Howard Webb has admitted that his dream of refereeing a World Cup final was soured by the conduct of the players in Johannesburg. Holland and Spain accrued 14 yellow and one red card between them as Webb and his assistants, Darren Cann and Mike Mullarkey, struggled to stem the flow of fouls and dissent. The…

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has jumped to the defence of Manchester United fullback Patrice Evra over France's World Cup meltdown. New York Red Bull signing Henry does not feel Manchester United’s Evra, who took the captain’s armband from Henry, is as much the villain of the piece as he has been portrayed. Chelsea icon Marcel…

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has no regrets missing Holland's run to the World Cup final. Van der Sar stood down from Holland duty after Euro 2008 to concentrate on United, but reached a record 130 caps when he came out of retirement for two World Cup qualifiers and then turned down a…

Fabio Capello's son has apologised on behalf of the England coach following the publication of controversial World Cup player ratings on the Capello Index website. The England manager demanded that the Capello Index be removed from the internet after insisting he had not seen or approved of the material before it was posted. It remained…

Goal-line technology will not be on the agenda when football's law-makers meet in Wales later this week. The technical sub-committee of the International Football Association Board will meet in Cardiff on Wednesday, but as planned back in May, there will only be one item on the agenda and that will be the continuing experiment with…

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has no problem reporting early for preseason training. Madrid's World Cup stars were originally due back at the club for pre-season training on August 9, but Jose Mourinho has decided he wants his players to return a week earlier. "That's fine," the goalkeeper said. "I have spoken to him a…

Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier blames Wayne Rooney for England's shocking World Cup performance. Houllier singled out Manchester United striker Rooney, who failed to score in South Africa, for particular criticism. The Frenchman said: "Probably the key to understanding why England didn't perform at the World Cup is that the top players didn't do as…

Manchester United legend Eric Cantona says France's World Cup meltdown was a blessing in disguise for the nation's footballers. Cantona, who won 45 caps for France, has claimed the team’s ­in-fighting would have taken a sinister turn had they not flown home after the group stages. Cantona, 44, said: “It is a good thing that…

Arsenal ace Robin van Persie has defended the style of football played by Holland in their run to the World Cup final. Van Persie has also defended Holland’s strong-arm tactics against Spain in the final. "People criticised us for our playing style," he said. "It was not as pretty as it used to be with…

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce fears England's elite players are becoming detached from the average fan. Bruce insisted English footballers, especially those who flopped at the World Cup, owe a massive debt to those who pay good money to follow their heroes. "If we’re not careful, we’re going to alienate ourselves from the public," said Bruce.…

England manager Fabio Capello has not seen or approved of the rankings in the Capello Index and demanded they be removed from the internet. The scheme bearing the Italian's name ranked England's players during their World Cup campaign for a fantasy league game. It had been agreed by the Italian tactician and the FA that…

The World Cup final attracted a mammoth 700 million people worldwide and drew Spain's highest-ever viewing figures. 15.605 million Spaniards tuned in for extra-time to see their country edge the Netherlands, thanks to a 116th minute Andres Iniesta strike, and win their first-ever World Cup title. That figure equates to roughly 1 in 3 of…

After failing to retain their La Liga title and couldn't reach the final of this year's UEFA Champions League final, Real Madrid have one mission left this season which is winning the Copa del Rey final which will be held next Friday, May 17 at Santiago Bernebau stadium. Having to play in front of their…

Losing out their premier league title to their rival Manchester United this season has left huge disappointment for Manchester City, but they will be keen to make a mend this Saturday, May 9 when they play against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup final. Roberto Mancini's men will be very pumped up in defeating their…