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Mile Jedinak to captain Socceroos against Ecuador
Gerrard backs mind doctor to give England World Cup edge
Leighton Baines has cause to dream as Hodgson backs mental approach | Daniel Taylor
Birmingham City fans concerned at Carson Yeung's continued influence
Darren Fletcher could make comeback for Scotland in friendly in Poland
Suárez 'very happy' at Liverpool
England's newest backroom boy Dr Steve Peters lauded by sports world
England's Group D rivals in countdown to the 2014 World Cup: Uruguay
Owen Gibson on Kosovo's debut
Italy face 'psychological' test in Spain
Republic of Ireland have Euro 2016 qualifiers in mind against Serbia
Gareth Bale is raring to start for Wales in friendly against Iceland
Presence of Cristiano Ronaldo puts Portugal under no more pressure, says Paulo Bento – video
Northern Ireland keen to break eight-year drought in Cyprus friendly
England's Group D rivals in countdown to the 2014 World Cup: Costa Rica
The Fiver | The grand plan to avoid a sweat-sodden second-round exit | Jacob Steinberg
Roy Hodgson announces England will use a sports psychologist in Brazil
Puyol to leave Barça at end of season
Belgian futsal player gets 10-game ban for quenelle
Stoke City to appeal against Charlie Adam's violent conduct charge
Ukraine vs USA friendly set to go ahead on Wednesday
Barcelona send replacement footballs to West Bank village - video
Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner: 'I have been made into a psychopath'
What if Roy Hodgson picked his England team on Premier League form?
Everton's Gerard Deloufeu hopes to be back at Barcelona next season

Mile Jedinak to captain Socceroos against Ecuador

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 03:01 PM PST

Crystal Palace player is now the frontrunner to lead the Australian team into the World Cup in Brazil

Gerrard backs mind doctor to give England World Cup edge

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 03:01 PM PST

• Captain believes sports psychiatrist will be invaluable to squad
• 'If players buy into it he can help in pressure situations'

Steven Gerrard believes input from Dr Steve Peters will give England's players an edge at the World Cup finals after Roy Hodgson confirmed the renowned sports psychiatrist is to join his backroom staff for the summer's tournament in Brazil.

Peters, who is credited as a major influence in the success enjoyed by Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton with British Cycling, has an impressive portfolio of clients, including Team Sky, UK Athletics and the five-times world snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan. Peters has been employed by Liverpool on a one-day-per-week basis since November 2012 and will take up his duties with the national side before the friendly against Peru in May.

Hodgson has effectively confirmed Leighton Baines will be his first-choice left-back in Brazil, with Ashley Cole and Luke Shaw, the latter on his debut, both to be granted game-time in Wednesday's friendly against Denmark in the Evertonian's absence. Gerrard will captain the side against the Danes and has used Peters since undergoing surgery on a groin injury in the spring of 2011.

While the focus will inevitably be drawn towards the impact the psychiatrist may have on England's prospects in penalty shootouts, the Liverpool midfielder believes the new addition to the staff can be influential in all areas if team-mates "buy into" his approach."He's really helped me, not so much with the technical side of the game but with what's going on in my head and the mental preparation," said Gerrard.

"I had a groin avulsion, which is where your groin muscle comes off the bone, and it's a career-threatening injury. At the time I'd seen three or four surgeons and they weren't really convincing me that I could play again, so I turned to him. He helps you with positivity, the power of thought, staying upbeat, that sort of stuff. I was a little bit lost and he just simplifies what's going on. If the players buy into it he will be able to help them with mental preparation, especially in pressure situations.

"There are no guarantees. Steve Peters has not transformed me as a person or a player. When I did go and see him I was still playing for Liverpool and for England. I am quite mentally strong with my preparation anyway but, if I can gain a little edge, or use it as a tool to help me gain one, two or three per cent to what I have already got, why not use it?

"We are not going to become favourites for the World Cup because we have got a psychiatrist on board but, if players buy into it and everyone can gain that extra one, two, three per cent, it might be needed and it can only help us. When it comes down to competing at the top level, little things can make the difference."

England have turned to sports psychologists in the past, with Sven-Goran Eriksson having used Willi Railo and Bill Beswick taken on by Steve McClaren during his brief tenure as national manager. Hodgson has already indicated Sir Dave Brailsford is to address his players before the Peru fixture, the team's final game before they leave first for Miami and then Rio, with the sports scientist and former rugby union coach Dave Reddin, now the Football Association's head of performance services, also to be part of his backroom staff in Brazil. They will be joined by a nutritionist and another fitness coach.

Hodgson and Adrian Bevington, the managing director of Club England, met Peters on Sunday evening to discuss his involvement, having been given the green light by Liverpool to utilise his services.

"It is important I don't heap too much pressure on him and suggest we will now be better at a World Cup, and suddenly we will never miss a penalty or no player will ever get sent off or lose his temper," said the manager. "But, from my point of view, I am bringing somebody on board who can only do good. His advice, ideas and approach can only help as long as the players want that. We are not going to insist that every player must go to individual meetings with Steve Peters but we'd hope his presence, with his expertise, will encourage the players and that he is a tool they can benefit from.

"If there is a tool that can help you become better, you are foolish not to take advantage of it. If you're going to have these people they need to be regulars, not people you ship in to give a very good lecture on mental preparation, speaks to the group of players and then disappears. I'm not so certain that works. So he will be around us to get some sort of relationship with the players and persuade them: 'Listen, if we work together and I give you the benefit of my expertise, it can help you.'"

Brailsford has described Peters in the past as a "genius" and both Pendleton and Hoy claimed he had contributed heavily to their Olympic successes. While at Liverpool Peters has helped such as Jordan Henderson, who is set to start for England against Denmark, come through difficult periods in his fledgling career to demonstrate his quality. The midfielder will be joined in the starting line-up against the Danes by his club-mates Daniel Sturridge and Glen Johnson, who gains his 50th cap, and Raheem Sterling is likely to begin on the flank.

Cole is expected to start, gaining his 107th cap, although Hodgson will scrutinise both his and Shaw's displays, having indicated Baines is currently first choice in his thinking. The West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Ben Foster will most likely replace Joe Hart at half-time, with Kyle Walker the only member of Hodgson's 30-man squad out of contention. The Tottenham Hotspur right-back is still suffering from a hip injury that will keep him out for another week.

Dominic Fifield

Leighton Baines has cause to dream as Hodgson backs mental approach | Daniel Taylor

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 03:00 PM PST

Everton left-back appears certain to be in England's World Cup squad with Ashley Cole and Luke Shaw in Wembley play-off

Steven Gerrard made the most valid point. "You need to understand Steve Peters can't help you do a Cruyff turn better," the England captain said. "He won't help you hit a 40-yard pass any more accurately. Steve Peters is not going to help the players run an extra 100 or 200 metres or go any faster."

England have made an astute appointment judging by the reference Gerrard delivered on behalf of the sports psychiatrist he has been seeing at Liverpool – without talking about it before now – since a difficult period, four years ago, when he was diagnosed with a career-threatening groin injury. "He can teach you what goes on in your head," he said. "I didn't know what was going on in my head until I saw him. And if you buy into it, he's the best."

If anything, the surprise is that the Football Association has waited until now before bringing in someone to fill this kind of specialist role. Roy Hodgson said the next appointment would be a nutritionist and, again, it seemed slightly strange that no one was already in place.

