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Brazil up to third as England return to top 10 in latest Fifa Ranking
By Joe Wright
Jun 5, 2014 11:29:00 AM
Argentina and Switzerland have moved to move fifth and sixth respectively, while AFC Challenge Cup winners Palestine have shot up 71 spots
Brazil have climbed to third place in the latest Fifa Ranking table - the last before the World Cup gets under way - behind the unchanged top two of Germany and Spain.
Luiz Felipe Scolari's side have leapfrogged Portugal, who slip down to fourth, following their results up to and including May 30.
Argentina have climbed two places into fifth, with Switzerland one spot behind them having moved ahead of Colombia and Uruguay.
Italy remain ninth, while England return to the top 10 at the expense of Greece, who slip to 12th.
Elsewhere, Palestine have climbed a staggering 71 places to reach their highest-ever position of 94th, after claiming glory in the AFC Challenge Cup and reaching the final of the AFC Asian Cup.
France, meanwhile, have slipped to 17th after Ukraine - the side they beat to reach the World Cup finals - climbed one place above them, while Algeria are the highest-ranked African nation after climbing three places into 22nd as Cote d'Ivoire slipped to 23rd. Nigeria remain 44th.
Taking into account the average points tallies and table positions of the teams, Group D (Italy, England, Uruguay and Costa Rica) is the strongest World Cup group along with Group G (Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA).
"The results of 112 'A' international matches have been taken into account for the current edition of the ranking, with 67 friendly matches plus continental qualifiers in CAF (26 matches), the AFC (16) and Concacaf (3) being played up to May 30," a statement released by Fifa confirms.
Germany to turn on World Cup turbo despite Neuer blow
FRANKFURT Thu Jun 5, 2014 2:06pm BST
Germany's national soccer player Manuel Neuer stretches during a training session in St. Martin, northern Italy, May 30, 2014. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender
(Reuters) - Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will miss Germany's final warmup game against Armenia on Friday in order to fully recover from a shoulder problem in time for the World Cup.
Coach Joachim Loew said the Bayern Munich player, yet to train with the squad after being injured last month, would be fit for their first Group G match against Portugal on June 16.
"Manuel Neuer has worked hard but yesterday we sat down and decided that he will not play tomorrow because we do not want to avoid a risk, even if it is minimal," Loew told a news conference on Thursday.
"It will be no problem for the first game against Portugal. When we arrive in Brazil he will join training and there will be no problem whatsoever.
"The game tomorrow will give us some tailwind for the tournament. We were not at 100 percent against Cameroon but that is normal. When it starts we will press the World Cup turbo."
Roman Weidenfeller replaced Neuer in the 2-2 friendly draw with Cameroon on Sunday and will deputise again on Friday.
Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and captain Philipp Lahm have shrugged off injury and will feature against Armenia.
"Lahm and Bastian have no problems any more and they have been training with the ball," said Loew.
"They will have some playing time. What is important though is that they are problem-free. Maybe it makes no sense to play the entire 90 minutes but exactly how long is something I will decide this evening."
Schweinsteiger has been plagued by injuries all season and is recovering from inflammation on his knee while Lahm hurt his ankle in the German Cup final on May 17.
Germany, who also take on Ghana and the United States in Group G, leave for Brazil on Saturday.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Tony Jimenez)
World Cup leaves Brazil costly stadiums, poor public transport
By Anthony Boadle
BRASILIA Thu Jun 5, 2014 5:09pm BST
An aerial shot shows the Maracana stadium, one of the stadiums hosting the 2014 World Cup soccer matches, in Rio de Janeiro March 28, 2014. REUTERS-Ricardo Moraes
(Reuters) - When the final whistle blows at the World Cup, Brazilians will be left with some of the world's costliest football stadiums and few of the public transport improvements they were promised.
Long-overdue airport upgrades have been made just in time for the World Cup which starts on June 12 but many of the longer-term investments in rapid transit systems in Brazil's main cities have been delayed or scrapped.
Seven years have passed since Brazil won the right to host this World Cup. Then-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vowed to use the tournament to shake off underdevelopment and modernize Brazil, a coming out party for an emerging power on the global stage.
While some much-needed investments have been completed, Brazil has fallen far short of what it promised for the Cup and many Brazilians see it as a squandered opportunity regardless of what happens on the pitch.
The signature project in public transportation was to be Latin America's first bullet train, a $16 billion high-speed rail service linking Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. It never made it off the drawing board.
"The jump to modernity never happened, and the stadiums are a herd of white elephants," said Gil Castello Branco of Contas Abertas, a private group that monitors government spending.
