Rooney returns to England action for the first time in seven months in Saturday’s Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia with his disappointing international displays a source of concern. The Manchester United striker hasn’t scored in a meaningful England match for over three years and he conceded this week that his performances for his country in the last two years have been a let-down.

Rooney deserves credit for his candour and McClaren was also surprisingly honest in his assessment of arguably the most gifted player in his squad. “To see Wayne expressing disappointment in his performance is refreshing and we should see more of that,” McClaren said.

“From my personal point of view Wayne has the potential to be a world-class player. He still has a long way to go and a lot to learn.

“He is a very important player for England and has proved that over the years. He knows what potential he’s got and he knows what he’s got to do to realise it.”

Rooney is mystified by his failure to reproduce the dynamic form he shows for United when he pulls on an England shirt. McClaren believes the 21-year-old has suffered because injuries and suspension have stopped him getting into a groove with England. “I would say Wayne has been a little unfortunate with England that he has missed squads with injury and when he has come in he has just been getting back into form. He hasn’t really had a consistent run with the England squad that you need. We haven’t had him on a regular basis. You need consistency in performance. He hasn’t had that and it’s really hampered him.”

Rooney’s troubles with England can hardly have helped his partnership with Michael Owen.

England’s premier forwards with be reunited against Estonia for the first time since last year’s World Cup, but their undoubted talents have rarely dovetailed well.

Steven Gerrard, England’s captain in the absence of the injured John Terry, remains convinced they can work together as well as Owen did with Emile Heskey in England’s last two matches.

“I don’t see why not,” Gerrard said. “I think it’s a great partnership. They are different. One runs behind and one comes short.

“For a midfielder that is perfect. Hopefully Wayne can perform to Emile’s level over the last two games.

“I’ve seen Wayne’s quotes over the last couple of days and I think he’s been a bit hard on himself.

“He’s suffered big injuries and hasn’t played for England for a while. We’ve been seeing with Manchester United that Wayne is getting back to his best.

“I’m confident he can come in, play well and hopefully get a goal as well.”

Seems to me, if he can get his headbutt down right ala Zidane, he’ll do just fine. Now that’s a world class player right there.

“The referee looked at me and said, ‘You can’t play in that,’” the 15-year-old told The Tampa Tribune. “This isn’t headgear or anything. It’s part of the faith. I don’t think it should be a problem that I wear it.”

A league official overruled referee Steve Richardson during half-time, but he still refused to let the Muslim girl play in the second half of the game.

“At first I was extremely upset,” she said. “I got very emotional. I kept my cool. I wiped my face because I was crying. But then everyone rallied around us. All the team. All the parents. Even the other team. It was just phenomenal.”

The league later apologized to Iman and reminded referees that players are allowed to wear religious articles as long they don’t pose a threat of injury.

Her team, the Hernando Heat, won the game. A different referee allowed to her play in Sunday’s game, which her team lost 1-0.

“There was nothing we could do,” said Frank Villaizan. “Once the referee steps on the field, he is the governing body of that field. He runs the game, and we respect that.”

Richardson, the referee, couldn’t be reached for comment, according to the local newspaper.

Khalil said the white-and-blue head scarf has never been an issue in the two years she has played competitively across the state for the Hernando Heat, an under-16 girls squad.

Her teammates, parents, even members of the opposing Zephyrhills Bulldogs, all urged the referee, Steve Richardson, to let Khalil play, to no avail.

Richardson stood by his decision even after the United Soccer Association’s referee assignor for Pinellas County, Demetrios Papas, checked with the league at halftime and was told Khalil could play the second half, said Mike Duke, an assistant coach for the Heat.

Papas initially backed Richardson before checking with the league at halftime, Duke said.

“That’s the really disappointing thing,” Duke said. “He had an opportunity to make it right at that point, and he chose not to. Both teams were screaming for him to let her play. Still, he wouldn’t do it.”

Richardson could not be reached for comment.

Duke was at a loss to understand the decision.

“The intent of the rule is to make sure you don’t gain a competitive advantage,” Duke said. “How does she gain an advantage?”

Frank Villaizan, president of the USA’s executive board, said Saturday night he did not know much about the incident but expressed regret.

“It’s a shame,” he said. “I don’t like politics in sports.”