What is not particularly fair – and Hodgson made this point as well as Gerrard – is to assume the latest addition to England's backroom staff will be able to put everything right when it comes to that old English problem of penalty shootouts. Of course, Peters may be able to help focus minds. Yet he is not around for the Denmark friendly and has not exactly been given a great deal of time. "If you work with a mental coach, you have to work months before," according to Sven-Goran Eriksson, the former England manager. "You can't start when you are in the World Cup. Before you are there, the players are all at different clubs. It's difficult practically to do it."

Eriksson used to employ his own psychologist, Willi Railo, and wishes he had brought him in earlier. "If you talk about psychology, I should have taken a mental coach for training and shootouts. Penalties? It's mental, not technical. You take the ball from the halfway line, walk and how many thoughts go through your head?"

All the same England's problems have generally been more about a lack of refinement on the pitch, rather than an absence of nerve. Hodgson talked at length about how much happier he is with his squad now than when he was parachuted into the job just before Euro 2012 but it is still sobering to see the players who currently cannot even make it into Spain's squad. Juan Mata, Fernando Torres, David de Gea, Fernando Llorente, Álvaro Arbeloa, Isco, Carles Puyol and David Villa failed to make the cut for Wednesday's friendly against Italy. What Hodgson would give for those options.

He does, however, have reasonable competition to fit around the established spine of his team. He has informed Leighton Baines he will sit out the Denmark game to let Ashley Cole and Luke Shaw share the left-back spot and that omission actually counts as a compliment to the Everton player, pretty much affirming his status as first choice for that position.

"All three of them want to play but even with substitutions I can't fit in three left-backs," Hodgson explained. "I've spoken to Leighton and he won't feature, unless we get an incredible number of injuries. It's the right moment to look at Luke and Ashley, as Leighton has been playing regularly for us. The two I need to look at in an England shirt are Ashley and Luke."

Cole, with 106 caps, was England's first choice barely a few months ago but losing his place at Chelsea has completely changed the picture. Hodgson spoke favourably of the 33-year-old but reiterated he can no longer guarantee him a place in Brazil. Shaw, by all accounts, has quickly settled into the squad.

On the opposite side Glen Johnson's 50th England cap is assured now Kyle Walker has withdrawn through injury. Johnson could form part of a strong Liverpool influence, with Hodgson considering whether to experiment with Jordan Henderson alongside Gerrard at the base of midfield. The game offers another opportunity for Daniel Sturridge to work on his partnership with Wayne Rooney, and Raheem Sterling is also in Hodgson's thoughts.

"The form he is in at the moment, he is the type of player you would pay good money to go and see," Gerrard said of Sterling. "He gets you off your seat, he is exciting. People see him as a small boy who can be bullied, a weak player, but he is the opposite. He is strong and robust and the pace he has is electric. He will be a big player for this country for a long time."

Walker's departure still leaves Hodgson with a 29-man squad for a game in which England's manager is allowed only six substitutes. He intends to pick a strong side, rather than experimenting too much, but there will inevitably be an awful lot of disappointed players, bearing in mind it is the last chance to impress at this level before Hodgson names his 23-man party on 13 May. After the defeats by Chile and Germany England will also be trying to avoid three successive home defeats for the first time.

"In those last two games we didn't set out to put our best teams on the field and make sure we didn't lose the game," Hodgson said. "We made quite a few experimentations. This is our last game before the World Cup [squad is named] so I'm hoping we won't lose, but I can't elevate it to the importance of the World Cup. If it so happened that we did lose but I learnt some very important lessons that prevented a major mistake when I named the 23, it could be a benefit in disguise. But our aim is to win the game."

A crowd of around 65,000 is expected and Hodgson is unimpressed that an online petition to ban Tom Cleverley from the England team quickly went over 10,000 votes. "That doesn't impress me. I'm disappointed that Tom, as a sensitive young man, has to bear that burden, but I know one thing – he will come through it.

"I don't think it's correct that people should single out one player for Manchester United's lack of success. I don't think you can expect me as a football person and football coach to have any sympathy with that, and I would like to think that I'm not going to have the England team selected in the future by petitions."

Daniel Taylor

Birmingham City fans concerned at Carson Yeung's continued influence

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 02:49 PM PST

• Blues Trust calls on Football League to investigate fears
• 'We are desperate for these people to go now'

Birmingham City supporters have called on the Football League to investigate concerns that Carson Yeung, who remains a substantial shareholder despite his conviction in Hong Kong on £55m money-laundering charges, may continue to wield influence at the club. According to documents filed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Yeung, who when sentenced on Friday could be imprisoned for a maximum seven years, retains just under 20% ownership of the parent company, Birmingham International Holdings.

He resigned as the football club's chairman and as a director of BIHL early last month, after conducting and being the most visible figure during and since BIHL's £81.5m takeover of City in 2009. His resignation places him beyond the league's requirement that owners and directors of its clubs have no convictions for dishonesty, which applies only to shareholders owning 30% or more. The league's rule does, though, also apply to "shadow" directors, "persons exercising 'control'" over a club, and "persons in accordance with whose directions or instructions the club's management are 'accustomed to act'".

In a statement after the news of Yeung's conviction, the League said it was satisfied City's present board and ownership comply with its rules. The League has since confirmed it is not planning to conduct an investigation, although it will look at any evidence brought to it.

Steve McCarthy, chairman of the supporters' Blues Trust, said he had obvious questions over the distance from Yeung there will be for the Birmingham City board, which includes Yeung's son Ryan, Yeung's brother-in-law Shui Cheong Ma, and Panos Pavlakis, reported to be Yeung's future brother-in-law. Peter Pannu, City's acting vice-chairman, who was paid almost £1m in salary and consultancy fees last year for work relating to Birmingham City, is a long-term Hong Kong-based associate of Yeung's.

"We are very disappointed that the Football League is not actively planning to investigate the ownership and running of the club in the light of Carson Yeung's conviction," he said. "We are desperate for these people to go now and hand the club to somebody who will have its best interests at heart, ideally with the involvement of supporters in owning a stake."

Pannu, emphasising that Yeung is not a director of the club or holding company, told the Birmingham Mail from Hong Kong: "I understand the concerns people may have in that Carson Yeung may still run the show from the prison by proxy via his relatives who are on the UK boards. I can only say that this is speculation and conjecture and the interest of the club comes first."

David Conn

Darren Fletcher could make comeback for Scotland in friendly in Poland

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 02:32 PM PST

• Midfielder in squad for first time since November 2012
• Gordon Strachan delighted to have him back from illness

Gordon Strachan is enjoying witnessing another step on Darren Fletcher's road back to the top of his game.

Fletcher is in Scotland's squad for the first time since November 2012 after battling back from an operation to treat a chronic bowel condition and return to the Manchester United team.

His Scotland comeback could happen in the National Stadium in Warsaw as Strachan's men take on their Euro 2016 qualifying group rivals Poland in a friendly, although it is unclear whether he will start or reassume the captain's armband from Scott Brown.

The 30-year-old missed almost the whole of 2013 but had endured previous spells of absence caused by ulcerative colitis. Strachan is just pleased to see him doing what he does best again.

"First of all it's more important for him as an individual," Strachan said.

"He has had a real tough time. That's the most important thing, that there is a top, top player back playing at the top level.