Brazil has invested 25.8 billion reais ($11.3 billion) in Cup-related infrastructure improvements, a third of which went into building or overhauling stadiums in a dozen host cities.
Four arenas were built in cities that have only third-tier football teams and small chance of recovering the investment: Manaus, Natal, Cuiaba and the capital Brasilia, where the magnificent National Stadium cost 1.6 billion reais, more than double the original price tag. City auditors say Brazil's most costly stadium still needs 300 million reais to finish the exteriors after the World Cup.
The huge sums spent on the stadiums helped fuel massive street protests last year by Brazilians fed up with poor public services and corrupt politicians. They said the money would have been better spent on hospitals, schools and public transport.
The anti-World Cup movement has vowed to stage new protests nationwide aimed at disrupting the 32-nation football tournament.
HALF-BAKED PROJECTS
Despite the money thrown at infrastructure improvements, Brazil has only delivered half of the projects it pledged to undertake and many of them are unfinished.
Sinaenco, a lobby group for architecture and engineering firms, says a fifth of the projects were dropped because they could not be delivered on time, while others won't be finished until after the Cup, such as an overhaul of Rio de Janeiro's international airport. [ID:nL1N0OK23K]
The delays in completing works planned for years have also raised concerns about Rio's ability to stage the Olympic Games in 2016. Some international sports federations have asked to discuss alternative venues.
Sao Paulo's Arena Corinthians will not have been fully tested when it hosts the opening match between Brazil and Croatia on June 12. Much of the surrounding area still looks like a construction site.
Advances have been made at airports, easing travel between the venues. They could be the World Cup's most lasting legacy, especially the new terminals in Brasilia and Sao Paulo's Guarulhos airport.
But only a third of the urban transport projects promised by Lula's government have been executed, according Contas Abertas.
"Our biggest disappointment is urban mobility. Brazil's big cities are chaotic. We hoped things would improve with the work done for the World Cup," said Castello Branco. "This has not happened and we don't know when these works will be finished."
Working class Brazilians spend hours each day commuting on dilapidated transport. Their frustration is such that buses and trains sometimes get trashed and even torched by angry commuters when they break down.
It was a bus fare hike that triggered last year's protests, an outburst of anger that rattled Brazil's political establishment.
President Dilma Rousseff, who is seeking re-election in October, was greeted by a samba band on Sunday when she opened a rapid bus system linking Rio's airport to the sprawling coastal district of Barra da Tijuca, but only 22 of its 47 stations will be operational for the World Cup.
Light rail projects and rapid bus corridors have been dropped in a half-dozen cities or not finished in others.
Brazil's priority was stadiums - you can't play football without them - and then airports, a must to accommodate the flood of foreign fans.
As the country fell behind schedule, transportation projects were pushed back and host cities were forced to improvise. One solution has been to declare a school and work holiday on game days to limit traffic congestion and ensure that fans can get to the stadiums.
The pair are big doubts for their country's final warm-up game, against Slovenia on Saturday, and now face a battle to be fit in time for the World Cup
Argentina duo Sergio Aguero and Ezequiel Garay are doubtful for their country's last warm-up game before the World Cup, with the pair being hampered by a thigh problem and muscle strain respectively.
Striker Aguero and defender Garay were both unused substitutes as Argentina's preparations for the tournament continued on Wednesday with a 3-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago.
And the Argentinian Football Association (AFA) have now confirmed that the pair face fitness battles, with the start of the World Cup looming large on the horizon.
Manchester City star Aguero has endured an injury-hit 2013-14 at club level and started just 20 of his side's 38 Premier League games en route to being crowned champions of England.
When fit, though, Aguero's influence was clear, as he scored 17 league goals and netted 28 times in total in competitions.
Like Aguero, Garay also heads to Brazil having won a domestic title - with Benfica in the Primeira Liga.
Question marks now remain over of what part - if any - Aguero and Garay will play in Saturday's final friendly with Slovenia.
Argentina's World Cup campaign begins against Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 15.
Costa denies he was offered World Cup chance with Brazil
By Tim Hanlon
BARCELONA Sat Jun 7, 2014 10:40am BST
Atletico Madrid's Diego Costa controls the ball during the final practice session of his team at the Luz stadium one day ahead of the Champions League soccer final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in Lisbon, May 23, 2014. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
(Reuters) - Spain striker Diego Costa has refuted Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari's claims that he contacted him over playing the World Cup for the host nation.
The Brazil-born forward chose to represent Spain, where he plays his club football with Atletico Madrid, and made his debut for the team in a friendly against Italy last March.
He was a revelation in La Liga last season, hitting 36 goals, as Atletico won the league and reached the Champions League final, and he will be an important addition to Spain's armoury as they look to retain the World Cup.
