Soccer Capsules: U.S. player Davies: several broken bones in accident
ARLINGTON, Va. — U.S. national team forward Charlie Davies had several broken bones and a lacerated bladder after a one-vehicle accident Tuesday in which another person was killed.
Davies underwent several hours of surgery at Washington Hospital Center Medstar, where he was listed in serious but stable condition. The injuries make it unlikely Davis will play in next year’s World Cup.
The tibia and femur in Davies’ right leg were broken. He also sustained facial fractures and a fracture in his left elbow in the accident, which took place at about 3:15 a.m. in the suburbs of the nation’s capital.
Davies will be hospitalized for at least a week and additional operations will be required to stabilize his broken elbow and possibly the facial fractures.
"Injuries of this nature usually require a recovery period of six to 12 months and extensive rehabilitation," said Dr. Dan Kalbac, a U.S. team doctor who collaborated with the doctors at the hospital. "Due to Charlie’s fitness level, his prognosis for recovery and his ability to resume high-level competition is substantially improved."
The accident occurred in the southbound lanes of the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Virginia and claimed the life of Ashley J. Roberta, 22, of Phoenix, Md., according to U.S. Park Police Sgt. David Schlosser.
There were three people in the vehicle, and Davies and Roberta were passengers. Schlosser didn’t identify the driver, who was also taken to Washington Hospital Center Medstar. The cause of the accident remained under investigation.
Davies was airlifted to the hospital after the accident, where a team of doctors first repaired the ruptured bladder and then inserted titanium rods in both broken leg bones. A statement released by USSF said the procedure was performed "with no complications."
The U.S. team is in the Washington area for Wednesday night’s World Cup qualifying game against Costa Rica.
The 23-year-old Davies has four goals in 17 international appearances. He started and played 78 minutes in the Americans’ 3-2 victory over Honduras on Saturday that clinched a berth in their sixth straight World Cup. He made his first U.S. appearance on June 2, 2007, as a substitute against China.
Born in Manchester, N.H., Davies played for Boston College before turning pro in 2006. He was a member of last year’s American Olympic team and currently plays for the French club Sochaux. Davies’ brother, sister and father arrived in Washington from California late Tuesday, according to U.S. Soccer Federation spokesman Neil Buethe.
The players were subject to a team curfew Monday night, Buethe said, and Davies apparently was in violation. There was no mandatory team function until lunch on Tuesday, so officials were not aware of the accident until 11 a.m., just as Davies’ surgery was about to begin. Coach Bob Bradley informed the players of the news as they gathered for lunch.
The players were not made available for comment, but many in the U.S. soccer community expressed somber thoughts via Twitter.
"Just got some terrible news about my boy. :( :( :( I’m done tweeting for the day, too much stuff runnin through my head," tweeted midfielder Maurice Edu, who has played for the U.S. team but is not on the roster for the game in Washington.
"OMG please pray for Charlie Davies and the people involved in the car accident in dc," was the message from Freddy Adu, also a member of the national team’s player pool.
Davies played in 13 games, with nine starts, for the U.S. national team this year, scoring three goals with three assists. His absence leaves Jozy Altidore, Brian Ching and Conor Casey as the top forwards as the Americans begin preparations for the World Cup, which begins June 11 in South Africa. There will also be another roster spot likely up for grabs, with forwards such as Adu and Kenny Cooper possibly working into the mix.
Such mundane thoughts paled to the grief expressed Tuesday over the death of a young woman and the serious injuries suffered by a teammate.
"Obviously, as a team we were saddened to learn this news," Bradley said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Charlie and his family, as well as the other person in the car and the families of the others involved. ... We are relying on each other in a moment that has for sure hit us all hard."
Thinking of Davies, U.S. still has game to play
ARLINGTON, Va. — U.S. coach Bob Bradley delivered the somber news about midfielder Charlie Davies’ accident to his players in a meeting room in the team hotel just before lunch. An hour or so later, in the same room, the news was told to the rest of the world at a news conference.
With the outcome of Davies’ surgery uncertain at the time, there was a pause as the room took a collective breath. Then came questions about the reason the team had come to the nation’s capital. There is still a game to be played, and the Americans still want to win.