"He plays for Manchester United, and if you do that, there is an automatic place in my squad.

"We are just delighted for him just now and we are enjoying watching him coming back and getting back to the player he was. I have no doubt that will happen."

Scotland were drawn alongside Poland – as well as Germany, Republic of Ireland, Georgia and Gibraltar – after Wednesday night's match was scheduled.

But Strachan is not concerned about giving anything away ahead of their European Championship qualifier in Warsaw in October.

"It makes no difference at all," Strachan said. "It's a long way away before the first competitive game."

Suárez 'very happy' at Liverpool

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 01:32 PM PST

• Striker admits he wants to sample special Anfield nights
• 'To finish in top three would be incredible,' says Uruguayan

Luis Suárez believes Liverpool are primed to end their four-year wait for Champions League football but he said his future at the Merseyside club does not depend on their qualification for Europe's elite competition.

Suárez endured a turbulent summer when he made it clear that he wanted to leave Liverpool for a club that played in the Champions League. There was the protracted saga with Arsenal, with Liverpool rejecting two offers from them and making it plain that they would not sell at any price.

Yet Suárez has refocused at Anfield, not only to enjoy what he calls the finest season of his career but to agree to a new long-term contract last December. He scored his 24th goal of the season in Saturday's 3-0 win at Southampton and he has been a driving force in Liverpool's push for a top-four finish. They sit second in the table, only four points off the leaders, Chelsea.

"I'd actually prefer not to win this Golden Boot and for Liverpool to qualify for the Champions League this season," Suárez said, in an interview with FourFourTwo magazine. "Any player would miss the Champions League. We've not been good enough since I've been here to qualify, but this could definitely be our year".

"It would be a frustration not to get fourth because we've done everything possible and given our maximum to qualify. Everyone says Champions League nights at Anfield are amazing – memories you guard forever. It would be an unforgettable experience and it's been too long since that happened. I think to finish in the top three, which is still possible, would be incredible with the players we have in the squad."

Suárez was asked whether he would stay at Liverpool if they fell short of the Champions League. "I think so," he said. "I signed my new contract because I'm very happy here and I want to stay where I'm enjoying football and life. Playing in the Champions League isn't dependent on that."

He added: "This is my best season yet. I feel in a very good place, physically and mentally. Every day, I feel better in this club. I hope to continue down this path because we want Champions League football for Liverpool and, personally speaking, I want to continue that mentality throughout the World Cup with Uruguay."

David Hytner

England's newest backroom boy Dr Steve Peters lauded by sports world

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 01:23 PM PST

• Psychiatrist helped Victoria Pendleton during cycling career
• Roy Hodgson follows Ronnie O'Sullvan in hiring mind man

Victoria Pendleton has called him the most important person in her career. Sir Chris Hoy has said he owes his Olympic medals to him. And a host of other sportsmen and women from Craig Bellamy to Ronnie O'Sullivan have effusively praised his effect on their lives and careers.

Yet until recently very few fans would have known the name of Dr Steve Peters, a revered sports psychiatrist who named his book The Chimp Paradox and must now wrestle with another paradox – the often fragile collective mental state of an England football squad at major tournaments.

As soon as Roy Hodgson began talking in December about the impact of former rugby union coach Dave Reddin on the England set-up and the possibility of taking a sports psychiatrist to Brazil, Peters was the first name that sprung to mind.

After 12 years at Rampton high security hospital working with individuals with personality disorders, he was hired by Sir Dave Brailsford at British Cycling before their watershed medal rush in Beijing. He has since built up a portfolio of roles, including work with UK Athletics, Team Sky and Liverpool Football Club.

The improvement in mindset among some of Liverpool's players since he was hired by Brendan Rodgers in 2012 may not have gone unnoticed by Hodgson. Brailsford, who has become revered throughout the sporting world for his top to bottom reinvention of British Cycling, has called Peters "a genius".

However, Peters has previously said it can take 12 months for athletes to understand his methods – with the England squad he will have only a few weeks. He has described himself as a "mechanic of the mind". In Brazil he's likely to need his full tool box.

Owen Gibson

England's Group D rivals in countdown to the 2014 World Cup: Uruguay

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 12:39 PM PST

• Óscar Tabárez will use friendly in Austria to fine-tune squad
• Luis Suárez takes Premier League form to international stage

There is a part of almost every Uruguayan, however tiny, that believes it is written in the stars. Nobody predicted that the small South American nation would advance to the semi-finals of the last World Cup in South Africa and, going further back, absolutely nobody had them down to beat Brazil, in Brazil, in the final of the 1950 edition.

That victory, one of the greatest upsets of all time, offers the romantic and historical backdrop to Uruguay's looming World Cup mission back on Brazilian soil, where they have been drawn to face England, Italy and Costa Rica at the group stage, while the recent golden period of Óscar Tabárez and his squad provides the substance.

Never mind that they were the best-placed South American team in South Africa, they followed up the achievement by winning the Copa América in 2011 for a record 15th time. Despite a qualifying campaign that featured an almighty wobble in the middle, they finished strongly to advance via a play-off drubbing of Jordan and they will travel to Brazil with no fear of loftier reputations.

Tabárez will enjoy a little more fine-tuning in the friendly here against Austria on Wednesday night, having worked his players hard in double sessions on Monday and Tuesday but the team have a settled look and a style that have been honed over many years, pre-dating the last World Cup.

Tabárez, who turned 67 on Monday and is known as El Maestro in his native Uruguay, began a second spell in managerial charge in 2006 and his line-up is compact, usually with two screening midfielders in front of the back four, which helps to ensure that Diego Godín and the captain Diego Lugano are not exposed for their lack of pace in central defence. Tabárez's favoured deep-sitting midfielders are Egidio Arévalo Rios and Diego Pérez.

It is up front, however, where Uruguay pack their punch, typically on the counterattack, and few nations at the finals will boast a more fearsome pair of strikers. Liverpool's Luis Suárez took time out from terrorising Premier League defences to top the scoring charts in South American qualification, with 11 goals, while Edinson Cavani of Paris Saint-Germain is another snapshot in menace.

Suarez tends to lead the line as the No9, with Cavani playing deeper or even wide on the right, as he did in South Africa, if Tabárez wants to reinforce further in central midfield, and the only disappointment is that Cavani has not made it to Klagenfurt. He has just recovered fitness after a thigh injury, which means that Diego Forlán, the country's most capped player, will start alongside Suárez. Tabárez said that he did not want to take any chances with Cavani.

It felt significant that there have been so few other withdrawals from the 23-man party that Tabárez originally named, with only the left-back Martín Cáceres and the striker Abel Hernández pulling out. Hernández, the tall and dangerous 23-year-old from Palermo, will take a burgeoning reputation to Brazil.

Listen to any of the players and they will reference the spirit in the squad, which is, in part, a legacy of so many shared experiences – these players have been together for years – and, also, what they refer to in Uruguay as the garra. It is the sense of physical and mental toughness, the desire to get stuck in and, generally, to belie Uruguay's status as the underdog against the larger nations. It is remarkable to think that their population stands at a mere 3.5 million.

The garra took on darker undertones during the 1970s and 80s, when the line between being hard but fair and simply dirty was blurred in Uruguayan football. But Tabárez succeeded, during his first spell, which took in the 1990 World Cup finals, in rehabilitating the country's reputation.

