JOHANNESBURG: Diego Maradona shrugged off the latest World Cup referee blunder on Sunday to demand more protection for Lionel Messi, Argentina`s prize asset and key to the country`s title hopes. Argentina saw off Mexico 3-1 to book a quarter-final clash against Germany but the Mexicans

LONDON: English commentators launched scathing attacks Monday on their football team`s dire performance against Germany which ended the country`s World Cup hopes, as calls mounted for Fabio Capello to quit. Newspapers saved some of their criticism for the referee in the game who

WASHINGTON: Two men were shot to death by a gunman at a party in Texas after a heated argument over an upcoming World Cup soccer match, the online edition of The Dallas Morning News said Sunday. Four men were apparently involved in the early morning altercation at a house in Dallas,

BLOEMFONTEIN: Humiliated England fans let rip at their team, manager and the referee after being dumped out of the World Cup Sunday as Germans savoured their rivals` pain over a disallowed goal after nursing a 44-year grudge. Many of the fans who had paid a small fortune to travel to

BLOEMFONTEIN: Germany inflicted England`s record World Cup finals defeat on Sunday after a 4-1 victory in their Last 16 match that was overshadowed by one of the worst refereeing mistakes in the tournament`s history. Germany`s superior movement and ruthless finishing made them worthy

LONDON: Frank Lampard`s `goal` against Germany in their World Cup last 16 match on Sunday may have been mistakenly ruled as not having crossed the line, but England`s bookmakers have decided to pay out on it in any case. Ladbrokes will pay out on their popular `Geoff Hurst special

BRIDGETOWN: Ottis Gibson felt let down again by the way West Indies batted on the opening day of the third and final Test against South Africa on Saturday. The West Indies coach bemoaned the uncommitted approach of the batsmen, which resulted in his side being bowled out for a modest 231

JOHANNESBURG: FIFA lavished praise on South Africa for its hosting of the World Cup as the second round kicked off Saturday, saying the country was on track for a "perfect" tournament. Despite some initial problems, especially transportation on the opening day when traffic jams caused

CAPE TOWN: Halfway through the World Cup, tourism officials say football fans have already brought an economic windfall that looks set to keep rolling as a raft of big countries play in the second round. Business is booming with foreign fans at bars and restaurants, which are also

CAPE TOWN: South Korea reinforced its reputation as a credible football force with battling qualities at the World Cup, but Park Ji-Sung admits their defence let them down having conceded eight goals. They came into the tournament among an elite group of just six nations to have

SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak hopes former colonial ruler Japan will fly the footballing flag for Asia after his own country was eliminated from the World Cup. "I hope that Japan, on behalf of Asia, will advance to the quarter-finals with the eight strongest teams by

JOHANNESBURG: Chile will be out to derail Brazil`s drive towards a sixth World Cup title here on Monday when the South American teams meet in their Round of 16 showdown. The Chileans are at the World Cup finals for the first time since France 1998 and their negotitiation of the group

DURBAN: When your national press labels your progression from group stage to knock-out phase of the World Cup as a "miracle", it sums up the notion of a being a rank outsider in world football. Slovakia go into Monday`s second-round game against the Netherlands, on a run of seven wins

CAPE TOWN: Halfway through the World Cup, tourism officials say football fans have already brought an economic windfall that looks set to keep rolling as a raft of big countries play in the second round. Business is booming with foreign fans at bars and restaurants, which are also

LONDON (AFP) – French Open champion Rafael Nadal narrowly avoided an embarrassing exit at Wimbledon as he dug deep to beat Germany`s Philipp Petzschner 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-3 in the third round on Saturday. Nadal, the 2008 winner here, had been pushed to five sets by unheralded

JOHANNESBURG: Surprise contenders Ghana and Uruguay will compete for a place in the World Cup semi-finals at Soccer City here on July 2 after both sides came through tight last-16 matches on Saturday. Ghana reached the last eight for the first time by beating the United States 2-1 after

RUSTENBURG: Energized by the support of a continent, Ghana`s Black Stars have matched the best World Cup run by any African side by reaching a quarter-final showdown against Uruguay on Friday. Now the dreams of the four-time African champions stretch far beyond the final eight, all the

PORT ELIZABETH: Uruguay became the first country to make it into the World Cup quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over South Korea at a sodden Nelson Mandela Bay stadium here on Saturday. Goals in either half from Luis Suarez earned Uruguay - who last made the quarter-finals in 1970 before

PRETORIA: Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque said his team will be able to kick on after they secured their place in the World Cup last 16 with a 2-1 win over Chile on Friday. Spain lost their opening group game against Switzerland and despite beating Honduras, they knew that anything other

BLOEMFONTEIN: Be careful of what you wish for. Sometimes it is what you get, as Wayne Rooney has found out. Asked last week if he would relish the prospect of meeting Germany in the second round of the World Cup, England`s talisman responded: "Yes! It would be nice to beat them." At the