Its berth in next year’s World Cup in South Africa already secured, the U.S. team completes its qualifying schedule Wednesday night against Costa Rica at RFK Stadium. For the Americans, the game is overshadowed by latest word on Davis, who was in serious condition Tuesday night after a lengthy surgery following a one-vehicle accident on a local parkway.
"We are relying on each other in a moment that has for sure hit us all hard," Bradley said.
Even though the U.S. trip to South Africa was clinched with Saturday’s 3-2 win at Honduras, Wednesday’s game won’t necessarily have the feel of an anticlimactic friendly. The United States (6-2-1) wants to finish first in North and Central American and Caribbean qualifying for the second straight time ahead of rival Mexico (6-3), which closes at Trinidad and Tobago (1-6-2).
"When you look at the whole picture, it is the goal to finish first," Bradley said "We take a great deal of pride in the ongoing competition to be the best team in CONCACAF."
While the U.S. has qualified, Costa Rica needs to win to assure the region’s third and final automatic World Cup spot. The Ticos (5-4) are third with 15 points, two ahead of Honduras (4-4-1), which plays at already eliminated El Salvador (2-5-2).
The fourth-place team goes to a home-and-home playoff next month against the No. 5 finisher in South America: Uruguay, Ecuador or Argentina.
"It’s not really fair for us to go out there and not give our best effort," U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra said, "because if we were in the reverse situation, I think we’d be pretty angry at the other team."
Midfielder Landon Donovan cited bigger goals.
"We realize if we want to be ultimately successful in South Africa, we still have some work to do," Donovan said. "And so now the emphasis turns to preparing yourself for South Africa and obviously a big part of that will be the draw in December, whereas the last month it was qualifying and getting there. Now it’s ‘OK, we’re there.’ And now it’s ‘How do we put ourselves in a position to be successful once we get there?"’
Still, Bocanegra conceded there was "loads of pressure" off now that the World Cup berth is in hand.
"Now we can go out there and just play and go for a win," Bocanegra said.
And, perhaps, win it for Davies.
NOTES: The U.S. will play an exhibition match against fellow World Cup qualifier Denmark on Nov. 18 in Aarhus. The Americans also plan to play in Europe on Nov. 14. The 24 matches for the U.S. team this year will be the most since 1994, when it played 27 in the year the Americans hosted the World Cup.
-- Joseph White
Costa Rica, Honduras seek World Cup berth
MEXICO CITY — The United States, already qualified for the World Cup, can help determine on Wednesday whether it's joined by Costa Rica or Honduras from CONCACAF.
Costa Rica needs to beat the U.S. to claim the region's third and final automatic qualifying spot.
However, a draw by Costa Rica would give Honduras a chance when it visits neighbor El Salvador.
Costa Rica has 15 points and Honduras 13.
If Honduras wins — and Costa Rica draws or loses — Honduras will make its second World Cup appearance. If Costa Rica and Honduras tie on points, Honduras will qualify with a better goal difference.
"We are going to El Salvador with plans to guarantee our participation in the World Cup," said Honduras coach Reinaldo Rueda.
The team that finishes fourth faces a two-leg playoff on Nov. 14 and 18 against the No. 5 team from South America. That could be Argentina, Uruguay or Ecuador. The winner of that series gets another berth.
Mexico and the United States booked their places from the North and Central America and Caribbean region on Saturday.
Mexico plays last-place Trinidad and Tobago in Wednesday's other regional match.
Costa Rica is trying to make its third straight World Cup appearance, while Honduras has made it only once — in Spain in 1982.
New Costa Rica coach Rene Simoes made a winning debut on Saturday, beating Trinidad and Tobago 4-0 just a few weeks after replacing fired Rodrigo Kenton. He will field strikers Alvaro Saborio and Esteban Sirias against the United States, as well as a few veterans he called up after taking over.
"We have to get better, make a lot of progress. Everything is on the line," Simoes said. "We are not thinking about the playoff, about Argentina nor on things we cannot control."
The U.S. was hit by tragedy early Tuesday when forward Charlie Davies was injured in a one-car accident in the Washington D.C. area in which another person was killed. Davies' injuries were not life-threatening, but his condition was unclear following surgery.