Uruguay have tasted tough times, with their glorious past – two World Cups and two Olympic golds – coming to represent a heavy burden. After their semi-final defeat at the 1970 World Cup, they did not win a tie at a finals until Tabárez's team beat South Korea in 1990.

Back in Uruguay, supporters took to the streets to celebrate which, perversely, led to a feeling of guilt. Previous generations had only celebrated when Uruguay were the best in the world. It should also be noted that, post-South Korea, Uruguay did not win another World Cup tie until the finals in 2010. On a related point, Tabárez is the only Uruguay manager in 44 years to win any World Cup ties.

The optimism, however, has flooded back and it was interesting to hear not only Tabárez's attempts to contextualise Uruguay's recent upturn with references to the size of their population but to witness him mentioning historic World Cup shocks.

He brought up North Korea's defeat of Italy in 1966 and Italy's failure, as defending champions in 2010, to advance from the group stage. He did not need to mention 1950. In short, he believes that anything can happen in Brazil this summer; that Uruguay can put themselves on the right side of what stand to be extremely fine margins.

"We know Costa Rica from our World Cup qualification play-off victory in 2010 and Italy and England are, of course, very strong nations with huge histories behind them," Tabárez said. "Their players play in very strong leagues and I think that the Premier League is the strongest in the world.

"But the names and the history do not matter. It is all about what happens on the pitch and it will come down to good preparation, good behaviour and small details. Even the strongest teams don't always make it past the group phase, as with Italy last time and surprises are possible. Anybody can be eliminated."

Big game for Jorge Fucile. The Porto full-back is adept on either flank but he appears more comfortable on the left, despite being predominantly right-footed. He is given a chance because the first-choice left-back, Martín Cáceres, of Juventus, took a knock against Milan on Sunday and has not travelled.

David Hytner

Owen Gibson on Kosovo's debut

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 12:29 PM PST

Fledgling nation's first ever friendly marks the end of a tortuous road but flags and national anthems are strictly forbidden

There will be no anthems booming out and no national flags fluttering when Kosovo take on Haiti in the mining town of Mitrovica on Wednesday night. But for the capacity crowd of 17,000 fans who snapped up tickets for the match in four hours, Kosovo's first ever Fifa-sanctioned friendly will be a highly charged, intensely patriotic experience.

Fifteen years since Nato entered the battle-scarred region to fight against Serbian ethnic cleansing and more than six since Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence the country will play its first official international.

Among those watching from the stands will be the Kosovan FA's general secretary, Eroll Salihu, who has campaigned intensively for six years for his country to be accepted into football's fold. Alongside him will be the federation's president, Fadil Vokrri, recognised as their greatest player and the only Kosovan to represent the former Yugoslavia.

Although Kosovo is recognised by 23 of the 28 countries in the EU, is a member of the World Bank and has been accepted by other international sports federations including rowing and judo, the road to recognition in football has been more tortuous.

Serbia still vehemently opposes any suggestion that Kosovo should be officially recognised by Fifa, backed by Russia. Uefa's president, Michel Platini – who was also (unsuccessfully) battling a bid by Gibraltar to become the 54th member of the confederation – also opposed the idea.

Yet in January Fifa, whose president, Sepp Blatter, has been generally supportive of Kosovo's position, announced it would allow the country to play non-competitive friendlies against other international sides.

There are various strings attached – no anthems, no national symbols, no flags, no matches against other former Yugoslav nations – but for those who have cajoled and lobbied for more than a decade, it was a significant victory.

Jérôme Champagne, the former senior Fifa executive who has recently acted as an adviser to the Kosovan FA, said the decision was a victory for justice. "It's justice for Kosovan football. It's about reconciliation. This match is about football over political decisions," said Champagne, who was ousted from Fifa in 2009 and recently announced that he planned to stand as a presidential candidate next April.

The former French diplomat, who is in Mitrovica for the match, said it was important to recognise that the Kosovan football federation, founded in 1947, included members of Serbian descent and many other minorities. "Football should be an agent for reconciliation in the Balkans," he said.

The ongoing tensions are reflected in the fact that Mitrovica, one of the few Kosovan cities that has a significant Serbian population, retains a Nato peacekeeping force of 5,000 and sees periodic outbreaks of violence.

Even the stadium, which could have sold out three times over and is situated on the south side of the river within sight of Serbian homes in the north, is named after a revered Kosovo Albanian guerrilla fighter.

If Wednesday's match does mark the first step along the road to full recognition, a whole new set of eligibility issues will come into play. In recent years Kosovo has produced a long list of impressive players who have gone on to play for Switzerland, Albania and others after their parents left their homeland. An entirely new country being granted admission to Fifa is relatively uncharted territory and it remains unclear, though unlikely, whether they would be allowed to switch their allegiance.

Bayern Munich's Xherdan Shaqiri, Napoli's Valon Behrami and Borussia Mönchengladbach's Granit Xhaka will all star for Switzerland in Brazil this summer and all three signed a petition calling for Kosovo to be admitted to Fifa in 2012. Kosovo's coach, Albert Bunjaki,, who has organised just four matches in his five years in charge, said the players had not been approached for the Haiti friendly so as not to put them in a difficult position, despite assurances that playing for the fledgling nation at this stage would not impact on their eligibility.

Switzerland are due to play a friendly against Croatia in St Gallen on Wednesday night. In 2012 a Swiss tabloid screamed: "We fear the Kosovans" amid concerns their side would be decimated by defections.

Shaqiri cavorted on the Wembley turf with both the Swiss and Kosovan flags after winning the Champions League with Bayern in May and, when Switzerland and Albania played one another in 2012, he had the flags of all three countries stitched into his boots. Many of Albania's players also hail from Kosovo, among them the captain, Lazio's Lorik Cana.

Manchester United's wunderkind Adnan Januzaj – at the centre of an international tug of love between Belgium, England, Albania and Kosovo – was asked to play but turned down the offer while he continues to consider his options.

"Kosovo will always keep its doors open for them," said Bunjaki after a training session on Monday. "This is a journey, and we expect others to join us in the future."

But another Manchester-based player will be playing. Bersant Celina, a 17-year-old Manchester City forward who was raised in Norway, said it was "fantastic" to be part of the Kosovan team. "It couldn't be better than this. I hope to get some playing time so I can show how good I am."If Kosovo are to become fully integrated into international football, inconsistencies between Fifa's rules and those of Uefa will need to be reconciled. Fifa's say only that a member nation must be "recognised by the international community" while Uefa's require it to be a member of the United Nations, an unlikely prospect while Russia continues to support Serbia's position.

Yet Platini, hitherto implacably opposed, is understood to have met with Vokrri in Albania recently. And those who have campaigned for so long to become part of the international footballing fraternity are convinced they are winning the argument.

"We want to send a signal to Uefa and Fifa that we have a right to be part of the football family," Bunjaki recently told the New York Times. "This game will be when Kosovo start on their road to the World Cup after over 25 years of isolation."

Owen Gibson

Italy face 'psychological' test in Spain

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 12:12 PM PST

• Cesare Prandelli's side face 'psychological' test in Spain
• Coach focused on giving nothing away in Madrid friendly

Italy arrived in Spain with Cesare Prandelli wishing he was not here. Their coach admitted that, three months from the World Cup, he would have preferred to avoid this game – one that could put his team in a "difficult position".

