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2010 W/Cup:Capello bemoans England’s Injury Curse

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Manager Fabio Capello says England have been cursed by bad luck after captain Rio Ferdinand’s injury-enforced departure from their World Cup squad.

Ferdinand was ruled out of the whole tournament after damaging knee ligaments in England’s first training session in South Africa.

“It couldn’t have been much worse on my first day,” said Capello.

“It was an accidental injury in training, but nothing to do with the pitch. It’s the curse of the captain.”

Ferdinand, who endured an injury-hit campaign with Manchester United, was appointed England captain in February after Capello stripped John Terry of the honour in the wake of revelations about the Chelsea defender’s private life.

But the 31-year-old did not take to the field with the captain’s armband on until England’s two pre-World Cup friendlies against Mexico and Japan, and must now watch Steven Gerrard lead the side into the sport’s biggest tournament.

For Capello, the disruption of losing his captain and key defender just a week before England’s first game of the tournament was a hammer blow.

“All the players who are here with me are important. But he is one of the starting players, the captain, a leader,” said Capello.

But the Italian said England would have to quickly move on from the setback, with much of the attention now focusing on who will be picked to partner Terry at the heart of England’s back four.

“You have to take into account this might happen: sometimes it happens during a game, sometimes in training, sometimes before you get to a final,” he said.

“You have to deal with it.”

Ledley King and Matthew Upson, two of the candidates for the vacancy, both missed team training yesterday.

King was training with England medical staff in the gym as part of the programme to manage his chronic knee condition, while Upson was suffering with a high temperature.

Ferdinand sustained the injury in the closing minutes of England’s training session after an innocuous challenge from striker Emile Heskey.

“It was a tackle and then there was big pain,” explained Capello.

“He put his feet in the grass with Heskey and then he moved. The other players were upset. They stopped training.”

Capello has made experienced midfielder Frank Lampard his new vice-captain following Ferdinand’s injury, and the Chelsea star said he feared for Ferdinand after seeing the incident at close quarters.

“He’s very down,” said Lampard, who raised the prospect of Ferdinand staying with the England squad rather than returning to the UK.

“It’s a huge competition, the biggest competition. It made me feel a bit sick in the stomach so I can’t imagine how he feels.”

Lampard, 31, added: “Rio is a top professional, a top lad and a top player and you feel for someone like that because he has put in a lot of hard work. He deserves to be at the biggest competition of our career and I feel for him personally.

“I’m very close to Rio, we’ve been through our careers together, and that’s why it’s upsetting to see that happen to a close mate.”

Ferdinand’s representative Pini Zahavi said that the defender was devastated by his premature exit from the tournament.

“Rio said: ‘I think somebody cursed me.’ That is honestly how he feels,” Zahavi.

“Rio is very down. He cannot understand why this has happened to him.

“This injury is nothing to do with the ones he had before. It is completely different and it is very bad luck.

“Rio was feeling sharp and was ready for the World Cup. He has waited so long for this tournament and to try to help England win it. He had prepared himself so well.

“But he is a very strong man and he will be back. I’m sure he will be leading England in four years’ time at the next World Cup.”

Ferdinand’s replacement in the squad is uncapped Tottenham defender Michael Dawson, who arrived in South Africa yesterday.

“It’s a crazy game and things can change in a split second,” he said.

“One minute I’m trying to arrange my holiday, then I get a call asking if I was on holiday because Rio had pulled out of training.

“I said ‘no’ and then I was just waiting by the phone before getting a call saying I would be picked up in an hour. It’s been a crazy day.”

Ferdinand’s injury grabbed the headlines which may well have otherwise focused on midfielder Gareth Barry’s return to training after an ankle injury.

Barry missed England’s training camp in Austria as he continued his rehabilitation from the injury he sustained towards the end of the Premier League season playing for Manchester City.

But despite the boost of seeing Barry return to light training on Friday, Capello said he would be cautious in terms of when the 29-year-old would be back in contention to play.

“About Barry, we are happy because he’s improving every day and getting better and better with every moment,” said Capello.

“I spoke with him on Wednesday and he says he’s really happy. There’s no swelling and his confidence is rising. He is getting stronger.

“He will work harder every day and we will see what happens.

“But we will also go slowly. This is the worst period. If you go too fast, it’s really dangerous.

“I’d prefer he didn’t play against the United States [England’s first game of the World Cup on 12 June] and is fit for the other games. We have to be careful at every moment.”

Goalkeeper David James returned to training yesterday after sitting out the initial session with a minor knee complaint.

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Tottenham Fight Back To Hold Brighton

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Tottenham fought back from two-goals down to secure a deserved point against Brighton.

The Seagulls were second best for much of the match but found themselves 2-0 up after 31 minutes thanks to Yankuba Minteh’s early strike and Yasin Ayari’s powerful drive.

However, Richarlison halved the deficit just before half-time when he stopped a shot by Mohammed Kudus before slotting in.

