WORLD CUP NEWS ROUND-UP:THE EXTENSIVE list of high-profile players ruled out of the World Cup through injury claimed Nani as its latest victim yesterday after the Portugal and Manchester United winger paid a heavy price for an overhead kick that went wrong.
Nani’s love of the spectacular backfired when he misjudged his fall and landed heavily, damaging his left collarbone in the process. He has been unable to train since a practice session in Lisbon last Thursday and went for x-rays after being in persistent pain since arriving in Johannesburg with the rest of the Portuguese squad. Scans showed the damage is serious enough for him to abandon any hope of playing.
The 23-year-old therefore joins a list of absentees headed by David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand of England, Lassana Diarra of France, plus a quartet of Chelsea players – Michael Essien of Ghana, Mikel John Obi of Nigeria, the Germany captain, Michael Ballack, and Nani’s Portugal team-mate Jose Bosingwa.
At the same time, another Chelsea player, Didier Drogba, is in considerable doubt for the Ivory Coast after breaking his arm during a warm-up match against Japan last Friday. Andrea Pirlo will play no part in Italy’s opening matches because of a calf strain.
Portugal are involved in the closest thing to a Group of Death in the opening stage, playing Brazil, Ivory Coast and North Korea in Group G, and Nani had emerged as one of their more dangerous players in a team that, for all of Cristiano Ronaldo’s individual brilliance, had to go through the play-offs to qualify for the tournament.
Without Nani, Portugal defeated Mozambique 3-0 yesterday in their last warm-up game.
Despite his discomfort, Nani had previously been optimistic of playing, saying on Monday he was confident he would be ready: “I feel better already. I really don’t know, now we have to see. When we get there [Johannesburg] we’ll have to check again.”
Those tests have shown no break and Nani is expected to be fit for the start of the new Premier League season in August, but the damage is worse than initially anticipated.
“After tests we conclude he is unfit to participate in the World Cup,” the Portuguese football federation said in a statement.
Robert Koren, the Slovenia captain, predicts England will “struggle” in their group and has also warned Wayne Rooney and his team-mates to expect a full-blooded and bruising affair when the two countries meet in Port Elizabeth, on June 23rd. “It will be rough,” said Koren.
The 29-year-old midfielder believes England underestimated Slovenia in the friendly at Wembley last September, when the home team prevailed 2-1 in controversial circumstances, and he predicts Group C will be turned on its head if Fabio Capello’s players fail to perform to their full potential.
For Rooney the latest warning comes after he was criticised by the referee following England’s warm-up win over the Platinum Stars on Monday.
There is no shortage of motivation among Koren’s team-mates. Slovenia have not forgotten the manner of their defeat nine months ago, when Rooney stood accused of diving to win a penalty that led to Bostjan Cesar being sidelined for two months with an ankle injury.
Koren insists there is no talk of revenge, despite Cesar vowing to make the rematch an “unpleasant experience” for Rooney, but a sense of injustice continues to burn. “We were really disappointed, not that we got a penalty against us, but that our player was injured for two months because of it,” said the former WBA player.
“The reaction from the English players was not positive. We know that. We remember that. But we are not going for revenge or that Bostjan will go and smash Wayne Rooney. It will be a fair game, but a tough game.
“We talked about the [Wembley] game the day afterwards and no one was talking about paying back Rooney when we come to play against England,” added Koren.
“But we will be aware of these things and, in a 50-50 challenge, it will be rough, for sure. Not just Rooney, but other English players. I already told them from my experience the way English players are thinking when it’s a 50-50 ball. And I know how the players in our team are thinking.”
Guardian Service