A heavy defeat could damage the Italians psychologically as they prepare for Brazil and, although Prandelli has backed away from the pessimistic tone of his original remark, focusing instead on the risk of giving clues to a team they could meet in the knockout rounds, many feel that fatalism would be well-founded.

Italy and Spain have both made new "signings" in time for this game. For Spain the new man is Diego Costa, a Brazilian striker and scorer of 21 league goals this season, a man who will be one of the summer market's most sought-after players. For Italy the new man is Gabriel Paletta, an Argentinian defender at Parma who played eight games during his brief spell at Liverpool. And that, say fearful Italians, sums up the difference.

So does the fact that there are three strikers at Juventus, comfortably Serie A's best side: Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tevez, the two starters, have not been called up for international duty. The former Southampton player Daniel Osvaldo, who normally begins on the bench, has. He is another naturalised Argentinian.

Then there is Borja Valero, the Spanish midfielder playing at Fiorentina who has barely even been talked about in Spain, still less considered as a genuine candidate for their squad in the summer. Prandelli describes him as "the best central midfielder we've seen in Italy in recent years. He's extraordinary but [Spain's] starters are simply incredible. [Andrés] Iniesta is without doubt the best player in the world. In my Italy team there would always be a place for Valero."

Daniele de Rossi is injured and, though Prandelli calls him "unique", he has also admitted he is concerned by the midfielder's temper: Italy cannot afford for him to be suspended during the tournament. Balotelli is injured too: Osvaldo will start up front and the familiar figure of Andrea Pirlo will be in the middle, as ever.

How much can be taken from this game is hard to judge, though, not least because that is the way Prandelli wants it. He appears primarily focused on two aims: emerging intact and giving nothing away.

Big game for Daniel Osvaldo. His place in the squad is certain; with Balotelli injured, he has a chance to secure a start.

Sid Lowe

Republic of Ireland have Euro 2016 qualifiers in mind against Serbia

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 11:08 AM PST

• Martin O'Neill already looking past World Cup to tough group
• 'We will be looking to try to create more chances'

Martin O'Neill is welcoming a tough test against Serbia on Wednesday, with the draw for Euro 2016 in Nice having served to focus minds on the task ahead.

Ireland begin their qualification campaign, in a group that includes Germany, in September. "From my viewpoint – maybe not from the players' at this point, they have still got big club matches to go – but from my viewpoint, it's something I will be concentrating on now," the manager said.

"I know that there's a World Cup still to be played but for me, yes absolutely, September, it will honestly fly around now."

O'Neill has signalled his intention to play an attacking brand of football where possible, a contrast to his predecessor Giovanni Trapattoni's conservative approach. However, he will not adopt a gung-ho approach as he attempts to mould his team and their playing style.

He said: "The very natural thing is you want to try to create more chances, to score more goals, so that's something we would be looking to try to do if it's at all possible.

"We have only had a couple of sessions, these are easy words for me to use at this moment.

"It's nice, it's comfortable and then Serbia keep the ball for 10 minutes in the game and then you're asking, 'Where is this freedom of expression?' – so just be steady. Serbia will be a real test for us for a start."

Gareth Bale is raring to start for Wales in friendly against Iceland

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 11:00 AM PST

• Bale came through Atlético Madrid-Real Madrid derby
• Joe Ledley has withdrawn from squad with a hip injury

Gareth Bale has reported fit from Real Madrid and is set to play the full match. Bale has hit form in recent weeks, scoring five goals in his past seven games.

The Wales manager, Chris Coleman, said: "I was never worried about 'Baley'. Here has been here before when he's known he is not going to play and has made the trip anyway to be with us. It is great to have him. He was involved in a tough game at the weekend – the Madrid derby was brutal at times.

"My heart was in my mouth on one or two occasions but he has come through that. He is here and raring to go.

"If he starts tomorrow we are looking to play him for 90 minutes.

"We want to win the game tomorrow. We will have to go into it with the right mentality and will try to win the game and start with our strongest team.

"If we have the chance to make changes we will, depending on the players, how they are physically and how they are performing, but ultimately we want to win the game."

The Crystal Palace midfielder Joe Ledley has withdrawn from the Wales squad after suffering a hip injury in Palace's draw at Swansea on Sunday.

He is the second player to pull out of the match against Iceland at the Cardiff City Stadium, after the Charlton forward Simon Church.

Presence of Cristiano Ronaldo puts Portugal under no more pressure, says Paulo Bento – video

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 09:53 AM PST

Portugal coach Paulo Bento says Cristiano Ronaldo winning the Ballon d'Or puts no additional pressure on the national side

Northern Ireland keen to break eight-year drought in Cyprus friendly

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 09:52 AM PST

• Northern Ireland not scored goal in last 11 away friendlies
• Michael O'Neill will pick team 'with a lot of attacking options'

Northern Ireland are hopeful of ending an embarrassing drought in away friendlies when they take on Cyprus on Wednesday night, with the manager, Michael O'Neill, calling on his side to make every goal count.

Northern Ireland have drawn a blank in their past nine friendlies on the road, and that number rises to 11 when Nations Cup defeats by the Republic of Ireland and Wales are included.

Their last away goal outside qualification came in Finland in 2006, with a teenage Kyle Lafferty grabbing the winner in a 2-1 success.

A trip to Nicosia to face a side ranked 122nd in the world presents a wonderful chance to put an end to that sequence, but O'Neill knows his side are never going to be free-scoring and must learn to edge close games when Euro 2016 qualifying begins later this year.

"We'll pick a team with a lot of attacking options against Cyprus and we want to see that bear fruit," O'Neill said.

"We want to see the team play on the front foot with a smile on their faces. You would obviously like to come away from home and score goals on a regular basis, but that's just not Northern Ireland and it never has been.

"The only people who can change that are these players, but we have to accept where we are. But if you look at the statistics [from World Cup qualification] one of the most interesting for me was that Greece won eight games and only scored 12 goals. "We have to look at how countries like that progress and qualify for tournaments."

England's Group D rivals in countdown to the 2014 World Cup: Costa Rica

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 09:39 AM PST

• Bryan Ruiz makes good start at PSV after leaving Fulham
• Players based in US, Europe back for last game in San José

Costa Rica play their last match in San José before the World Cup on Wednesday and the stakes are high. In January, Los Ticos lost their two games – 4-0 against Chile and 1-0 against South Korea – and, although the national coach, Jorge Luis Pinto, was without his best players for those games, a third defeat would have a significant impact on the team's confidence before the World Cup.

That confidence is high before the game against Paraguay, however, as Costa Rica are hard to beat in front of their own fans and had a perfect home record in the last round of qualification for the finals in Brazil. Pinto's men beat USA, Jamaica, Honduras, Panama and Mexico at the National Stadium.

Pinto has a strong squad to choose from for Wednesday's game with all the players based in Europe and the US – Keylor Navas (Levante), Bryan Ruiz (PSV), Joel Campbell (Olympiakos) and Álvaro Saborío (Real Salt Lake) – included. "The players are in good shape and they have been working hard with their clubs, which is important, because that is not something we can do in three or four days," Pinto told Al Día this week.

"I am happy on one hand and very aware on the other. We are playing some tough teams [in the World Cup] and I am watching a lot of English and Italian football at the weekends.

"If something goes wrong I will get the blame but that is why I love José Mourinho's style, he is aware of all the details."

