Stuttgart, July 7
Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann returns to his home city of Stuttgart tomorrow for the World Cup third-place match determined to finish the campaign in style and give the fans something to celebrate.

Klinsmann, who was born in a small town near the city and made his name as a clinical finisher at Stuttgart, has every reason to be proud of returning there to face Portugal.

The hosts, who went further than most people expected and only lost to Italy after extra time in the semifinal, want to give the fans something to cheer in their final appearance.

There is also the matter of clinching the Golden Shoe award for striker Miroslav Klose, who tops the World Cup scoring charts with five goals so far but is doubtful through injury.

“We definitely want to win the match. In the Olympics, the bronze medal counts for something,” said goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, who will drop out of the starting line-up to give Germany’s number two Oliver Kahn a taste of the action.

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has his own reasons for wanting to finish the tournament with a victory.

“We have to get rid of this melancholy, we still have a target,” said the upbeat Brazilian.

“Third place at the World Cup is not to be sniffed at. We’ll go on to the field with the same dedication we’ve shown so far.”

The third-place match is often criticised as a lame duck but the hosts, Portugal and FIFA have all put on a brave face before the game and a sell-out crowd will ensure a vibrant atmosphere.

The fixture is notorious, though, for pitting two emotionally shattered teams against each other when they might prefer to slink off home and bury their sorrows quietly.

Germany, in particular, will have a big job to lift themselves after their dramatic semifinal defeat on Tuesday, when Italy scored twice at the end of extra time.

Portugal’s dream of a first appearance in the World Cup final ended with a controversial penalty as they lost 1-0 to France on Wednesday.

Their exit was less traumatic as they surpassed expectations by making the last four for the first time since 1966.

FIFA defends the third-place fixture’s existence at every World Cup and spokesman Markus Siegler was clearly prepared when, inevitably, he was questioned about it on Wednesday.

“I believe there is still a high value in this match,” he said. “For the players it matters whether they come in third or fourth. Especially with Germany playing in the match, I think the interest will be high.”

Germany are certainly taking the game very seriously and Klose will be desperate to play since his five-goal tally is two ahead of Thierry Henry and three in front of Luca Toni, the France and Italy strikers who are preparing for Sunday’s final.

However, the tournament’s top scorer may have to miss the match with a calf problem and Germany will also be without captain Michael Ballack, who has an inflamed left knee, defender Per Mertesacker, who will have surgery on his foot this week, and right back Arne Friedrich with a knee injury.

Portugal also have at least one player missing with defender Ricardo Carvalho suspended and right back Miguel doubtful after limping out of Wednesday’s defeat by France. — Reuters

Berlin, July 7
German forward Lukas Podolski has been named Best Young Player at the World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal was runner-up, according to FIFA. Other finalists were Lionel Messi of Argentina, Luis Valencia of Ecuador, Tranquillo Barnetta of Switzerland and Cesc Fabregas of Spain.

Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Valencia made the shortlist by finishing in the top three of fan voting via www.FIFAworldcup.com while Barnetta, Fabregas and Podolski were nominated by FIFA’s Technical Study Group. Podolski finished fourth in the fan vote, which drew nearly one million ballots.

The 14 members of the Technical Study Group decided the winner. The original field consisted of 40 players. Podolski, who turned 21 on June 4, has three goals in six matches at the tournament.

“It is a great motivation to go on playing and become more successful,” Podolski said after receiving the award at a press conference.

The Polish-born striker was chosen ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was blamed by England players for encouraging the referee to send off Wayne Rooney in England’s quarterfinal defeat.

Holger Osieck, who heads the FIFA Technical Study Group, dismissed English journalists’ assertions that Cristiano Ronaldo was a “cheat” and therefore did not meet the fair play criteria for the award.

“I would not agree. That is a harsh formulation,” Osieck said in reference to accusations that Cristiano Ronaldo had urged referee Horacio Elizondo to dismiss England striker Rooney off after he had stamped on Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho.

Podolski won because of the efficiency of his play, his skills and the fun he brought to the game, Osieck said. — AP, AFP

Duisburg, July 7
Italy’s golden boy Francesco Totti has flattered to deceive on the international stage, and Sunday’s World Cup final could be his last chance to show the planet he really is the genuine article.

According to Italy coach Marcello Lippi, the Roma captain is almost certain to call time on his Azzurri career after the Berlin showpiece against France.

“As far as I’m aware it’s 90 per cent he will quit,” Lippi said on Wednesday. “However, you always have to wait to find out what is going through people’s hearts and minds before commenting,” he added, suggesting there is a small chance Totti will continue.

The 29-year-old striker broke his left ankle in February and spent three months on the sidelines, raising doubts that he would be fit in time to travel to Germany.

But days of intense workouts in the gym and at Roma’s Trigoria training ground convinced Lippi to name Totti in his 23-man squad.

The talismanic Roman struggled for fitness in the early matches of the tournament and his sluggish performances were heavily criticised by the Italian media.

He was sensationally dropped by Lippi for the second round match against Australia, but came off the bench to score the winning penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Totti showed nerves of steel to slam home the spot-kick and wasted no time in hitting back at his detractors.

