacked on Thursday after England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008 and the speculation over his replacement is already gathering momentum.
   The English Football Association insist they will take their time finding a new man, but Beckham expects them to look abroad because of the lack of quality English bosses.
   Jose Mourinho has been installed as the bookmakers’ favourite and the Portuguese, who is out of work after leaving Chelsea, would be a popular choice.
   Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, Russia manager Guus Hiddink and former Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann have also been linked with the post.
   Aston Villa’s Martin O’Neill, a former Northern Ireland international, is another contender, while the only English candidates appear to be Alan Shearer and Stuart Pearce.
   Beckham, who was captain under Sven Goran Eriksson - England’s previous foreign coach, said: ‘Obviously Steve is not the England manager anymore and everyone has to come to terms with that.
   ‘There are not many English managers out there that haven’t got jobs already. There are also a lot of talented foreign managers.’
   Beckham and his team-mates face a backlash from the public after their woeful campaign, but the LA Galaxy star claimed England’s Euro flops do care about playing for their country.
   Stars like Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard have rarely reproduced their impressive club form for England and Sunderland manager Roy Keane claims the national squad is full of ‘big-heads’ who are more concerned about their own wealth and reputations than working together for the good of the team. But England midfielder Beckham is adamant there should be no questioning the players’ commitment.
   ‘I’ve captained many of those players and I know how much it hurts them,’ he said.
   ‘I know how much it hurts them to lose a tackle, let alone lose a game and be knocked out so there will be a lot of players hurting. Without a doubt there will be a backlash. It is about how we deal with it.
   ‘If you are going to play and perform at this level, then you’ve got to take the good with the bad.
   ‘When things go bad, the amount of money players get always gets thrown out there, of course it does.
   ‘When people are seeing the amount of money in football, and the amount players earn, people want results and we’ve not got the results and not qualified.’
   Beckham conceded that English football has serious issues to address if the national team is to become a major contender on the world stage.
   But he still believes the players are good enough to bounce back as long as they do not become targets for the press and fans.
   ‘There must be something wrong but we are a nation that has got some of the best players in the world and we should be qualifying,’ he said. ‘There are no excuses, we should be qualifying for a competition.
   ‘I’ve lost games before, been knocked out of competitions before but never failed to qualified before. The only thing we can do is come together and show that English mentality of coming back from adversity.
   ‘We have to come back from this, for our nation, for our players, for the talent we’ve got in our nation.
   ‘To not be involved in the Euros is a huge, huge thing and it is devastating, not just for the players but for the fans.’
   Beckham, who won his 99th cap on Wednesday, was the last player off the Wembley pitch as he applauded all four sides of the stadium. It was easy to interpret Beckham’s gesture as a last farewell, but he has no plans to retire from international football and is confident he could still be involved at the 2010 World Cup.
   ‘I do it every game. I did it in Austria and I’ll carry on doing it wherever I play,’ he said.
   ‘I’ve got no reason for myself to step down and to not make myself available for England.
   ‘I’ve said I’d love to be involved in 2010 but eight months ago I didn’t expect myself to be here playing at Wembley. We will see what the future holds.’

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez interrupted his weekly press conference to declare he would be interested in succeeding Steve McClaren as England manager.
   Having apparently been rebuffed in his request for substantial sums to be made available for the January transfer window, Benitez was 35 minutes late for his appearance in front of the press.
   When he finally showed, The Guardian claims he was still ‘visibly shaken’ from his earlier talks with George Gillett and Tom Hicks.
   According to The Daily Mail, a ‘frustrated’ Benitez is ‘ready to tell Gillett and Hicks to dig deep or consider whether they should start looking for a new manager.’
   ‘Liverpool’s co-owners will sit down with Benitez when they visit Anfield for the December 16 showdown with Manchester United and it promises to be as fiery off the pitch as on it after the manager made little secret Thursday of the rift that has developed in recent weeks.’
   On Thursday, Benitez used the new vacancy at Soho Square to turn up the heat on his bosses by claiming he would be interested in becoming England manager.
   ‘Maybe I could be (McClaren’s replacement) if I improve my English,’ he announced.
   Later, apparently piqued at the laughter his declaration had produced, Benitez told reporters: ‘I was being serious. You never know what can happen in the future.’
   Otherwise, the Spaniard was in reticent mood, refusing to give any indication of his commitment to Liverpool. In various interviews for television, radio and the written press, The Guardian calculates that he used the phrase ‘I am focused on training and coaching my team’ a total of 15 times.
   Hours later, speculation that a rift had grown between Benitez and the club’s owners was heightened by Gillet and Hicks sanctioning the publication of a statement endorsing their own spending record.
   ‘We made a significant investment in the playing squad during the summer and desperately want this team to succeed,’ it read.
   ‘There are some very important games coming up in the next couple of weeks and all of us need to focus on winning those games and getting the best out of the players we already have at the club. We will leave any talk of buying or selling players until we come across to Liverpool in December and sit down with the manager then.’

Former Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola claimed Thursday that compatriot Fabio Capello would make an ideal England manager following Steve McClaren’s sacking earlier in the day.
   Zola was speaking to Italian radio station Rai 2 in response to Capello’s comments from Wednesday evening when he said he was interested in the England post - even before McClaren’s sacking.
   ‘First of all I have to say I’m very disappointed because clearly in the (England) national team, however they play, some of them are my friends,’ said Zola.
   ‘Seeing them missing out of the European Championships makes me very sad.’
   Zola stopped short of evaluating England performances or commenting on who he felt was the right man for the job, but he did give Capello his backing.
   ‘I have not often seen England play this year so I cannot make technical comments. Of course, it’s a delicate moment in the national set-up: there are important choices to make,’ he added.
   ‘I think that for this job they (the English FA) want someone of great ability. I believe that Capello is amongst the best.’
   Former Real Madrid and AC Milan coach Capello, who was fired from Real in the summer despite winning the Spanish title in his only season in charge, was quick to declare his interest in the England job.
   The Italian has been working as an expert summariser for Italian TV channel Rai this season and told them: ‘Me to coach England? It would be a challenge, a beautiful test to overcome and I would have the right age.’