Costa said that Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque convinced him to play for the reigning world champions while Scolari never approached him.
"Scolari never called me by telephone. The only coach that Ispoke with was Del Bosque who showed interest in me, invited me for a meal and made me realise that I was in his plans," Costa told reporters in Washington, where Spain are preparing for the World Cup.
"I am Brazilian and that is not going to change but I want to win the World Cup with Spain."
Costa was responding to comments on Friday by Scolari who said that he wanted the striker to play for Brazil.
"I was going to call him up for the World Cup. Was I wrong? I don't know," Scolari told O Estado de Sao Paulo. "He would be at the World Cup with Brazil. I spoke to him two times about it.
"The problem is that there are other interests behind everything. With Diego Costa a Spanish citizen it opens doors in Europe."
Germany's Reus out of World Cup, Mustafi called up
By Karolos Grohmann
BERLIN Sat Jun 7, 2014 1:37pm BST
German national soccer player Marco Reus listens during a news conference in St. Martin, northern Italy, May 24, 2014. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender
(Reuters) - Germany's World Cup hopes suffered a severe blow on Saturday when midfielder Marco Reus was ruled out of the tournament due to an ankle injury sustained in their final warmup game.
Germany, who take on Ghana, Portugal and United States in Group G, leave for Brazil on Saturday evening with 22-year-old Sampdoria defender Shkodran Mustafi booking an unexpected last-minute ticket following Reus's injury.
"I do not have the words to describe what I am feeling at the moment," Reus said in a statement issued by his club Borussia Dortmund.
"A dream burst in just one second and now I need to look forward, be professional about my recovery because I have to keep going. I will come back stronger than before.
"My best wishes to the whole team to achieve our goal without me."
Reus, who scored 16 goals in the Bundesliga last season, most by any midfielder, turned his ankle shortly before the break in their 6-1 victory over Armenia on Friday in Mainz, partially tearing the anterior ligament above his left ankle on the eve of the team's departure for Brazil.
"Both for him and for us it is extremely bitter," coach Joachim Loew told reporters. "Marco was in top form and both in the training camp and in the friendlies against Cameroon and Armenia left an outstanding impression.
"He had played a central role in our planning for Brazil."
The lightning-quick Reus, who enjoyed a superb season at Dortmund, was seen as a key player in Germany's quest to claim their first international title in 18 years.
Mustafi, who won his only cap in May against Poland, was surprisingly part of the provisional squad but missed the cut as one of three players omitted from the final squad earlier this week.
"It was not about replacing Marco Reus in the same position," Loew added. "We have a lot of quality in that position and a lot of options with Lukas Podolski, Andre Schuerrle, Mario Goetze, Thomas Mueller, Mesut Ozil, Julian Draxler and Toni Kroos.
"That is why we decided for an option in defence and Shkodran had been convincing in our training camp, he is fit and we have full confidence in him."
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
England head to Brazil relying on youngsters and luck
By Mike Collett
LONDON Sat Jun 7, 2014 12:27am BST
England's manager Roy Hodgson (2nd L) supervises his team's first training session in Miami, Florida June 3, 2014. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay
(Reuters) - One of the most telling moments of England's World Cup build-up came off the pitch, away from the players, crowds and live TV cameras on the night of a laboured 1-0 win over Denmark at Wembley in March.
Denmark coach Morten Olsen, completing his post-match news conference turned back to the mass of reporters as he left the auditorium and shouted: "Good luck in the World Cup - you need it!"
As well as producing howls of spontaneous laughter, it crystallised in nine words what most people think about England's return to the land of their greatest soccer humiliation - it is doomed to failure.
Even the chairman of the Football Association Greg Dyke does not appear to think much of their chances.
At the draw for the finals in December, when England were grouped with four-times champions Italy, twice winners Uruguay and stubborn Central American middleweights Costa Rica, Dyke was caught on camera grimacing and making a throat-slitting gesture.
He later back-tracked, brushing it off as a joke, but there are, nonetheless, real fears about 1966 world champions England failing to make it out of the group stage, which has only happened twice before, in 1950 and 1958.
For once the hyperbole that normally surrounds England's chances ahead of major tournaments has been muted and it would surprise few if they left before the knockout stages start on June 28.
YOUNG TALENT
Manager Roy Hodgson, 66, has been careful to avoid talking up England's prospects too much. It is not that he has been getting his excuses in early - he has just been wary about raising unrealistic hopes.
On the one hand, he has a squad full of exciting young talents such as Liverpool's Raheem Sterling, Arsenal pair Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the injury-prone Jack Wilshere as well as promising Southampton duo Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw.
