Sat, Jun 19, 2010 page19

• Soccer Briefs

  • AGENCIES
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  ■ARGENTINA

  Maradona, a ladies’ man

  Diego Maradona believes a passionate love of his team can help Argentina lift the World Cup — but he’ll always be a ladies’ man. After Argentina demolished South Korea 4-1 to move closer to the last 16 on Thursday, Maradona turned wide-eyed and left no doubt as to his thoughts on the matter. “I prefer women. I am dating Veronica, she is 31 years old, she is blonde, she is beautiful,” he said, causing an outburst of laughter at the post-match press conference. Maradona, who makes a point of kissing and hugging his players and coaches, is bidding to emulate Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer by winning the World Cup as both a player and a coach. The 49-year-old heaped praise on his side and said he makes sure all 23 of his “tough guys” are physically and mentally ready before each game, taking time to listen to their problems. “I am grateful to the players for the job they do, but that is it,” said the former midfield magician. “We have a great team here and we are all very frank and open. Whatever happens in the family, or if someone’s coming late to a training session, we talk about it openly. I believe talking about things is better than punishing someone or giving out a fine, players respond much better.”

  ■ENGLAND

  Beckham takes tea with Tutu

  David Beckham on Thursday told Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu he would have loved to play in the World Cup, but was in South Africa to support England and the tournament. “These things happen in life,” Beckham, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, said over a cup of tea while visiting the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre, where Tutu signed three backpacks for the player’s children. “Although I would have loved to have played, I’m here to support my team and South Africa’s World Cup.” “I could hug you for doing that,” Tutu told him, in a statement released by his centre after the surprise visit. “You can’t put a monetary value on the goodwill you’ve shown here today. The world is a better place for people like you,” added the former archbishop of Cape Town.

  ■SWITZERLAND

  Senderos out for two games

  Defender Philippe Senderos has been ruled out of Switzerland’s next two World Cup matches after injuring his ankle during the game against Spain, the team’s spokesman Marco von Ah said on Thursday. Senderos limped out of the game in the 36th minute before the Swiss completed the biggest upset of the tournament with a 1-0 win over the European champions. “We know that Philippe will miss the next two games, but he will stay with the team,” von Ah said. “He had an X-ray in Johannesburg today [Thursday] and it showed that there are no broken bones, just a painful distortion of his ankle,” he added. Von Ah said the centerback had been downcast, fearing the worst. “He is feeling much better. He was really down last night, but the pictures from the X-ray proved to be encouraging,” von Ah said.

  ■IVORY COAST

  Drogba set to face Brazil

  Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba is poised to face Brazil in tomorrow’s World Cup clash despite having broken his arm, coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said on Thursday. “It wouldn’t be surprising if Drogba plays from the start against Brazil. He came on for 25 minutes against Portugal and it went well,” Eriksson said. Drogba underwent surgery on June 5 after fracturing his arm in a friendly against Japan.
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