"At this point, we just don't know the extent of the injuries, so we can't comment on how this affects Charlie's future," U.S. Soccer Federation spokesman Neil Buethe said.
Davies played on Saturday in a 3-2 victory in Honduras, which clinched the Americans' sixth straight berth in the World Cup.
Honduras is probably the sentimental favorite.
The impoverished Central American country has been beset by political unrest since June 28 when the military detained President Manuel Zelaya and sent him into exile. Reaching the World Cup would offer some temporary relief from the political stalemate.
"Reaching the World Cup is a huge obligation we have, a big debt we owe to the Honduran people," Rueda said.
U.S. soccer to play Denmark in exhibition
COPENHAGEN — The U.S. soccer team will play an exhibition match against fellow World Cup qualifier Denmark on Nov. 18 in Aarhus.
The Americans also plan to play in Europe on Nov. 14. The 24 matches for the U.S. team this year will be the most since 1994, when it played 27 in the year the Americans hosted the World Cup.
The U.S. qualified for next year’s tournament by rallying for a 3-2 victory at Honduras on Saturday and closes qualifying on Wednesday against Costa Rica in Washington.
Denmark and the U.S. have played five times but never in Denmark. Each team has won once, with three ties. The last time they met was a 3-1 American victory on Jan. 20, 2007, at Carson, Calif., in Bob Bradley’s first game as coach of the U.S. team.
Next month’s match will be at NRGi Park, the stadium of Aarhus — the club of American midfielder Benny Feilhaber.
Denmark also will play South Korea, another World Cup qualifier, on Nov. 14.
Column: Argentina needs a real coach, not Maradona
PARIS — One story about Diego Maradona is that when he was a toddler, squeezed with his large family into a three-room shack in a poor neighborhood of Buenos Aires, he fell one dark night into their cesspit and had to be rescued by his uncle Cirilo.
Maradona’s latest savior is Martin Palermo. His winning injury-time goal last weekend against Peru gave Maradona a lifeline as Argentina’s coach that he surely does not deserve. One can’t help but wish that Palermo hadn’t bothered — because what Argentina’s hugely talented but rudderless players need is a real manager, a leader and tactician with a working plan, not Maradona’s whims and weird impulses.
But, as so often when Maradona is around, at least the match was fabulous footballing theater.
The rain was coming down so hard that pitch-side television cameras were almost completely obscured by mist and giant drops. On the verge of missing out on the World Cup for the first time since 1970 and with just seconds remaining to eke out a vital victory, the two-time world champions crammed eight players into the box.
Substitute Federico Insua fired in a last-gasp cross that bobbled past the goalmouth to the far post, where Palermo got a left foot to the ball and deflected it into the net.
Maradona celebrated like a walrus on Arctic ice, with a sliding bellyflop on the sodden turf. He hitched up his pants when he was done. Dignified, it was not.
Maradona dubbed it "the Miracle of St. Palermo."
For neutrals, this was bittersweet.
The upside was that it greatly increased the chances that Lionel Messi will be at the World Cup next year. Argentina’s sparky little playmaker is such a dazzling pleasure to watch; soccer’s showcase would be poorer without him. The 2-1 win over Peru, South America’s weakest team, means that a draw with Uruguay in its last qualifying game Wednesday night should book Argentina a place in South Africa.
The downside is that Argentina’s foolish experiment with Maradona in charge will continue, possibly all the way to the World Cup.
As a footballer, Maradona was perhaps the best ever. As Argentina’s coach, he’s a disaster, still the rogue he was as a player but not half as endearing.
He has spurned Juan Roman Riquelme, even though the veteran midfielder was Argentina’s top scorer in qualifying before Maradona took over. Thumbing his nose at common wisdom that players need time to acclimatize, he presided over a historic 6-1 defeat to weakling Bolivia, flying the squad in for the high-altitude match just two hours before kickoff. Because monsieur likes to sleep late, his team generally trains only once every afternoon. And when the going got really tough, Maradona got going — vanishing to a spa in Italy to lose weight and de-stress.