He can also call on seasoned veterans like captain Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney.
But, he warned: "We are in a tough group with two former world champions who are rated as highly as we are, so it's like having three seeds in the group.
"But it is an interesting group and I think we are helped by the realisation from everyone that is not an easy group.
"That, I think, is an advantage. People at home know their World Cup history, they know that European teams have never succeeded in South America. They know there are 32 highly motivated teams out there and that means there really are no easy games."
ENGLAND UNBEATEN
England went unbeaten through a tricky qualifying group including Ukraine and Poland, winning six matches and drawing four, scoring 31 goals and conceding four.
Over the last two years, Hodgson has given youngsters like Lallana, Shaw, Sterling and Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge a chance to prove themselves and they have not let him down.
While John Terry, England's best centre half on current form, is no longer part of Hodgson's plans following his retirement from international football, the England coach still has a solid core of older players who know what to expect.
They also know they must deliver in what will be the last finals tournament many of them will play in.
England skipper Gerrard has had a stunning season playing in a deeper midfield role during Liverpool's run to second place in the Premier League while Rooney has scored regularly despite the upheavals at Manchester United.
CHARLTON RECORD
Rooney, as ever, will shoulder much of the responsibility for England's hopes and goes to Brazil having scored in their 2-2 draw with the World Cup hosts last June when the Maracana Stadium officially re-opened after being rebuilt.
Rooney, with 38 England goals, is closing in on Bobby Charlton's all-time record of 49, which has stood since 1970.
The former Everton player, however, failed to score in both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups after making a big impact in his first international tournament with four goals at Euro 2004.
Hodgson said in February he hoped Rooney, who is only 28, will break that record during the next two years, and more importantly, challenged him to "explode" at the World Cup.
"He is close to breaking Bobby's Manchester United scoring record and why not become England's top scorer too?" he said.
"But the World Cup is his big chance to show the world what he can do. Maybe once or twice in the past he hasn't exploded as maybe he has on our national stage, where we all accept him as being an outstanding player. This is his chance. This is the world stage."
His first chance will come in their Group D opener against Italy in the steamy Amazonian jungle city of Manaus on June 14. England play Uruguay in Sao Paulo on June 19 and return to Belo Horizonte, where they suffered their greatest humiliation, to play Costa Rica on June 24.
Some 64 years ago, England met rank outsiders the United States at the Independiente Stadium, this time being used as a World Cup training venue, and were beaten 1-0.
Alongside North Korea's win over Italy in 1966 and Senegal's 1-0 win over defending champions France in 2002, it remains one of the World Cup's greatest shocks.
Hodgson broke out laughing when asked whether that result would have any impact when England return there in June.
"I was two years old at the time - you can't pin that one on me - and I have more important things to worry about now," he said.
(Reporting by Mike Collett; editing by Toby Davis)
Police fire tear gas at Sao Paulo protesters ahead of World Cup opener
Jun 6, 2014 7:30:00 PM
Workers on strike clashed with the authorities just six days ahead of World Cup curtain-raiser, increasing fears of anti-government movement in Brazil during the tournament
By Greg Stobart in Rio de Janeiro
Brazilian police fired tear gas at protesters during violent scenes in Sao Paulo less than a week before the city hosts the first match of the World Cup.
An indefinite strike by subway workers led to the closure of several stations on Friday and local television stations showed images of police beating the workers with batons, raising fears of unrest during the showpiece tournament.
Traffic delays as a result of the strike held up Brazil's team bus as they travelled to the stadium today for their friendly against Serbia.
Last summer during the Confederations Cup, more than a million Brazilians took to the streets to protest against the spiralling cost of staging the World Cup while demanding improved healthcare and education.
The nationwide demonstrations 12 months ago began in Sao Paulo over an increase in bus fares and Brazil is braced with the possibility of more anti-government protests, with organisers criticised over poor planning, late stadium delivery and infrastructure delays.
Brazil host Serbia on Friday before the country's biggest city hosts the first match of the World Cup, when Brazil take on Croatia on June 12.
England will leave Oxlade-Chamberlain decision until 'last moment' - Hodgson
By Tom Maston
Jun 6, 2014 6:41:00 PM
The veteran coach remains hopeful that the 20-year-old will recover in time for the World Cup, but insisted that no selection clues would be given for his line-up against Honduras
England manager Roy Hodgson says he will leave it until the "very last moment" before deciding whether or not to replace Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in his World Cup squad.
The Arsenal winger suffered knee medial ligament damage in Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Ecuador, though the Three Lions are hopeful he will not be ruled out of the whole tournament in Brazil.
