LA Galaxy star David Beckham on Friday voiced confidence his bid for a 100th England cap was on track following encouraging signs from national coach Fabio Capello.
Beckham said his fitness would be "perfect" for this month's friendly against France despite picking up a minor knock in Shanghai, the previous stop on Galaxy's Asian tour.
"I've played three games so far now and I've got through them all. Slight injury but that's not a problem," he told media in Hong Kong.
"Fitness-wise I'll be perfect but it's about performing and hopefully I'll do that."
Beckham, 32, has struggled with injuries since his high-profile Galaxy move and the former England captain was overlooked by Capello for his first game in charge last month.
But Capello has said he may personally visit Beckham in the United States to check his fitness, adding the midfielder was "in contention" for the 26 March friendly in Paris.
"It doesn't change the way I go into the game. But that's what he said to me anyway. I know that from a conversation I had with him," Beckham said.
"He said once I'm back playing and if I'm fit and if I'm playing well enough, he will pick me. What happened with the first game of him taking charge, I hadn't played any games and he explained that to me."
Beckham, who has featured in pre-season matches in Hawaii, South Korea and China, missed training here on Friday after limping off with a right thigh injury during Wednesday's match in Shanghai.
However, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder expects to be fit for Galaxy's final tour match against a South China invitational team here on Sunday.
"It's nothing serious, I'll be able to play on Sunday," he said. "It's an injury where you have to be careful not to do too much on it after it's happened."
Beckham said he would be proud to join Peter Shilton, Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore and Billy Wright as only the fifth man to play for England 100 times.
"As a young boy I always wanted to play for my country, always wanted to captain my country and I always wanted to reach 100 games," he said. "It would be a proud moment."
And despite plying his trade in the unheralded Major League Soccer, he said he hoped to remain in the England frame for years to come.
"I believe I can play for my country for a good few more years yet," Beckham said.
"That's just me being honest. I believe I can still play at that level. The standard is obviously a bit different in the US but it's not as low as everybody thinks. We've got some good players and we play some good football.
"We'll just have to wait and see, but I believe I can play for my country for a good few years."
Beckham, whose movie-star looks and deadly right foot have made him one of the world's most recognisable faces, has a large following in Asia. Hundreds of fans and media caused chaotic scenes when he visited a hospital in Shanghai
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Australia will play Singapore later this month in a lead-up match to their FIFA World Cup™ qualifier against China, Football Federation Australia said on Friday.
The Socceroos will have a five-day camp in Singapore and take on the Singapore national team on 22 March, four days before their qualifier with the Chinese in Kunming.
Coach Pim Verbeek said he will give Australia's A-League players an opportunity to press their claims for inclusion in the squad to play China in the friendly.
"We want to play as many matches as we can against teams from Asia and, with Singapore also in the process of attempting to qualify for the World Cup, it is a perfect opponent for us," Verbeek said in a statement.
The FFA said it was unlikely many of Australia's European-based stars would play in the Singapore match as they will be playing for their clubs on the same weekend.
"This match will give valuable experience to A-League players and will be another important part of our programme to keep them fit during the off-season," Verbeek said.
"Once the match is over I will then decide who will make the final squad for the trip to China."
Verbeek said he came away with plenty of information from a recent trip to China, where he saw the Chinese national team in action.
"China played in a strong tournament, so it was valuable for me to be able to see them play," he said.
"They have stayed in camp and have already moved to Kunming to continue their preparations so the match against Singapore is vital for us."
The Socceroos will have a five-day camp in Singapore and take on the Singapore national team on 22 March, four days before their qualifier with the Chinese in Kunming.
Coach Pim Verbeek said he will give Australia's A-League players an opportunity to press their claims for inclusion in the squad to play China in the friendly.
"We want to play as many matches as we can against teams from Asia and, with Singapore also in the process of attempting to qualify for the World Cup, it is a perfect opponent for us," Verbeek said in a statement.
The FFA said it was unlikely many of Australia's European-based stars would play in the Singapore match as they will be playing for their clubs on the same weekend.
"This match will give valuable experience to A-League players and will be another important part of our programme to keep them fit during the off-season," Verbeek said.
"Once the match is over I will then decide who will make the final squad for the trip to China."
Verbeek said he came away with plenty of information from a recent trip to China, where he saw the Chinese national team in action.
"China played in a strong tournament, so it was valuable for me to be able to see them play," he said.
"They have stayed in camp and have already moved to Kunming to continue their preparations so the match against Singapore is vital for us."
Coach Pim Verbeek says Harry Kewell is in his plans for Australia's FIFA World Cup™ qualifier against China later this month but Mark Viduka is not.