The worst thing about the prospect of Maradona at South Africa in 2010 is that his presence and the media circus that follows him most likely will overshadow his team — as it has done through Argentina’s tortuous qualification campaign. It’s not as if Argentina had no one else it could have called upon. Chile and Paraguay, which have already qualified for the World Cup, both have Argentine managers.
Messi, instead of being inspired by his coach, seems merely to have been intimidated. He has found the net just twice for Argentina since Maradona took over to everyone’s surprise in November. In 17 qualifying games, spanning the reigns of Maradona and his ill-starred predecessor Alfio Basile, the usually prolific Messi has scored at a rate of one goal every 380 minutes.
He is far more effective for his club, Barcelona. Under the wise tutelage of Josep Guardiola, who unlike Maradona has successfully made the transition from winning player to winning coach, Messi on average has scored once every 105 minutes this season and last.
Given how Maradona has unsettled his players by constantly chopping and changing the Argentina squad, Messi can hardly be blamed. As a player, Maradona was so sure of himself, with his surging, muscular sprints toward goal. But as a selector he is as indecisive as Imelda Marcos trying to settle on a favorite pair of shoes. He’s chomped his way through 76 players in 12 games. Maradona has always had a taste for trying new things — as his years as a cocaine addict proved — but this is ridiculous.
Sending in Palermo in the second half against Peru was just one of many bizarre tactical choices that Maradona has made. The 35-year-old striker is way past his prime and all but killed his international career 10 years ago by missing three penalties in a 3-0 defeat to Colombia in the Copa America.
This time, and in spite of Maradona, it worked out for Argentina. But it will need more than miracles to be a genuine contender next year.
John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org
Under-20 World Cup
Ghana defeats Hungary to reach U20 WCup final
CAIRO — Brazil and Ghana will play in the final of the Under-20 world cup.
Brazil beat Costa Rica 1-0 on Tuesday in the late semifinal after Ghana beat Hungary 3-2.
"Zooming to the finals is a big thing and we've done that beautifully," Ghana coach Sellas Tetteh said. "We are 90 minutes away from lifting a trophy."
Ghana will try to become the tournament's first African champion, against four-time winner Brazil in Friday's final. The Black Satellites lost to Brazil in 1993 and to Argentina in 2001.
Dominic Adiyiah scored two first-half goals for Ghana before Marko Futacs scored for Hungary in the 73rd minute. Abeiku Quansah put Ghana ahead 3-1 in 81st before Adam Balajti pulled Hungary within a goal in the 84th.
"The first half we were really, really poor and I don't know what the reason was," Hungary goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi said. "When you concede three goals, of course you're disappointed, but I think we had our chances to equalize."
Adiyiah is the tournament's leading scorer with eight goals, three behind Javier Saviola's record of 11 goals in 2001. Brazilian striker Adailton scored 10 in 1997.
Hungary was badly missing its influential playmaker Vladimir Koman, who was suspended.
Ghana captain Andre Ayew limped off in the second half and had an ice pack tied to his right ankle after the match.
"I don't know. We'll see. It's tough, it hurts because I would like to be at 100 percent," Ayew said. "On the first goal, (Gulacsi) trod on me, I heard the ankle crack. I carried on playing, but it hurt so I preferred to come off."
In the other semifinal, Costa Rica nearly took the lead on Brazil in the first half, but goalkeeper Rafael made a spectacular, leaping save on David Guzman's shot.
After a strong first half of defending, Costa Rica broke down in the second. Alan Kardec was left unmarked at the back post and sent in a shot from a tight angle in the 67th.
"More than anything else, I'm really happy to get to the final. I congratulate the team — it's not easy to play six games at this consistently high level," Brazil coach Rogerio Lourenco said.
"So the members of the team are just celebrating their victory tonight."
-- Jerome Pugmire
Elsewhere
Greece among 4 teams aiming for World Cup spots
LONDON — Greece, Switzerland, Slovakia and Slovenia will fight to fill Europe's two remaining automatic spots for next year's World Cup when they play Wednesday.
With seven of the continent's nine qualifying groups already won, Greece and Switzerland each have the chance to top Group 2, while Slovenia and Slovakia are playing for first place in Group 3.