And boss Hodgson, who previously revealed that the 20-year-old will stay with the squad even if he isn't fit to play during the group stage, has admitted a final decision will not be made on his fitness until June 13 - 24 hours before England kick-off against Italy.
"[There are] no changes," he told reporters. "We will monitor the situation and keep our fingers crossed."
"We will make a decision on Alex at the very last minute. We are working hard on him and he is very positive."
Hodgson's side take on Honduras on Saturday in their final warm-up match before travelling to South America, with a number of players hoping to catch the eye ahead of the competition beginning in earnest.
But the former Liverpool boss revealed he is unlikely to select the eleven that will start against Italy as he does not want to reveal any plans to the opposition ahead of the match in Manaus.
"The players who didn't play on Wednesday have got a very good chance of playing in this game [against Honduras].
"The headache the manager has is that every player is capable of playing in this starting line-up.
"There is no reason for me to give Italy our starting line-up ten days in advance. Against Honduras it will be more than an 11-player game."
One member of the squad who will not take part against the Central American outfit is Raheem Sterling after he was sent-off against Ecuador, but Hodgson has refused to rule him out of contention for a starting berth in Brazil.
The Liverpool teenager is yet to start either of England's warm-up matches against Peru or Ecuador, but his performances in training are suggesting he could still have a major role to play.
"Raheem Sterling's sending off against Ecuador won't affect his chances of starting against Italy.
"He was unstoppable and breathtaking in training today."
France have called up Remy Cabella and Morgan Schneiderlin to replace the Ballon d'Or nominee and Clement Grenier, who have both suffered injury setbacks
France have announced that Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery will not feature at this year's World Cup in Brazil.
The 31-year-old attacker has been struggling with a back problem in recent weeks, and Didier Deschamps, the head coach of Les Bleus, confirmed during a press conference on Friday afternoon that the Ballon d’Or nominee’s situation has worsened.
“This morning Ribery stopped during a run. Now, he cannot train,” Deschamps explained. “Tests have confirmed a worsening of the situation. He cannot play.
"We must stay ambitious, but of course we would have been stronger with Ribery at 100%."
Ribery’s injury was the second blow that France suffered on Friday, as Clement Grenier aggravated a thigh problem, which had plagued him in the latter part of the season, leading to the Olympique Lyonnais playmaker also withdrawing from the squad.
Deschamps revealed that he has already called up two replacements in the form of Montpellier’s Remy Cabella and Southampton’s uncapped Morgan Schneiderlin.
The loss of Ribery, however, will be seen as a significant blow to France’s hopes of World Cup success, as the 2006 runner-up was their most experienced player available with 81 appearances.
Antoine Griezmann of Real Sociedad is widely expected to take the Bayern star's place in Deschamps’ starting XI.
No guarantees we'll be ready for World Cup - Brazil sports minister
By Kris Voakes
Jun 6, 2014 2:02:00 PM
Aldo Rebelo has admitted the country is up against it and will need people working 24 hours in order for games to be unaffected by building problems
Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo has admitted he cannot guarantee that his country will be ready for the opening game of the World Cup on Thursday.
Brazil and Croatia are scheduled to meet in the first fixture of the flagship competition at Sao Paulo’s Arena Corinthians next week, but works continue on the venue following a string of construction issues.
Traffic chaos caused by a metro strike in the city is the latest issue to hamper progress, leaving Rebelo to confirm that everyone needs to pull together to ensure targets are met.
“There is no way for you to put a certificate on the wall saying you are ready when you are dealing with an event as big as the World Cup,” Rebelo admitted in a press conference in Sao Paulo relayed by AS. “You have to be prepared every day. Everybody has to be working 24 hours. We have done everything within our capacity so that things are as close as possible to ready.”
The stadiums in Natal and Porto Alegre remain a concern for Fifa following their final inspections, but the governing body’s general secretary Jerome Valcke has moved to allay fears that the tournament will be severely interrupted.
“There is a lot of work going on,” admitted Valcke. “But I would say that this is normal, and even more so when you consider the stadiums were delivered late. We are not concerned about the coming days.”
During the press conference, Fifa president Sepp Blatter refused to comment on the latest corruption allegations relating to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, saying he will wait until the conclusion of former US attorney Michael Garcia’s independent investigation.
“All I can say to the people of Qatar is that in March we said we would not question the Qatar World Cup and we are waiting for the outcome of the report. I am not a prophet, therefore we will wait for the results and see what happens,” Blatter said.
The Sunday Times printed a detailed report last weekend claiming that former AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam spent at least €3.7 million in attempting to win the votes of several African Fifa Executive Committee members in the World Cup bid process.