The Socceroos, confident 3-0 winners over Qatar in their opening group match in Melbourne last month, are wary of the Chinese problems posed to them in the high altitude of the Kunming venue for the 26 March qualifier.
The Dutch coach has confirmed he will not be calling on Newcastle United striker Viduka, Australia's captain at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but may use Kewell, despite him playing reserve football at Liverpool.
Verbeek confirmed he would again select European-based players for the Kunming match, but those with the best aerobic capacity were most likely to make the starting XI.
Reports said Kewell's best hope seems to be on the substitutes bench, but Viduka, also struggling to break into the first team at Newcastle United, will not be required.
"I have made an appointment to see Mark in April, but we don't need him for a game like this," Verbeek told Friday's The Sydney Morning Herald.
Kewell, for so long the talisman of Australian football whose goal against Croatia in Stuttgart got the Socceroos through to the second round of the last FIFA World Cup, is in Verbeek's plans.
Verbeek said he is not concerned about Kewell's lack of first-team football at Anfield after not calling on him for the Qatar game.
"No, Harry is playing in every second reserve team game, so he is playing more than he did a few months ago," he said.
"So I say it again. Second-team football at Liverpool is still a higher standard than the (Australian) A-League."
Verbeek said the altitude (1900 metres) and smog of Kunming would make the China match a much tougher proposition than Qatar.
He said he has some knowledge of the difficulties in playing at altitude after taking Korea Republic to the capital of Yemen, Sana'a, last year.
"It will be difficult for sure, we will have to play with our brain and not our heart," he said.
"In Yemen it was exactly the same circumstances, 1900m. You get tired sooner. So you have to save energy for the whole game, you have to know when to go (forward) so you can last 90 minutes.
"So we have to find out how fit the players are, and what they can do. I have to think about that, to find the best tactics and the best players who can do that. But the problem is nobody has experience of this altitude.
"The second problem is with the ball. It's going to float, and that's something that is very difficult. Physically, mentally, you can try to prepare players."
The bulk of the European-based players are set to arrive in Kunming just 48 hours before the match, while Dutch-based trio Brett Holman, Jason Culina and Luke Wilkshire are likely to arrive the day before the game.
That gamble paid off against Qatar when Australia raced to a match-winning lead by half-time, but Verbeek admitted: "What we've learnt is that it's difficult to play 90 minutes like the way we played the first half against Qatar."
The Socceroos, confident 3-0 winners over Qatar in their opening group match in Melbourne last month, are wary of the Chinese problems posed to them in the high altitude of the Kunming venue for the 26 March qualifier.
The Dutch coach has confirmed he will not be calling on Newcastle United striker Viduka, Australia's captain at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but may use Kewell, despite him playing reserve football at Liverpool.
Verbeek confirmed he would again select European-based players for the Kunming match, but those with the best aerobic capacity were most likely to make the starting XI.
Reports said Kewell's best hope seems to be on the substitutes bench, but Viduka, also struggling to break into the first team at Newcastle United, will not be required.
"I have made an appointment to see Mark in April, but we don't need him for a game like this," Verbeek told Friday's The Sydney Morning Herald.
Kewell, for so long the talisman of Australian football whose goal against Croatia in Stuttgart got the Socceroos through to the second round of the last FIFA World Cup, is in Verbeek's plans.
Verbeek said he is not concerned about Kewell's lack of first-team football at Anfield after not calling on him for the Qatar game.
"No, Harry is playing in every second reserve team game, so he is playing more than he did a few months ago," he said.
"So I say it again. Second-team football at Liverpool is still a higher standard than the (Australian) A-League."
Verbeek said the altitude (1900 metres) and smog of Kunming would make the China match a much tougher proposition than Qatar.
He said he has some knowledge of the difficulties in playing at altitude after taking Korea Republic to the capital of Yemen, Sana'a, last year.
"It will be difficult for sure, we will have to play with our brain and not our heart," he said.
"In Yemen it was exactly the same circumstances, 1900m. You get tired sooner. So you have to save energy for the whole game, you have to know when to go (forward) so you can last 90 minutes.
"So we have to find out how fit the players are, and what they can do. I have to think about that, to find the best tactics and the best players who can do that. But the problem is nobody has experience of this altitude.
"The second problem is with the ball. It's going to float, and that's something that is very difficult. Physically, mentally, you can try to prepare players."
The bulk of the European-based players are set to arrive in Kunming just 48 hours before the match, while Dutch-based trio Brett Holman, Jason Culina and Luke Wilkshire are likely to arrive the day before the game.