The Swiss look most likely to join Denmark, Germany, Spain, England, Serbia, Italy and the Netherlands at the tournament in South Africa, with just a point needed against visiting Israel. Greece should get the win it requires over Luxembourg but also needs Israel to grab a shock win in Basel.
Greece's progress was effectively derailed by a 1-1 draw at Moldova last month. The 2004 European champions now expect to be entering into the playoffs, which will feature the eight best European runners-up.
"We have a second chance of qualifying and that is what we are chasing, unless of course a miracle happens and Switzerland lose some points," Greece midfielder Kostas Katsouranis said. "I believe that in Moldova we should have finished the game early.
"After that match we had a bitter taste but there is no crisis. I believe that we will go to the World Cup and this is what everyone wants."
The Swiss, who failed to reach the second round of the European Championship it co-hosted last year, lead Greece by three points but could be edged on goal difference if they lose to an Israel side with an outside chance of clinching second place.
Group 3 was thrown open by Slovenia's 2-0 win at Slovakia on Saturday, when Slovakia would have qualified with victory. The Slovaks now need to hold their nerve at Poland, while Slovenia could close the two-point gap on the leaders with victory at San Marino.
Elsewhere, attention will be on which teams clinch the remaining playoff berths.
France, Russia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ireland have also guaranteed finishing second in their groups and, no matter Wednesday's results, have a better record then Norway. So would Switzerland, Portugal, Slovakia or Slovenia, Ukraine or Croatia if they were to finish second.
For months, Croatia looked like clinching at least second place in the Group 6 standings but Ukraine's surprise win over England on Saturday changed things dramatically.
Ukraine now needs only to win at Andorra, which has scored three goals and conceded 33 to lose all nine of its qualifying matches so far. Croatia needs to win at Kazakhstan and hope for the most unlikely prospect of Andorra avoiding defeat.
But Croatia has been hampered by injuries to key players and is without three strikers in Eduardo Da Silva, Mladen Petric and Ivica Olic. Playmaker Luka Modric is also recovering from a broken leg.
And Croatian newspapers said Tuesday that coach Slaven Bilic will quit the day after the match at Kazakhstan.
Bilic has shown he is still in charge for now, though, by kicking Josip Simunic and Ivica Krizanac off the squad despite the manpower shortage after the pair reportedly scuffled after getting drunk on Saturday.
Portugal looks set to keep second place in Group 1 when it hosts Malta in a match that should eliminate Sweden, which has qualified for five straight major tournaments.
-- Stuart Condie
Macedonian club, officials appeal match-fixing ban
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The Court of Arbitration for Sport will hear appeals by a Macedonian club president and former player to overturn their lifetime bans from football for fixing a Champions League match in a betting scam.
CAS said Tuesday it also will examine UEFA's decision to ban the club, FK Pobeda, from European competitions for eight years. The court will hear the cases on Dec. 16. Rulings are expected early next year.
UEFA ruled in April that Pobeda president Aleksandar Zabrcanec and then-team captain Nikolce Zdraveski ensured the team lost a qualifying round match against Armenian club Pyunik in July 2004. They deny match-fixing charges.
Pobeda lost 3-1 in the first leg at home after going three goals down in the first half. Pobeda drew the second leg 1-1 in Armenia, losing 4-2 on aggregate.
UEFA said when leveling the charges that Zabrcanec and Zdravevski were suspected of "manipulating the outcome ... to gain an undue advantage for themselves and a third party."
UEFA based its case on reports from bookmakers of irregular betting patterns and took statements from several witnesses.
The verdict was welcomed by UEFA president Michel Platini, who has described match-fixing and illegal betting as the greatest problem facing European football.
Zabrcanec and Zdraveski were the first club officials in Europe to be found guilty of fixing a match.
Greek club Egaleo was fined in 2006 for fielding a weakened team in the Intertoto Cup, a third-tier Europe-wide competition that has since disbanded. UEFA said in its ruling that Egaleo, which lost the first leg and was then eliminated, created "favorable conditions for illegal betting practices."
Last month, UEFA said it was investigating 40 cases of suspected fixed matches played in the Champions League and UEFA Cup, now known as the Europa League, in recent seasons.