Politicians angered by €720k Spain World Cup bonus
By Vaishali Bhardwaj
Jun 6, 2014 12:49:00 PM
Several figures have expressed their annoyance at the prize money the national team will receive should they retain the World Cup in Brazil
Spanish politicians are in uproar over the bonuses that Spain will receive should they win the World Cup in Brazil.
Captain Iker Casillas and vice-captain Xavi agreed a deal yesterday with Jorge Perez, the secretary general of the Spanish football federation, regarding payments the players will be given this summer.
Each player and technical member of the Spanish squad will get €720,000 if they win the World Cup – more than double what their Brazilian (€330,000) and German (€300,000) counterparts will receive if they lift the trophy instead.
Fifa have increased the prize money that the winning country will receive to €27 million – a 37% increase on 2010 – while the Spanish deal represents a 20% increase compared with the bonuses the players received four years ago.
The deal has been met with fierce criticism by politicians in Spain with Carlos Martínez Gorriarán of the UPyD party calling the sum “excessive” and in “another world”.
Catalonian party ICV also lambasted the deal and called for the Spanish government to intervene and stop the bonuses being awarded to the players.
The average gross monthly salary in Spain in 2013 was €1,634 compared to €1,972 in the rest of the EU and €2,574 in Germany. Meanwhile, unemployment levels in Spain stood at 5.93m people.
Criticism of the deal could also been seen on social media with Duran i Lleida, head of the Catalan Nacionalist political group (CiU) tweeting: "Spain will pay more than double the bonus that Germany will for the football World Cup. Are we twice as rich as Germany?"
However, Spain coach Vicente del Bosque defended the sum during a press conference this week.
"We want it all to be entirely transparent. Hopefully we'll win and we can bill the treasury for what we've earned,” he said.
The Spanish football federation also backed the deal saying that Spain’s success in Brazil would bring more sponsors, more money and, as a result, more taxes for the government.
The former international defender, who featured at two World Cups, expects Roy Hodgson's men to reach the last eight in Brazil
Martin Keown believes England can reach the World Cup quarter-finals at the very least in Brazil this summer.
The former Arsenal defender, who gained 43 caps during his career and went to World Cups in 1998 and 2002, says his countrymen are good enough to finish among the last eight in this summer’s showpiece.
But while he tips England to do well, it is Brazil that are the team to beat in Keown’s mind.
“I expect England to at least reach the quarter-finals, but we’re not going to win the tournament and I expect that whoever does has got to overcome a Brazil team which I noticed at the Confederations Cup has a great feeling between the fans and the players,” Keown told Goal at a Gatorade event in London.
“The players are almost crying through the national anthem, and the passion and emotion that is present when you’re there is quite incredible, and you’re going to have to overcome that if you’re going to beat Brazil to win the World Cup.”
But while he doesn’t think England will win the tournament, the 47-year-old believes that the injection of young players, such as Arsenal's Jack Wilshere, in Roy Hodgson’s squad could cause some upsets.
“There are a lot of youth players involved and I like it that Ross Barkley’s involved, and Luke Shaw,” Keown added.
“I’m a bit disappointed for Ashley Cole, as I was one of those that felt maybe he should have gone. You talk to the Italians and the rest of the world and they are in shock that we’re not going to take Ashley Cole. But they don’t know how good Luke Shaw is. We do.
“So it’s a nice blend of youth and experience and I think that England will go on and do very well in the tournament.”
The ex-centre half also believes Hodgson has what it takes to set his team up in very different styles for different situations.
“Roy is developing as a manager. We saw what he did in the qualifying games, and while I think he’s always been well organised, in those games with Andros Townsend and the way he attacked – of course, he’s not in the squad – but we demonstrated then that we can go and play football.”
England begin their Group D campaign against Italy in Manaus on June 14 before heading to Sao Paulo to take on Uruguay five days later. They finish off against Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte on June 24.
The Seleccao boss refused to be drawn on exactly when his star player will be in a position to make his comeback from two separate injury issues
Portugal coach Paulo Bento has sparked fears that captain Cristiano Ronaldo will miss the team’s opening World Cup game against Germany after failing to put a timeframe on his return from injury.
The Real Madrid superstar has been plagued with thigh problems in recent months that resulted in the winger missing the Seleccao's 1-0 friendly victory over Mexico on Friday.
Portugal have just nine days to go before they face Joachim Low’s Germany side in Salvador on June 16.
However, Bento has refused to state whether Ronaldo, who is suffering both from tendonitis and a nagging thigh issue, will be fit in time to play in the side’s Group G opener.
"The situation is evolving and our expectations are evolving constantly," Bento said.
"When he's ready to play is a decision that will be made just like any other player, regardless of who it is.