Villaizan said the center referee makes the ultimate decision on how the game is run. Asked if Richardson exceeded his authority by refusing to allow Khalil to play the second half, Villaizan said, “That you would have to ask the Florida State Referees Association.”

“If I’m not mistaken, on our end it was, ‘Yeah, play her,’” he said. “I’m sorry this happened.”

One parent, Angela Dombkowski of Pasco County, whose 15-year-old daughter is a right forward on the Heat, called the incident “heartbreaking.”

“All she’s doing is standing up for what she believes,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with that. She does get ridiculed when she’s out there playing. Somebody always makes a comment to her because of her head scarf. It’s just kids being rude, you know.”

Khalil’s benching brought her and her mother, Hernando County physician Lisa Allen-Khalil, to tears. Yet they were heartened by the show of support they received.

“At first I was extremely upset,” Allen-Khalil said. “I got very emotional. I kept my cool. I wiped my face because I was crying. But then everyone rallied around us. All the team. All the parents. Even the other team. It was just phenomenal.”

Her daughter’s head scarf might draw a look or a comment while she is out with friends at a mall, her mother said, “but nothing on this scale before at all. This is really very new to us.”

The Heat, which won Saturday’s game 4-0, plays at 1:30 p.m. today against the South Hillsborough Soccer Celtics at Putnam Park, 799 Riviere Road in Palm Harbor.

Khalil hopes to be in the lineup and allowed to play.

A not dissimilar tale is told here.

The aim of afc teams is to get top position in the next championship; super bowl. The championship already got sponsors for next tournament because of increasing popularity of american football, not only in America but also in other parts of world, especially in Europe.

Immigration officials denied Simione Tamanisau a visa because his father-in-law is in Fiji’s military forces. Under sanctions in place following December’s coup in the South Pacific nation, members of the Fiji military and their families are banned from traveling to New Zealand.

“The goalkeeper should have the right to play,” FIFA said in a statement. The organization said it could not allow the match to take place, “in order to preserve this sporting principle as well as the competitive integrity of the qualifying campaign.”

FIFA said its request for the New Zealand government to reconsider its decision was rejected, forcing the postponement of the match in Auckland. Tamanisau was the only Fijian to be denied a visa. The efforts of New Zealand Football, the Fiji Football Association and the Oceania Football Confederation were praised for their attempts to resolve the issue.
“Football is truly a global game and to have a match involving political interference would set a bad precedent,” the OFC said in a statement on its Web site.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the decision was a “complete u-turn” by FIFA and that Football New Zealand had been assured this week that the game would go ahead as scheduled.

“Entry to another country is a privilege, and all countries retain the right to exclude individuals in accordance with their immigration policy,” Peters said. “Sporting bodies do not determine those policies.”

Fiji Football Association president Dr Sahu Khan said he planned to take the situation to the international Court of Arbitration for Sport. He was sure the court would nullify the game because it was “grossly unfair”, he told the New Zealand Herald.

According to Blatter, “it would preserve a club’s identity.” Well, as far as I can tell, the identity of a football club has always come from its supporters rather than its players. Let’s face it, as far as Arsenal fans are concerned, Liverpool is no further removed than Russia.

The Fifa president also says that it would help the development of youth players. Where on earth he comes up with this idea is beyond me.

Fewer players would go abroad and more would stay home. That’s a good thing, right? I don’t think so. More likely they would simply stay at the big clubs in their own countries. And, while it might make the top teams in the Netherlands, Portugal and other “exporting” countries more competitive, it would also maintain, if not increase, the gap between rich and poor domestically.

Countries like Brazil, Argentina and Nigeria thrive on exporting players. Is it fair to deny them the right to export one of their most prized commodities? Of course not. This whole suggestion is unwirkable and I really wonder what on earth he is thinking.

Trade barriers do not work. All that happens is that prices for domestic goods increase and the quality of those goods decreases. If the rule were introduced tomorrow in the Premier League, not only would the cost of English players increase dramatically, those English players would be facing inferior competition, and likely the game would suffer.

So, please remove your oar from the water Mr. Blatter.

For me, the real issue is, who cares? I don’t want to fuck him, I just want to see him play football. But, the Brazilians seem to be taking the whole thing as a slur on the game of football, in fact their entire nation. If one footballer is gay, does that make the rest of the country gay too? Methinks the lady does protest too much, but he is a pretty boy.