That gamble paid off against Qatar when Australia raced to a match-winning lead by half-time, but Verbeek admitted: "What we've learnt is that it's difficult to play 90 minutes like the way we played the first half against Qatar."
In the job for only three months, Bermuda coach Keith Tucker has already had his fair share of troubles. Missing star man Khano Smith for the first leg at home in Hamilton last month, he could only muster a 1-1 draw with the Cayman Islands in a game the Gombey Warriors were expected to win easily.
He has since parted company with his assistant coach and found his tactics criticised in the national media. The coach now needs a win on the road in Grand Cayman on 26 March to avoid an ignominious early exit from qualifying for Bermuda.
Ever the old pro, Tucker is not fazed.
"This is one of the greatest moments in the history of Bermudan football," the boss told FIFA.com in a recent interview, hardly reflecting the gloom that followed the Cayman draw. "We are playing a new kind of soccer and moving forward every day in very positive ways."
The practical goal for the Bermudans is to at least match the CONCACAF semi-final round appearance in the run-up to USA 1994. But the 55-year-old Tucker, head coach at Howard University in Washington DC for 26 seasons, is also passionate about transforming the British overseas territory of Bermuda into a Caribbean haven for a modern brand of possession-based football.
"In the past Bermudan soccer was like a hot potato," the former international joked. "You'd have guys rushing at pace up the flanks and hammering high balls into the box. There was a lack of control and my plan, my vision, is for the country to adopt a more possession-based approach and a more controlled brand of soccer. This is the only way to improve."
No worriesEven the draw with the Caymans last month, which sparked a firestorm of criticism on the island chain of just over 60,000, isn't something the coach is unduly worried about.
"We completely dominated that game," he remarked about the 1-1 draw in which his side conceded a sloppy equaliser four minutes from time. "We were desperately unlucky not to score five or six goals, but in the end we were made to pay for our lack of finishing."
Aside from a profligacy in front of goal, the former Bermuda international sees a silver lining in the performance. "We hadn't had too much time to develop our new style at that point, but even so the improvements from past Bermudan teams were obvious for everyone to see," Tucker said, seemingly unperturbed by his side's subsequent friendly loss to Major League Soccer's New England Revolution. "And in the month or so since that game, we have made even more progress. It's not about a system or putting the players in shackles, it's about getting them to think the game and feel it."
One man who thinks, feels and plays the game best as a rare foreign professional in the side is Khano Smith of the MLS' Boston-based Revolution. The speedy winger, who can also play as a striker, is back to full fitness after missing the first leg and Tucker is expecting big things from the former Dandy Town Hornets man.
"I have about five or six University and semi-professional players from the States in my team, but Khano brings a level of composure and professionalism that you can't underestimate," said the boss. "As a striker he lays the ball off brilliantly and can measure a pass like no one else in the side."
King Khano Since the retirement of Shaun Goater, Smith has taken over the mantle as Bermuda's highest-profile footballer. It is hoped his budding partnership with John Barry Nusum, of US indoor side Philadelphia KiXX, will bring the goals in the crucial second leg later this month.
"Nusom is going to have some fun playing alongside Khano (Smith)," the coach said. "Any striker would love to play with him because he just makes so many chances with his reading of the game. I think I could even score a few goals out there playing next to Khano!"
Coach Tucker famously led the Bison of Howard University to a NCAA championship match in 1988, and knows how important an inspirational leader can be on the pitch. Then goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, who went on to play for Newcastle United and West Ham, was his talisman as he beat Bruce Arena's fable University of Virginia en route to the grand final.
A win against the Caymans would book a date for Bermuda and Tucker with his former goalkeeper's national team, the Soca Warriors of Trinidad and Tobago.
"Trinidad always produce great players and it would be a real treat for us to play against them," the coach said. "First we need to get things right against the Caymans, but after that we'll begin to dream about bigger things."
He has since parted company with his assistant coach and found his tactics criticised in the national media. The coach now needs a win on the road in Grand Cayman on 26 March to avoid an ignominious early exit from qualifying for Bermuda.
Ever the old pro, Tucker is not fazed.
"This is one of the greatest moments in the history of Bermudan football," the boss told FIFA.com in a recent interview, hardly reflecting the gloom that followed the Cayman draw. "We are playing a new kind of soccer and moving forward every day in very positive ways."
The practical goal for the Bermudans is to at least match the CONCACAF semi-final round appearance in the run-up to USA 1994. But the 55-year-old Tucker, head coach at Howard University in Washington DC for 26 seasons, is also passionate about transforming the British overseas territory of Bermuda into a Caribbean haven for a modern brand of possession-based football.