"I'm not at liberty to discuss at full length the situation. As soon as he is ready to train, we will make that announcement.
"We have to prepare for Germany regardless. The decision of if he will play and when is up to me, the player and the doctors. Ronaldo is not the only good player we have.
"But it's also true I can't change your [the media's] opinions. We'll continue with the work we've been developing until now. The only issue is when he will be able to join us and to play."
Ronaldo is not Bento's only injury concern, with defender Pepe and midfielder Raul Meireles also missing the Mexico win with leg and thigh injuries, respectively.
With the 2014 finals just around the corner, Goal is running a series looking at every major nation and arguing the case for each winning the cup. Here we assess Germany
By Peter Staunton
Joachim Low has taken Germany close to the title in his three tournaments in charge to date. If the failures of Euro 2008, and even the World Cup four years ago, could be excused by a lack of quality or experience in the playing ranks then Euro 2012 will have to go down as a disastrous loss. There won't be many more chances for him to get it right and so Germany must deliver.
The potential demonstrated in Austria-Switzerland and in South Africa ultimately counted for nothing at the Euros. That team, like this one, was not in development; it was complete but they blew it. Now Germany have a second chance with their main cast of players largely still in their peak. For Low, it could very well be his last. He has a contract to see him through to 2016 but failure in Brazil will no doubt see him back in the job market.
The coach has been sounding cautious notes in the run-up to the World Cup, dampening expectations on the side as his own methods have been called into question by the German public at large. "On paper we have a top team but reality sees it differently," he told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in May. "We have some players who have been injured for months. We have some players who are not playing regularly for their clubs. We have some players who are struggling for form and others who are fighting little injury concerns."
Germany have, in recent years, cultivated technically brilliant football but have lacked what might be termed those traditional Teutonic qualities which served teams of the past so well. Willpower and determination are elements that Bastian Schweinsteiger in particular has identified as essential for tournament football.
"If we develop a good team spirit, then demonstrate our footballing quality and recapture the typical German virtues, then we will play a very good tournament," the midfielder told Bild this week. "The will to win the title is there. We have become technically perfect footballers in Germany. But without the passion and the will, our typical German virtues, we will not win anything in Brazil. It is a tournament of willpower."
Battle-hardened by Bayern Munich's treble disappointment in 2012, as well as that bitter semi-final defeat, Schweinsteiger and FCB roared back in 2013 to clinch a treble. This Germany team has that same Bavarian contingent at its core with capable support from the Borussia Dortmund brigade also in the ranks.
Germany's chief gameplan involves dominating the ball, so Low can be reasonably confident that his fragile back-line will not be confronted all that often. Look elsewhere in the squad and Germany are possessed of an embarrassment of riches. This squad contains, perhaps, the strongest line-up of attacking talent ever sent by a German team to a World Cup. The Germans scored 36 times in 10 undefeated qualification matches.
Although veteran Miroslav Klose is, on paper, the only out-and-out striker in the 23-man squad, Low uses the Lazio man as only one option of many in his playbook. The German attack is multifaceted, experienced and capable. Lukas Podolski and Andre Schurrle made their cases for starting berths thanks to their second-half showing against Cameroon in Monchengladbach last week.
Thomas Muller, four years on from winning the Golden Boot in South Africa, is older and wiser. Mario Gotze is developing well and is a favourite of Low who likes to use the Bayern Munich playmaker in a withdrawn striker role. Stitching it all together is Mesut Ozil who, after an indifferent season at Arsenal, is aiming to impress in South America.
If Plan A is not working for Low, he can go to B, C or D. No nation heading to Brazil can match their strength in depth up top. Strength in depth in other areas of the field is enviable too and necessarily so. Germany have been hit by an injury crisis at the worst possible time, the latest being the ankle injury suffered on Friday night by Marco Reus. However, just as Rene Adler and Michael Ballack's injuries on the eve of World Cup 2010 opened the door to Manuel Neuer and Sami Khedira, there is a new, eager bunch ready to seize their chances. In the place of Reus could come Julian Draxler, who is ready to come of age.
German preparations for the tournament have been forensic. The German football association, the DFB, commissioned their custom-built, €30 million Campo Bahia base 30km north of Porto Seguro on the Bahia coast immediately after the draw. It boasts 60 rooms in 14 accommodation blocks, a training pitch, a pool and a fitness centre among other amenities. It is located in the same climactic zones as all three of German host cities in the group stage. Crucially, it leaves the Germans within a short trip to the airport and a subsequent two-hour flight for their games in Salvador, Fortaleza and Recife. Rest and recovery in such exacting conditions will be vital and the Germans have left nothing to chance.