Much of the focus will be on the striker Saborío, who is in pre-season with Real Salt Lake. He is the best goalscorer in the team and Pinto's main physical threat up front. He may be a little bit rusty, though, and may not last the 90 minutes. He did not start in the last qualifiers but scored the winner against Mexico.

Big game for Bryan Ruiz. The forward has had a good start at PSV after leaving Fulham, scoring three goals in six games. Now he needs to prove that the lack of playing time at Fulham has not affected his international football.

The Fiver | The grand plan to avoid a sweat-sodden second-round exit | Jacob Steinberg

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 09:04 AM PST

Click here to have the Fiver sent to your inbox every weekday at 5pm, or if your usual copy has stopped arriving

PARKING A THERAPIST'S COUCH IN FRONT OF GOAL

It is now officially 100 days until The Sunkist Amstrad Gazprom Holsten Pils Chicken Cottage Fifa World Cup begins and Fifa turning Brazil into its own personal cash machine. Across the country, excitement is building: some stadiums aren't ready, security concerns are rife and the heartless, football-hating brutes masquerading as the Brazilian public would much rather the money that's being ploughed into the tournament, all in the name of "legacy", was directed elsewhere, maybe to schools, hospitals and transport. What a bunch of poindexters. A few lively squirts of the water cannon from the Brazilian bobbies and they'll soon change their mind double sharpish, don't you worry, they're not going to put a dent in Uncle Sepp's money-making scheme and, more importantly, they're not going to spoil our summer of fun! That job's already been allocated to England – these things work to a tried and trusted formula and you can't be messing with that now.

Not with … 100 days to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's right. There are … 100 days to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's … 100 days to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One. Hundred. Days. To. Goooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See, the Fiver's in such a frenzy it could probably star in an advert for Cillit Bang. Also frothing at the mouth at the thought of a sweat-sodden second-round exit is England captain Stevie Mbe, who was jabbering away to the press before tomorrow's friendly against Denmark.

"It's a time to get excited," Stevie Mbe trilled. "I'm so excited and I just can't hide it. I'm about to lose control and I think I like it. I'm so excited and I just can't hide it. And I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I want you, want you [the World Cup trophy]," he didn't add. He then expressed admiration for the sports psychologist, Steve Peters, who has been drafted in to stop England crumbling like extra-mature cheddar at the first sign of trouble and if Peters' presence doesn't solve years of underinvestment at grassroots level, poor coaching and a lack of basic talent, what will? Uruguay and Italy will be running scared now – they'll find it hard to score once England have placed a therapist's couch in front of their goal. For the first time in living memory, England cannot be accused of failing to think outside the box.

Mr Roy was also available to keep expectations at an even keel and after revealing that he would definitely not be rocking the boat by asking José Mourinho to give Ashley Cole some more games at Chelsea and that Glen Johnson would be given his 50th cap, he was asked what he thought about spies watching England's training sessions in Brazil from the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain. Not very much, it turned out, and The Fiver is inclined to agree. After all, not much can be learnt from watching a team set out in Two Banks Of Four relentlessly bashing the ball up the field to an increasingly exasperated and red-faced Wayne Rooney, struggling to string two passes together and losing to itself on penalties.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"The image that people have about me is that I'm all about partying, that I'm indifferent to football, but that's as far from reality as could possibly be. I have, for example, talked to clubs who say they have heard stories about me, then I tell them that none of them are true. Of all the things said about me, I've only done one thing wrong. That was [drink driving] in Copenhagen. People think I'm a psychopath" – Nicklas Bendtner neglects to mention the barn doors that have gone unscathed as perhaps the chief reason for clubs swerving his services.

FIVER LETTERS

"I was interested to hear that Carson Yeung's evidence was "self-contradictory" and that he was "making it up as he went along" (yesterday's bits and bobs). Did Judge Douglas Yau enquire as to any links with David Moyes?" – Ben Kippin.

"Much as I appreciate the shout from Brent Lindsay (yesterday's letters), probably my only mention this week as you can have too much of a good thing, may I point out that he has misspelled my name? It is Phillipa with two ells and one pee and not the other way round. Mr Lindsay clearly cannot qualify as one of your 1057 pendants on that basis, though I am truly grateful to him for mentioning me, (never mind the spelling), in the same letter as Messrs Ribery, Ronaldo and Messi" – Phillipa Suarez.

"Has Alan Pardew increased his chances of being given the nod as the next head coach of England or will he just be the butt of many bad jokes?" – Jeff Todd.

• Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And if you've nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver. Today's winner of our prizeless letter o' the day is: Ben Kippin.

JOIN GUARDIAN SOULMATES

We keep trying to point out the utter futility of advertising an online dating service "for interesting people" in the Fiver to the naive folk who run Guardian Soulmates, but they still aren't having any of it. So here you go – sign up here to view profiles of the kind of erudite, sociable and friendly romantics who would never dream of going out with you.

BITS AND BOBS

Liverpool have given their players a motivational nudge towards Big Cup qualification by announcing that they made a £50m loss last year.

Aaron Ramsey will need a bigger wallet after agreeing to trouser £100,000 a week to stay at Arsenal for another five years. And in other news, Per Mertesacker and Tomas Rosicky have also been busy with the Arsenal ink.

Carlos Puyol will leave Barcelona at the end of the season. "I don't know what I will do on June 30. What I do know is that I will need time to rest," sniffed the Catalan Jamie Carragher.

The Premier League will write to Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan about details of a reported illegal bonus offered to his players before the match with Spurs on Sunday.

Jason Puncheon has been fined £15,000 by the FA for getting busy making claims about Neil Warnock on Twitter.

Stoke will appeal against the FA's decision to charge Charlie Adam with violent conduct after he left Olivier Giroud in heap on Saturday. "We feel this is trial by media. We are disgusted," quivered chairman Peter Coates.

And on a busy day for FA paper-pushers Nottingham Forest boss Billy Davies was slapped with a five-match ban for getting creative with language in a tunnel tête-à-tête with referee Anthony Taylor.

STILL WANT MORE?

Sailors and English-educated Danes planted the seeds for Europe's oldest rivalry, writes floating football brain-in-a-box Jonathan Wilson.

It's tough being a football legend's son. Good luck Enzo Zidane, says Paul Campbell.

When Chile met Italy boots were flying faster hooves in a cavalry charge, roars Simon Burnton in No4 of our 25 stunning World Cup moments.

If England were picked on league form Chris Smalling would be in the first XI. You can't argue with the stats. Well, you can here actually.

Oh, and if it's your thing, you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace.

SIGN UP TO THE FIVER (AND O FIVERÃO)

Want your very own copy of our free tea-timely(ish) email sent direct to your inbox? Has your regular copy stopped arriving? Click here to sign up. And you can also now receive our weekly World Cup email, O Fiverão; this is the latest edition, and you can sign up for it here.

'OH THINK TWICE, IT'S JUST ANOTHER DAY FOR YOU AND ME IN PARADISE'

Jacob Steinberg

Roy Hodgson announces England will use a sports psychologist in Brazil

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 08:14 AM PST

• Dr Steve Peters has worked with Liverpool
• Glen Johnson will win 50th cap against Denmark

The England manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed he will use a sports psychologist in the lead-up to the World Cup – naming Dr Steve Peters as the man who will help prepare his players for the challenges in Brazil.

Peters, who has worked closely with Liverpool and has a long-standing relationship with the England captain Steven Gerrard, will be involved with Hodgson's squad and the manager is pleased to have him on board.

