Sewage spill ruins Englands WC uniforms. Elsewhere, fish and pelicans smile...

[memyselfI]

You can't make this stuff up. Let the one liners begin.


http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/wor...dry061510.html

England’s soccer team often has been accused of airing its dirty laundry in public, but at this World Cup it was forced to do it for real.

A bizarre incident at the team’s hotel in Sun City saw the team’s entire kit of jersey, shorts, socks and sweat suits covered in a disgusting mess after a sewage drain overflowed and flooded the storage room where the uniforms were being kept.

The accident was the latest mishap to befall Fabio Capello’s side, which has endured appalling luck since arriving in South Africa and sees its tag as one of the tournament favorites slipping rapidly.

Equipment manager Tom McKechnie and his assistants were forced to spend all day Monday washing and rewashing the all-white clothing to avoid it being ruined by dark stains.

The English press pack found out about the sewage incident – which was confirmed by team management without formal comment – on Tuesday morning.

“More stains on England’s reputation,” joked Daily Telegraph soccer writer Henry Winter on his Twitter account. “World Cup kit hit when drain overflowed at hotel, needing frantic rewashing. England in a lather again.”

The kit saga, although an inconvenience, actually added a lighthearted touch to what has been a miserable week for the squad. Saturday night’s 1-1 draw with the United States was seen as a major disappointment and was highlighted by goalkeeper Robert Green’s atrocious fumble, which allowed Clint Dempsey to score the equalizing goal. Criticism from the English public has been constant and vitriolic.

Tension within the camp has not been helped by the emergence of a public war of words between England and its fiercest soccer rival, Germany.

Franz Beckenbauer, who led Germany (then West Germany) to World Cup glory as a player in 1974 and as coach in 1990 – and is considered one of the sport’s all-time greats – was scathing in his assessment of England’s performance against Team USA.

“What I saw from the English had very little to do with football,” Beckenbauer said. “It looked to me as if the English have gone backwards into the old times of kick and rush,” referring to a more direct style of long-ball attacking that is now seen as outdated.

“I am not sure if Capello can change much there. The English are being punished for the fact that there are very few of their players in the English Premier League as teams use better foreign players from all over the world.”

England and Germany have regularly butted heads in major competitions, and the wounds are still raw. England’s only World Cup success came in 1966, when it beat West Germany in extra time thanks to a controversial goal. But the Germans knocked England out of the tournament twice since, fighting back from 2-0 down in the quarterfinal in 1970 and then on penalties in 1990.

England defender Jamie Carragher insisted that Germany, which thrashed Australia 4-0 in its opening game in South Africa, has gained an advantage by being able to using the much-maligned adidas Jabulani ball in its domestic league. The EPL uses a Nike ball and players have had to adapt quickly to the new product – whereas Germany’s stars have used the Jabulani all season.

“That is exactly what we were saying last night,” said Carragher, when asked if the Germans had gained an unfair edge. “That’s obvious. The ball is very different; I am sure it has helped them.”