“Now let the critics talk about me,” he said. “Up till now they have massacred me. I am sure they won’t be happy. I never answered them back, I was waiting to give my response on the pitch.”

As his fitness has improved, so have his performances, and he showed touches of genius in the 2-0 extra-time defeat of Germany in Tuesday’s semifinal in which he played the full 120 minutes.

Totti can turn it on week in, week out in Serie A, but there is a sense of unfulfilled potential about him at international level with just nine goals in 60 appearances and only a handful of memorable moments.

And unless Totti produces something special for Italy on Sunday he is likely to be best remembered for his poor disciplinary record.

He was tipped to lead the Azzurri to success at the 2004 European championships, but instead he left Portugal in disgrace after spitting in the face of Denmark’s Christian Poulsen in the first game of the tournament. Totti was given a three-match ban and Italy were knocked out in the group stages.

And at the World Cup in 2002, he failed to score in six matches and was sent off for diving in Italy’s shock second-round defeat against co-hosts South Korea. — AFP

Hamlin, July 7
Italy, who meet France in the World Cup final on Sunday, have received generous praise from an unexpected quarter — Raymond Domenech.

The 54-year-old French coach revealed himself as an out-and-out fan of Marcelo Lippi’s Azzurri, and was savouring the prospect of the clash in Berlin.

“The game has the makings of a beautiful occasion,” he said here less than 24 hours after Zinedine Zidane’s penalty fired Les Bleus past Portugal and one step away from the title.

“A beautiful occasion because it’s a World Cup final and because it’s against Italy.

“I’m a strong admirer of the team, I feel attached to the way they play. Games with Italy are never boring and always leave an impression.”

That was certainly the case when France ran out golden-goal winners against the Italians in the Euro 2000 final.

Italy partly owe their presence in Berlin to Lippi’s brave late substitutions which bolstered his forward line to four strikers with the move paying off handsomely as his side prevailed 2-0 in extra time with penalties looming.

Domenech, for one, was impressed. “Italy pulled off a real achievement in beating Germany and from what I saw the choice of tactics transformed the game,” commented Domenech. — AFP

Berlin, July 7
The new version of the much criticised football world rankings has been revealed by FIFA. Chief among the changes is that results from the past four years and not eight as was previously the case will only be taken into account.

Two other former factors have been taken out of the equation — number of goals scored and whether the matches were played at home.

Points will be allocated thus in major championships with three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat.

Germany in particular had complained that them being 19th in the rankings while Mexico are fourth and the United States fifth is unfair and that they have been penalised for playing friendlies for the past two years. As hosts, Germany did not have to qualify for the World Cup.

The United States crashed out in the first round and were highlighted as a particular disappointment by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, second ranked the Czech Republic also went in the first cull and Mexico in the second round.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said the new system was more simple. “We have acknowledged the need for a substantial revision. I am convinced our experts have come up with a satisfactory solution for a new way of calculating rankings,’ Blatter said in a statement.

The next world rankings, first created in 1993, will be published on July 12. — AFP

London, July 7
Bill Shankly felt football was more important than life and death, and fans around the world agreed with the former Liverpool manager today. Scotsman Shankly, who died of a heart attack in 1981, beat former Manchester United and France forward Eric Cantona in a poll organised by the Plain English Campaign to pick football’s most memorable quote.

Shankly struck a chord when he said: “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I’m very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”

Campaign spokesman Dave Smith told Reuters: “We surveyed 10,000 supporters in 80 countries. They really liked the power of the Shankly quote.

“Votes for him peaked after England went out to Portugal in the quarterfinals (of the World Cup). It described their passion for football. We got votes from all over, from Australia, the Americas, all English-speaking countries.”

Shankly’s passionate commitment to the game gave him the top spot above Cantona, who once bewildered fans by saying: “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it’s because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea”.

The third place went to former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne for saying: “I never predict anything and I never will”.

BBC commentator John Motson took two of the top-10 spots.

“I think this could be our best victory over Germany since the War”, said Motson, who also once declared “the World Cup is a truly international event”.

Former Manchester United great George Best, famous for his passion for the good life, was at number eight in the poll for saying: “I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars. The rest I just squandered”.

Smith said: “We have been conducting the poll throughout the World Cup and thought the final was the perfect time to publish it.”

The Plain English Campaign is an independent group which urges clearer information in public documents.

Each year it takes great delight in naming and shaming bureaucrats, politicians and companies who mangle the language into incomprehensibility. — Reuters

Berlin, July 7
Argentina’s Horacio Elizondo was selected to referee Sunday’s World Cup final between three-time champion Italy and 1998 winner France.

Elizondo, a 42-year-old physical education teacher, officiated Portugal’s quarterfinal victory over England, when he sent off England striker Wayne Rooney for stepping on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho.

The Argentine official also was the referee at the opening match on June 9, when host Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2 in Munich.

Dario Garcia and Rodolfo Otero, also of Argentina, will work the sidelines for the match at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, FIFA general secretary Urs Linsi said yesterday.

Japan’s Toru Kamikawa will handle tomorrow’s third-place match between Germany and Portugal in Stuttgart. — AP