"It is not just any psychologist," he said. "It is Dr Steve Peters, who is a very famous man in that area. He has a great CV of working in different sports and has been doing some work with Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers so Steve knows him well.

"It is something we have spoken about for some time but we wanted to get the right man – luckily Brendan let me talk to Steve and he has accepted our invitations so we are happy with that."

Peters has also worked successfully with the Great Britain cycling team and the five-times world snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Hodgson also confirmed Kyle Walker's withdrawal from Wednesday's friendly at home to Denmark and confirmed Glen Johnson is now set to earn his 50th cap.

"It is unfortunate of course," Hodgson said of Walker's hip injury. "He hasn't played for the last two or three games and we were hoping he would recover but he needs at least another week before he will be fit to play. He was with us last night, we had a 'Brazil' meeting to put our plans forward.

"There aren't that many defenders so there is a good chance, if you insist I tell you Glen Johnson will get his 50th cap at right-back, then I can say 'yes'."

Gerrard is joined in the England squad by Liverpool team-mates Johnson, Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson and the captain wants to see their club form reflected in a strong international showing if they are selected.

"I think we have got five in the squad and everyone is in good form and feeling confident," he said. "If everyone is selected hopefully they can bring their performances tomorrow night. We are happy with where we are in the table.

"You have got to give credit to Brendan Rogers – if you are good enough he plays you. He is not scared and he has been paid back by them with top-class performances."

Both Hodgson and Gerrard were involved in Tuesday's team meeting geared to the summer's World Cup, with preparations for Denmark beginning on Wednesday.

Although he would not be drawn into the intricacies of the meeting, Hodgson said he was hoping to instil a family feel amongst his squad.

"It [the meeting] was heavily focused on Brazil and it was the only time to do that," he said. "Part of the meeting was the obvious, about logistically what our plans are and where we are staying and for how long.

"What I said about the actual tournament was nothing spectacular but I don't think it is right to go out and broadcast those things.

"I like to think that sometimes in the world of football you can do things in the comfort of your own home, a dressing room or meeting room.

"You can speak to players and tell them quite frankly and honestly – like talking to family members – what is on your mind without finding out the next day a newspaper or TV company has broadcast your every word."

Puyol to leave Barça at end of season

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 08:07 AM PST

• Camp Nou captain rescinds final two years of his deal
• 35-year-old one-club man made Barça debut in 1999

The Barcelona captain Carles Puyol has announced he will be leaving the Spanish champions at the end of the season following a persistent battle with a knee injury.

The 35-year-old Spain international had a contract with Barça until 2016 but has reached an agreement with the club to rescind the final two years of the deal.

Puyol, who has spent his entire career at Barcelona and made his first-team debut in 1999, said: "I want to announce that at the end of the season I will no longer be a Barcelona player."

A fans' favourite for his battling displays, Puyol has been restricted to just five league games this season. He has the second highest number of appearances for the club with 593, only bettered by Xavi Hernández.

""I have told the club the situation and we are both in agreement that it is the right decision. I will rescind the two years left on my contract," Puyol added. "The injuries I have been suffering from have been worse than I expected and have not allowed me to play at my level.

"It is not finished today, there are three months of the championship left where those that know me are aware that I will not take it easy and I will fight to the end to try and help the team achieve their objectives this season."

Puyol came through the Barcelona youth system, La Masia, and was given his debut under the coach Louis van Gaal. He has been club captain for the past 10 years, but has been restricted in the past two seasons by knee injuries.

He has won 21 titles at the club and captained the famed "six cups" side of 2009 that won all the competitions open to them during that calendar year.

With Spain he won Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup but injury cost him a place in the victorious Euro 2012 squad.

The Spanish media have reported the Catalan could continue his career at a less-demanding level, such as Major League Soccer, but he has yet to give any hint of his next move. "I don't know what I will do after 30 June – what I am sure about is that after the season I will need to rest," Puyol added. "I have had four years without a break due to injuries. After that we will see."

Belgian futsal player gets 10-game ban for quenelle

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 08:06 AM PST

• Omar Rahou punished over goal celebration at Euro 2014
• Decision follows five-game ban for West Brom's Nicolas Anelka

Uefa has given a 10-match ban to a Belgian futsal player who made the same quenelle gesture that led to the West Bromwich Albion striker Nicolas Anelka being given a five-game suspension.

The difference in the sanction highlights the severity of the European body's minimum ban of 10 games for racist and discriminatory offences – the Football Association and Fifa have a minimum punishment of five games.

The Belgian player, Omar Rahou, made the gesture several times during the Futsal Euro 2014 tournament when celebrating a goal. The quenelle is widely seen as having antisemitic connotations.

Uefa said in a statement: "The fight against racism and other discriminatory behaviour is a high priority for Uefa. The European governing body has a zero-tolerance policy towards racism and discrimination on the pitch and in the stands. All forms of racist conduct are considered serious offences against the disciplinary regulations and are punished with the most severe sanctions.

"Following the entry into force of the new disciplinary regulations on June 1 2013, the fight against racist behaviour has been stepped up a level – resulting in more severe sanctions as deterrents."

Anelka has seven days to consider whether to appeal against his ban once he has received the full written reasons from the independent regulatory commission that imposed the suspension.

The FA commission accepted there was no intent by the forward to be antisemitic but, under strict liability rules, he was found guilty of an aggravated offence.

Anelka insisted the salute was in support of his friend, the French comedian Dieudonné M'bala M'bala, the person who brought the quenelle to prominence. Dieudonné has been prosecuted for antisemitic offences and has been barred from entering the UK.

Stoke City to appeal against Charlie Adam's violent conduct charge

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 08:05 AM PST

• Player facing three-match ban if found guilty
• 'We feel this is trial by media. We are disgusted'

The Stoke City chairman, Peter Coates, has branded the Football Association's decision to charge Charlie Adam with violent conduct as "appalling".

Adam is alleged to have stood on Arsenal's Olivier Giroud in the second half of City's 1-0 home win on Saturday in an incident missed by referee Mike Jones.

Adam faces a three-match ban if found guilty and, despite the possibility of that punishment being increased, Coates has declared the club's intention to appeal "vigorously".

Coates told the Stoke Sentinel: "We feel this is trial by media. We are disgusted. Charlie absolutely assures us it was not intentional. We will defend it vigorously. It is appalling."

Coates is said to be particularly aggrieved that other recent incidents that were missed at the time by match officials went unpunished. He added: "We have seen some of the things that have gone on in recent weeks and no one has been called to account."

Ukraine vs USA friendly set to go ahead on Wednesday

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 07:51 AM PST

Ukraine FA president says exhibition game which was moved to Cyprus due to political situation will be played on Wednesday

Steve Busfield

Barcelona send replacement footballs to West Bank village - video

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 07:37 AM PST

Palestinian schoolchildren in the village of Kafr Sur in Tulkarem receive footballs from Barcelona FC

Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner: 'I have been made into a psychopath'

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 07:19 AM PST

• Dane fears 'unjust' reputation hinders search for new club
• Striker wants fresh start in team where no one knows him

Nicklas Bendtner fears his image has been a hindrance as he searches for a club to relaunch his career away from Arsenal. The Denmark striker, who is in the squad to play England at Wembley on Wednesday, expects to find pastures new in the summer but admits he has had to explain away a reputation where he feels he has been "made into a psychopath" in terms of public perception.

