| RBS Obtains Injunction Against Liverpool Owners Royal Bank of Scotland says it has obtained an interim injunction preventing Liverpool co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. from firing chairman Martin Broughton and two other board members. feeds.nytimes.com |
John Terry out of England's Montenegro qualifier with back injury • Centre-back returns to Chelsea after medical assessment• Joleon Lescott likely to partner Rio Ferdinand in defenceJohn Terry has withdrawn from the squad for England's Euro 2012 qualifier with Montenegro at Wembley on Tuesday because of a back injury. The former captain left the team hotel tonight after it had been confirmed that he would not recover in time to play but the concern for England goes beyond the loss of another centre-half, following the withdrawal of Phil Jagielka.The evidence grows that Fabio Capello is no longer able to assume that this is a matter of simple misfortune. Rio Ferdinand was not in condition to go to the World Cup finals in the summer. Indeed he and Terry last turned out together in a friendly against Japan in May. The Chelsea defender's back trouble is not a new development but it is perturbing if he cannot manage the condition as well as he has until now.It is all the more ominous that a free week since the defeat of Arsenal has not been of sufficient benefit. The misgivings have not receded about Ferdinand either, although he had looked in more robust condition over the past week or two.Capello may have been interested in turning to Jagielka as a first-choice but that alternative is not open even though the Everton player, generally speaking, should offer more durability. Michael Dawson of Tottenham has turned out for Capello, only to be injured against Bulgaria last month. While Gary Cahill is now in the squad, the prospect seems to be of Joleon Lescott being in tandem with Ferdinand on Tuesday. Each may wonder how big a risk it is to take the field for England in this ill-starred period.The degree to which this area of the line-up occupies the manager's mind borders on absurdity, particularly since popular mythology suggests these traditionally blood-stained figures are supposed to be indomitable. They are transient individuals in Capello's case. Considering Montenegro, like England, have won all their Euro 2012 qualifiers, the issue is grave.The manager's researches have been thorough, with Matthew Upson and Jonathan Woodgate among those who have started under him. It has been hard for Capello to achieve reliability and Jamie Carragher's international retirement, now reinforced, has left England with even fewer potential solutions.The stringency that is needed has sometimes been lacking to a truly unsettling extent. England's valid complaint about the Frank Lampard "goal" that was not given at the World Cup, despite the fact that the ball had crossed the line, failed to be regarded as a major injustice because Germany had, after all, won 4-1.Capello may have been ill at ease for a long time. His style of play was notably conservative in South Africa. The 4-4-2 had little nuance and he may have felt obliged to aim for more security, even if it was to stay out of reach.There was an emphasis on weariness in the ranks following a packed season, but it is exhausting, too, for footballers to feel vulnerable. There can be little flair when the side goes on the attack either, if the side is uneasy about the damage that might be done if a pass goes astray in a key area of the pitch.On another front Capello lost Aaron Lennon on Saturday to injury, replacing him with Aston Villa's Stewart Downing but the Football Association said last night that no replacement for Terry "will be made at this time".Chelsea, too, may be concerned at their captain's condition. Alex is out for three weeks and they face five games in 19 days including a visit to Aston Villa on Saturday and home and away Champions League matches against Spartak Moscow.• This article was amended on 11 October 2010. The original referred to home and away matches against Sparta Prague. This has been corrected.EnglandJohn TerryEuro 2012Kevin McCarraguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Former FIFA Secretary General Calls For External Probe GENEVA (Reuters) - Former FIFA secretary-general Michel Zen-Ruffinen called Sunday for soccer's governing body to allow an external investigation into the contest to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups following allegations of vote-selling. feeds.nytimes.com |
Wayne Rooney in Dubai: Do's and Don'ts How should United striker avoid another PR own goal in Dubai? telegraph.co.uk |
Sports minister orders probe amid FIFA bribery claims A Swiss newspaper is reporting that the country's sports minister has commissioned a probe into alleged corruption among international sports federations. cbc.ca |