World Cup Watch
controversy has again disrupted Brazil's build-up to the World Cup opener against Scotland with news filtering through last night of the world champions' camp being divided by more internal bickering.
As so often happens in the lead-up to such finals, it can be difficult to differentiate between the genuine splits and the deliberate smokescreens. However, there may be no smoke without fire over the row about the fitness of Spanish-based midfielder Flavio Conceicao.
Coach Mario Zagallo announced last week that, after consultation with team doctor Lidio Toledo, the Deportivo La Coruna player would be left out of the finals due to injury. Conceicao took his revenge by playing - and scoring - in La Coruna's 3-0 win over Sporting Gijon at the weekend.
However, Zagallo reiterated last night that Conceicao would not be going to France and his place will be taken by 30-year-old Jose Carlos, of Sao Paolo.
The bizarre situation comes hot on the heels of Toledo's involvement in the exclusion of former Middlesbrough player Juninho. The Athletico Madrid midfielder recovered in time from a broken ankle to prove his fitness and was given the thumbs up by the doctor, only for Zagallo to ignore the medical report.
qJURGEN Klinsmann and Lothar Matthaeus appeared together yesterday to say they had buried past disagreements and were now focused on winning the World Cup for Germany.
Klinsmann, Matthaeus, and German coach Berti Vogts held a meeting on Monday to thrash out any differences of opinion and the three attended a press conference at the start of a training camp in Finland yesterday.
Matthaeus said: ''We want to be champions again. There's no reason to look back at the 1994 World Cup. The success we had at the European championships we want to repeat at this World Cup.'' The 37-year-old was called up to the German squad last week following the injury to first choice libero Matthias Sammer.
qNIGERIAN-born goalkeeper Ademola Bankole, who plays for English first division side Crewe Alexandra, has been named in his country's provisional squad of 29.
Bankole was a member of Nigeria's 1994 World Cup squad and is one of four additional players who are to join a party of 25 now training in Switzerland.
qROMANIA'S 'Spanish Legion' has arrived to bolster the country's squad at its final training camp at a mountain resort north of Bucharest. Midfielder Gabriel Popescu and goalkeeper Bogdan Stelea, of Salamanca, and Valencia's forward, Adrian Ilie, were the last to join the squad.
qColombian striker Victor Hugo Aristizabal said yesterday that he would not quit the squad despite receiving death threats.
Colombian Football Federation (FCF) president Alvaro Fina has been forced to step up security for the squad, but Aristizabal said: ''I'm not going to back down.''
Midfielder Gabriel Gomez was forced out of the team during the 1994 competition by threats while central defender Andres Escobar, who scored an own goal against the United States, was shot dead shortly after returning home.
Striker Faustino Asprilla, who resigned from the national team following Escobar's murder but later went back on his decision, said he might pull out, however, if Aristizabal's situation worsened.
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