England midfielder Steven Gerrard has eased fears over his fitness for the World Cup after suffering an injury scare in training. Gerrard sustained a calf problem just seconds into an 11-a-side training match at England’s Austrian camp on Thursday and spent the rest of the session receiving treatment on the sidelines. He was only able [...]

Italy and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon on Thursday played down the world champions’ chances of retaining their title in South Africa. Italy claimed victory in the World Cup in Germany four years ago following a penalty shoot-out with France in the final. But speaking from the nerazzurri’s altitude training base in Sestriere, Buffon said a [...]

A veritable living god as a player, Diego Maradona has yet to inspire the same fervour as Argentina national coach after a laborious and controversial World Cup qualifying campaign. Argentina’s struggles to reach South Africa mean many fans are sceptical about his chances of leading the country to a third World Cup triumph. Maradona, the [...]

Juventus left-back Fabio Grosso was the shock victim as Italy coach Marcello Lippi cut two players from his pre-World Cup squad on Tuesday. Lippi trimmed his squad from 30 to 28 players, with midfielder Antonio Candreva also sent home. The omission of Grosso, who has 48 caps and scored four goals, is particularly surprising given [...]

Kaka is confident he will be in top condition when Brazil begins its bid to win a sixth World Cup title in South Africa. Kaka arrived in Brazil on Tuesday saying the injuries that kept him from playing several matches with Real Madrid this season will not bother him in next month’s World Cup. The [...]

Germany captain Michael Ballack will miss the World Cup because of torn ligaments in his right ankle, a serious blow to the three-time champions less than a month before the tournament. The 33-year-old Chelsea midfielder was hurt during his club’s 1-0 FA Cup final victory over Portsmouth on Saturday. Ballack’s ankle is in a cast, [...]

LONDON (AFP) – Fabio Capello has warned his England stars not to expect an easy path to the knockout stages of the World Cup. Capello’s side will face the United States, Algeria and Slovenia in their first phase group and many pundits claim England have been handed a relatively straight-forward route to the last 16. [...]

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) – Veteran Brazil striker Ronaldo, the all-time top scorer at World Cup finals with 15 goals, admitted Friday he was not in the frame for a shock return to the national side. Ronaldo, now 33 and plying his trade with Corinthians of Sao Paulo, has not played for the national team [...]