"I have, for example, talked to clubs who say they have heard this or that story about me. So I have to tell them that it is not true. Of all the things that I have been associated with I have only done one thing wrong and that was in Copenhagen [an arrest for drink driving]. Regardless of this I have, bit by bit, in people's eyes been made into a psychopath."

He is hopeful for a new chance and a player who earlier in the season was quoted as seeing the next step of his career at Barcelona or Real Madrid has reset his aims as to what level of club is a likely destination. "I would much rather take a club that is close to the Champions League, as a number five-to-eight in its league, where I know that I play," he told the Danish paper Jyllands-Posten.

"If you are in an industry you surely want to reach the top. I am still the same but I have just not played the games. It hasn't affected my self-esteem, apart from the fact that I can't wait until I get a break – an opportunity. I am just waiting to be unleashed. This is why I don't care about anything else but football. I just want to play football. I'm ready for a new chapter. For something completely different. A fresh start. No team-mates who I know or know of me and the club does not know me and doesn't have those stereotypical notions about me."

Bendtner was due to move to Crystal Palace last summer, only for Arsenal to block a move on deadline day when their search for a replacement striker collapsed. Opportunities since then have been limited. He has started only one Premier League game – against Hull in December, in which he scored in the second minute – and appears to have now slipped behind Yaya Sanogo as Olivier Giroud's deputy.

He feels slightly burned by his experience this season at Arsenal. "Yes, you can probably say that," he says. "I do not feel that I have had a very fair chance." But he is honest enough to admit in some moments he didn't deserve it. "There have been times when I feel like I should have played more and there have been times when I have not been entirely fair to the club. When I was younger I wasn't as professional as I should have been.

"My self-esteem and my confidence as a footballer has not changed but there are not many who know that, as the only picture of me is all about partying and that I am completely indifferent to football. That couldn't be further away from the truth. When I find my right club, I am sure that everything will be all right."

Bendtner's record for Denmark is excellent, with 24 goals from 56 appearance on the international stage.

Amy Lawrence

What if Roy Hodgson picked his England team on Premier League form?

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 07:10 AM PST

What Hodgson's team would look like if it was based on Premier League performances this season. Plus European best XIs

England's best 11 players this season

Premier League team of the week

La Liga team of the week

Bundesliga team of the week

Serie A team of the week

Ligue 1 team of the week

Tactical talking point: England's best 11 under Roy Hodgson

Roy Hodgson's latest England squad selection didn't really throw up any surprises but there were a number of players that could count themselves unlucky not to have received the call. Familiar faces such as James Milner, Jermain Defoe and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are in the squad despite starting just seven, three and three Premier League games, with the latter's absence due to injury rather than falling out of favour.

Meanwhile, there remains a place for Kyle Walker, who will not be fit for the friendly against Denmark on Wednesday night, and the much maligned Tom Cleverley. Hodgson was quick to say that the likes of Gareth Barry, Adam Johnson and Andy Carroll would all still be considered for the World Cup, but beyond that the picture looks pretty bleak.

In our side, Joe Hart takes his place in goal despite a dip in form early on in the season. His rating of 6.67 is the best of all Premier League goalkeepers who have made more than 10 appearances. He gets the nod over John Ruddy (6.63), while Ben Foster's rating of 6.47 leaves a lot to be desired.

Both Glen Johnson and Kyle Walker make the squad as usual, though an injury to the latter is unlikely to see him take any part. Crystal Palace's Joel Ward has a superior rating (7.25) to both players. The versatile 24-year-old has won more tackles per game than the England pair (3.4) and his ability on the ball has helped him slot in at central midfield on occasion.

With Phil Jagielka and Phil Jones both sidelined, Hodgson took the chance to give Cardiff City's Steven Caulker a call-up, with the former Spurs man one of only three centre-backs in the squad. In doing so, he overlooked Curtis Davies, who has had an excellent impact in his first season with Hull. The Tigers have had a better season than most would have expected and the 28-year-old has played an important role, averaging 4.4 aerial duels and 2.8 interceptions per game.

From the squad available, Chris Smalling has a slightly better rating than Caulker, so he may partner Gary Cahill, who has been in excellent form alongside John Terry. With Chelsea boasting the best defensive record in the league by a distance (22 conceded), many have called for the ex-England captain to be talked out of international retirement.

Luke Shaw received his first England call-up and will hope to force his way into Hodgson's plans ahead of Ashley Cole. The left-back spot seems to be Leighton Baines' to lose for now though, with the Everton man's rating up at 7.25 compared to Shaw (7.03) and Cole (6.89).

Steven Gerrard's form shows no real signs of decline, playing as he does now in a deeper role for both club and country. The Liverpool man is the top-rated Englishman (7.73) in the league this season. Jordan Henderson (7.26) has the highest rating of the other midfielders in the squad, but Gareth Barry's rating of 7.36 suggests he should be on the plane to Brazil. The veteran midfielder maintains an impressive 86.2% pass accuracy from 70.9 attempts per game but is capable of playing incisive passes too, averaging 1.4 key passes and picking up three assists.

In comparison to someone like Tom Cleverley, there is little contest, with the United man averaging 54.9 passes but just 0.5 key passes per match, failing to register an assist all season. Indeed, of all English central midfielders in the top-flight, Cleverley ranks down in 20th in our ratings with a modest 6.81 (also significantly behind the likes of Mark Noble, Tom Huddlestone and Fabian Delph).

In the attacking midfield positions, Hodgson seems well equipped, despite the absence of Theo Walcott through injury. From those selected, the ratings suggest that Adam Lallana and Raheem Sterling deserve to flank Wayne Rooney, leaving the likes of Andros Townsend, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Danny Welbeck and Jay Rodriguez on the sidelines.

Lallana has an impressive seven goals and five assists to his name, as well as averaging two successful dribbles per match, while Sterling took his goal tally to six at the weekend, He has three assists and averages 2.5 completed dribbles per game. With both players showing impressive work-rate, it would be hard to argue against their inclusion.

The front pairing picks itself, with Wayne Rooney starting in behind Daniel Sturridge, who had scored in eight successive Premier League games before this weekend. Ten goals and nine assists in the league for Rooney, meanwhile, indicate that he could be the man to provide Sturridge with the necessary ammunition.

All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find yet more stats, including live in-game data and unique player and team ratings.

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Martin Laurence

Everton's Gerard Deloufeu hopes to be back at Barcelona next season

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 06:31 AM PST

• Spanish winger will not extend his one-year deal at Goodison
• 'I want to earn a place in Barça's attacking line'

Everton's on-loan Spanish winger Gerard Deulofeu hopes he is playing for Barcelona next season.

The 19-year-old joined Everton on a one-year loan deal from Barça last summer and has scored twice in 15 Premier League appearances.

Although he has enjoyed his time at Goodison Park, he is making plans to run out at the Camp Nou on a regular basis from the autumn.

"I am working hard with the aim of returning to Barça next season," Deulofeu told Catalunya Radio. "I want to earn a place in Barça's attacking line.

"I accepted the challenge [at Everton] last summer and I am happy with my decision. Now I am more mature as a person and as a player.

"Perhaps there was a lack of confidence in me [at Barcelona], but that is normal as I was young and it's difficult to find coaches that trust young players."

Wednesday, 5 March 2014