Spurs dominated the second half but their finishing let them down as Richarlison and substitute Xavi Simons were both unable to make the most of promising opportunities.

But the equaliser came eight minutes from time when Jan Paul van Hecke turned Kudus’ cross into his own net.

Spurs then pushed for a winner as they looked to continue their impressive start to the season, but Brighton held on for the point.

Bundesliga: Kane Continues Goal Harvest (5)

Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season as Bayern Munich overcame a shaky start to win at Hoffenheim and continue their 100% start.

The England captain, 32, broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a clinical first-time finish from a cleverly worked low corner, and doubled Bayern’s lead from the spot after Albian Hajdari was harshly penalised for a handball.

That broke Hoffenheim’s resistance and Kane completed his ninth Bundesliga hat-trick with another penalty, given for a foul on substitute Michael Olise after a video assistant referee (VAR) check.

This time Kane sent home keeper Oliver Baumann the wrong way for his 13th Bayern goal in seven matches across all competitions this season, adding to his Champions League double against Chelsea last Wednesday.

“Hat-trick Harry is what they called me in school,” Kane told Tidesports source after the match. “That one kind of stuck when I was younger.”

“Any ball in the box, whether penalty or not, I back myself to hit the target.”

Hoffenheim had the better of the first 45 minutes, Fisnik Asllani only able to hit the post after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer passed straight to the Kosovan.

They eventually got some reward for their efforts, former West Ham full-back Vladimir Coufal’s deflected free-kick beating Neuer to earn the Czech his first goal for the club.

Ex-Liverpool winger Luis Diaz hit the top of the bar late on as he failed to continue his record of scoring in every Bundesliga game this season, but Serge Gnabry added a fourth for Bayern with the last kick, converting a rebound from a tight angle after Baumann saved from Joshua Kimmich.

Nicolas Jackson made his first start since joining Bayern on an initial loan deal from Chelsea, but the Senegal striker had a very quiet game before being replaced in the 62nd minute.

In Italy, Lorenzo Pellegrini fired Roma into the Serie A top four as Lazio had two players sent off in a fiery derby.

The midfielder found the bottom corner in the 38th minute as Roma extended their unbeaten run to four games against their city rivals.

Lazio have lost three of their opening games of the season and had Reda Belahyane and former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi dismissed in late drama.

Roma started well and Rome-born Pellegrini claimed the vital goal – his fourth in a Rome derby after being available for transfer in the summer – following good work down the right by Matias Soule.

But the hosts will rue missed opportunities as Boulaye Dia, Mattia Zaccagni and Alessio Romagnoli all had openings.

With four minutes left substitute Belahyane was shown a red card for a late studs-up challenge on Manu Kone.

Danilo Cataldi struck the outside of the post for Lazio in a last-gasp effort to snatch a point, while team-mate Guendouzi was sent off for dissent after the final whistle.

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Zidane’s Son Switches Allegiance To Algeria

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Luca Zidane, the son of France’s World Cup-winning playmaker Zinedine, has switched his international allegiance from France to Algeria.

Born just outside Marseille, the 27-year-old goalkeeper had appeared for France at various youth levels.

The move, which was approved by Fifa, may enable Zidane to follow in his father’s footsteps by appearing at a World Cup, with Algeria expected to secure a place at the 2026 finals in North America in their qualifier against Somalia next month.

Zidane, who is the second of four brothers, all of whom came through the Real Madrid academy, currently plays for Spanish second tier side Granada.

He played two matches for Madrid and has La Liga experience at Rayo Vallecano, but dropped a level in 2022 to play for Eibar before heading to Andalusia in 2024.

Zidane qualifies for the North African country through his father, whose parents hailed from the Kabylie region of Algeria.

Zinedine Zidane, who is regarded as one of the games greatest players scored twice for France in their 1998 World Cup final victory over Brazil, but was famously sent-off in the 2006 final, which was won by Italy after a penalty shootout.

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Man Utd Beat Chelsea To Ease Pressure 

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Manchester United capitalised on Robert Sanchez’s fifth-minute red card to secure a crucial victory over Chelsea in torrential rain at Old Trafford.

The first match in Premier League history to see two or more goals, red cards and substitutions in the first half was settled by goals from United skipper Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, who was the other player sent off before the break.

It was Sanchez’s dismissal that set the course of the game though.

The Spain international raced from his goal to meet Bryan Mbeumo as the striker ran beyond the Chelsea defence.

Sanchez then upended the forward outside his area rather than allow him past to tap the ball into an empty net.

Enzo Maresca’s response to the red card was to take off both Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian and, as Cole Palmer had to be replaced after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury, Chelsea had lost three attacking players in the space of 20 minutes.

Trevor Chalobah pulled one back for Chelsea with a header 10 minutes from time but United kept their nerves at bay to make it to the final whistle with their lead intact.

The victory was United’s second of the season and came in front of minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who gave head coach Ruben Amorim assurances over his future 48 hours earlier.

It also means Chelsea have still not won at Old Trafford since 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson was United manager.

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