Germany should have no trouble avoiding defeat against Portugal in their first match given the injury trouble to their key man Cristiano Ronaldo while Ghana and USA will be peremptorily dispatch by a side far better. With the lessons learned by the coach at Euro 2012 and enriched by his key players' experience in both success and failure at club level since then, this German unit goes to Brazil as a more fortified, mature one.
Yaya Toure a doubt for Cote d'Ivoire's World Cup opener
By Kingsley Kobo
Jun 7, 2014 10:22:00 AM
Coach Sabri Lamouchi has conceded that the Manchester City ace might not be fit for the start of their campaign, revealing the midfielder has yet to "fully train" with the group
Star man Yaya Toure remains an injury doubt for Cote d'Ivoire's World Cup opener against Japan on June 14.
The 31-year-old Manchester City star is on the mend from a hamstring injury that he picked up during his club’s final Premier League match against West Ham last month.
After more than a week’s treatment at the Aspetar Sports Groin Pain Centre in Qatar, Toure rejoined the group in Dallas, Texas, where preparations for the tournament had long begun.
He did not feature in the two warm-up matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Salvador, and was made to undergo private training sessions during the period.
Arriving in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Friday, the Ivorian delegation looked enthusiastic, but coach Sabri Lamouchi admitted that Toure might not be fit for the start of the World Cu p.
“He ended the season with difficulties,” he told Jeune Afrique. “He is yet to fully train with the group but he’s currently responding to a healing protocol.
“We will do our best to make him fit to play against Japan in our opener. He might start or come in as a substitute. I can’t really tell for now."
The Selecao coach says he does not care that some fans in Sao Paulo jeered his players, revealing that he is more concerned with deciding upon his starting line-up for Croatia
Luiz Felipe Scolari shrugged off the boos that Brazil endured during Friday's friendly win over Serbia, arguing that his players were "ready" for such treatment.
The Selecao struggled to break down their opponents in Sao Paulo until Fred broke the deadlock in the 58th minute with a fine finish.
The crowd were audibly frustrated by the hosts' disjointed performance in their final World Cup warm-up clash but Scolari was unperturbed.
“It’s a normal thing," the Brazil boss told reporters. "They happened in Goiania and other places.
"It wasn’t a problem for any of my players. They are ready for this.
"But after the final whistle, I would say 65 of the 67,000 fans that were there were satisfied.
"We had to thank them, because they were patient with us and we expect the same kind of support when we face Croatia [in their tournament opener next week].”
Scolari insisted that he was more concerned by the selection dilemmas thrown up by his side's friendly games in recent weeks.
“Willian, Bernard or Fernandinho - I only have good problems," he enthused.
"I have options, so if I have trouble, I can use any of these players, and others, for a good performance.
"I can’t speak about this or that player, but if I have to use any of them, I know that they could easily perform even better than the ones that are playing."
Australia captain Jedinak declares himself fit for Brazil
MELBOURNE Sat Jun 7, 2014 12:05am BST
Australian national soccer team Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou (C) poses for a photo alongside team captain Mile Jedinak (R) and vice captain Tim Cahill (L) before a training session in Sydney, May 23, 2014. REUTERS/Jason Reed
(Reuters) - Australia captain Mile Jedinak has recovered from a groin injury and is targeting a full match for the Socceroos when they take on Croatia in their last warmup for the World Cup.
The Crystal Palace skipper missed Australia's farewell match against South Africa, a 1-1 draw in Sydney last week, after sustaining the injury in the Premier League team's final match of the season.
A scrappy Australia failed to impress in the tepid encounter with Bafana Bafana, and the 29-year-old defensive midfielder will be important for the Socceroos' razor-thin chances of advancing in Brazil from a group featuring champions Spain, the Netherlands and Chile.
Jedinak, who has taken over from long-serving skipper Lucas Neill, said he aimed to play a full 90 minutes against the Croatians in Salvador, in Brazil's Bahia state, on Friday.
"Yeah that's the plan, hopefully it all goes well," Jedinak told Australian broadcaster Fox Sports.
"I've been feeling really good and I'm just really happy to be amongst the boys and getting stuck into training."
Only World Cup veteran midfielder Mark Bresciano remains under a fitness cloud out of the entire squad of 23 ahead of the Socceroos' opening match against Chile on June 13, coach Ange Postecoglou said.
"Apart from Bresh (Bresciano), our goal, plan was to have 23 players ready to go by the time the first game comes around. Bresc has still got seven days to get there," Postecoglou said.
"Everyone else has worked really hard to make themselves available and tomorrow night we're going to have a full list so from my perspective as a coach, that's what we've been working towards so I'm pretty happy with that."
(Writing by Ian Ransom; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