Defender Alex signs new contract with Chelsea
LONDON — Chelsea defender Alex signed a new four-year contract with the Premier League club Tuesday as he resumed training following a groin operation.
The Blues are focusing on securing players to long-term deals after FIFA banned them from any transfer activity until Jan. 2011.
Alex's new deal came a day after Salomon Kalou's, while captain John Terry and striker Didier Drogba are among the players to have signed contract extensions since the end of last season.
"I am very happy to start again to train and feel no pain, and to sign for four more years," the 27-year-old Alex said Tuesday. "It was easy to decide to sign and now I hope to get back to playing well. My condition now is so-so. I think in two more weeks I am 100 per cent and can play without a problem.
"The Chelsea team started very well this season, is at the top, and this season to win the Premier League is important to me. Now I want to play."
Alex will look to force his way back into the first team and add to his 80 appearances.
"He is just returning from injury and surgery but he is a player I know well," said manager Carlo Ancelotti, who took charge over the offseason. "I am familiar with all of his fantastic qualities, so I am delighted he will be with us for another four years."
Alex is also hopeful of persuading Brazil coach Dunga to name him in the squad for the World Cup next June.
"He has spoken to me and said, "I am happy to see you playing again. I hope you start to play well and I will call you to play in the national team again,'" Alex said. "To go back into the national team is important to me."
Al-Jazeera buys rights to show Euro 2012 and 2016
NYON, Switzerland — Broadcaster Al-Jazeera on Tuesday bought the rights to screen the European Championship in 2012 and 2016.
The multimedia deal with UEFA covers Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia in North Africa, plus countries across the Middle East. The value was not disclosed.
"Al-Jazeera Sport is a reliable partner whose high production standards will help promote football in the region," UEFA said in a statement.
UEFA and the Qatar-based broadcaster have partnered on the past two European tournaments and the Champions League through 2012.
The Euro 2012-16 deal allows Al-Jazeera to screen live matches on pay channels and delayed coverage on free channels. It can also broadcast to Internet and mobile phone users.
The tournament ranks third in global television ratings for sports events, trailing only the Summer Olympics and World Cup.
UEFA claimed viewing figures of at least 155 million people for each of the 31 Euro 2008 matches played in Austria and Switzerland.
Euro 2012 will be staged in Poland and Ukraine, and the host for 2016 — an expanded 24-team tournament of 51 matches — will be chosen by UEFA's executive committee in May. The candidates are France, Italy, Turkey and a joint bid from Norway and Sweden.
Germany's Loew aims for World Cup title
BERLIN — Germany coach Joachim Loew says his ambition is to win the World Cup, only he isn't promising his team will take the title in South Africa next year.
"Of course it as my aim as trainer of the Germany national team to win the World Cup title," Loew was quoted Tuesday as telling the mass-circulation daily Bild. "But to achieve that, everything has to go optimally.
"The foundation for winning the World Cup title is good," Loew said, pointing to the rapid emergence of players such as Werder Bremen midfielder Mesut Ozil, who has broken into the national team this year.
"But whether it's really enough for the title in South Africa, I can't yet say today," he added. "Several short-term or current factors will help tip the scales there."
Germany, a three-time World Cup-winner, secured its ticket to South Africa on Saturday with a 1-0 victory over Russia, its closest rival in qualifying Group 4, in Moscow.
Loew has said he wants to use Wednesday's final qualifying match against Finland, along with friendlies next month against Chile and Egypt, as a way to give younger players a chance to prove themselves.
Loew told Bild he expects next year's World Cup to be "the most interesting of all times — hopefully with Argentina and France too." Neither of the two former champions is certain to qualify.
"The Africans are good; they are playing on their continent for the first time," he added. "I think an African team has the ability to reach the World Cup semifinal."
FA warns Benitez about conduct toward referees
LONDON — Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez was warned Tuesday about his behavior toward officials after being found guilty of misconduct for mocking a referee, but escaped a touchline ban or fine.
After losing the season-opener 2-1 at Tottenham, Benitez responded to a question about the referee's performance by removing his glasses from a pocket and examining them.
The Football Association's Regulatory Commission concluded after Tuesday's hearing that "the gesture was objectively offensive."
