We were too tired during penalties: Crouch

London: England’s pathetic penalty shooting in the World Cup was due to the players being exhausted with a man down after the 62nd minute expulsion of Wayne Rooney, according to striker Peter Crouch. The lanky striker said that at the end of 30 minutes of extra-time under the hot, steamy conditions, the England players were on their last legs. “I honestly felt exhaustion set in at the end against Portugal. We’d played quite a lot of the game with 10 men and I think we took the penalties in a tired way. Everyone worked so hard and I genuinely feel everyone had given everything by the time we had to take the spot-kicks. That definitely showed in the penalties we had to take.”

Ronaldinho statue burnt down

Rio de Janeiro: Angry Brazilian fans burnt down a 7m tall statue of world Player of the Year Ronaldinho following the national team’s quarter final exit. The statue, made out of resin and iron, in the southern town of Chapeco in Santa Catarina state, was burnt on Saturday night, after the Selecao’s 0-1 defeat to Les Bleus, according to the local mayor’s spokesperson. “All that’s left is a burnt out metal skeleton of a statue,” the source said. The monument, depicting Ronaldinho with a ball, was inaugurated two years ago to celebrate the player’s first world Player of the Year award in 2004.

Parreira won’t quit

Rio de Janeiro: Brazil returned home to little fanfare with coach Carlos Alberto Parreira escaping via a back door to avoid fans and the media. Only a few supporters bothered to turn up to jeer the squad. Later, at a press conference, Parreira said: “No one here wanted to be champion of the world more than me.” On his future as coach, Parreira said he would only discuss that after talking with confederation president Ricardo Teixeira.

Zico’s new club

Istanbul: Fenerbahce has signed former Brazilian international and ex-Japan coach Zico to replace German coach Christoph Daum, the club said on Tuesday. Zico has signed a two-year contract with the Istanbul-based team, their website said.

Card rule may change

Berlin: Players are likely to be suspended from playing in future World Cup matches after receiving three yellow cards in a round instead of two as is the custom now, Fifa president Sepp Blatter said on Tuesday. “In a competition like the World Cup it should perhaps be three yellow cards in the first round and three in the second. This is a wise suggestion and we will take it up.” He said there would be no change to the current rules in matches with two yellow cards still leading to a sending-off. There is no intention to change that, he said. Blatter also said that the decision to ban Torsten Frings against Italy should have come sooner.

Blatter raps 'actors'

Berlin: Fifa president Sepp Blatter criticised the growing practice by players of feigning injury in an attempt to pressurise their opponents into kicking the ball into touch to stop a promising attack. “Lying on the ground and pretending to be injured is just abusing (the convention) of stopping play for injury,” said Blatter. “It is just cheating and we must look at this in the future. I have seen it myself and I do not like it. The fans don’t like it, but what it does is: it makes the team with the ball stop when perhaps there is nothing wrong.”

Apologises, too...

Berlin: Fifa president Sepp Blatter said on Tuesday he regretted criticising Russian referee Valentin Ivanov for his handling of the heated second-round match between Portugal and The Netherlands. “I would just like to say that I regret what has happened,” Blatter said on Tuesday. “I regret what I said about his actions in the match between Portugal and the Netherlands.”

Scolari contract

Lisbon: The Portuguese football federation is close to securing a new contract with coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who led the national team to the world cup semi-finals for the first time in 40 years. “I have spoken to Scolari, we have talked, and at the right moment you will be informed,” Gilberto Madail, federation chief, said in Germany on Monday.

Pizza tactics

Berlin: A German newspaper has come up with a way to upset Italians regardless of how Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final between the two nations turns out. The newspaper printed the telephone numbers of more than 40 pizza outlets from around Germany and suggested readers call them just as the match in Dortmund kicks off. “Here’s how we’ll annoy the Italians ? order pizza at 9 pm,” declared the Berlin-based daily.

Robbery in fan gear

Berlin: Berlin police offered a reward on Monday for information on three pistol-wielding bandits, who robbed a bank in the capital’s Marienfeld suburb. Two of the suspects disguised themselves with wigs and scarves in Germany’s black, red and yellow, while the third wore a big floppy hat in the national colours, pictures from surveillance cameras showed.

Homeless World Cup

Melbourne: Australia will host the 2008 Homeless World Cup, the annual street soccer tournament featuring national teams of homeless people from around the globe. The event is set for Melbourne in November 2008. The event, whose goal is to help fight poverty, was previously held in Austria (2003), Sweden (2004) and Scotland (2005). This year's tournament is set for Cape Town in September 2006.

Thai drinking spree

Bangkok: The World Cup has generated too much boozing in Thailand and soccer fans should cut back, the Thai Prime Minister said. “Thai people drink too much during the World Cup,” Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Tuesday. “I would like to encourage them to reduce their drinking or quit the habit.”