"In the past Bermudan soccer was like a hot potato," the former international joked. "You'd have guys rushing at pace up the flanks and hammering high balls into the box. There was a lack of control and my plan, my vision, is for the country to adopt a more possession-based approach and a more controlled brand of soccer. This is the only way to improve."
No worriesEven the draw with the Caymans last month, which sparked a firestorm of criticism on the island chain of just over 60,000, isn't something the coach is unduly worried about.
"We completely dominated that game," he remarked about the 1-1 draw in which his side conceded a sloppy equaliser four minutes from time. "We were desperately unlucky not to score five or six goals, but in the end we were made to pay for our lack of finishing."
Aside from a profligacy in front of goal, the former Bermuda international sees a silver lining in the performance. "We hadn't had too much time to develop our new style at that point, but even so the improvements from past Bermudan teams were obvious for everyone to see," Tucker said, seemingly unperturbed by his side's subsequent friendly loss to Major League Soccer's New England Revolution. "And in the month or so since that game, we have made even more progress. It's not about a system or putting the players in shackles, it's about getting them to think the game and feel it."
One man who thinks, feels and plays the game best as a rare foreign professional in the side is Khano Smith of the MLS' Boston-based Revolution. The speedy winger, who can also play as a striker, is back to full fitness after missing the first leg and Tucker is expecting big things from the former Dandy Town Hornets man.
"I have about five or six University and semi-professional players from the States in my team, but Khano brings a level of composure and professionalism that you can't underestimate," said the boss. "As a striker he lays the ball off brilliantly and can measure a pass like no one else in the side."
King Khano Since the retirement of Shaun Goater, Smith has taken over the mantle as Bermuda's highest-profile footballer. It is hoped his budding partnership with John Barry Nusum, of US indoor side Philadelphia KiXX, will bring the goals in the crucial second leg later this month.
"Nusom is going to have some fun playing alongside Khano (Smith)," the coach said. "Any striker would love to play with him because he just makes so many chances with his reading of the game. I think I could even score a few goals out there playing next to Khano!"
Coach Tucker famously led the Bison of Howard University to a NCAA championship match in 1988, and knows how important an inspirational leader can be on the pitch. Then goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, who went on to play for Newcastle United and West Ham, was his talisman as he beat Bruce Arena's fable University of Virginia en route to the grand final.
A win against the Caymans would book a date for Bermuda and Tucker with his former goalkeeper's national team, the Soca Warriors of Trinidad and Tobago.
"Trinidad always produce great players and it would be a real treat for us to play against them," the coach said. "First we need to get things right against the Caymans, but after that we'll begin to dream about bigger things."
The FIFA Executive Committee, chaired by President Joseph Blatter, will convene on Friday, 14 March 2008, for its first meeting in 2008. The agenda features a wide range of topics with the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, the FIFA Congress, the debates of the Strategic Committee and the recent developments in club football as well as FIFA's financial results for 2007 taking centre stage.
Following inspections in February and the recent LOC board meeting on 4 March, the FIFA executive will be given updates on the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the current status of preparations for FIFA's flagship competition as well as that of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. In the area of competitions, the Olympic Football Tournaments in Beijing (with the final draws due to take place on 20 April) as well as other FIFA events for 2008 such as the U-17 and U-20 Women World Cups in New Zealand and Chile respectively, the Beach Soccer World Championship (Marseilles), the Futsal World Championship in Brazil and the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan will also be reviewed.
Preparing for the 58th FIFA Congress due to be held in Sydney (Australia) on 29 and 30 May 2008, the FIFA Executive Committee will be given the planned agenda and proposed amendments to the Statutes and the Regulations Governing the Application of the Statutes.
A number of legal and sports political matters are also tabled, such as those relating to member associations and the recent meeting between FIFA and WADA in Zurich. Moreover, the committee will appraise the latest debates of the FIFA Strategic Committee and the developments in relations between FIFA, UEFA and the clubs following the historic meeting in Zurich on 15 January .
Finally, following meetings of the Internal Audit Committee and the Finance Committee (cf. programme below), the FIFA Executive Committee will be informed of the financial results of football's world football's governing body for the year 2007.