Liverpool said the commission accepted it was carried out in a "non-malicious and humorous manner."
But Benitez was cleared of two other aspects of the misconduct charge, including the claim that it was "impossible" to be awarded two penalties by referee Phil Dowd.
"The commission noted Mr. Benitez's previous exemplary disciplinary record over 23 years as a coach and manager at the highest level of the sport," the FA said. "Taking into account all relevant factors, the commission concluded that the appropriate penalty was to warn Mr. Benitez as to his future conduct with regards to interviews and press briefings."
Francesco Totti considers return to Italy's team
ROME — AS Roma forward Francesco Totti says he would consider returning to Italy's national team for the World Cup.
Hobbled by injuries in recent years, the 33-year-old Totti retired from international play after Italy won the 2006 World Cup. But he told Tuesday's Gazzetta dello Sport: "It depends on coach (Marcello Lippi's) choices and my condition. I owe (Lippi) a lot."
Struggling in attack lately, Italy is in desperate need of a player with Totti's all-around skills.
The AS Roma captain has scored nine goals in 53 appearances for Italy. He has six goals through Roma's first seven games in Serie A.
"Totti is a great person and a great player," Lippi said. "I don't exclude anything. I've got to make my evaluations based on the group of players that I have now and also look at the players that are not here, even some whose names have never been mentioned."
England beefs up World Cup bid team
LONDON — England beefed up its World Cup bid team Tuesday by appointing two high-profile football figures to its board.
Former Birmingham City managing director Karren Brady has been hired a week as a non-executive director after leaving the Premier League club after 16 years. Joining Brady on the board is former Chelsea and Celtic defender Paul Elliott, who will also be chairman of the group promoting diversity.
"He is as highly regarded in the corridors of UEFA and FIFA as he is on playing fields around the country," bid chairman David Triesman said of Elliott.
Valerie Amos is leaving the board after being appointed as Britain's High Commissioner to Australia.
England is bidding to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.
Decision on Santana's future likely next month
JOHANNESBURG — Joel Santana's future as South Africa coach dimmed again after his side lost to Iceland 1-0 in a friendly at Reykjavik on Tuesday.
The result, South Africa's eighth loss in nine matches since June, came hours after the national football association said it will give Santana another month to fix the 2010 World Cup host team.
SAFA said after friendlies against Japan in Johannesburg on Nov. 14 and Jamaica in Bloemfontein three days later, a three-man review board will report to its national executive committee.
Fans and commentators have expressed unhappiness at Santana's conservative tactics, which were apparent again against Iceland, which finished last in its World Cup qualifying group.
Viegar Pall Gunnarsson scored in the 51st minute.
South Africa also lost 1-0 to Norway in Oslo on Saturday.
Gerrard joins Rooney on the sidelines for England
LONDON — Steven Gerrard has been ruled out of England's World Cup qualifier against Belarus because of a groin injury.
With Wayne Rooney also out because of a calf injury, England coach Fabio Capello can use Wednesday's final qualifying match at Wembley to come up with a lineup and formation to be used should his star players break down in South Africa.
Dortmund midfielder Hajnal picks up ankle injury
DORTMUND, Germany — Borussia Dortmund says Hungary midfielder Tamas Hajnal will be out of action "for some time" after tearing a ligament in his left ankle.
Dortmund said Tuesday that the 28-year-old Hajnal likely picked up the injury during an Oct. 3 league match in Moenchengladbach. He then joined the Hungary squad, but the injury prevented him from playing in Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Portugal.
The club said a specialist would now be consulted on whether Hajnal should undergo an operation.
Libyan nominated for seat on Juventus board
TURIN, Italy — Libyan Arab Foreign Investment Company representative Khaled Fareg Zentuti has been nominated for a seat on Juventus' board of directors.
LAFICO owns a 7.5 percent stake in Juventus, which is publicly traded, and had a seat on the board until 2003 when Al Saadi Gadhafi, the son of the Libyan leader, withdrew to play for Serie A rival Perugia.
LAFICO has the second biggest stake in Juventus, with the Agnelli family's holding company EXOR SpA retaining a majority 60 percent.
Zentuti is expected to join the board at the next assembly on Oct. 27.
