Blatter Criticizes Inconsistent Calls
FIFA President Sepp Blatter continued his criticism of the referees in the World Cup.
On a day when two senior referees, Graham Poll of England and Valentin Ivanov of Russia, were not given any more assignments, Blatter said: “I’ve noted that instructions aren’t being followed consistently from one match to another. When a coach complains to me that shirt-pulling earned his player a yellow card one night and nothing for his team’s group rivals the next, how am I supposed to respond?
“And then there are the tackles from behind I’ve seen go unpunished and the violent conduct that has escaped sanction, not to mention the serious errors made in applying the rules.”
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Ukraine and Italy each announced the loss of key players Wednesday for their upcoming World Cup quarterfinals match.
Ukraine striker Andriy Voronin and Italy defender Alessandro Nesta are both out with thigh injuries for their Friday match in Hamburg.
Voronin is lost for the tournament and will not play if Ukraine advances.
Nesta’s right thigh injury has bothered him on and off for the last couple of months, but he hopes to play if Italy makes the semifinals. He aggravated it in Italy’s 2-0 win over the Czech Republic.
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Defender Gary Neville should be fit to play in England’s World Cup quarterfinal match against Portugal on Saturday, adding some experience to a back four whose inconsistency has contributed to the team’s lackluster performance so far.
Neville has missed England’s last three matches because of a right calf problem.
“He did everything today and didn’t feel anything after the training,” England Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said Wednesday.
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Germany captain Michael Ballack and striker Miroslav Klose are nursing minor injuries that shouldn’t prevent them from playing against Argentina in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Ballack has a slightly swollen ankle and Klose has slight tendinitis in his foot, assistant coach Joachim Loew said.
They missed Tuesday’s practice; a team spokesman said they underwent personal fitness programs and their absence had nothing to do with injuries. Loew said it was a “precautionary measure.”
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Luis Aragones is considering resigning as Spain coach following the team’s elimination from the World Cup, the website of radio station Cadena SER said.
Aragones, 67, hinted at his departure in an interview with the station at the airport in Dortmund as the team was returning home from Germany, a day after its 3-1 second-round defeat to France.
“I said if we didn’t finish in the top four I would leave, and today I continue to think the same,” Aragones said. “In four days you will have an answer.”