Meeting schedule Monday 10 March 09:00 Technical and Development Committee Tuesday 11 March 09:00 OC for the U-20 World Cup 14:00 OC for the U-17 World Cup Wednesday 12 March 09:00 OC for the FIFA Club World Cup 11:00 Internal Audit Committee 14:00 OC for the FIFA Confederations Cup Thursday 13 March09:00 Finance Committee 14:00 Players' Status Committee Friday 14 March09:00 Executive Committee 15:30 Media conference (time tbd) Monday 17 March 09:00 Sports Medical Committee
Following inspections in February and the recent LOC board meeting on 4 March, the FIFA executive will be given updates on the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the current status of preparations for FIFA's flagship competition as well as that of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. In the area of competitions, the Olympic Football Tournaments in Beijing (with the final draws due to take place on 20 April) as well as other FIFA events for 2008 such as the U-17 and U-20 Women World Cups in New Zealand and Chile respectively, the Beach Soccer World Championship (Marseilles), the Futsal World Championship in Brazil and the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan will also be reviewed.
Preparing for the 58th FIFA Congress due to be held in Sydney (Australia) on 29 and 30 May 2008, the FIFA Executive Committee will be given the planned agenda and proposed amendments to the Statutes and the Regulations Governing the Application of the Statutes.
A number of legal and sports political matters are also tabled, such as those relating to member associations and the recent meeting between FIFA and WADA in Zurich. Moreover, the committee will appraise the latest debates of the FIFA Strategic Committee and the developments in relations between FIFA, UEFA and the clubs following the historic meeting in Zurich on 15 January .
Finally, following meetings of the Internal Audit Committee and the Finance Committee (cf. programme below), the FIFA Executive Committee will be informed of the financial results of football's world football's governing body for the year 2007.
Meeting schedule Monday 10 March 09:00 Technical and Development Committee Tuesday 11 March 09:00 OC for the U-20 World Cup 14:00 OC for the U-17 World Cup Wednesday 12 March 09:00 OC for the FIFA Club World Cup 11:00 Internal Audit Committee 14:00 OC for the FIFA Confederations Cup Thursday 13 March09:00 Finance Committee 14:00 Players' Status Committee Friday 14 March09:00 Executive Committee 15:30 Media conference (time tbd) Monday 17 March 09:00 Sports Medical Committee
Tunisia have approached four French-based coaches as possible replacements for Roger Lemerre, whose contract with the national team runs out in June.
The Tunisia Football Federation said on Friday it had approached former French internationals Luis Fernandez and Jean Tigana, the former French national team assistant coach Guy Stephan and Vahid Halilhodzic, who was a Yugoslav international.
Officials said all four had expressed interest in the position which will become vacant after last month's decision not to renew Lemerre's contract when it expires in June.
Lemerre, 66, took over as Tunisia coach in 2002. Under his guidance, the north Africans won the 2004 CAF Africa Cup of Nations on home soil and qualified for Germany 2006 but they were eliminated at the quarter-final stage of this year's Cup of Nations in Ghana
The Tunisia Football Federation said on Friday it had approached former French internationals Luis Fernandez and Jean Tigana, the former French national team assistant coach Guy Stephan and Vahid Halilhodzic, who was a Yugoslav international.
Officials said all four had expressed interest in the position which will become vacant after last month's decision not to renew Lemerre's contract when it expires in June.
Lemerre, 66, took over as Tunisia coach in 2002. Under his guidance, the north Africans won the 2004 CAF Africa Cup of Nations on home soil and qualified for Germany 2006 but they were eliminated at the quarter-final stage of this year's Cup of Nations in Ghana
The 2010 FIFA World Cup™ preliminary competition match between DPR Korea and Korea Republic will be played in Shanghai, China on the scheduled date of Wednesday 26 March 2008.
This decision was taken by FIFA today after the associations of both DPR Korea and Korea Republic, in the best interests of football, agreed to the newly designated venue with the DPR Korea serving as the host association.
This decision guarantees that the Regulations of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa are met accordingly, and particularly article 22, which states that the FIFA flag, the FIFA Fair Play flag, the confederation's flag and the national flags of both participating member associations shall be flown inside the stadium at every match during the preliminary competition. In addition, the FIFA anthem shall be played when the teams enter the field and the national anthems of the two participating member associations shall be played after the teams have lined up.
For more information on the regulations, please see: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/organisation/documents/index.html
This decision was taken by FIFA today after the associations of both DPR Korea and Korea Republic, in the best interests of football, agreed to the newly designated venue with the DPR Korea serving as the host association.
This decision guarantees that the Regulations of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa are met accordingly, and particularly article 22, which states that the FIFA flag, the FIFA Fair Play flag, the confederation's flag and the national flags of both participating member associations shall be flown inside the stadium at every match during the preliminary competition. In addition, the FIFA anthem shall be played when the teams enter the field and the national anthems of the two participating member associations shall be played after the teams have lined up.
For more information on the regulations, please see: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/organisation/documents/index.html
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